Virginia Center for Architecture: Vertical Gardens Exhibit Review

Last Thursday, I ventured back down to Richmond for the opening reception of the Vertical Gardens Exhibit at the Virginia Center for Architecture.  I just love going there--not only do they have awesome exhibits and lectures and events, but being able to drive down Monument Avenue makes the trip so much more worth it!  The wide avenue is lined with beautiful, historic homes and statues are dotted along the wide, grassy median.  It is easily my favorite street in Richmond.   Plus, the Branch House where the Center is located, is also something in itself to see (pictured below).

Vertical Gardens is an exhibit that opened last Thursday and will continue to be open through June 26.  The exhibit, although new to the Center, has been on going since 2007.  It includes plans that are both already in place and potential plans in efforts to make urban spaces more green.  There were some amazing examples from New York City, Paris, India, Istanbul and Japan just to name a few.  Even the Shake Shack in Madison Square Park, NYC has implemented a green, inclined roof plane as well as an entire back wall covered in ivy.  They describe their building, which has become my 2nd favorite quote behind Jean Carroon's, the "building is the garden, and the garden is the building."

Some examples of green, urban spaces exhibited were Plug-in vertical farms, planter bricks (which counter the heat island effect), hanging gardens, vertical farms, botanical roof gardens, and many other inventive ways in which to blend the urban with the rural.  Adding green spaces to urban areas should not be looked at as just an environmental aspect, but it also looks AWESOME and is also very economical.

Pictured here, is a 20 foot wall that was featured at the exhibit.  It was completed by Edmundo Ortega and Dianne Rohrer, and to see a video of the installation click here! 

I'm a big advocate of green spaces within urban settings, and if you wish to be educated on the subject more, or see some really awesome examples, head down to the Center for their exhibit!

Enjoy the day!
-The Intern

Good Food, Good Company... and Cool House

Ever since President Rick Hurley has been appointed, he and his wife Rose have been randomly selecting a group of 10 students to enjoy dinner at their historic home, Brompton.  Their goal in doing so is to get a better idea of what the students want out of their college career and what they can do to make sure that we graduate with having a great experience.

When I received the e-mail asking me if I would be available to attend a dinner with President Hurley and his wife, I immediately answered, "Of course I will attend!"  And with the formal invitation on it's way in the mail, I awaited with such anticipation... and never let my friends forget that I was going to dinner at the President's house.  Meeting Wednesday night? Oh wait, I'm having dinner with the President... Sorry.  Sushi Wednesday night? Oh I can't, dinner with President Hurley at his house which was built in 1720, no big deal.

Upon arriving to Brompton, I was greeted by a nice, young man (I believe a recent graduate of UMW) who offered me a glass of water or soda--I took the water.  Then I was led to the "piano room" where President Hurley and his wife were seated with a few of the other students.  Rick and Rose, as they introduced themselves to me, were immediately so welcoming, funny, laid back, and kind as 10 strangers strolled into their home.  I tried to not seem distracted as I gawked at the ornate light switch covers (which I had heard much about), the detailed mantel piece above the fire place, and the beautiful plaster reliefs.

Each student then took a picture with the Hurley's on the front steps of Brompton, and then they gave us a tour of their home.  Asking if any of us were Historic Preservation majors, I proudly raised my hand along with another girl in the group and he laughed as he explained a mural in the main foyer that was recently decided to be preserved as opposed to being torn down.  But President Hurley and his wife were very knowledgeable of how historic their house was and seemed to be quite passionate about and impressed by the history and integrity that their home holds.

Once seated in the dining room (I got to sit right next to President Hurley!!!), we were treated to a three course meal consisting of salad, bread, steak with a potato and asparagus/red peppers, cheesecake, and coffee if you wished.  Although the food was great, so was the conversation.  We spoke of the new Anderson Center and how to garner and maintain attendance in the 2,000 seated arena, possible new food options, possible performers for the next year, recent construction, and our majors/what we are doing next year.

I could literally go on and on about how friendly the Hurley's are.  Intimidating at first, but I learned that they are very approachable.  I am so gracious for the opportunity, and I believe he really has the best interest of the students in mind, and UMW is in good hands.  Not to mention, I got to see the amazing house that all Preservation majors drool at.

Roadside Review: Route 2 Barbeque

“Throw down that tool belt dawg – we’ve got to leave right now!”

I thought that Jay’s cheese had slid clean off his cracker.  With white-knuckle anticipation, I clung to my side panel as the old ford sped through town. 

We arrived to the distinct aroma that can only be found in the fusion of slab meat, rusty metal, and hardwood smoke.  No foundation had caved in.  No pipe had busted.  No building was up in flames.  It was the Route 2 Barbeque Man.  And he was cooking up a storm.

“Y’all got two choices - the dinner special or the sandwich”

The difference is in the details.  We should have gone with the dinner.

Don’t get me wrong… 

The rib sandwich was delectable; half part perfectly seasoned meat, quarter part brow sweat, quarter part love, three quarters soul, and more smoke than a phish concert.

The real sway in the balance, however, is the homemade potato salad.  Which happens to come with the dinner and not the sandwich.

Still, at ten dollars a meal you can’t beat this culinary treat.  The price seems a little high for a roadside stand but the money goes to a good cause -the chef is also a pastor and partial proceeds benefit his church.

So next time you are headed out of town on Route 2, stop by and see the Reverend.  Tell him Habalis converted you.

Structural Engineering in Preservation

Yesterday evening, Tuesday the 12th, Edmund Meade gave a lecture on Structural Engineering within Preservation at the University of Mary Washington.  Meade is a Principal at the firm Robert Silman Associates and first graduated with his B.S. in Civil Engineering from Johns Hopkins, and then went on to UVA to get his Masters in Architectural History and certificate in Historic Preservation.  With his unique educational background, Meade has worked on projects varying from La Iglesia San Jose (c. 1520) in Puerto Rico, the Johnson Wax Research Tower (Frank Lloyd Wright) and most noteably, the Guggenheim renovation completed in 2008, also designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. 

Robert Silman Associates has the ability to perform intense testing on these fragile, monumental structures such as laser-assisted measurements, remote monitoring, advanced mathematical analysis, and infrared testing, just to name a few.  If only Habalis had such luxuries!

Concerning La Iglesia San Jose, Robert Silman installed only $750,000 worth of scaffolding-- only 3/4 of a million dollars... They conducted laser testing, inside and out, to help repair the ceiling in the church.  With the laser survey and infrared testing, they were able to make the structural changes needed as well as find out that some clay pots were stored in crevasses/corners of the ceiling! 

The Johnson Wax Research Tower had experienced some issues with the glass paneling which were two stories tall.  The windows were beginning to crumble, and RSA went in, surveyed, and repaired the panels.  This building is pretty cool--every other story is circular and every other story is square!

Lastly, Meade spoke in detail about the Guggenheim renovation on the main rotunda.  The main concern with this building was the concrete, exterior walls that had severe cracks that had never really been fixed--they had always just been painted over (rookie mistake).  They produced a very detailed CAD drawing, even featured in the New York Times, showing all the cracks and rod/re-bar deterioration.  They successfully completed this renovation/restoration in 2008. 

Emphasis was made that part of being a structural engineer and working with historic properties is that they do a lot of, if not all, non-destructive evaluations.  Although they do focus on repairs and alterations, they are also literally preserving the historic fabric of the building.  They research all the materials used and how they need to be handled.  RSA has also performed a conditions assessment on Monumental Church in Richmond, Virginia.  It is quite the unique church, and I encourage all to take the short drive and take a walk around the church which is now being restored.


Up next... Dinner with Hurley, Green Spaces in an Urban Setting, Belmont and It's Landscape, and many more!

While Jay is away, the Intern will play

So while Jay is away at the Florida Keys, I will still be working hard.  There are so many things to blog about!  I, the intern, will be having such a preservation week as I go to Belmont for a tour today--specifically focused on landscapes.  Belmont is the home and studio of the famous painter Gari Melcher, and this country house has been restored to look as it did in the 1920s.  Then Tuesday I will be attending a lecture at the University by Edmund Meade who will speak specifically on structural design in historic preservation. THEN ON WEDNESDAY I WILL BE HAVING DINNER WITH THE HURLEY'S IN THEIR HOME.  For those of you who are unaware, President Hurley lives in the historic mansion, Brompton, built in the 19th century.  I was "randomly" chosen along with 9 other students to dine with the President and his family, and I am so excited to not only get to spend an evening with him and his wife but to also see the inside of his fantastic historic home!  And lastly, I am going back to the Virginia Center for Architecture on Thursday for the opening of their exhibit on green spaces within an urban setting.  I am geeking out about how much activities are taking place!  So, be on the look out!

Jean Carroon, FAIA: Sustainability in Preservation

I, the intern, had the pleasure of attending a lecture at the Virginia Center for Architecture in Richmond last Thursday.  Jean Carroon, FAIA (Fellow of the American Institute of Architects) and Principal at the Boston firm Goody Clancy, was the woman of the hour and presented a timely and informative lecture on sustainability in preservation.  Calling herself a preservationist and an environmentalist, Carroon has worked on preservation meccas, such as H.H. Richardson's Trinity Church in Boston.  She is a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation Sustainability Coalition and has been traveling from state to state advocating her new book, "Sustainable Preservation: Greening Existing Buildings."

The night started with the Center's newly appointed Executive Directer's (Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA)  opening remarks, followed by an introduction by Kathleen Kilpatrick, Director of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, and lastly it was Carroon who took the podium. 

Every preservationist knows that the greenest building is the one already standing.  But as a student studying preservation, sustainability is something that has been a recent focus in the field and there is much to be learned.  Carroon's lecture was extremely informative and gave a preview to how important this issue is--not only to preservationists, but to the environment. 

She spoke often of sustainability being a holistic term in that it needs to include the economic, environmental, structural (urban), and toxicity  issues.  Stating that we need to turn to the environmental aspects of preservation, she pointed out that the issue is not so much with new construction but with our existing buildings, and that the focus should be on avoided impacts--not embodied energy.  Instead of calculating raw material extraction, material processing, production, use and maintenance, and disposal--focus on how much of that can be avoided. 

Carroon then detailed what exactly was green about existing buildings.  High durability, low maintenance, inherently fire retardant, and excellent life cycle benefits are all characteristics of historic structures making them more sustainable than new construction.  She listed three things that specifically make greening existing buildings more efficient: durability, repairing, and cleaning.  Structures that were built prior to 1930 were built to last more than 50 years where as today, they last 20.  So, these buildings have less repair or repair that is easier, and historic buildings are easier to clean which is economical and produces less toxins (new construction ranks first (17%) in human toxicity in the United States).

Moving into environmental issues, Carroon spoke of storm water run off being the most important/harmful environmental aspect to focus on when greening an existing building.  The waste and toxins that inherently run off into our water ways is unhealthy and can be avoided--and avoidance is much cheaper than cleaning the polluted water!  She then spoke of some of her recent projects where she has installed more windows/skylights providing day lighting, and she spoke of her work on Trinity Church-- Carroon has successfully installed a geothermal heat pump that goes underground (twice as deep as the height of the church), doesn't make any noise AND GET THIS--we installed one at the historic mansion, Braehead, here in Fredericksburg!  AND we are also installing a 14 ton geothermal system at 415 William Street proving that it is possible to do such a thing in a tight, urban setting! Win-Habalis!  

Lastly, Carroon stated that monitoring energy consumption is the most important thing.  One could say they are doing this and that, but the paper work must be there to back it up or else it means nothing.  With tax benefits and laws being put in place, it is a smart move to document energy consumption.  And with the end of her lecture, she closed with what has become my favorite quote: "Saving buildings is saving the environment."

Making the hour drive on 95 South was definitely worth it.  The Virginia Center for Architecture was a great host, and I will be attending their exhibit "Vertical Gardens" in the next couple of weeks--so look for that blog!  Carroon was a great speaker and I encourage you to buy her book, and if you get the chance, go to her lecture!