Field Notes
ABC Green Home Makes Debut
Irvine, Calif.--The ABC (Affordable, Buildable, Certifiable) Green Home, the first sustainable home of its kind to be built with readily available building materials, is now open to the public. A collaboration among Green Home Builder magazine, Southern California Edison (SCE) and Irvine’s Great Park, the home will be used to educate and train builders, students, industry groups, and thousands of visitors. It demonstrates that a solar-powered, sustainable home can be built using available materials, technology and appliances at a cost that is competitive with conventional housing.
This project, which has received six green certificates from four different agencies, is on display at the Great Park, allowing the homeowners and industry professionals to explore the concept of affordable eco-living––a necessity for tomorrow’s housing, and part of an effort to meet California’s mandates to build “net-zero” homes––homes that produce as much energy as they use. In early 2014, the ABC Green Home partners will donate the house to a combat-wounded veteran via Habitat for Humanity.
For more information, visit www.abcgreenhome.com .
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Recruits And Ladders
Baltimore-based landscape architecture firm Floura Teeter Landscape Architects (FTLA) continues to grow with the addition of Landscape Designer Zachary Baier . Baier also holds a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from Penn State, where he was recognized as a Charles Thorp Endowment Winner for his work on a conceptual design for a temporary installation celebrating 150 years of Italian Unification.
Three of Cooper Lighting ’s LED architectural products have been recognized for ingenuity in Architectural Products Product Innovation Awards (PIA) competition—the IRiS P3LED Directional Series, io Lili Gen II Recessed Indirect Luminaires, and the Lumière Eon Bollards.
Rich S. Klarck was hired at Williams Architects to serve as an in-house aquatic engineer. He has been a designer and engineer in the aquatic industry for more than 24 years.
Agrium Advanced Technologies (AAT) has joined the National Hispanic Landscape Alliance (NHLA) as a Supporting Member.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rain Bird Announces Irrigation Training Schedule
Rain Bird Services Corporation today announced the dates and locations of its 2012-2013 Rain Bird Academy training season. Rain Bird Academy classes provide expert training on the installation, maintenance and design of irrigation systems. Because these classes are non-manufacturer-specific, there’s never a product sales pitch or promotion. Additional information and online registration are available at www.rainbirdservicescorporation.com/training or call 800-498-1942.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Podcast Stresses Importance Of Irrigation During Drought
Lewey Landscaping & LawnCare, Inc., a full-service landscaping and lawn care company, has released a podcast on lawn irrigation during drought-like conditions. In the podcast, Kim Lewey, co-owner of the company, discusses the most common landscaping concerns when an area is going through an extended period without rain, as well as regulations that must be followed during such times, and how to create a drought-resistant lawn with reduced water usage. The podcast is available for download at http://bit.ly/PT0n9e .
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
SAH Launches Awards Program
Chicago, Ill.--The Society of Architectural Historians has launched a new awards program to honor excellence in design-related professions:
• The SAH Award for Excellence in Design, Planning and Sustainability, honoring Philip J. Enquist, of Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill LLP for scripting a Vision for the Great Lakes & St. Lawrence River Region, a master plan that addresses the phenomenal increase in human population, the impacts of urbanization, and the threats of climate change to the largest fresh water lake system in the world.
• The SAH Award for Excellence in Architectural Media, honoring Gwendolyn Wright and Geoffrey Baer. Gwendolyn Wright is an Associate Professor of Architecture & Planning at Columbia University and host of the popular PBS “History Detectives” series. Geoffrey Baer is a producer and program host at PBS-affiliate WTTW in Chicago and currently is filming a nationally-syndicated program, “Ten Buildings that Changed America.” This award recognizes their pioneering work on educational television that brings architecture to millions of viewers every week.
• The SAH Award for Excellence in Architectural Conservation, honoring architect John Eifler, Principal, Eifler and Associates Architects for his continued restoration of the Charnley-Persky House and his work on greening historic structures.
The Society of Architectural Historians promotes the study, interpretation, and conservation of architecture, design, landscapes, and urbanism worldwide. To learn more about SAH or to join, visit www.sah.org .
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Letters
The Difference Is In The Details
Mr. Beasley,
I had an opportunity to read “Ground Cover” in LAB (Sept/Oct. 2012).
I think that the passages in your story may well be based in part on how things used to be. Many years ago, clay pavers were fired to the same standard as face brick. That’s fine for putting up a wall, but it is not durable enough to put on the ground and drive over it. Unfortunately, that experience has followed this product.
That’s not the way it is now. Modern clay pavers are fired much longer and much hotter, which leads to a more durable product that can be used for virtually any outdoor application in any climate.
Many thanks,
Marc Barnes
Public Relations, (King's English, LLC), on behalf of Pine Hall Brick Co.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Word On The Web
Katharine Rudnyk @MonroviaKat @LAB_Magazine : I like your magazine. Keep up the good work!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Smith Turf International Pairs Up With Underhill
Smith Turf and Irrigation (STI), a golf, landscape and irrigation distributor on the East Coast, was named an Underhill master stocking distributor for golf products. STI is headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., and has 20 branches in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Underhill manufactures a broad line of irrigation products for golf, residential and commercial installations.
CULTEC Systems Gain Approval In Delaware
The CULTEC, Inc. Separator water-quality system has gained approval from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC). The CULTEC Separator Row system will be included on the list of endorsed products after meeting reduction requirements under the Delaware Sediment & Stormwater Regulations. The system will act as a gross pollutant removal practice and as a pretreatment practice for petroleum hydrocarbons.
An In-Depth Look At Pepperweed Threat To Wetlands
A study in Invasive Plant Science and Management, published by the Weed Science Society of America, examines characteristics of encroaching pepperweed. The plant’s roots, which run meters deep, help this invader gain territory in higher elevation rangelands, vegetated areas along freshwater, coastal marshlands, and seasonal wetlands. To control the invasive species and reestablish native vegetation, the study finds that controlling new populations, while also working from the outer perimeters of pepperweed patches, is most cost-effective. Full text is available at www.wssajournals.org/ .