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Archive for May, 2009
Design is… Kinky?
During a blog brainstorm I think, “Wouldn’t it be great if I posted links to really cool super fun quirky design stuff?” I suppose the first step would probably be finding links to really cool super fun quirky design stuff. But, why bother fumbling through search engine results for “good design” when designiskinky.net has already done the work for me?
Whether I’m craving fresh ideas for a layout or I just want to feel reassured that others share my strange sense of humor, Design is Kinky is always there for me. The first time I visited the site I was intrigued by its name, but what I found even more intriguing was its content.
It’s About Quality, Not Quantity
The ability for alternative stormwater management systems to substantially reduce the quantity of water entering sewer systems is pretty well documented. There is less documentation, however, about the effects these systems have on the quality of the water.
Fortunately, a student at Indiana University researched and wrote about Miller Showers Park not long after it was completed. In 2006, Allison Wade evaluated water quality at several different locations throughout the Park as part of a senior research project. The analysis focused on measuring nutrient data (soluble reactive phosphorus, nitrate, and ammonia), total suspended solids and fecal coliform. Her findings are encouraging: › Continue reading
Holy Sprouts, Batman! ‘or’ Greening it up at the IBPF
Check out my latest post! Kallari Center Blog
Still coming to you at the low, low price of one click!
-Heather
It’s not you, it’s me
I spent 12 years at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), at various times as the University Architect and as the Campus Architect. (There’s a bigger difference than you’d think between those two; much bigger than I ever thought). While in those seats, I had responsibility for the securing design services more than 75 projects or commissions. The projects were of various shapes and sizes, from a $120M stadium renovation to a residence hall that needed sprinklering to meet a state-mandated timeline. Like almost anything else we do in our lives, the projects that were more important (and believe me, at the UIUC each project is #1 to that particular faculty) or more expensive, received increased attention. Sometimes from sources you’d just as soon had turned their radar off.
This Old House (Part I)
Welcome to my Blog! There are many topics in my head, but I’ll start with my house. I decided in the summer of 2008 to stop renting and purchase a house. Now there are many great neighborhoods, notably Broad Ripple and Irvington that have architectural gems when those neighborhoods used to be the suburbs of Indianapolis in the early 20th Century. The realist in me conceded that I would not have enough time (and probably money!) to maintain and repair a Craftsman house in the form of that great show, This Old House, since I am currently working on the A.R.E.
Comic Sans with a Vengeance
As my last post reveals, I am openly what some refer to as a “comic sans basher.” I thought I had it all figured out. Comic Sans is my least favorite font. No other letter forms have the capability to get me worked up in an unyielding fury of desire to practice good design the way Comic Sans does… until now.
During my recent vacation in southwest Florida I came across something that rivals the offensiveness of said font. Although I did not go bar hopping in Fort Myers Beach in hopes of discovering beautiful signage and goose bump inducing graphics at every turn, I certainly did not expect to find what I did at a seemingly harmless little shanty by the name of Chiggies.
All for one click of a button…
Hello, world. I am posting a quick note to direct you to my other blog…see up there in the right corner – “Kallari Center Blog”? – you should click that! (well, not before you read the rest of this post)
With one click you will be reading exciting updates on the adventures of a talented group of people who are collaborating to save the rainforest, to provide scrumptious chocolate to the world, and to give the Ecuadorian Kichwa people a source of pride in their culture and talents. But wait, that’s not all I will give you for the click of a button…I will also be posting on sustainable design practices in developing countries and how we might be able to bring those into our own hyperdeveloped country. Once you’re there check out the older posts by clicking on the “pull me” tab, where you will be delighted by stories of chocolate making, escaping the Ecuadorian rooster, and sword fighting. Not a bad deal for just a single click of the mouse. (ok, now click on that link)
Indiana’s Largest Rain Garden
Approximately half of the storm water from downtown Bloomington, Indiana, passes through Miller Showers Park before making its way to Cascades Creek. For years, the water from this 180-acre urban watershed was conveyed through the Park via a narrow, badly eroded channel. The channel was for the most part a straight shot from a large culvert at the south end to another culvert at the north end of the nine-acre site. During larger storm events, the channel was almost immediately overrun. Water flooded the bottom of the park (primarily cultivated lawn) and received very little quality treatment before gushing into Cascades Creek full of non-point source pollutants.
This Place Matters
Spring is here, and so is National Preservation Month. Check out events that are happening in your area. At the top of my list are the Michigan Historic Preservation Conference in my home town of Grand Rapids, MI and the Mid-century Modern Home Tour in West Lafayette, IN. Drop me a line if you’ll be there too - I’ll look for you.
Mid-Century Modern Love
Recently, while stalking an amazing mid-century modern home near my neighborhood (via google maps’ street view, I promise), I came across the blog “Atomic Indy: Mid-Century Modern Indianapolis”. And here, low & behold, I found the object of my affection: a perfectly organic modern gem, nestled in a wooded lot, hidden among the miles & miles of strip malls and rural fields of suburban sprawl.
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