Remembering 9/11

Today America remembers 9/11 ....

Tomorrow we will see the World Trade Center rise again!

Spring Timberpeg Homes Tour, May 15, 2011, Asheville, NC

3 homes, 1 community, same day                                           Tour 3 Timberpeg homes

custom designed by 

Ken Wertheim

Architect, AIA

Fr Black Mountain, NC: Exit 64 off I-40, take NC Hwy 9S (go 5 miles). Turn right on Chestnut Road. Go 2 miles, turn left on Flat Creek (fire station). Go 1.7 miles turn left on Nesbitt Chapel Rd. (chapel @ left). Take dirt road behind chapel about 1/2 mile. Follow Timberpeg signs.  

Wood Solutions Conference, Atlanta, GA

Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed attending the Southeast Wood Solutions Conference. It was held in Atlanta, GA this year. I certainly love the “international perspective” that is offered at this conference ~ all five seminars I attended had presenters from Europe. What an experience to broaden my horizons through exchange of global knowledge.

The Architectural Innovation Track began with a fantastic case study of the Centre Pompidou-Metz and Serpentine Pavilion presented by Andrew Lawrence of the UK. The European fabrication techniques and manufacturing processes and watching the construction of doubly curved and twisted timber elements forming grid shells was definitely fascinating.

The presentation by British architect Sophie Campbell on “Innovative Use of Cross Laminated Timber” (CLT) was also enlightening. This focused on the Open Academy in Norwich, the largest timber structure building in the UK. I was especially intrigued with the methodology and thought process behind the design which is a coliseum-like structure. Very inspirational.

What a unique opportunity it was to hear Egyptian born US architect Nabin Tahan speak. His work in Europe and especially in Austria was thought provoking. With my own background having both of my parents from Europe, I found this particularly interesting. The presentation focused on energy-efficiency and sustainability in design and construction of timber buildings in Austria. Learning of the “European Passive House Standard” approach was very insightful as well as the range of “High Performance” European products available and the integrated “systems built” approach to the pre-fab process in Austria.

I must say the keynote presentation during lunch by Chuck Leavell, internationally renowned musician, author and tree farmer, as well as keyboardist for the Rolling Stones was pretty special. We also had a rare opportunity and pleasure to be entertained by him at the piano as he played “Georgia On My Mind”. He spoke of his passion for forestry, the environment and the meaning of stewardship.

At the presentation for the Wood Design Awards, I was especially impressed with the Willson Hospice House in Albany, GA designed by Perkins & Will; the Canoe Club in Palmetto Bluff, SC by architect Hart Howerton; and Pleasant Ridge Camp & Retreat Center in SC by DP3 Architects.

The conference ended with a great presentation on the “Eden Project-The Core” in Cornwall, England presented by German architect Ulrich Dangel. The Core is an Education Resource Center and supporting facility to the Eden Project; a series of geodesic biome structures for housing botanical collections. What was most intriguing to me again was the design process which evaluated ordering systems found in nature which were then translated into the design concept.

Reminiscent of Architecture School, I enjoyed the discussion on the “Fibonacci Series”, “Golden Section Ratios”, and “Phyllotaxis” or geometry of plant growth. This really made you think about the relationship between man and nature; people and plants. We took a close look at spirals in nature (sunflowers, pine cones, seed pods). This reminded me how important it is to stop and smell the roses once and awhile; to spend some quiet time in the wilderness, forest or a park.

Great conference!

Prospering 2011

NC Business Conference, Blue Ridge Community College
Flat Rock, NC.

Excellent business conference. Enjoyed a powerful presentation by Dr. James Smith, Chief Economist of Parsec Financial. Very enlightening session, many positive indicators: projected growth for next 5 years; pent up housing demand; consumer confidence; and heading into a good business cycle.

The keynote on Mobile Technology was especially interesting; learned about the upcoming trends, emerging technologies, and that mobile devices will overtake PC's by 2012. Innovation is exciting. Check out my custom created QR code (left) and please scan it with your “Smart Phone” to get totally connected to my business/social network, (QR reader/scanner app required). Thanks, Ken.

Tiny House Design December 1, 2010

When my youngest son Kyle was given an assignment in his high school architectural drafting class to design a tiny house of only 11’ x 11’ with a maximum height of 12’, I decided to also take on the challenge for myself. The smallest mountain retreat I had ever designed was a 390 square foot Appalachian cabin. So, thinking outside the box, I wanted to see what could be done with only 121 square feet. Believing that this design (see photo inset) could very well be one of the worlds tiniest homes, I did some internet research and was pleasantly surprised to find some really interesting projects even smaller than mine.

If you are interested to learn more, check out these resources: Little Retreats by Jane Tidbury; Tiny Houses by Lester Walker; Compact Houses: Architecture for the Environment by Christian Del Valle; and Little House on a Small Planet by Shay Solomon.

Asheville Land Development Conference (ALDC), Asheville, NC Oct. 2010

The conference was all about sharing visions, creative ideas, opportunities and challenges on land development for Western NC. Seminars included topics such as sustainable green communities, market changes and niches, and why the Southern Appalachian region is one of the hottest destinations for retirees. A discussion on consumer preferences in resort communities covered expectations, changing amenities, and trends towards smaller homes. Asheville mayor Terry Bellamy kicked off the conference with a welcome to Asheville, and NC Congressman Heath Schuler was the keynote speaker during lunch talking about the future economics of the Southern Highlands.  I especially liked the seminars on Private Mountain Communities by Harry Redfearn, WNC Real Estate Update by Neal Hanks of Bevelry Hanks & Associates, and also enjoyed the presentation by Allen Holcomb of Moss Creek. I am looking forward to attending this conference again next year, because as ALDC’s slogan suggests. “knowledge matters”.

AIA Design Conference, Asheville, NC Sept 2010

Focus: Art, Community, Architecture

I found the presentation on the history of the Village of Best, presently known as Biltmore Village very interesting. The village was designed by Richard Morris Hunt and Frederick Law Olmsted, the architect and landscape architect for the Biltmore Estate.

Enjoyed a presentation by architect Matt Frederick, author of 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School. Interesting discussion on Radical Urbanism with regards to human-scaled neighborhoods inter-woven into the social fabric, and incremental growth allowing “organic development”.

Other seminars of interest included: Integrated Project Delivery that used virtual design with (BIM) Building Information Modeling with Rivet, and also 4D simulation. Another valuable session presented Graphic Recoding with topics in innovation, creative thinking, systems thinking and mind mapping complex ideas.

One of the highlights of the conference was the keynote presentation by William Cecil and Jack Cecil, the great-grandsons of George W. Vanderbilt and present owners of The Biltmore Company and Biltmore Farms. They took us through an historic journey of the Biltmore Estate’s past as well as sharing their philosophies and vision for the future for both these unique companies that are so important to Asheville and WNC.