Norman Alston Architects

The other shoe begins to drop on "Green"

As I have noted previously, the move toward sustainability and living "Green" is a great idea that I enthusiastically support. However, I have been concerned that much of the early technology that is coming available does not really live up to its promises. In many things, the only "green" is the color of the money people will be spending on it.

This article in the Washington Post is the most pointed I have seen to date, casting doubt on the effectiveness of some of the most widely accepted and eagerly anticipated technologies, like wind power and electric cars.

Good, affordable options for sustainable practice exist and should be utilized. Some technology is not as good as it will be one day, but continued support of some products and techniques will help bring better things to market. Think of your personal computer and how it has developed over the past 25 or so years. The early ones could do nothing like the current ones, but we had to buy the early ones to encourage development of today's machines. How many times in the past have you heard someone say they were hesitant to get a new computer because as soon as they got it, it would be out of date? You can't wait forever, so at some point you have to upgrade. It's like that with the technology of sustainability. We know some things, like electric cars, will be much better one day, but we won't get there if we don't embrace the technology available today.

And some supposedly "Green" technology is just in the way. Compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL's), for instance. I railed against them before so I won't repeat myself much here, but they are an old technology that leads us nowhere but to compromised environmental quality. They have excellent marketing, however.

What we take from this is the validation of taking a thoughtful approach to sustainability. Not everything should be taken at face value.

APT and NCPTT offer hands on workshop on historic wood preservation...at Taliesin, no less.

As dry and technical as this sounds, it's one of the topics that is relevant in almost every part of the country. Wood is, of course, a major component in virtually all historic buildings, and both its physical  characteristics and its problems can be expected to be about the same everywhere. While that may not be enough to get anyone but preservation geeks (like myself) excited, the location should appeal to a much larger audience. It is held at Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin in Spring Green, Wisconsin and includes a behind-the-scenes tour.

All I need is a looming CEU deadline in June to rationalize it. I plan on being there. More information can be found at the NCPTT website here.

Parks Estate receives Preservation Texas Historic Restoration Honor Award

Last night at the opening reception of the Texas Historical Commission's annual conference, the restoration of the Joseph and Lucy Parks Estate was recognized with a 2010 Historic Restoration Award from Preservation Texas. Congratulations to the house owners, Tom and Kathi Lind, as well as the rest of the project team. The Parks Estate restoration had also been previously recognized by Preservation Dallas.