The December 2009 issue of Computer Graphics World quotes Joe Letteri, a senior visual effects supervisor for the film "Avatar," describing the technical challenges of the project: "We had to go through a complete re-tooling and re-architecting." Gosh, architecting the first time is hard enough...
"...Extreme weather possibly linked to climate change, as well as construction on less stable ground, have provoked unprecedented foundation failures in houses nationwide. Foundation repair companies report a doubling and tripling of their business in the last two decades... [T]elltale signs of foundation failure include doors and windows that will not close, chimneys or porches separating from the house and bowing basement walls.... [S]wings between hot and dry weather and severe rain or snow have profoundly affected soil underneath buildings... [These conditions are] not covered by most homeowners’ insurance policies in the United States... Compounding the problem is that, during the recent housing boom in the United States, houses were built in areas where the soil was particularly prone to shift... Lawyers who specialize in foundation failure cases say states usually have an 8- to 10-year statute of limitations following completion of a house for homeowners to seek relief for inadequate construction given the soil conditions.... 'maintain a constant amount of moisture in the soil,'said Tom Witherspoon, a foundation engineer in Dallas. 'If you can do that, your house will never move...' If you are considering buying a house, look for patched-over cracks in brick or drywall and doors that have been planed. Also notice if there are cracks in sidewalks and streets in the neighborhood... [I]t might be a good idea to have a geotechnical engineer do an inspection..."
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced in January that California will become the first state to adopt mandatory green building standards, called CALGreen. Among the provisions of the law, which will take effect next year as part of Title 24, already in place are the following: Every new building constructed in the state will have to: Reduce water consumption by 20 percent; Divert 50 percent of construction waste from landfills: Install low pollutant-emitting materials: Include separate water meters for use in non-residential buildings. "...The code also allows for more stringent voluntary provisions such as a 65 percent waste-diversion mandate... Cities with green building programs that exceed standards outlined in CALGreen will not be required to change their own programs... Currently there can be 30 different jurisdictions with LEED-equivalent programs but no set standard... CALGreen relies on local building departments rather than third-party inspectors... For now, the code only takes new construction into consideration, ignoring existing building stock..." Addressing how the new California rules will interact with LEED, a government information sheet pointedly states: "Having a mandatory code will allow California’s builders to build to a certifiable green standard without having to pay costly fees for third-party programs"
With reference to the Times' use of the word 'normal' we urge skepticism. 'Normal' may have a shelf-life. "...the jumbo-loan market is starting to return to normal. Two weeks ago, the average interest rate on 30-year fixed-rate jumbos dropped to 5.79%...Banks are also relaxing slightly some of their requirements for jumbo loans... The maximum amounts for Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae "conforming" mortgages, and for FHA mortgages, are set by Congress. The cutoff for single-family homes was $417,000 from 2006 until February 2008, when lawmakers increased it temporarily to $729,750 in certain high-cost areas, including Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties. Conforming loans top out at $500,000 in Riverside and San Bernardino counties and $697,500 in San Diego County...The increased upper limits, which have been extended until the end of this year, have created a three-tier system in expensive areas... Wells [Fargo Bank] believes high-end home prices are stabilizing in those coastal counties. But the bank still requires higher down payments in the Inland Empire and other battered housing markets such as Florida, Nevada and Arizona... Jumbo loans remain much harder to get... Although no jumbos have been turned into securities for at least two years, packages of delinquent jumbos have begun to be sold again to "vulture" investors, a sign that the secondary market for the loans may revive..."
Rankings: #1: Salt Lake City, Utah; #11: Portland, Oregon; #46: New York City Metropolitan Area; #51: Los Angeles; #60: Tampa, Florida. Factors measured: Percentage of commuters in each metro area took an hour or more to get to work; Percentage of commuters who carpooled or used alternatives to driving like walking, biking or taking public transportation; Texas Transportation Institute Travel Time Index, which measure delays.
From the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust: "Within the historic drafting room of the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park, fantasy campers learn basic drafting techniques and execute frameable floor plans of their own dream creations. Truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Non-architect adults only."
...Not if the Trust for Public Land can raise the cash first. A big chunk of Cahuenga Peak, where the Hollywood Sign stands, was once owned by Howard Hughes. The website of listing brokers Teles Properties offers buyers the opportunity to "live above it all," and of course, above US all. Some in the community would prefer not. The LA Times says: "...Los Angeles officials all but forgot about the privately owned 138 acres... until a group of Chicago investors purchased it from Hughes' estate at a bargain-basement price in 2002... On Tuesday, city leaders and preservationists outlined what they describe as a last-ditch plan to purchase the peak and prevent its development by making it part of Griffith Park. Officials of the Trust for Public Land have negotiated to purchase the mountaintop for $11.7 million. They have raised about half of that but must come up with the rest of the cash by April 14, they said... Trust leaders said they are confident they can raise the remainder of the purchase price, which they say is tied to an appraisal of the property 10 months ago. Funding commitments so far have primarily come from public sources... If the trust is unable to purchase the peak and give it to the city, the acreage will go back on the market..."
"... University of Arizona law professor, Brent White, explained that the vast majority of underwater homeowners continued to make mortgage payments even if it might make more financial sense for them to strategically default and walk away. One reason is that figuring out whether to stay or walk requires calculations too complicated and time-consuming for the average homeowner to perform.For those who don’t want to do the calculations themselves, the online “Does It Make Financial Sense to Walk Away and Rent?” calculator at www.YouWalkAway.com can help..."
Architecture for Humanity’s Sinclair On Haiti Reconstruction
"...For those of us who are part of the reconstruction effort, we need to think about immediate needs for shelter while planning for the next three to five years of rebuilding... here is what it really looks like;
Pre-Planning Assessments and Damage Analysis (underway, will run for a year)
Establish Community Resource Center and Reconstruction Studio (Week 6 to Month 3)
Sorting Out Land Tenure and Building Ownership (Month 6 to Year 5)
Transitional Shelters, Health Clinics and Community Structures (Month 6 to Year 2)
Schools, Hospitals and Civic Structures (Month 9 to Year 3)
Permanent Housing (Year 1 to Year 5)..."
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced in January that California will become the first state to adopt mandatory green building standards, called CALGreen. Among the provisions of the law, which will take effect next year as part of Title 24, already in place are the following: Every new building constructed in the state will have to: Reduce water consumption by 20 percent; Divert 50 percent of construction waste from landfills: Install low pollutant-emitting materials: Include separate water meters for use in non-residential buildings. "...The code also allows for more stringent voluntary provisions such as a 65 percent waste-diversion mandate... Cities with green building programs that exceed standards outlined in CALGreen will not be required to change their own programs... Currently there can be 30 different jurisdictions with LEED-equivalent programs but no set standard... CALGreen relies on local building departments rather than third-party inspectors... For now, the code only takes new construction into consideration, ignoring existing building stock..." Addressing how the new California rules will interact with LEED, a government information sheet pointedly states: "Having a mandatory code will allow California’s builders to build to a certifiable green standard without having to pay costly fees for third-party programs"
Rankings: #1: Salt Lake City, Utah; #11: Portland, Oregon; #46: New York City Metropolitan Area; #51: Los Angeles; #60: Tampa, Florida. Factors measured: Percentage of commuters in each metro area took an hour or more to get to work; Percentage of commuters who carpooled or used alternatives to driving like walking, biking or taking public transportation; Texas Transportation Institute Travel Time Index, which measure delays.
From the 