This May 2012, craftsmen from across the United States and Canada will descend on Port Townsend, Washington to discuss a building tradition developed in the 12th century, timber frame construction. The first question the uninitiated may ask is, “What is timber framing?” This construction method uses heavy wood joined together in intricate joints to create [...]
Trees are important for cities. Environmentally-speaking, trees provide important environmental inputs and outputs. Aesthetically-speaking, trees can provide a sense of beauty to a city. Planners and landscape architects have long-recognized the importance of trees and other plants in urban design.Tampa, Florida has a long-established grassroots organization that has helped bring trees to the city. The [...]
Brownfield sites prime for building. Derelict architecture crying out to be regenerated. Both are common sites up and down the United Kingdom, but why? With a long standing housing shortage only predicted to get worse, what are we doing to utilise these potentially valuable resources? The value of the land on which they sit is [...]
Considering New York City, New York (NYC) contains 5.2 billion ft2 of built space parceled out among a million buildings, and that the building sector emits 79% of the city’s greenhouse gases, the importance of sustainability in its built environment is paramount. The Bloomberg administration’s 2007 PlaNYC effort, a comprehensive plan for the City’s largest issues [...]
With the United Kingdom committed to producing 20% of its electricity from renewable sources by the year 2020, there seems to be an acceptance within the general public that sustainability has become a key issue in everyday life. But with around 50% of planning applications for new wind farms rejected in 2010, is the country [...]
Shigeru Ban, a renowned architect with an international design firm, is most famous for his novel use of recycled and low cost materials in design. Ban studied at the Cooper Union School of Architecture under famed Architect John Hejduk. Using his background in Japanese architecture, and influenced by Hedjuk’s western school of thought, Ban embraces [...]
The University of South Florida (USF) is a university system in the Tampa Bay area. The main campus, located in Tampa, ranks as the 9th largest university in the country. In 2005, a class from the MBA Sustainable Business track did a sustainability audit for a class project, which caught the attention of administrators. Since [...]
How can a world-renowned ski resort town attract world-class athletes in the summer time? The answer is a top-notch sports field facility. For Mammoth Lakes, California this project is called The Whitmore Park Track and Sports Field Project, a joint effort by the High Sierra Striders and the Town of Mammoth Lakes to be completed by [...]
Frequently cited as an indicator of an emerging economy, bicycles are becoming the symbol of sustainable and productive communities. From Copenhagen, Denmark, to Portland, Oregon, bicyclists represent a considerable portion of daily commuters. Will the Motor City (Detroit, Michigan) ever relinquish its auto-centric ideals for the benefits of pedal power? A combination of rising gas [...]
One of the nice things about living in Florida are ample beaches and water. Besides possessing your typical tourist attraction, Florida’s beaches and waterfront allows transportation and urban planners to be creative with public transit. Water taxis are gaining popularity in the state, and the Tampa Bay area can utilize water taxis to connect two counties [...]
