By Marcell Jankovics. Watch without sound first.

Myth #1: “When home-buyers look at remodeling or adding on, it makes more sense fiscally to start from scratch.”

The reality is that the issue is not a financial one, but rather the misguided fascination for more square footage, the brand new syndrome and the false sense of status that the homeowner is seeking from those two motivations. Existing homes with at least some structural integrity can be re-designed and renovated with exterior modifications and additions for more space and accomplished far more economically. On the inside, kitchens and bathrooms can be made new again. Re-designing for exterior and interior improvements will cost far less than it takes to teardown a home and build a new one of similar quality and aesthetic. Read the rest of this entry »

Part of the work involved in our field as designers, of all disciplines, places us in the role of visionaries.  To combine aspects of design, culture, art, architecture, nature in a way that creates a better quality of life in our cities is the common goal.  We hope that by supporting like-minded individuals as our decision makers,  we will promote and someday actualize our vision of a cosmopolitan city.  Creativity can couple with prosperity in this world.  Health and wellness can foster greater understanding of the less-is-more mentality.  Reducing our need for space and things on a daily basis can lead to greater room for future generations. 

 We honestly believe MAB agrees with us on the subject of Raleigh’s smart growth and advancement.  A city that attracts and retains creative contributors as its residents…City decision-makers are very interested in the idea of mass transit as of late, which we see as an integral part of reducing suburban sprawl and pollution associated with our vehicles.  Along these lines, the possibility of a more pedestrian-friendly city space that is housed in a centralized zone has recently been discussed among city politicians.  We applaud the introduction and further discussion of these topics as a matter of public discourse.  Now that local elections have resulted in a decidedly progressive city council, the voters’ have expressed their desire to support more dynamic ideas, growth, and advancement of the place where we live and work and play. 

On my accumulated list of things I really want to do is to curate (is it legal to curate and have a submission in a show simultaneously?!) a show for which the only theme is “Time”.

Weirdly, this showed up in my RSS feed list yesterday. Icastic, a visualization specialty firm, asked people how they visualize time. There are some truly beautiful entries, like the one at left.

It’s also interesting to see the age/gender/profession of some of the entrants. The younger folks have some unexpected angles that I identify with, as well as ones from engineering minded folks. The ones I submitted haven’t shown up yet.