Posts Tagged ‘architecture’

March 14, 2011

Map got your tongue?

by: Jim McPherson

Tweet Prepare yourself for a lot of tan with a bit of green background, courtesy of Google Maps. I am not an employee of Google nor do I play one on TV. I do not own Google stock out-right — dang it! — but I may have a few shares in the bowels of some mutual fund I hold. With that said, I enjoy making Google Maps because I’ve been a fan of maps and flags of countries since childhood. Thank you National Geographic. And it’s true, a picture is worth a thousand words. You’re now reading Blooming Rock, “Your…

March 10, 2011

Interview with Eddie Jones – What Makes Good Architecture and What Young Architects Should Know

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Today I’m posting the final part of my video interview with Eddie Jones. If you missed the first and second part, go back and take a look. In today’s post, Eddie talks about 3 aspects he considers that make good architecture. And lastly, he talks about what every young prospective or already in the field architect should know. Part V: Eddie on what makes good architecture Part VI: Eddie’s advice to up and coming architects

March 09, 2011

Exploring the Public Face of a Residence at the Castaway House

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Last week, when I interviewed architect Marlene Imirzian (I’ll be posting the interview next week), she said that every project has a public aspect to it, even private residences. What she meant was that even houses have a way to address the street, have a front yard that the public can see, and has a front door for the public to knock on. Good architecture addresses the public face of the house with intention. At the Castaway House, we have layers of space that lead from the public to the private. The diagram below, created by Cavin, illustrates what…

March 02, 2011

Retaining the Existing Roof Structure at the Castaway House

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet In this update: I. Claire walks us through the multiple considerations that go into every decision II.The idea of a triple bottom line approach III. An illustration of the stack ventilation concept created by Cavin I. Claire at the Site II. The Triple Bottom Line Approach Claire talked about the multiple benefits of keeping the existing wood roof structure of this 1950s house and actually exposing it as a vaulted ceiling in the remodel. We try to use the triple bottom line to make most of the decisions at Castaway House. In the case of the existing roof…

February 07, 2011

An Interview with Josiah Cain of Design Ecology

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Josiah Cain and his firm Design Ecology, based in Petaluma, California, do something I had never heard of before. They design living built environments. The work they do includes things like living roofs, living walls, rain harvesting, natural swimming pools, graywater recycling, stormwater management, urban agriculture and sustainable landscapes. Josiah and his multi-disciplinary team are breaking new ground in adding to the things we build an element of natural nourishment, whereas traditional buildings normally deplete their natural environment without giving anything back. I’m so excited to hear Josiah speak at Rogue Green this Thursday! See the end of this…

December 14, 2010

What Would Paolo Soleri Do?

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet “The mechanisms channeling life positively may consist of the replacement of comfort and security by joy.” – Paolo Soleri in his book Arcology: The City in the Image of Man This weekend was the public dedication of the bridge designed by Paolo Soleri in Scottsdale on the Waterfront. I attended a special VIP reception before the public dedication and snapped a photo of the man himself. The next day, I attended a lecture on Organic Architecture by Alan Hess and a panel discussion on Soleri’s Principles in Action that included Will Bruder, John Munier, Jeffrey Stein and Peter Zweig,…

October 19, 2010

Vantage Point: Fair Trade at the Civic Space Park

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet This afternoon I’m sitting at the Fair Trade Café at the Civic Space Park getting some work done before a meeting with Tony Arranaga, The Light Rail Blogger, Valerie Porter, and Suzanne Day of Valley Metro to help plan the next Valley Bike Month. If you’re a regular here at Blooming Rock, you know that if I’m not working at Lux Coffeebar, I’m working or meeting with someone at Giant Coffee. Rarely have I ventured south to this fair place, Fair Trade Cafe at Civic Space Park. As I sit here facing the courtyard, I’m struck by how darn…

July 12, 2010

A Primer on ADA and Why it’s Important to Design

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Do you have people in your life with disabilities? I do. My mother, as she has aged, has experienced a considerable decline in her mobility. She often uses a wheelchair and a walker when she is out and about. I sometimes push my mother’s wheelchair when we are out together and whenever I do, I become instantly aware of ramps to sidewalks and to entrances of buildings. In those times, accessibility becomes an immediate reality, something I have to negotiate with personally, instead of the abstract notion that many times serves as a hindrance to architects and designers. Accessibility…

July 06, 2010

What the Sari Teaches us about Good Design

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet This 4th of July weekend along with the independence of our country, I celebrated my niece’s wedding. My family is originally Indian and this wedding celebration was a chance to dress up in beautiful traditional clothing over the several occasions of the wedding. On one occasion, I wore a sari for the first time. This may surprise some of you that it was only my first time wearing a sari. But the sari is an interesting piece of clothing and to be honest with you, there is an art to wearing it. It’s not something you just throw on…

March 30, 2010

Why Architects Have Lost Their Relevance and How to Get it Back

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Architects have a reputation for spending their client’s money to live out their design fantasies. Admittedly, there’s a reason for this reputation. It happens. This is a big problem and it’s one we in the design industry need to address. This reputation has led to our marginalization. No wonder architects have little clout when it comes to convincing municipalities or developers to build smarter, better, efficient developments that work well. People with money who want to build something have lost faith that architects will spend their money wisely. This is only because it’s true for the most part. Many…