Dallas Design Charette

The City of Dallas will host a full-day “Design Charrette” this Friday to examine the necessary framework and community impact of what will become the first fully sustainable, urban square block in the United States. The Charrette, attended by community design and urban planning experts from across the nation, will be held at City Hall from 8:30 am until 5:30 pm. The outcome of the day will include a series of recommendations which will in turn structure an international design competition to create the actual block. That competition, which kicks off in January 2009, will invite architects and planners from around the world to translate the needs of the Dallas Community into structural designs for the future city block.
“The goal is to create the first fully sustainable block downtown,” said Brent Brown, Dallas architect and founder of the building community WORKSHOP . “And by sustainable, we mean a place that is socially, economically and environmentally healthy. We’ll take the first step in that effort on Friday.”

Hosted by the City of Dallas, San Francisco-based Urban Re:Vision and Dallas’ building community WORKSHOP, the Charrette will look at the common city block in an uncommon way, examining the impact of this particular city block’s development on the City of Dallas and its surrounding area. In rethinking the city block, experts will re-assess the potential value of available resources like water, waste, and air and how to strike the delicate balance between economy and equality.

“Our job on December 5th is to explore how pivotal the city block is in the urban landscape, and how it can be used as a catalyst for a whole new way of living,” said Stacey Frost , Founder of Urban Re:Vision. “This process is one that puts real people first and promotes sustainability.”

Potential requirements, barriers, and changes will be examined in an effort to pave the way for the implementation of the proposed site. This examination will also serve to aid both site-specific, and regional decision-making. Topics will include: energy systems, transportation, the natural and developed environment, community, the economy and technology.

Additional groups involved include Downtown Dallas, The Real Estate Council, Central Dallas Ministries, The Institute for Urban Policy Planning, Dallas Institute for Humanities and Culture, Enterprise Foundation, Fannie Mae Foundation, Vision North Texas and others. Participants from outside the Dallas area include representatives of the Biomimicry Institute, Architecture for Humanity, ARUP, Organic Architect, United States Green Building Council, and others.

Media attendance will be strictly limited, RSVP required
Location: Dallas City Hall
Date: December 5, 2008

Timeline:
8:30 - 10:30:Registration, Discussion & Mayor’s Welcome
12:00 - 1:30: Lunch / Interviews
4:00 - 5:30: Presentation of Regional Plans / Question and Analysis

Kirby trees

Some of the live oak trees that lined Kirby Drive were removed overnight as part of a controversial reconstruction project between Westheimer and Richmond.
Video by Jason Witmer. July 29, 2008

ABC news on "deconstruction"

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- "Are you building a home or remodeling one? There may be a way to save some cash and help the environment."

Watch their video as they tour the Habitat for humanity storage facility and talk to several Houstonians about the benefits of reclaiming goods for their construction projects.

" The benefits of deconstruction are many. First off, it cost consumers less and preserves old architecture.... Also, it more importantly keeps the Earth a little cleaner."

If you'd like to get involved with Habitat For Humanity, click here, or use this link to find out more about Historic Houston.

Green Living Home

Distinguished Speaker Series

"The combined costs of housing and transportation are most affordable in areas well-served by public transit."
- Scott Bernstein

Thursday, June 26, 7 pm United Way

Nobody has spent more time studying the relationship of transporation and housing in America than Scott Bernstein, who will give a lecture in Houston on Thursday, June 26, 7 pm, at the United Way Community Resource Center, 50 Waugh Drive. Admission is free.

Bernstein will be hosted by the Gulf Coast Institute, as the first in the Distinguished Speaker Series, funded by the Anchorage Foundation of Texas.
The title of Bernstein's talk is "Flying blind? Or fully aware? - How smarter use of scarce resources can fuel economic success"

The story of Stuff

UH Green roof + Metropolis

Last month Metropolis Magazine published the University of Houston's green roof on the Burdette Keeland design exploration center. Very cool! ( Click on the images to get a better read/look. )

Upcoming Houston EVENTS

CLEAN is featuring Manufactured Landscapes as part of our 2008 Environmental Film Series.

Manufactured Landscapes is the portrait of one man’s voyage as it follows celebrated still photographer Edward Burtynsky on a tour of Asia. Burtynsky takes large-format stills of industrial landscapes: factory workers lined up in infinity, giant ships eviscerated, massive recycling dumps, expansive strip mines. His goal is to portray humanity’s relationship to nature as we pursue progress. When Burtynsky speaks, he neither celebrates or condemns but simply explores who were are in relation to our planet. We extract things from the environment to survive, and that is damaging the world.

When: February 20th @ 7 pm
Where: Rice Media Center, Rice University (Entrance #8 located at Stockton and University Blvd.)
Fee: None, however, donations will be accepted at the door.

**View Trailer**

More on upcoming film screenings




Land Use in Houston:The Gulf Coast Institute, Blueprint Houston, Houstonians for Responsible Growth, and the Greater Houston Partnership will sponsor a free public forum about land use issues in the City of Houston.
Listen, learn, and help decide Houston’s future.

WHEN: February 26th from 5:30-7 pm
WHERE: George R. Brown Convention Center.
For More information, see invitation

Sustainable Energy and Green Building Consumer Expo

Gulf Coast Green and the City of Houston are proud to inaugurate the first Sustainable Energy and Green Building Consumer Expo exclusively featuring certified green products and building materials, renewable energy, energy efficiency tips, and green vehicles. It will be free and open to the public on April 5 and 6, 2008 at Reliant Park. Gulf Coast Green is the leading green building conference on the Texas Gulf Coast.

An estimated 15,000 consumers from Houston and the Gulf Coast Region are expected to take advantage of the opportunity to learn about green, energy efficient products and services in a hands-on atmosphere free of green misinformation. An innovative set of Green Guidelines will govern the types of products and services exhibited at the event.
With rising energy costs and global climate concerns, we have the opportunity to make a real difference, both financially and environmentally, for ourselves, our families, and our city. The City of Houston has taken aggressive steps towards a greener, more energy efficient region including the purchase of 30MW to date of renewable energy, partnering with the Clinton Climate Initiative to retrofit city facilities, and replacing traffic lights with energy efficient LEDs. “We want to make Houston not only the energy capital of the world but also the energy conservation capital” says Mayor Bill White. “This event gives each of us the opportunity to take steps to make a difference” adds the Mayor.

The Sustainable Energy and Green Building Consumer Expo will anchor several civic expressions of the importance of sustainable growth. Declared Gulf Coast Green week by the City of Houston, the 2008 Gulf Coast Green Symposium will kick off the festivities with two days of lectures targeted to design and construction professionals, green building tours, and a student competition on Thursday, April 3 and Friday, April 4 at Reliant Park. Mayor Bill White, Pulitzer Prize author Jared Diamond, internationally renowned architect Dr. Ken Yeang, and Clinton Climate Initiative chair Ira Magaziner will deliver keynote addresses at the event. On Saturday, April 5, Mayor Bill White will launch the Sustainable Energy and Green Building Consumer Expo with a plenary session, promoting opportunities for energy efficiency and renewable energy already available in the Gulf Coast region.
The expo will feature four topic areas showcasing product booths, government and non-profit initiatives, and educational presentations running throughout the two-day event. The Expo’s focus areas – renewable energy, energy efficiency, green buildings, and alternative transportation – address strategies and technologies critical to Houston’s and the Gulf Coast region’s future.
A youth event will offer a glimpse of Houston’s future as a sustainable community. Students from across the metropolitan region will exhibit their vision of Houston in 2030.
Gulf Coast Green is organized by the Houston Chapter of the American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment. The City of Houston Sustainable Energy initiative is a project of the Mayor’s Office.

For more information about Gulf Coast Green and the Sustainable Energy and Green Building Consumer Expo, please visit http://www.gulfcoastgreen.org