PREFAB: Modular solutions to unique building challenges

contributed by Ann February 8, 2010, 11:57 am Leave your comment

A long way from the classic doublewide, contemporary prefab structures provide an efficient production process, minimize impacts to site surroundings and allow relocation and reuse.

This structure is a fully demountable, portable racquetball court designed as a kit-of-parts that can be assembled at any venue. The court will travel the United States for the Professional Racquetball Tour and eventually travel internationally for various World Federation events. The designer is Devin Cannady of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

These student cabins are for visitors to the Crow Canyon archeological center. Lake Flato Architects designed the cabins to sleep 24 people each with bunk beds and an efficient plan that is mirrored in three dimensions. The cabins can be installed onto simple piers using a crane and assembled on-site within a matter of days with minimal impact on the land.

Tumbleweed Houses have tiny homes for sale along with do-it-yourself kits and workshops. Sizes range from 65 to 837 square feet. They promote simple living and efficient use of space.  A fun product simplifying homebuilding and promoting the virtues of small.

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I am not a painter.

contributed by Bailey February 5, 2010, 11:17 am 5 people had their say - chime in!

“I am not a painter”  she said, and then bent her head back to weeding the garden that we had been sweating over for the last 6 hours.  Gardening was hard work and I think Carol loved it and hated it at the same time.  She hated the back aches, the neck aches, the knee aches, and the chronic dehydration that you just can’t fight when you work long and hard under the western sun.  She loved it at 4:30 in the afternoon, after the heat of the day had broken and a cold beer was on the horizon.  Then, we could sit back and take in the beauty that we had created or maintained for yet another day.

I don’t know what had made her say that, whether she was hating or loving gardening at the moment, but one thing was clear: Carol was an exceptional painter.  She was a pastel artist, in fact, and had shown her work in galleries all across the country.

Here are a few of her masterpieces:

I have known other women who have said the same thing… some, blatantly while standing right in front of their work!  (…you know who you are.)

“I am not a painter” she said, as she stood beside one of her huge abstract acrylic paintings.  It was the gallery opening and I stood sipping wine from a little plastic cup, gazing up at her beautiful painting, wondering if she was delusional.

Here are a few of her musings (i couldn’t get any actual paintings):

I know.  I am acting shocked and mystified by something that is all too common.  I bet each one of you has an extremely talented friend out there who would rather eat dirt than label themselves as (ssshhhh!) an artist.  But I don’t get it.

Is it fear?  Are you afraid that someone will point their finger and yell, “Fake! You’re not an artist!”.  Well, they might… but who cares?  You don’t have to believe them. Who are they to say what you are or aren’t?  Shame on the nay-sayers of the world!  We all have to start somewhere and we will improve.

Whatever you do well, WHATEVER your talent is…art, organizing, music, food, listening, making others laugh…don’t hide it. We don’t have much time here and our gifts are little lights to share in a sometimes bleak world.  Let your light shine out to others, act as if you have already arrived  (at that place of being “good enough”) and revel in what makes you special.  Then, work hard to make it even better!

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Labyrinths

contributed by Laura February 4, 2010, 8:27 am 3 people had their say - chime in!

Recently a friend and I attended a weekend conference on labyrinths in Denver. When we arrived at the Arvada Center for the Arts, we were completely shocked to find that we were going to be joining over 200 other participants.; we had both imagined that the topic would attract a much smaller crowd of say thirty to forty interested souls.

So why all the buzz about labyrinths? And what is a labyrinth?

Labyrinths predate written history. Evidence of their existence is found in different cultures and at different times in most traditions around the world. The Jewish Kabbala, the Native American Medicine Wheel and the Tibetan Sand Mandala are all examples of labyrinths. A maze and a labyrinth are often confused as being one in the same. However, in a maze the purpose is to create a sense of confusion and being lost, while the labyrinth provides an ordered though not always obvious journey without tricks or decisions.

The labyrinth is based on a geometric pattern usually in the form of a circle that has one path, beginning at the outer edge and leading in a circuitous way into the center. For many the circular form represents unity and wholeness while the pattern itself recalls forms and figure found in the cosmos and nature as well as the principles of sacred geometry.

Labyrinths are made from many different materials. Some are found in plazas created by using different types of paving materials; some are etched in the grass; some are made from mounds of earth covered with grass; some are made out of stone; and some are made out of portable tapestries.

Labyrinths are enjoying a resurgence in modern day cultures. They can now be found in over seventy countries throughout the world in schools, hospitals, hospices, spas, churches, public and private parks, prisons, etc. It is believed that the labyrinth provides sacred space for meditation, centering and healing.  Studies have been done showing a reduction in heart rates and blood pressure after walking a labyrinth. While there is no right or wrong way to walk a labyrinth, the simple act of putting one foot in front of the other along a defined path creates an opportunity for reflection and a quieting of the mind. Labyrinths have been used for a wide variety of purposes including stress reduction, meditation, prayer, healing, engaging the creative mind, and intentional walking.

Here in Carbondale, I have access to two labyrinths: one in a public setting minutes from my home and one at a private residence just up the road.  To find a labyrinth near you go to the Worldwide Labyrinth Locator.

There are many resources available on labyrinths. One of the best places to start is with the book Walking A Sacred Path by Dr. Lauren Artress. Dr. Artress was the speaker at the conference that I attended in Denver and she was fabulous, appealing to a remarkably diverse group of people from all walks of life.

Take a walk, and see what you find.

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Green Roof Conference-Part III: The Living City

contributed by Roger February 2, 2010, 10:06 am Leave your comment

Toronto and Region Conservation (TRCA) has committed to taking immediate action and exemplifying leadership to support their communities and partners in dealing with climate change mitigation and adaptation. TRCA has developed a Strategic Plan, “Moving Toward The Living City” that recognizes that the integration of climate change concerns will be a critical component in achieving the objectives and goals of a healthy, sustainable urban region extending into the 22nd century.

Toronto faces a number of challenges. The Greater Toronto Area’s population is expected to grow by 40% to 7.5 million by 2028. How should Toronto improve its environmental, social and economic conditions? How will they maintain and improve their quality of life?

To address these concerns The Strategic Plan has developed a series of Objectives:

1. Healthy Rivers and Shorelines – Water we can trust

2. Regional Biodiversity – Nature in the city region

3. Sustainable Communities – Market transformation and education

4. Business Excellence – Collaboration and partnership

MODELING SUSTAINABILITY—The Living City Campus at Kortright

The Living City Campus at Kortright was developed by TRCA as a model for sustainable design and practices. The 800 acre campus is located about 45 minutes northwest of downtown Toronto on a wooded site that contains farmlands, ponds and several stream corridors. It is also home for the Center’s LEED platinum Visitor Center, The LEED gold Restorative Services Building and the LEED Gold Earth Rangers Center.

The campus has been divided up into 3 regions, each with its own emphasis.  The Southern Region contains the Peregrine Foundation Learning Centre, which focuses on raptors, birds, insects, bats, and has a Biodiversity Trail; the Design and Technology Research Centre which focuses on sustainable technologies and biomimicry; and the LEED Gold Earth Rangers education center, which has commercial green building demonstrations, children’s tours and a future wild animal veterinary clinic.

The Campus Core contains the LEED Platinum Living City Visitor Centre, a children’s water experience, tree canopy walk, Energy Trail which demonstrating various types of renewable energy technologies and a duplex house which demonstrates various sustainable features which can be incorporated into new housing construction.

Our visit began with a tour of the Earth Rangers Center.  The organization is based on simple environmental actions by children that expand outward and affect the lives of their families and friends to ultimately protect nature.  It utilizes live shows at schools, community events and the Earth Rangers Studio at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), and its children’s website: www.earthrangers.com to motivate hundreds of thousands of children each year to protect the natural world.

Earth Rangers found its permanent home at the Kortright Centre for Conservation in Vaughan, Ontario.  A 60,000 square foot facility was built on the 12-hectare site in 2004 and in 2006 the building was certified LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold.  The building serves as a live demonstration to the principals of Green Building.

New Systems in this building include:

Installation of a geothermal heating and cooling system

An innovative recuperative dehumidification system

An integrated Building Automation System

Significant photovoltaic and wind power generation

Energy metering at System Level

Replacement of the on-site wastewater treatment system

Modifications to the displacement ventilation and radiant slab systems

LEED Platinum for Existing Buildings.  Operations and Maintenance (LEED EBOM)

SUSTAINABLE HOUSE AND COMMUNITY

The other portion of the site that we were able to tour was the Sustainable House and Community at the Campus Core.  The Archetype Home demonstrates viable, sustainable housing.  Through education, training, market transformation and partnership programs it is intended to influence how communities are built, planned, constructed, and lived in to minimize ecological footprints and improve people’s quality of life.

GOALS

Demonstrate sustainable technologies, materials and practices for the production build residential market.

Inform, educate and motivate people about the benefits of adopting sustainable practices, products, services and technologies.

Provide training for sustainable products, systems installation and operation.

Promote a holistic approach to sustainable housing and community building.

Facilitate the market transformation of green or sustainable building practices and technologies.

CLICK HERE for more information on the design of the homes.

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Pond Hockey

contributed by mikegasper January 28, 2010, 9:53 am 5 people had their say - chime in!

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For those of us who grew up in the great white north, over pronounced any word with an OU in it and ended sentences with “eh?”, this is how it started.  Sometimes it was a flat back yard that your Grandfather, Uncle or Dad would hose down.  Sometimes it was the local river, pond or lake.  If you were lucky enough to live near a park they would sometimes put up plywood boards to create the hockey rink with a warming hut that featured a coal burning pot bellied stove that would smell even worse when you put your black stick tape in it.  This is usually where you experienced your first frost bite.  I was one of those lucky ones.  My grandfather would lace up my skates at the house.  I could never get them tight enough.  I would skate 3 blocks on the shoulder of the road to the park rink.  After a few hours of pick up hockey, or “shinny” as we called it, I would skate back home take off my skates and grimace as my feet thawed out over the heat register.  Now that was a great day, no coaches, no drills, no referees and even better if it was snowing.  I didn’t skate on an indoor rink until I was about 10 years old.

I had a chance to relive that experience this a few weekends ago when I played in a Pond Hockey Tournament at Bow Mar.  The weather was nicer than I remember in Canada.  I was able to tie my own skates.  We had kegs of beer, Jagermeister and a Grill rink-side. There were no coaches, no drills, very few rules and no referees.

What a great weekend Eh?

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