ARCHITECTURAL MODELS ON VIEW

A common memory shared by architectural and design students around the world stems from balsa wood, sharp utility blades, foam core, push pins, and all nighters. I am referring to the task of model building. One of the most unpleasant memories for me involves a fellow student slicing her leg with a sharp Exacto knife. Aside from the physical dangers, model building is a teaching instrument that quickly expands a young mind. Few have the ability visualize a 2 dimensional drawing as a 3 dimensional space. This is one of the first learned lessons in design school. It may be the ability that makes a great designer.

The opportunity to view architectural models by one of the most famous architects of our time may appeal to only a few, but those who know the magic and insight offered by such a tool will welcome the opportunity to see first hand these works of art.


Meier Model Museum Reopens to the Public
Metropolis Magazine reports,

"In two weeks, Richard Meier will once again begin welcoming visitors to his Long Island City model warehouse, a 3,600-square-foot studio filled with more than a hundred architectural mock-ups...Visitation is by appointment on alternate Fridays beginning May 1; to schedule an appointment, call Richard Meier & Partners Architects at 212-967-6060."

HOME IMPROVEMENTS

My office is located in a finished room between the garage and main house. The room is built over an inaccessible crawl space and with no access to above the ceiling. It also has wide pine flooring which has been impossible to keep in good condition due to grit coming in from the garage. There is cold air flowing into the room around the window trim and from the recessed lighting fixtures.


The energy loss from this room probably reflects the inefficiencies in my entire house and typical to most older homes. Although the goal of my project is to create a mud room area with appropriate tile flooring, I am addressing the energy efficiency issues as much as possible.

I will remove the window trim and spray foam around the edges of the window to seal from infiltrating air. I am replacing the recessed fixtures with fixtures rated for insulated ceilings that omit air flow through the fixture. While the electrician is up in the attic space, I will add another layer of batt insulation over the ceiling joists. I am not using compact fluorescents due to the fact that the fixtures are on dimmers. I will put air blocking foam inserts in all the switch and outlet boxes on the exterior walls. I would love to cut open access to the crawl space and see if the builder ever properly insulated, but it is very difficult to insulate in this type of space after the fact. So I am passing on that procedure.

As I stated, the area above the ceiling was inaccessible. In order to change the light fixtures and add insulation, I have had to cut a drywall opening in my second floor closet and through the exterior plywood sheathing to open a very small hole for the electrician to crawl through and rewire while on his stomach. Glad I am not an electrician!

For a small 12' x 16' room, this seems like a major project. But this type of project is the future. People are looking for ways to cut energy bills and to make their existing homes fit their lifestyle. Pick a room and get started.

LEED: A Healthy Discussion

A recent discussion forum brought to highlight questions about LEED commercial projects and the post occupancy evaluation determiniation of actual energy savings. When a topic is "hot" and full of momentum like the green movement, it is difficult to be a voice that goes against the tide. LEED is full of good intentions that cannot be questioned, but the cost in time and money to qualify a LEED project should rightly be justified.

Is the LEED program a fraud?

March 13th, 2009 in Blogs

Kevin Ireton, contributor

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The LEED rating system is “a tragedy,” according to Henry Gifford, resulting in buildings that use more energy, not less, and “a fraud perpetrated on U.S. consumers trying their best to achieve true environmental friendliness.” Henry is a mechanical systems specialist in New York City and, apparently, a vocal critic of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. I heard him make these claims on Tuesday night as he sat next to Brendan Owens, USGBC’s vice president of technical development. The two were part of a public debate that took place in Boston at Building Energy 09, the annual conference of the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association.

The source of the debate is a study released a year ago that compared the energy performance of LEED-certified buildings with that of existing, noncertified buildings. The USGBC claims that the study shows LEED buildings to be 25% to 30% more efficient, but Henry says their methodology is flawed. According to him, the LEED buildings actually use 29% more energy than other buildings. Henry also thinks that “green” buildings ought to be certified based on their performance after a year or two of service and that the energy use for buildings ought to be available to the public on utility Web sites. You can read more about Henry’s views on his Web site and in the latest issue of Northeast Sun. Iconoclastic building scientist Joe Lstiburek has weighed in on this debate (pretty much agreeing with Henry), as has Nadav Malin of Building Green.

I should make it clear at this point that the study and the controversy surrounding LEED deal only with commercial buildings, not houses. The USGBC launched the LEED program for commercial buildings more than 10 years ago, while LEED for Homes is brand new. I hesitate to offer an opinion on all of this because I haven't read the study and don't understand the rating system like these other guys do. But I will venture to say that launching LEED and then waiting 10 years before studying the actual performance of certified buildings hardly qualifies as “leadership.” And I certainly hope that the LEED for Homes program learns from this embarrassment.

Resource: www.finehomebuilding.com