{Re}habitat

Maintenance of your summer vacation property is probably the last thing on your mind right now, but the end of the season will be here before you know it. Formulating a plan and contacting the professional resources you need in advance can help to minimize frustration and make the upcoming task of closing down your property less daunting. Here’s a handy checklist of interior and exterior maintenance items to keep in mind as the days of summer sun begin to dwindle.

Throughout the world, residents, businesses, and local government leaders are rallyiing around community-specific sustainability efforts in order to secure a better future. Often referred to as “eco-communities," these villages and cities are addressing factors that impact environmental and economic vitality, such as job creation, public transportation, alternative energy programs, green spaces, community gathering spaces, environmental/recycling programs, and “walkability," which refers to the proximity of shopping, schools, entertainment, and dining to the residents of the community.

Due to the unique constraints of the Ray and Dagmar Dolby Regeneration Medicine Building’s narrow site, the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) expected a vertical building organization, stacking research groups on top of one another. Instead, Rafael Viñoly Architects created a horizontally oriented building that hugs the topography as it descends the north slope of Mount Sutro, fostering collaboration at every opportunity.

Throughout the last 10 years LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) has developed into an efficient and effective solution for building owners to reduce expenses and limit the environmental impact of their buildings. Although many LEED projects take the form of typical commercial, institutional, government, and healthcare facilities, LEED provides many other sectors the ability to differentiate and produce a truly rare project, none more so than the Twin Oaks Landfill in Grimes County, Texas, which achieved LEED Silver certification.

Patience has never been a virtue of the young. Change is. But change has always come at a glacial pace and an exorbitant price when it involves land development. The dreaded bureaucracy of planning departments and city councils can chew up more time over debating a project than it takes to build it. No longer. What would normally take years of design and debate, a new guard of young, idealistic urban activists, including Jason Roberts, a self-described artist and computer consultant, and partner Andrew Howard, A.I.C.P. of Team Better Block, now accomplish overnight – or, at most, in 72 hours.

"Lightness" has several meanings, and the University of Tennessee’s 2011 Solar Decathlon entry, Living Light, exhibits them all. The design celebrates natural light, views, and ventilation, all within a compact footprint. The target audience for the home is young professionals working in the design or technology industries in Nashville. In other words, they appreciate all things high-tech but want a retreat at the end of the day. Living Light provides occupants with visual relief from the techni-cluttered world; energy-saving technologies are seamlessly integrated into the design.

Wood flooring is a long-lasting, aesthetically pleasing, and affordable interior floor covering. According to the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA), "In a national survey of real estate agents, 90% said that houses with wood flooring sell faster and for higher prices than houses without wood floors." That being the case, who wouldn't want a wood floor? Prior to racing out and purchasing wood flooring, we need to understand what is available and keep in mind that all wood floors are not created equal.

Frederiksberg, a community within Copenhagen, seeks to build an experimental, new type of community center that emphasizes healthy and active lifestyles, along with more traditional or passive social and cultural pursuits. This 4,000 m2 (approximately 43,000 sq. ft.) building is slated for completion in 2015 and cost 130 million Danish krone (DKK) (approximately 25,061,660 USD). The KU.BE or “Kultur -- og Bevægelseshus” or House of Culture and Movement was designed by Adept and MVRDV and realizes an ambition to create a place of high architectural quality that is sustainable. The House of Culture and Movement will no doubt be architecturally captivating and contribute in a real way to the community’s health and well-being.