The four-day conference brings representatives from twenty nations to share knowledge and advancements in glass fiber concrete technology. Keynote presentations by Elemental Architecture, New York and Foster and Partners, London.

Details on the Congress can be found here.

About elemental

elemental is an award-winning New York City based collaborative consisting of Elemental Architecture LLC & Sine Elemental LLC joined by an inherent commitment to environmental and social responsibility. Founded on over 40-years of research and experience in energy-conscious design, current elemental projects include a high-performance addition and renovations to the Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins County, in Ithaca NY; the $150 million Historic Reconstruction of Shepard Hall for the City College of New York; Interior design and identity & media for Greenhouse 26, projected to be New York City’s first ‘green’ boutique hotel as well as several private residential projects throughout New York. elemental is located at 154 West 14th Street, New York, NY 212.616.4110

Ms. Conroy;

Your observations in your piece “Publish or Perish” are well taken and I believe true, however, I would offer that rather than cast online forums such as Facebook and LinkedIn as tools for self-promotion, architects should be using them to assert thought leadership.

Our responsibility, as architects, extends not only to the places we create but also to communicating & educating on issues that we observe and are engaged in. Social media, be it through Facebook, Twitter, blogging or other forms, allows architects to do so for both the general public, as well as internally to the industry, in ways never before seen. Whereas  previously in order to have an audience for publishing original content or critique one was forced to survive editorial review, now anyone is given the opportunity to express thought. Within the formats of each online medium, the profession is offered opportunities to share content and by doing so, has the ability to educate and promote change.

Take sustainability as an example; while the general public is becoming increasing aware of the consequences of resource depletion and the need for energy conservation, there seems to be a lack of holistic understanding of the role architectural, planning and construction decisions play. Architects and their clients are increasingly considering how decisions affect the allocation of resources and contribute to the creation of infrastructure. Many architects are researching sustainability concepts and technologies through their projects and documenting their revelations. With all of the content that is being generated within the profession and externally on this issue, social media provides forums to disseminate knowledge and collective experience; work can be shared to promote progress, not just itself.

Beyond attempting to merely ascend Google rankings for greater online presence, our disciplines must use its collective knowledge to promote ideas that move society forward; by doing so, the use of social media will be perceived as less self-serving and more as elevating discussion. By not doing so, however, our non-building contributions may be drowned out by the ever increasing online noise.

Tom Abraham, AIA
Principal

New York (02.09.2011) – Elemental Architecture, a firm recognized for its pioneering work in sustainable architecture, design and advocacy, is pleased to announce that Tom Abraham, Principal & Co-founder has been named to ENR New York | McGraw-Hill Construction’s inaugural “Top 20 Under 40.” The list showcases exceptional A/E/C industry leaders within the region. Abraham’s selection highlights a belief in social entrepreneurship, a commitment to sustainability and progressive uses of social media for education and awareness.

“Everyone has an inherent responsibility toward society,’ Abraham says. ‘We, as architects, have a profound impact on society. It’s not something to be taken lightly.’”  He elaborates, “the global economic collapse has forced a reevaluation of models based on pure consumption and requires a rapid shift to those that are economically, socially and environmentally sustainable…I personally believe in a ‘Social Contract.’ Our responsibility, as architects, extends not only to the places we create but also to communicating & educating on issues that we observe and are engaged in…The immediacy and effectiveness of social media allows our discipline, in ways never before seen, to educate and assert leadership with respect to these issues in order to accelerate positive change.”

Tom is currently acting as Administrative Principal for the Historic Reconstruction of Shepard Hall at the City College of New York as well as Design Principal for several commercial and residential projects in New York City.

A graduate of The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, Mr. Abraham is licensed to practice architecture in New York State, holds NCARB Certification and is a LEED Accredited Professional by the US Green Building Council. Prior to his education in architecture Mr. Abraham was a first-responder and certified Emergency Medical Technician in Bergen County.

See the full list of ENR honorees here.

About elemental

elemental is an award-winning New York City based collaborative consisting of Elemental Architecture LLC & Sine Elemental LLC joined by an inherent commitment to environmental and social responsibility. Founded on over 40-years of research and experience in energy-conscious design, current elemental projects include the $150 million Historic Reconstruction of Shepard Hall for the City College of New York; Interior design and identity & media for Greenhouse 26, projected to be New York City’s first ‘green’ boutique hotel as well as numerous private residential & commercial interiors throughout New York. elemental is located at 154 West 14th Street, New York, NY 212.616.4110   www.elementalnyc.com

contact:

Jesse Lee Denning
Director of Marketing
(212) 616-4110
info@elementalnyc.com

Bodacious bourbon pours complimented savory vittles at the yet-to-be-opened Hudson Clearwater in Greenwich Village last night. The restaurant’s first event launched Carl Stein’s new book, Greening Modernism: preservation, sustainability and the modern movement (W.W. Norton, $60.00). The affair had a decidedly down to earth flavor, though the elegant crowd resembled intermission at The Met. The venue seemed a natural fit for Stein of Elemental Architecture, since Elemental’s John Barboni designed the space using salvaged material culled from the 180-year-old carriage house.

“From my perspective, it fits into all the themes of the book,” Barboni said from behind a kitchen counter made of the structure’s former floorboards. “Green is not a newfound subject for Carl.”

From atop a small flight of stairs Stein thanked his family and colleagues, then settled in with the band to play banjo.

In Detail> City College’s masterpiece Shepard Hall gets a long-awaited restoration, gargoyles and all. Read Aaron Seward’s full article here.

This week the AIA New York Chapter / Center for Architecture took over the West 4th Street subway station to present Made in New York - an architectural showcase of projects by Chapter members. Elemental Architecture’s new Private Residence in Croton-on-Hudson is among the work featured in the exhibit.

Made in New York features work of all scales & types – small, large, commercial, residential, public, private, interiors, historic preservation, engineering, landscape and urban design – presenting the scope and quality of work being done by AIA New York Chapter members across the globe. This high-visibility exhibition offers a snapshot of current practices and celebrates the diversity of the Chapter’s membership.

The exhibit runs through the end of October. For additional information on the exhibit click here. To see more images of the Croton project, visit us on Facebook.

In 1972, the Club of Rome published the highly regarded Limits to Growth stating that by the first decade of the 21^st century, the approaching limits to the availability of finite resources including energy would have profound effects on our lives, most of them being negative.  In 1977, Richard Stein’s book Architecture and Energy documented that over 40 percent of all energy use in the US was closely affected by architectural decisions.  In 1972, the American Institute of Architects, a very mainstream organization, began a detailed investigation into the relationship between building and architecture and in 1974 issued Energy and the Built Environment: A Gap in Current Strategies. In 1981, the AIA issued Energy and Architecture, the first in a series of documents directed toward the design professions which eventually included four texts.  In 1978 and 1993 respectively, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards published Energy Conservation in Existing Buildings and Energy Conscious Architecture both of which discuss the amount of energy consumed by the built environment. The list goes on; however, the upshot is that detailed, quantitative data regarding the extent to which decisions on building and regional planning affect or national energy use have been readily available for many years.

However, we continue to get conflicting messages.  On the one hand, we are being told that thinking and acting “green” is essential to global survival and international economic competitiveness.  This position is well supported by overwhelming hard information.  Yet even when we consider sustainability, we rarely account for the larger scope of the impact.

When we choose to operate an electrical device, we may consider the utility bill that will have to be paid later in the month.  We may, in times of stressed utility capacity, realize that this operation may contribute to a system overload resulting in brownouts or blackouts.  It is unusual, however, to visualize the contribution that the decision to operate an electrical device makes to the plume of smoke and carbon dioxide leaving the stack of a generator three hundred miles away or to the added demand for coal with its related environmental degradation.  We don’t think about the part, however small, that our use of electricity plays in the thirty to forty coal mining deaths each year in the United States.

From Greening Modernism,  Carl Stein, W.W. Norton, 2010

On the other hand, there are those who inveigh against standards for electric lamps, appliances, showers and toilets, whether or not these standards have any particular impact on our day-to-day experience.  Their main thrust seems to be an appeal to the deep “nobody tells me what to do” strain of frontier independence.  While this may be fine when we each have miles of empty space around us, it is not viable in the highly interconnected condition that we currently experience.  The net effect of this attitude is, in the short term, to compromise our global position and, in the long term, at a minimum to degrade the quality of life for our children and grandchildren and quite possibly to threaten the survival of the planet as we know it.

Dramatic reductions in our energy use are possible through simple, cost-effective substitutions and very modest adjustments in everyday practices.  While zero-net-energy and zero-carbon buildings are admirable goals and serve as important test beds for emerging technologies, there should be no confusion about the fact that smart design and careful application of off-the-shelf technologies offer the best near-term methods for reshaping our energy consumption patterns.  Not only will these have an immediate impact, they will also inform the attitudes that underlie future design paradigms.

A primary misconception is the belief that to introduce sustainable measures in low-income communities is problematic because of first cost, and second, that the most effective environmental measures take the form of add-ons such as solar panels.  In fact, many environmentally responsible approaches have equal or lower first costs than their less sustainable counterparts, as well as reducing ongoing operating costs.  Frequently, the only component that must be added is either clearly presented information, or in the case of new buildings or building retrofit, smart design.

This should not be seen as lowering of expectations or of quality of life, but rather as maximizing the usefulness of all resources utilized.  Mt. Airy Woods housing is an example of this strategy.  Completed in 1995, the twelve unit (six one-bedroom, three two-bedroom and three three-bedroom) complex had an average construction cost of just over $50,000 per unit which was very competitive with similar projects of the era.  However, unlike many low-cost housing projects, Mt. Airy Woods incorporated high-performance windows, significantly higher levels of insulation than required by code, responsive heating controls and zoning, earth-buffering, and low-maintenance materials throughout.

The use of higher quality materials and systems without compromising the budget was made possible by providing the maximum useful living space in the smallest possible package.  While the particulars of the Mt. Airy Woods project will not apply to every, or even most projects, understanding their impact is instructive.  The site is steeply sloping, having an average pitch of 1:3.  In general, this would have been considered a serious drawback to development; however, it allowed the design of multi-unit buildings with on-grade, direct access to every unit.  This, in turn, meant that there was no construction for public corridors or stairs.  This not only reduced the amount of building which in itself is a significant environmental benefit, but it also reduced the amount of building area that needs to be heated and maintained.  Further, it improved accessibility and security as well as giving each unit the sense of “entry” and arrival.

This is a limited explanation of a very specific example but is intended to suggest that the careful application of resources, both those that are purchased and those that pre-exist within the boundaries of a project, can address concerns for sustainability while enhancing quality of life issues, and do so within completely conventional budgets.

Elemental is pleased to announce that two projects have been selected for the latest edition of the AIA Guide to New York City. The Guide, the most comprehensive single-volume guide to the City’s architecture spanning all five boroughs, identifies significant works ranging from historic treasures to its most recent projects. Both Shepard Hall and The South Jamaica Branch Library are highlighted with South Jamaica described as a “modest but wonderful addition…”

We’re honored to be included.

In addition to her architectural experience and skills, Michelle brings to elemental a life-long commitment to social activism. This commitment, which led her to first think about architecture’s place both in nature and the larger human community, has sparked her involvement with a range of organizations and initiatives—from providing art therapy to children at New York City’s Foundling Hospital to meeting with congressional leaders in Washington D.C. to discuss increased homeless services.

Ms. Black received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Kansas with a concentration in Environmental Studies where she was named a Kansas State Honor Scholar and was a recipient of an Undergraduate Research Award for her development of an early online resource created to educate students and professionals about the principles and practices of sustainable design. Her studies also included a fellowship at the Universitaat Stuttgart, Germany to study green architecture as a cultural practice.

About elemental

elemental is an award-winning New York City based collaborative consisting of Elemental Architecture LLC & Sine Elemental LLC joined by an inherent commitment to environmental and social responsibility. Founded on over 40-years of research and experience in energy-conscious design, current elemental projects include a high-performance addition and renovations to the Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins County, in Ithaca NY; the $150 million Historic Reconstruction of Shepard Hall for the City College of New York; Interior design and identity & media for Greenhouse 26, projected to be New York City’s first ‘green’ boutique hotel as well as several private residential projects throughout New York. elemental is located at 154 West 14th Street, New York, NY 212.616.4110   www.elementalnyc.com

Last night, the AIA New York Chapter / Center for Architecture took over the West 4th Street subway station for the opening of their New York Now architecture showcase. Elemental Architecture’s historic reconstruction of New York City Landmark Gothic Revival building, Shepard Hall at the City College of New York, is among the work featured in the exhibit.

New York Now includes work of all type and scale – small, large, commercial, residential, public, private, interiors, historic preservation, engineering, landscape and urban design – presenting the scope and quality of projects by Chapter members in New York City today. This high-visibility exhibition offers a snapshot of where we are at this moment and celebrates the diversity of the Chapter’s membership.

The exhibit runs through the end of October. For additional information and online slideshow of work featured, click here.

Other collbaorations between Nivola and Richard & Carl Stein include Stephen Wise Plaza on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, PS 55 in Staten Island and The Combined Police & Fire Facility on East 67th Street – winner of an Integration of Sculpture in Public Architecture Award from the NYC Art Commission.

Read more on Nivola’s contributions and collaborations to public architecture here.

Being Green, one element at a time…

03Nov08

I met John Barboni following a rather powerful presentation on the societal impacts of consumption given by his colleague David O’Higgins and Jason Levine. Barboni and O’Higgins have formed an interesting partnership with architects Tom Abraham and Carl Stein, FAIA.

Barboni is co-founder of elemental, a New York City-based collaborative where he and his partners concentrate on promoting sustainable energy-conscious architecture. Barboni provides design, strategic creative direction, brand development, management and implementation of elemental projects.

With his background in architecture, Barboni has an interesting perspective on consumption. He is front and center in seeing the very human, visceral desires about space as well as the raw materials which make the spaces in which we live. Given that he is in a position to advise clients on the best approach to meet those needs, and in the midst of “everything new, green, hip and current” I wanted to get his perspective on architectural trends.

“It’s not about simply coming-out with more green products – essentially selling more stuff so businesses can make another buck under the guise of social consciousness. The current escalating consumption of resources by humankind is having a catastrophic effect on our planet. This over-consumption has been the direct result of a business paradigm that equates success with consumption. The consumption=success paradigm can not be sustained.

Businesses will enjoy steadier, more manageable growth if they are able to evolve an operating strategy in which the definition of success is decoupled from consumption.

The average American hasn’t really come to terms with the severity of some of these issues…what it means in the way we live our lives. The real price of goods must begin to take shape as a way to educate the consumer. For example, the price of a bottle of Poland Spring water is selling in NY for $1. The true lifecycle costs of that bottle when considering the resources that go into is production, transport, disposal, and full environmental impact, are actually much higher than $1. There is price adjustment going on to promote consumption. This mode of consumer behavior is parasitic.

The divide is ever deeper; the top ,01% of the upper class control the same wealth as the bottom 90% of the world’s population combined. That has severe consequences for our society, from both an economic and a cultural perspective. As the middle class is wiped-out, social nodes for creative thinking and interaction are ever-more endangered by the extraordinary price escalation resulting from speculation.

The world population is approaching record numbers, and much like a Petri dish with finite edges, we are reaching the limits of sustainable growth. Elemental’s feeling is not to back away from this issue; they want to talk about the message. “Available resources are finite. We must curb exponential consumption and maximize efficiencies. These are not new, revolutionary ideas – we are simply reasserting their importance.”

elemental remains optimistic that the current green trend is not just a fad. “This has been Carl’s life’s work. He’s had almost 40-years of uphill struggle to communicate the message that green architecture is important. This time reception of the message feels different. People are realizing that it’s beginning to affect every American.”

Can Government help?

The issue of government control and regulation is a sensitive one. Germany placed a significant government subsidy on solar panels, so everyone got one, thereby creating a temporary shortage of silicon in the world, and driving-up prices. Yet, in a typical year, Germany gets less sunlight than almost anywhere else in the world. As a result of the government subsidy the raw resource (silicon) flowed into a part of the world where it was least efficient to use it.

Energy coupons could be an effective alternative. Everyone (rich or poor) could be allocated coupons or credits for x BTUs of energy per month. If you exceed your given allowance, then the price for extra energy would be at a premium. Un-used coupons could be traded on the open market.

It’s not up to any one discipline (government, scientists, economists, architects) to resolve these issues. It will take cross-discipline collaboration. Consumer education will be a powerful component.

Look Outside Your Discipline, Network Through Values

For nearly ten years, Tom Abraham and I worked under Carl Stein. Carl and Tom , committed to education, were also teaching together at the City College of New York. Through our work together on various projects, we realized that we connected on many levels and kept returning to the same values and themes.

Several events converged: I was approached by a client that was interested in doing a project with us; it was the perfect opportunity to launch Elemental with Carl, Tom, and David, who had come to us through Tom’s wife after having just left his branding agency in search of socially meaningful work. David initially directed the branding for elemental prior to becoming a partner.

It has been incredible adding David and his 20 years of branding expertise to a bunch of architects. He’s able to express our own views in such revolutionary ways – we quickly realized we were on to something special, and wanted to offer the same service to our clients.

David is instrumental to evocative communication with our clients while our experience as architects helps to substantiate the conversations. As with many technical professions, there is a definite methodological process involved in taking our projects to fruition. Before that happens though, we need to get “inside” businesses and understand who they are, what they do, who they want to be, and how does that relate to the changing cultural, environmental, and economic context. Once that foundation of understanding has been achieved, we then work to communicate that message in authentic, clear and constructive ways. The result or product generated from completing this approach effectively is beauty.

Help Define Your Space

We actively lecture and contribute to articles as a way to keep people talking a remain part of the larger conversation. Tom, Carl and David are actively teaching as education continues to be something that we all care profoundly about. Carl is also currently finishing a book called “Greening Modernism” which discusses the interconnections between green architecture and Modernist architectural thinking.

In our work, we consider both the social aspects and the business model. The more that people are becoming aware of some of the issues that we have discussed today, the more interest there is in our business. Our efforts in this space of education and communicating the message of sustainability are beginning to actually work out that way.

Many people think being green or sustainable is about a compromised “nuts and berries” or “hippie” aesthetic. In our experience, we have found that an appropriate green approach actually enhances the beauty of the product and elevates the human spirit. One of the examples we like to use: think of the experience of lying against a large stone in the desert to enjoy its radiating warmth stored from the sun. Compare that to the experience of using a radiator blowing hot air on you for warmth. The natural opportunity offers a much richer, dynamic, and greener experience.

There remain many misconceptions in the current green market trend. For example, a couple may build a giant 10,000 sq foot house, put solar panels on it, and say “I have the greenest house in the neighborhood” and someone might even write some articles about how innovative it is. The notion of curbing consumption asks: do two people really need 10,000-sf?  Why not build a 1,000-sf home and spend your resources making the project as beautiful and efficient as possible? Even without solar panels or any other green add-ons, they would be much greener than the alternative; it’s an issue of consumption.

Another misconception is that it has to look green to be green. Green should look and feel like the best quality out there. It’s not about just sticking a recycled logo on things – it’s about maximizing the potential of material and resource use.

Understand The Climate In Which You Live

The period we are entering now is much closer to the great depression than the energy issues of the 70s. There is a very severe period of change coming. Roosevelt’s New Deal enacted a whole series of programs that changed the way money was distributed in this country. We are at the brink of that now, and it will require a major change in the way everyone is doing everything. We want to help people to understand that and work to guide people through the upcoming transitions.

In the US we have been taught a culture of consumption because it fed the markets. It was a very conscious decision to steer things in that direction and it was good for short-term business growth. We are just beginning to feel the consequence of that behavior now. Americans are in love with cookie-cutter solutions to problems. We find a house design that is perfect for one particular climate and we scatter a million of them across the country because its fast, easy and cheap. Then you end up with a lot of things that have no contextual relevance and you’ve wasted a lot of precious resources.

The priority is here has been about immediacy.

The internet came along and the attitude was the same “just get it out there”, “publish first, edit later”, “build it and they will come.” The faster you were, the more successful you were. Those days are over. People need to take the time to measure twice and cut once. Be exceedingly mindful of how we use our resources…

That’s where the optimism comes in. There is nowhere to go but up. Now is the time to lead – be a pioneer in your industry.

Justine Cottrell writes:

Each year at New York Fashion Week Lacoste selects 6 men to be part of a photo shoot where they are dressed in the new season of Lacoste.  These guys are dubbed The Cool Guys of New York.  They are successful, powerful men with presence and ambition and their own senses of style.  They are the modern men who demonstrate the same qualities as those of Rene Lacoste.  They pay attention to detail, invest in quality, and have a tendency to buck the trend.

It’s clear to find the inspiration needed for all this flavourful fashion on the very streets of New York.  In a country like South Africa the key word among creative industry professionals is exposure.  Big budgets are obliterated at high class events in Johannesburg and Cape Town while in New York owners of restaurants, clubs and bars are trying to hide their locations in order to preserve their cosy and exclusive atmospheres.

It’s these spots that the genuine, native New Yorker frequents.  Hidden down a dark street behind a roughly nailed door and a thick velvet curtain, Milk and Honey is a bar like this.  Here John Barboni co-founder of Elemental Architecture reclines in a cushioned booth in dusty lamplight and a waiter who looks like something out of the Rat-Pack, hands him a cocktail which he says is called a “Dark and Stormy”.

With 2 partners, one of whom he calls his greatest mentor, John specializes in what New Yorkers term Green Architecture, “the method of designing buildings that work in conjunction with natural forces for daylighting, ventilation, water and shelter instead of trying to draw power from natural resources and in turn depleting them.  As opposed to sheltering yourself form the environment, we draw inspiration and knowledge from the architects of the pre-industrial era and ask how we can work with nature to be comfortable and fulfil our modern requirements,” he says.

With New York constantly under construction and development John is at the heart of architecture’s progressive elite who seek to make their buildings sustainable through a poetic assimilation of building techniques that ensure as little damage to the environment as possible.  “In my opinion architects have made the mistake of building first and then trying to make that building green.  I believe that green buildings, like nature, need to be organic, they need to be conceptualised with green at heart from the very beginning” he says.  Having grown up in California and spending time in both Italy and France, John moves easily in front of the camera for Lacoste’s shoot.  It’s clear that though his buildings may be green they certainly don’t compromise on aesthetic.