Luck O' the Green: Irish Architecture Touring Symposia Comes to United States

 
St. Patty’s Day (and all its festivities/traditional fare) may yet be months away but Culture Ireland is giving Americans a glimpse at the country’s more cultured side this fall. As part of its 2011 “Imagine Ireland” tour that aims to showcase Irish art exhibits throughout the United States, the organization and the Irish Architecture Foundation, Dublin have teamed up to offer a touring symposia on Irish Architecture.

Two groups of leading architects from Irish design firms will travel to six museums and design schools over the next two months to present the key aspects of their work and discuss challenges and issues facing Irish architecture today.

Group One—Merritt Bucholz and Karen McEvoy, Bucholz McEvoy Architects; Niall McCullough, McCullough Mulvin Architects; and Shih-Fu Peng, Heneghan Peng Architects—already completed their East Coast tour. They visited New York last week, stopping at Cooper Union, then traveled to Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, and The Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh.

Group Two—Tom dePaor, dePaor Architects; Yvonne Farrell, Grafton Architects; and Sheila O’Donnell, O’Donnell + Tuomey Architects— will begin touring on November 8 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, followed by presentations at the University of California Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design, Department of Architecture, and The Art Institute of Chicago.

Visit www.architecturefoundation.ie for more information.

Scoring with Sustainability

There’s no denying that sustainability offers not only a winning strategy for environmental protection but for the reduction of operation costs as well. As such, many sports organizations like the NFL and MLB have put their own colors aside in recent years to jump on board with the “green team” and renovate America’s stadiums to feature a variety of technologies for clean energy.

 
Most recently, plans were announced this week for a solar installation at FedExField, home of the Washington Redskins. Design firm DLR Group and NRG Energy will collaborate to install 8,000 panels across 850 spaces in the stadium’s Platinum A1 Parking Lot—which will generate up to two megawatts (MW) of electricity—and about 200 translucent solar panels will be placed on the exterior of the NRG entry plaza at Gate A pedestrian entry ramp. The plaza entrance also will house two sculptures of football players created with thin film solar technology to produce even more energy for the stadium.

Additionally, 10 electric vehicle charging stations from NRG’s eVgo^sm charging network will be added to the grounds and kiosks in parking lot A1 and the NRG entry plaza on the west corner of FedExField will provide fans with information about renewable energy and NRG clean energy solutions. The project will be complete this September in time for the 2011 NFL football season.

 
Also set for a September completion is an energy-saving endeavor which will allow Lincoln Financial Field, home to the Philadelphia Eagles, to become the world’s first sports stadium to fully convert to self-generated renewable energy. Solar Blue will cover the stadium’s façade with 2,500 solar panels, set 80 20-foot wind turbines atop the stadium rim, and operate a 7.6 megawatt onsite dual-fuel cogeneration plant to save an estimated $60 million in energy costs. All of the technologies will be controlled via an executed monitoring and switching technology.

 
The Seattle Seahawks announced in May that they are striving to decrease their carbon footprint, too. Solyndra solar panels will be installed by McKinstry to the roof of Qwest Field. The thin-film, tube-shaped CIGS (copper, indium, gallium, and selenide) solar cells will cover 2½ acres (80 percent) of the stadium. Light reflecting off the stadium’s existing “cool roof”—which serves to reduce heat absorption—should add to the production of electricity as it is captured by the new panels. Qwest Field’s utility costs are expected to shrink by 21 percent. The project expects completion sometime this summer.

 
Solar Blue has also held a relationship with the Boston Red Sox. GroSolar installed a solar thermal system manufactured by Heliodyne Incorporated on the roof of Fenway Park’s fifth floor media level in 2008. Thirty-seven percent of the gas used for heating is offset by the system, avoiding 18 tons of CO2 emissions. (The amount of emissions conserved can be compared to not driving a car for 43,611 miles!) Solar Blue is now considered the official energy conservation partner of the baseball team and Fenway Park.

 
Across the country from the Red Sox lies the first existing ballpark to attain LEED Silver status, San Francisco’s AT&T Park. In 2007, Solar Design Associates was commissioned by the Giants baseball team to install 590 Sharp solar panels to supply energy to Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) customers in the San Francisco area. The stadium’s Diamond Vision scoreboard also is sustainable—it uses 78 percent less energy than the ballpark's original scoreboard.

It’s great to see that sporting venues are picking up the pace on sustainable design, especially since they hold such a prominent spot in the public eye. But it seems that these types of projects still have a long way to go when it comes to transitioning to the greener side of the fence. Why do you think stadiums have been so slow to renovate to decrease their carbon footprint? What can designers do to encourage facility managers and team owners to invest in green design?

--Raysha Armbrustmacher

Belly Up to the Container Bar

Once a dull neighborhood, Austin’s Rainey Street was in need of an invigorating transformation—and there’s nothing like an iconic bar with a unique design to do the trick. Scheduled to open December 31, Container Bar will be constructed of stacked recycled metal shipping containers assembled to form a central courtyard. Bridget Dunlap, a local nightlife owner with three other bungalow-style venues in the area, is the first to take on such a concept in Austin.

 
New flooring, windows, and artistic accents will enhance the containers, giving each box its own identity via the interior decor. The bar will be fit with classy bathrooms, air-conditioning, and eco-friendly LED lighting. For fun, a movie screen and stage will be included among other amenities. The exterior will remain weathered. Container Bar will be a LEED compliant space.

Contrary to popular belief, Dunlap is not an interior designer but rather a businesswoman; despite the lack of a design background, she has pulled together authentic spaces with a few objects as inspiration, allowing for the rest to fall in place.

 
"Anyone who knows me will tell you that I get easily bored, so I worked out my creative juices and restlessness through developing my ideas for Rainey Street. I love the rough look of the old shipping containers,” says Dunlap. “Container Bar will be a stunner.”

Dunlop's endeavor is just another instance of shipping container architecture to hit the news in recent years. What do you think about the salvaged container trend? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
 
--Raysha Armbrustmacher

‘Heart of the Garden’ Blooms in New York

By Todd Forrest, Vice President for Horticulture and Living Collections, The New York Botanical Garden

 
Known around the world as a museum of plants with far-reaching botanical science and educational programs, The New York Botanical Garden also is the steward of a 250-acre National Historic Landmark landscape in New York City. The Botanical Garden’s historic landscape features 50 gardens, plant collections, and displays developed over the past 120 years to serve our research and education programs and to delight the public with the beauty and diversity of plants.

Over the past decade, we have been restoring the Garden’s historic landscape, with an emphasis on the 85-acre “Heart of the Garden,” a unique mosaic of old-growth native forest that pre-dates the Garden and naturalistic gardens created during the implementation of a 1920’s master plan, developed by the Olmsted Brothers firm. Working with renowned landscape architect Laurie Olin of Olin Partnership, we created a plan to restore and enhance the Heart of the Garden with the goal of celebrating the unique qualities of the natural landscape while providing exciting new horticultural spectacles to inspire and delight our visitors.

 
The new Azalea Garden, which opened on May 7, is the first major project completed within the Heart of the Garden. This 11-acre garden features encyclopedic collections of azaleas, rhododendrons, and extensive sweeps of woodland perennials, planted amidst some of the Garden’s most dramatic topography and venerable native trees. From 2009 to 2011, horticulturists planted more than 2,500 new azaleas and rhododendrons, 1,000 other trees and shrubs, 40,000 bulbs, and 30,000 perennials in the shade of ancient oaks, tulip trees, and sweet gums. A dazzling diversity of azaleas and rhododendrons now provides flowers from March through July (with a peak in late April and Early May), while the companion plants extend the flowering season and provide touches of subtle beauty throughout the year.

The new plantings are massed so they can be enjoyed from along nearly a mile of new pathways that wind through the stands of centenarian trees and traverse slopes that rise 55 feet from valley to peak. New gathering circles, overlooks, and benches provide opportunities to rest and enjoy long views of the landscape. Interpretive signs and plant labels teach visitors about the plants, the natural features of the site, and the design of the new garden.

The completed Azalea Garden is the first step in ongoing efforts to restore the historic heart of The New York Botanical Garden. Future projects include the creation of a new Native Plant Garden and the ecological restoration of the 50-acre Native Forest, the largest remnant of natural forest in New York City. Together these projects will create an 85-acre oasis of natural beauty, great “plantsmanship,” and informed stewardship that is unique to New York City.

(Photography by Ivo M. Vermuelen)

Do It for the Kids (of Kathmandu)

I’m not necessarily a very charitable person (a terrible thing to say, I know, but let me explain). I’d rather be one to make a difference by, say, running a marathon and raising money/awareness in others than mindlessly throwing dimes into a container at a storefront. After all, when you’re a writer for a living, those dimes can be few and far between in the bottom of your purse. But I do have to admit that like most people (at least those with some sort of heart anyway), I recognize a good cause when I see it.

That’s why I was thrilled to recently receive a note about a design-inspired initiative, called Kids of Kathmandu, that is raising awareness for Nepalese orphans. It started last year when Brooklyn-based newlyweds Andrew Raible, a furniture maker, and Jami Saunders, a photographer, used their honeymoon to volunteer in an orphanage in Kathmandu, Nepal. They were so touched that once home they formed Kids of Kathmandu. The newly established non-profit utilizes photography, art, and design to raise awareness and funding for the 41 kids, half of whom suffer from chronic malnutrition.

 
The organization’s first initiative, The Desk Project, called designers to create unique children’s desks to support the orphans education. Eleven different designers came to the call, and each of the teams’ 11 desk designs will be auctioned off at an inaugural fundraising gala, being held in New York City on May 12, to raise money.  Tickets cost $75 ticket and will cover an evening of hors d’ourves, drinks, and live music. Additionally, the event will feature a photographic art installation that showcases large-format photos of the orphan children, which will be available for sale.

Desks crafted by:
Andrew Raible (Standard41) http://standard41.com
Andrew Rumpler (Nine Stories Furniture Co) www.ninestoriesdesign.com
Ben Strear (Strear Built) www.strear-built.com
Bill Hilgendorf (Uhuru) www.uhurudesign.com
Brian DeRosia www.brianderosia.com
Daniel Moyer (Daniel Moyer Design) www.danielmoyerdesign.com
Eric Manigian www.manigian.com
James Harmon (Workshop) www.workshopdesignbuildllc.com
Mark Righter (Cambium Studio) www.cambiumstudio.com
MADE www.made-nyc.com
Wadaly www.wadaly.com

More information on the event and organization is available at http://kidsofkathmandu.org/. Make sure to spread the word and share your kudos with the contributing desk designers!

--Stacy Straczynski

Designing Back to the Future: 2011 WT Awards

Design is always evolving, and while the latest Salone Internazionale del Mobile, which ran from April 12 – 17 in Milan, may have come to close this weekend, it’s no question that the designs presented at the 2011 WT Award exhibit at the exhibition’s Well-Tech Observatory pavilion will continue to inspire.

Now in it’s 11th year, the program presented to Salone attendees 60 design innovations that address the values of innovation, accessibility, sustainability, and quality of life. Nine winners in total were chosen across the range of categories, but here are a couple of the designs that directly apply to architecture and interior design:

 
"Masdar City, the Oasis of the Future,” a planned underground city in Abu-Dhabi, designed by LAVA, will rely solely on solar and wind energy. The town will occupy 6 sq. km. (20,000 ft. sq.) of space and offer a system of shuttle stations and tracks, in light of cars, for a zero carbon transportation system, as well as house 50,000 people, 1500 businesses, and the new Masdar Institute of Science and Technology University. http://www.l-a-v-a.net/

 
Designed by Tarta, this ergonomic backrest is lightweight, flexible, and elastic but also compact and durable. The modular dish style of the design allows for a custom build and individual fit that can improve the posture of users, from disabled people in wheelchairs to office workers. The system is convenient for application in lounge, sofa, or armchair seating, as well. http://www.tartadesign.it/

But why stop there? View all the 2011 WT Award winners and entrants at the WT Awards Web site. Some of the other entrants you may like to check out include:

 
Combining technology with sleek design, Heimdall presents a new outdoor speaker system. The luminous and wireless design is freestanding and solar-powered, with an operable remote transmitter control that can be synced to Smartphones and laptops. The aesthetic cylinder can be made from an assortment of materials—including resin, marble, wood—and features a touch screen. http://www.heimdall.it/

 
The new Energy-Photovoltaic Walkable Pavement from Onyx Solar is comprised of photovoltaic glass ceramic is integrated into the floor. The innovative product, which stores solar energy to be used inside nearby buildings, is pressure-resistant to weathering and performs like a normal floor tile. http://www.onyxsolar.com/

 
The Revolution Door by Fluxxlab modifies the traditional revolving door. Consisting of three main elements—an central pivot (that can replace each new or already installed port), a mechanical/electrical system to collect the rotary kinetic energy, and an electrical energy device that displays the amount of energy generated. http://www.fluxxlab.com/

What are your favorite design innovations? Share your thought with us in the comments below.

 --Stacy Straczynski

Milan: Let There be Light

 
Euroluce, one of the largest lighting expos in the world is held every other year alongside the furniture fair in Milan. The 26th edition offered task and outdoor lighting systems--as well as chandeliers, wall sconces, and pendants--presented by 450 exhibitors from around the globe. 
 

Old world Venetian glassmaker La Murrina got into the act with their modular hanging light Victoria (shown above), composed of glass rods, designed by Matteo Thun and Antonio Rodriguez. Innovative technologies and forms were also launched by Flos, Luceplan, and Artemide.

 
Austrian crystal manufacturer Swarovski made their lighting debut and Ingo Maurer displayed Bang Boom Zettel’z (shown above), a new limited edition chandelier with comic book figures that practically came to life. Overall, the majority of companies are converting their lights to project only LED [Light Emitting Diodes].

--Melissa Feldman

Show-Stopping Salone Stand

 
Kartell, the mod plastic furniture company, put on an impressive display this year at the 2011 Salone Internazionale del Mobile.

 
The stand was designed by Milanese architect Ferruccio Laviani and featured 11 themes, presenting past and future Kartell icons of design.

 
Master of the Milanese universe, designer Piero Lissoni was on hand to talk about his many creations including the “Audrey” from last year that is now in the market and on view. Fifteen prototypes for 2011 also made their debut.

 

--Melissa Feldman

Spring Erupts in Milan

Volcanic clouds from 2010 miraculously have reappeared in showroom installations and design decor at this year's Salone Internazionale del Mobile, which is now celebrating its 50th year in Milan.

 
Over at British producer Established & Sons, Finish designers Klaus Haapaniemi and Mia Wallenius created their Volcano rug to commemorate the eruption that took place in Iceland exactly one year ago.

At Italian manufacturer Campeggi, the clouds floating above their stand were a gentle reminder of the mood that's still lingering around the globe. But with temperatures rising into the 80's, gelato pops on sale offered some welcome relief and a sign that good times are just ahead.

 

 -- Melissa Feldman

Reign in Spain: What Did We Gain?

By Scott Knudson, Vice President of Design, Wiencek + Associates Architects + Planners

Eleven days abroad in Spain seems reward enough to justify entering next year’s Reign In Spain competition, if for some reason you are on the fence. (Yet like anything ceramic, the true rewards linger longer.) For those of you that have been following these blogs, or have been tracing the tweets or other postings, you know our potpourri of relative strangers formed from the pre-dawn sky above Madrid. Team USA, as Patti Fasan calls us, boarded the bus for Cevisama along with the Italian, Russian, and other delegations in our mutual quest to learn and do more about quality products.

Here is a brief synopsis of my own takeaways:

 
1) I was stunned by the scale of the Cevisama show! There were so many booths that I still don’t know how much I didn’t get to see. The spectrum of contemporary, top-quality material, tending toward truly perfect imitations of every type of stone and wood, set the stage for the stars of the show. These include Roca Tile’s Green City Collection (shown above,a semi-glazed porcelain that lets the color of the body clay show through with atomized coatings adding visual texture), D’Olivaterra (your go-to folks for custom applications, such as brise soleil), and Grespania’s 1 by 3 meter tiles (which are only 3mm thick and look gorgeous).

 
* The USA is only about 3 percent of the global tile market, so many products we saw are produced for other markets, too. Only recently has our own image in the international tile circles started to move beyond beige, cream, and tan. Our factory tour of Keraben (image above) added to the depth of understanding of the opportunities afforded by ceramics.

 
* Our travel group thrived on dissecting Santiago Calatrava’s work by day and by night. The architectural lineage from Mudejar to Modernisme, and = from Gaudi to Calatrava, is striking. Just in case one misses it, Calatrava has used, white trencadis tiles at the Arts & Sciences pools, as Gaudi did on the water towers above Casa Mila.

Whether it was the mojo of the selection process, the warmup of the tours and feasts, the fabulous seminars by Patti and Ryan Fasan, or the warm hospitality of our hosts, each of us on the Reign in Spain trip revels as we recall the light-hearted frivolity coupled with mutual respect and interests. We have have forged relationships of depth through our travels and learning, and the anticipated content of the trip has been supplanted by social substance.

Scott Knudson is vice president of design at Wiencek + Associates Architects + Planners, creating sustainable designs that reinvigorate communities. Knudson (@scottdqknudson) was selected by Tile of Spain in December 2010 as a Reign in Spain finalist. From Feb. 4-12, 2011, he will join a group of journalists and other members of the A&D community in a junket that will travel to the cities of Zaragoza, Teruel, and Valencia, taking in Spanish architecture, culture, culinary temptations, and Cevisama, the International Ceramic Tile and Bath Furnishings Show.