GreenBuildingAdvisor.com features an interesting article in which EcoCor Design/Build is focusing on high performance and cost control on a two-bedroom Passivhaus project in Knox, Maine:
Wisdom Way Solar Village, designed by Austin Design, Inc. in 2007 and built by Rural Development Inc. from 2008-2010, is a highly energy-efficient community composed of 10 affordable duplexes in Greenfield, Massachusetts.
To learn more about Wisdom Way and several additional green affordable housing communities across the United States, please click on the link below:
This morning across the street from our office, efforts are on-going to reinforce the eroded and washed out riverbanks of the North River, here in Colrain.
This past August, Hurricane Irene slowly swirled her way from Puerto Rico and other islands in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea up the coast of the United States - making landfall in Virginia, New Jersey and New York.
The storm made its third landfall in the Coney Island area of Brooklyn, NY around 9 am on August 28. Though downgraded to a tropical storm by that point, the massive system continued to create severe flooding and extensive property damage.
Below is footage a neighbor took during the aftermath of the destructive storm. It shows the speed and height of the North River, just across the street from our office. Though the driveway to our building as well as most of the front lawn were submerged at the peak of the river's flooding, our office building remained unharmed.
Do you recognize this Historic Landmark in upstate New York? If you know its name, you can submit your answer to this blog entry using the "Comments" link below.
Hint: The Iron Building was built in 1859 and is "an outstanding example" of pre-fabricated cast iron construction. It also has a strong degree of Italianate styling.
What's going on in our world today? For one, serious talks in Durban, South Africa where the United Nations Climate Summit is taking place. World leaders coming together to shape our future, hopefully for the better!
The Haiti Housing Collaborative (HHC) organization was formed by the AIA NY Global Dialogues Committee. Members of the HHC undertook the task of designing four different types of affordable housing in response to the January 2010 earthquake. Each of the designs is featured on their website:
We are excited about the HHC's work since we hold rebuilding efforts in Haiti very close to our own hearts. The Honor for Haiti Foundation (FONHOH) is an organization that is focused on educational improvement in Haiti. We have been working with Marky Jean-Pierre, a founding FONHOH board member, to design a rural educational campus in Lagoun.
Housing, healthcare, and education are all extremely critical topics in Haiti right now, and we are committed to aiding the efforts to improve these areas. It is uplifting to see action being taken by others in the same vein and it is with much enthusiasm that we help spread the word about the important work of the HHC.
Excellent news for Holyoke, MA! Yesterday, Deval Patrick and other important local leaders visited the Paper City for the capping beam ceremony at the new Massachusetts Green High Performance Computer Center.
Each year millions, if not billions, of birds are stunned, injured or killed by flying into glass.
Recently, on a more chirpful - ahem, cheerful - note, the U.S. Green Building Council has began offering credits to builders for bird-friendly designs: A New LEED Credit for Bird-Friendly Buildings.
When we met with the homeowners of this waterfront property, they were excited to make improvements that would allow for greater comfort and enjoyment of their seasonal Vermont home and its beautiful views of Lake Champlain and the surrounding mountains.
This project is a work-in-progress and includes plans to:
Add a dormered second story with a master bedroom and bathroom (on the north side), a guest bedroom and bathroom, a sitting area and balcony
Expand the first floor kitchen, entry, and stairway to second floor
Raise the house above flood level
Minimize the expansion of the footprint as much as possible
Below are two additional views of the conceptual plan for the lakeside cottage, as well as "before" and "under construction" photography:
Conceptual design - North & west facades
Conceptual design - South & east facades
"Before" - North & west facades
"Before" - South facade
"Before" - East facade
"Under construction" - Raised and getting additional foundational piers
"Under construction" - Expanded interior stairway leading to second floor
"Under construction" - West facade, the house is beginning to take on its new look
View of Lake Champlain from the home's second floor
Lake Champlain
Stay tuned! We will continue to post updates and progress on the Murphy project as developments occur.
Kindernothilfe (KNH), a Christian organization founded in Duisburg, Germany that is dedicated to children's aid, commissioned Chilean architecture firm, HABITERRA, to rebuild a rural school in Coupeau.
The school was destroyed in the January 12, 2010 earthquake that ravaged Haiti. Local community members, children, and their parents assisted in the rebuilding of the school.
To read more about this amazing project, please click on the links below:
Balestra Berlin's Kubik installation in Lausanne, Switzerland
Dwell brings to our attention The Avant/Garde Diaries - short videos of the lives and goings-on in the design world overseas. The video below features a group of professionals' and artists' lifestyles and projects in Berlin.
Interesting footage of a double-decker bus turned convenience store in a Berlin neighborhood, and an introduction to Balestra Berlin, appear in the video above. Balestra Berlin is a German firm consisting of architects and artists in the fields of music, sound, lighting, animation, illustration, exhibition, event planning, photography and more.
In the aftermath of the January 12, 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti, many organizations pulled together to discuss how to rebuild the country in a safe and stronger way.
The SunBlazer solar charger project in Haiti brings electricity to rural areas of the country to support local entrepreneurs in their business efforts and to provide homeowners will dependable electricity.
Check out the links below to read more about the pilot program:
The Research and Education Network (REN) Haiti report, below, authored by a consortia of organizations from across the Western Hemisphere and France, explains the importance of improving healthcare and education in Haiti. The authors propose, among other things, a country-wide Internet network connecting schools, universities and clinics, to promote and support K-20 education and health services and medical resources throughout the nation.
In Art History class, you may remember studying the captivating cave art of prehistoric painters. Their artwork appeared on the walls and ceilings of caves throughout the world, including the Lascaux, Chauvet, and Pech Merle caves located in modern day France.
Recently, scientists found that the spotted horses painted in Pech Merle were based on real-life versions, and were not simply creative twists of the artists' imaginations.
The messages of Occupy Wall Street (OWS) and similar demonstrations now occuring in cities and towns worldwide are critically important: People want economic equality. We also want corporate greed and injustices to stop.
In a similar vein, Nicholas Kristof of the The New York Times writes an article about Occupy the Classroom.
Like our friend and colleague Marky Jean-Pierre, President of the Honor for Haiti Foundation (FONHOH) with whom we're working to design an educational center in rural Haiti, Kristof believes it is of utmost importance to improve early childhood education.
The Partnership For Educational Revitalization in the Americas (and the Caribbean) issued a report by Laurence Wolff on the subject of educational system improvements in Haiti, entitled Education in Haiti: The Way Forward.
Austin Design Inc provides architectural design services to residential, commercial and institutional clients. Every building project, especially a home, should be an exciting and positive experience. We advocate a team approach among client, builder and ourselves that allows us to share expertise, knowledge and a passion for good design. Our buildings enhance the quality of our clients’ lives, contribute to the community and respect the environment.
Posts
