Sustainable Community Design for Public Housing

The Economics of Reuse

2009-12-18T15:29:00.002-05:00

...Youtube style!

Just for Fun... The Can Man

2009-12-18T15:26:00.002-05:00

Below is a lovely aside if you are in need of some stress relief like me!

Traditional Building Magazine "Architectural Salvage & Antique Building Materials" article by Hadiya Strasberg

2009-12-18T15:19:00.002-05:00

http://www.traditional-building.com/Previous-Product-Reports/3-salvage.htm

The following is an excerpt:
"Antique architectural elements frequently have better workmanship and materials than modern reproductions -- and thus are often used as dramatic accent pieces. In addition, employing recycled building materials is a very earth-friendly activity.
...
Always popular for restoration projects, architectural antiques are now just as likely to be procured for new construction."

Traditional Building Magazine Architectural Salvage Organizations List

2009-12-18T15:18:00.003-05:00

http://www.traditional-building.com/814.htm

Online Digital Media on Architectural Salvage

2009-12-18T14:37:00.007-05:00

The Case for Architectural Salvaging

2009-12-18T13:55:00.001-05:00

- SALVAGING AND REINCORPORATION OF HOMETOWN TREASURES

- JOB BENEFITS OF RECYCLING

- BOTTOM LINE SAVINGS

- ABUNDANT SOURCES OF SUPPLY

NEIGHBORHOOD SOURCES
radio swap and sell programs
flea markets
garage sales

BUILDING TRADESPEOPLE
carpenters
plumbers
electricians

DEMOLITION CONTRACTORS

ARCHITECTS AND DECORATORS

SALVAGE EMPORIUMS
salvage dealers
junkyards
salvage yards

PUBLIC AUCTIONS

GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES

Information adapted from Salvaged Treasures by Michael Litchfield ISBN 0-442-25841-0. See this book for a detailed set of instructions explaining exactly how to use and integrate salvaged materials into a new structure or addition.

>- TURN GARBAGE INTO HOUSING

Ex: San Jose, California can and bottle house with steel frame
Ex: Oslo, Norway family house with walls of square oil cans filled with sand and cement
"ZERO VALUE: THE PERFECT RESOURCE BASE"
Although recycling has its limitations in its level of efficiency, reuse is very efficient
Each of the "principle solid waste materials" (paper, cardboard, steel, glass, aluminum, and plastics) can be used as building material
The "temporary duty" of packaging can find a second, permanent iteration as part of a home
EX: Richmond, Virginia Reynolds Metals Company recycled house

Information adapted from Garbage Housing by Martin Pewley ISBN 0-85139-240-7

Wheelchair Recycler: Because Mobility is Right

2009-10-15T11:06:00.000-04:00

For more information, visit http://wheelchairrecycler.org

Streamwatch Benthic Macroinvertebrate Sampling Methods and Protocol Video

2009-10-13T23:40:00.000-04:00

StreamWatch Benthic Macroinvertebrates Sampling Fieldwork

2009-10-13T09:46:00.000-04:00

Here are some sample photos from the fieldwork that I conducted as a StreamWatch volunteer on Saturday, October 3, 2009 from 10 AM to 3 PM. Stream sampling, though seemingly having nothing to do with sustainable community design, actually has a LOT to do with sustainable community design. The actions that designers take today in their building and construction practices have tremendous implications for the environment. For example, benthic macroinvertebrates, which are basically bottom-dwelling insects with spines that can be seen with the naked eye, reveal how healthy a stream is, which combined with all streams in a watershed, reveal how healthy an entire waterway and its surrounding ecosystem is.

I'll bet you didn't know that these "bugs" can reveal so much about the health and sustainability of a river and its streams.