ACAD I Final Project - Henry's Backyard

My good friend, Henry, recently moved into his new house. He's got a good-sized backyard blessed with warm weather and good soil. What would make Henry's place much more of a home would be a backyard that functions as an extension of the house. To create an inviting space - for outdoor dining, entertaining, outdoor play and relaxation - would be fitting for such a pleasant environment. With my AutoCAD project, I have undertaken the task to develop a preliminary plan for the site. And don't worry - no, I didn't design in ACAD from scratch; I drew it all out by hand first.

Below, please find a board showing existing conditions followed by the preliminary plan - the first figure does not include explanatory text while the second one does include text.

Existing Conditions:




No Text:



With Text:

Trees: The New Sewers

Here's a cool little article out of Portland (where else?) expounding the virtues of LID and value of our urban forests. Check it out here:

Trees: The New Sewers

National Rainwater Collection Conference - Portland Sep. 27-29

ARCSA 2011 National Conference

September 27 – 29

Portland, Oregon

REGISTER NOW!

Speakers:

Kenny Kurtzman, Senior Partner, Booz & Company
Billy Kniffen, ARCSA Lead Instructor and Education Chair
and more

Session Topics Include:

• Research in Rainwater Catchment
• Agricultural Rainwater Systems
• Rainwater Harvesting and Low Impact Development
• Water Treatment for Potable Uses
• Stormwater Mitigation
• Rain Water Harvesting Education
• Codes and Standards
• Technical Tours to residential, large agricultural, municipal applications and more

Networking Opportunities - time is built into the conference agenda to encourage informal meeting with presenters and conference attendees. Hosted hospitality in the vendor hall, dinner at Skamania Lodge, food and beverage breaks with the vendors are great times to network with colleagues.

Sponsors and Exhibitors - Lots of vendor exhibit hall time - including hosted reception on Tuesday night

Rainwater Harvesting Training Opportunities:

• 100-Level Sept 24
• 200-Level Sept 25-26
• 300-Level presentations during Conference
• 300-Level Design & Construction Workshop Sept. 29 – Oct. 1

Poster Session to highlight new research as well as your most innovative and uniquely designed catchment system.

Registration is now open!

Visit our website www.arcsa.org for more information.

Two Hands and a Shovel: A Series

My friend, Henry, recently purchased a house in San Bruno, a suburban community just south of San Francisco. Located just minutes from San Francisco International Airport, the property sits on fill as the city expanded into San Francisco Bay. As such, the property is in an area with a high water table and requires a constantly running sump pump. These wetland-like conditions, while challenging, are not all disadvantageous. The soil is rich, with a good balance of sand, silt, and clay. The proportions are conducive to good drainage, yet will promote nutrient retention. Combine these soil characteristics with the area's warm Mediterranean climate - think San Francisco's SE neighborhoods - and you have a fertile plot the envy of one certain San Franciscan.



Next up: Initial site assessment. Existing conditions.

Tell Me I'm Not the First Person To Think of This - Ameliorating MUNI Rush Hour Congestion

Anyone who has spent an afternoon in the MUNI Downtown-Outbound subway can attest to the chaos that is MUNI's rush hour light rail service. Heading outbound, if you're at any stop following Montgomery, good luck getting on the first, second, or third train home. Don't even mention the inequity of seeing multiple two-car trains headed outbound - remember, this is rush hour when everyone's trying to get out of downtown! - while the slightest trickle of one-car trains is headed in your direction.

Now, here is my not-so-keen observation. The Downtown-Outbound logjam bulges at Montgomery Station and subsides at Castro Station. I haven't studied this statistically, but the eyeball test says that if MUNI could figure out how to even out these two mass rushes, the afternoon rush hour commute would go oh-so-smoothly.

So, what I propose is that MUNI run a dedicated surface bus line during rush hour that goes directly from Montgomery Station to Castro Station. No stops in between, from one end to the other. The bus-only lane on Mission Street is tailor-made for something like this. Of course, MUNI could create a new express lane, which could act as a "buspool" lane, where cars are excluded during rush hour. If MUNI hasn't already realized the nodes of major activity that are Montgomery and Castro Stations, then it is high time it tracked turnstile activity at their stations during these hours.

I am confident that this solution - and I refuse to believe I am the first to have thought of it - would improve rush hour MUNI riders' experience the world over.

Thoughts?

Landscape Graphics II Project - Final Plan & Section

It's been a long time since we last got down, so I thought I'd at least poke my head outta my hole (think Punxatawney Phil). At long last, my LG II class is over. Not that I didn't enjoy it; it just means that we finally made it through our final projects (yeah!). So, without further adieu, here are the plan and section graphics from my final project, a shared backyard between two neighbors in San Francisco's Glen Park neighborhood.

PS - Here's sending my new baby niece Sydney little baby kisses on her little pink cheeks!

Landscape Graphics II Project - Garden Images

Not the greatest layout nor the greatest scan job, but here goes. Below is my draft "Garden Images" assignment. Our task was to find design precedents for a residential garden in the Glen Park neighborhood of San Francisco. Being the year 2011, it is high time we acknowledge the sanctity of water and the need to value every drop.