Let Me Out! I'm Stuck in The Finish!

in many buildings, much gets lost in translation of what the thing should look like. In Colorado and other mountain states, the vernacular for a home dictates a Mountain Homestead sort of look; in Oklahoma, Texas and other southern areas the local taste may shape a commercial building as one would a prairie home. A structure is put up, the mechanical & electrical systems are installed, and barrage of finishes are applied to achieve the final look of the thing. What's wrong with this?: absolutely nothing - it works just fine. But it could be better with a little less effort:
It can be somewhat tragic to see what happens to a steel structure covered by drywall that, in and of itself, is a thing of beauty. Mechanical systems, mainly duct work, can add a dynamic that can't be achieved by the finest ceilings used to hide them. But that's what we do, we integrate the systems and cover them up.
A concept that is age old, "doing more with less," can be applied to so many situations. For example take a look at the economy: all over the world, people are having to apply this on an operational level. how about looking at this from a design/construction level? We can put a little more thought into the nuts and bolts of our buildings and use them to create a thing of unique beauty..

"Less is more"
Robert Browning, 1855

Hiya Hiya Hiya and happy holidays!

The pulse around here, with myself and other architects that I've been talking to, is an oddly busy one. During the holidays, we're typically cleaning out our desks, making projections for the new year, planning ski trips, basically filling our schedules with C-Time activities. However, I myself have been turning out various projects and deadlines. My desk is very messy and I've had no time to ski my home mountain,much less plan a trip.
Are any of us complaining? Absolutely not! We feel blessed, not only can we be billable during a typically non-billable time of year, but this is giving us an extremely positive indicator of what 2011 may bring. And that appears to be a few more steps out of this recession.
Another exciting thing, at least for this architect, is that the source of the work seems to be changing. JR has promoted an approach to design from a three dimensional aspect from day one - where the design profession has been traditionally filled by 2 dimensional plans and other "descriptive" types of documents (all of which are critical to building but typically confuse the layperson); JR has made it a point to communicate with the client in terms that the client can understand. This includes 3d renderings, video, and other types of media. Well, the rendering and video part has transformed into a side service in and of itself, and the more JR can offer clients the better for JR and the client!

Happy Holidays and feel free to stop by for a chat!

@%!!!*@@

Not really, things are very good!

Thanks Marcel

When I attended Art School in Holland, one of my professors would say regularly: "focus on the BIG lines...don't get stuck with the little ones." What he was telling me, in a simple and understandable way, was to think more conceptually and less operationally. 85% of people think operationally - hey, it's just how stuff gets done. But the designer has to look at the bigger picture, i,e. think conceptually, if the design will be understandable and comprehensive. The professor's name is Marcel Ponjee. Thanks Marcel.

Thoughts

• Just because it's always been done that way doesn't mean that it's the right way. However, just because it's different doesn't always mean it's better. The key, and challenge, is to use what works; sometimes that means using a tried & true method - sometimes that means inventing a new one.
• People do better work when they are happy. Cosimo Medici, godfather of the Renaissance, embraced this, allowing his artists their quirks, excesses, mood swings, and the like - out of this came some of the most groundbreaking works of art and architecture known today: such as Donatello's "David" and Brunelleschi's tower for Florence Cathedral. The big stuff comes out of people who are able to work in their optimum operation style; within "their" parameters.

What is Strawbale Construction?

So what is straw-bale construction anyway? Simply put, it is a post-and-beam system with straw bales; the bales are infill.

Why would anyone do this?

- Well, it's green for one - straw bales are a naturally growing, renewable resource: the post and beam system also uses less lumber than 2x stick framing or steel studs in light gauge metal framing.

- While standard residential exterior wall construction has an R-Value of 20-25 (this is your insulating value), straw-bale has an R-Value of 60.

- What's more is the finish; plaster over straw-bale gives a wavy, organic wall profile. It finishes with true character.

Using What's Already There

Do you have to create something new to make it yours? We have a lot that's already there to work with. The big plus in retrofitting, renovating, and recycling, is that you are working with something that has a history, and with history comes character. New York's Highline Park is an example of this on a grand scale: