Excerpt from the book Memory Houses, House of Memories (Lighthouse) (all images courtesy Robert Hutchison)

The memory or mind palace (AKA method of loci) is an old technique of memorization, developed in ancient Greece and Rome, to help cement knowledge in the mind by way of visualizing it in a palace. In Memory Houses (Casas de la Memoria) a conceptual architecture project that has evolved into a physical exhibition of sketches and models, as well as a detailed book cataloguing architecture both real and imagined Seattle-based architect Robert Hutchison adaptsthe notion of the memory palace in a work that serves as a peri- and post-mortem conversation with his father, who suffered from advancing dementia leading up to his death in 2016.

With the support of his studio, generally tasked with the more concrete application of architecting spaces to be built in physical spaces, the Memory Housesproject resuscitates Hutchisons first commission a multi-building winery design on a property owned by his parents some 25 years prior, that was abandoned before implementation. This work culminated in an exhibition and book project that showcases the energetic force of architecture in the examination of the mental landscape.

Perhaps because it was never realized, the purity of its design remained intact, wrote Hutchison, in the introduction. What unfolds throughout the book are updates and expansions on the original designs, unfettered by the need for practical implementation, and therefore open to create spaces that hold the echo of decades-old dreams. Likewise, Hutchison builds out spaces for the future, with the addition of a chapel and columbarium dedicated to the architects father, and a new house for his now-widowed mother a process that Pia Sarpaneva titles Remembering Forward in her essay for the book.

In addition to the eight imagined buildings on the site plan House for a Train Engineer, House for Locomotives, Telescope House & Milkhouse, House for Winemaking, House for Remains, House for Bells, House for a Widow, and House of Memories the book intersperses designs and documentation of the firms brick-and-mortar creations. The further one pages through it, the finer the lines become between real and imagined spaces an apt kind of conflation for the process of memory in the aging or distant mind.

Memory Houses,in its myriad forms, is an excellent and subtle paean to the power of design, which beyond being useful in the creation of physical spaces to house and shape our daily life, offers tools for the conceptual construction of spaces to hold grief, fix memory, or build the possibilities of new mental architecture. At a time when many of us are a little more housebound than usual, it is inspiring to think of ways to create new structures for remembering our way into a brighter future.

Robert Hutchison Architecture: Memory Houses (Arquine, 2019), with contributions from Taiji Miyasaka, Vctor Alcrreca, and Pia Sarpaneva , is available on Bookshop.

Read more here:
An Architect's Tribute to the Power of Design and Memory - Hyperallergic

'Tis the season for gardening. And with social distancing and quarantines to adhere to, there's no better time to take your garden to the next level than right now. "Spring is the natural time to work in the garden," says Ed Hollander, founder and president of Hollander Design Landscape Architects. "It is the time when trees and shrubs break their dormancy along with perennial flowers, grasses, and herbs, which re-emerge from the earth as the sun warms the soil."

This year, getting active in the garden goes beyond aesthetics, says Hollanderit will "also work to rebuild the spirit. Our fight with coronavirus has been so draining that getting outside, working in the earth, and feeling the joy that comes with growing things is that much more important." Looking for ways to be creative with your garden this spring? We asked a few of our favorite landscape architects for some inspiration.

Related: 30 Great Ideas for Your Garden

Nothing livens up a garden like a bunch of beautiful, blossoming flowers, which is why landscape architect Janice Parker says you should start planting flowering bulbs in March and April. "In the spring, plant flowering bulbs in groupings so they arrive by summer," she says. "My favorite summer bulbs are Abyssinian gladiolus (Acidanthera) and calla lilies because they're a great way to play with color and form in your flower bed."

If you're searching for a fun way to save money this summer, Amber Freda, a landscape and garden design expert, suggests planting vegetable seeds. "I think people are going to be more into growing their own food this year than ever before, so I recommend planting vegetables from seed this spring, as well as strawberries and blueberries," she says. "I like to start all my seedlings in biodegradable peat pots indoors to protect them from cold snaps and critters. Once they've sprouted, I move them to a small plastic greenhouse outdoors until they look big and strong enough to be transplanted into the garden or containers."

Story continues

Getty / Tatyana Tomsickova Photography

Haven't yet attempted to grow sedges? Now's the time to start. A grass-like plant that grows fast and freely, Parker says they're perfect for filling an empty patch in your outdoor garden. "Sedges are great ground covers. Unlike lawns, they don't require mowing," she says. "Choose a semi-shady spot in your gardenabout three-feet-by-three-feetand fill it with Carex Pennsylvanica to enjoy for the season."

A little string light action goes a long way in a garden, especially if you like spending time outdoors at night, too. "One thing that people frequently overlook is how beautiful a garden can feel in the evening," Hollander says. "Stringing caf lights from trees and other forms of landscape lighting can make the garden as wonderful to enjoy at night as it is during the day."

There's no better time than spring to start cultivating your container plants, and Parker says the vessels you use are rife with design opportunity. "Plant containers should echo the style of the house and the garden that it embellishes," she says. "That's why the style and material of the container is just as important as the plant itself."

Originally posted here:
Five Ways to Get Creative in the Garden This Spring - Yahoo Lifestyle

As the novel coronavirus continues to derail restaurants plans for 2020, owners and operators may be beginning to contemplate what is in store for their future. Inevitably, some will fail. Others, however, will be ready to expand into new spaceand with some concepts closing their doors, there will be an increase in vacated real estate open for takeover.

While it is possible to take over an existing restaurant space quickly, effectively and affordably, you have to be careful. Those unfamiliar with this type of development often think theyre getting a great deal because so many required elements of a typical restaurant build-out are existing. Landlords and brokers will emphasize these aspects, highlighting the opportunity to save. However, these existing conditions rarely work out the way theyre promoted and can end up costing more in the long-run.

MORE FROM THE AUTHOR:

What foodservice and cleaning looks like in the age of coronavirus, and why it's here to stay

Restaurateurs have the potential to keep these costs down, but in order to do so, its important to understand why the costs might not be as low as expected or promoted. There are two key things that influence the costs of developing or taking over an existing restaurant:

Differentiationa fine line

The former restaurant youre taking over most likely failed. There is a very thin line that separates the amount of changes required to convincecustomers that there is a totally new concept and operation in the existing failed space. Finding that line is difficultfalling short can mean continued failure. Blowing past it can mean overspending, making it nearly impossible to make a reasonable return on investment. It is critical to definethe minimum amount of changes and investment required toexorcise the demons from the failed restaurant and make it clear that a unique, new concept has settled in.

Assumptions

There are many variables associated withredeveloping an existing restaurant.People will often initially assume that much of the equipment, building utilitiesand existing build-out can be reused because there wasapreviously operating restaurant in the space. Unfortunately, regardless of what landlords or brokers may tell you, there aretoomanyunknown factorsrelated to reusing existing items:updated building codes, changes in use, condition and useful lifespan of the existing items, etc. Many people may tell you that all of the existing conditions are grandfathered because there was an existing restaurant in use prior to you taking possession of the property. Unfortunately, the threshold for reusing existing elements that may not meet current requirements is very low.Every jurisdiction sets their own requirements for allowing non-conforming, existing conditions and these requirements are getting more andmorestrict.

Keeping in mind why the costs might be potentially higher than you originally expect, there are three simple things any restaurant owner can do to understand the true costs associated with redeveloping an existing restaurant site and how to control these costs:

Do your homework: As soon as you identify a potential existing restaurant location that you think might work for your concept and execute a Letter of Intent to acquire it, we highly recommend you work with professionals that can help you with thorough due diligence.This may be speaking with your Architect to identify and understand any potential existing areas that are non-compliant with current building, zoning and health codes. It could also be working with your contractors to examine the building systems (especially the HVAC and kitchen exhaust systems) to make sure theyre in good working order with reasonable life left. Do the same with your kitchen equipment vendor on the refrigeration, electrical and mechanical components of the existing foodservice equipment.Dont make assumptions. Verify as much as possible so that you can clearly ascertain the true costs.

Locate the Documents: There are two different sets of documents that contain critical information and will help with the due diligence above.One set is the Base Building Construction Drawings and the other is the latest Tenant Upfit Construction Drawings. These should include Civil, Landscape, Architectural, Structural, Food Service, Plumbing, Mechanical, Electrical and Fire Protection drawings. Several details could be evident in these drawings that wont be readily visible in even the most thorough site investigation, like the size of a grease interceptor, under-slab plumbing, exhaust duct sizes, etc.The accuracy of this information caneasilyswing a project budgetalmost $100,000 in one direction or another.

In many cases, the only place to find this information is in a detailed set of Construction Drawings. These documents are often available through the landlord or property seller.If not, you can also usually access them for a small fee from the local building department.Thereally goodreal estate brokers will make it their responsibility to find and copy these documents for the project teams use.

Verify the fit:We strongly recommend preparing a test fit, or a preliminary layout, as early as possible to determine which aspects of your ideal layout, including cookline, prep kitchen, bar, seating, etc., will fit in this specific location. For example, even though a kitchen exhaust hood may be existing, it might not accommodate your standard equipment line-up. This could either lead to an atypical operation or require significant changes.Either option may be the difference between success or failure.

We also often see an assumed number of seats and / or tables able to fit in a given space based on its square footage, or what was existing.Manytimes,we find that once a test fit is performed and the actual kitchen is laid out in a non-standard shapedspace, either more extensive modifications are necessary to get the required seating capacity or the seating capacity becomes secondary to saving money.In either case, the ability to meet the desired ROI is compromised.

These are three simple and very low-cost things you can do to better ascertain the true costs associated with taking over an existing restaurant.Once the true costs are determined,its much easier to either negotiate up-front to address these costs or look at other design alternatives to mitigate these costs.

With decades of experience in the industry, Steve Starr has become a nationally-recognized leader in restaurant and retail design. While his insight and expertise spans the hospitality industry, his focus is on branding, consumer behavior and the development process. Steve leads a creative, multi-disciplinary team of architects, interior designers, graphics designers and branding professionals at Starr Design in Charlotte, North Carolina, where they concentrate on connecting people with brands through creative environments and responsible processes.

Link:
Post-COVID 19: The Pros and Cons of Location Takeovers - QSR magazine

First and only quarantine shelter in Boston-area to convert a shuttered hospital for homeless patient occupancy

BOSTON, April 15, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ --The S/L/A/M Collaborative, Boston Studio (SLAM) and Gilbane Building Company (Gilbane), in partnership with the Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management & Maintenance (DCAMM), Boston Medical Center (BMC), Boston Healthcare for the Homeless, the Department of Public Health, led the technical planning, design and construction of a temporary quarantine shelter in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The facility has a maximum capacity of up to 304 non-acute beds for Boston-area homeless at the former Newton Pavilion previously managed by Boston Medical Center at 88 E. Newton Street in Boston, MA.

The Newton Pavilion has been a shuttered hospital facility since October 29, 2018. SLAM and Gilbane were contracted by the current building owner, DCAMM, to assist them in assessing the building and devising an occupancy plan to convert the space for homeless patients who are not in need of acute hospitalization, yet test positive for the coronavirus, but are a-symptomatic or showing mild symptoms with orders to quarantine at home.

The coordination and focused effort to ready the Newton Pavilion for occupancy on April 9, 2020, required full-day meetings over a 28-day period held between DCAMM, BMC, Gilbane, and the SLAM design team, led by Senior Associate Loren Belida, AIA and Gilbane's Senior Project Executive Jim Dabrowski. Following the Army Corps of Engineers review and swift approval of the occupancy plan demonstrating SLAM's technical expertise and in-depth work in healthcare programming and planning, Gilbane was able to rapidly mobilize on-site and deliver the facility ahead of schedule.

"DCAMM was ahead of the curve when asked what it would take to temporarily re-open the "mothballed" facility" said Carol Gladstone, DCAMM Commissioner, "The project team quickly developed a very comprehensive and integrated execution plan that involved splitting construction scope between our internal team and Gilbane. I had extremely high confidence that we could rise to the challenge and deliver in a short timeframe."

BMC will manage operations for the temporary facility and patient care will be administered by their clinical staff. The total re-occupied project area makes up approximately 166,500-square feet, spanning eight floors and the overall project scope includes the reactivation/upgrade to building systems including life safety, HVAC, fire protection, plumbing, fire protection, medical gasses, electrical and architectural upgrades.

"Gilbane is grateful for the opportunity to work on this critical project delivered by this incredibly dedicated team. Our team and subcontractor partners worked three shifts, working literally 24 hours a day to deliver this much-needed facility ahead of schedule. We're honored to be of service to the Commonwealth and its citizens at this time of great need", said Mike O'Brien, vice president, Massachusetts business unit leader.

SLAM and Gilbane have partnered on more than 40 projects throughout New England and across the country.

"The project team understood from day one that reinvigorating the space and systems of a "mothballed" hospital would require expertise, proactivity, coordination, and flexibility," says Gabriel Comstock, AIA, lead healthcare planner and design architect, SLAM Boston Studio. "From the Commonwealth to the subcontractors, I've never seen a purer example of unyielding technical collaboration and speed to serve the most vulnerable populations at a more critical time in our community."

About SLAM The S/L/A/M Collaborative (SLAM) is a national, multi-disciplinary design firm offering architecture, planning, interior design, landscape architecture, site planning, structural engineering, and pre-construction, with S/L/A/M Construction Services offered throughout the New England region. Our market focus is on higher education, K-12 public/private education, healthcare, corporate, justice, sports and recreation sectors. In 2020, SLAM launched a new brand that underscores our infinite drive to unlock and solve complex design problems, rendering creativity in design to enrich lives. SLAM has offices in Atlanta, GA, Boston, MA, Denver, CO, Glastonbury, CT, Iowa City, IA, Los Angeles, CA, New York, NY, Orlando FL and Philadelphia, PA. For more information on SLAM please visit http://www.slamcoll.com

Story continues

About Gilbane Building Company Gilbane has served as a leading construction manager in Massachusetts since 1946, serving private and public clients throughout the Commonwealth, including the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, South Shore Hospital, Boston Public Schools, UMass Boston, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Google, Northeastern University, PTC and The Boston Red Sox. For more information, visit Gilbane's website at http://www.gilbaneco.com/boston

About DCAMM The Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM), an agency within the Executive Office for Administration and Finance (A&F,) is responsible for capital planning, major public building construction, facilities management, and real estate services for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The agency was created by the legislature in 1980 to promote quality and integrity in the management and construction of the Commonwealth's capital facilities and real estate assets.

DCAMM oversees the Commonwealth's capital assets, totaling over 75 million square feet. The agency manages over $2 billion in capital projects, working with state agencies on the full cycle of their strategic facility needs. DCAMM directly manages 5.5 million square feet of state buildings, and for those buildings not managed by DCAMM, we assist our client agencies using comprehensive and cost-effective maintenance and management strategies and standards. DCAMM is also responsible for all state real estate activities, including acquisition of property, disposition of surplus property and the leasing of space on behalf of state agencies, for offices and other facilities.

SOURCE Gilbane Building Company

The rest is here:
DCAMM Teams with SLAM and Gilbane Building Company to Re-Occupy Newton Pavilion for Temporary Quarantine of Homeless During COVID-19 Pandemic - Yahoo...

The World Photography Organisation announced category winners and more than 100 shortlisted photographers of theSony World Photography Awards 2020, one of the worlds leading photography competitions. Made of ten different categories architecture, creative, culture, landscape, motion, natural world & wildlife, portraiture, still life, street photography, travel this years edition was judged by Gisela Kayser, managing and artistic director at Freundeskreis Willy-Brandt-Haus.

Rosaria Sabrina Pantano is the architecture category winner: Emotional Geography is a black and white picture representing a pyramid by Italian artist Mauro Staccioli, 38 Parallelo, at the Fiumara dArte open museum in Sicily. The sculpture made of corten is in fact placed at the exact point where geographical coordinates meet the 38th parallel.

Among the shortlisted photographers of the category, Wen Lu presented Line, in which crowded village houses are perfectly separated by a forest reserve in China. Moreover, the work of Paul Crudgington, Preston Bus Station, represents a building in the North West of England taken from its top floor. Winning and shortlisted images will be celebrated online, while the exhibition has been cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Continue reading here:
Sony World Photography Awards 2020: the architecture category winner revealed - Domus

A peanut butter factory and a public toilet are among the 15projects shortlisted forthe 2020 Nelson/Marlborough Architecture Awards.

Theprojects were selected from entries in the awards programme of the Nelson/Marlborough Branch of TeKhuiWhaihangaNew Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA).

The shortlist, which features the input of 12 design companies, was compiled by a jury led by Nelson architect Andrew Irving and includedfellow Nelson architect Ian Bowman, Hamilton architect Brian White, and Olivia Hall, Head of theMoriDepartment at Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology.

Supplied

This Elliott Architects-designed home in Ruby Bay is one of the 15 shortlisted finalists at this year's Nelson Marlborough architecture awards.

READ MORE:* New Saltwater Creek footbridge reaches final construction phase* Inspiring architecture from NZIA Nelson Marlborough award winners * Nelson projects named in national architecture awards

"It's very heartening to see what a difference good architecture is making in the communities of our region," Irving said.

Irving said the shortlist includedoutstanding examples of some of the wide range of buildings that architects designed.

The projects showcased this year rangefrom NelsonAirport's new terminal, a new classroom block at Nelson'sSt Joseph's School,The Quaysurban park in Blenheim anda number of homes and baches.

Six entries are in the running forthe housing prize - they includebaches in Kaiteriteri and Marahau, houses in Ruby Bay and Nelson, andvineyard and residentialhouse designs from Marlborough.

Nelson's Jerram Tocker Barron makeup just over aquarterof the nominees and their work includesthe Saltwater Creek bridge which also won the Exterior Structure Design prize at the recent NZ Wood Timber Design Awards.

The company also received a second nomination in the public architecture category for its work on Stoke's Greenmeadows Centre.A third nomination acknowledgesJTB's work onPic's Peanut Butter factory in Stoke, while the Queens Gardens public toilet block has earned them a fourth spot on the shortlist.

The Covid-19lockdownhas meant that site visits to shortlisted projects by juries around the country areon hold.

The way the award-winners will be judged will be determined by the measures in place to deal with Coronavirus.

At a glance: 2020 Nelson Marlborough Architecture Awards shortlist by category

Commercial Architecture

Nelson Airport Terminal,Nelson(Studio of Pacific Architecture)

Pic's Peanut Butter Factory, Stoke (JerramTockerBarron Architects)

Education

St Joseph's School, Nelson New Classroom Block (Create Architects)

Hospitality

Air New Zealand Nelson Airport Lounge, Nelson (Eclipse Architecture andGenslerin association)

Housing

Axe house, Marlborough (architecture+)

Corner House, Nelson (Hamish Shaw Architects and Landscape Design in association with Luke Porter of Canopy Landscape Architects)

Kaiteriteri Family Bach, Kaiteriteri (redboxarchitects 2017)

Picot Bach, Kaiteriteri (Mitchell Stout Dodd Architects)

Ruby Bay House, Nelson (Elliott Architects - NP)

Vineyard House, Blenheim (Arthouse Architects)

Housing Multi-unit

Betts Apartments, Nelson(Arthouse Architects)

Public Architecture

Saltwater Creek Bridge, Nelson (JerramTockerBarron Architects)

Stoke Community and Sports Centre, Stoke (JerramTockerBarron Architects)

The Quays, Blenheim (Studio of Pacific Architecture)

Small Project Architecture

Queens Gardens Toilet Block, Nelson (JerramTockerBarron Architects)

Read the original post:
Shortlist of best top of south architecture released - Stuff.co.nz

london-based practice, featherstone young, has designed a house to blend into its idyllic countryside location in rural england. built for a pair of retired doctors, the new residence is situated at the edge of a village in rutland. developed as two wings, the scheme provides a sizeable accommodation that is also sympathetic to its surroundings.

all images courtesy of featherstone young

built over 3735 ft2 (347 m2), the house is arranged by featherstone young into two wings that effectively divide the functions of the program. upon entering through a central courtyard space, residents arrive into the open plan kitchen and dining area, which connects to the main living room and a smaller TV room. within these spaces, timber dominates the interior to create a warm atmosphere. furthermore, the timber cladding follows the folded profile of the roof, which gently rises and spirals until it reaches the double height living space and glazed south-facing elevation.

accommodationfor visiting guests is housed in the smaller wing. the design of these two volumes not only creates a subtle divide between the main house and guest bedrooms, but also contributes to establishing energy efficiency as only the main wing is heated for day-to-day living and the second guest wing is opened up when family and friends come to stay.

to blend into the landscape, the volumes are designed by featherstone young with sweeping green roofs that appear almost to grow from the site. the project also utilizes local materials to root the building into its context, such as the large dry stonewall that uses local clipsham stone.

project info:

project name: stonecrop

type: residential

location: rutland, england, the UK

architect: featherstone young

client: private

built area: 3735 ft2 (347 m2)

Read the rest here:
featherstone young builds a house with folding green roofs in rural england - Designboom

After spending so much time in your home, it might be time to escape to a new location.

People can now virtually step inside homes designed by America's most famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright.

From frat houses in Gainesville, Florida, to museums in New York City, Frank Lloyd Wright designed over 1,000 buildings.

Only a few of them are open to the public through in-person tours. But now, in a partnership between the Frank Lloyd Wright FoundationandUnity Temple Restoration Foundation, you can visit 12 of the buildings virtually.

Every Thursday, a representative stationed at one of Wright's buildings will take viewers on a tour of a new building. The videos will be livestreamed and saved on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation'swebsite.

The tours will last until mid-May and include some of his most famous works likeTaliesin West.

Taliesin West is a UNESCO World Heritage site in the deserts of Arizona. The building served as Wright's winter home and "desert laboratory."

Or visit Fallingwater, a home sitting over waterfalls and tucked inside southwest Pennsylvania's forests.

Fallingwater is considered one of Wright's most famous works and attracts over 100,000 visitors every year. Gene J. Puskar/AP Photo

"It is precisely at this time, when so many are shut inside, that we need to experience beauty and inspiration. Wright's works bring people together in harmony with the natural world, reminding us that we are all connected, even when we're apart," Barbara Gordon, the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy's executive director, wrote in a statement.

While the Frank Lloyd Wright buildings remain closed, the conservancy is hoping the virtual visits will spark new followers, members, and supporters of Wright's work.

Continued here:
You can virtually visit some of the country's most famous buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright - Insider - INSIDER

Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune/TNS Heading southbound on Lake Shore Drive through Grant Park in Chicago on Monday.

With the coronavirus pandemic dragging on and people looking for something (anything!) to relieve the boredom of being stuck at home, I have a modest proposal: Revive the drive the Sunday Drive.

Those of a certain age will remember the Sunday Drive. It was a secular ritual a leisurely car trip with no particular destination, often taken in the afternoon by a family in a wood-paneled station wagon. Such excursions might go through farm fields, to the nearest Dairy Queen, or along a sylvan route lined with money-dripping mansions, like the North Shores Sheridan Road.

Today, with roads of all sorts practically empty, the Sunday Drive beckons anew. After all, its easy to maintain social distancing when youre in a pod of steel. Also, you dont need to wear a mask. And so, instead of going out for a stroll or binge-watching shows on Netflix (or maybe in addition to those things), some people are taking to the road.

My husband and I are reinventing the Sunday afternoon family car ride I used to take with my family in the late 1940s (and) early 1950s, when we lived in San Francisco, Mary Ann Irvine of Oak Park wrote to me in a recent email. With little traffic on the streets," she added, "its easy to drive slowly and stop often to see architectural gems by the likes of Frank Lloyd Wright.

I think Mary Anns on to something. So why not head down (or up) Lake Shore Drive, taking in Chicagos skyline cliffs on one side and the blue expanse of Lake Michigan on the other? Preferably, youll have Aliotta Haynes Jeremiahs 1971 song Lake Shore Drive (And there aint no road just like it / Anywhere I found) blasting in the background.

Or try Chicagos historic boulevards, a 26-mile chain of parks and boulevards that courses through the citys North, West and South Sides. Another suggestion: west suburban Riversides Longcommon Road, a park-lined drive designed by the great landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.

Surely you have favorites of your own.

Such trips, it appears, are permitted under Gov. J.B. Pritzkers stay-at-home order, which allows people to drive on both local roads and interstate highways. Judging by the number of car parades that have popped up to celebrate birthdays and other milestones, the authorities arent cracking down on pleasure driving.

Just dont take advantage of the open road and go 100 m.p.h. down an expressway. Thats the antithesis of the slow, relaxing Sunday Drive.

Building on the precedent of the high-society, horse-drawn carriages that rolled down elegant boulevards in the late 19th century, the Sunday Drive is thought to have originated in the 1920s just a few years after the great influenza epidemic of 1918 that killed at least 50 million people worldwide.

Maybe people wanted to get out into the fresh air, which was thought to improve health. More likely, they just wanted to take their new plaything the car out into the country to escape the crowded cities and towns in which they lived.

Henry Ford, whose mass production methods made cars available to millions, is said to have supported the Sunday Drive because it helped to sell cars.

Indeed, if you Google Sunday Drive and Model T, youll see old black-and-white photos that show families decked out in their Sunday best, the tops of their cars folded down to bring them in the open air. Some journeyed to the countryside for a picnic, their cars sputtered along primitive dirt roads.

Once, a weekend trip to the countryside was a privilege of the wealthy. Widespread car ownership and new roads, tellingly dubbed parkways opened up these pleasures to the middle class.

The very name parkway suggests how such roads differ from the concrete gashes of urban expressways that would be built after World War II: Theyre free of trucks, flanked by park-like expanses of grass and trees, and have relatively low speed limits. Some, like Connecticuts Merritt Parkway, built in the 1930s, are straddled by beautiful bridges that carry local traffic over them.

The popularity of the Sunday Drive reached its apex in the 1950s and 1960s, when cars were still associated with personal freedom, not air pollution or suburban sprawl.

But something changed in the 1970s. Perhaps it was rising gas prices or a heightened environmental consciousness. Or maybe, some urban planners think, suburban sprawl was blurring the once-clear boundary between town and country. Where once there were farm fields and expanses of nature, now there were strip malls and traffic-jammed arterial roads. That made the Sunday Drive a lot less alluring

In the early 20th century, departments of motor vehicles classified (cars) as pleasure vehicles," Julie Campoli, a Burlington, Vermont urban designer and author, noted in a 2014 blog post Bring Back the Sunday Drive.

Now, Campoli observed, cars "are officially known as 'passenger vehicles a more accurate term, since most of the pleasure has drained out of the experience of driving. After a week of sitting behind the wheel, idling and turning, dropping off and picking up, 21st century Americans might find it difficult to imagine loading the family into the car on a Sunday afternoon and heading out for a drive just for the fun of it.

Advocates of pedestrian-friendly cities and mass transit may be shocked to hear me championing the Sunday Drive. But while car use is declining, millions of Americans still rely on four wheels to get around. And in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the Sunday Drive stands ready as a relief valve for those bottled up in their homes, especially older people who are unable to go out for long walks.

So, go! A Sunday Drive might make you feel better, just like a walk does. As a bonus, you might appreciate the beauty of your city or suburb in fresh ways

Just two cautionary notes: Keep your eyes on the road and dont get out of your car and congregate, especially if youre in Chicago. If you do, the Queen of Keeping Apart, Mayor Lori Lightfoot, may personally come after you.

Blair Kamin is a Tribune critic.

bkamin@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @BlairKamin

2020 the Chicago Tribune

Visit the Chicago Tribune at http://www.chicagotribune.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

See the rest here:
Column: Revive the Sunday Drive suddenly it's once again a great way to escape home and see your city - MSN

Since the 1950s, vinyl has been a popular choice for homeowners looking for a cost-efficient, low-maintenance, and durable flooring option. And now with vinyl choices no longer limited to six-foot to 12-foot sheets -- and a lot of new looks -- that popularity just continues to endure.

For those looking for a tiled look, vinyl tiles may be a good option because they look like ceramic tiles but cost significantly less than their ceramic counterparts and are easier to install. Similarly, vinyl flooring is also now available in wood-like planks, which may be more resistant to damage and less expensive than hardwood floors.

But while vinyl is known for being economical and hard to damage, it may not be the right choice for every home or every project. So let's discuss the pros and cons of vinyl flooring before you start tearing up all the carpet and tile in your own home.

One of the biggest considerations for any project is cost. That's a big win for vinyl.

According to HomeAdvisor (NASDAQ: ANGI), vinyl flooring usually costs between $0.50 and $5 per square foot. Compare that to tile and wood, which can cost up to around $15 per square foot, and carpet, which can cost up to $7 per square foot, and the savings can really add up.

Vinyl flooring used to only be available in large sheets that were difficult to work with. Today's vinyl flooring usually comes in tiles or planks, which are easier to work with and often can be installed without using a saw or having to hammer the planks in place. Some vinyl tiling is even available as self-stick, meaning you can install it by peeling the backing and sticking it to the floor.

Vinyl flooring holds up to heavy use and also reduces noise compared to some other options, making it a great choice for homeowners with pets and/or kids. Vinyl flooring also holds up well to moisture, unlike carpet and wood flooring, which makes vinyl a great choice for bathrooms, kitchens, mud rooms, and laundry rooms.

While vinyl flooring may be easier to install than other flooring options, it can also be more difficult to remove. The reason for this is because vinyl flooring is glued down, and once that glue is set, it can require a lot of time and energy to remove.

While vinyl flooring holds up well to moisture, it is prone to fading over time in the sun. Vinyl flooring is also more sensitive to extreme hot and cold temperatures. Because of this, as HomeAdvisor points out, vinyl floors may not be the right choice for rooms that get a lot of direct sunlight.

Vinyl flooring is considered a "softer" flooring option, which means that while it is comfortable underfoot, it is prone to gouging by sharp objects, like knives and sharp edges of furniture. Because of this, homeowners need to be careful when moving and placing furniture.

Vinyl flooring has been an affordable and attractive flooring option for homeowners for decades. And with recent advances in options, including vinyl tiles and wood planks, homeowners now have a variety of attractive, durable options for many different rooms.

But before you start tearing up floors, it's important to consider whether vinyl is the right choice for your project. After all, once it's down, it's down.

Follow this link:
Vinyl Flooring: The Good, the Bad, and the No Longer Ugly - Motley Fool