Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

There's little question many architects and builders are convinced of the threat of climate change and urge clients to plan for a future of weather extremes.

Those who design and construct buildings are required to look decades into the future and are expected to provide owners with the best advice on how and where they should proceed with their projects. Those considerations include everything from what kind of materials to use to best withstand more frequent downpours to whether to build in an area that might become a flood plain in a future with rising sea levels.

But architects and builders who are among the believers the world is inexorably warming due to human activity can face sceptical clients who not only question the science but the added costs that adopting their plans can bring.

That scepticism means it's no easy task for young professionals like Ariane Laxo, a certified interior designer and active member of the US Green Building Council, to win over clients who may be resistant to the notion of constructing a more expensive building with a warmer and riskier long-term weather future in mind.

Laxo, past chairwoman of the USGBC's Emerging Professionals National Committee and its representative to the USGBC national committee, says she returned from a training session in South Africa with former Vice President Al Gore's Climate Reality Project with a message: Builders need to be advocates for "resilient" buildings, for their own professional sake and that of the world.

Laxo says science shows continued rising global temperatures, rising sea levels and more frequent extreme weather events.

"If we continue along this path, we will probably share the fate of the people of Easter Island (whose isolated inhabitants committed 'ecocide' by destroying their island's tree cover)," she said.

"What I'm proposing, and what the Climate Reality Project is proposing, (is) that we need to be both optimists and realists. We need to be realists because climate change is happening right now. We're seeing these intense weather events, and we need to prepare clients for it.

"But we do have the solutions at hand. They're available, and we just need to use them," she added, suggesting that architects and designers honestly confront the climate scepticism of some clients, especially since those "solutions" directly address the source a lot of carbon emissions - commercial buildings.

Laxo asserts that building professionals have a moral and ethical - and in the future, maybe even legal - responsibility to prepare clients for the effects of climate change, including intense storms, future water shortages, rising sea levels, more frequent wildfires and power interruptions.

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Architects prepare for climate change

Regional News of Wednesday, 27 August 2014

Source: Daily Guide

Forty-four new architects have been incorporated into the Standing Register of the Architects Registration Council (ARC) of Ghana after undertaking the Councils Professional Practice Examination (PPE) in 2013.

At the 14th Induction ceremony held last Friday at the Ghana-India Kofi Annan ICT Centre in Accra, the Council described the event as an annual one meant to ensure the highest standards in architectural practice.

The induction ceremony bridges the academic and professional life of every architect. It climaxes six years of academic qualification at the university, a minimum of two years coaching and apprenticeship under a qualified senior architect, then six weeks of intensive seminars and tutorials and the passing of a two-day PPE by the Council to gain state licensing.

This years ceremony, attended by key stakeholders of the built environment industry, saw Barbara Simons adjudged the Overall Best Candidate for the 2013 PPE.

In her welcome address, Registrar of the ARC, Arc. Stella N.D. Arthiabah, noted the importance of the event on ARCs calendar, stressing that it showcased the high caliber of architectural practitioners in the country, who were ready to lead the creation of healthy, safe and secure built environment; a total number of 883 registered architects and 211 registered firms to date.

Mrs. Arthiabah urged the architects to desist from relying solely on professional skills but adapt to evolving management and entrepreneurial skills.

One needs interpersonal skills, strategic management, business and leadership savvy. Todays client seeks an all-round professional who can deliver competently, give value for money and also provide high-level customer service, she said.

She also stressed the need for local government, built environment professionals and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to collaborate in creating safe and healthy communities as a means of promoting public health.

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Architects council inducts 44

WEST CHESTER TWP.

A public hearing on a zoning change aimed at bringing a upscale mixed-use development to an area planned as this townships downtown didnt take place as planned Tuesday, but a handful of people still offered their take on the retail-residential-business project.

Trustees opened the hearing into a proposed 8.2 acre iLoft at West Chester project, which is planned to include 247 one- and two-bedroom luxury apartments, 19,300 square feet of retail space, an 81,600-square foot office building and a three-story, 406-spot parking garage.

But board members then immediately postponed the hearing until Sept. 23 at the request of Anderson Birkla Investment Partners principal Anthony Birkla, who wrote in an Aug. 26 letter to the township that he was eager to address concerns about the development with an adjacent property owner.

That property owner, Schumacher Dugan Construction, kicked off comments against the development during a portion of the regular meeting reserved for the comments of West Chester Twp. residents or business owners.

This residential project is practically surrounded by commercial and office spaces, said Larry Schumacher, president of Schumacher Dugan Construction. We think its going to have a negative effect on the value of all of the buildings in that neck of the woods. Its going to be I think harder to rent the space and I think just having a domestic element in the center of everything there is not at all good planning. underparked.

Schumacher Dugan is responsible for two office buildings next to the site and is planning a third office building for the area.

Following the meeting, Schumacher said he foresees iLoft at West Chester residential element as a disruption to everything thats been built in the area.

If I thought it was such a wonderful thing, I should be jumping with glee because I own more property around there than anybody else, but I dont think its so wonderful, he said.

State Sen. Bill Coley also spoke out against the proposed zone change, claiming it is procedurally deficient and does not even meet the minimum requirements of the West Chester Twp. Zoning Resolution. He went on to list what he believes are design drawbacks, parking insufficiencies or zoning violations.

Read more:
Developer delays hearing for West Chester mixed-use project

The Greenville Office of Economic Development presented some big ideas to a financial committee Wednesday and if they are approved, some big attractions could be headed our way.

We're talking about a more developed retail corridor, sports development complex, business and technology park - in total, 6 proposed projects that could really influence job creation, tax base, and the quality of life. But of course these are huge financial undertakings that would have to be approved by Greenville city council and voters.

Looking around Uptown Greenville you'll see construction projects taking shape. One is a private project that economic development manager Carl Rees says is creating 20,000 square feet of office space and 3,500 feet of retail space.

The other, a 250-space parking deck.

In the 2 years since Greenville's Office of Economic Development has been in operation, Rees has wanted to do even more.

Rees says, "These are all things that we think are opportunities for Greenville to grow jobs, grow tax base and make this a better place to live."

Rees presented six projects to Greenville's bond advisory committee on Wednesday night.

One of them - enhancing the 10th street connector that begins at the intersection of Evans and 10th and extends to Memorial Drive in the Medical District.

Rees and many on the committee believe it would be a major gateway into uptown.

The other projects include major facelifts to the Dickinson corridor, 1st street and Town Common, Frontgate retail corridor, a sports development complex, and a business & technology park.

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Greenville Office Of Economic Development Thinking Big

Sacramento, California (PRWEB) August 27, 2014

PM Environmental, Inc. continues to expand in California. Its newest office, located at 4401 Atlantic Avenue, Suite 220, Long Beach, California, will serve as the base for the company to meet the needs of its clients in Southern California and handle the demands of the growing Commercial Real Estate market in the area.

Senior Consultant, Charles Young, will spearhead the new expansion and brings over 25 years of experience in the professional environmental services industry to the team.

Real estate transactions in Southern California are on the rise with lending institutions, real estate acquisition companies and property management firms looking for financing on multifamily, retail, commercial and industrial properties, Young said. To meet these needs, the Long Beach office was chosen as a middle point for servicing projects from Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties to the north, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties to the east and Orange and San Diego Counties to the south.

Statistics bear out that the Long Beach location is at the crux California's recovering economy. The "Inland Empire", or the nearby Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area, has a predicted 4.2 percent growth in Gross Metropolitan Product from 2013 to 2020*; one measurement of a metropolitan areas economy similar to gross domestic product. This projected growth is the largest in the state and the fourth largest in the nation.

Young formerly prepared Phase I and II environmental site assessments for large real estate firms and oversaw the completion of data collection, site investigation and preparation of Transaction Screen projects, Historical Property Use reports, and other commercial lending protocols.

Im happy to welcome Chuck to the West coast team and feel fortunate that he choose to bring his wealth of knowledge of the Southern California region to PM, said John Wharff, PM Environmentals Vice President and Western Regional Manager. He not only brings 25 years of transactional due diligence experience, hes a former in-house risk manager and understands risk evaluation from both sides of the desk.

According to Young, the lending community in Southern California has been active and established Risk Management policies where due diligence requirements prior to real estate transactions are essential. With the addition of the Long Beach office, PM can meet the local office requirements for RIMS related bidding requirements and minimize travel costs which are important in RFP considerations, he said.

The new location in Long Beach and addition of Young have been well received by existing clients and promises to open new opportunities to PM in the area, according to Wharff. Weve already added a research consultant to the Long Beach office to complement our expansion into this market with plans to add several more multi-disciplinary team members, he said. Our medium and long term plans call for additional offices to service this expansive region.

PMs current services in the Western market include, due diligence, site investigation, remediation, brownfield redevelopment, industrial hygiene services, compliance and architectural consulting.

Go here to read the rest:
PM Environmental Continues Growing in California

Published: August 26, 2014 | Last Modified: August 26, 2014 01:10AM

By Dan Brechlin Record-Journal staff

MERIDEN Plans are being developed to convert existing office space into 16 apartments at a downtown building. Before planning is completed, officials want to know how to attract young professionals to downtown.

The building at 1-3 Colony St. was selected for the Connecticut Main Street Come Home to Downtown program. Aimed at converting commercial and office space to apartments, the program offers free architectural services and other benefits.

Although plans are in the works, Economic Development Director Juliet Burdelski said its important to find out what people want in downtown.

Part of the final report on the building is to get public feedback, so we want to know what it would take to get people downtown, Burdelski said.

Plans were developed over the last several years to revive Meridens downtown. The addition of a park at the Hub, the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield rail line, traffic improvements and new zoning regulations to encourage development are part of the effort to attract young professionals and businesses.

A community meeting will be held Sept. 9 at 6 p.m. at Middlesex Community College to discuss the projects and get feedback. Those attending will be asked what types of businesses, events and other attractions they would like to see in the area.

Representatives from businesses in downtown were invited, as were downtown landlords and property owners in addition to the YMCA and Middlesex Community College.

We would like to see a younger crowd, Burdelski said. We want to have a positive discussion with people who are down here already and people who want to come in or are looking at the possibility.

Read more:
City seeks younger perspective on buildings future

RINEYVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Nearly twenty years in the military took its toll on Jeremiah Lucas' family. A tumor removal surgery on his spine took an even bigger toll on him.

Barely able to walk from nerve damage, the Master Sergeant had never even made the trip upstairs in the family's Rineyville, Kentucky home. But when Jeremiah got assistance to travel the stairs on Monday, he couldn't believe his eyes.

[PREVIOUS STORY: Military children surprised in their own home]

Dawn Lucas wrote an essay to WAVE 3 News and Active Heroes, hoping to win a bedroom makeover for Jeremiah's two daughters. The family had moved time and time again and spent so much time without Jeremiah at home. It worked. The Lucases were among three families selected.

Every deployment, every birthday missed, this makes it all worthwhile, said Dawn Lucas.

Jeremiah couldn't even speak when he saw the transformation of his girls' rooms. New furniture. Fancy electronics. Their smiling faces. Made my kids' year," said Jeremiah. "I can't explain how excited they are and how much that means to me."

Paul Davis Restoration built a wheelchair ramp so Jeremiah won't need help getting into his house any more. That gives him the independence to come and go without help.

A new dishwasher from Charlie Wilson's Appliance makes kitchen work easier for Dawn. But it's those upstairs rooms that left their daughters gasping for words and ready to throw a party with their friends in their new stylish digs.

They ain't getting this room," Jeremiah joked. "I'm gonna keep it. But you could tell this was one veteran who will gladly cede that territory without putting up a fight.

The Lucas family says after all that moving as Jeremiah served his country, their newly upgraded home in Rineyville is their permanent home.

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Hardin County veteran and family receive home makeover

Theres not so much of a smell of smoke about the Museum at the Portage now.

Two months into repair and restoration work at the fire-damaged former home of Zona Gale, there is a new sense of freshness.

The building was damaged by an electrical fire on April 13. The area around an upstairs window in Gales former bedroom was heavily damaged by fire, and other places in the building especially in the historic study, directly below the bedroom, was damaged by water and smoke.

The 1912 brick structure at 804 MacFarlane Road in Portage was once home to author and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Zona Gale, and was the former site of the Portage Public Library. It is now a museum of artifacts important to Gale and to Portage.

The repair work involves freshening the woodwork in the study, including cleaning all surfaces and restoring the look of the varnish in areas where it is cracked and faded with age particularly around the windows.

The water damage on the woodwork above the studys fireplace and on the fireplace itself is now gone. The ceiling plaster in the study was restored last month.

Wood restoration specialists Jerry Pauk of Spring Lake and John Dehling of Wautoma have put in more than 20 hours of work into the study.

There was residual damage of water and smoke, in the room, Pauk said, as well as years of weathering, sun and moister damage to the woodwork surrounding the windows.

Around the windows, the varnish had faded to a gray color. It was treated with oxalic acid, then sanded before finishing with a matching color of varnish.

As a woodworker himself, Hauk fully appreciates how unique and beautiful a space the study is. While the windows need re-glazing, with good maintenance of the outside of the windows, Hauks and Dehlings efforts to restore the interior woodwork should last decades, he said.

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Restoration of fire-damaged Museum at the Portage continues

PHOENIX (CBS5) -

Phoenix police said a man was caught Tuesday morning as he tried to burglarize a home being renovated by a good Samaritan Phoenix police officer and his friends.

Jesus Salas, 29, was caught as he tried to run from the Maryvale home of Linda Tims about 7 a.m. Tuesday, Phoenix police Officer James Holmes said.

Salas was holding copper pipe when officers arrived and had removed a window air conditioner that had just been installed by Officer Glenn Branham and friends he recruited to help clean out and fix up Tims' home that had been damaged by previous criminal activity.

Tims' plight and the unselfish acts of Branham, et al., were featured on CBS 5 News on Aug. 22.

[READ: Phoenix cop helps clean, renovate hoarder home]

Tims' unoccupied home was initially burglarized Aug. 17 after she was forced to move in with her daughter. Her air conditioner had been damaged by thieves who were after the copper piping.

On his own time, Branham began cleaning Tims' house. He and some friends and other volunteers he recruited replaced the stolen copper pipes, fixed the air conditioning and help clean out the house from years of hoarding. Branham spent his own money to replace the pipes, Holmes said.

On Saturday, Aug. 23, Branham and about 20 friends and family started to get the home ready for renovation.

The next day, about 7 a.m. while on patrol, Branham drove by Tims' house only to find that someone had again broken in and stolen about $1,000 of her personal property.

Read more:
Phoenix PD: Suspect in burglary of hoarder's home caught

Question: My dog ran into my china cabinet while chasing the cat. No damage to the dog or contents, but major damage to the curved glass. The cabinet is oak and from an estate sale 35-plus years ago, so it doesnt have any sentimental value, but its pretty. Any ideas where I might get new glass, or is it even worth it?

Charles Town, W.Va.

Answer: Dodsons Curved Glass in Frederick (301-662-0020) makes replacement glass. You can order it directly from the company or through a glass shop or an antiques restorer.

One advantage of going through a restorer is that someone else will take care of measuring for the replacement and installing it, a process that involves nailing thin strips of wood around the edges on the inside. One little nail you hit wrong, and the glass breaks, said David Wells, owner of Carrisons Restorations, an antiques restorer in Manassas (703-369-6318; http://www.carrisonsantiquerestoration.com). He said replacement glass runs about $100 to $200 if it has a uniform curve, which is the kind of situation Dodsons deals with. If the glass has a flat section and then curves, Wells orders it from a company in Michigan and the cost of one piece rises to $400 to $800. Wells charges $100 and up for installation, depending on how the furniture was designed. If the glass fits into a groove on one side and has a wooden stop only on the other side, the job is a lot quicker and less risky than when wooden strips secure the glass on all sides.

Ordering a new piece of curved glass involves determining not just the height of the glass and the length of the curve, but also the radius of the curve. B&L Antiqurie in Lexington, Mich. (800-840-1110; http://www.bentglasscentral.com), which bends glass sheets into custom shapes, describes the measuring process on its Web site.

Question: We have an old, wooden hot tub that we enjoyed for many years. We went on a foreign assignment about 10 years ago and, for insurance reasons, emptied the hot tub when we rented out our house. When we returned, the wooden planks had shrunk and the tub didnt hold water. We tried to fill the gaps with epoxy, but that didnt work, and we have been unable to find anyone in the area who either repairs hot tubs or carries and installs them. Can our existing tub be repaired? Or is there someone in the area who carries and installs new wooden hot tubs? We need one about five feet in diameter because ours is set into a small deck and there isnt space for something larger. We also prefer to stay with a wooden tub.

Cabin John

Answer: Assuming the wood hasnt rotted, you might want to start by trying to coax the fibers to swell up again. It can take several weeks, but if it works, its essentially free.

Preparation includes scraping off any remaining epoxy, making sure any groove joints in the stages (sideboards) line up properly and tightening the metal band or bands around the outside, after first measuring the height to make sure each metal strip is level. Then moisten the tub with water and keep it damp. Jill Peck, customer sales associate at Snorkel (800-962-6208; http://www.snorkel.com), a Seattle company that makes wooden, wood-fired hot tubs, said one way to do this is to sprinkle the tub with water from a hose or splash on buckets of water, preferably warm. Wait half an hour, and do it again. Repeat several more times. Then spread sopping-wet towels over the sides of the tub. Keep those soaked for two weeks. Try filling the tub. If youre lucky, the gaps will be swollen shut.

If that doesnt work, or if you want professional help from the beginning for tricky steps such as knowing just how much to tighten the bands, try Jack Marshall of Marshall Pool and Spa (202-244-5005; marshallpoolspa@verizon.net), which is moving from McLean to Reston next month. Marshall still repairs and sells wooden hot tubs; one company that deals only in plastic tubs recommended him and said hes the only one they know of who still does.

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How to replace curved glass on an old china cabinet