Jeff Wilson Everyday DIY Blog

According to a 2002 report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, the total U.S. land area is 1.983 billion acres, excluding Hawaii and Alaska – 107.3 million acres of which is developed, a 24% increase in 10 years. Further, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated that development has significantly increased since that time. The term “building green” may seem to exclude any but new builds from sustainable design and ecologically sound practices, but this is actually not the case. When Randy Brown Architects designed the interior office space for US Data Corporation, they demonstrated how refurbishing an existing building is a viable alternative to new construction.

An unassuming giant box covered in green is camouflaged by surrounding trees and grass. Pedestrians hurrying by may take little notice of it, while some might curiously ask, “What is that?” It is a 2008 project called the Green Technology Showroom by Vector Architects that inhabits the central lawn of a residential compound in the Guanganmen district of Beijing, China.

Information on low-flow plumbing fixtures abounds, and low-flow and waterless urinals are now in widespread use. Flush volume for toilets has evolved to 1.6 gallons per flush, or less than half of the 1980s' standard of 3.5 gallons. The fact that low-flow fixtures can save money in utility costs is clear and easy to calculate with a review of a water bill and an estimate of each fixture’s cycles per month. An enticing payback period for a new fixture purchase can be calculated based on water use alone. However, some facility managers argue that the utility savings offered by these plumbing fixtures are not matched by the unforeseen maintenance and repair costs that they generate. The question of whether low-flow plumbing fixtures offer a good return on investment (ROI) arises.

Basic tiling skills can be very useful in many home improvement projects, but some tiling projects can prove daunting for even experienced DIY'ers. Installing tile for a custom shower is one of those projects. That has often meant leaving the job of custom showers to the pros – until now. Now there are new preformed bases on the market that allow a “do-it-yourselfer” with basic tile skills and tools to install a custom shower. Join our host, Jeff Wilson, for a tutorial on installing a tileable shower basin in a custom bathroom.

As we become more aware of residential density and as lots shrink, our garages are more often sited closer to the road, as opposed to behind or next to our homes. Naturally, we would like our homes to have curb appeal, and the increasing variety in garage door design reflects this. We are no longer limited to white, gray, or brown; nor are we confined by building material or an absence of architectural flourishes. The sky – or at least the roof of the garage – is the limit.

Myrtle Hall by WASA/Studio A

Most town and gown relationships are tenuous, if not tense, but Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, has made a welcoming gesture toward neighboring Clinton Hill in the form of a new academic building that reknits the urban fabric. The new six-story, 120,000 sq. ft. (approximately 11,148 m2) Myrtle Hall is expected to achieve LEED Gold certification, and it will house the Institute's Department of Digital Arts, including studios, galleries, classrooms, labs, and administrative space.

We all understand film production to be a transformative process. Concept into script, emotion into a carefully orchestrated set of lighting and composition, live action into animation – these are only a few stages of evolution that come into play as a film is produced. When it comes to the work of ImageMovers Digital, however, aircraft hangars to digital film studio is one to add to the list. Performance Capture Studio (PCS) was a project undertaken jointly by Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects (LOHA) and Kanner Architects, in two aircraft hangars of a former Coast Guard base north of San Francisco.

In today’s construction world, where green is the future, it pays to know about building techniques that not only count toward a green building rating but can actually reduce up-front costs. One such method is known as Advanced Framing, sometimes called Optimum Value Engineering (OVE). Advanced Framing takes a good hard look at the way we frame buildings and tries to eliminate wood whenever possible without compromising structural integrity. All of these techniques, when properly executed, comply with the International Residential Code (IRC), but you should check local codes before beginning a project.

If you're unfamiliar with the title of this article, or this important subject matter, don't feel bad – you're not alone. Confusion and a lack of awareness is the rule, rather than the exception, when it comes to the federal Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA’s) new Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) rule, which totally redefines the way much of home remodeling is conducted. It centers on the control of dust from lead paint created from during RRP, not the elimination of the lead itself. The RRP rule is monumental – in its complexity, in the nature of the changes, and in the cost involved in compliance. Here's the EPA's explanation in a nutshell: “Under the rule, beginning April 22, 2010, contractors performing renovation, repair, and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in homes, child care facilities, and schools built before 1978 must be certified and must follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination.”

More homeowners are choosing to build green, but how can homeowners can be assured of the quality of the final product? One of the best ways is to gain certification from a third-party rating system. Two of the most popular are LEED for Homes and the National Green Building Standard. Although largely similar, these two systems have some significant differences.

Metal and concrete, along with various composite materials, are the definitive building blocks of contemporary architecture. Wood is more historic and homespun … or is it? For almost every green attribute that these trendier materials can boast, wood can boast one of its own. Most notably, wood is renewable, it represents low embodied energy, and it sequesters carbon for as long as it is in use as a building component. The designers of the LifeCycle Tower are setting out to prove that wood can be used for more than just homebuilding.

The New York City neighborhood of Astoria, Queens, is a long way from Hollywood and seemingly an unlikely location for a museum dedicated to the silver screen. However, the Museum of the Moving Image, which pays homage to the realms of film, television, and digital media, has occupied the area for over 30 years. A total makeover of its existing facilities and an addition, designed by Leeser Architecture, has doubled the Museum's square footage -- including a renovated lobby, exhibition space, theaters, and courtyard.