RAINWATER...IS IT NATURAL?

Rainwater?   Not everyone agrees on the use of Rainwater. Does it work to use this direct source of water?  The alternative here is to use groundwater or at a high cost run water for miles from Lake Travis where many human and animal activities occured before the journey through processes and pipes!! 

We believe in the value of rainwater harvesting.  The three commercial buildings that have been built next to West Hill Center all use or will use rainwater when completed.  Hays County, TX encourages the use of rainwater and more homes are depending on it as a superior natural source of water. 

I just read the following:  It looks like Los Angeles may soon require that people capture rainwater and do something responsible with it, rather than letting it run into storm drains.

From the Los Angeles Times:
Under the ordinance, builders would be required to use rainwater storage tanks, permeable pavement, infiltration swales or curb bump-outs to manage the water where it falls. Builders unable to manage 100% of a project's runoff on site would be required to pay a penalty of $13 a gallon of runoff not handled there -- a requirement the Building Industry Assn. has been fighting.

Look for more comments on rainwater soon.

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Project 2010

At the beginning of the year on the large sign in front of West Hill Business Center below the tenant's signs I posted the phrase "PROJECT 2010. 

Only a few people have asked me about what it is and to tell the truth I could not say.  It was a knowing that this was the year that we would find a clear direction for the land we own around West Hill.  That direction is emerging.

Stay tuned for more details....

LIVING GOES UNDER MICROSCOPE

How do you spend energy, water and other resources?  Researchers are going to take a close look at real life.

DALLAS Dec. 3,  2010 (Reuters, Real Estate Center, AgNMore News) – As printed in the RECON newsletter from Texas A&M

A planned $150 million "urban living laboratory" — complete with apartments, office space and tenants — could help pave the way to more sustainable communities.

At least that's what the Texas A&M University System and Dallas-based Realty Appreciation have in mind with what a Reuters story describes as "a commercial and residential incubator where cutting-edge sensors will monitor data on everything from light bulbs to appliances and toilets."

"There's nothing like it in the world," Realty Appreciation's Director of Real Estate Kevin Rogers said in a presentation last month at Texas A&M University's Mays Business School.

The urban living laboratory will be on 73 acres at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Dallas.
Johnson Controls is developing the technology platform that will collect data from every thermostat and faucet in the community for analysis. Rogers said the data will show "how people are utilizing these products, so we know how behavior affects the performance."

J.P. Hymel with Johnson Controls told Reuters the data will allow researchers to "study the process of building a green community — the design and construction — as well as the operation and management."

How many people could the 1.2 million-sf laboratory/community accommodate? In his presentation at Mays Business School, Rogers said it will provide apartment housing for 3,500 tenants, and it will have office space for 1,800 permanent, on-site jobs. That's in addition to the 150 research positions the project will require.

Companies such as General Electric, Philips Electronics, Owens Corning, LG Electronics and Kimberly-Clark have already agreed to donate products and appliances to the project. While they'll benefit by learning how their products are used and how effective they are, people who choose to live in the community could gain something from the arrangement as well.

For example, in addition to enjoying use of "smart" appliances donated by the corporate partners, Rogers said they might pay a reduced rent and 50 to 70 percent less in utilities. Work is expected to begin on the project late next year.

December 3, 2010     Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.

Material herein is published according to the fair-use doctrine of U.S. copyright laws related to non-profit, educational institutions. Items attributed to sources other than the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University should not be reprinted without permission of the original source.

Space for Contemplation

There is a Place on our land behind West Hill Center that calls for a sculptural space for contemplation--to observe the expansive views within and in the surroundings.  The Lost Pines Chapel offers an example of the spirit of the kind of space will be created near my favorite "rock falls".   In the months ahead we will announce the details for a design competition for this site.

 

Austin architect wins American Architecture Award

By Jeanne Claire van Ryzin | Thursday, October 7, 2010  Statesman

Austin architect Murray Legge of LZT Architects has won a prestigious 2010 American Architecture Award for the Lost Pines Chapel, a modest project on the banks of Lake Bastrop just outside Austin. The award is given by the Chicago Athenaeum and the European Centre for Architecture.
Commissioned by the Boy Scouts as an interfaith gathering spot, the open-air Lost Pines Chapel consists of interlocking cedar and metal frames. The project’s budget was a modest $40,000.
The modesty of the project is even more remarkable when considered against other winners of a American Architecture Award this year. Also getting the kudos are high profile — and high budget — projects such as Renzo Piano’s Resnick Pavilion at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Herzog & De Meuron’s Miami Art Museum.
Perhaps small is the new cool when it comes to design.

The Highly Strung View

The Art of Science has long held a fascination so I had to share the BBC's remarks on String Theory after being lead to the site by Richard Brunner on facebook.  This entry is a reminder that our private universe is small indeed when compared with the larger realities.

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Currently there are two 'golden rules' of physics - General Relativity, which governs the large-scale Universe and quantum mechanics, which governs the nanoworld of atoms. The problem is that the two laws don't really agree with each other. What is needed to bridge the gap is an extra clause that links the two, a 'theory of everything', known as quantum gravity, that has yet to be discovered.

Superstring theory is a contender for this prize. The idea is that the zoo of thousands of tiny 'elementary' particles that exist are not disparate entities but all originate from the same source - a vibrating string. The easiest way to imagine this is to think of a guitar string. Pressing on the fretboard alters the length of the vibrating string, producing a new note. Similarly, in superstring theory, elementary particles can be thought of as different notes played on the same string. Each string is unimaginably small, about 10²⁰ (100 billion billion) times smaller than a proton. Vibrating the string at different frequencies generates all the different types of oddly-named elementary particles, such as 'gluons', 'weakons' and 'strange quarks'.

But in order to vibrate, strings need lots of room. In fact they need more room than is available in the four-dimensional world in which we live (made up of height, width, depth and time). Superstring theory requires the presence of ten dimensions! But where have the other six gone? Physicists have suggested that during the Big Bang these other dimensions were folded away, or 'compactified' leaving only four to expand and evolve.

But what does this mean for dark matter, the missing mass of the Universe? If superstring theory is right then it could provide an unusual answer to this cosmic mystery. Although these hidden dimensions remain too small to be measured, gravity can travel in between them. Hence the extra mass that is missing from our Universe may just be fallout from these unseen dimensions.

First we'll have to wait to see whether superstring theory is accepted as the crucial 'theory of everything'. If it is, then astronomers might have finally discovered where dark matter has been hiding out.

Exploring Designs for a Live-Work Vision

There is seldom a day that I don't think about design for Hill Country commercial or residential structures. I have long believed that the traditional home offers rooms that are not used and so waste energy, resources and time.  Even with an abundance of size homes are often lacking in space for living as an artist or entrepreneur or other unique needs.  

 

The home designs we plan to built for our Live-Work projects north of Dripping Springs will include choices for workshop/studio creative space and/or office work space with generous well organized storage.

 

There are many questions to respond to.  What is the new Hill Country design look?  How many square feet are needed.  How should the space be organized? 

 

How will the beauty of the natural landscape with native plants be maintained and improved upon?  What materials and methods to use for eco friendly design while considering economic realities?

 

How do we stay true to our vision and meet the requirements of Hays County and TCEQ?  How do we create an environment for simplified living?  Who can help us along the way?

 

This week we met with Cammi Klier, founder of Custom Design Services, to talk initially about the vision for the 34 acres surrounding our home.  She shares our respect for the land and is knowledgeable about eco practices.  Go to Cammi's website to learn more about her work   http://www.cdshomedesign.com/.

 

Check back here to learn more about our projects as they grow organically.

 

 

 

Live-Work as a Way of Life

Five years ago while we were waiting for someone to buy the house at the end of the road that had lingered on the market for months an idea began to brew. Finally, we bought it and transformed the traditional family home to professional offices now known as West Hill Business Center. 

We were told we were ahead of the curve for this rural area, but have found that the space fills a nitch for business owners that live within four miles. It makes sense for them to office nearby and save hours and the stress of commuting. 

We also believe in the Live-Work approach and so next to West Hill Business Center we have posted a sign which invites inquiries about Live-Work options and because banks are holding on to their money for now we are offering financing at 5.88% so you can get started on your dream.  As with everything in our lives this is an organic process partially fueled by long talks with Joe over coffee before dawn. I’ll be sharing more about our vision.

Recently, these figures were shared with me and are inline with numbers I calculated several years ago while on a Chamber of Commerce committee for shopping with local merchants.

“The average AMERICAN worker commutes 2,906 miles per year and travels 1,622 miles on business by car.”

The average commute time in AMERICA is the highest in the Suburbs: 45 minutes a day per trip. That's the equivalent of one working day every two weeks. And of course many people spend much longer than 22.5 minutes getting to and from work. Many folks travel further here from the country into Austin or beyond.

Having Live-Work premises can therefore produce a significant increase in working time.  For someone used to a 45 minute travel to/from work, for example, the figure would be a huge 20%.  This is just the start of it.

What about those unnecessary meetings and all those interruptions at work? It is little wonder that all respected reports on productivity and Live-Work have concluded that those who work from are significantly more productive - most reports suggest anything from 15% to 30%. And those who work from home are also said to be much less likely to take time off with illness. 

It's this simple: working in a Live-Work situation will save you time and effort. But more than that---Live-Work is a natural way to live for one who values independence and is ready to create the dream.  That said the key is to always do what you are passionate about wherever you are.