After two years since my last post on this blog, I have continued to receive email messages reporting new followers. This has given me cause to think that that just maybe there are folks out there that think that what I have to say, matters.
If this is the case, thank you!
In any case, although I may deviate from what some may think the suggestion that this blog is focused upon may vary, I ultimately believe that because I have become the essence of what it means to be an "Architect" after a half century of practice, my thoughts on most matters reflect those of an Architect. So, with that thought in mind, I would like to direct your attention to my recent experiences after being diagnosed with Stage 4, Lung Cancer.
This unanticipated diagnosis has changed my life from this point forward. The background image of this blog depicts a dream I have nurtured for several years of my studio in my home. Since my diagnosis, I realized how important it is to realize your dreams before you no longer have the opportunity. Finally, that image is taking real shape. My clients and friends will be able to experience the refreshing joy of sharing a view of our hidden Appalachian "Hollow" from the second story deck of my studio.
This is an important thought for budding architects because it reveals the importance of implementing your dreams to your continued growth as an Architect. If you aren't in a position to realize the dreams you create, then you must develop projects or ideas that you have direct control of and implement them.
Contact me to visit my new studio. You'll like it!
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Friday, March 29, 2013
Evolution of a Blogger
Over the past five years, I've experienced another personal milestone understanding this new high tech world of communication and education.
My personal learning process has been that of a "happy wanderer" discovering the wonders of our new technologies. During my wanderings and experiments, I fear that I 've confused many of my friends (and followers) who have tried to track my musings of a better world through "participatory design."
This particular blog was one of my first permutations of an adventure that began with a Facebook group that I formed in 2007-8 entitled Heart of Roanoke. That first effort grew quickly with a following of nearly 800 members. The purpose of establishing that group was an attempt to engage fellow Roanokers in a process of reviewing the Downtown core of the City of Roanoke Virginia. In a short time, it became clear that a blog format would be a logical evolution of the original FB group.
A high percentage of members of the FB Group, migrated to the "Heart of Roanoke" blog.
As the recession in the construction industry began taking its toll in 2008-09, I faced a dilemma of trying to supplement my support my passion for intellectual growth with income derived from my lifelong expertise in architecture and planning. Social Security benefits were not going to be enough.
My next step in the summer of 2009 was to begin trying to more effectively identify myself with the Heart of Roanoke project and thereby achieve a measure of financial assistance with my continuing efforts. With this motive in mind, I decided to identify myself as Appalachian Architect and renamed and reformatted the blog.
With a professional career that has spanned over four decades, I have found it extremely difficult to self promote my skills, wanting, and indeed expecting, my skills to promote themselves trough the integrity of my work. I have been offended by the marketing techniques gradually adopted in the medical and legal professions and my own architectural profession. How can we continue to improve our services if we only focus upon how to promote and overly embellish our past achievements?
In the Spring of 2011, I debuted another blog entitled, Appalachian Architect's Studio. My effort here has been to establish an educational resource through my continuing practice of Architecture and Design.
Finally, in the Spring of 2010, I began another blog entitled "Bent Mountain Virginia." The focus of this blog was to promote a forum to address community issues while educating our community family and others about the impact of industrial scale energy generation along the crests of our beloved Blue Ridge mountains.
The readership of these publications as of 3/29/13:
My personal learning process has been that of a "happy wanderer" discovering the wonders of our new technologies. During my wanderings and experiments, I fear that I 've confused many of my friends (and followers) who have tried to track my musings of a better world through "participatory design."
This particular blog was one of my first permutations of an adventure that began with a Facebook group that I formed in 2007-8 entitled Heart of Roanoke. That first effort grew quickly with a following of nearly 800 members. The purpose of establishing that group was an attempt to engage fellow Roanokers in a process of reviewing the Downtown core of the City of Roanoke Virginia. In a short time, it became clear that a blog format would be a logical evolution of the original FB group.
A high percentage of members of the FB Group, migrated to the "Heart of Roanoke" blog.
As the recession in the construction industry began taking its toll in 2008-09, I faced a dilemma of trying to supplement my support my passion for intellectual growth with income derived from my lifelong expertise in architecture and planning. Social Security benefits were not going to be enough.
My next step in the summer of 2009 was to begin trying to more effectively identify myself with the Heart of Roanoke project and thereby achieve a measure of financial assistance with my continuing efforts. With this motive in mind, I decided to identify myself as Appalachian Architect and renamed and reformatted the blog.
With a professional career that has spanned over four decades, I have found it extremely difficult to self promote my skills, wanting, and indeed expecting, my skills to promote themselves trough the integrity of my work. I have been offended by the marketing techniques gradually adopted in the medical and legal professions and my own architectural profession. How can we continue to improve our services if we only focus upon how to promote and overly embellish our past achievements?
In the Spring of 2011, I debuted another blog entitled, Appalachian Architect's Studio. My effort here has been to establish an educational resource through my continuing practice of Architecture and Design.
Finally, in the Spring of 2010, I began another blog entitled "Bent Mountain Virginia." The focus of this blog was to promote a forum to address community issues while educating our community family and others about the impact of industrial scale energy generation along the crests of our beloved Blue Ridge mountains.
The readership of these publications as of 3/29/13:
I've noticed that even some of the blogs, that I have allowed to become dormant, continue to receive pageviews on a daily basis. So I feel obligated to many of you to revitalize some of the dormant blogs. The other change that I noticed is that Google now is taking advantage of the pageviews by placing unsolicited advertising on them.
In the past, I have avoided opting for advertising to help support my efforts with the intent of preserving the professional integrity of the information offered.
From this time forward, I have decided to accept Google's continuing requests to allow advertising on these sites. I apologize to my many friends and followers if this decision seems to reduce the integrity or quality of the information I wish to convey. I will also commit to posting at least weekly on each of the referenced blogs to respect those who have continued to support me with your pageviews.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Springing Back into Action
The past 3 months have been busy and exciting. The City of Roanoke Planning Department is working hard to design refinements in their urban design and planning process. They wish to accomplish even greater community participation in the process as well as recruiting greater input from our planning & design professionals in the community.
I've received several requests to resume our Walking Photo Tours. City staff is eager to engage in these events, as well, to start hi-resolution building documentation for modeling. Soon we will publish a schedule of these events.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Off Topic
Periodically, I run across things that catch my attention. (In the interest of focus, maybe I need to set up a second blog.) Nonetheless:
A Biographical History of the Georgist Movement
“The grey heads and bald heads are in the majority. The problem that confronts those of us who want the torch held up in the future, is to fill up the ranks. In order to do that many things must be done, but we must not depend on the old or middle-aged. Somehow or other we must devise a way to reach the minds of the young people – when their minds are open, when they are ready for new truths.”
Mr. Rose, of Kansas City, Missouri (from a speech at the 1928 Henry George Foundation Congress, Chicago. Reprinted in: Land and Freedom, September-October 1928)
George's theories once were the basis for a mainstream political movement, but they have been largely forgotten in this century. George started by observing that people get rich just by owning land and the natural resources it contains, and need not ever contribute any productive labor or ideas to society. It was his view that you should get to keep what you actually earn by productive activity, but society should tax away whatever is "earned" merely by gaining control over scarce resources that should belong to us all.
A Biographical History of the Georgist Movement
“The grey heads and bald heads are in the majority. The problem that confronts those of us who want the torch held up in the future, is to fill up the ranks. In order to do that many things must be done, but we must not depend on the old or middle-aged. Somehow or other we must devise a way to reach the minds of the young people – when their minds are open, when they are ready for new truths.”
Mr. Rose, of Kansas City, Missouri (from a speech at the 1928 Henry George Foundation Congress, Chicago. Reprinted in: Land and Freedom, September-October 1928)
George's theories once were the basis for a mainstream political movement, but they have been largely forgotten in this century. George started by observing that people get rich just by owning land and the natural resources it contains, and need not ever contribute any productive labor or ideas to society. It was his view that you should get to keep what you actually earn by productive activity, but society should tax away whatever is "earned" merely by gaining control over scarce resources that should belong to us all.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Seeking Opportunities - Sidebar Part III
Virginia Museum of Transportation
Another area that deserves much consideration is the East End of the building. Originally the main public and railroad employee entrance to the building. The Second Street/Gainesboro bridge project dramatically altered the sense of place the building enjoyed when the grade crossing @ 2nd St. presented a much different ...perspective.
A "place" needs to re-established on the East end to allow both a strong connection to the Rail Walk and create a sense of place from the bridge.
The place might simply be a much larger, well landscaped plaza with TREES :)
Seeking Opportunities - Sidebar Part II
Virginia Museum of Transportation
The Museum is seeking community input for improvements to building and programs at "input sessions for folks who love lots of modes of transportation--cars, trucks, buses, airplanes, hang gliders, helicopters, boats, canoes, dump trucks, wheelbarrows, bicycles--you get the idea. We're the Virginia Museum of Transportation--what kind of Virginia transportation do you want to see??"
Take the Museum's Norfolk-Southern Challenge survey online @ http:\\www.vmt.org
Take the Museum's Norfolk-Southern Challenge survey online @ http:\\www.vmt.org
A friend passed along this image of a reestablish aerial tram to the top of Mill Mountain from the site of the former Roanoke Mills property.
...and a link to Portland's aerial tram website:
http://www.portlandtram.org/index.htm
The birth of our City will always be reminiscent of the Railroad industry, and that we honor for the benefits we realized from such a creative endeavor. We also need to nurture and re-cultivate our innate capacity for creative endeavor for posterity.
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