I had a conversation yesterday with an architect from Oregon who was visiting the Harrisonburg Green Expo with a friend. He and I were lamenting over the state of our profession and how so many architects focus on aesthetics alone. We both agreed that holistic design including building science, function, aesthetics, and durability is the key to a brighter future for our industry and our world. Architects have the power to change the future of a community through design. Architects have the ability to change the conversation in a community through design. Architects have the ability to lead through design. It is up to our profession to take on the challenges ahead and to make the positive decisions we need to make a brighter future. It was a good conversation. It was a challenge that I believe both of us have accepted. It was a glimpse into the future of our profession.
We spoke about resources that we each use to meet this challenge in front of us. I mentioned my connections around the country to the leading experts in the construction industry, otherwise known as CSI. These friends are people I can ask a question about door hardware when I run into a dead-end that allows a project to get back on track. They are people who I share a common bond with of wanting to deliver the highest value project possible to my clients. These are my friends that want to help and support my career growth. Of course this does not come with membership in an organization alone. It comes from being involved at all levels of this organization. It comes from attending meetings, local, regional, and national and building those friendships. It comes from having trust that we all want to find success through excellence. CSI is the place, out of all the industry organizations that I belong to, that not just the local members, but the regional and national members want me to be successful and will support me through mentoring, guidance, and expertise.
We are all looking for a place to belong in this industry. I have found mine in the CSI community. If you want to be a leader of the industry, this may also be the right organization for you.
If you have thought about joining in the past, there is a special offer right now, see below.
Join CSI at www.csinet.org/joinby Friday, November 16th and pay only $192 for national dues — a 20% savings.
Select “Join Now”, and then click “Sign Up as a New Member”
Enter Promotion Code CSI1220 when prompted
Click the “Add Discount” button
We recommend you also join a chapter, where you can attend local education sessions and networking opportunities (chapter dues are not included in this promotional offer).
Little details make for a successful project. Little mistakes make for disasters that are hard to overcome. Here is the proper flashing detail for a window.
Here is the result when proper flashing is not done after only a few years.
This is not us. We put a lot of time and effort into detailing drawings to get the little things right. There is no better guarantee that it will be right than to have the architect perform Construction Administration, a reputable contractor as part of the team, and an adequate budget to achieve the quality desired.
Check out Houzz.com to see our work on residential and commercial projects.
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
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!
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.
