THE DOGRUN/2013
The Dogrun
a place to share ideas
The first time I stepped foot in Lake|Flato was when I interviewed this past March. After an 8 hour whirlwind tour of the office and the city, I was impressed by the casual office environment and the amazing work on everyone’s computer, but most of all I was impressed by the bicycles. Lake|Flato not only supported cycling, but wanted to let everyone know it. For me, this was huge. Sustainability at Lake|Flato is not a fad or a marketing strategy, it’s who we are. Cycling is probably the greatest force for good in America today. Bicycle commuting can improve heath, lessen congestion, provide...
Lake|Flato has been hard at work designing the South Boulevard Apartments in south-east Houston. The clients were looking to offer a more urban, higher-density, housing option to the neighborhood. Thus, the project will divide 30,000 square feet of boutique apartment and amenity space among 4 buildings throughout the site. It will include a mix of one and two bedroom units. The site is just a few blocks north of the Rice University campus on a portion of South Boulevard that transitions from a residential character to the East to a growing commercial district to the West. The design...
Earlier this week, a number of the LFers joined Judge Nelson Wolff, of Bexar County, for an early morning ride to support the upcoming opening of the Mission Reach Trail south of town. Judge Wolff has led the county’s funding efforts for the River Improvements Project along the Mission Reach and was nice enough to invite us out for a quick spin on the trail. After reaching Padre Park, the group met up with a local news team to promote the official opening of the trail this weekend. An all-day opening ceremony party is planned for Saturday, October 5 th . There will be live music, food trucks...
The UTSA College of Architecture (COA) and the American Institute of Architects San Antonio (AIA San Antonio) will present architect William Braham , FAIA, speaking on "Environmental Building Design: Thermodynamic Principles" at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 2, in the Buena Vista Street Building Aula Canaria (1.328) on the UTSA Downtown Campus. The lecture is the first in the COA Fall Lecture Series, which is free and open to the public. Braham is an award-winning expert on ecology, technology and design with more than 30 years of experience. In his lecture, he will examine the concept of...
This past July we set a goal for 15 Lake Flatonians to become LEED APs by thanksgiving. Two months later we are happily moving ahead of schedule. In the past two month, we have accredited 10 new LEED APs, increases our AP count by 50%. We still need 5 more LEED APs over the next two months to meet our goal and win a whole office ice cream social!
For the last few weeks a group of Lake Flatonians have been representing the office in the fall season of Downtown Kickball in Hemisfair Park. On Tuesday night, we were matched up against the undefeated Southtown Deflatables. This game held particular importance to us because the opposing team poached Grace (pictured in sunglasses above) from us at the beginning of the season (we know, its hard when someone offers you a free t-shirt). In honor of the event we made t-shirts of our own that read: "Winning Without Grace." Despite some mild poking fun, both teams played with quite a lot of grace...
This July my wife Peggy and I spent a few days in the Chicago area. Most notable about our trip was a visit to a few museums, a delightful Italian Restaurant near Michigan Avenue and several Frank Lloyd prairie style houses in Oak Park. The highlight of the trip was a tour of the Frederick C. Robie House in Hyde Park. Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park, Illinois, built in 1889 with a $5,000.00 loan from his former employer Louis Sullivan. Twenty-two years old at the time and married to Catherine Tobin, the Wrights raised 6 children in the home. The home and studio had many...
Ever feel so compelled by the experience of a building that you felt the need to lick it just to have a more complete experience of it? Me neither- that is until I read "The Eyes of the skin" by Juhani Pallasamaa. This book convinced me to begin the practice of licking buildings that were of a particular caliber. For example, some of the buildings my tongue has had the privilege of tasting include but are not limited to; the Pantheon, The Duomo in Florence, Jubilee Church, the Campanile in Venice and many more. With every stroke of the tongue another building would join "The Lick List". With...
Come join the fun October 26 & 27, 2013. Yours truly David "I can paint like Remington" Lake and Matt "Sure you can David" Wallace will be presenting the design of the building. Time TBD.
Tomorrow, September 20, is Park(ing) Day 2013! Park(ing) Day is an annual open-source event in which ordinary citizens transform single parking spaces into urban parks for a day. The activity is designed to call attention to the need for more urban open space, and to generate debate about how public space is allocated, managed, and used. The first park(ing) park was created in 2005 by the San Francisco design firm Rebar (led in part by my talented former classmates from UC Berkeley, Blaine Merker and John Bela). The movement has spread rapidly, and you can now find these temporary urban oases...
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