by harrisonburgarchitect | Oct 14, 2012 | architecture, artwork, Harrisonburg Architect, Leadership
We believe strongly that it is our ethical duty to serve our local community. Here is a look at some of the ways we put our beliefs in action. How do you serve your community?
Celebrating a ribbon cutting of our rooftop garden
Promoting local events
Hosting local artists
Named the Best Architects in Harrisonburg
Celebrating 25 years in business
Hosting a coloring competition
Being featured in the Daily Progress newspaper
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack visiting our design to tell the country this is how it should be done
Being recognized by Governor Kaine for our Green Design Efforts
Leading the Green Innovations Tour
Hosting green builder training sessions with partner Dow
Designing projects that form the backbone of our community
Engaging the next generation
Celebrating the Holidays
Participating in events to benefit the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank
by harrisonburgarchitect | Oct 13, 2012 | architecture, artwork, Harrisonburg Architect
Architecture is an interesting profession. You begin to notice things in your community that others overlook. You see inefficiencies that others simply accept as status-quo. The joy in our profession for me exists in the ability to design solutions, solve other people’s problems, and help them achieve their dreams. The downside is that everyone has an opinion about what you have done, what you should have done, and how they would do it better.
I sponsored the Harrisonburg Parklet Project with a strong desire to start a conversation about the importance of design in this community. In an agricultural community that was born out of people who are known for getting things done, no frills, and hard work, Architecture is often not a primary focus. This is not to say there are not beautiful design solutions in our community, but there are not many that marry both function and beauty. During the Harrisonburg Parklet Project there was a very obvious focus on beauty in some designs and function in other spaces. Those that wanted to design a beautiful space but did not invite people in became museum pieces that were hard to inhabit:
There were also those that focused on the function of the space and left the beauty to the work of the artists doing face painting.
There does not have to be a break between the two ideas. Beauty and function can coexist and should be in all projects for the betterment of the community. While the Parklets were all extremely successful and fun, I think these small installations are very much an indication of the larger community. We have accepted the idea that some buildings are just places that serve a function and have forgotten the importance of beauty, while others are focused on beauty and lack functional necessity to continue to be relevant. We as a community need and deserve more. We should all ask for a higher standard for our public and private buildings. Architecture cannot exist without function and beauty. DESIGN MATTERS.
by harrisonburgarchitect | Oct 6, 2012 | architecture, artwork, Harrisonburg Architect, Leadership
First step, find the best spaces
Next Advertise the event on social media and place community posters
Spaces reserved 24 hours in advance
Construction of the spaces
Parklets begin to take shape
Spaces open to the public
An incredible event with lots of foot traffic, conversations, and questions!
by harrisonburgarchitect | Oct 5, 2012 | architecture, artwork, Harrisonburg Architect, Leadership
I am very excited to see the Harrisonburg Parklet Project take shape today in Downtown. At 1pm artist, residents, students, and professors are coming downtown to take over 13 parking spaces to create their visions of green spaces the encourage unscripted social interaction, design, civic engagement, critical thinking, generosity, and play. The set up will be done by 5pm and open to the public. THIS IS GOING TO BE SO COOL!
So why do a project like this in Harrisonburg?
Green space are very important to the vitality of a community. We need spaces in an urban environment that allow us to breath. These spaces can filter rainwater, give a place to sit and read, a place to build community, and a place for conversation to happen. A healthy downtown needs small and large open spaces where gatherings can happen at various scales. Green spaces provide a refreshing contrast to the harsh shape, color, and texture of buildings alone, and stimulate the senses with their color, sound, smell, and motions. Green spaces foster a connection between community residents and the natural environment that surrounds them, thus allowing for a more livable city. This is essential in order for a community to be sustainable.
Green spaces provide habitat for a variety of birds, fish, animals, insects, and other organisms, while also providing corridors and greenways to link habitats. They prevent soil erosion and absorb rainwater, thereby improving drainage. Trees have been shown to absorb pollutants and reduce noise transfer. Green spaces and their inhabitants are a good indicator of overall ecological health of an ecosystem. This is an important measure in judging the ecological sustainability of the community.
In all walks of life, green space draws people outside and fosters social interaction. Studies have found that residents living near green common spaces have more social activities and more visitors. Green spaces promote safer neighborhoods. When residents have more vested interests in a place, their participation in the community increases and they will watch over the community to protect it. Green Spaces attract more customers for local businesses.
Green spaces are good and we need more of them in Harrisonburg. Design is a tool that can be used to design solutions that benefit the community if it is applied with a holistic vision about what downtown can become rather than just what a site can be today. I hope you will come downtown to the Parklet Project and continue the discussion about community with our artists, residents, students, and professors. If you see me, let me know what you think!
by harrisonburgarchitect | Oct 1, 2012 | architecture, artwork, Harrisonburg Architect, Leadership
Design matters. Taking time out to develop the idea is an activity that should NOT be considered a luxury,but should be seen as a required planning tool that cannot be overlooked. In our fast paced society we look for solutions that are fast and simple. We don’t want things to be overly complicated. We simply don’t have time or energy for it.
So where does that leave design. Is it a luxury that only those with extra time and money can implement for their projects? Is it something that can be purchased in a magazine? Is it something the builder / creator can figure out as he goes along?
As a society we have allowed design to be put on the back burner . The “spec” market for housing is a booming industry with players that build the way they built last time no matter the lot conditions, the solar orientation, or the needs of the future home owner. Those purchasing these homes adapt their lives to the inefficiencies rather than having a home designed around their specific needs. Design solves these problems in the planning stage before you ever try to get dinner ready while watching the kids do their homework in the next room. Design creates healthy indoor air quality rather than homes that need to be cleaned on a weekly basis. Design creates solutions for problems you know need attention and problems you have not yet encountered. Design acknowledges the place, climate, community, and users abilities.
Our community has a “pull on your boots and get it done” kind of attitude. That attitude is why this valley was settled and survived. It was a rough area with lots of potential, dangerous, bountiful, and beautiful. The immigrants that survived in this area knew there was a need for hard work and quick solutions to life’s problems. There is nothing wrong with that heritage that has been handed down through the generations. However, we need to also infuse design into the conversation so that we can be efficient with our resources, make daily life a little easier, and continue to thrive in our valley.
On October 5th and 6th, a conversation about design in downtown will take the form of small parks, the size of parking spaces. Artists, community groups, students, and local residents will build these parking spaces into areas that promote conversation, engage community, and celebrate the act of design. These parks will be short-lived expressions of what our downtown could be in the future. Join us for the conversation, without you we will not have community, which is essential for successful design to matter.
by harrisonburgarchitect | Feb 25, 2012 | architecture, artwork, Harrisonburg Architect
As Thomas Jefferson said to James Madison in 1789, “The Earth belongs to the living. No man by natural right can oblige the lands he occupies to debts greater than those that may be paid during his own lifetime. Because if he could the world would belong to the dead.”
Sustainability is not a new concept, we as a country have been trying to find equilibrium since Jefferson and Madison. As a society we are in a constant struggle between want and need. The availability of ‘stuff’ has given everyone the opportunity to have more, do more, and use more without thought of the bigger impact of that choice. Prices do not reflect the actual cost of making many items and it is hard to find this information. We are faced now with staggering issues that need to be addressed. For instance, 106,000 aluminum cans are used in the United States every thirty seconds, 50% of those cans are NOT recycled. Making simple smarter choices would cut costs, preserve resources for the future, and provide the materials being demanded by society.
Sustainability is “Development that meets the needs of present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” – United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development
True sustainability is simply making choices today that will not impact the ability of your next generation and the generation after that from being able to make that same choice. Recycling is not good enough, reuse is the answer. Preserving a few trees is not good enough, protecting forests is the answer. Conversation is not enough, Action is the answer!
