Free Green Response

FreeGreen.com is something I am mostly encouraged by. It appeals to me because I like to play games like The Sims, wherein I create homes and inevitably plan the spaces according to livability. If the game also offered energy efficient items or buildings, I am sure I would use them. In fact, in Sim City Societies, you can create a green city. The empowerment of individuals' creativity in city and home building has been aided by the digital age. Given this, I will venture to say that Free Green is just an extension of this growing area.

So, how does Free Green work? And, most importantly, how is it free? They are lucid on this point: "FreeGreen would not exist without paid placement from product manufacturers." This is a sensible solution, and I have heard about bloggers getting paid for having advertisements on their page. We are in the information age*, characterized by low-cost, rapid and free information. Free Green is unquestionably a product of our time.

*I am more skeptical about this age, but I will reserve that topic for my Haptic Arts blog.

FreeGreen?

I don't want to judge this too quickly, for fear that my review will be harsh, but the existance of FreeGreen.com is hard to believe. I am formulating a response. I welcome your comments in the meantime.

"letting the green in"

I want to recommend Michelle Kaufmann's blog. Actually I think I just want to recommend her. She is a member of the AIA and is LEED® Certified. Her blog is what this one might aspire to be. . . so check her out!

Also see Michelle Kaufmann Designs, her professional website. Her site is awesome to browse--it's stylish eye candy for the sustainably minded, though that doesn't mean it has no substance. She writes intelligently and with valuable technical knowledge about the field. She presents a "going green" mantra with the phrase "let the green in." The advice she gives is practical but never approaches an inhospitable tone. Her bio boasts that "in 2002" she "began a crusade to make thoughtful, sustainable design available to all" (Bio).

Also check out her videos via her YouTube Channel.

Labels: An Architecture Groupie?

I finally realized that I am just an architecture groupie. I decided to amuse myself and searching with the google query: "define: groupie".

Definitions of groupie on the Web:

-an enthusiastic young fan (especially a young woman who follows rock groups around)

wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

-A person who seeks intimacy (most often physical, sometimes emotional) with a famous person, usually a rock band member

en.wiktionary.org/wiki/groupie

If I am either, I hope to be classified as the former. The latter is a bit creepy--especially in the present discussion.

So maybe I didn't have the experience of being a high school band groupie (though going to 3 The Dog & Everything concerts was close ample exposure for me). I suppose that the making of a groupie for a profession cannot be without its own defining factors. One of the requisites is likely to be the consideration of pursuing the field. Another may be seeking media/information about it (books, blogs, podcasts, newspaper articles, classes, etc). Being a groupie is also more active, so I would vote to include some contacting/networking to architects.

Given these criteria, I am an architecture groupie.

The original idea for this classification is from one of my uncles. He has helped me on my 'job/career search' as of late, and one day he said: "Sweetie, you don't want to wind up just being an architecture groupie." To this I quickly responded "No, of course not." Then I thought about it some more; if I was a groupie for now, and it didn't interfere with my pursuit of other paths in addition, what harm would come? I have since embraced the label and have made some architects laugh (one sly way of being a funny/entertaining groupie).

Being a groupie can occur on multiple levels. A cute quiz posted on The Muse's Muse sheds some light onto this:

6) Finally, you get to meet your [favorite singer]. During your very first conversation, you:
a) Are overcome by nerves and babble like an idiot.
b) Chat somewhat normally and ask a few polite questions.
c) Tell him you want to marry him.

Lucky for me, the closest option would have to be "b." Thank goodness. I don't know what kind of terrified responses "c" would get with architects, but that might be a nice social experiment; maybe next time.

*This post is identical to one on my other blog: Haptic Arts

Green Architect: Rob Vagniernes, Jr.

This post is similar to one on my other blog, Haptic Arts, where I include information from interviews with Chicago artists, architects and people in the 'museum world'. The broad and lofty aim of it is to make the art world more transparent/approachable.

Also on Haptic Arts, I posted a portrait of Rob V.

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Now, on to the post.

Present tense: Robert Vagnieres, Jr. sits with a large white legal pad in front of him. My legal pad is small and yellow. Perhaps the juxtaposition of these two items is trivial—but perhaps not. They are, to me, indicative of our relative positions for the conversation.

Now past tense: Let’s back up for perspective: we are sitting in Rob’s home on the south side of Chicago. Rob is an established Architect and has been practicing or on his own for 23 years. He worked with Solomon, Cordwell and Buenz for 5 years total, but set out on his own quite early. His full-service architectural firm was founded in 1985.

The “office politics” of the mega-firm were not for him. He found the small practice far more appealing. In the smaller firm, (a working definition: from 2 to 20), you are able to see the project through from start to finish and have multiple levels of involvement. Architects have been called late bloomers, but Vagnieres would chalk that up to the lack of experience that larger firms give the individual.

Valuing this individualistic, multifaceted approach is perhaps from Vagnieres’ experience in Paris. He studied there for a year during his fourth year of undergrad. He and I found common ground first on the topic of studying abroad. I studied in Florence and London, and I would recommend living/studying abroad to anyone who has the desire to do so.


After a couple hours of conversation, we reached a point of discussion which ran more deep for us both. This, I could not have imagined. We are both so passionate about green architecture that we hold the policies by the USGBC and others to very high standards. Vagnieres and I spoke about Design Tex, The Academy of Global Citizenship, Green Festival, and about being a co-chair on COTE (Committee on the Environment) for the AIA. My meeting with Vagnieres was a powerful reminder about the importance of dialog for renewing my passion for sustainability. Conversations beget more conversations.

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Philosophy (from Vagnieres' site): We strive to form an alliance between People, Architecture, and the Environment. We are a full service architectural firm founded in 1985, currently concentrating on projects that coincide with our own personal philosophies and beliefs of creating environmentally and ecologically responsible projects. Over the last 20 years we have been responsible for over 80 million dollars worth of hospitality, commercial, and renovation projects in Chicago and the U.S. The firm’s principal, Robert C. Vagnieres, Jr., A.I.A., NCARB, has experience since 1976 in all phases of design, construction, project management and consultation. We dedicate ourselves to our basic business philosophy of developing long term client relationships through prompt and efficient professional service with personal involvement in the specific challenges of each project.

Water Conservation

Since my last post, I have been doing some research about water conservation. Here are some tips on conserving water at home. The best site for this information compiled: Sahra

-Get your house checked for leaky pipes
-For your toilet, twice a year add a few drops of food coloring to the tank. If the colored water enters the bowl on its own, then you know you need to have it repaired. (Thanks to this link.)
-Run the dishwasher only when it is full.
-Take shorter showers (sorry)
-Water your lawn in the morning, since moisture is mostly evaporated by the sun.
-Install low-flow faucets



Also, I like the line by designer Linda Loudermilk called Water is a Human Right. Her necklace (pictured above) is gorgeous and would be a fantastic conversation piece. Afterall, conversations make all the difference as we try to move toward sustainability.

Grey/Graywater in Homes

Water recycling can start at home. Reusing the excess water that contains trace amounts of dirt, soap, etc. makes sense from any vantage. Saving the water from traveling outside your home will make a huge impact for you and the environment. An icon of water management was featured in a Dwell Magazine Article in November 2007: The Clovelly House. The home's "sustainable showpiece—a pocket-sized water-treatment plant" can store " nearly 800 gallons of rainwater collected on the roof." The water collected from the roof is reused for everything shy of consumption (drinking and cooking). The impetus for these clients was dialog: "The whole point was to contribute to the discussion of green energy—to show it is possible to do these sorts of things" Mary Henning, one if the inhabitants told Dwell for the article.

Greywater (or graywater*, depending on your spelling background) Here are two publications (PDFs):

Washington Greywater

Arizona graywater brochure 10-07

*Parenthetically, I would argue that not only is the presence of 2 spellings poetic ('a grey/gray area'), but a neat way to think of it is that gray is a color, grey is a colour!

Compliments for the AIA Podcast, thoughts on the Ninth Ward

I am an avid podcast listener (anytime the topic comes up, or rather, when I bring it up, I recommend All in the Mind, Science Friday, and Musecast, among others). It is a joke among my friends how often I will bring up my 'exciting new discoveries' from podcasts. My most recent discovery is this: AIA Podcasts, and I am extremely impressed by the series (available for free download on iTunes or at AIA PodNet). I have thus fas listened to eleven in the span of six days. They are my new favorite commuting companion for my daily (and lengthy) Chicago "El" time. I regard podcasts as something that make my commute "worthwhile" because I am learning and thinking critically and listening to (usually) extremely intelligent people discuss and dissect topics of interest. They are a wellspring of knowledge and stimulating ideas.

The AIA podcasts have been particularly interesting since I am now seriously considering going into a career in architecture; but I digress.

I would particularly recommend the episode called Green Homebuilding by Design, featuring Peter L. Pfeiffer, FAIA, LEED AP, NCARB. Pfeiffer's comments are remarkably insightful and clear. His strong criticism of architect's proposals for Brad Pitt's MIR Project in the New Orleans Ninth Ward was a genuine reaction to an important issue. I do not know if I fully share the same sentiments as Pheiffer, but I can say that his tongue-in-cheek remark "what are we gonna do, gentrify the Ninth Ward?" is critically important as a specific and also a broader question.

Sustainability is sometimes perceived as achievable and other times irreconcilable to our current lifestyles. In architecture and design, professionals must consider the (potential) buyer or client and approach every project as unique. In a project like MIR, I wonder if the point that Pfeiffer is speaking to is an arguably gray area. Since Brad Pitt's name is on the project, I would imagine the inherent publicity could attract buyers looking for more upscale homes. However, I hope that the aim of meeting basic needs and having affordable housing for the original inhabitants of the still-rebuilding city is the foremost concern. I want to be clear that I do not know how these homes are being funded or who they are being sold to, I am merely speculating and reflecting based on Pfeiffer's commentary and what I could garner from the MIR site; if anyone wants to correct me or give me more information I would be interested to learn more about the project.

Here are some images from MIR's site:

Above image by Concordia


Above image by Billes


Above image by MVRDV

I would like to offer my praises for the AIA podcast with one point of criticism: the AIA PodNet website is not the easiest to browse. It would, in my opinion as a site visitor, be a more accessible series if first the transcripts were offered and second if the episodes could be viewed chronologically rather than divided into four categories (design, leadership, practice, and building performance). Regardless, I applaud the AIA for having such a fascinating spectrum of interviewees and topics, M.J. Crosbie for being an impressive interviewer, and the AIA for extending this information to the public in the exceptionally accessible arena of podcasts. It is important for architecture to be accessible. It is, afterall, 'the unavoidable art.'

UPDATE/ADDENDUM: I recently read that there the MIR project is "funding 150 affordable and sustainable homes in an area leveled by Katrina". This info and more can be seen in this PDF: http://www.cherokeefund.com/pdfs/MIR%20Cherokee%20Press%20Release.pdf

João Pessoa, Where the Sun Rises First

I spent the month of June living in Brazil. I traveled to Rio, Recife, Campina Grande and João Pessoa. I will focus in this entry about João Pessoa because it is considered one of the "greenest" cities according to my web searches, and the best information I have gotten about how this honor was bestowed is that it's linked the Embassy of Brazil in the UK, and that the city came in second to Paris. If anyone has further information on this, please let me know.

I do know that it is the easternmost point of the Americas at 34º47'38"W, 7º9'28"S (I find that Wikipedia is always helpful for such statistics as this), and it is known as the place "where the sun rises first." The city's promotional video (here in english) is a bit slow-paced for my taste, but it effectively publicizes what I experienced: a vibrant, dynamic, historical city.

I was able to visit Alamoana, a luxury condominium complex, (photos) with one of the premier investors (a member of the family I stayed with in Brazil). The site was still in the early stages of construction when I visited, but the lots were mostly sold. It is a beautiful area (next to a beautiful forested area) and the amenities are noteworthy: a marina (which the sun almost poetically sets behind), a pool, work-out facility and club, and very near proximity to the city amenities João Pessoa offers. Here are some of my favorite shots from my visit to Alamoana:

Psychology and Art History

As a student of Art History, I am inclined to write about sustainability and the ‘green’ architecture movement in terms of style, materials and influence. As a student of Psychology, I am of the mind to discuss the human psychological impact of a healthier environment. Still, the extent of my interest in ‘green’ architecture does not end here, as I am also interested in many other facets, which make this blog quite ambitious in scope.

The Art Historian part of me says: Within this green shift, there are multiple approaches possible for cities, and these find their visual manifestation in different ways, aesthetically. First is the Traditional model of sustainability, which has been employed in ancient sites, and the modern reclaimed version upholds the old vernacular knowledge and local material usage. There is no singular Traditional form because it, by definition, uses local materials and specialized aesthetic solutions. Next, the International and Modern styles represent the divorce of nature and architecture; they are antithetical to the concerns of the Traditional mode. Finally, the Eco-Tech, Biomimicry and Biophilic approaches are contemporary movements that aim to keep the focus on technology and form like the Modern/International aesthetic while taking these a step further by giving sustainability a place in cities. Eco-Tech is usually made use of in commercial buildings, and the aesthetic is seen in skyscrapers, especially.

The Psychologist was unavailable for comment, and only able to quote:

"A 2007 survey by the Robert Charles Lesser & Co asked buyers about their attitudes toward green building and their motivations and willingness to pay for green homes (RCLC, 2007). Forty-one percent of respondents reported that they cared about and were willing to pay for the health and wellness components of a green building, even if the costs were not recoverable. This is compared with 18% for energy savings and 24% for the environment." (link)

Biomimicry and Biophilia: A Juxtaposition

Biomimicry is the imitation (mimicry or mimesis) of nature. It ‘promotes the transfer of ideas inspired by Nature to the design of our world, for a more sustainable, healthier planet,’ according to The Biomimicry Institute’s website. The site also says that as we learn from nature and study “how to grow food like a prairie, build ceramics like an abalone, create color like a peacock, self-medicate like a chimp, compute like a cell, and run a business like a hickory forest,” that “the conscious emulation of life’s genius is a survival strategy for the human race, a path to a sustainable future.”

On the topic of sustainable buildings, the Biomimicry Institute specifically cited the Eastgate Building, an office complex in Harare, Zimbabwe and a model of sustainability and biophilia. Impressive Architect Mick Pearce teamed up with Arup Associates to design Eastgate, and it has won numerous awards and been heralded for its innovation and place-sensitive design.



Biophilia (coined by Harvard Biologist Edward O. Wilson in 1984) does what Biomimicry does not: it reaches into the human desire for an affinity with nature on both the meta- and individual levels. Biophilia is different from Biomimicry because it is based more in the appreciation of nature. To my mind it (-philia) is more on a spiritual/emotional plane rather than a quantitative/measured level. The following quote is an extrapolation on this concept:

“Architecture needs the existence of something old and permanent, like the cycle of the years, the rhythm of the moon, the majesty of the streams, or the old moss-covered rock. I feel that the most important aspect in modern architecture is the attempt to make man re-discover these fundamental values” –Aulis Blomstedt, 1950-70

More concrete examples of these are that Biophilia is the belief that natural light should be maximized in a building for humanitarian/health purposes while Biomimicry finds a more outward aesthetic expression in systems and ratios—taking an ecosystem as a model for a city, for example.These concepts are not entirely separate, and further, the concept of Biomimicry is embedded in Biophilia, but the inverse is not always the case.

Biomimicry and Biophilia are both important for the future of architectural strategies of design, but their influence is not new. The Finnish Architect, Alvar Alto worked primarily in the first half of the 20th century, was both a proponent of modernism and he "dreamed of an architecture without style, buildings determined only by the diverse needs of the people using them and the conditions dictated by the building site, the materials available and financial considerations" (quote link). Aalto also believed that as nature and architecture should be derived from the same concepts.

“Nature, biology, offers profuse and luxuriant forms; with the same constructions, same tissues and same cellular structures it can produce millions and millions of combinations, each of which is a high level of form” –Alvar Alto, 1935

Though Alto's words are from long ago, we are now more widely accepting that we need to incorporate sustainable architecture, design, and daily choices into the fabric of cities. The status of a building is changing—it is a crucial participant in our uphill battle for sustainability and overall well-being. This natural model is the way to discuss and to design buildings in our milieu.

Image from: http://i.treehugger.com/files/th_images/termite_mound.jpg

Cob Methods and ChiCobCo

One can find a deep shade of "green" (in terms of the environmental consciousness and connectedness) to be pervasive in architecture’s history from the passive solar solutions of Ancient Greece (I found links 1, 2, and 3 helpful for more information on this) to the long history at Taos Pueblo. These and other examples can provide wonderful models, and should be looked at to inform the contemporary push for eco-friendly city/community planning. Building practices in ancient societies necessarily used 'green technologies’ such as passive solar space heating, local materials, etc. which were neglected or undervalued in the last few centuries, and are now being re-discovered and utilized; established vernacular forms and materials are reappearing in a modern and even urban context. Cob building is one prime example of this phenomenon.

Cob building is a traditionally based method of construction is uses earth (dirt/mud) and straw. Historically the technique comes primarily from the United Kingdom area, but ancient Cob buildings can also be found in Africa and the Middle East. This method is still being used today, and it is being exported to South America and Asia as a grassroots-inspired alternative building strategy.

"It is quite similar to adobe in that the basic mix of clay and sand is the same, but it usually has a higher percentage of long straw fibers mixed in. Instead of creating uniform blocks to build with, cob is normally applied by hand in large gobs (or cobs) which can be tossed from one person to another during the building process. The traditional way of mixing the clay/sand/straw is with the bare feet; for this reason, it is fairly labor intensive" (Green Home Building).

It is the epitome of local, sustainable material. Cob also lends itself to sculptural forms. It is a cost-effective and sustainable building method: it utilizes local materials and elements such as passive solar heating can be incorporated. It is fireproof and can be used in a variety of climates.

Here is a polaroid of a friend and I at a cob bench/gazebo site in Portland, OR (March 2008).

The ChiCobCo group has created buildings and benches out of this time-tested method of Cob building. In the Chicago neighborhood of Edgewater they were commissioned to create a bench outside a health foods store (at 1034 N. Broadway St.). This bench includes a tri-partite seating arrangement, orange and yellow coloring, a whimsical-looking owl’s face, wings, and feet, and white mosaic tiles atop. Its curving back and use of tiles are remarkably similar to Antoni Gaudi’s serpentine seating in Park Guell.

Miguel Eliot, founder of ChiCobCo, has also built a merged oven/bench structure in Cabrini Green. A leap beyond constructing benches, however, is the Butterfly Social Club (at 722 W. Grand Ave. in Chicago). This all-organic nightclub has a Mayan theme created with benches, trees, tables, a DJ booth, and bar; with all these, the club features the world’s largest cob sculpture. The aesthetic is not within the mainstream nightclub vocabulary, but the fact that such a large space has incorporated cob is indicative of a readiness in the zeitgeist for eco-friendly spaces that push the aesthetic envelope.

ECO-nomics

The conception that green buildings exist solely in order to diminish CO2 emissions displays the first and most common misconception about sustainable architecture. We should remove the socio-political debates about global warming from the picture. At the Greenbuild 2007 conference, former president Bill Clinton stated that, “building green is the greatest economic opportunity since WWII.” The ‘green collar jobs’ that are created by the emerging industry initiatives are significant to the American economy especially after a decline in manufacturing jobs in the US. George Hartwell, the mayor of Grand Rapids, Michigan, mentioned at Greenbuild that his city—after feeling the devastation of globalization—has now started to increase its wealth by changing old manufacturing edifices into new green material manufacturing facilities.

The book Green to Gold (2006) tackles the burgeoning world of green business revenue and aims to be pragmatic in a niche where “over 95 percent of the stories and examples talked only about the benefits of environmental thinking.” Many businesses are enthusiastically fueling the green movement and it is critical to remember that “no business strategy works all the time” . The authors’ realistic approach is still optimistic, but they have sought out the book’s information with the specific aim of presenting a non-idealized view in the burgeoning domain where ecology and business meet.

Green to Gold presents some key strategies and thoughts about going ‘green’ in the business world. My favorite is: “Climate change is shaping up to be the biggest environmental strategy issue the business world has ever faced.” The authors employ metaphors from economic jargon: “Natural resources are the assets on the planetary balance sheet.” The aims of getting ahead and making a profit are still in play, but the notion of a greater ecological and human good are also addressed.

Eco-chic and green business initiatives are excellent and simultaneously problematic. As the July 1, 2007 article called “Buying Into the Green Movement” stated in the New York Times:

Consumers have embraced living green, and for the most part the mainstream green movement has embraced green consumerism. But even at this moment of high visibility and impact for environmental activists, a splinter wing of the movement has begun to critique what it sometimes calls “light greens” .

[Though it should (as I stated at the outset of this post) be out of the realm of politics and climate change, we can choose to consider this as well if that is on your agenda.] The global climate and carbon footprint problems we are facing are too large in scope to be bought by consumers who propone the same life style choices, overall. Simply buying green stocks while not recycling and driving an SUV will not bring us anywhere in the grand scheme of things.

We need to educate ourselves and make smart, green, lifestyle decisions. Since many businesses and marketing campaigns have aimed at green images, it is the consumer’s responsibility to be discerning. An accessible space for information about this new intersection of ecology and business is the weekly video news podcast called ECOBIZ. Sponsored by Citi Smith Barney, this video podcast is free, straightforward, interesting, and encouraging in many ways. The website falls under the umbrella of the Sundance Channel.

Environmental sustainability and social change are the broad topics attended to by a great podcast (in video): ECOBIZ, but the information embedded in any given episode can lead to a quickly snowballing interest. For example, the episode about the Terra Pass, if one’s interest is sparked, can lead to the company’s website, a potential purchase in one of many areas, and even to joining the Terra Pass Facebook group. The ease of the modern American consumer is all-too evident between TerraPass and the plethora of businesses going green to gain our business.

A wide range of individuals and companies are featured, and Emmy-Award winning Allison Stewart, who serves as the podcast’s anchor. The episode’s features have included Timberland, Terra Pass, Emory Knoll Farms, Recycline, Ben and Jerry’s, and The Sallan Foundation; these companies are all making environmentally conscious steps in different ways. These segments validate the opportunity that the green movement has augmented.

There is intangible brand value in marketing your entire company as environmentally friendly, but it is more than painting the façade of your company headquarters green. The innumerable websites, podcasts and books on this ‘green’ topic are successful because being informed is the only feasible preparation for the future of corporations; a green image may suffice for now, but not for long. Knowledgeable, committed consumers are making demands for transparency of policies in companies. Companies are being asked about their environmental footprint, from alternative energy investment, office policies, waste management, architectural choices, ad infinitum.

The social sites, podcasts and blogs (like my own) are changing media, and by extension the issue of our “e-waste.” The question of what to do with all the outdated electronic material is pressing, as “every old computer has about four pounds of toxic materials including […] flame retardants, lead, cadmium, and mercury. Given that over 300 million computers are awaiting disposal in the United States alone, the toxic waste math is not pretty.” ReCellular is yet another eco-smart business, which was created “to refurbish, reuse and responsibly recycle discarded cell phones.” It is “the world's largest recycler and reseller of used cellular phones and accessories.” Companies like this one are innovating and changing the notion of green business. They have a green hue in more than their appearance: they are building a green business out off sustainable practices and using waste materials to generate new revenue.

Briefly Noteworthy

I found this image here, and it is apparently hanging in the foyer of HGTV's (2008) Green Home. If HGTV isn't mainstream, I dont know what is.

Greening My College Campus (Unforeseen Challenges)

I have not updated this blog with the frequency I intended, but I have been quite busy working on moving my convictions about sustainability from the (virtual) page to the world. As usual, I have been advocating 'going green' incrementally to friends and family, but I have also been presented with a particular challenge:
I am on the Senior Steering Committee, and am on the particular sub-committee where I will help choose the Class Gift. I am passionately advocating a “green gift” of some kind. Despite my bias toward environmentally friendly choices (predictable given this blog’s subject matter), I believe that something "green" speaks more to our time, as the Class of 2008. Convincing others to make sustainable choices requires choosing your battles; this committee has been my chosen sphere of advocation and action.

The first sustainable gift idea I Iproposed was an arborsmithed bench (see above image or see here). I think that a special bench such as this would be utilized because it would give a unique sense of place and artfulness to wherever it is put. Others raised concerns about vandalism, but with thoughtful consideration for its location (i.e. not by fraternity houses and instead outside the art building or library) it could add a sustainable and aesthetic marker in our outdoor campus space. This idea was the first I proposed to counter the groupthink that was going on in the committee, and it was not taken up with much excitement—instead it became more of an exemplar that there are other ideas out there beside the one that was proposed early on for a large metal mascot sculpture.

The metal mascot is kitschy, antiquated and most importantly: not sustainable. (My concern was also that the committee was taking the path of least resistance by silently settling for the metal statue to not have to do further research.) The voice behind the mascot (pun intended: mask-ot) seemed determined to derail anything I proposed; his authorship to the idea was clearly paramount.

The next idea I researched and proposed was a “green fund” of some sort, and in particular I was hoping to get it to pay for the LEED certification of the next green building on campus. This was met with curious animosity from some (financially oriented) staff members. I pressed the issue, but was quite discouraged to hear that the school’s system may not be able to accommodate such a small (aim: $10,000) fund, as it presents a risk. The risk was partially that the school may not choose to “build green” in the future, and then the fund would go unused.

With this news, I called to the head manager of our facilities about the next building renovation’s lack of an environmental agenda (scheduled to break ground in Summer 2008). He explained that they were taking what opportunities they could for incorporating sustainable practices. With the new building’s construction we will lose (inevitably) about six white oaks. With this fact, I began thinking about how we could take these and keep the wood locally; thus the idea of carved chairs or a carved mascot was born. As of now, we are still in the process of getting votes from an online poll of the senior class, which will determine our next move.

It has been an uphill battle and I have been at the forefront of it--daring to dream of making this campus sustainable and I have been taking the heat for it from the opposition. The case for sustainability can be helped only by teamwork at this point; if the senior class votes for the green fund and if others speak up, (as some of my peers have begun to at my request for some vocal support) then incorporating sustainability could become a reality in some small facet. A univocal campaign does not get far, no matter how many people tell you that you are “fighting the good fight.” In this experience I have learned how resistant some can be to sustainability, and I have learned how to deal with such conflicts in a professional manner.

On Growing Up in a Tree House

I grew up in a tree house; Birnbaum, (my last name), means “pear tree” in German. I wish I could say that I grew up in a literal tree house, but that is not the case in my life’s narrative. I have always been entranced by nature’s design, though, and the tree is one thing that I could not do without even on an aesthetic basis. The form is an achievement for nature.

Truly good design should not be disregarded as simply aesthetic or frivolous: “from the level of the molecule to that of the region, design can be utterly transforming” . In the Sustainable Architecture White Papers, an exercise of the mind’s-eye is proposed: “Imagine a building like a tree, a city like a forest.” What if our man-made structures were a part of the beneficial side of the equation? Is this possible?

With the building professions (engineering and architecture in particular) endorsing the practice of sustainability we are exponentially better off already. There is a plethora of evidence of support for ‘going green’ in the realm of architecture.

We are in the process of re-configuring our cognitive schema of how we think about buildings. The status of a building is changing from one of hollow spaces to fill-up our time and our possessions with, to a crucial participant in our uphill battle for sustainability and overall well-being. In the Sustainable Architecture White Papers, it is written: “for too long now the machine has been the primary metaphor for our buildings, which implies a relationship with nature that is exploitative.” Also employed is the metaphor of a flower to describe what the building of the future will necessarily be:

The flower must receive all of its energy from the sun, all of its water needs from the sky, and all the nutrients necessary for its survival from the soil. Flowers are also miniature ecosystems, supporting and sheltering microorganisms and insects like our buildings do for us.

This natural model is the way to discuss architecture in our milieu. The paradigm is reminiscent of what Buckminster Fuller once said: “we do not seek to imitate nature, but rather to find the principles she uses”

The architectural firm Croxton Collaborative Architects tries to fuse the goals of human and environmental benefit. They even go so far as to say they aim to “create buildings that ‘give back’ to the environment, sustain and restore natural habitat and human health, and contribute to quality of life”. Multiple factors for the workplace or home are examined:
thermal comfort, access to daylight, time of day, and the season of the year (a dynamic and invigorating ‘echo’ of nature), blended artificial/natural light, anti-glare lighting, high quality indoor air with low or no toxicity sources, and strategies to avoid the growth of microbial/fungal contamination.

A multi-faceted approach is critical to the vitalization of buildings. No longer is it acceptable to design with Neo-Classical, Gothic or Modern styles—the building must be able to thrive as a living thing; this notion penetrates far beyond the surface.

Works Cited:
Sustainable Architecture White Papers. Earth Pledge Foundation, New York: 2000.