Hemingway on his writing routine

"Nothing can hurt you, nothing can happen, nothing means anything until the next day when you do it again. It is the wait until the next day that is hard to get through."-Ernest Hemingway

 Image Credit: George Karger/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images

Denver Parks and Rec + DDP: The Future of Denver's Outdoor Spaces

From our inbox today:

We are requesting YOUR input:  Please Join Us for Denver's Outdoor Downtown Public Meeting Help shape the future of OUTDOOR spaces in Downtown Denver! Come join us in the early stages of developing a long-term vision for how your parks and public spaces will contribute to a thriving and move livable downtown. Denver Parks and Recreation and the Downtown Denver Partnership are seeking input from Downtown residents, workers, and everyone that visits and uses outdoor spaces.  Why should you attend?  Learn about the project goals and influences of past plans Tell us how you use outdoor spaces in the Downtown-area and what you think is needed in the future Share your ideas and knowledge Be a part of a community discussion that will shape the future of our city!  Meeting Date: Tuesday, December 9 7:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Oxford Hotel, 1659 Wazee Street - Grand Ballroom, 2nd Floor 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. McNichols Civic Center Building, 144 West Colfax - 3rd Floor PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD: This meeting is open to everyone and we strongly encourage you to share this invitation with your co-workers, colleagues, fellow residents and anyone else that may be interested. More Information About the Denver's Outdoor Downtown Plan The Downtown Denver Partnership and the City and County of Denver Department of Parks and Recreation are co-leading a new planning process that will be the first plan that comprehensively addresses all aspects of Downtown parks and public spaces. The title of the plan is Denver’s Outdoor Downtown: Turning Urban Spaces into Thriving Places. Successful public spaces define a downtown. If they are healthy and activated, they contribute to the economic prosperity of an area. If they are “broken” they negatively impact the identity of the area, public safety and the ability to attract and retain businesses. The Downtown Denver Partnership, together with the Downtown Denver Business Improvement District, has long been engaged in the maintenance, activation and redevelopment of our Downtown parks and public spaces. Examples include: Redevelopment, maintenance and activation of Skyline Park. Funding events, police and driving policy for Civic Center. Advocating for the creation of Commons Park. Undertaking all aspects of maintaining and activating the 16th Street Mall. Helping shape the design and maintenance of Wynkoop Plaza.  When the Partnership and the City developed the 2007 Downtown Area Plan, one of the five key vision elements was creating "A Green City"---which addressed the importance of strategies and plans for Downtown parks and public spaces. This planning process is a significant result of that goal – it will truly shape the future of our public spaces, and we encourage you to attend and share this invitation with your co-workers, colleagues, fellow residents and anyone else that may be interested.

Place, Craft and Community

“…between tradition and modernity there is a bridge. When they are mutually isolated, tradition stagnates and modernity vaporizes; when in conjunction, modernity breathes life into tradition, while the latter replies with depth and gravity.”
--Octavio Paz, Nobel Lecture : In Search of the Present 

Last night's guest lecture event at University Colorado at Denver was a presentation of "Ideas & Things" from Brian MacKay-Lyons.  It had been almost 8 years since Brian and I had last hung out--the previous being back in 2007 for the AIA Colorado Convention in Vail, and then nearly 10 years before that at Ghost 8 on his farm.  We both appeared a bit older to each other [and hopefully wiser] with Brian having his hip replaced this past spring, and me approaching mid-thirties with a growing family.  It was a good reunion.

The new work that was presented included a re-purposed house design that was transformed  from his firm's submission for an un-selected competition entry for the Fallingwater cabin competition.  The new rendition is a bit more "fancy"--complete with lap pool and a chimney built entirely of stacked stone from a nearby quarry. This is one of the rare houses that Brian has designed that will be above $125 per sf, and he expressed his interest in living there once it is completed.  

The new age Architect = Artisan + Artist + Activist

Brian MacKay-Lyons

MLS un-selected Fallingwater Cotage design submission...

...gets tweaked and re-purposed...

...into a new home on the Nova Scotia coast.

Some of the more intriguing topics centered around the idea of "achieving the banal" is his projects--in other words: creating the feeling that they had always been there.  This of course requires a profound understanding of the local material culture, landscape and climate.  For instance--Brian alluded to the fact that he does not include roof overhangs or gutters on his houses due to the fact that there are over 250 freeze/thaw cycles per year but it doesn't typically stay cold for a long period of time.  Ice dams and strong uplifting winds near the coast would quickly show why deep eaves and overhangs do not belong in the Arcadian climate.  Also--wood is a very prominent and cheaply available local material in Nova Scotia, not to mention that almost every tradesman in the area is a master woodworker.  Lastly--his houses are typically situated on top of hills.  This not only provides spectacular views of the ocean horizon, but is typically the flattest place on the site to build.

The banal Box house: first sketch and final product

Box House: b&w

There were also some exciting glimpses into his upcoming book titled "Local Architecture: Building Place, Craft and Community".  It includes work by lots of Architects within this line of thinking as well as his own.  Brian wanted me to stipulate that he was not allowed to choose the main title nor the cover photos, which is something book publishers never tell you when you set out to create a book.

Available for pre-order here.

Denver Modern Home Tour

Denver Modern Home Tour

October 25 @ 11:00 am - 4:00 pm

| $20

Benefiting

With thanks to

DATE: Saturday, October 25, 2014
TIME: 11:00am – 4:00pm
COST: $20 Online in advance, $25 Day of
LOCATION: A link to the tour homes’ locations will be posted here
TRANSPORTATION: Self-driving, Self-paced

Advance tickets are on sale through FRIDAY, October 24 AT 8:00 PM for $20 each. Tickets purchased after that time MUST be purchased at any of the tour homes beginning at 11:00 am on October 25 for $25 each. Children 12 and under are free.

Tickets get you into all homes on the tour.

Advance tickets WILL NOT BE MAILED. You MUST pick up your advance tickets at any of the three WILL CALL locations on the day of the tour (October 25, 2014) beginning at 11:00 am. Will call locations will be announced as soon as the home lineup is finalized.

See more info here.

Build LLC: On Perfection

Very Very Very true!

Notes on the Nature of Perfection

Pecha Kucha Night Denver Volume 23: City Build Edition

PechaKucha Denver CityBuild Edition  June 19th | 6:00 - 10:00 PM At Skyline Park |  Between 15th and 16th on Arapahoe.   Join PechaKucha Denver and CityBuild Denver June 19th from 6pm-10pm in Skyline Park...for our first ParkchaKucha! Start summer off right by enjoying live music and fantastic speakers. Don't forget to bring your own cold beer and a picnic to make it a complete summer experience. Speakers begin promptly at 8:20pm. Stay tuned for more speaker details. This event is free, but registration is requested. Volume 22 registration filled up in 30 hours, so please register early. A big thanks to the folks at CityBuild Denver and the Downtown Denver Partnership for making this fabulous event possible.

Pecha Kucha Night Denver: Clyfford Still Edition (Volume 22)

1959 Throwback at the Clyfford Still Museum

May 1st | 7:00 PM

At the Clyfford Still Museum | 1250 Bannock St.

Presenters Include:

Susan Schulten

Department chair & professor of history 

University of Denver

 

Bud Coleman

Department chair & professor of theatre  

University of Colorado, Boulder 

 
Lindsey Feitz
Postdoctoral teaching fellow in the gender & women’s studies program
University of Denver

Stephen E. Nash
Department chair & curator of archaeology
Denver Museum of Nature & Science

Darrin Alfred
Associate curator of architecture, design, & graphics
Denver Art Museum

Michael J. Henry
Executive director
Lighthouse Writers Workshop

Dean Sobel
Director
Clyfford Still Museum

Victoria (Tori) Eastburn
Director of Education & Programs
Clyfford Still Museum

Join us at the Clyfford Still Museum for an exciting line up of speakers that provide a contextual backdrop for the exhibition, 1959: The Albright Art Gallery Exhibition Recreated.

Event starts at 7, but doors open at 6 and there will be hors d'oeuvres before the speakers start. This event is free, but space is limited to 100 people. Registration opens Monday, April 14, 2014.

Login first thing Monday morning the 14th to get your seat! If you register and are unable to attend, please notify us so we can open additional registrations.

A big thanks to the folks at the Clyfford Still Museum for asking us to a part of this wonderful exhibition. 

In the inbox today:

Converge for Big Hearts 

February 15th | 8:00 PM

At Converge Denver | 3327 Brighton Blvd.
Presenters Include:
John Maikowski | Converge Denver

Brandon Serna | Thin Air Culture

Katy Gevargis | Architectural Designer & Artist 
Benny Kaplan | Wafflich
Stay tuned for more speaker details!
 

Join us at PechaKucha vol 21 to listen to some of the big hearts of Denver talk about making an impact right here in our city and around the world.

Join us afterwards to mingle with our fabulous speakers! Registration is required as space is limited to 150 people.

A big thanks to the folks at Converge Denver for hosting this event and to Katy Gevargis for the wonderful poster design. Thanks guys!
  

Spring 2014 CU Denver CAP Lecture Series

Collaboration

A well written article on the value of recognizing collaboration in Architecture, and a constructive look into how we actually work in this day and age:

http://archpaper.com/news/articles.asp?id=7038