Maurita Walker recaps her BD+C Under 40 Summit Trip to San Francisco

 

We arrived in San Francisco, not really knowing what to expect. Anxious, nervous and excited about this experience.

Who else is here?

What are we going to do?

Are we prepared?

 

The first thing on the agenda was a tour at AutoDesk to see the new technology and then on to a light reception where an interview Art Gensler was the highlight of the evening. We met some new colleagues from various facets of the industry. Not only were there architects, but builders, engineers, contract procurement folks and of course a single landscape architect.

There was a great team building segment that first evening with The Great Marshmallow Challenge!

We were divided into several teams, no more than four each and ask to construct a self-supporting structure out of tape, balsa wood and string, with the marshmallow as the topper. It was a lot of fun and very competitive!

 

This lead us into the next day, where bright and early we were posed with the task to teach someone how to make toast.

In an extremely descriptive manner, I think I pulled it off quite well.

 

Then we were put to the challenge of selecting from eight topics:

1. Access + Mobility
2. Aesthetics + Beauty
3. Climate Change + Environment
4. Food Equity
5. Human Health + Performance
6. Human Spirit + Quality of Life
7. Social Justice
8. Technological Innovation

They lead us into Visual Thinking in a competition format. We explored the nodes and links to grasp a particular concept and its impact on a larger scale beyond our setting, our community, our country.

We were divided into large groups and asked to do what’s called “Systems Thinking” with post-its. Again looking at the intimate webs that can spawn from a single idea.

 

The group that I joined was under the umbrella of “Human Spirit + Quality of Life”. There were about 15 of us and we did an exercise in silence with post-it notes categorizing them according to our own personal discretion, but within the group. It was awesome because EVERY idea was put on the board. No one felt intimidated to either not participate or even to move someone else’s to a different category. Kind of hard to explain without a visual.

 

Ultimately our smaller group of four people zeroed in a “Education as a model for Community and Community as a model for Education” Believe it or not, this stemmed from the first one.

So we had to come up with a “Big Idea” and give a 90 second “sell” to the group to get their buy in. Alas, my group, did not win the big prize, but the experience was something that I can utilize in future settings when brainstorming or trying to get resolution.

I highly recommend that we send some folks back next year!

 

 

Meet PHX- Gina Mathey

 

Gina is a Licensed Architect in Mexico. She was born and raised in Mexico City, where she received her Bachelor’s in Architecture from Universidad Iberoamericana.

While completing her studies, Gina traveled to multiple countries and experienced different cultures. Her interest for art and cultures of the Ancient World lead Gina to Italy and France, where she lived and studied painting and restoration.

 

Gina has over 12 years’ experience in a range of building typologies which include Residential, Retail, Student Housing, Higher Education, Medical Clinics, Religious and Military, Navy & Marine Facilities.

After leaving in urban settings such as Los Angeles, Dallas and Mexico City, she moved to the Arizonan desert with her husband. After more than a decade living in the country, Gina’s working experience has been in Architecture and Interior Design firms. She recently worked at DWL where she was a Project Architect on Midwestern University higher education projects.

Gina recently joined PHX Architecture and is working on the Sanctuary Hospice project.

Gina speaks English, Spanish, Italian and French.

Gina is an International Associate Member of the American Institute of Architects.

movement adopters- PHX Arch adopts the 2030 Movement

Did you know? Building and construction consume more energy than any other sector and is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases on the planet? With so much attention given to transportation emissions, many people are surprised to learn this fact. …

A Vanishing City

It could be a very sad day for many Frank Lloyd Wright lovers and architecture enthusiasts, come November 7th if the Phoenix City Council does not vote in favor of designating the 1950’s home built by Frank Lloyd Wright and …

hot off the press! LUXE Interiors+Design Magazine

PHX Architecture made the cover of the Arizona issue of LUXE Interiors+Design Magazine!

LUXE Magazine features our Sedona desert contemporary design.

Built by: DeTar Construction

Interiors by: Inside-Out Ltd.

Click here to see the full spread here.

PHX Architecture makes the cover of LUXE Magazine

What’s In Your Sketchbook? Laura Hughes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHXEDFh8cKk&feature=email

What’s in Your Sketchbook? Laura Hughes

Laura Hughes, an Architect in Training at PHX Arch gives us an inside look into her “sketchbook”.

What is your favorite sketching tool? Tape and matte black paint.

Do you prefer a certain type of paper? The thicker the better.

Where do you find inspiration? I find inspiration when subtle changes make large impacts.

Fondest moment of inspiration? My fondest moment of inspiration was during my childhood. It was watching my grandfather work in his workshop. He was a finish carpenter who’s passion was building handmade furniture. I remember always smelling the fresh saw dust as I watched him design and build. It was in my grandfather’s basement that I realized I loved building.

What do you listen to while you draw? I listen to The Knife, Mumford & Sons, Milosh and anything in between.

What do you usually sketch? I usually sketch in plan and section. I like to understand how the spaces respond to each other both vertical and in horizontal planes.

Can-struction 2012

PHX Architecture is excited to participate in this year’s Phoenix Canstruction! Canstruction is an international design competition that brings companies from the AEC Industry together by creating structures and designs entirely out of canned foods. Teams are responsible for acquiring their cans and coming up with a design that will be able to stand on it’s own for a week at the Phoenix Convention Center.

Also joing the team are employees from Hoskin.Ryan Consulting Engineers, Sources+Design Magazine, AZBEX, and is sponsored by Sherwin-Williams.

All canned food used in Canstruction is donated to St. Mary’s Food Bank, where food will be processed and donated to millions of families in the state of Arizona and parts of New Mexico. Competitions are held in over 140 cities, and last year 2 million pounds of canned food was donated!

Last year PHX Architecture spent weeks strategizing, shopping, and trial building our 2,000 can “CanCopia” design. 3 tests builds, 2 falls, and 12 dented cans later- we finally got the hang of our design and it stood 1 full week at CityScape.

If you would like to donate canned food or money to our efforts, please email jaclynm@phxarch.com.

Read Edifice and check our facebook throughout the competition for updates on our design process, and to find out more information on Canstruction click here

Canstruction Team 2011

Cargotecture

by Samantha Evans

Fueled by increasing environmental awareness and an economic slump, architects all over the world are turning to shipping containers for use in homes, offices, and massive urban projects. The same steel boxes used to transport cars and appliances overseas are now becoming a part of a new trend in green-building. Cargotecture, a term originally coined in 2004 by HyBrid Architecture, is catching on as a low-cost and environmentally friendly means of building.

Costing anywhere from $1,000-4,500 each, depending on size and condition, Intermodal Steel Building Units (ISBUs) are circulated each year by the millions. Each is originally designed to withstand the elements without paint and is strong enough to stack fourteen units deep on container ships. Architects like Peter DeMaria see these Lego-like blocks as perfect for building hurricane and earthquake proof housing. The face of his own design company, Peter DeMaria of California recently launched a new home building firm called Logical Homes, aimed at designing modern and sustainable houses. This includes nine different models of container homes. The idea has also been pushed to use shipping containers as disaster relief housing in areas like the Caribbean, and especially Haiti.

Not only are they extremely durable, but it has been found that container homes are generally 20% cheaper to build than homes that use traditional construction. They are also about 40% faster to assemble. Easily portable by truck, ship, or train, an average of fifteen containers can be installed with one crane in a day. This means a significant decrease in construction time. Another time saver: these blocks can be just as easily disassembled as they are put together. Japanese architect Shigeru Ban used cargo containers to form the walls of his museum for just this reason. The Nomadic Museum was originally created to display traveling photographer Gregory Colbert’s exhibit titled Ashes and Snow. Consisting of cargo units and large paper tubes, the building was intended to be frequently taken down and reassembled in all different parts of the world.

Currently, local and international companies alike are looking to Cargotecture as a new and unique approach to sustainable building. Recycling a steel container into a home takes only about 5% of the energy needed to melt it, although the energy saved doesn’t stop there. The flat tops of these containers and their ability to withstand large amounts of weight make them easy applicants for green roofs. This could provide habitat, water collection, and even better insulation for the building. Some projects are even incorporating solar panels, like HyBrid’s Sunset Idea House 2011. This 192 sq. ft. home was built to sleep a family of four and incorporates several other energy-saving features like composting toilets, roof-water harvesting and reuse, and natural gas appliances.

This affordable, modern, and green way of building is moving quickly into the mainstream. Economic demands and an increasing awareness of environmental issues may be two of the biggest factors contributing to this new trend’s growing acceptance. While it hasn’t reached its full potential yet, Cargotecture is on the rise. The next time you see a steel shipping container built to transport cars, appliances, and foods overseas, it may be far from any waterfront. A new way of sustainable building is taking the world by storm.