LaN-IN-FLIGHT Will Depart from Denver July 11th

Book now, deadline is 6/11. Anyone wanna sponsor me?

Boulder locals Monika Wittig and Luis E. Fraguada with James Coleman and Shane Salisbury recently won the DIA/DOCA Emerging Artist Program competition with their entry [Wind]ow Seat. As a result of the commission, the group is setting up a traveling seminar called LaN-IN-FLIGHT which will depart from Denver to LA, then to NYC, Boston then back to Denver from July 9th-18th. The seminar will focus on digital fabrication and the output will be published and presented in August at the LaN's [Wind]ow Seat exhibition. 10 days of traveling to cutting edge design firms and industry leaders including Ball-Nogues Studio, Contour Crafting, SCI-ARC, Commonwealth, REX, and others, looks like a lot of Rhino sessions in airport lounges.

This is a great concept and I'm sure will help inform the final exhibition, but why no seminars or visits in Denver itself?

From their site - "A Live Architecture Network is under the direction of 4 designers who landed in Barcelona to pursue postgraduate studies in Digital Tectonics at IAAC (Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia) and following have taken-off on the path of DIGITAL FABRICATION as a means to forwarding composite processes /collaborations driving architectural development. LaN recognizes the power of digital fabrication, not merely as a toolset of of a high technical caliber, but as the driver of particular groupings of resources–an organization of human, economic, and material assets–varying widely based on project circumstances. LaN’s mode of operation is parametric in nature, and seeks to with re-associate architecture with a flexible, non-authoritative, temporal, & data-rich practice of spatial design."

Photo Credit from LaB ,the Live Architecture Network's Blogsite.

Things to do in Denver & Boulder this Weekend

Washington Park Home Tour: Give your mother, aunt, grandma and YOU a Mother's Day weekend to remember by attending the Washington Park Home Tour on Saturday, May 10, 2008 from 10 am- 4 pm. All funds benefit Steele Elementary School.

Northwest Denver Old House Expo - 9am-4pm. The free event will offer information and workshops from a range of experts on everything you need to know, including how to heat and cool your old house with energy efficiency; utilizing or expanding space; remodeling; caring for older windows and masonry; water efficiency; building and zoning permits; and choosing the right colors for your home. Stop by the Highlands Masonic Temple Center, 3550 Federal Boulevard.

Tour the CU Solar House in Boulder: 1pm-5pm in the field adjacent to Innovation Drive in the CU Research Park. University of Colorado teams won both Solar Decathlon competitions in 2002 and 2005, and placed 7^th overall in 2007. Lead by the College of Engineering and Applied Science, the 2007 CU Solar Decathlon team returned to the National Mall with a compelling new design that responds to the changing energy needs of the American West.

Pangea Day: 12noon-4pm MST. Pangea Day taps the power of film to strengthen tolerance and compassion while uniting millions of people to build a better future. In a world where people are often divided by borders, difference, and conflict, it's easy to lose sight of what we all have in common. Pangea Day seeks to overcome that — to help people see themselves in others — through the power of film. Sites in Cairo, Kigali, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, and Rio de Janeiro will be linked live to produce a program of powerful films, visionary speakers, and uplifting music. Denver Open Media Pangea Day- Denver's Public Access TV station will be hosting a special community screening of the Pangea Day films. Attendance is limited to 100 individuals. 700 Kalamath St. or watch online.

Studio H:T and In Situ Design Win Young Architecture Firm of the Year

Last night at the Denver Chapter AIA, Young Architects Award Gala, Studio H:T in Boulder and in situ Design in Denver won Best Young Architecture Firms of the year.

Trash = BioSIPs

Picture Credit: Julie Herdt

Great ideas coming from CU Boulder. One man's trash is another man's treasure... future speak - "Just another day down at the garbage mines!"

"We see waste stream as the new resource for industry," said Julee Herdt, CU Professor of Architecture and leader of a university-supported project to convert paper, cardboard, and wooden waste products into structural insulated panels (SIPs) that provide a fast, energy efficient basis for housing construction. "Instead of cutting down trees and mining the earth, there are very valuable waste stream products that can be used to create new materials. That's what we're doing here at CU, is saying these mountains of waste are new natural resources."

via Colorado Daily News

BioSIPs via Treehugger 2005

Also regarding environmental materials from the CU Solar 2005 Project

SOLAR DECATHLON 2007

2007 Solar Decathlon Teams

Technische Universität Darmstadt - Winner
Cincinnati
LeafHouse
University of Colorado

Eco-Infill and Studio H:T design the first-ever factory-built and LEED-certified home in the US

Press Release

The architects that brought you the HGTV show "Dream House" which chronicled the construction of an architects mountain-side dream home, now bring you some urban infill. According to the press release the home is scheduled to be placed on August 16th, 2007 in the Highlands. I'll have to hunt it down to try an get some photos, I'm really interested to see how it fits in with the neighborhood and maybe get some neighbor reactions. I applaud the effort at hoping to attain the LEED Silver certification, an am curious as to whether this truly is the first factory built LEED certified home int he US. I'm also curious on what the cost is per square foot compared to other Denver infill homes. Looking for some more press on this project...

Studio H:T
Eco-Infill

via Worldchanging

CU-Boulder Architecture Defends Solar Prize

Roof-integrated photovoltaic panels were installed Aug. 2 by University of Colorado at Boulder students on the school's latest Solar Decathlon entry as part of a project update for the fall competition, the third of three competitions to date that CU-Boulder won previously in 2002 and 2005.

Special features of this year's CU-Boulder home include building-integrated photovoltaic panels, which will provide a waterproof roofing shell while collecting all of the energy needed to power the home; a ductless heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) system with architecturally integrated heat exchangers; and a mechanical spine in which the plumbing and HVAC system are centralized in a completely modular, prefabricated, structural core.

via YourHub and CU-Boulder Solar Decathlon

Colorado, Redirect to Green Resources

Thanks to Denver Infill Blog who notes "One of the many reasons why urban infill is so important to our community is that it's a very sustainable form of development. Urban infill is anti-sprawl. Instead of constructing new travelways, utilities, and buildings in undeveloped greenfield areas, urban infill projects take advantage of existing infrastructure and increase the utility of land in already established areas. Urban places like Downtown Denver also are home to many environmentally sound and healthy practices like LEED-certified buildings, public transit, pedestrianism, etc."

Like a "Green" Yellow Pages for Colorado.

Redirect Guide