The intensive green roof under discussion in Cities and the Environment grows atop House 5 (the Flora Rose House) at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
For the last three summers, members of our research group have been conducting ecological research and monitoring of plant communities on seven KieranTimberlake buildings at Cornell University, Middlebury College, University of California San Diego, and Yale University. The research has allowed us to revisit projects up to a decade old, meet with numerous building and landscape managers, consult with green roof experts from across the country, and learn a great deal about how the design and detailing of green roofs on our projects have fared over time.
Additionally, the study has yielded some interest in the research community for its use of novel field methods and its graphic representation, which has allowed for spatially explicit data collection and mapping. The study of community dynamics is rooted in the ability to discern, test, and communicate the relationship between landscape patterns and ecology function or performance. As designers, our ability to diagram and draw relationships analytically has allowed us to explore green roof systems in new and revealing ways.
A view through the proposed addition looking toward Tulane's Gibson Quad.
The Architect's Newspaper last week announced that Tulane University has released plans for the KieranTimberlake-designed addition and renovation of its historic Richardson Memorial Hall, home to the School of Architecture. Currently in the design development phase, the project adds more than 30,000 square feet, which includes studios, pin-up spaces, fabrication and media facilities, a gallery, and a cafe. The project aims to achieve LEED Platinum and the goals of Architecture 2030.
Richard Maimon, the principal in charge of the project, commented, "Our goal is to align Richardson Memorial Hall with Tulane's agenda for 21st century architectural education—collaborative, community-focused, and informed by technology. The 1908 masonry building will be complemented by a transparent, high-performance, flexible addition that promotes connectivity across studio work, fabrication and community outreach, while serving as a teaching tool itself."
In 2010, a property in Pound Ridge, New York, presented a unique building site—with steep, uneven terrain defined by forest, exposed rock, and a ridge rising more than a hundred feet from the nearest road. As we began design on a home for this site, our design goals included allowing the geologic history to inform the house's conceptual design, anchoring the house to the site, and seeking out interior and exterior materials that would have contextual relevance in this rich setting. A research query was undertaken to allow us to better understand the geologic context and history.
SITE GEOLOGY
The town of Pound Ridge is representative of a unique and complex regional geologic history that extends back to some of the earliest rock formations on the East Coast (approximately 1 billion years ago) up to the most recent glacial event (approximately 15,000 years ago). Pound Ridge is one of the northernmost areas of the Manhattan Prong, the primary bedrock formation of Manhattan Island. As such, it contains the same granite gneiss formations that can be found in Manhattan's Central Park and throughout the larger Highlands Province region that covers parts of New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
Bottling lines of the original bottling house. An article in American Brewer magazine reported, "Line No. 1 is used for 12 ounce steinie, export and non-returnables as well as 7 ounce splits. Line No. 2 is used mainly for 32 ounce bottles though it also takes 12 ounce bottles and cans."
Courtesy of the Ortlieb family
The historic building that will soon house KieranTimberlake's new architecture studio was once part of a complex of properties belonging to Ortlieb's Brewing Company in the Northern Liberties neighborhood of Philadelphia.
Researchers Roderick Bates and Ryan Welch are heading to Greenbuild this month to take part in several events tied to the Tally application for Revit, including a special USGBC Master Series session, “Transforming Markets through Data Collaboration.” This two-hour session will celebrate innovative tools and information technologies that can accelerate market transformation and achieve impact at scale. It will feature commentary from a panel of leading data experts and a set of ten “lightning demos” featuring transformative new tools and services—including the Tally app.
This “datapalooza” is the second of two events on data that USGBC has convened as part of its LEED, Materials, and Health Initiative. It builds on the Building Materials Data Jam held in Chicago in June in conjunction with the 2014 AIA National Convention. The Data Jam brought together representatives from 40 organizations specializing in data, tools, and services related to human health and environmental attributes of materials. The group discussed data-related challenges facing the building industry and identified opportunities to drive large-scale data transformation.
Now, USGBC's "Transforming Markets through Data Collaboration" session at Greenbuild will follow up on the success of the June Data Jam and celebrate the latest developments in tools and services. The industry leaders featured at this event are driving positive change in the green building industry and realizing the vision of accessible, actionable building materials data.
KieranTimberlake has a busy season of lectures and other appearances on the East Coast and overseas this fall. Matt Krissel kicked off the month of September in London as a speaker at the Big Cities, Big Ideas conference presented by the AIA Committee on Design, followed by a panel discussion by David Riz at a workshop on the Future of Design and Construction Management, and a keynote by Billie Faircloth at the Wood Urbanism conference at Harvard Graduate School of Design.
Topics for upcoming talks run the gamut from live demonstrations of our Tally LCA application, to an education session and tour of Dilworth Park, to a "power talk" by James Timberlake at AJ Footprint Live, a conference focusing on sustainability in cities.
Highlights include:
Oct 11 - Richard Maimon, Saratoga Design Conference, AIA New York State, Keynote Address: Research Culture, Saratoga, NY
Oct 14 - Billie Faircloth, Reinvention 2015, Presented by Architect and Residential Architect, Washington, DC
Oct 23 - Roderick Bates and Jonathan Rowe, Greenbuild 2014, Autodesk Education Session, New Orleans, LA
Nov 13 - Marilia Rodrigues and Christopher Boskey, Design on the Delaware, Education Session: Re-visioning Infrastructure in Center City, Philadelphia, PA
The renewed Stone Hall, a student residence that forms part of Harvard University's Quincy House, recently received a LEED Platinum rating, the highest level of sustainable building certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. As the first in a series of House renewal projects at Harvard, Stone Hall sets an important benchmark for the 2.5 million square feet of renovations that will follow. In addition to meeting ambitious sustainability goals, the renewal preserves Stone Hall's historic architectural character and the "House culture" of the 80 year-old residence.
A new light court replaces an under-utilized alleyway between the dining hall and new common spaces at McKinlock Hall.
At Harvard University, McKinlock Hall (part of Leverett House) reopened to the student community in August following significant renovations. The Harvard Crimson reports that the 165-bed residence hall, the second Harvard House to be renovated under the House renewal program, has been drawing praise from students for its modernized bedrooms and social spaces, including the lower-level spaces dubbed "the Rabbit Hole" (the house mascot is the rabbit).
Glowing glass pavilions at Dilworth Park welcome commuters to underground transit in Center City Philadelphia.
Dilworth Park had its ceremonial opening last week, with a ribbon cutting by Mayor Michael Nutter, who called the renovation “one of the most exciting things to happen in Philadelphia in the past 50 years.” Now, two-thirds of the site adjacent to Philadelphia's City Hall is complete, and the remaining elements will be completed in about six weeks. KieranTimberlake worked on the project in partnership with Urban Engineers and Olin.
Urban Engineers recently released a video of the new Dilworth Park featuring interviews with Philadelphians who expressed their reactions to the new public space, which had its opening on September 4. Urban Engineers worked in partnership with the design team from KieranTimberlake and landscape architects from Olin.
