NEW FACEBOOK CAMPUS

It's quite a quandary, the city of Menlo Park's Belle Haven neighborhood has a new resident; a "FACE" that's very familiar to us. It happens to be in the location where the old Sun Microsystem's campus was located. The end goal, create a minimum carbon footprint place to live for Facebook employees and family. At 1 million square feet with 11 buildings on the site, they have a nice place to build this city inside of a city concept. The problem? The location is isolated from the surrounding neighborhoods as it is surrounded on three sides by expressway and the fourth side by an untouchable wetlands. What's the solution? Invite the American Institute of Architects (AIA) to lead a charrette working with the City, neighbors, Facebook, and architectural professionals to create a living environment that connects perfectly to the nearby neighborhoods of course. It's nice having the star power of a Facebook to be obtain the assistance of those who want to help you since Facebook has helped so many reconnect with old friends and family. Circle of life? If nothing else perhaps it can be considered good karma.

http://archrecord.construction.com/news/2011/03/110324facebooks_new_campus.asp
- Design is what you make it.

Japan Before and After

By now we've all become aware of the amazing destructive damage that can be caused by tsunami waves and earthquakes. In 2004 we witnessed the power of tsunami that ripped life apart off the Indian Ocean. Today we see how one of the most technologically advanced countries can be devastated as well. Here is a link to some incredible before and after shots of Japan.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/gallery/031511_japan_before_after/

If Japan didn't have in place one of the most regimented construction practices the devastation seen there would have easily landed the death rate into the hundreds of thousands and perhaps millions. Building appropriately for the anticipated environment is important when it comes to the safety of all those who live and work in that society.

- Design is what you make it.



http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/gallery/031511_japan_before_after/

Neighborhood Entertainment Gone

Davis Square is home to a number of entertainment venues, an aspect that has grown Davis Square's reputation as a great destination for dining, shopping, and the arts. The restaurant Sagra for some was a great place to eat delicious Italian food while for others it was an excellent destination for music and late night drinks. The neighbors often complained about the noise produced from the live music. The design of Sagra allowed the street front windows to open and allow the outside in and the inside out. This design works beautifully for casual and finer dining, especially on beautiful Spring and Summer days and evenings. In order to avoid constant complaints from neighbors, a business should carefully consider the store front design. Sagra learned this lesson the hard way and now has closed it's doors. The new establishment will be Five Horses Tavern. The new owner has said he's eliminating the live music and closing at 1 a.m. rather than the 2 a.m. Sagra operated until. These changes should help build a better repoir with his neighbors and is a much more neighbor-friendly approach than what Sagra used. After four years Sagra is gone, and very few that lived nearby will miss it.

For more on this story see: http://www.wickedlocal.com/somerville/news/x2022438681/Sagra-closes-in-Somerville-makes-way-for-Five-Horses-Tavern#axzz1FSAGaeuQ

- Design is what you make it.

Wisc. Bill Passes - On to the Senate

We're going to change things up a bit today. Typically I don't write about any political issues because, frankly they are too emotional of a topic for most people to set aside any personal feelings in order to evaluate the issues on a logical basis. Now that being said, the landmark Wisconsin bill that could be made into law can essentially affect the nation as a whole because if it becomes law, other states will follow in their footsteps.

This bill has many obstacles currently and will impact the current way state government and potentially federal government handle employees. For 70-80 years state "public employees", individuals that work for the city, state, or federal government have had unprecedented job security, fringe benefits, and retirement packages. The new bill is looking to change most of that and align public employees to be more attune to private employees. This means they will have to contribute to their own retirement, pay premiums for their health insurance, be evaluated on their ability to be productive, and be paid a salary that is comparable to the private sector for a similar task.

The reason this bill has come into existence is because cities, states, and the federal government are spending more then they collect. The biggest areas of spending revolve around the health care and retirement packages for the employees. If all forms of government can reduce the money going out the door to employees much as the private sector has done, it will allow them to become fiscally responsible and eliminate deficits and create surpluses. Once surpluses are established, more public sector construction will occur to update many buildings that have fallen into poor running condition due to budget deficits. The country runs on the construction industry. If we can increase public sector construction we will be able to provide more jobs, stimulate the economy, and get the United States back on it's feet and return the country to being a financial powerhouse that it once was.

So whether you are a Democrat, Republican, or Independent; this bill will affect you and it should do so in a positive way. Financial growth, fiscal responsibility, and high employment is something we can all agree are good things and a direction in which we should move.

- Design is what you make it.

Reuse, Recyle, Convert...what's it all mean?

Reuse of existing buildings is the best "recycling" one can do in the world of construction. Being able to blend new with old and change the use of a building can be challenging. Those obstacles are more easily tackled with the help of professional such as architects. Below is a link for a great design and blend of old 1920 brick building transformed into an amazing single family residence. Click on the slideshow to see the transformation and how one can breath life back into a building that had seemed dead for years.

http://archrecord.construction.com/residential/featured_houses/2011/02/leavitt_residence.asp

- Design is what you make it.

Recycling more than just cans and bottles

The past decade has turned a lot of focus to recycling as a way to reuse materials and reduce one's "carbon footprint". Most people associate recycling with aluminum cans, plastic and glass bottles, and newspapers. The truth is in today's world it's possible to recycle virtually all the materials that go into the creation of a building. Recycling is a great way to eliminate additional landfill and reduce waste. Keep in mind that recycling DOES use energy in order to reuse those materials so it's not 100% gain. The best method if possible when it comes to existing buildings is to resurrect the building into new glory through reuse and/or possibly change of use. For some great examples of buildings that saw renovation and face lifts rather than destruction when their initial usable life had expired follow the link below.

http://archrecord.construction.com/projects/building_types_study/TypeIndex.aspx?bts=AR

- Design is what you make it.

Winter Storm can spell havoc on your roof and more.

We've all lived through winter seasons that seem to never end, many in thanks to snow storm after snow storm. We bundle up, crank up the heat or stoke the fireplace and wait out the cold in hopes for an early Spring. Something many of us don't realize is that while we increase the heat inside and the temperature decreases outside, we're creating a perfect situation for an ice dam to be formed on our homes. When our attic space isn't insulated well enough and there isn't enough outside air flow into our eaves or attic spaces, the heat from our dwelling warms the underside of the roof making the snow melt slightly allowing it to then refreeze and start to build into an ice dam.

Ice dams prevent snow melt from escaping off your roof and in many cases create ice back-up under the roofing shingles which in turn will then melt causing water damage on the inside of the home. To see how you can help prevent this from happening check out the link below with helpful tips to remedy this situation.

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,1131314,00.html

- Design is what you make it.