Journal | Environmental Design
I Love Architecture
Open Architecture Workshop was founded on the belief that good architecture and design can make our world better. We don’t believe that getting rich or becoming famous should be the goals of our profession; but rather we should put our love of design to work to improve the lives of those we work for and with, those close to us, those in our local communities, and all those we share this planet with – with our creativity, inspiration, hard work, and resilience in creating stimulating and influential works of living art and space.
Mobile Environmental Laboratory
This year (for the Fall semester), instead of teaching, Scott has been asked to design the University’s new mobile environmental laboratory. Woodbury University has embarked on a new program at the San Diego Campus that more closely integrates the traditional architecture curriculum of design with environmental systems, environmental controls, systems integration, and the core physics prerequisites that has in-turn required a new on-campus environmental laboratory facility. Without the physical space to devote to this new lab function, and because the lab function bridges several courses and types of coursework, mobile environmental lab carts were envisioned that could be moved into classrooms or studios as needed. Three mobile labs are being fabricated to provide learning opportunities for students in small groups of no more than four.
Coffee Table
The design of furnishings has always been an important part of the complete environments we aspire to create in which individuals and groups have an opportunity to live rich and rewarding lives. As with everything we do here at O.A.W., our goal is protect and preserve precious natural resources by using recycled, recyclable, re-purposed, and/or low-environmental-impact materials in all of our designs in order construct more sustainable environments.
Identity Crisis
The public identity of a business must BOTH remain stable to display strength and confidence AND evolve to reflect changes within the company and externally in society; continually reconnecting client and provider. O.A.W. was founded in-part by a desire to provide architecture and environmental design services with a more flexible, open, and nimble approach. To this end, the graphics deployed to represent the firm are in constant evolution responding to all we’ve learned through our continued curiosity and expanding experience.
The firm logo has evolved over the last few years (as previously described in this post); and, incremental refinement of our logo continues today.
New Website Design
At long last, version 2.0 is up and running. This new streamlined design will permit more frequent posts without concern for the fussy layout of the previous version 1.5. Please check back soon as we resurrect the Demystification series!
Oh, yeah. Let us know what you think of the new design. We may not be able to respond immediately (the SPAM is ridiculous), but any comments are much appreciated.
New Graphics
We have been busy this year expanding our expertise with some in-house projects. In this post, new office signage that also serves to reduce morning solar heat gain and to minimize distractions from the busy sidewalk and street while still embracing the openness of the storefront windows.
What’s next?
We all know the economy has slowed down. It effects us all in different ways. Here at Open Architecture Workshop we are creating ways to keep our brains stimulated, our hearts fulfilled, and hopefully generate some alternative income streams along the way as we transit this recession.
Furnishing design is at the core of the founding of O.A.W. with our goal to produce holistic design solutions that enhance dwelling at all scales and with all senses; and now that we have a little time on our hands we have an extraordinary occasion to explore design at a slightly smaller scale. One previous furnishing project already posted here was a custom bathroom mirror. While designed specifically for the Re:House, it was intended to be a production-worthy design. Future plans include posting design documents under Creative Commons licensing to permit anybody to build their own. This is also the case with the new range of furnishings in design by O.A.W.
The Way(way)-Back Machine
The year is 1996. The event is the First International Green Building Conference in Austin Texas. The competition is the AIA Austin Green Birdhouse Design Competition.
While Scott was working for Ford Powell & Carson in San Antonio, he and Katy enter a Rainwater Collecting Sustainable Bluebird House for Mountain Bluebirds into the fray and win the “Audience Choice | Best of Show” category.
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Custom Bathroom Mirror | Light | Defogger
In the spirit of “multiplicities” (coming soon), a bathroom mirror cannot just be a bathroom mirror. This custom mirror designed for a residence incorporates a light and a defogger, and is designed as a home furnishing so it could be mass-produced in the future, bought at your local contemporary home furnishings store, and installed in just about any bathroom (of course there must be an available electrical box – which most homes have above their current bathroom mirror).
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Goodbye 2007, Hello 2008!
It’s just about time to bid farewell to 2007, the year that brought us Al Gore’s (shared) Nobel Peace Prize and the rise of Global Warming awareness, droughts in the Southeast United States, the iPhone, Vista/Leopard, the San Diego fires, the Boston Red Sox winning the World Series – again, continued drops in the real estate market and fiasco in the lending market, the exciting pre-election debates, and Open Architecture Workshop. Have a great 2008!
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Creative Commons