“Over the next few months, the City of Cleveland Heights is conducting a comprehensive study of the Cedar-Fairmount District in order to enhance the mixed-use nature of the area. By analyzing existing traffic patterns and current street and sidewalk conditions, the study will focus on managing and calming vehicular traffic, maximizing parking opportunities and creating a compelling streetscape that fosters activity and vitality for pedestrians and business owners in the district…” (go to article)
“You wouldn’t think these little binders of materials would amount to much, but last year ZeroLandfill diverted 50,000 pounds by simply providing a dumpster for artists and schools to dive into. They’re starting up again, setting out a dumpster at 3631 Perkins Avenue on June 6 and collecting from noon to 6 pm this and every Friday during the summer. Click here to see what materials they can take…” (go to article)
“The proposed high-rise is nothing new in its design or use of materials. The building is clearly a developer-driven project that proposes open floor plates with leasable space and does not strive for innovation. The design is based on the Miesian skyscrapers that was further articulated with the Mies/Johnson Seagram’s Building - pancake floor slabs with a glass curtain wall. It’s a blunt, three-dimensional extrusion that lacks any particular characteristics that would discern it from other buildings (55 Public Square, Diamond Building, Penton Media Building).
And, just as so many other high rises in Cleveland, the proposed Jacobs-Hines tower lacks any relationship to its site and context. It is blatantly impersonal in a part of town - Public Square - which requires buildings to be personal (ie. Terminal Tower, BP Tower, KeyBank). The site of the proposed project requires a better response than ‘pancake architecture’…” (go to article)
“As “Farmers markets increase, creating competition for local produce” look for land at the edge of the city (or in the city) to increase in value for agriculture. A robust local food market does more than reduce food miles—it also makes the case for preserving farmland, especially in Northeast Ohio where most of our fertile land lies right at the metropolitan edge.
Groups like the Countryside Conservancy and its Farmland Center are reestablishing local farms and farmer’s market networks in the Cuyahoga Valley and surrounding counties. The Center is looking for a program coordinator. Inquiries can be directed here or by calling 330.657.2542…” (go to article)
“Cameron Sinclair Lecture. Blog On the City provided a review of the Sinclair (Architecture for Humanity) lecture that was spot on. Frankly every damn architect and designer in the city should have been there, but we only saw the usual suspects. For those who did attend and heard Mr. Sinclair’s speech, please visit the AFH Cleveland website and become involved with the group…” (go to article)
“The Jacobs-Hines project, currently known as Public Square Tower, aims to scoop up some of these existing tenants and potentially lure other office users from outside of downtown. The companies will share ownership and development responsibilities for the project, which includes 500,000 square feet of offices, about 4,800 square feet of street-level, tenant-serving retail and an attached three-level parking garage on the western side of the site. Jacobs will lease and run the building, while Hines will be the project and construction manager…” (go to article)
“Next AFH-Cleveland get together is scheduled for…
Tuesday, June 10th
Blind Pig Cleveland (out on the “patio” if weather permits)
6pm to whenever
Remember the next Homeless Congress meeting is…
Thursday, June 5th
Bishop Cosgrove Center
1pm…” (go to article)
“Gas prices have Clevelanders thinking for the first time about the cost of their commute. Scooter sales are up, but what changes need to happen before you feel comfortable commuting by bike? Can cars and bikes coexist on the roads in Northeast Ohio? Would a bike lane on your route to work make you feel safe?…” (go to article)
“Mauk plans to buy homes in foreclosure that homeless people will work to renovate and resell. He also wants to open a drop-in shelter for the homeless.
His effort got a kick-start from a $40,000 award he received recently as part of the William E. Simon Fellowship for Noble Purpose. It’s the top award given nationally each year by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute of Delaware…” (go to article)
“Just a reminder… there will be no movie night this week at Bela Dubby, as it is the fifth Thursday of the month. We will return to our regular schedule next week with Sergei Eisenstein’s Battleship Potemkin… ” (go to article)
“Look for Rockitecture. to be re-tooling itself in the couple months, with a fresh, new, ironically hip design, consistent posts and a return to its roots, whatever those where…” (go to article)
“Preservationists want to display two of the old Huletts near the lake freighter William Mather next to the Great Lakes Science Museum. Some estimates say that could cost as much as $6 million.
The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority probably wants the Huletts to go away. Permanently. But, port authority officials are not talking publicly about their proposals. They did not respond to repeated requests for an update of their proposal…” (go to article)
“However, what happens if no one comes to the parade? What if very little people actually spend a half-hour of their holiday participating in—just merely watching, mind you–the Memorial Day Parade? This is what occurred in Parma yesterday. Parma is a city of, according to the US Census Bureau, around 80,000 people. Approximately 9,300 veterans live in the city, or about 14% of Parma’s population, more than average American city. Many houses fly Marine Corps and Navy flags. Blue Star Flags hang in many windows. Yet, how can so little people turn out for such a solemn occasion?…” (go to article)
“On top of the energy saved from reusing an existing building, architects mbi | k2m are seeing multiple benefits from their green renovation of an older building in Ohio City. Cleveland Green Building Coalition is helping them tell their story in a series of workshops that explore the LEED-certification process. Read more...” (go to article)
“I have to admit that I have always been partial to the design of the station. Built in Art Moderne and designed by Cleveland architect J. Milton Dyer the station was a beautiful homage to nautical design. Years of neglect have compromised the structure but the current owner (the City of Cleveland) are currently looking at possible solutions to revitalize the site…” (go to article)
“An article in the same issue of NACE explores the possible development of algae farms in the Midwest to supply biofuels. The strength of our agriculture-based economy and a recent breathrough called a closed-loop bioreactor system makes it possible to grow algae year round, even in cold Midwestern winters. ‘When commercial-scale algae production becomes viable, its success in the Midwest will likely depend on agricultural entrepreneurs working with capital investors to finance algae production systems that maximize the benefits of existing infrastructure. In the future, the idea of ‘Midwestern biofuel’ may evoke images of percolating algae in addition to images of swaying corn and soy.’…” (go to article)
“The Mall B&C proposal offered the most elegant solutions which seemed to offer the best opportunity to invigorate street life along a typically empty urban area while still allowing the Mall to retain it’s usage as a public space. It also made allowances for connecting to the Lake via a pedestrian bridge that would cross the train tracks and highway and allow easy access to the Science Center and Rock Hall while creating back of house access that would allow trucks to utilize loading areas without having to traverse downtown streets from the highway…” (go to article)
“Development plans that, late last year, included a 22-story office tower at Superior and West 3rd have taken the back seat, replaced by a broader approach to creating energy - what Stark describes as a ‘tight, European, walkable and hip’ atmosphere.
By late 2011, he hopes to build about 215,000 square feet of retail, topped by seven- to 10-story buildings containing 350 homes and 166,000 square feet of offices, none of which will require snagging large downtown tenants with leases set to expire soon…” (go to article)
“Cameron Sinclair told last night’s MOCA Cleveland Talalay Series that he launched Architecture for Humanity to be a virtual, viral network responding to natural disaster around the world with thoughtful housing solutions. With only five full-time staff, Sinclair relies on an army of 5,000 volunteers—architects who organize local chapters around the globe and then move nimbly into the field whilst forming relationships with local residents before they design and build homes, community centers, soccer fields— whatever is most needed to restore the community—from Zimbabwe to Biloxi…” (go to article)
“While many of us play within the esotericism of current architectural and urban thought, Sinclair and his organization Architecture for Humanity acts, facilitates, and builds hundreds of buildings around the world, influencing thousands of people on many continents. Sinclair truly builds for the masses, all by utilizing decentralized and open networks of emerging global architectural talent, instead of top-down master dictated central planning structures…” (go to article)
