While I am being all self aggrandizing

The poto:type competition was also announced which I was part of a team that won.

Even though Mr. Litt gave it the tip of his cap I doubt that it will prove very much to the local community that there are hungry designers in this town who can do some decent work on an international scale.

I mean, I talk to some very talented people in this town every month. Maybe they just aren't being challenged enough or feel as if they can't investigate design problems? I don't know what the problem is or how we got into this rut, but we apparently did. I find it best reflected in an article about future University Circle development.

Regardless, here is the submission on the TOIstudio website.

A government list I don't mind being on

Official recognition for Lifecycle competition was released. TOIstudio won an honerable mention which is pretty nice considering I thought my submission was making fun of the competition's purpose. Perhaps that was the whole point.

You can see it here,way down in the honerable mention list or just 'ctrl f' and search for 'dru' it should take you right to it.

I have the submission on this site right here.

Yes, I used the competition to make a statement about the Ameritrust Tower and the multitude of uninteresting submissions and projects that represent our local TOD projects, RTA stations and Euclid Corridor stops. I don't know what else to say except to quote from Stop Building Shit:

"The mission is simple. One must assume a role that is severely devoid in the City, to hold architects, planners, contractors and builders responsible for shoddy work. If you don't like what we are doing here, then stop building bad buildings." and "If you can't stand the attention, then stop being a whore."

SBS needs to update more, heaven knows there is plenty of source material being built RIGHT NOW!

I think that wraps this up nicely.

National PARKing day skipped Cleveland

Remaining on the forefront of the environmental/urban reclamation movement, Cleveland decided not to partake in PARK-ing day.

Last year Clevelanders actually got involved and put up 3 sites. It took a while to find them but judging by the response I assumed that they were rather successful. There was even a moment of pure success when a lone driver in an SUV got frustrated that a viable parking spot was being used by PEOPLE having FUN and being OUTSIDE!

Anyway, everyone fell short this year. I guess the national (and to be fair a little bit of international) attention for doing something fun that delivered a pretty reasonable message wasn't enough of a incentive to do it again.

I guess maybe next year then. Mark your calendars now. That way you have time to plan it out.
Also, if someone in Cleveland IS doing this and I just didn't get the message, I apologize and am in your debt. Please send me some photos or a message or something. I do see the import in an event like this.

Breuer Tower Demolition has started

Apparently the County is moving faster then even THEY anticipated. I admit some surprise as I assumed that an event of this import would have been announced/covered/mention by our local news networks. I guess no one is paying attention anymore.

The east sidewalk of East 9th is closed to make room for 2 construction trailers (one of which I am assuming is a sub-shop in case Mr. Jimmy stops by to view his folly). The good news is that Kurtz Brothers is handling the construction demo/recycling (as an expressed part of creating a new 'green complex'). I am assuming that they do the material separation off site which makes sense due to the constricted nature of the job site. We don't need Euclid and East 9th completely closed down.

Combined with the Euclid Corridor project I feel the financial district will look completely foreign in a couple of years. (Of course the timing of both makes me suspect that the relocation of the County offices was used to inflate the projected 'job numbers' that were used to justify the Euclid Corridor project.

It doesn't really matter too much now. I feel a little ashamed. Like I have been 'had', as if a schuckster sold me some snake oil and I had just recently discovered my foolishness. At least I will admit it, I tried to speak out, attended meetings, shook my fist at the establishment, and apparently have resolved myself to documenting the change because for better or for worse it is out of my hands.

I suppose the question is now, what can we do to stop this mess from happening again? Should we even protect our past or just recreate it to reflect whatever we envision our future to be? (I love that the etymology for 'erie' is given in that article but not a understanding or investigation into 'terminal' or even the derivative 'terminus', instead if was glibly given whatever definition fit the author's preconceived notion)

everyone doing a little bit about their own car could probably end up meaning a lot.

Not that I am terribly 'anti-car'. I own a very nice one. I had a really solid VW Fox for about 10 years (it was 15 years old when I gave it to my neighbor's son, who still drives it around when he doesn't have to take his big van). However I do believe that people should be a little bit more responsible when it comes to their own personal vehicles.

As a disclaimer, I take the train into work about 97% of the time.

How to Green Your Car via TreeHugger.

Hawt new look!

Well, some recent competition result announcements was all it took to spur me out of website inaction and forced me to attempt to clean up this site a bit.

I haven't had too much time to debug it, so if you happen to run across any dead links or whatever, please drop me a line. I already know that the topic sorter on the blog doesn't work, and that some images are insanely gigantic (well, not INSANELY but overly gigantic at least).

Regardless, if you have any comments or critiques, please feel free to drop me a line.

Cheers!

Required bike parking could pave way for easier commutes

Granted, Cleveland is part of the conglomerate of Northeastern Ohio Cities with the least traffic congestion which may be attributed to smaller population and relatively large existing vehicular infrastructure however as the city looks to reimagine itself and learn to grow I find the discussion of simply concentrating on pedestrian level commuting rather lacking.

Some areas such as Washington D.C. are looking into legislating minimum requirements for bicycle parking within the city. I know that Cleveland has added quite a few of those black 'U' racks for bikes in the city but there is still something that doesn't seem quite so safe about them yet. It could be a severe lack of cycling lanes (or deficiency in people's driving abilities) coupled with how sporadic the bike parking is (seems unconcentrated and not secure) that greatly cuts into it's use.

I do know quite a few people who bike from the inner ring suburbs into Cleveland. Most of them are blessed with being on the lower levels of a building (most larger buildings make cyclists use freight elevators which must be accessed from a loading dock) and being able to store their bikes securely in their offices.

I am not currently petitioning for a bike rack in my cubicle (although I would be fine if there were one) but if there were bike parking locations, centralized, safe and secure enough that I wouldn't worry about if my bike would still be there when I worked late then I promise you I would ride to work more and would surmise that others would be willing to do the same?

One would think that it would prove economically viable to cater to a demographic that is inherently younger, healthier and more mobile by allowing them to move around in a manner in which they have to pay intimate attention to the city around them. I am actually surprised that RTA hasn't started combining cycling with bus/rapid stations as a way to create intermodal transportation hubs around the city that interacts how public transportation should, by getting large, expensive, solitary modes of transport off the street and instead making it into a public corridor.

Impetus behind Cleveland development - uncovered!

Yesterday I stumbled across a tutorial on designing and developing in the Greater Cleveland area. While most obviously the strategy behind Stonebridge and other finely crafted buildings one wonders if exactly who in the City has learned the most from this educational program.

I caution you, it is addictive! Soon you will be searching for the 'mixed-used', 'lifestyle center', 'green-design' buttons to maximize project marketability and capitalize the most on a lack of Design Review Board that has the power and integrity to stand against you!

Cleveland Goes Modern || Design for the Home 1930 - 1970

Cleveland Goes Modern
Design for the Home
1930 - 1970
September 10th - November 24th, 2007
Cleveland Artists Foundation at the Beck Center for the Arts
17801 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44107-3413
Phone: 216.227.9507
Fax: 216 228 6050

Mostly visible in large corporate of public structures the Modernist movement has also explored the more intimate and playful palatte of the common home. This exhibition, currently running at the Beck Center, aknowledges some of the modern movements influence was represented in works of Cleveland architects.

The bulk of the display concentrates on the work of six local architects, Don Hisaka, John Terence Kelly, Robert Little, William Morris, Ernst Payer and Fred Toguchi and offers a small collection of exploration into how the technology and idealogy of the modern movement personal meant.

Not just another progression of display pieces, the exhibit offers a glimpse into the personal evolution if one is willing to delve deep enough. The response to siting and the new sense of personal freedom and independence characterizes bold moves from material selection to furniture layout and shows a rather interesting contrast to the homogenity of the typical mid to late 1900's domicle design.

Throughout the running of the current show there will be a series of forum based conversations from some of Northeast Ohio's prevelant designers.

Thursday September 20th
6 - 8pm
The History of Modernism in Cleveland
How did Modernism come about, and how did it show up in Cleveland? A conversation on the history of the "aesthetic" of Modernism. At Cleveland Artists Foundation. Free and open to the public.

Thursday, October 18th
6 - 8 pm
Building Modern from the Architect's Standpoint
What was it like designing a "Modern" home in Cleveland during the mid-20th century? A conversation coordinated by Peter van Dijk and Richard Fleischman, with special guest architect Don Hisaka.

Thursday, November 15th
6 - 8 pm
Building Modern from the Client's Standpoint
What was it like commissioning an architect to build a "Modern" home? A conversation moderated by Nina Gibans, with Ted Welles (commissioned Fred Toguchi), Scott Inkley (commissioned Ernst Payer), and Douglas McDonald (commissioned John Terence Kelly).

All conversations take place at Cleveland Artists Foundation and are free and open to the public.

There are also a plethora of home tours available. Registration required.

Also: if you can find it, there was a packet for the Cleveland Goes Modern - Historical and Cultural Notes laying on the back table which provided an interesting primer for the show.