Bye-Bye 2505

Before....
After....
At 8am sharp on a Sunday, specifically on the same day that the Dallas News featured the preservation of MCM architecture in Dallas (see prior post), the Harwood Smith-designed office building at 2505 Turtle Creek Blvd. was razed by the developers. The full story is on Unfair Park. Apparently the permit for demolition was issued in the first week of April -- the day after the CPC denied the rezoning application, citing, among its reasons, the Smith connection. Sneaky way to start of a luxury hotel project, isn't it. Progress it is! So much for preservation, I guess.

Green gets easier

At the UN's world conference on climate change today, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon proclaimed, "“Inaction now will prove the costliest action of all in the long term.” (More details)

In honor of the international gathering to raise awareness of the global responsibility for our changing world, here's a review of some energy-conscious home innovations:

Integrate solar panel roofing tiles (Sharp Electronics)Evaluate your personal consumption impact from living. working and traveling with this tool that surveys your energy uses and patterns of carbon offsetting and use of renewable energy sources. If you're inspired, make some changes around the home (like compact fluorescent bulbs, Energy Star compliant appliances, or low flow showerheads and toilets.

Acquaint yourself with innovations that seek to improve the global standard of living. New designs from housing, to education, agriculture and health were exhibited recently in New York, and they are featured in this curated site.

Explore decreasing personal consumption. Start examining all those shopping impulses and the marketing machine that bombards us all daily a little more closely. If you can't avoiding getting something new, consider reuse avenues like Craigslist, eBay, or Freecycle, or recycle a favorite but aged possession into a new form (some examples: jeans purse, plastic bag yarn, fused plastic bags, pet blankets, reuse coffee grounds, CD flower pot, pastry bag, kiddie desks, storage boxes).

Educate yourself on the climate crisis and become more informed about how we all impact.

Urban Reserve Sneak Peeks

Urban Reserve, Diane Cheatham's development of fifty sustainable design, modern single-family residences is located on a 13-acre plot off Forest Lane and Central Expressway (map). The project has been in the works for over two years, and the first residence, at 51 Vanguard Way designed by Lionel Morrison, was recently completed. Other designs are in varying stages of the process; all are dramatic and definitively modern.
Nods to ecological sensitivity include narrower streets (less asphalt allowing water run-off), and design criteria including goal home energy efficiency 20% above market average, native and drought-tolerant adaptive plantings, and rainwater irrigation schemes.
Homes are priced between $400K and over $2M. Completion of the entire development is anticipated in 2009. A full news story appeared earlier this month in the Dallas Morning News.