Back in April, I finally wrapped up the process of getting Patty’s house LEED-certified. Today, the LEED certificate arrived in the mail. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a national third-party certification system for energy efficient, healthy, green homes. Aside from a large LEED-certified development at nearby Keesler Air Force Base, this is the first LEED-certified house in Mississippi.
One of my ongoing projects, Patty’s house, is the GCCDS’s entry in the AIA Mississippi 2009 Design Awards. Sponsored by the Mississippi chapter of the American Institute of Architects, The AIA Mississippi Design Awards Program seeks to encourage excellence and elevate the quality of architecture by recognizing and honoring works of distinction by its members and bring to public attention outstanding examples of architecture and design. Although I came into the project after the initial design process, I’ve worked a lot on Patty’s house and on its LEED certification, and it’s very satisfying to document the project and submit it …
Getting the word out. This will be an exciting opportunity and I invite you to check out the details over at the GCCDS web site or get in touch with James Wheeler.
Edit [12/26/08]: See these photos and more at my Flickr page. After working with KaBOOM! on a shade structure in North Gulfport, I was asked to lead another tile project in Vancleave, MS, a mostly rural community about 30 minutes east and north of Biloxi. This KaBOOM! build was scheduled for October 25th, “Make A Difference Day”, and Hands On wanted to help out by using painted tiles to beautify part of the park. We decided to tile the columns of the large pavilion adjacent to the park. To do so, we had to pad out the 5-1/2″ by 5-1/2″ …
Edit [12/26/08]: See these photos and more at my Flickr page. If you haven’t heard of the fine folks at KaBOOM!, they travel the country building playgrounds for neighborhoods that need them. Their goal: a place to play within walking distance of every child in America. Friday and Saturday, I helped prepare and lead the construction of a shade structure as part of a KaBOOM! build at the Isiah Fredericks Community Center in North Gulfport. The shade structure was designed by Jessie Zenor and built by Hands On and the North Gulfport Community Land Trust; it incorporated hundreds of tiles …
The approach of Hurricane Gustav made the mood yesterday — the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina — especially tense. No one’s sure how severely the hurricane will affect Biloxi; although it’s tracking towards west Louisiana, it could be a Category 4 or 5 when it arrives, bringing high winds and rain, although a Katrina-like storm surge is less likely. Many residents and businesses are boarding up windows and preparing to evacuate if necessary. I helped Patty board up her windows (no small undertaking from a single 25′ ladder). Yesterday and today, at the suggestion of David Perkes, he and I …
Sergio and his students at UT Austin are not afraid of the epic roadtrip, and last Friday six of them packed themselves and a partially built greenhouse into a pickup truck and drove the 9 hours to Biloxi for a weekend of work. The result is the greenhouse above, which replaces Patty’s old plastic storage shed and gives her a place to keep her plants during the winter. Click below for more photos!
An update on the landscaping at Patty’s house for Sergio & students and anyone else interested. We roughly distributed several tons of fill dirt and gravel and created a front walk leading up to the concrete stair landing. There is some gravel left for the parking space (to the right, out of the frame) which we will spread out after Mississippi Power digs the trench for the power line.
I promised pictures, and here they are: The completed stair, in-progress handrail, finished floors and cabinets, and of course the dedication Friday. We — Jason, Brian, Brandon, Richard, Mike, and I, as well as some great volunteers — put in a focused effort to get as much done as possible. With the help of Hands On friends — Emily, Ian, and Brian — we worked Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to disassemble the upper stair, build the lower stair, and begin the railing. Additionally, an energetic group from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro shoveled and raked several tons of …
Jason spent several days last week building some sweet kitchen cabinets over at Patti’s house. They’re very simple and elegant pine cabinets that we will probably stain to keep a natural color. (Below left) The kitchen sink is ready to be installed as soon as work on the tile countertop is finished. (Right) The space for the refrigerator. All of the flooring is in as well, but I don’t have any good pictures of that because there is cardboard laid down everywhere to protect it. The electrician and plumber will be coming in and the Mississippi State students are working …
Information about the practice of design/build, including leaders in the field and specific projects.