Sunnie always shines bright. Whether she offers a cheerful good morning or late in the evening tells you goodnight after a busy day at the office, her energy and cheerful personality always shines through. My little Cajun sister Sunnie. I’m not sure if her parents saw it at birth or if they did it like some Indian tribes and waited to see her personality develop before naming her – however they arrived at her name: they nailed it. From the first day I met Sunnie at lunch during her interview, I realized her name matched her personality perfectly. In the short time Sunnie has been in our...

Of the 20 imperatives of the Living Building Challenge, the two that we found to be most difficult were Red List and Appropriate Sourcing. Following up on our recent publication of the material matrix for the Josey Pavilion , here’s a look at how we tackled these two challenges. Imperative 11: Red List The Red List contains 13 chemicals that should not exist in the built environment and are not permitted anywhere in a living building. Some chemicals on the list, Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and asbestos, were easy to avoid as they have been phased out of the material economy through regulation...

The San Antonio River Foundation Confluence Park provides a unique opportunity to celebrate the ecology of the South Texas region, demonstrate the value of our natural resources, and foster environmental stewardship in a traditionally underserved area adjoining the San Antonio River. With education as its core purpose, Confluence can be understood as an intricate teaching tool that will inspire people to become more involved with the river, practice environmental stewardship, and gain a greater understanding of Texas ecotypes. At every corner, visitors will find an opportunity to learn...

As part of our goal to monitor energy use in every Lake | Flato project, we've outfitted another house with its own eMonitor. These monitors test our ability to design energy efficient buildings, allow clients to control their energy consumption and give us the information we need to improve our practice. Throughout the design process we chose passive systems, insulation, glazing, lighting and HVAC systems using energy modelling software to predict energy use. The performance of our projects is tested during post-occupancy; eMonitors provide us with up-to-the-minute data from every circuit in...