Architecture for Humanity - SF
Tuesday, July 06, 2004
HOMELESS NEWS |
SF's 10 Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness has been unveiled, in all its prodigal glory, with Washington's 'homeless abolitionist' grand wizard Mangano himself, who flew over to annoint our dear sophisticated city with the fed's pride and slick tongued stamp of approval. While Alioto has worked hard and is sincere and compassionate about the issue, one cannot refuse the bigger picture Mangano has done such a good job to distract our local municipalities from calling foul.
Ironically this big plan unfolds as our local heroes in the trenches at the 'Coalition on Homelesness' face a sad round of layoffs.
Beyondchron's take on the 10 Year Plan
the Roundabout filtration of dollars for services
NYC Homeless Programs VS. SF? | Beyonchron says wrong again
Reagan & Homelessness
SFWeekly | Street Shuffle
Less Cash, More Care?
Hidden benefit of Care Not Cash -- homeless rolls drop
Our new Anti-loitering law
Federal official touts 10-year plan to reduce homeless in Nevada
Contra Costa County approves 10 year plan
Alameda set to put people on the street
Third Worldly Matthew Spitzer brings lessons from China and Sierra Leone into a Tenderloin medical clinic
Philly Style help for Homeless
DESIGN NEWS |
MOBilSTAtion (MOBSTA) wins International Award for Homeless Proposal | Kevin Hayes Architects
Thinking about the box | The shipping news | Are Mobile Homes the future of affordable housing? | Is Jim Reid's ShelterOne really a solution for SF Homeless?
Teddy Cruz wins an award
A-matter profiles this project for drug addicts in Utrecht.
New Women's Shelter
A Palo Alto Homeless Shelter
Homeless Shelter in Austin
A Mobile Assist Vehicle Student Project Charette
Laguna Honda Design and Compassion
For pioneering affordable-housing advocate Rosanne Haggerty, good design is hardly an extravagance. In fact, it pays for itself.
High Concept Design in Shelter
New Futuristic Prefab Apartments for Microliving
The Anti-Burb (arcosanti) | Recycling Arcosanti
Berkeley 2004 Essay Winners
Competition Public Space 2004
Walter Hood’s Profile
HomeAid Builders for Shelters
Morphosis' Green Tower
In less than two years, the deep hole at the corner of 7th and Mission Streets in San Francisco will be the site of greenest federal building in the United States. The 605,000 sq. ft., 18-story San Francisco Federal Building will set precedents with its focus on community space and its intelligent use of natural light and heat, as well as such eco-friendly products as wood sustainably harvested from local forests and carpets containing recycled content. The tower will even be built with “green” cement.
“There isn’t anything quite like it,” said Tim Christ, Project Manager at the design architect firm Morphosis. The “green” cement, Christ explains, contains a 50% mix of granulated blast furnace slag — a steelmaking by-product that usually winds up in a landfill. In addition to making the new cement stronger, the mix cuts the need for cement in half. “The manufacture of Portland cement worldwide contributes approximately 8% of total greenhouse gas emissions,” Christ notes. A ton of Portland cement produces a ton of CO2.
The new building will be heated and cooled with natural systems, eliminating the waste and expense of artificial light and heat. Most workstations will have direct access to sunlight, cutting the use of energy for lighting by 26%. Computer-operated windows and a sophisticated automatic vent system will provide cooling to 70% of the building, reducing annual air-conditioning costs by 86%. The improved ventilation is expected to drastically reduce the “sick building syndrome” that plagues traditional office buildings. Breaking down traditional office hierarchies, corner offices will be eliminated to provide city views for 90% of the workers. Subsidized public transportation for employees will reduce traffic on busy city streets. In fact, despite its 1,800 employees, the tower’s garage will offer only 47 parking spaces. In an effort to reach out to the community, the new building will include a fitness center, conference center, daycare center, sky gardens, and a large open-air cafeteria — all open to the public.
This project promises to draw San Francisco into the growing sustainable buildings movement that has already taken root in Europe. San Francisco architect Craig Henritzy calls it “a major coup for the green movement in office buildings.” — Jennifer Liss
