Here’s another update with progress photos–

We here at Stearns have decided to design and construct our own booth for this year’s Home Expo.  We also wanted to build a drafting table to use when discussing your project ideas. This post shows the process & progress of both of these projects.

We’re nearing the finish line of our preparations, as the Expo is this Saturday and Sunday, February 25 & 26! Be sure to stop by to see our booth in person — we look forward to meeting you!

the Drafting Table

the Stearns Design-Build Booth

Since February is Black History Month, we want to dedicate a weekly blog to an influential African American individual in a field related to the environment and/or building science.

Architect J. Max Bond Jr. was “regarded as a mentor, a voice of social responsibility in practice, and a magnetic presence.” He passed away three years ago, and at the time of his death, was in charge of designing the museum portion of the National September 11 Memorial and Museum.

Mr. Bond Jr. studied at Harvard during the 1950’s, where he earned both his Bachelors and Masters Degrees. For one summer during his studies, he worked for architect Paul Williams, a very successful African American architect. This internship empowered him into realizing that he could fulfill his dream of becoming an architect himself, no matter the racial barriers and obstacles in his path.

In his early career, Mr. Bond worked in France under André Wogenscky, who was an assistant of Le Corbusier for 20 years! Mr Bond also worked in Ghana, designing the Bolgatanga Regional Library which incorporated natural ventilation through its roof design.

Other of his famous projects include the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta and the Audobon Biomedical Science and Technology Park for Columbia.

Mr. Bond Jr. was also “an impassioned educator”. He taught at the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture & Planning and City College’s School of Architecture & Environmental Studies, both located in New York City. Thank you, Mr. Bond Jr., for setting an inspiring example for aspiring architects of all races!

Quotes from http://archrecord.construction.com/news/daily/archives/090309jmaxbondjr.asp

Since February is Black History Month, we want to dedicate a weekly blog to an influential African American individual in a field related to the environment and/or building science.

This week’s spotlight is on Robert G Stanton, a native Texan, who is the Senior Advisor to the Secretary of the US Department of Interior.

Mr. Stanton has focused on environmental conservation and leadership over the course of his career, blazing a trail for African American’s in this field. This began with his role in the National Park Service. Mr. Stanton was recruited to be a ranger for the Service during his studies at Huston-Tillotson University in Austin. This recruitment was part of the Secretary of Interiors goal to promote diversity in the Service during a time in American history when discrimination and segregation were still present. Stanton’s respect and concern for the environment grew as he continued his career in the Nation Parks Service—He was the first African American to become the Director in 1997. As Director, he dedicated himself to managing our country’s landscapes and heritage resources, receiving awards for “outstanding public service and leadership in conservation, historic preservation, youth programs, and diversity in employment & public programs.”

Mr. Stanton is currently an Executive Professor at Texas A&M (whoop!) and a visiting professor at Harvard and Yale. He has four honorary doctorate degrees!

Thank you, Mr. Stanton, for your example!

The included quote, as well as more about Mr. Stanton’s life, can be found at: http://www.greenjobsconference.org/node/263

We’ve really been focusing on this question while designing our booth for the 2012 Home Expo–

Having a double booth this year allows us to create both a Design area and a Building Science area. We hope the unique elements in these areas will inspire you and enlighten you, helping you to more clearly understand your current and/or future projects: 

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They say a picture is worth a thousand words — so here are some pictures of our progress so far!

Brochure Caddies

Sideboard Table

Adding a screened-in porch to your home is a great way to bring fresh air, daylight, and natural views into your daily living. Here are some things to keep in mind when dreaming up your porch!

Location

If you want your porch to be a social spot, locate it near your family room or your kitchen. This makes the porch an extension of these rooms, creating an additional space for your gatherings of family and friends. Connecting your porch

to a bedroom implies that it is a private area. If you want your screened in porch to be a secluded retreat, this would be the ideal location.

Also make sure that traffic flow doesn’t interfere with the activity in your porch and its adjoining rooms. Appropriately place doors to keep movement along one side of the porch or interior room, not through seating areas etc.

Sizing

Remember to think about the function of your screened in porch during the design stage. Deciding what size table, or what kind of storage you need (etc.) will help you appropriately size your space. Try to scale your porch size based on adjoining rooms and of course your house. This will ensure the addition blends well with your home.

Connection

Your screened-in porch should flow well and act as a transitional space that connects your home and nature. Think about connecting your porch to your yard with an outdoor uncovered space or series of terraces, especially if there is a dramatic height difference.

Bring daylight and fresh air into your home through your porch. Leaving rafters exposed is one way to increase ceiling height and reflect light. You could also consider adding skylights to help increase the amount of light received by connecting rooms. Align your porch design with existing doors and windows so that breezes can flow through the space into your home in pleasant weather. Adding more windows to adjoining rooms is another way to increase the presence of light and wind flow, while adding to the sense of indoor-outdoor connection. Keep the color scheme and wood stains on the lighter side in your space to help reflect light and create a truly refreshing space.

For some inspiring ideas and images, take a look at this article.

The 2012 Bryan College Station Home Expo is right around the corner! – It’s Saturday February 25 from 10AM to 5PM and Sunday February 26 from 1PM to 5PM.

We hope you’re getting excited about the Expo, because we are! To whet your appetite a bit, here’s an overview of what we’re planning:

Designing & Building

• We’ll be designing and building our own booth! This year, we’ll have a double booth in the Brazos Expo Center, numbers 39 & 48.

• We’re also building a drafting table and a sideboard display table to use at the Expo. All of these elements will create a great environment for you to learn about our company, ask questions, and discuss your project with us.

Knowledge Sharing

• We’ll be conducting mini-seminars about green building, remodeling, building science, and other home design related topics in our booth during the Expo. These seminars will consist of a brief presentation and Q&A session. Throughout this next month we’ll be selecting more specific seminar topics, and really want your input!!

• Our president and owner Hugh Stearns will also be presenting in the Expo’s scheduled seminars. We’ll let you know what topics he’ll be discussing once the official schedule is announced.

Updates and more detailed information about our plans for the Expo will be coming soon! Be sure to also follow us on twitter and facebook as we share our progress and count down to the Expo.

Additions, large or small, are an extension of your home. They should reflect you and your needs while benefiting the rest of your home in terms of connection, size, flexibility, efficiency, and green and natural elements.

Connection: Think about how your addition connects to the rest of your home. Try to select a design that disturbs the existing site as little as possible.  Think about other effects your addition will have on the rest of your home, including things such as solar orientation and roof planes. Your addition could potentially add passive heating and cooling to your home, and optimize rain water collection.

Size: Make sure that the size of your addition fits its function. You should tailor the space to your needs, so as not to waste material or increase costs with excess or over-sized space.

Flexibility: As you design your addition to suit your needs, also try to plan for the future. With a little forethought, future changes can be easy to make. For example, make exterior walls load bearing so that interior walls can be easily shifted, allowing for the rearranging of spaces.

Efficiency: Create a well sealed and thermally efficient building envelope for your addition. This will decrease the heating and cooling loads that will be added to your home with more conditioned space. Remember that the building envelope is the entire enclosure of the addition, and is affected by the method of framing you choose, as well as the insulation, siding, windows, etc. that are used.

Green Elements: Research and incorporate green features into your addition. This may be through construction material (like certified or reclaimed lumber), or finishing material (like recycled glass countertops).

Natural Elements: Nature should be a part of the design of your addition. Incorporate natural views, or perhaps create new outdoor spaces. You can even plant some new trees. Not only will they add shade to your yard, but they will also help to shade and passively cool your home. Bring some landscaping into your addition design. This will add beauty and will help control water run-off displaced by the added footprint of your home.