Orange kitchen

Take a lesson straight from the feng shui playbook, DeAnna strongly advises against painting your kitchen a vivid orange. "In feng shui terms, orange increases one's appetite," she says. "So unless you want to get fat, stay away from orange." 

How to use primary, secondary and accent color?

This is what I usually recommend on my consultations. when designing your space, divide the colors into percentages:

65% of a dominant color
25% of a secondary color
10% of an accent color

The color of the furniture goes to the 25 percent figure and accessories like artwork and linens goes to accents with 10 percent.

5 rules for getting the home of your dream

Rule Number 01: Stop waiting for other people permission to do what feels right on your home. If you like something and it feels right to you just go for it

Rule Number 02: Be your own regulator. Edit, edit and edit your room to get a perfect place to live.

Rule Number 03: Know your style. Do you like minimalist or traditional? Are you a modern or Gothic? It would help you a lot to design your place

Rule Number 04: "If you make a compromise (selecting something cheaper than what you really like) it compromises you, because you are never really happy with the result." - Rose Cumming

Rule Number 05: Every room has its own personality, believe it and follow it 

Do you know the rules for getting the home of your dreams?

I will start bloging about it from tomorrow. Stay tight :)

Everything HAS TO be matched?

Not at all. A common mistake that people make is getting obsess with the idea of matching. Think of decorating your home the same way you put together a nice outfit. Select texture, color and touch it with your style.

Work with your climate

In the hot climate, you should not be afraid of letting your rooms feel empty; it makes your space and floor plan very cooling. Look at local architectural styles to give you the clues you're looking for when trying to decide what to do.

Wallpaper on the ceiling, yes or no?

It depends on the pattern. If you chose a right pattern it would make your room cozy and comfy.

Do I need wallpaper?

People usually think they need to wallpaper an entire room. It is expensive and makes a space feel crowded. Choose to cover one wall and the room still feels modern and chic.

Proportion is the key

The biggest mistakes people make in decorating is knowing the importance of scale and proportion. That's what really makes a room. The furniture, like the sofas and chairs, should have similar proportions. That's not to say there shouldn't be taller and shorter pieces in the same room—height is very important—but things should not be too big for the room.

Do not put everything you love in your living room

Look at those rooms you love in your favorite magazines. Count the number of objects on the coffee table, how many throw rugs are on the floor, the number of framed photos and knickknacks on mantels. Experiment with your own space by taking a few things away. Try to group similar collections in a single spot.

Placing photos too high on the walls...

Where your photo frame goes on the walls

It is different for everyone but keep in mind how tall the people you want looking at these are. If it is too low your guest will go away with a bad back and if it is too high they won’t even try. Let me put it this way, in galleries middle of the painting or art is on the eye level so you should do the same thing in your house.

Frequent Questions

I get two frequent questions a lot and I think it is great to answer them here.

1. What is the most common types of jobs we do for our clients? 
We are a full service architecture and interior design firm offering services from full design solutions to consultation. Our most common services in residential includes design solutions for new constructions, furniture selection, color and material selection, kitchen and bathroom remodels and accessory shopping assistance. Also, green design solution, space planning and design for commercial environments.

2.What advice do I have for a customer looking to hire a provider like us?
Ask lots of questions. Have they completed a project similar to yours? Are they knowledgeable about different style of the design? What is their Educational Background? What were their responsibilities on previous projects? Do they have any experience with selecting furniture or lighting? If you need architectural or construction job are they provide service? Most experienced designers are confident about their design and they can help you with your questions. Take advantage of this opportunity to gather information about the designers and their experience. Make things clear before hire them.

RADIANT ORCHID :)

How about a bedroom with RADIANT ORCHID? 

Color of the 2014

Well, you do not have to use the color of the year everywhere. Just a touch up makes your room stunning.

Do you know what the color of 2014 is?

RADIANT ORCHID NAMED PANTONE
color code 18-3224

Small kitchen

Your kitchen is small, There is no problem ;)

Tip of the day....

If you have very large piece of artwork, keep it alone, it would create a powerful focal point in your space 

Splendid Contemporary Architecture

Great examples of Splendid Contemporary Architecture
Panorama House by Moon Hoon

Sometimes go dark.

Dark room make a small room feel bigger, try black or dark blue for modern look...

Do not be afraid of using colors.

The outdoor space before and after renovation

Thumbtack

I found a really great website called Thumbtack. I think anybody needs to have a profile with them. It works really simple. You go to the website with your particular needs and they help you to hire experienced professionals in any type of project. If you are business owner they make a connection between you and clients.  Get more familiar with them here.

http://www.thumbtack.com/Risa-Studio-Phoenix-AZ/service/1180151

Let people into your secret world sometimes. :)

If your style is traditional or rustic leave you cabinet door open to invite people to your secret world.

Color blocking

Color blocking is beyond fashion now and we can see it more in home design. Do you want to add fresh and modern pop of color to your room, kitchen or even bathroom? Do you need some hint? Text your question and I would be more than happy to help you on your design. 

“Color blocking, the technique of using contrasting blocks of color, is the perfect way to give your home a fresh splash of color.“

7 Interior Design Mistakes in American Home

Number 1# Toilet rug

Toilet rugs are cut to fit around the toilet and sometimes have the carpet-like matching seat cover. Please get rid of them immediately and use a rectangular real rug.

Number 2# Your home is not a showroom

Do not try to match everything in your room. All pink or purple is just for catalogs and companies to sell furniture not the design. They give you an idea of what you might have in your house but you need to design it by yourself. Chose your color and touch the room with it. Text me your room picture and let me help you with your design.

Number 3# Big furniture

Remember showrooms are much bigger than your house and furniture look smaller in big space. Measure your room and be realistic when you buy any furniture piece for your space. It is better even if you have a layout of your space when you go shopping.

Number 4# Color and pattern everywhere

Use pattern and color with conscious in your home. Too many colors make your home busy and crowded and too many patterns make it distracting to people.

Number 5# Too many accessories

It is understandable that you have too many stuff and things to decorate your house but do not need to have it all out.Store them for a bit and change your decoration every six months to give a new and fresh look to your house. You can make them as a small group and change your design when you get bored of the existing one.

Number 6# Fake flowers

Fake flowers and plants are a huge mistake.They get dusty and do not bring any value or life into your house. If you think fresh flower is expensive there are more alternative. Put lemon, orange or pomegranate in a bowl or use some dried material like curly willow or woolen yarn for a fresh look.

Number 7# Photos and more photos

Some people are really attached to their photos and have a difficult time giving up of them on their walls or table. Are you one of them? Use photo album. Get nice albums, organize your pictures based on event or time and arrange them on a bookshelf. Also, same as accessories you replace the old one on the wall with a new one  every six months.

TIP of the Day: Be Modern,Canvas on the wall

Put big canvases painted with nice painting to brighten blank walls.

Comfort

It is all about comfort :)

First “Zero-Waste” Supermarket

Did you know that the average American is still producing nearly 3 pounds of trash every day? That is a monumental amount of trash! Where does that trash go? READ MORE HERE: http://www.collective-evolution.com/2014/07/13/soon-germany-will-open-its-first-zero-waste-supermarket/

Weird Furniture

Furniture made with odd and unusual materials

Devil

The Devil is in the detail.

Swimming Pool

Guitar Swimming Pool by Aqua Tech in Canada

Renovation in Paris

Architect Pierre Yovanovitch renovated his own Paris apartment, where a fireplace surround in acid-treated iron and an oil on canvas by Marc Quinn anchor the living room.

Trick...

Kick Your Traditional Coffee Table to the Curb.

The most versatile coffee table you'll ever own is an ottoman topped with a tray.

How to Chose Color...

Pick the perfect color scheme to enhance your mood at home. Plus, discover how color plays with your emotions, and how to manipulate color to your and your interior's advantage.

Pearl River Tower

It is amazing to see how the headquarters of the Tobacco Company in Guangzhou was feeling responsible about our planet and selected a sustainable design over seven design firms from four countries. The new city of Guangzhou is located at the north end of the Pearl River delta in China. It is the capital and the sub-provincial city with economic, scientific, political, and cultural life. This ancient city, with more than 2, 800 years of history, was the best place to build a modern structure within a peaceful natural setting to show the beautiful side of the contrast between modern and traditional architecture.

The Pearl River Tower is a skyscraper that is under construction in Guangzhou, China. The intended office complex, designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM), consists of 303 meters and 69 floors, starting in 2006 and planned for completion in autumn 2009. The tower has the possibility of being one of the most environmentally friendly buildings. This building not only has an incredible aesthetically, but also has special energy conservation and arguably it will become China's first zero-energy skyscraper in 2009.

Roger Frechette, Director of MEP Engineering, and Russell Gilchrist claim this net-zero-energy skyscraper can generate more energy than it uses. As a fact, it will use three natural power sources to get its energy; sun, water and wind. In addition, the structure is being designed with energy conservation mentality and designers attempt to create an environmentally friendly building by including solar and wind turbines, humidity and rainwater collectors in the structure.

The goal of the design was to make an incredible ultra green tower with the most sustainability as possible. This mentality causes some major design mechanism in the building as follows: First, for reducing the structure’s energy use, designers decided to rotate the structure to the east and take an advantage of sunlight while the late-day sun on the large, southern horizontal contact are minimized. Second, four wind turbines -two per each floor- were designed on two mechanical floors to convert the kinetic energy in wind into mechanical energy. The wind turbines use the current winds from the south, which create the negative pressure at the north side. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill estimate the turbines will generate 15 times more electricity than a usual wind generator. Third, double layer curtain-walls prevent gaining heat in the south side of the building. Fourth, “a radiant cooling system allows for the buildings HVAC system to be 1/5 the normal size, and also improves indoor air quality since the air is not recycled within the building.” In addition, it gives the possibility for the building to save extra space in each floor and to have 5 more floors at the end. Sixth, the mainly attractive characteristic of the building is a financial part. Between the decreased costs with due attention to lower energy requires and additional space which is available for rental this building is an economy construction to build.

The Pearl River Tower has lots of benefits behind its amazing look. Sustainable building, or power independency, will save the expenses of energy in long term such as the price of coal, power electricity, nuclear energy and other alternative sources. They leave a lighter footprint on the earth as well as accumulate the natural sources. It will help pollution and make our planet a better place to live. By incorporating the most recent technology on the building this will obtain the attention of corporations around the world and encourage them to use the same system.

When Roger Frechette, director of m/e/p sustainable engineering at SOM said “We knew the tower was going to get built with or without us, so we felt we might as well design it and make it as sustainable as possible,” he made a good statement about their work since it is a responsibility of all people to save the natural sources and grid energy. As a fact, this modern building has this possibility to take a big step in commercial building design and it can be a good example and model for future building. I personally think an architect can learn from this design and cut the costs of the building to the lower range by using the natural forces, this way we can guarantee that people of all range will get more familiar with the advantage of green design and the philosophy behind it and as soon as we can imagine they will start using that.

Ecological Footprint Quiz

Numerous people like me have never paid attention to the term “Ecological Footprint”. In fact, I had no idea what the term exactly meant and consequently did not know what my social responsibilities to the world are. When I took the quiz and saw the result I was shocked “IF EVERYONE LIVED LIKE YOU, WE WOULD NEED 5.3 PLANETS”. I started to think over my life style. How many miles I drive every day to school? How many hours I use my computer at home per day? How many minutes I am in the shower? Why I do not use locally grown vegetables and fruits? I waited for a couple of days before taking the next quiz. I wanted to be more realistic and implement some of the changes that were recommended in the website and also gain some experience with my new lifestyle before taking the exam again. Although I had made some improvements the result was still below my expectations. “IF EVERYONE LIVED LIKE YOU, WE WOULD NEED 2.7 PLANETS”. This taught me that, there are still several changes that I need to make in my life to use the available resources more efficiently. Perhaps, one of the most important things in our life is to feel more responsible about our environment. In addition, we all need to find a way to help keep and maintain the natural resources in our surrounding instead of wasting and damaging them. I personally think reducing the ecological footprint and acting economically is not as hard as we may think. It is a good idea to start from small things in our life to make big changes.

Controlling heating and cooling system is a simple approach to reduce energy consumption. We use our natural resources faster than they can be generated. I would not support a Stone Age way of life, but we can further utilize passive systems using natural forces such as wind, solar, etc to heat and cool our residences. Keeping windows closed and using thick curtain is also suggested for cold days and vice versa. Combination of solar energy with other types of heating system can dramatically decrease the level of energy loss. In other hand, by using solar systems we truly can save hundreds of dollars and be part of environment conservation family.

Using of compact florescent lamps (CFLs) is a simple idea to save more energy too. They last much longer than other lamp and use less energy. A recent research by the City of Phoenix shows that replacing at least one bulb with CFL’s in 571000 homes and businesses in the Phoenix metropolitan will cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 251 million pounds over the life of the bulb. It will also reduce energy consumption by more than 159 million Kwh and results in $16 million saving in energy costs (per year). The conserved energy would be enough to light 91,000 homes for a year.

Some plastic bags are not recyclable and they cause an irreversible damage to environment. They take too long to decompose and fill up landfills. Several grocery stores such as Trader Joe’s and Sprouts offer reusable bags for shopping. This is a practical method to stay away from plastics bags. As a good example plastic bags are not offered in grocery store in Europe which encourages people to use reusable bags.

To produce papers for magazines, newspapers, bank statements, etc, valuable natural resources such as trees have to be used. Nowadays, technology can help prevent wasting papers and provide a more efficient and eco-friendly way to exchange information and limit our use of paper. Most banks and big companies provide online services without charge and the customers can receive and review their statements online or via email instead of paper statements. It is understandable that not everyone may be able to access or use these services but their contribution to papers and magazines recycling is still valuable.

Producing more organic food (to eliminate the addition of pesticide, antibiotic, etc to the soil) would result in a healthier lifestyle and also help keep the soil cleaner. Adding more vegetarian meals to our daily diets would also result in a healthier lifestyle. In fact, there are lots of substitutes for meat that could replace it without causing lack of vitamins or proteins in the body. Supporting local farms and markets, purchasing unpacked, unprocessed, organic and sustainable grown are other practical ideas to help the planet and ourselves.

In addition, one of the most important changes we can make in our personal life is to be more efficient in commuting. Riding on a bus, train, or other public transportation means, biking and walking (if possible) are some of the changes we can consider to include in our daily life.

As a matter of fact we waste more natural resources than the earth provides us and it is not late to change our behavior. It takes hundreds or even thousands years for our planet to regenerate the resources that we are consuming. “If everybody lives like me, we would need more planets” is a heartbreaking truth. In fact we are spending resources faster than they are produced.

In the couple of day gap between two quizzes I attempted to consider some of those changes in my habits and everyday life. Although the quiz result was still showing that I need to do more I was already feeling more useful to myself and the community. Using bus and walking to school was a brilliant plan. To stop wasting plastic bags in my grocery shopping I bought two reusable shopping bags and added an extra trash can for paper recycling. I switched some of the old light bulbs with CFL’s to save more energy and money. In addition, I started to practice some new habits in my life such as optimizing the amount of water used during the shower and laundry time.

This quiz and my research about it had a big influence on my perspective in using natural resources. My philosophy is everyone can make positive impact to the planet and change it to a greener place to live. It is amazing to realize that how making small changes to our lives and habits can lead us to a better utilization of resources. Beside that, we are responsible for the next generations. As a big gift to them and the world we can educate them the recycling process and how to appreciate and respect the nature and try to use the resources more efficiently.

Phoenix Green Building Expo

The 10th annual Green Building Expo in Scottsdale was held on Oct 5-6th. The event was very well-organized and many companies with different disciplines had participated in this expo. The diversified range of companies attended this event helped us learn further about various green building techniques and environmentally low-impact products for structure, exterior and interior building design. Our visit to this event was mainly intended to find potential construction methods or materials appropriate for our current design studio project. This project is a single story prefab building that is going to be constructed on 18’x12’ footprint in Tempe area.

The Icynene Insulation System booth – a company well-known for its soft foam insulation – was the company that its simple but innovative green design approach really caught my attention. Richard, a representative of the Icynene Insulation System who was explaining the advantages of their products to the enthusiastic crowd was also impressed with the attention their products had received in this expo. He said "It is excellent to see how communities are learning from this event and I get really happy when people especially students come here to educate themselves and others about green design."

Over the course of time, almost all building materials have evolved gradually and today it is almost impossible to think of any type of building material that has not been improved. Among all these, insulation is no exception. Looking back in the last century one can find a wide variety of materials people have used for insulation means. Some of the most common ones can be named as cellulose, fiberglass, sheep's wool and polyicynene and polyurethane which are oil-based materials. Although some of these are derived through green processes, some of these are available in large (such as sheep’s wool). The Icynene Insulation System is a high-quality insulation that is developed by merging building science technology with design performance. It is a soft spray-in-place, light density, expanding foam insulation that acts both as insulation and air barrier. It takes the shape of where it is contained and offers a custom fit every time it is installed because it expands 100 times its initial volume. One of the great advantages of this insulation is its capability to deliver improved sound control while providing superior control of air leakage. On top of all, it is environmentally-friendly, non-toxic, and formaldehyde free.

With the current growth in the number of homeowners and further focus on providing more reliable and sustainable energy saving solutions, Icynene is a healthier alternative to conventional insulation. It provides the protective barrier preventing allergenic and dust from entering the home by completely sealing the building envelope. This water-based product also contains none of the harmful chemical and gasses often associated with traditional insulations such as fiberglass. By minimizing air infiltration it also reduces the amount of airborne moisture that can result in mold.

It not only makes a healthier home but also a quieter home. Traffic, neighborhood activities and plumbing runs can be the sources of annoying and unwanted sounds that can intrude into our living spaces, thwarting comfort and enjoyment. By acting as a sound barrier and sealing the building envelope against unwanted sounds, it effectively minimizes airborne sounds in the mid range frequency and it is perfect for limiting noises from plumbing runs, road, home theater and playrooms.

Energy efficiency can often be associated with green design. With Icynene, energy cost savings can be as high as 50% compared to the conventional insulations. Furthermore, the elimination of the random air leakage allows homes that utilize Icynene to maintain the same heating and cooling performance while potentially reducing the cost of HVAC equipment. In addition, since this technique is easy to implement the labor and materials normally required to achieve a properly sealed building envelope are no longer necessary.

After visiting the Icynene Insulation System booth and learning about this fabulous solution, I have decided to apply it as a base insulation in my prefab building and employ this concept to have a healthier, quieter, greener and more economical home. This can also help saving energy and resources.

AUDUBON HOUSE

Green Building is a documentary movie about the Audubon house and how a dedicated team of architects, environmentalists, engineers, research scientists, and interior designers recycled this significant 100-year old building and reduced the energy utilization to 52% of that used in a comparable office building. It is amazing to see how a group of experts accomplished to make a big difference in the structure by adding some changes to the actual building such as natural light and highly resourceful electrical light for lighting the office spaces, nontoxic paints for the wall and recycled newsprint for flooring. They produced a better and healthier environment for people, wildlife, and the earth's natural resources and developed a good workplace model for future. The movie points to several improvements in Audubon House that can be also implemented in my studio project which is a residential units in Tempe area with 2000 square foot in each unit.

The first and most notable area of improvement is in energy efficiency that can be achieved by making use of enhanced natural light and highly urbanized lighting system. Full-size windows on the Northern and Western sides of the building allow large quantities of natural daylight into the living area. Use of light colors for furnishing and interior surfaces increase reflectance of natural light and can help this pheromone further. The “Task/Ambient” lighting system for living room and bedrooms introduce soft background light to the room and wherever focused light is needed task lighting can be implemented. In the bathroom, T8 Triphosphor fluorescent lamps bring in the light with natural tone and insignificant heat.

Decreasing pollution and making a healthier environment is another major challenge that should be considered for any design. By using gas fired absorption heathers/coolers, creation of sulfur dioxide can be prevented while about 60% reduction in nitrogen oxides creation can be achieved compared to similar units that use other sources of energy. In addition, for reducing electricity demand for cooling system applying for an on-site energy source, gas, during the summer is a great opportunity that can be explored.

Another key takeaway of this documentary was the importance of recycling and protecting resources in the nature. The first step to gain this goal in my project is to switch to recycled material instead of the regular material. Many materials such as steel, wood, concrete, masonry are sent out for recycling and can be used after reprocessing. Homosote sub is a new type of wallboard developed from recycled paper which is designed to be used for flooring and it is made from 60% recycled newsprint. One interesting idea for kitchen flooring is to use reprocessed tiles that are recycled from light bulbs. Recycled plastic bottles can be used for bathroom countertops and also reprocessed gypsum and newsprint for wall.

Although the Audubon House was an office building most of change that they made during the renovation can be used for residential building as well. As a result of my research I further discovered that being green and contributing to greener architecture design is a continuous daily task that we should all take part in to make the world a better place. By doing some research and using the right material for the structures one can have a significant impact on our surrounding.

USA 20 Years from Now ...

” The future is not a result of choices among alternative paths offered by the present, but a place that is created--created first in the mind and will, created next in activity. The future is not some place we are going to, but one we are creating.”

America has reached a big milestone in its history. Last week the last fuel refinery in the US was closed and all the workers in the Texas Petrochemical Refinery were offered a redeployment package. With the training that they have been going through in the past couple of years, all these people are hopeful to establish a new career elsewhere. Although the fuel production from oil and subsequently the fossil fuel emission is coming to an end, there are still some refineries that use oil to produce necessary ingredients for plastics. The scientific methods developed to recycle plastics have helped reduce the plastic production significantly. Most cars now have solar cells built in their body that absorbs and stores solar energy. More than 50% of the cars in the country are using solar or electricity as their main energy resource and the other half are hydrogen cars. About five years ago the only US car manufacturer offered to replace gasoline engines with hydrogen ones at no cost. Starting Jan 2030 no gasoline car will be allowed on the streets of major cities. It is astounding to see how far America has come in the last years. Majority of states are now establishing laws to reduce the amount of plastic-base components. In the last few years scientists have bumped up their activities to come up with an intelligent material that replaces plastic and can recycle itself into the environment with no impact. Many reckless and irresponsible behaviors in the past few decades have had an enormous irreversible impact on the global environment. During the last few decades, the sea levels have raised significantly that eventually forced some cities like New York city to abandon many areas of the city and the city center which used to be Manhattan has moved about 10 miles inland. Food shortage still remains a big concern for the world. Since the scientific researches in the last twenty years proved that use of many chemicals to produce more crops can result in many health issues for people, the focus in the last ten years has been to move more toward organic products. With the increase in the life expectancy and better health services the population of the world will reach 8 billion in the next month. Cure of cancer and AIDS has been some of the biggest achievements of scientists in the last century. It is remarkable to notice the changes world has been going through in the last 10-15 years. Many lands that used to be used for farming are now filled with skyscrapers. The advancements in the technology has helped many deserts to become crop producible but the water shortage for these lands is what many scientists are trying to address. To optimize the use of water in the farms, most farmers now have intelligent drip systems that minimize the use of water. In order to mitigate the risks of food shortage, congress is drafting a bill that can make more lands available for farming.
Many scientists believe that with the improvements that started about two decades ago the world is still trying to find its new equilibrium state. The extinction of many wildlife species has resulted in a dramatic change in the ecosystem. One of the major changes in the US in recent years has been the culture of consumption. Looking at the start of this century one would notice that US has dropped out of the list of top 50 polluters of the world. This has been a result of effective policies and change of culture that has been adapted. Americans have also been able to better distinguish between what they really need in their life vs what they want. With the enhancements in the public transportations use of personal cars for daily commuting has significantly dropped in the last decade. Availability of public transportation at almost no cost, lack of parking spots in many populated areas and heavy traffic have led most people to limit their use of cars in most urban areas of the country. Diversity is still a big success factor in the US economy. Even the rural areas of the country now consist of different ethnicities. In twenty years (by 2050) the Hispanic population of the country will exceed the white population. It was not long ago that people used to immigrate to US in order to seek and build a better life. The recent report by the US Census Bureau shows that the number of Americans immigrating to other countries has increased rapidly in the last ten years. The same report indicates that the main reasons for the immigration of the Americans are to get away from the industrial world and also to look for better economic benefits. In most urban areas of the country, the non-white population of the working people exceeds the number of white workers. More than 40% of the country is now bilingual in contrast to 9% of the population in 2005. Many areas of the country that was once considered to be rural are now urbanized. The proportion of the developed land base has almost doubled to 10% in about 20 years (in contrast to 5% in 2005). The population of Los Angeles metropolitan area has quadrupled in a quarter of a century.
The increase in the urban area population and also the diverse culture of the people living in these areas has posed new challenges to the city officials. To name some transportation, food and environmental concerns have been a few of these. With the recent improvements in the public transportation city officials have been able to effectively address the transportation. Use of green resources such as hydrogen, solar and wind and limiting the use of personal cars has also helped better control the traffic and also carbon footprint on the planet. Food that is still being produced mainly in the heartland and west coast is shipped to the cities using green transportation means. People have become more conscious and pay more attention to what they eat and have chosen a healthier life style. Most homes in the urban areas generate some of the energy they use employing solar cells that are installed on the roofs. By state law in many different areas, all newly developed houses are now required to comply with the new rules to use the insulations that have smaller heat transfer rates in the roof and walls. This will result in less energy loss from the building.
Recycling has also become an important part of everybody’s life. The teachings at schools to recycle more effectively are now paying off. People keep plastics, papers, glass and metals in separate containers and each one of these items gets recycled and used in one form or the other. Many cities even recycle organic materials and process them to produce fertilizers which will be eventually used in farms. Use of bottled water has dropped significantly and people tend to use reusable water bottles.
The technology advances in the communication systems has allowed many companies to offer their employees telecommute several days of the week. This has also helped reduce commuting between work and home. Comparing the size of cars with what it used to be less than two decades ago, one can notice how smaller the cars have gotten. Although this has required a serious effort to change people’s culture, it surely has been worthwhile since they consume less energy and also better fit into the big city lifestyles.
Reducing the use of fossil fuels to produce energy has been one of the biggest milestones our country has achieved in the past two decades thanks to the great researchers all around the world. Many major metropolitan areas now have solar panels installed in different locations. Even some small towns are now replacing the asphalts on the street with a new material that can absorb energy from sun and transform it to electricity. Use of tidal energy has also become very common in many coastal cities like New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. These cities can now produce all their consumed energy through wind, solar and wave resources.
The recent developments in the electricity storage technologies have also helped power plants to store energy and feed it into the system when needed. Using these technologies some solar power plants can still feed the stored electrical energy into the system even during cloudy days. Many urban residents are also using thermal reservoir for heating and cooling of their homes or the water. These reservoirs simply store the heat during the day with a minimum energy loss. This energy can be used during the night to heat up the water or the house. The same concept applies to cold temperatures. Also with the new conductive materials the energy loss during electricity transfer has dropped significantly. Many medical research activity conducted all around the world showed that wireless transfer of electrical energy by creating magnetic fields can have a negative impact and put human’s health and wellness at risk.
Nuclear power plants remain a major source of electricity production. The number of these plants has increased significantly in the last twenty years. However, due to the nuclear waste disposal issues, the negative impact of radiation on human and also the high risk of explosion or leak of radioactive material these power plants have not gained the popularity as was expected. Hydroelectric energy remains a major and reliable renewable energy resource. However, its share compare to the other energy resources is still slim since the flowing water resources are limited. Steam-electric power plants account for some portions of the electricity generation. These units now mainly consume clean-coal technology. A new proposal by government requires all fossil fuel based plants to be replaced by a renewable energy resource by 2050.
America has been through lots of challenges during past decades. Several initiatives and years of hard work by many different individuals and communities have helped US to totally abandon its dependence on foreign oil and also reduce the CO2 emission significantly. With the steps taken in the past few years the global warming trend has finally reversed and everybody has become a better citizen of the world. People have become more aware of the man-made threats to the nature and world and act more responsibly. Now it is our generation’s term to pave the road for the next generation and hand them a world better than what was handed to us. There are still challenges to face. These challenges are not only maintaining the world but also trying to improve it and make it better for the generations to come.

Messie’s Lecture in ASU

Lecture was really interesting. Footprint of the nature was visible in all of his works especially when he was talking about frozen earth as a mold, using the beams with the same color of the landscape trees and having the skylight in the shower. He is very passionate about his work and honest about what he is doing and you can see this excitement in his designs. About digital world, I have had Jason Griffiths as a studio instructor last semester and he was giving us the lecture about digital world during the semester. I had to learn Rhino for my final project but I never deeply believed on digital methodologies to create building forms. In the lecture today I could really see the future of the design and how we can have our original ideas and push it to the unique design with technology. Also, I was fascinated with the way he builds things with his hands and experiences the new material in his design.

Gabby Shawcross’s lecture at ASU

Gabby Shawcross’ lecture was different in many ways than other lectures I have been to. In the first few minutes of the lecture two main questions popped in my mind. How sustainable their projects are? And also whether they used light in their design as an ornament or not? Although I got lots of good information from this lecture these questions are still unanswered for me.

At the end of the lecture I was certain that they picked light as a communication tool to make a connection between spaces and people. I believe that is what many architects attempt to achieve in their designs. For example Memory Project in London's Southbank is all about people, spaces and the relationship between them. It is a fascinating idea especially the ability to walk back to the earlier time of the day. Inside the structure, thermal cameras can detect people and show the surrounding of the building in a particular time as a function of people’s position with respect to the screen.

They are also very creative in using light features as an architectural tool. I think by listening to his lecture we could really observe their design philosophy. Also in some projects like Aeolian Tower, and Wind to Light I realized that there is a lot of usable energy in the nature that is not being used appropriately and has lots of potentials to be utilized in our day to day life.

Usman Haque and Omar Khan’s lecture

Although the Usman Haque and Omar Khan’s lecture was really interesting I had a hard time understanding the motivation behind their projects. For example “Open Burble” design by Usman Haque included of many white helium balloons attached together with a cell phone receiver inside each balloon. These cell phones were connected to colored lights separately. When people on the ground were calling a particular receiver inside one of the balloons, that balloon’s color was changing. It looks bright and incredible but what is his philosophy behind it? He didn’t provide any reason for coordinating and designing any of his work. Most of his design was excellent and flashy to watch for the first time and get excited with technology but nothing more than this. It was more about watching a new computer game with different colors and fancy look. “Moving Columns” by Omar Khan was another example of this absence of purpose. Depending on the level of carbon dioxide in the air, these columns were moving up or down. However, the reason behind using CO2 was not really clear. Why he didn’t use oxygen instead? On the other hand, Usman’s presentation was really nice but it did not discuss the philosophy and function of their design.

Eddie and Neal Jones

The lecture by Eddie and Neal Jones was incredible especially after a long day in studio and struggling with my project. I have a difficulty to solve the circulation in my studio project and at the end of the day I was almost losing my confidence and my patience. He started his lecture by telling a true story. The story was about his life and how he was working on his projects as a student with passion and creativity. During the lecture I was taking notes of his life lessons. In each project that he described you could see the philosophy behind each building design. “What does each building want to be?” Where landscape begins and ends and does it even have a beginning and ending or not?
Eddie Jones mentioned the beauty of a literal garden and in his projects landscaping was combined with buildings and one could not make a border between them. Everything that he did was followed by his final comment. “Never stop caring.” The passion and consideration for architecture in their designs were truly noticeable. He gave me plenty of positive energy and forced me to look at my project as a new opportunity to show my interest in architecture and to believe in my creativity.

Stephen Ehrlich

Tonight’s lecture was one of the best spring lecture series. I really enjoyed Stephen Ehrlich’s projects. Creative, clean and programmatic design was some of the main features of his designs. Culture and community needs were two different elements that helped him develop his experience through design. Inspiration was another important key for him that he utilized in his projects. In most of his work the footprints of the inspiration was noticeable. In one of his projects he got his inspiration from the color of the tree in the site which was amazing. His design process to me was similar to this: He got the plain idea, mixed it with culture, formed it with architectural scheme, added modern look to it, added inspiration, some more material and then design is ready.

The only thing that raised question in my mind was the budgeting. He didn’t talk about the budget and to me in most of his work budget was not an issue. In this economy I really want to see how he can apply his unique ideas to low income housing or tight budget projects?

Why it is important to use numbers in planning and policy debate?

Planning and policy debate is basically attached to the numbers and often questions can make a better explanation by numbers. When people are not aware of the amount of energy they use in a day the influence of using extra energy in the community will be harder to recognize for them. In addition by numbers they will have a better view of the amount of the each energy source in surrounding and the cost of it. One of our goals is decrease energy consumption in the world and to achieve this target it is better to use simple and acceptable numbers.

Simple numbers are more understandable, memorable and easier to compare information together. Apply the adjective instead of numbers will confuse public about reality. For example use “huge” as an alternative of actual amount. Using the acceptable number is as important as using simple numbers. Employ a huge number especially when it is not necessarily can be meaningless to the public. For example “American buys 2.6 billion napkin boxes per year” is not inform people but “Switching your gas and electricity supplier could save you up to $340 a year” is more real and practical.

Since sometimes numbers are selected to impress, change the fact, arguments or scare people instead of educating them using number when it is not a need can bring distrust to community. For instance in a climate when public don’t pay attention to numbers mass communication media such as news papers, radio and companies can provide wrong information.

Different questions about renewable energy, climate change, dioxide pollution and energy crisis are easier to explain with numbers. Some questions are: can people make a difference in the energy crisis by biking or walking instead of driving a car? How much energy efficiency will increase by using fluorescent lighting and LED lighting (Light Emitting Diode) instead of regular lighting? How much carbon dioxide pollution will reduce by changing our life style to advanced technology like hybrid car?

Climate change motivation...

Climate change bring different question to peoples mind. What is the definition of the climate change? Is it the certain countries inaccuracy? What is the responcibility of the public? And how individuals can help? Although climate change is not a short term change and it happened over periods of time that range from decades to millions of years in current decade is become a huge intricate for the world. Some people even believe that climate change like global warming is out of control and no one has power to change the fact.

The climate-change motivation is have a discussion in three things. First “human fossil fuel burning causes carbon dioxide concentrations to rise, Second carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas and third increasing the greenhouse effect increases average global temperatures (and has many other effects).”

Carbon dioxide was rising during the time (1000AD to the present) but after the Industrial Revolution from (1800AD to 2000AD) the increase rate has been exponential. It started increasing when James Watt introduced his steam engine to the society. At the same time British coal production started to go up as well. Coal production was used to create iron, to build and power transportation system like ships and locomotive and to heat up houses. The usage of the coal production was growing extraordinarily. For example in the 30 years from 1769 to 1800, yearly use of coal production doubled and then in 1830 it had doubled again and then in 20 years later doubled again and still continues. It was not just happening in England, in other countries same thing was starting after industrial revolution. In producing CO2 emissions oil production is slightly less effective than the coal.

Since people were successful by doubling or tripling CO2 concentration lot of things will be changed in the future. First increasing the intensity of the sun by 2%, second global temperature goes up almost 3 ◦C. third “the Greenland icecap would gradually melt, and, over a period of few 100 years, sea-level would rise by about 7 meters.” The last and not least is changing the ecosystem for humans, animals and plants.