The Dogrun
a place to share ideas
Last Saturday, the fourth annual TEDxSan Antonio was held at the Rackspace Global Headquarters. I learned during the introduction that Rackspace has been webhosting TED.com since its inception, so it was the perfect venue to host the live conference. The locally organized TEDx committee, charged with curating "Ideas Worth Spreading", programmed the day with 20 speakers covering a wide range of heady topics, including stem cells, urban parks, prison reform, vulnerable leadership, and, just for good measure, sex. While learning was the expected objective, this year what was more surprising were...
Every year (for now 8 years) the Third Street Grackles fundraise for and ride in the Bike MS: Ride to the River , a two-day 157-mile bike ride that raises money for multiple sclerosis research and other services supported by the National MS Society. This year the ride was shortened a bit -- day two was canceled due to a bad weather front -- but day one was glorious enough on its own. And I was able to celebrate a little personal accomplishment: 100 miles was the longest I've ever ridden in a day by 70 miles! The Grackles have some phenomenal fundraisers--both helping the cause immensely and...
Have you ever known a Renaissance woman? Linda Perez is the first person who comes to mind when I hear that moniker. Linda gained local fame when her emotional Pecha Kucha talk elicited both tears and a standing ovation (the only I’ve ever witnessed) at the Center for Architecture, San Antonio. Linda is someone you meet and quickly want to get to know better. I first met Linda at the Pearl Farmer’s Market, where she was selling her grass fed beef. Many folks, local chefs included, enjoyed Linda's beef. We would all still be supporting her business were it not for the crippling drought Texas...
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...
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