michelle kaufmann designs

As I have been working on a few projects in the Caribbean (including modular and site built), I have been studying architecture on the islands. I was happy to see this project by A-cero Architecture in the Dominican Republic.

Their approach to maximizing breezes while being strategic with sunlight through the use of the curved roof scoops is refreshing. Through the use of local Colraline stone and soft roof and wall lines have the house feel like it is merely an extension of the land, sculpting in plenty of indirect light, but shading out unwanted direct light. It would have been nice to also see some integrated PV and water catchment systems be incorporated into these shapes and design, but I still love it.

A-cero Architecture

Today the Twitter team moved into their new office which has been designed by the super talented Sara Morishige Williams (@sara).  She worked with an existing shell of a building in downtown San Francisco. I was able to get a sneak peek last week while she was working on it, and was excited to see the photos today.  Sara shared some of her ideas: “I wanted to bring the outdoors in, while making the space playful yet useful and sustainable.”

Sara’s sense of play with color and whimsical elements, as well as her attention to detail had me walking through the spaces filled with joy and a curious sense of discovery for what was around the corner.  The entry Twitter sign (above) was fabricated out of reclaimed barn wood and hot rolled steel (fabricated by Lundberg Design).  Sara chose lovely paint colors that are also no-VOC. It was great to walk through the new space and have no “new” smell (that we now all know is actually toxins from off-gassing paints).

One of my favorite details is this wall (above) with bird decals that Sara made from a photo (below) she took in Nebraska when visiting the father of her husband and Twitter co-founder Evan Williams (@ev).

She is currently working on her own version of a “trophy wall” in the lobby which is framed work from various artist friends, some clever writings on Twitter, as well as work created by Twitter employees, and also Twitter user gifts and submittals. When completed, the frames will extend further and make the shape of two wings. This is such an interesting take on multiple voices making one larger form, much like Twitter’s users and Twitter itself.

In one of the conference rooms there is an amazingly luscious table designed by Sara and Mark Rogero with Concreteworks (@concreteworks). The base is reclaimed barn wood and the top is made of concrete with  40% fly ash and 100% recycled aggregates. The bird motif floats into this room embedded in the concrete.

Sara also made interesting choices in the furniture. There are Chiquita stools by Kenneth Cobonpue with a top of natural rattan poles on top of a cushion below. The stools are visually striking, and surprisingly comfortable as the poles sink softly when sat on. I love these. We had a few in our office as well.

Sara also mixed in some furniture classics, as well as some custom pieces made by a local furniture company called Furniture Envy. They have some pretty great prices. A good place to check out.

This “Tell Your Stories Here” neon sign is by Mary Conrad (@M_Ry).  By the way, Mary currently has a show at Michael Rosenthall Gallery.  The paint behind the sign is one of the “wallpapers” you can choose on your twitter account.

There are very cool “live edge” wood hooks in the lobby by John at Live Wire Farm and also a sweet touch with pillows on everyone’s chair when they came to the office today by Throwboy (@throwboy).

And how many offices have their own DJ booth? I am so jealous.

There are wonderful details throughout the office that are old objects now given a new life by Sara like these deer that Sara found and painted.

The new Twitter office space is sustainable design with surprising twists. Sara is a unique and talented designer and I look forward to seeing much more from her in the years ahead.

www.saramorshige.com

Photos from Flickr pages of Twitter, ryansking as well as twitpics from @caroline, @wfarner, @robey and @jennadawn.

Last Thursday we had a fabulous Re:Vision Salon on “Urban Agriculture” with Josiah Raisin Cain (Chief Design Officer with Design Ecology) and Urban Re:Vision. Urban Agriculture has become one of the hottest movements in the  sustainable design world. And rightly so. As Josiah described, the ideas with Urban Agriculture “are close to exploding” given recent media, products, planning and design focus. Josiah spoke about some unsettling (and for me, unknown) facts such as the average miles travelled for the average meal in the US (including miles for processing food) is 3000 miles. That is completely absurd as well as unsustainable. Another crazy fact he shared is that it takes the amount of water equivalent to one person’s showers for a year to produce one pound of beef.

Urban Edible Gardens solve many problems simultaneously. It helps reduce gas, cost, water (depending on system used), while increasing social justice and community connection. Challenges typically include space and scale. However, there are alternative ways of imagining our cities. Josiah showed projects with successful green roofs with edible gardens like this one at Trent University.

The green roofs reduce storm water runoff, act as increased insulation, increase oxygen, reduce cooling loads, and provide local food. They can be on the top roof of the building, or be on intermediate roof gardens, like this project by Daniel Libeskind.

And of course, you could do on your decks and walls of decks as well.

There are alternatives to the deep soil-based gardens that make sense when we plant them in the ground. There are Hydroponic systems and Aquaponic systems that use much less water by providing their own nutrients. Companies like InkaWall (Paul Giacomantonio from Inkawall was at the Salon) offer systems like this “BioCloth” that is 1” thick and can be hung outside or inside and produces food that hangs off of the cloth, using much less water than would be required if they were planted in the ground using traditional methods.  With proper lighting and ventilation, these can even be planted inside of a building as well. You could grow your own food in your downtown loft.

We have incorporated green roofs and used hydroponics boxes for planting food at the Smart Home exhibit (the mkSolaire) in Chicago.

Josiah spoke about how “slick” our current city buildings are. Water slides right off of them, creating many expensive problems for the city with storm water run-off. By integrating green walls and green roofs, it has the added benefit of making the buildings more “sticky”, and reducing storm-water run-off issues for cities, and reducing the costs required to sove those problems.

It all is so delicious visually, socially and physically. It also seems accessible and feasible. Hearing Josiah, Paul and others in the group speak about their project’s successes with green walls, roofs, and integrated urban gardening systems, I am excited and can’t wait to be incorporating some of these technologies into communities I am working on.  As Paul noted, “Urban Gardens can create prosperity where there is currently zero.”

For more info:
Urban Gardens at the Smart Home in Chicago
Trent University Green Roof

Fytowall
Inka Wall
The ABLE project
Elliot Coleman
Sky Vegetables

Photos by the very talented Paige Green. www.paigegreenphotography.com

One of my favorite part of the work I do is the relationships with clients. Kevin and I recently visited with a fabulous couple that started as clients, but have become dear friends.  As we spend time in their spectacular Glidehouse, and look at all the moments in the home that our similar to our own Glidehouse, as well as elements that they have added that make their house unique and special, I feel such a strong bond not only to the house itself, but also to our friends.  I imagine it is something like the bond people feel when they are in fraternities/sororities together, or have been in the same troup, or have shared in a significant life experience together. I cherish these bonds, and am now started to see how much this influences the work and my inspiration to do it.

This particular Glidehouse and site has lovely moves with the landscaping, the garage/carport, and the furnishings. All of which make this home completely unique to this client and this site. In this photo below, you can see the Glidehouse on the hilltop. Absolutely stunning.

Along the drive to the house, I love this “peekaboo” moment as the home greets the visitors by emerging from the grasses.

The furniture chosen for this house is perfect. Each piece has a story. Most of it came from local artisans, and many pieces made from recycled materials. One of the wonderful things about smaller homes is that you have to choose each piece that goes into them very carefully. This typically results in cherished pieces, each with meaning.

GOOD contributor and Photographer Dustin Aksland recently posted photographs from his 4 days in Dubai. As he wrote:

Dubai can seem more like a mirage than any place on Earth—even in the shade, it’s marvelously bright. Whether the city is the most precious gem in the United Arab Emirates’ crown or merely a piece of costume jewelry is up for debate; regardless, its very presence is remarkable. But for all its pomp and extravagance, there are real people who work and live there.

Construction is going on 24 hours a day, but certain areas already have this ghost town feeling,” says Aksland. “What I found interesting was not the malls and the excess, but the people building the city, and on the outskirts, and in the more vacant places. The juxtaposition of the Dubai skyline with the camel farmers in the desert just outside town who are basically living off nothing…it’s really odd.

The photos are simultaneously beautiful, sad and seriously concerning.

To see his collection of Dubai photos, click HERE.

Ebay’s green team has joined forces with Zem Joaquin, founder of Ecofabulous, to transform everyday items into stylish must-haves. They have launched a contest with a $5000 prize when you enter your own ideas for transforming an old object into a beautiful new item.

Zem is an eco-fashionista, a friend, and the woman with more energy than anyone I have ever met. I love watching her videos like this one that shows how to transform different found items and give them new life. As she says, the greenest piece of furniture is one that already exists. She is also choosing a pick of the day from Ebay. It is all quite fun and inspiring. It makes me want to get out my paint stripper and start creating.

Now that Phase 1 of the ariaDenver project (the sisters housing) is almost complete and the sisters have moved in, the Co-housing portion of the project is starting. Tomorrow there will be a presentation by Jim Leach on the benefits of co-housing and a description of living in a community with a vision of a healthier, more secure nad fulfilling lifestyle. Jim is a resident of one of his co-housing projects Silver Sage Village and is president of Wonderland Hill Devleopement (a company specializing in the development of co-housing projects).

In the ariaDenver project there will be two portions of co-housing. One will be reusing the existing convent building (which has great bones) for senior co-housing. There is also a portion of the overall project that will be new construction for an intergenerational co-housing project.

The co-housing project offers both privacy as well as communal spaces. There will be individual homes for families, but in addition, shared spaces as well - shared kitchens for “communal dinners” once a week, shared gardens for on-site food production, shared spaces for childcare, hanging out, inspiring a supportive network and encouraging a “lifetime learning environment”.

While co-Housing has been around for a while, it has recently become more popular. As Jim told me, “Cohousing is definitely picking up steam with a lot of both future residents as well as builders and developers. I think it is because people are rethinking their values both in response to the economy and to environmental concerns. I think people are primarily looking for community and a way to live more sustainably.”

Jim describes the approach to the ariaDenver project, “We will utilize the original convent building  for a senioir community of 20 to 30 living units and then develop an intergenerational community out of the newer east wing of the convent by adding to it and creating a pedestrian court between it and some new row homes for families. The architecture coudl be a really interesting interplay of the historic feel of the convent with a contemporary new element, much like some of the attractive European developments around historic buildings.”

Jim also talked about what got him interested in co-housing: “I was always interested in trying to see how far we could push solar, energy efficiency and green building in merchant built housing. Co-housing brought proactive buyers who wanted to live more sustainably. By getting together in a community, they were able to find the courage and commitment to do so. Our motto is Community is the secret ingredient in sustainability.”

I am a huge fan of co-housing and Jim Leach and am really looking forward to working with him. Kevin and I have been talking about the type of place we might want to live in the future, and Jim has described it perfectly.

To attend the event tomorrow at 6:30pm , or the ariaDenver co-housing kick-off workshop on November 21st, rsvp with georgette@whdc.com or call Georgette Vigil at 303-449-3232.

For more information on the co-housing project, see Jim Leach’s Wonderland Hill Development’s website: www.whdc.com and www.ariadenver.com and AriaDenver blog

In efforts to save energy, we are hearing a lot about using good ol’ clotheslines instead of using the drying machine.  A Consumer Reports blog states that an electric dryer can cost a family on average $80 per year. Others cite even higher costs. The Energy Information Agency says that dryers account for 5.8 % of home electric usage. And the NY Times Green Inc blog has been sharing readers photos of “Airing their (Clean) Laundry” which got me thinking about this issue of the aesthetics of airing one’s laundry.

Some locations and neighborhoods ban the visible hanging of laundry for the unpleasing aesthetics. Both my mother and my grandmother appreciate the energy savings of hanging out their laundry in the summertime, but there is always the concern of the scorn of neighbors who might not embrace this idea as much as their ancestors. This is a great opportunity for architects and designers. How can we plan for aesthetically pleasing ways to hang one’s laundry? Can we design for spaces that capture sun but are not visible to others? Or can we actually think artistically and use the laundry like an artist uses paint on a canvas? Can we plan for patterns and designs? Can we use clothes as sun screening in front of windows to reduce heat gain doing double duty of reducing energy? It will be interesting to see what we can all come up with when we design and plan for clothes hanging and see this as design opportunities rather than eyesores.

In our Glidehouse, the barn door track for our sliding wood sunshades doubles as a great laundry hanger. A built-in “clothesline” to our courtyard that is also hidden from public viewing and anyone’s possible scorn.

A dear friend of mine recently purchased this print above from Crate + Barrel. She said it looked to her like the Sunset Breezehouse. When I saw it, and also looked at the photo below by Sunset Magazine’s Tom Story, I too saw the resemblance. The artist M. Drake ink and layers of paint over photographs to create an abstraction of the original image. This one, titled “Modern Architectural Print II” clearly came from the Sunset Breezehouse that we designed and was built for Sunset Magazine’s Celebration weekend in May, 2005.  Lovely.

Print at Crate + Barrel website.

I did an interview with Mind Body Green today. Even though Barbara Walters was not involved, it became a bit more personal than most I do.
Below is the interview. Click HERE for the original post.

MindBodyGreen: How do you start your morning? Do you have a routine?

Michelle Kaufmann: My typical morning begins with being woken up by our two dogs, Otis and Peekay. We then go for a walk—which on good days when my husband Kevin is home includes him, as well. Our Glidehouse home is basically in the country, so we can go for a lovely 30-minute walk in the fields and by the bay. The walk usually includes run-ins with deer and turkey and, every once in a while, ducks. Upon our return home, I make coffee (I have tried to make the conversion to tea, but haven’t been successful with that in the mornings) and then head to the office. Most days, that means a 20-foot walk to my home office, which is a separate structure to the house. That is an amazing and efficient commute. At least one or two days a week, I work in an office with friends in Sausalito, California. Sausalito is one of the most beautiful towns, and our office is on the bay. Spending the day working with the water and sailboats floating behind my computer screen helps keep me balanced and puts things into perspective.

MBG: Were you always passionate about great, green design?

MK: I suppose I have been. But for the first 35 years I didn’t know that it was called “green design.” I thought it was just “good design” that was thoughtful and smart. My mother used to call many of the green design elements “being frugal” when I was growing up.

When Kevin and I decided to build our own house, we wanted it to be healthy, with no mold (as I was getting migraines in our apartment in Sausalito, and we found it was because there was mold in the walls); we wanted no energy bills (we were and are on a budget); we wanted low water bills (that budget thing again); and we didn’t have a lot of money, so we couldn’t build a big house but still wanted it to feel spacious. Also, I thrive on natural light, so I wanted the house to use natural light in a smart way, so that we wouldn’t have to turn on lights during the day. Kevin wanted to make sure we chose materials that would last a long time with little maintenance. In the end, all of our qualifications defined a green home. But it was before the term “green” was being used. And definitely before green was cool.

MBG: Do greener homes relate to mind/body wellness?

MK: Good question. Absolutely! It is unbelievable to me how many homes that have been built in these thoughtless subdivisions are toxic and not good for us. The off-gassing paints and materials, as well as lack of proper air ventilation, are creating allergies and cancers and are making us sick. Unfortunately, the data is not always clear about what our homes are made of. They need to be more transparent with information, like nutrition labels.

Spaces that have natural light and are connected visually to the landscape help us to mentally feel better, more balanced, and less stressed. I am thrilled when I hear people walk through a home I have designed and say, “I feel great here. I don’t know why, but I do.” Music to my ears. Goal achieved.

MBG: What advice would you give someone who wants to buy or build a green home but doesn’t know where to start?

MK: First, know that this is doable. And you will save money. And it will be healthier. So it’s a very good choice. Please do not feel overwhelmed.

I think Eric Corey Freed’s book Green Building for Dummies is a great place to start. It has really helpful data and resources, as well as good descriptions of the basic principles and outlines many options. I would also recommend checking out your local planning office and ask them for their green rating program. Do they offer incentives for going green? What do they list as green elements for your area?

There are thankfully an increasing amount of architects, designers, and builders focused on designing and building smarter and more efficiently. Make sure you ask for credentials and their experience with green homes. Look for architects and designers with LEED accreditation. Look for builders who have built certified green homes before.

You can make a difference. If you see a problem, try to come up with a way to fix it. Our journey proves that. We saw a problem. My husband and I couldn’t find a home we could afford, and couldn’t find a green home. That is what started all the work I am doing now. We really all can make a difference.

MBG: What new companies are out there doing great things that we probably don’t know about yet—but that we should know about?

MK: Here are some fun current faves:

Novacem’s cement that eats carbon.

Sustainably Minded Interactive Technology (SMIT) is a new approach to solar and wind power, a hybrid energy-delivery device that resembles ivy growing on the side of the a building. Leaf-like solar panels harvest the sun’s rays, while their fluttering harnesses wind power using a series of piezoelectric generators on the underside of each leaf.

Eco-Machines by Todd Ecological. Eco-machines are miniature ecosystems that use flora, fauna, and bacteria to naturally cleanse water, treat sewage, and turn wastewater and material into fuel and food.

Green roofs. I love them. They help reduce storm-water runoff, improve insulation, help protect the roof from the sun, help create more oxygen, and visually nestle the building in the earth. Can you imagine how different our earth would be if every building on the planet replaced the earth by having a green roof? It would be a very different place.

MBG: What’s on tap for Michelle Kaufmann Studio?

MK: We are working on some pretty great projects right now. We are working on a green community in Denver and an eco-resort in the Bahamas that is net-zero energy, and also some net-zero-energy single-family homes. A few of the projects are site-built, but most are modular. We are focused on not only designing better spaces, but also building smarter and efficiently, with less waste.

MBG: Any predictions for green building in 2010? 2015? Where do you hope to be?

MK: So much is happening so quickly. So much is being developed in terms of renewable energies, healthy environments, and recycled or renewable materials. It is fabulous to see, and I am excited about the path we are all on. The direction is correct, although we need to increase the rate; we need to move faster. The area I think we are going to be seeing a lot of focus on is water. That is our next scarce resource, and hopefully, we will make changes before it is too late and we are already in crisis mode. (Hopefully, we can learn from our mistakes with the financial and housing industries, where we didn’t make changes until we were already in crisis mode.)

MBG: Do you have a favorite eco-resort or green getaway?

MK: Oh, yes. I have many. Here are some of mine, at varying price points:

Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur. One word: spectacular. The materials and design are so simple and modest, yet beautifully designed. I feel inspired and invigorated when I spend time there. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that it is on an epic site overlooking the ocean. It is powered by solar, and they have worked very hard to be smart about water usage and land preservation. While this doesn’t fit into every budget (including ours), it is eco-luxury at its best and worth every penny.

Another Big Sur favorite are the retreat rooms at New Camaldoli Hermitage Monastery. Each room is small and modest, but many have private gardens and ocean views. They are perfect for one person who wants a quiet, contemplative retreat. (There are a few rooms for couples.) The monastery is very inexpensive and rustic, but one of the most beautiful places on earth.

In San Francisco, there is Cavallo Point, which is lovely—close to the city, but you feel a million miles away. I love to go there even for dinner or a spa treatment, and I feel like I have gone away on vacation, even though it was for just an afternoon.

One of my favorite trips that Kevin and I have taken was to Bahia de Los Angeles in Baja, Mexico. It is very rustic, with few luxuries, but full-on pure beauty. We went there and rented a cabin on the beach for $25 a night. We kayaked and fished during the day, and made fish tacos over the fire pit at night. It was honestly one of the best vacations we have ever had—getting back to the pleasure of simplicities in each day was the perfect way to relax and renew.

MBG: Who inspires you?

MK: A few people:

Architecturally: The Eameses were so remarkable in so many ways. They shared a similar goal, and they blurred the boundary of what a typical architect’s scope should be by not only designing houses, but also toys, and exhibits and films and books. They had fun and put play into everything they did. Photographs of them exude joy. I always try to imagine what they would be doing if they were still alive. And that is what I try to do.

My daily role model: my husband Kevin, whom I often call the “green gorilla.” He makes mindful choices every day and pushes me to do more and question more. Some days it is a bit embarrassing (like when he carries around CFL bulbs and will replace them in the local coffee place or a restaurant that uses less efficient incandescent bulbs, but without asking permission to do so), but he inspires me and makes me want to be a better inhabitant of this earth.

And also my parents. I think of them every day. They live in Iowa. They should be able to live in a home that is healthy and efficient. But those are tough to find and mostly inaccessible to them and to many in the U.S. That needs to change. That is what drives me and my mission to make thoughtful, sustainable design accessible. Green homes need to be for everyone, or we are never going to get there.

MBG: If it was your Last Supper, what would your last meal be? Where would the meal be? Who would you like to be there (past/present/future)?

MK: If I could plan my last days, I would do it the same way my birth father, Michael French, did it when he died two years ago. I would go to the beach with friends and family and lots of cocktails, games, and laughter. And then after my passing, have my ashes blow into the waves with friends building sand castles and surfing the waves right after. Catch the next wave. Life goes on. And so does the beauty in the world.