Wow...I feel cheated. I guess now I understand how all the "greats" feel when an idea is spawned from them, yet credit is not attributed in the line notes. Sure, we're probably not the FIRST group to use umbrellas in an interesting way (see us in http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/09/19/parking-day-2009-transforms-parking-spaces-into-public-parks/), but i do feel strongly that in some way, shape, or form, we may have helped others find both tranquility and excitement through the mundane and tattered.
Our friend and group member Stephanie found this link/image and passed it onto the group...why do i feel so "hurt" and cheated? (See http://www.inhabitat.com/2010/03/31/bucky-bar-built-from-umbrellas-is-a-pop-up-party/ ...SAME WEBSITE, nonetheless!) Isn't mimicry the most sincere form of flattery? Since our group is still in its infancy, I'll shrug it off and not call in the Intellectual Property lawyers. Our "greatness" can be kept to the small few for the time being...we know what we accomplished and how to replicate efforts like these in the future. Thanks to committee member Sarah for bringing a great idea to the group and allowing us to aid/support that vision.
One thing's for sure...if the Dutch are imitating us, I guess we're doing something right! ;)
On Friday, I joined with other members of the architectural community through AIA SF for a tour at the new Crissy Field Center (CFC) at its new location, a stone’s throw from the beach at the beginning of Crissy Field.The CFC teaches San Franciscans about the intersection between the urban and the natural environment.This temporary location is anything but temporary.It hosts a wide range of healthy aspects for humans and our habitat.I was happier inside the building than out.The glazing and roof lines all emphasize its orientation towards the Golden Gate Bridge, which in some wild combination of science, nature, and man is also the most desirable orientation for sunlight and passive heating during winter.
The building has already achieved LEED Gold, but it is expected to reach LEED Platinum.I can verify that the luminescence of the work spaces does not require any additional lighting, just as it was planned to do.While on the tour we got a unique look at the rainwater cistern, which has not yet been fully buried and got to talk to the installer.He made some valuable points about the scarcity of water and amazed us all with the fascinating statistic that 1 inch of rain water on the CFC roofs equals to 10,000 gallons of water.The roof space is a feature of every building which needs to be further utilized – it has so many beneficial qualities, a possible gathering space for people, greenery, water, and sun-power.
This project was designed and fabricated by the wonder child of pre-fab modern design, Project FROG.You can read more about them at their website here.
Well readers, you might be asking yourselves - How does this pricey building (I make this conjecture on the fact that the Architect wasn’t allowed to reveal the budget to us) relate to the Free Design Clinic?How is it a model for the freeing of design and information?Let me tell you.
There is an opposite side to our efforts, whereas we try to give people free information and design, it is also important to let people experience good, healthy design at no cost.This is the void that the Crissy Field Center fills. Just by being in this space, a person’s expectations change for what is appropriate and normal and achievable.This is a huge benefit of civic architecture – it belongs to the people.
When I first sat down to write this blog posting I spent most of the time ranting about my terrible memories of the sweltering portable I had to spend third grade encased by.It’s my hope that this building technology of prefab, cost-effective healthy structures can benefit other students and not just in their after-school programs.
It's great to work with partners who understand your initiatives and believe in your efforts.
This past week, our design group submitted a Site Studies Package to ArtHouse / ArtsDeCo to give objective site information for use in a later feasibility study. This will determine proper site occupancy and strategic uses for the built environment to come. It was a large undertaking, since most of us have full-time jobs while balancing the rest of our lives. All in all, three people totalled over 100 hours - periodically working on the project over the last two months...sounds like a long time to work, but OH, how time flies!!!
One thing I'm trying to learn through this continuous project is how to balance life/work/extras. Though many strive and complete this balance, I am a "one-track minded" person who must finish a task before completing another. Thankfully, I've had motivated people alongside me, whom without we would not have completed what we did.
Special thanks to members Frances Reid and Beth Moore. Let's continue this project with meaning and vigor!
Thanks to the group - your continual interest, love, and creativity ceases to amaze me.
Extra special thanks to Brendan Dunnigan, John Wong, and ArtHouse...I cannot wait to see where this pursuit takes us.
With great excitement through humble project beginnings,
Jason Harm
Monday, January 18, 2010
The founding members of the Free Design Clinic are hard at work creating an organization for those who need our design services and for those who want to lend a hand to providing good design to those who need it. We're having fun doing it and can't wait to share it with you all...soon! The devastating news this week from Haiti makes us more aware than ever of the urgency of this work and how much there is to do to help make the world a safe equitable sustainable place.
In the meantime, in honor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, we leave you with these quotes from Dr. King:
"The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood."
And this:"The nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists"
We're looking for a bunch of disciplined nonconformists and creative extremists to help us change the world.
Hey, Blog-O-Sphere, I know it has been a while since you've heard from us here at fDC. We've been doing a lot of internal tinkering, ensuring that we function like a real collective instead a hodgedy podgedy mish mash shmoopy whoopy of friends and colleagues who are working together to make a difference in our community.
Some might say we've become more rigid in our tasks (and now have fewer baby talk words to describe our working order), but I say we're becoming more stream-lined and highly efficient. The organization is as follows:
There are six committees and each committee chair is automatically a member of the steering comittee, who makes large picture decisions for the organization and the budget. Chair positions last for the year, but there will be a 3 month review (March 2010), where it is a possibility that chair position and general tasks might be rotated or altered or deleted.
Congratulations to our 2010 Chairpersons/Steering Committee!
Lifeboat, chairwoman (and sole member) Frances Reid
Now, since the heads of these committee also make up the majority of our membership, each committee head has a partner otherwise known as their "sherpa."
This is what Sherpas usually look like (photo on the left):
Now, I must admit that we as sherpas don't quite look the same - our wood is bigger, heavier, more impressive - we have arranged our team leaders and sherpas to create a network of leadership and team work which should improve our activities. This network is a mixture of formal organizational structure and our hodgey podgey mish mash shmooshy whooshy that separates us from the rest.
Volunteer positions for committees will be opening up soon!All sherpa positions have been filled.
Check back for further descriptions of committee purposes and goals.
Many thanks to Ronak Dave for mentoring us through this organization process.
happy holidays.merry winter. be well in the new year.
We've had so much interest in our screen of plants and we've really enjoyed talking about the methods to create this beautiful, useful, delicious art, well at least the first fifty times it was fun to discuss. My point is, a huge amount of interest has been generated, and we are so humbled to have had so many people walk away from our park, saying, "I'm inspired..." "I'm gonna make one of those" "How Clever!" One author, Jaymi, on TreeHugger has this to say link-to-awesome-article.
One of our members had the idea for a plant wall, but we figured out the specifics using the instructions created by windowfarms.org.
Many of you at West Coast Green were able to activate this year's theme, "You Are Brilliant," by sharing your dream design idea at our Park(ing) Day Park.
As promised, we have made these ideas available for all to see! Sharing your ideas is the first step to making them a reality.
LIVING WALLS - POLYCULTURE VEGETABLE GARDENS ALONG MARKET ST. - BART AFTER MIDNIGHT - MORE BIKES, LESS CARS - MORE BENCHES - MORE REDWOOD TREES - EDIBLE PLANTS EVERYWHERE - LESS CONCRETE - MORE BIKE FRIENDLY STREETS - MORE GREEN SPACES - WINDOW GARDENS - GREEN BUILDING EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS
The Free Design Clinic is a collective of architects and creative professionals providing pro bono design services to nonprofits, small businesses and communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. Too often, design is perceived as a luxury, yet at its core, design thinking is really about solving everyday problems.
We believe good design is resilient and should be made accessible where real problems demand real, deliverable solutions.
If you're interested in volunteering, please send a short introduction to freedesignclinic@gmail.com
Wow...I feel cheated. I guess now I understand how all the "greats" feel when an idea is spawned from them, yet credit is not attributed in the line notes. Sure, we're probably not the FIRST group to use umbrellas in an interesting way (see us in http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/09/19/parking-day-2009-transforms-parking-spaces-into-public-parks/), but i do feel strongly that in some way, shape, or form, we may have helped others find both tranquility and excitement through the mundane and tattered. 
as-is-a-pop-up-party/ ...SAME WEBSITE, nonetheless!) Isn't mimicry the most sincere form of flattery? Since our group is still in its infancy, I'll shrug it off and not call in the Intellectual Property lawyers. Our "greatness" can be kept to the small few for the time being...we know what we accomplished and how to replicate efforts like these in the future. Thanks to committee member Sarah for bringing a great idea to the group and allowing us to aid/support that vision.
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