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Design Smart Seminar Series
This year the show will feature the Design Smart Seminar series, co-sponsored by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Philadelphia. Open to both architects and the general public, the series will feature sessions on a wide range of topics: attendees can hear an award-winning architect’s views on what makes a beautiful house, determine how to create a healthy home, explore designing with timber frame construction, see what’s new in sustainable flooring materials, learn about energy conservation at home, discover the treasure trove of reusable timbers from the urban factory infrastructure, and examine the furniture legacy of the arts and crafts movement. Most seminars will count toward architects’ continuing education requirements.
SEMINAR DESCRIPTIONS
Dare We Call a House Beautiful?
Presenter: Jeremiah Eck, FAIA
Why is it that Americans build so many ugly houses? It’s a question that any architect who designs houses for a living or anyone who cares deeply about the world around them must ask. A misproportioned house pollutes our visual environment just as much as hazardous waste pollutes our land. Sprawl too wouldn’t be nearly so disheartening if we could simply build more pleasing houses. This talk will examine five simple principles that will show anyone how to create more beautiful homes.
Jeremiah Eck, FAIA, is the founding partner of Boston-based Jeremiah Eck Architects, Inc., a firm specializing in residential and private school work. Eck is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, College of Fellows and a former Lecturer in Architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He is the author of The Distinctive Home: A Vision of Timeless Design and The Face of Home.
CORA: Three Points of View
Presenters: Duo Dickinson, AIA; Jeremiah Eck, FAIA; Dennis Wedlick, AIA
The Congress of Residential Architecture was founded to encourage better residential architecture nationwide and to foster better communications among architects, builders, homeowners, and all others directly or indirectly involved in house design and production. This seminar will include three presentations (Dumb Growth, Pluralistic Practice and Marketing Sustainable Residential Design) followed by a question and answer period by the founders of CORA. Participants will have the opportunity to hear some of the critical issues facing residential designers today and to hear how they can join CORA, now over 20 chapters strong across the country.
Duo Dickinson, AIA, has a residential practice based in Madison, Connecticut. He has received numerous design awards and is the author of six books about residential design, including Small Houses for the Next Century and The House You Build. Dickinson has taught at Yale University and Roger Williams University and is a frequent lecturer on the subject of residential architecture.
Dennis Wedlick, AIA, founder of New York City-based architecture firm, Dennis Wedlick Architect LLC, is nationally renowned for building expressive and sustainable homes that blend traditional references with the unexpected. He and his firm have won numerous design awards. Wedlick is the author of several books about residential design, including the soon-to-be-released Good House Hunting: 20 Steps to Your Dream Home.
English Arts & Crafts Architects and their Furniture
Presenter: Jonathan Binzen
London was the epicenter of the Arts and Crafts movement and architects were its first proponents. Following the ideas and example of William Morris, a generation of young English architects invested their energy in designs for furniture and other decorative arts as well as buildings. This talk traces the arc of English Arts and Crafts furniture design from the work by Philip Webb for Morris & Co. to the Cotswold furniture made personally by architect-turned-furnituremaker Sidney Barnsley to the integrated interiors and site-specific furniture of C.F.A. Voysey and M.H. Baillie Scott.
Jonathan Binzen, former senior editor at Fine Woodworking magazine, is a writer and photographer specializing in furniture and interiors. His book Arts and Crafts Furniture, co-written with Kevin P. Rodel, was published by Taunton Press.
Point of Entry: An Overview of Authentic Doors
Presenter: Steven Hendricks, owner of Historic Doors LLC
Perhaps no other element is a better microcosm of a building’s design than the entryway. As a primary component of the façade, the entryway is one of the most important features of a building. The seminar will take a retrospective look at wooden doorways, their design, construction methods, and how they have evolved through the history of American building styles. Also covered will be characteristics of wood, wood species selection, and good practice in wood door and entryway fabrication. This seminar will provide architects, designers, and craftsmen with answers to common questions, solutions to problems of design, and guidelines for best practices.
Steven Hendricks is the owner of Historic Doors LLC located in Kempton, PA. Established in 1981, the company specializes in producing appropriate doors and entryways for period style applications. Their work appears in fine residences, universities and churches throughout the country. Steven is a member of The Institute of Classical Architecture and Classical America as well as an associate member of the Philadelphia AIA. His combined experience as a designer and a craftsman brings a unique perspective to this subject.
Citilogs
Presenter: Donald “Stubby” Warmbold, founder of Citilog
This presentation will describe Citilog’s “green” approach to the recycling of salvage urban trees. This New Jersey-based company uses a combination of salvaging/urban logging, horse logging methods and FSC Chain of Custody wood to produce high-quality custom millwork at standard stock prices. Citilog grew out of Mr. Warmbold’s observation of the thousands of trees that are knocked down each year by storms or that must be removed because of age, damage or disease. Such trees are usually dumped in landfills or cut for firewood, burnt, or ground up for mulch. Citilog helps protect the environment and keeps usable material out of the waste stream. The process also results in hand-crafted products with a very interesting provenance.
Born into a Canadian logging family, Stubby Warmbold began working in his uncle’s sawmill at 15, and eventually opened his own mill. Environmental logging bans forced him to come east, where he worked with sawmills in Pennsylvania Dutch country to turn out low-grade industrial wood products. The value-added feature of his business interested clients concerned with environmental issues, which led to the creation of CitiLog in 2000.
Wood Window Restoration and Weatherization
Presenter: Michael Orrell
Finding suitable replacement windows for an existing home with lovely, period-appropriate wood windows is no easy feat. The good news is that replacement windows are not the only option. It's possible to repair and weatherize existing wood windows to keep a home's traditional look. This task can be manageable for even the weekend craftsman, and this seminar will provide detailed how-to on the process, including: sash removal; epoxy repair; paint removal and reapplication; weatherizing and storm windows; along with providing an overview of the history of windows, sash and glass.
Michael Orrell is a Master Craftsman, working in the preservation trades since 1970. His custom woodworking projects have been featured in Colonial Homes and Philadelphia Magazine. For the last ten years, he has been specializing in historical window restoration. He is currently a Project Manager and runs the Woodworking and Window Restoration Shop for Hoffman Painting and Refinishing, Inc.
Sustainable Wall Coverings
Presenter: TBA
Did you realize that not all wall coverings are created equal? For example readily available are paints from local paint stores with almost zero amounts of volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) and cost just a bit more than the same paint with VOCs. The no or low VOC paints have no odor or toxic impact on your family or workers and have been rated by independent third party raters. Some wallpapers contain recycled content or are made from natural fibers with no harmful finishes. A presentation of these product choices will be discussed by an expert in the field.
LEED for Homes Overview
Presenters: Scott Wagner, Mike Brown and Jackie O'Neil
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for Homes is the new rating system which builds on which builds on the incredible success of the existing LEED rating systems for commercial buildings, and addresses the unique needs of the home building market. Scott Wagner of the Energy Coordinating Agency and Mike Brown of MaGrann Associates will present the basics of the LEED for Homes pilot and current residential projects underway in the Delaware Valley.
Scott Wagner is a Senior Energy Analyst with the Enegy Coordinating Agency, www.ecasavesenergy.org.
Mike Brown is currently a Program Manager with MaGrann Assoicates, www.magrann.com.
Jackie O'Neil is owner of a LEED for home.
Sustainable Flooring
Presenter: Todd Ballentine
There are hundreds of green flooring options that are supplied with features that position them as premium products. It might be that they are made from a rapidly renewable product such as wool, bamboo or cork, that they contain recycled products like used tires or rubber or are made from natural materials like linoleum. Participants will learn about the attributes of these products and how they compare to each other. Come discover which ones best suits your needs. Todd Ballentine is with Environmental Home Design.
Creating a Healthy Home
Presenter: Jim Quigley
Jim will share a basic understanding of biological, chemical and electromagnetic issues that arise in home ownership and operation. These include issues such as mold, mildew, toxins, radon, etc. He will cover what exposures are unhealthy and strategies for solutions that homeowners can accomplish by themselves and where assistance from professionals is necessary Jim Quigley is the owner of Healthy Spaces, INC.
Energy Smart Homes
Presenter: Hap Haven
With the price of home heating and cooling rising, most home owners are looking for ways to weatherize their homes to reduce costs, yet remain as comfortable as possible. Hap Haven is an energy professional who specializes in home energy forensics to solve problems such as a drafty house, cold rooms, high heating or cooling bills, wet or moldy basements, a desire to become more energy independent and a desire to help the environment. He will present an overview of the most prevalent home energy problems in the Philadelphia area as well as ways for homeowners to make energy efficient changes and corrections.
Hap Haven owner of SunHaven Homes, has been a national leader in the field of energy education for more than 20 years. Hap helped found three energy non-profit organizations, has designed educational materials in use across the United States and pioneered the "home systems approach" toward energy education. Hap is actively involved in the community, including being the founder and past head of the Friends of Cloverly Park. Hap is intensely interested in issues of social and environmental justice.
Incorporating Timber Framing into Your Designs
Presenter: Hugh Lofting, Hugh Lofting Timberframing
Hugh Lofting will give an overview of how architects can successfully and innovatively incorporate timber framing into their designs. Hugh Lofting began his construction career in the early 1970’s restoring period homes in the Lancaster, PA area. Hugh was one of a handful of woodworkers in the country responsible for the revival of the art of timber framing in the United States. Hugh has traveled extensively, domestically and abroad, studying timber framing methods across cultures. His work is influenced by European, Asian and American techniques.
How to Work with an Architect
Presenter: Gerald Lee Morosco, AIA
Anyone who has experienced remodeling or building a home from the ground up knows the process can be trying at best, infuriating at worst. That process can be made infinitely more enjoyable when you have the benefit of a professional architect’s expertise. Noted architect Gerald Lee Morosco presents a thorough discussion of the collaboration process, beginning with what an architect is, how an architect can add value to your project, and the criteria for a successful client/architect relationship. This session coincides with the publication of Mr. Morosco’s book, How to Work with an Architect, and includes checklists, worksheets and other tools.
Gerald Lee Morosco, AIA is the founder and president of Gerald Lee Morosco Architects, P.C., a preservation-based architectural firm in western Pennsylvania. He pursued his education as an architect by way of a traditional apprenticeship at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin, and currently serves as the chairman of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. Mr. Morosco has received many awards, and his projects have been featured in Metropolitan Home, Inspired House, Old House Journal, Old House Interiors, Style 1900, as well as on HGTV.
Putting the Sun to Work in Your Home
Presenter: Dennis R. Winters
This seminar will explain how solar energy applications are becoming cost effective ways of reducing energy bills, dependence on foreign sources of energy, fossil fuel depletion, and greenhouse gas emissions. He will describe the various technologies used to harness solar energy to provide domestic hot water, space heating, and electricity. Winters will also describe solar federal tax incentives that were included in last year's Energy Policy Act, and other incentives and financing available to homeowners in the Tri-state area.
Dennis R. Winters is Coordinator of the Philadelphia Million Solar Roofs Partnership, a US Department of Energy-funded coalition of area environmental groups, solar industry representatives, and solar system contractors/installers, which promotes solar energy applications through public education and is administered by the Energy Coordinating Agency of Philadelphia. Following a 32-year career as a mechanical engineer, Winters has spent the last 12 years as a professional environmentalist with the Sierra Club, Clean Air Council, and most recently with the Energy Coordinating Agency of Philadelphia. Winters is currently on the board of directors and Secretary of the Energy Cooperative Association of Pennsylvania. He has also served six years as a Chairman of the Regional Citizens Committee of the Delaware Valley.
Designing Thos. Moser Furniture
Presenter: David Moser
David Moser, Thomas Moser's fourth and youngest son, works closely with his father to develop ad design furniture that combines historical influences - classical Japanese joinery, the sentimentality of the Arts and Crafts Movement, the untutored aesthetics of the Shaker period of the 1830s and '40s, and the urbane German Bauhaus movement of the 1920s-to create what he calls "functional art." In this slide-filled talk, David relates how he designs timeless "poetry as furniture," the synthesis of what has been given us by craftsmen and designers of the past.
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