Posts from the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

TWiT TV Brick House Studio

On Tuesday I had the opportunity to watch a live broadcast of TWiT TV’s  MacBreak Weekly, a 2-hour internet broadcast (netcast) discussing all things concerning Apple products.  TWiT TV’s Brick House studio is located in downtown Petaluma.  The studio sets were designed by Emmy Award winner Roger C. Ambrose , and took me by surprise; I had no idea such a thing existed in Petaluma!  The set design is fantastical, highlighted by a series of trussed arches.  Interiors, sets, furniture, props, and lighting have been carefully designed and crafted down to the minutest detail.

If you have the opportunity, there is no charge to view any of TWIT TV’s several netcasts.  I happened to be interested in the subject matter, but would have been perfectly happy spending 2 hours sitting, absorbing the incredible design of the studio interior and set.

Don Tomasi

World’s First Protractor?

For 100 years an object languished while scientists occasionally tried to to discover it’s function – great story via the link below:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20748-egyptian-tomb-mystery-may-be-worlds-first-protractor.html

TLCD Architecture Joins Sonoma County Best Program

TLCD Architecture has joined Sonoma County BEST, Building Economic Success Together, which is a five-year strategic plan for job creation and prosperity to directly address our economic challenges. TLCD Architecture, along with the other BEST investors,  form a collaborative partnership between the private and public sectors in Sonoma County to collectively work together to create jobs and restart the economic engine in Sonoma County. This is an exciting opportunity for us to be an active participant in the effort to reinvigorate our community.

Congratulations to Jaime Stich on his Promotion to Project Captain!

“Gotta love that smile!”Jaime has recently been promoted to Project Captain in recognition of his hard work and continued success in the healthcare studio. Jaime is the lead on multiple small projects for Kaiser San Rafael and Kaiser Santa Rosa and has been responsible for all phases. Jaime is currently assisting Jason and myself with several marketing leads and has consistently demonstrated his commitment to design and sustainable practices. Thanks again for all the hard work!

Deck Love

TLCD's newly refurbished green-roof deck.

Last week in honor of Earth Day a few of us (Avian, Bridgett, Bill, Julie, Marina, Stephen, Jack and myself) got together to give our green-roof deck a bit of love. We gathered up the deck furniture, got out the sanders and went to work. If you heard something last Wednesday at lunch that sounded like 10,000 angry hornets descending on TLCD, that was us. While some of us sanded off years of sun-baked slivers, others cleaned out the detritus that had accumulated on the green-roofs. In addition to a general clean, we decided to add some new plants to the roof. What was once a green-roof is now an eatable green-roof! Amongst the native grasses and sedums you will now find strawberries, lettuce, basil and tomatoes. It’s an experiment to find out what can be grown on a living roof. Thanks to all who joined in and helped. Now get out there and enjoy a nice break or lunch on the deck.

TLCD Beer Brewers Share Their Wares

This week’s Wine Wednesday was all about beer!

Our Own take on a British Amber Ale

For those unfamiliar with this longstanding tradition, every Wednesday at 5:00 the TLCD Architecture office gathers in our “Garage” conference room for snacks, refreshments, and a fun presentation.  The topics range from updates on current project designs, the latest trends in architecture, current events in our community, slides shows of recent vacations, and sharing of our favorite hobbies.

Kevin, Dean, and I prepare to sample our homebrews!

It was a big turn out for our beer brewing presentation.  What started as a fun experiment, has evolved into a full-fledged obsession and it was great to share my experience with everyone in the office.  Dean Snodgrass, a fellow home brewer, helped describe the process of fermentation and the role that each ingredient plays in flavoring a brew.  We also discussed a brief history of microbreweries (there are over 1,482 microbreweries across the United States, Sonoma County boasting some of the best!) and the burgeoning home brew culture.

During the presentation, participants sampled a number of our homemade brews including a Carmel Colored British Amber Ale, California Pale Ale, and Milk Stout. Kevin brought his own special dark stout and awesome pale ale to sample as well.

All in all it was an exciting talk and a fun way to share some outside interests with the rest of TLCD Architecture folks.

The Beauty and Desolation of Detroit

As many people may be aware the city of Detroit has admittedly seen better days.  To give an example the current population about 40% of its postwar peak.  This has resulted in what can be bluntly put as an excess of building stock, much of it in decay.  While it’s not something we think about very often the slow decay of buildings has a strange surrealism and beauty to it, this has been captured by various photographers in Detroit recently particularly well by the these photographers (see links below).

http://www.marchandmeffre.com/detroit/index.html
http://seanhemmerle.com/ (Look at the Rust Belt under PROJ)

Photograph by Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre. http://www.marchandmeffre.com/

Happy Park(ing) Day

Photo courtesy of: Rebar

Individuals and communities are gathering together today to transform metered parking spaces into temporary Park(ing) public places.  What began as a single art installation by San Francisco design studio, Rebar, has turned into a global movement to bring awareness to the need for public open space especially in underserved urban areas.   The annual event has evolved from its original tree-bench-sod model to include gardening demonstrations, free health clinics, and even live music performances.  Check out instillations from 2009.

The Imogene Hub!

A dear friend has sent me a link to his hometown paper, online version from the Imogene/Shenandoah Iowa area.  I’ve been there, and it’s for real.

http://imogeneiowa.weebly.com/imogene-hub.html

Enjoy!