Great Spaces, Great Places
As the designs and plans for our Passive House retrofit came along, so did our knowledge of how materials and their construction would impact the operational and embodied energy of the house. We quickly found ourselves immersed in powerful new programs, which we had never heard of before, but which would leverage the large section …
Introduction The first passive house, or PH01, was a venture taken by South Dakota State University department of Architecture students and faculty in Brookings, SD. Two passive houses have been designed to meet the Passive House Institute of the United States (PHIUS) standards since then. PH02 is a single-family residence that utilizes a detached garage …
Continue reading “Passive House 3.0 Series | Introduction and Part 1”
With funding support from the National Endowment for the Arts and South Dakota Community Foundation, the Sioux Falls Design Center (SFDC) is hosting Going Metro, a program series designed to facilitate creative conversations about transportation as the City of Sioux Falls seeks to innovate its transit system. The Sioux Falls Design Center is seeking art …
As the Fourth of July approaches, I challenge you to reflect on our nation’s history. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Acknowledge the triumphs and shortcomings of our nation. Remember how we the people have and can continue to learn and grow. Pause and appreciate those that came before (in all their imperfection) who fought to preserve our inalienable rights. We are blessed and we will overcome the challenges. We are a resilient nation of people who hold different backgrounds and beliefs; however, we are united by our shared value of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Let freedom ring and continue to pursue equality!
Among the silver linings of the worldwide Coronavirus epidemic and associated shutdowns are the drastic improvements to urban air quality, remarkable examples of community building and random kindness, and the opportunity to consider new possibilities for the spaces in which we live, work and play. Here are just a few quick reads on how some …
Continue reading “Rethinking Architecture in the Pandemic Era”
Discussions about how to battle future pandemics through better buildings are becoming commonplace, and the goal of improved interior environments is one aspect that dovetails with sustainability issues championed by the AIA Committee on the Environment. Architects continue to raise the bar on performance, design and flexibility. This ongoing dedication to improving the built environment …
The second round of application review for the NCSR Friendly Firm Award has been completed. The list of EP Friendly Firms continues to grow. If you would like your firm recognized you can still apply. Applicants simply need to have an office in the region, and have an AIA member firm principal and an AIA member emerging professional fill out and sign the form together.
As a follow-up to the preceding post, the attached article addresses some general strategies for continuing to maintain an architectural/design workflow while working from home. Chief among the concerns of those faced with this reality, is the difficulty of overcoming the mental partition that exists between the office and home. In response, the article emphasizes …
Continue reading “Tips for Architects Working At Home During COVID-19”
https://artsandculture.google.com/partner?tab=pop At the present moment, many individuals find themselves confined to their homes, in a collective effort to stem the spread of COVID-19 throughout their communities. As undeniably important as this strategy is, it poses the risk of engendering an acute sense of restlessness and irritability, especially as time goes on. To counter this tendency, …
“Beate Gütschow is a German contemporary artist who works primarily through photography. In her work, she analyses the complex and ever-changing relationships between perception, representation and reality.“ The bizarre and visually-perplexing nature of the images within the associated article, contain a myriad of architectural implications. The consolidation of photographic information into a unified perspectival artifice, mirrors …