Phoenix City Living

Valley Forward gives top award to ASU's Biodesign Institute

Biodesign building wins top honors from Valley Forward:

The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University won top honors in Valley Forward's 27th Annual Environmental Excellence Awards.

The institute's Building B, opened in 2006, received the President's Award for its environmentally friendly design as well as a first place Crescordia. The U.S. Green Building Council also gave the building platinum certification under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.

Building B's research offices are oriented to provide views of a Sonoran desert garden. In addition, a 5,000-gallon underground tank captures a day's supply of condensate from the building's cooling system to provide irrigation. Building B also mitigates the area's urban heat island with a reflective roof membrane, special paving materials and landscaping.

Its companion facility, Building A, opened in 2004 and received LEED gold certification, as well as two Crescordias in Valley Forward's 2005 Environmental Excellence Awards. The buildings are connected on all levels by glass walkways.  more

MidCentury Modern continues to make its mark

I'll be writing more on the MidCentury Modern movement in Phoenix and the architectural styles it spawned, but for a quick taste, check out this article from RealEstateJournal.com, Make my home MidCentury Modern:

What is it about midcentury modernism that gets under so many people's skins? In May I toured Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House, a glass-walled weekend retreat tucked away in a leafy corner of rural Illinois. Built in 1951, the Farnsworth House is beloved of architects and art critics the world over. It is entrancingly beautiful -- but its transparent walls are cruelly unforgiving of the clutter of everyday life. Franz Schulze, Mies's admiring biographer, admitted that it is "more nearly a temple than a dwelling." I'm unusually neat and so could (just) imagine living there, but Edith Farnsworth, the house's original owner, came to loathe its lack of privacy, ruefully admitting that it made her uncomfortable to see so much as a single coat hanger out of place.

That's what's wrong with the more extreme forms of modern architecture: Too often they tell you how to live, instead of helping you live the way you want. But even those modern architects who were sensitive to the needs of their clients often failed to please the public at large. In her brief life of Frank Lloyd Wright, America's greatest architect, Ada Louise Huxtable, the Journal's architecture critic, pointed out that his houses "never insisted that their occupants reshape themselves to conform to an abstract architectural ideal." Yet their distinctive style failed to catch on with ordinary home buyers, and you can drive for hundreds of miles throughout America without seeing a single Wright-like house by the side of the road.

Yes, some modern houses can be hard to live with -- and in. But many of them, the Gropius House in particular, were self-evidently designed for comfort, and I can't see why they aren't better liked. Might it be that most of us reflexively prefer to live in a house that looks like the one in which we grew up? It's worth noting that California, America's least traditional state, is also the one part of the country in which midcentury modern architecture has become genuinely popular, perhaps because so many of today's Californians grew up in the strikingly modern suburban tract houses built by Joseph Eichler in the '50s and '60s. more

The Sheraton Downtown Phoenix - uninspired?

For a city that has an opportunity to explore and lead through creative new design concepts and aesthetics, the new Sheraton Downtown Phoenix seems to be placing the bar rather low. Whereas the new convention center seems to have been a home-run so far with a sleek modern exterior and an interior motif that derives from an uniquely Arizona perspective, the Sheraton seems like the simple cousin with dated coloration and tapioca-inspired exterior elements. I was hoping for better, but neither was I turned off, when I first looked at the renderings. But now that its exterior skin is layering up from the ground floor I can be only disappointed. Unlike many major metropolitan markets, Phoenix is a city unencumbered by many of the hot button urban issues that can quickly derail a city's transformation. Rampant historic preservation interests can tie up developments forever, but the fact is, in Phoenix there are just too few buildings remaining to build up much anxiety over. A critical mass of vocal, and more convincingly wealthy, local residents highly resistant to change can successfully arm-wrestle with even the biggest developers. Yet downtown Phoenix is quickly transforming with the influx of so many new transplants, both locally and nationally, and any reasonable change to the infrastructure is typically embraced or seriously considered. Phoenix is positioned to lead many American cities in the development of its urban core bolstered by huge pools of private developer cash, immediately available development parcels, strong economic growth, and a pro-business environment. We could also provide leadership in new green and energy-efficient building technologies (where's the downside in that!). We could embrace the 300 days of sun with integrated solar technologies throughout these high-density areas while also providing needed pedestrian shade downtown. Phoenix could develop an identifiable personality or "branding" born from an inspired architectural vision for the new Century. We could..........ah, you get the picture. When building large commercial or infrastructure projects, the pain of getting it wrong can live with us for a long time. If we're to derive inspiration from the new Sheraton with its large footprint on the skyline of Phoenix, it could seem like a very long time indeed.

Green Standards still debated but coming to a location near you!

From MSNBC.com - Going Green:

"Want to go green? Take your thoughts off that gas-guzzling SUV for a moment and consider this: The average U.S. home causes twice as much greenhouse emissions as a single car.

That's right. A typical house requires power for heating, air conditioning, hot water and lighting -- enough to cause the emission of tons of polluting carbon gases each year. A typical house is responsible for the emission of more than three tons of carbon annually, compared with about 1.5 tons for the typical car, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

So it shouldn’t be a surprise that green home building is poised to be the next great sales pitch in America’s environmental renaissance. By 2010, half of new homes built are expected to be classified as “green” as more builders try to appeal to consumers worried about global warming, the environment and rising energy costs. Builders say green homes are more durable and tend to sell much faster than traditionally built houses.

But how do you tell if a “green” home is truly green?"

For the full article:
Prepare  for confusion - Going Green

The "Mushroom" bank is feeling the heat

Chase Bank's iconic bank at Camelback & 44th St. is facing an uncertain future as Opus West, historical preservationists, local residents, and Chase work to reach an agreement for the future development of the site.  While Chase is looking to maintain the bank and sell off the adjoining land parcel, the Arcadia Camelback Mountain Neighborhood Association maintains that an agreement 40 years ago preserves the green space for resident's use.

While it's unlikely that the 40-year old building, a architectural icon and a standout visual landmark along Camelback Road, will be torn down, unless a compromise can be reached on the split use of the corner, the building's future may be in doubt.  City meetings are being held this week to discuss historic designation and separately to discuss Opus' request for rezoning for both residential and commercial use.

Personally, I'd take the bank and develop the grooviest retro-design restaurant & bar (the views are killer, the location divine, and those "pods" - just out of this planet).  But that's just my mind swirling with ideas every time I step into that bland, bland bank interior.  And I have a sneaking suspicion that Opus has a truckload more cash and influence to deal with the fight ahead.  So, lucky them, I'll just leave my awesome ideas inside my skull.

Update 06/21/07:

As per The Arizona Republic, Opus West has taken a hit in its first push to rezone the property.  The developer wants to re-zone the property to allow for 56 feet in height in its pursuit of condos and retail shops on the site.  A subcommittee of the Camelback East Village Planning Committee passed a 3-2 vote denying the developer.  Arcadia Place, the proposed development, would have 25,000 sq. ft. of retail and include 57 luxury condos.

Opus will now go in front of the full Planning Committee July 10 to pursue the matter further.

See committee results

Countertops....Try something different!

Embarking on a kitchen remodel?  Need to update your bathroom?  Now is your chance to think outside the box and leave the granite countertops for the homes in the burbs (or how about just leave it in the ground).  Bring some style into your kitchen with these countertops and do a little something for the environment too. 

Kliptech PaperStone - Looks and feels like stone, but is made from post-consumer recycled paper (both 50% and 100% available)!

Alkemi - Made from a minimum of 60% post-consumer recycled scrap aluminum.  The look of these countertops will definitely make your kitchen the talk of the neighborhood.

EnviroSLAB - How about countertops made from all those Heineken bottles you've emptied in your lifetime?  EnviroSLAB is made from 100% recycled glass.

Terra Green - Prefer a tiled countertop?  These are made from over 55% recycled glass.

EnviroMODE - Porcelain terrazo made from recycled toilets, tubs, and sinks.  Can be used for countertops or floors.

Squak Mountain Stone - Want the concrete look?  These countertops look like natural stone, but are completely hand-made from a combination of recycled paper, recycled glass, coal fly-ash, and cement.

Phoenix AM Breakfast Series - Affordable Housing

Looking to learn more about affordable and sustainable housing potential?  The Phoenix AM Breakfast Discussion Series is hosting Michael Pyatok, director of the ASU Stardust Center for Affordable Homes and the Family.

The Phoenix area continues to grow at an incredible rate and, in recent years, the housing market has changed dramatically.  At the rate home values have increased, buying a home is less affordable for the average consumer than in the past. In order to make our communities more affordable and sustainable, we will need to live in more compact arrangements. We also need to be much more conscious of climatic conditions.  Michael Pyatok will discuss these concerns and provide examples of low-rise, high density affordable housing that use sustainable practices.

Michael Pyatok is currently on leave from the University of Washington where he is a professor of architecture and urban design.  Principal of his own firm in the Bay Area and Seattle, he is a specialist in affordable housing design and neighborhood development.  He has designed more than 30,000 affordable multi-family dwellings and won more than 100 design awards and design competitions.

where:  Tom's Restaurant & Tavern, 1 Renaissance Square
when:  Tuesday, February 13
time:  7am Breakfast, 7:30-8:30am Program
cost:  Program is Free (breakfast additional).  Seating is limited.  RSVP to asulectures@asu.edu
parking:  Patriot's Park garage - bring receipt for validation

Read more about Michael Pyatok:
Affordable Housing: Michale Pyatok
HousingZone.com
Common Ground
Whole Earth Magazine - An interview with Michael Pyatok