Monday, June 29, 2009
Learning from the Gecko's Tail_Nature & Biomimicry
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Microgrid Houses, energy independance and giving back to the grid
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Workplace Design Thoughts - Part 2 of 2
Workplace Space Organization & Collaboration: Thoroughly examine work processes and interdependencies, workplace demographics, cultural attitudes and organizational preferences. Examine the continuum of open versus closed offices, collaborative workspaces and common areas. Gather information from users and team leaders, provide presentations to educate users about alternative workplace spatial organizations and how different ways of working, teaming and interacting increase effectiveness.
Consider LEED or other Third Party Rating System Usage: Select a LEED Rating Systems or another system more appropriate to the project type to assist in measuring project performance against environmental design goals. Doing so reinforces organizational and project specific environmental, social, financial goals and objectives. Helps create a common roadmap with benchmarks to identify and reach. (Do this whether or not going ahead with certification.)
Establish a Design Brief: As an outcome of the design charette and early goal setting, establish together as a team the project design brief and design intent early in the process. The Brief should reinforce overarching project strategic values, goals and objectives. And revisit the Brief again at beginnings of each successive phase of work for continuing resonance to core values. create a simple statement summarizing the best intentions of the project. Keep it simple and flexible and it will help everyone stay on focus throughout the project life.
Integrated Design Thinking/ Action: Think and act collaboratively in an integrative and inclusionary manner rather than sticking to tried and true rules of thumb and silos of disconnected expertise. Encourage client staff and key stakeholder participation in the process to support design team efforts and increase organizational acceptance.
Living Systems & Art Integration: Examine key natural systems and regional ecologies for adaptability in exterior and interior applications such as living walls, planted areas and water features. Integrate with critical thinking art / environmental design strategy and building design to reinforce corporate values and principles.
Planning Grant Funding for Vermont Communities
Planning Grant (PG) - Application Instructions
Provides funding for community development planning activities and/or pre-development activities in preparation for implementing a project in one or more of the program areas (housing, economic development, public facilities or public services). Planning grant funds allow communities access to the technical expertise and professional resources needed to test ideas, propose strategies, develop plans, establish policies and procedures, and conduct organizational activities. It is important to remember that the successful funding of a planning grant does NOT guarantee or imply that VCDP funding for the project at implementation will also be successful- the project must stand on its own merits and receiving VCDP planning dollars does not make the implementation proposal more competitive.
Grant Range: $3,000 minimum to $30,000 maximum or $40,000 maximum. A 25% match of cash or cash-in-kind goods or services is required for all PGs. The maximum funding request for a single municipality PG application is $30,000 and for a required consortium PG application, it is $40,000. For an explanation of a consortium, please see below.
NOTE: If a community has an open PG, it will bear on the competitiveness of an application for an additional PG. Applicants will need to explain in the application their capacity to manage an additional PG and explain why the open PG is not completed and provide the timeline for completion.
- Implementation Grants
- Accessibility Modifications Grants
- Home Access Grants
- Technical Assistance
- Micro-enterprise Development
VCDP funds are able to assist communities with a wide range of projects, because the funds can be used for many types of expenditures. The VCDP is a resource for housing, economic development, public facilities, public services, and planning. Types of activities within these project areas include:
- Housing rehabilitation and acquisition, lead abatement, home ownership assistance
- Economic development loans to businesses
- Water, sewer, and roads serving economic development or housing
- Rehabilitation or acquisition of public facilities; senior, child care, assisted living, or homeless facilities
- Handicap accessibility modifications
- Planning
- Disaster assistance
Monday, June 22, 2009
What lies beyond Corporate Responsibility
Workplace Design Thoughts - Part 1 of 2
Ideas or strategies to consider in Workplace Design:
· Embrace Organizational Ecology... The Workplace as Holistic Living Organism:
Organizational ecology examines the work place as an ecosystem with a set of inter-related systems. Recognize buildings and space as organizational tools and assets to support teamwork and cross-departmental collaboration. Consider multiple hard and soft strategies to integrate organizational values and philosophies into the corporate culture through design choices. Embrace interdependencies between work processes, physical settings and delivery of information technology.
· Think Big Together and Set up the Process: Set up the overall process, meetings rhythm and get buy-in and acceptance from an executive team and key stakeholders before proceeding further into implementation of the process and its steps. Establish challenging goals to differentiate the organization to its staff and its customers. Be ambitious. Do it and help change the world!
· Charette: Set the Vision & Framework: Establish a vision, goal & objective setting charette with key project stakeholders. Whether a small executive team or an all hands company meeting or something in between, tailor it to needs of the organization, cost and schedule. Visualize together in a brainstorming conducive setting. Examine organizational core principles and values. Prioritize these principles and values and how they might or might not influence workplace design. How do environmental, social and corporate responsbility concerns fit in? Does transparency matter to your workplace, key stakeholders, consumers or outside customers? What implementation strategies naturally cluster around the goals and principles to facilitate them?
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Observing NEOCON 2009
Neocon is ironic for me. I live in Vermont. Chicago is skyscrapers and hard materials. I live in a horizontal place with softer textures and cuves. Face it, we're close to the land in Vermont. Not here though. They are close to the water. It's different.
- Attending Steelcase's Green Giants presentation Monday, June 15 where Public Architecture, Charity Water.org and Bill Strickland of the Manchester School presented their efforts to redefine public spirited pro-bono architecture, water scarcity and system solutions with a conscience and finally the story of school system helping inner city kids with their education with facilities designed with Steelcase beliefs in mind.
- Attending Thomas Kostigen's Luncheon Seminar on You are Here and The Green Book.
- Meeting industry systems furniture representatives from Steelcase, Herman Miller among others to continue our conversations about bettering the planet through our mutual work spheres and continuous improvement of our efforts. It's heartwarming to carry on these conversations. Also, they help me grow in my desire to learn about work place strategies and organizational behavior and how these interact with sustainbility notions.
- Dan Pink's key note address on his new work seeking to understand new notions regarding Motivation and what does or doesn't get us going, to act or not to act.
- Paola Antonelli's address on the wide lense of design thinking she sees at the MOMA in New York. Lots of unsual suggestions of inspirations to look up and write about. She's also a TedTalks speaker.