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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...
I have been playing with a new technology that could change how we visualize our built environment. It is called ReCap Photo . This is an online image based modeling tool that is currently offered by Autodesk for free. The idea is very simple. You take a series of images around an object or a building, upload the images via the website, using the cloud computing technology and the images will be converted to a 3 dimensional object for you. I found a flag pole in front of a historical building near my office and use it as a test subject. I took a series of images with my phone camera around...
The yearly Trans-Pecos Festival of Music + Love is coming to El Cosmico in Marfa Thursday September 12 to Sunday September 15, 2013. I have had the pleasure of attending the 2006 and 2007 events. The weekend is filled with new friends, good food, great music, minimalist art, and nomadic dwellings. Whether you are staying in a tent, a yurt, a teepee or one of the refurbished travel trailers you are bound to have a good time.
Last weekend several of us had the unique opportunity to witness, as guests with EarthShare of Texas, the nightly feeding exodus of Mexican Freetail bats from their roost at Bracken Cave. Located just north of our home base in San Antonio, the cave is managed by Bat Conservation International, a wonderful group working to educate people and protect bats. Lake|Flato is a proud contributor to the EarthShare of Texas workplace giving program, which in turn benefits hundreds of local conservation efforts like BCI. Bracken Cave is home to the largest colony of bats in the world! There are 15-20...
This past June I had the chance to visit three works completed by Peter Zumthor. Each building provided insight into Zumthor's care for construction and material, choreographing sequence, and the design of the aperture. Below are lessons learned from each of these buildings. Unterhus Construction -Zumthor utilized the local vernacular construction method-Strickbau- to construct Unterhus. It features logs joined at points of intersection with a locking toothed double notch joint. You can see this "knitted" pattern of timber on both the exterior and interior of the cabin. Spatial Sequence-...
For those who are unaware (no one who knows me, that's for sure) our family bought a Tesla Model S about 7 months ago. It is a spectacular car, simply a better driving experience, a complete and transcendent shift in how a car operates and interacts with its clients. If you want a test drive, just ask me to lunch...however you'd better block out a few hours! Santana Row Showroom - Packed! Two weeks ago, my son Nicolas and I went to the first Teslive conference in Silicon Valley. This was a conference conceived and executed by the moderators at the site teslamotorsclub.com, with heavy help...
Last week our Leon Springs Residence was featured on Jetson Green, a website focusing on sustainable homes, natural materials, and green technology. The LEED Platinum home features many sustainable features namely a 17,000-gallon rainwater catchment system which meets 100% of the home's potable water needs. To read more about the building's photovoltaic array, regional and low-VOC materials, and sun shading strategies, check out the full article here .
The next PechaKucha Night is coming soon to a theatre near you....the Josephine to be specific. It's happening on Tuesday, August 27th, and you know the drill - come early for a good seat. Little known Lake|Flato factoid: Our very own Robert Trinidad met his wife Cynthia at....the Josephine Theatre! Check out the presenters: 1. Thomas Miller , Theatre Director 2. Jennifer Datchuk , Ceramic Artist 3. Chris Davila , Art Consultant 4. Jeremy Mandrell and Anne Ng , Chefs 5. David Alcantar , Artist 6. Jeff Mulholland , Community Activist 7. Jeret Pena , Mixologist 8. Richard Reed , Anthropologist
On a recent Thursday afternoon David Lake's filibuster on why Roger Federer is the best tennis player that has ever lived was pleasantly interrupted by the simple recognition of similar worn brown clogs. Upon discussion it seems Cotton Estes (at left) and Matt Wallace (right) had obtained the shoes within the last decade while David (top) made his purchase during his glory days at UT in the 1930's.
Cycling is a big part of the culture here at Lake|Flato and yesterday three members of our very own Southtown Strays had their inaugural Shell Ride. Over the past few weeks the Strays have quietly been gaining speed and on Sunday our crew was ready to make its way farther south. It was the first time out for Ashley, Seema, and our photographer Ryan. It was the second ride for Cotton, and approximately the tenth ride for Corey. The Shell Ride is a right of passage and the typical weekday (and occasional weekend) route for many LF cyclists. We head south from downtown past the San Antonio...
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