The Dogrun
a place to share ideas
A group from the office recently ventured 70 miles North East of San Antonio to Lockhart to eat the legendary BBQ at Smitty’s Market and to take in the unique atmosphere and intoxicating smoke. In this part of Texas BBQ joints make up part of the vernacular trinity of community buildings, the other two being dancehalls and icehouses. These buildings speak to their individual community’s values, traditions, and history in a unique and authentic way that the areas churches and courthouses do not. As for the food the pork ribs and the pork chops were universally recommended by our group. Smitty’...
"I may start calling her Mindy Matryoshka because just when you think you have her figured out, out comes another layer of talents and experience that you are convinced should belong to a whole nother person – she’s a Canadian farm girl, community mural artist, stellar cake baker, rock star designer, acclaimed speaker, and I am not sure what else…oh ya, an incredible and beautiful friend! I highly recommend getting to know her, especially if you have a birthday coming up!" - Laura Kaupp Hometown: Manning, Alberta, Canada Years at LF: 13 months Current Project: Olmos Park Residence and Baker...
Join the AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) on May 21 from 11:30am-1pm at The Center for Architecture at Pearl Brewery for a presentation about San Antonio’s historic buildings as part of the city’s Historic Preservation Month. This program will first explore the existing inventory of historic buildings and opportunities for restoration or adaptive reuse projects. Then, we will discuss sustainable building strategies and how LEED can apply to historic projects. Finally, we’ll delve into the technical aspects of optimizing building envelope performance without harming the building...
If you are in Houston, make sure you make the trip over to Rice University's campus for James Turrell's Twilight Epiphany Skyspace . I was fortunate enough to make it over while visiting Houston on a project visit and was able to capture some of the show and see the structure's design, which was quite fantastic. The architects were Thomas Phifer and Partners in conjunction with James Turrell and Linebeck. I encourage any interested to reserve a spot through the website . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrOg5tB4j9A&feature=youtu.be
The TENTH PechaKucha is coming up: Tuesday, May 28th at a brand new venue: the Texas A&M University-San Antonio Educational and Cultural Arts Center <-- that's the former Museo Alameda! While there is no official theme for this event, several of the presenters will discuss issues of urban renewal, and it all works nicely with our event location being prime downtown and on a Downtown Tuesday no less. (read: free parking) It's a fantastic lineup: Mark and Angela Walley - Filmmakers Josh Levine - Entrepreneur Diego Bernal - City Councilman-Musician Killis Almond FAIA - Architect Kathleen...
The Big House is a design concept for a family ranch near Junction, Texas. The design is meant to contrast with another project located on the property known as the Rock House. Originally conceived of as a Porch House, the addition of program and prolonged factory schedule have allowed it to developed into a site built project. Sited and perched along a bluff with spectacular views to the river and a nearby spring, the design consists of two gabled "bars" and two shed structures. The shed structures would house all of the utilitarian and ranch operations program, while the gable forms share...
USGBC, or the United States Green Building Council, of Central Texas is hosting its 2013 chapter fundraiser on May 13th in Austin. Support your local USGBC chapter and enjoy an entertaining and educational evening at the same time! Screen the newly-released documentary Switch , take a building tour of the new ZACH Topfer Theatre (on target for LEED Silver) and share local food and drink with friends and supporters of green building. Group transportation is available from San Antonio to Austin. To reserve your spot in the van, purchase your ticket and send an email to info [at] usgbc-...
Matt and I recently got back from a trip to Paris where I got to play for a whopping ten days. Some folks here have asked for some recommendations, so here’s a roundup of places that I loved seeing – the list is split between tourist sightseeing and local highlights. If Paris is a little too far away for you, we went to a few places that, believe it or not, reminded us of San Antonio (I know). So wherever you are, grab a baguette (or taco) and put on those rose-colored glasses. GO TOURIST: In 2012 the Palais de Tokyo expanded to become the largest non-collecting contemporary art space in...
Coming soon to a solar panel near you, CPS will be revising its current SunCredit paid to customers who generate solar power. Currently CPS Energy pays and average of 9 cents/kWh which will be decreasing to 5.6 cents/kWh on November 1, 2013. The change comes in an attempt to balance the cost burden for infrastructure which is currently heavier on customers without solar. The prices for solar energy generation are based on current market values so as a result, the SunCredit will be subject to change annually. Current solar customers and those who apply for interconnection prior to April 26,...
A West Texas Ranch [chapter one] This is a story about how Lake|Flato approaches design, with a particular focus on our integrated sustainability practice. Chapter one focuses on the concept phase of our design process for a particular ranch house in west Texas. Stay tuned next month for another installment, where our design continues to develop - and where I will share details of how design and sustainability are intertwined throughout our entire process. Kruger Ranch is a live/work ranch complex located on the outskirts of Marfa, Texas. Designed for a family of 6 from Chicago, the ranch...
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