sense of place LAB - laurie halsey brown

The End-user Perspective

admin — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 21:25:13 +0000

“When you become the client, you realize how hard it is to be a client. Working on our own homes has given me a lot more empathy for the role of the client. When you live in your own projects… you get a heightened understanding of where things should go, and how to accommodate the human body. In my own designs, I emphasize views and vistas, both of other parts of the house and of the outside. Each view is constantly referring to something else, but it’s also telling you where you are.” – Lise de Vito

A Shift in ‘place’.

admin — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 03:42:22 +0000

Today is a good day to remember that in Haiti, nobody ever really dies. The many thousands who’ve had the breath crushed out of their bodies in the earthquake, and the thousands more who will not physically survive the aftermath, will undergo instead a translation of state, according to the precepts of Haitian Vodou, some form of which is practiced by much of the population. Spirits of the Haitian dead — sa nou pa we yo, those we don’t see — do not depart as in other religions but remain extremely close to the living, invisible but tangible, inhabiting a parallel universe on the other side of any mirror, beneath the surface of all water, just behind the veil that divides us from our dreams. - Madison Smartt Bell

Sparks Fly at Midnight - Wildforest Sanctuary, Anapolis CA

admin — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:50:22 +0000

trees leaning forward / to bathe in burning warmth. / twenty ten begins.

Urban RE:vision

admin — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:31:38 +0000

The mission of Urban Re:Vision is to help cities develop safe, sustainable and enriching urban blocks. They do this through a series of activities designed to inspire collaboration and to bring out the best solutions.

…To learn more about this organization, click link above.

Bike Racks as Public Art

admin — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 06:41:08 +0000

functional public art / bike racks for community / the x marks the spot.

The first results of senseofplace LAB’s community-specific functional public art contest for the San Francisco Bike Coalition. The panel chose the winners based on how well the rack reflected the unique character of Treasure Island, whether it was functional as a bike rack and whether or not it activated public space. The bike rack above is one of three chosen designs that have recently been fabricated.

Does the new architecture in New Orleans reflect a ’sense of place’?

admin — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 00:16:21 +0000

In 2007, frustrated by the slow pace of rebuilding in the Lower Ninth, Brad Pitt set up a foundation called Make It Right; the foundation then commissioned 13 architecture firms to design affordable, green houses. The organization plans to build 150 homes, all for returning Lower Ninth residents. So far, just 15 of them are occupied, but those 15 make a big impression.

…To read the rest of the article, click link above.

Sea Cliff - San Francisco, CA

admin — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 02:42:14 +0000

alley way slivers…/nature framed in privilege/…of postcard vistas.

City Planning Commissioner to Create Prize for Public Spaces

admin — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 03:24:51 +0000

Amanda M. Burden, chairwoman of the New York City Planning Commission, who was named the 2009 laureate of the Urban Land Institute’s J.C. Nichols Prize For Visionaries in Urban Development, announced Monday that she will donate the prize money she received to create an award that honors public open spaces.

The $100,000 prize will go back to the Urban Land Institute, a nonprofit research and education organization, to create the Global Award for Public Open Space. Making open spaces in streets, parks and public plazas “is the essence of city life and the measure of its success,” Ms. Burden said in an interview. “They’re important mixing chambers of all social classes.”

Spirit Rock LGBTQI Meditation Retreat - Marin, CA

admin — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:14:07 +0000

mind of the Buddha. / body of the Buddha, touch / the heart of Buddha.

At Home Anywhere

admin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:44:27 +0000

A project by Henrik Jan Haarink and Esther Kokmeijer
A journey to the 27 countries of the European Union, visiting its inhabitants. Looking for the definition of ‘Home’ at the centre of gravity, the exact center, heart and navel of each country. In 2009, they have visited all people on all centres of gravity of all countries of the European Union. In May 2010 they will publish a book containing the best photographs, drawings and stories about the trip, the centres of gravity and the people they met.