On the Cutting Edge of Spanish Architecture

By Adam Figman, Editorial Intern
 
Earlier today I attended “Architecture From Spain,” a look at the state and plans for evolution of Spanish architecture, specifically in the Castilla y León region of Northern Spain. The event took place in Tafel Hall at the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, a large white room filled with natural light that poured in through the street-side windows.
 
AIA Executive Director Rick Bell kicked the day off with an introduction, during which he outlined the goal of the day’s seminars: to contribute to an understanding of the world via a knowledge of the materials we have and the way people construct things. Bell explained that research done on the computer or design done in a studio is not sufficient to fully comprehend the ways architects build the things they do. 
 
Bell went on to praise the work that’s been done in the Castilla y León region, and then had a moment of pride when he talked about the sustainability and green-ness of the building we were all sitting in.  Apparently, the New York AIA chapter is one of only a few buildings in the city powered by geothermal wells--two provide the institute’s energy in this case. This set forth the beginning of a trend on green architecture and sustainable development that consistently reappeared all day.
 
The first speaker was Mr. Juan I. Barroso, the head of the Department of Culture and Tourism of the Castilla y León government.  Barroso provided a plethora of information about the region of Spain for which he works, setting up the context for those who followed him.  Castilla y León, I learned, is spread over 36,600 square miles and contains 2,500,000 inhabitants. This leads to a very low population density, with only 70 people per square mile (the European average is 260).  These people are concentrated mostly in small towns, leaving vast countryside wide open throughout the area.
 
He also touched on the history of the vicinity. Interestingly, Castilla y León was subject to stints of Roman and Muslim rule in centuries past, the latter of which led to some pretty cool cultural integration.  Twelve Gothic cathedrals can be found in the region, and lots of movable works of art and contemporary architecture can be found, as well.
 
After Mr. Barroso’s history and cultural lesson, Mr. David Camara, president of Unex – Area Contract, took the stage. Camara’s position puts him charge of hospitality equipment, interior design, and home equipment, and he stressed the forward progress of the habitat industry in retail, which includes manufacturing fabrics, lighting, flooring decoration, and more.
 
Camara says restaurants are working to assist people with handicaps.  He also laid out all of the details that his work includes, such as “styles” (contemporary, modern, classical), “range” (high and medium-high products), and the ecological materials used (words, glass, ceramics, aluminum).  Quality service is key, says Camara, and he finds it important that the habitat and contract market in Castilla y León specializes itself so it can continue to increase in importance.  He stood behind the notion that the materials manufactured are qualified to meet the American demand, and that they offer a unique value option for architectural interior design projects throughout Europe.
 
Following Mr. Camara was Mrs. Sonia Para, who taught me everything I learned and then forgot in Introduction to Environmental Studies. Mrs. Para, a fourth generation stone business family member, sped through slides overflowing with science terms and descriptions of the different rock types offered in Northern Spain, which include sandstone, limestone, quartzite, marble and granite. She ended her seminar with a focus on (not surprisingly) sustainability, providing a scientific definition of the term and explaining that both a Life Cycle Assessment and Environmental Audit are now requirements for building in Castilla y León.
 
A pair of Spanish architects wrapped up the day, as they discussed a few projects they were completing. Mr. Miguel A. Alonso led off, and talked about the National Museum of Energy that he was working on in Ponferrada, Spain. The museum will celebrate the mining heritage or the area, while using the area’s natural elements as a thematic park. Solar power and biomass were used as energy sources, and a green covering and a solar skylight will also minimize the need for a powerful heating system. “The building is not trying to be a building with an exhibition inside, but a building that is an exhibition in itself,” he says. Mr. Rufino J. Hernandez concluded the day by talking about some projects he was working on, with pictures to accompany his explanations.

Overall, it was definitely an interesting event, even if the thick Spanish accents made it difficult for me to understand more than a sentence or two at a time. 

Salvaged Sustainability

By Stacy Straczynski, Associate Editor

Everyone’s eyes seem to be green these days—and it’s not from envy. Sustainability is the word, and I’m sure the media has already covered almost every possible angle to greenwash us by now. (Quite frankly, I’m a bit jaded by it all myself.) But this one story that came across my desk about a start-up retail design studio in East London really caught my eye due to its innovation and feel-good vibes.

When it formed during the middle of the credit crunch last January, Campaign didn’t have extra dollars to spend on fancy high-end worktables for is small staff of five—four employees and a “designated mascot” pug named Effie. Rather than shell out cash it didn’t have, the company used its creative juices to rethink the traditional worktable (pictured right). The employees went to the streets of its surrounding metro area and reclaimed any type of abandoned furniture they could find, searching street corners, dumpsters, etc. Tables, chairs, cabinets, and even lamps were fair game. Once collected, the team gave the pieces a white finish to revitalize its appearance, compiled an interesting arrangement, and then bolted them together to create one single, albeit unique, piece of office furniture.

The Alchemy Table, as it’s now called by Campaign, has grown with the company over the last year. As more staff members joined the team, each have made some sort of contribution to the “work of art.” The homespun project is now not only a success in recycling, but can be interpreted as a symbol of successful teamwork and group collaboration.

AIA’s Architecture Billings Index Down Significantly

The Architecture Billings Index (ABI) dropped substantially in November to 42.8 after it reached its highest level since August 2008 with an October mark of 46.1, according to the AIA. Any score below 50 indicates a decline in demand for design services. The level of inquiries for new projects remained high and unchanged at 58.5.

 

“There continues to be a lot of uncertainty in the construction industry that likely will delay new projects in the near future,” said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA. “Perhaps the President’s plan calling for loans for small business, funding for infrastructure projects, and rebates for homeowners making energy efficient improvements will help speed a recovery in the construction industry.”

 

Here’s the breakdown:

• Regional averages: South (46.4), Northeast (45.0),  Midwest (43.7), West (41.1)
• Sector index breakdown: institutional (47.0), multi-family residential (45.8), mixed practice (42.8), commercial / industrial (40.7),
• Project inquiries index: 58.5

As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to 12 month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending.

 

AIA’s Architecture Billings Index Shows Positive Signals

The Architecture Billings Index (ABI) for October reached its highest level since August 2008, according to the AIA. This came amidst a continued high level of inquiries for new projects. October’s ABI rating was 46.1, up significantly from 43.1 in September. And while any score below 50 still indicates a decline in demand for design services, the new projects inquiry score was 58.5, slightly down from 59.1 in September.

 

Comments from the AIA’s chief economist Kermit Baker, PhD., Hon. AIA were guardedly optimistic. “This news could prove to be an early signal towards a recovery for the design and construction industry,” he said. “On the other hand, because we continue to get reports of architecture firms struggling in a competitive marketplace with a continued decline in commercial property values, it is far too early to think we are out of the woods.”

 

Here’s the breakdown:

•       Regional averages: South (46.1), Northeast (44.3),  Midwest (43.0), West (42.8)

•       Sector index breakdown: institutional (48.7), multi-family residential (45.4), commercial / industrial (41.7), mixed practice (39.1)

•       Project inquiries index: 58.5

As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending.

 

What’s Love Got to do With It?

In his new book, Confessions of a Radical Industrialist: Profits, People, Purpose—Doing Business By Respecting the Earth, published by St. Martin’s Press, Interface CEO Ray Anderson presents his argument and process for transforming Interface Inc. from a typical petroleum-intensive corporation of the 21^st century into an organization on course to achieve a zero carbon footprint by the year 2020. Many of us connected with the commercial A&D community are familiar with this goal, Mission Zero, from Anderson’s many public appearances at NeoCon^®, Greenbuild, and other industry events. But many of us may not be as familiar with its origins and implementation. 

Influenced by the brilliant book The Ecology of Commerce by environmentally-minded entrepreneur Paul Hawken, Anderson committed to transforming the carpet company he had founded in 1973 into a model of sustainability for the future. The process began in 1994, and has continued on pace ever since, sometimes slowed (but never stopped) by global economic realities and buoyed all along by a critical alignment in corporate culture from Anderson’s office right down to the factory floor. (In a humorous anecdote, Anderson tells the story of how one skeptical executive from another corporation, by the end of a visit to Interface for a lesson in sustainable industry, described that culture as nothing short of love.)

In Anderson’s view, the path to true sustainability—defined by the author as the continued healthy, balanced existence into the indefinite future of the biosphere (nature) and the technosphere (industry) on this thin shell (Earth)—lies in the rethinking of our entire industrial system, which is currently in the “iron grip” of the environmental impact equation that emerged from the first Industrial Revolution: Environmental Impact = Population x Affluence x Tehnology (I = P x  A x T). In this equation, the T represents current technologies that are fossil fuel-driven, focused on labor productivity, abusive, wasteful, and extract from the earth without giving back. “This made sense 300 years ago when people were scarce and nature was bountiful,” says Anderson.

 He goes on to say that this equation is deeply problematic, and underscores a flawed economic system where the gap between what we have and what we want defines all economic progress. It ignores the consequences of its actions. In the second Industrial Revolution—no time like the present—the environmental impact equation should look more like this: I = P x A / T₂, where T represents technologies that are renewable, cyclical, benign, solar/hydrogen-driven, emulate nature, and focus on resource productivity.

This new equation is obtainable if the corporation of the future adheres to the seven faces of “Mt. Sustainability”: eliminate waste; benign emissions; renewable energy; close the loop; use resource-efficient transportation; sensitize stakeholders (culture shift); and redefine commerce. In practicing what he preaches, Anderson’s own company, Interface, has cut greenhouse gas emissions by 82 percent; cut fossil fuel consumption by 60 percent; cut waste by 66 percent; cut water use by 75 percent; and increased sales by 66 percent, doubled earnings, and raised profit margins all since 1994—the example he uses to assert that the sustainable corporation of the future is indeed within reach. Anderson’s prediction is that the typical corporation of today “will become the proverbial fish out of water.”

It took 10 years of convincing, but Wall Street finally grasped Anderson’s unwavering intentions to build a green manufacturer—an important milestone in the aforementioned culture shift. And eventually, says Anderson, the environmental impact should resemble something more like I = P x A / T₂  x H, where H represents Happiness. The ideal sustainable world, he says, will defy today’s capitalistic principles of “more is better,” and instead be defined by “more happiness with less stuff.”

Click here for a video clip of Ray Anderson talking about his radical industrialist principles.

"Collaborate 'Til It Hurts"

Our July issue it out now, with this year's Guest Editor issue being helmed not by an individual, but by a bevy of talented minds at HOK across the country. It seems appropriate, then, that the theme of the issue is collaboration. Taking the advice of their guest editorial—Collaborate 'til it hurts—to heart, we packed in a lineup that includes looks at collaboration through the lenses of a new university in Saudi Arabia; AmeriCares; the prestigious commission of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC; landscape architecture; and, of course not least, Cirque du Soleil, whose well-known performers grace this month's cover.

In fact, we collaborated so much, the issue continues with a selection of extra goodies online. And so, after you've devoured the July print issue, log on to check out the following bonus features:

Resources: Building on Hope

Creatives living with HIV find meaningful employment and a supportive outlet for their talents at New York's Alpha Workshops

Green: Green Building Goes Global

As the international community embraces sustainability, a common goal has engendered an uncommon level of cooperation

Essay: On the Landscape

Artist Olafur Eliasson learns to collaborate with man and nature, as he creates his most noteworthy works

Practice: Project Management

Complexity in Simplicity

Critique: The Power of Collaborative Design

Solving today's complex problems takes a lot more than a single perspective

Who's leading the sustainability movement?

DesignIntelligence has just released its 2009 Sustainable Design Survey, which takes data from A&D firms in the U.S. Of note:

• Most U.S. firms claim a majority of their projects are environmentally responsible.

• The top five individuals cited as green and sustainable design role models are: Bill McDonough, Ed Mazria, Bob Berkebile, Amory Lovins, and Barack Obama.

• The top five firms cited as green and sustainable design role models are: HOK, Perkins+Will, BNIM, Kieran Timberlake and, in a three-way tie for fifth: Arup, Mithun, and William McDonough + Partners.

• The top five contractors cited as role models: Turner Construction Company, Skanska, a tie for third between Swinerton Inc. and Mortenson Construction, with Beck rounding out the five.

• The top five manufacturers cited along the same criteria as the other top fives above: Interface Inc., Herman Miller, Steelcase, Haworth, and Shaw.

Public Offering Encourages Manufacturers to Support Socially Responsible Design

Last week at Contract's Best of NeoCon® Awards Breakfast in Chicago, John Peterson and John Cary of Public Architecture announced a new initiative that will encourage commercial furnishings and finishes manufacturers to become more engaged in socially responsible design. The new concept, Public Offering, began when Addie Powell of OfficeInsight and Ros Brandt of Brandt Resources invited a group of industry leaders, including Maxine Mann and MaryEllen Magee of Teknion, Jeannie Bochette of Steelcase, and yours truly, to explore more socially conscious alternatives to the generous gifts manufacturers bestow upon their design clients each holiday season. When our New York-based "Group of Six" teamed up with Public Architecture and New York creative firm The Moderns to brainstorm possibilities, the concept of Public Offering..."Gift Design Today" was born. Through its The 1% program, Public Architecture extracts commitments from leading design firms (more than 500 to date) to devote one percent of their billable hours to pro bono design in support of local non-profit and community-based organizations, thereby applying design thinking and design solutions to addressing social problems. Public Offering, in turn, encourages manufacturers to rethink their gift-giving practices and commit instead to diverting those monies spent to support the pro bono work realized through The 1% program...essentially adding the next logical variable to the equation of giving. Over the next few months, Peterson and Cary will fine-tune the details to accommodate various levels of commitment from manufacturers. Visit the Public Offering website and watch the pages of Contract for more information on this exciting initiative.

Merge ahead?

An interesting tidbit we just received: Zweig White is reporting that 71 percent of architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting firms plan to conduct a merger or acquisition in the next five years. Are you part of this majority? 

Legislation Matters

The road to interior design legislation is fraught with strong opinions for and against, and more than its share of misinformation. Multiple, state-based efforts to raise the standards of the profession with legislation are ongoing across the country, many at different stages along the continuum. Some legislation establishes a process for certification for qualified interior designers (Licensing Acts), some mandates that only certified or licensed professionals can call themselves “interior designers” (Title Acts), and some requires that only certified or licensed professional be able to practice interior design (Practice Acts). Whatever the extent of your state’s current or proposed legislation, the ultimate goal for all of it is to raise the standards and rights of the profession in practice and in law.

 In New York State, which is largely perceived as a bellweather state for legislative precedent, Interior Designers for Legislation in New York recently suffered it’s third defeat in its attempt to get an Interior Design Title Act passed by the State Legislature. The problem, as indicated by Governor Paterson when he vetoed the proposed legislation, is that the current certification law does not provide a Certified Interior Designer with a measure of privileges that would motivate designers to become licensed.

 In response, IDLNY will be concentrating its efforts in 2009 on introducing legislation that would give Certified Interior Designers several privileges:

 • A bill will be introduced the will include Certified Interior Designers, as well as licensed architects and engineers, as qualified bidders for public and municipal projects that require interior design services.

 • A bill will be introduced to enhance the meaning and value of the current signature requirement for Certified Interior Designers on all documents, drawings, and specifications.

 • A bill will be introduced that will allow Certified Interior Designers to be eligible as partners with architects and engineers in a Design Professional Corporation.

 • A bill will be introduced that will create a window of opportunity (grandfathering) for interior designers who have been in practice for 15 years or more, and can demonstrate their qualifications, to become Certified Interior Designers.

 IDLNY is currently seeking feedback on these initiatives from the New York interior design community, as well as feedback from other interior designers around the country who have engaged in similar legislative efforts. If you have an opinion on legislation—in general or regarding any of the specifics listed above—we invite your comments below.