I observed this recently when Valerie and I drove through the Carmel. Of course, there are reasons why this village is a vacation destination. It has a few attractions such the benign climate, the ocean with white sandy beaches between rocky shores, the history of Bohemian artists, the small scale and high density of smaller homes. But if you could put all this aside for sake of discussion, and imagine that the lush landscaping was removed (heaven forbid), you would then notice that many of the cottages are simply generic. Yes, there are spectacular examples of residential architecture, but these are the exceptions that prove my point. It is the pine forests on the Peninsula that create such pleasing towns.
A friend of our family, Rebecca Twitchell, is involved in a tree-planting program for the relatively barren neighborhood of Smith Hill in Providence, Rhode Island. She is motivated by the positive effects that will multiply from this landscaping effort. (Her website is http://www.half-full.com).
Plenty of native plants and trees may increase the value of a neighborhood, reduce homeowner energy costs, and contribute to the urban habitat. Abundant landscaping also contributes to neighborhood pride and enjoyment for homeowners and visitors. So get out your shovel and start planting.

-TJC (written Nov. 8th 2009)

Windows provide many benefits

Among green features in building design, the term, “daylighting,” refers to natural light entering an interior space through windows and skylights during the day. Daylighting reduces energy consumption by reducing the need for electric light fixtures. In schools, “students’ stress levels and attention spans are positively affected” by daylighting. There is even “a positive link between daylight and better exam results.” (More info) In workplaces too, “research has shown that daylight increases productivity and reduces absenteeism.” (More info)

You will also have a calmer environment when people can connect to the outdoors. So soak up the daylight. You will feel better if you do.
-TJC

Concept Drawing for Auto Dealership

We would like to thank commission members for their support. And we would like to thank the city planning staff for their extra efforts to work on a short schedule to accommodate the school calendar.

• St. Paul’s Cathedral was built between 1675 and 1710 in the shape of a cross. It still functions as an active parish church. Standing under the huge dome, you look up to intricate murals of prophets and saints. The scale is overwhelming. I have a souvenir poster hanging in my office to remind me that is one of the largest domes in the world, designed by Sir Christopher Wren. The city is populated with his church spires.
• Millennium Bridge is a modern pedestrian span on axis with St. Paul’s. It was built during the millennium celebration in the Year 2000. Enjoy the views up and down the Thames River.
• Westminster Abbey (1066 ) is a beautiful late-Gothic cathedral. It has been used for many royal coronations and the final resting place for famous British dignitaries, like Winston Churchill. Again the scale is out of sight. Think about the expert masons who constructed this masterpiece.
• Tower of London is a must stop for anyone interested the British sometimes gruesome royal history. The red uniformed Yeomen Warders entertain with amusing stories.
• Harrods opened in 1849. Wandering between retail displays in this seven-story department store brings you through a variety of bizarre interiors, the chocolate confectionery being particularly memorable.
• British Museum is said to be the nation’s largest with more than four million objects on display. It has a monumental collection of Egyptian and Greek sculpture and architectural pieces. The food court is now enclosed by a soaring steel and glass dome, designed by Sir Norman Foster, one my favorite contemporary architects.

“The Gherkin" London

• Swiss-Re Headquarters is a pickle shaped skyscraper nicknamed “the Gherkin.” also designed by Foster and Partners. Another of Foster’s modern designs is the spherical City Hall, described by our guide on the double-decker bus as resembling a stack of round pizza boxes.
• Hampton Court Palace is a pleasant train ride out of town and well worth the trip. It is a mere country residence built in the1500’s. The most famous resident may have been King Henry VIII. The succession of rooms and halls in the royal palace goes on and on. Then there are 60 acres of formal gardens.
• Back in town, you can easily get around in the subway or in the more comfortable black cabs.

I am saving my pennies for our next visit.

-TJC

New Life

Buildings have life cycles. A structure may be designed for the original client, but altered to fit the needs of subsequent occupants. For 601 E. Franklin St. in Monterey, TJC designed a unique building to merge a car dealership’s prototype with the city’s regulations. The dealership closed shorty after it opened, and since then, we have shown a variety of companies how they could adapt the building to their retail needs, including another auto dealership. However no one committed until now. Calvary Christian High School has announced that they will be moving into the former dealership next fall. We will coordinate renovation drawings for permits from the City of Monterey. We are happy for the owner and the high school, and glad to see the building being put to good use.

Future City by Frank R. Paul

I have long been fascinated with illustrations depicting cities of the future. This older graphic (Future City by Frank R. Paul) is one of my favorites because of its bold forms and colors. These utopian depictions of the future in print and film share common characteristics. Presumably we would all be living and working in very dense mega-structures. Some would drive highway vehicles on controlled traffic routes which bridge from high-rise building to building. Others would operate personal planes on guide paths in the sky. The glistening architecture of the future would have smooth rounded shapes without any reference to historic styles. The artist’s rendering is devoid of deterioration, litter, pollution, or any other unpleasantries.

I wonder if there is room for individual expression or small group activities. Where are the mothers and fathers pushing baby strollers through the neighborhood? Where are the houses of worship? Many of these visions (past and present) promote a brave, new, secular and socialist urbanism.

-TJC

Story Poles

No doubt, you have noticed orange plastic netting strung between poles while driving through the countryside. These “story poles” or “ridge poles” depict the actual size and location of proposed buildings. The brightly colored netting simulates the shape of the roof. These full-scale mock-ups are required in Monterey County and several local cities for new construction or additions. They give the neighbors and the planning officials an opportunity to visit the site to verify that the proposed design meets zoning regulations.

The photograph above shows the poles and netting recently erected to match our drawings for a new custom home, designed to meet all regulations. The homeowners will enjoy an unusual view toward Monterey Bay overlooking the Elkhorn Slough. The poles and netting can be erected by the owner, contractor, or a specialist like Steve Babcock (831-657-9831).

-TJC

Mark Twain, Will Rogers, Winston Churchill

America is where a young man (or woman) can start at the bottom and works his (her) way into a hole.
-Wall Street Journal

The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.
-Winston Churchill

Character is much easier kept than recovered.
-Thomas Paine

All Congresses and Parliaments have a kindly feeling for idiots and a compassion for them on account of personal experience and heredity.
-Mark Twain

A filing cabinet is a place where you can lose things systematically.
-T.H. Thompson

It’s getting harder and harder to support the government in the style to which it has become accustomed.
-source unknown

I don’t make jokes; I just watch the government and report the facts.
-Will Rogers

Never blame a legislative body for not doing something. When they do nothing, that don’t’ hurt anybody. When they do something is when they become dangerous.
-Will Rogers

We are continually faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems.
-John W. Gardner

Source: Phillips, Bob. “Phillips’ Treasury of Humorous Quotations”. Tyndale House Publishers, 2004.

Lost in Red Tape

When you think of starting a construction project, you are probably thinking about the arrangement of interior spaces in the finished building. You are dreaming about a more efficient layout or updated décor. You are not expecting to be filling out applications for multiple government agencies. That is what TJC does for you. We spend a good portion of our time responding to regulations from a variety of city and county departments. If your property is located in a city, we will deal with the zoning regulations through a development application. We will meet with the city planner and process the paperwork and drawings. The rule of thumb is this: the more changes you are requesting for the use of a building, the longer the process will be. Developing vacant property, for example, may involve also the planning commission and the city council. In the county, your project may be reviewed by other agencies such as Environmental Health to approve the layout of a septic system, or a forester to report on tree removal and replacement. We are careful to follow the rules so that the process will not be delayed. If a particularly thorny issue is expected, we sometimes recommend a land-use attorney; but most of the time, we process the permits ourselves.

Our projects meet national and state building standards as required by law. Each section of the California Building Code (i.e. Building, Structural, Fire, Electrical, and Mechanical Code) is larger than a telephone book. City or county plan checkers in building departments will review every drawing sheet to verify that we have met public safety standards. We attend seminars to keep up with code changes, like the one that Tom participated in last week to review the American Disabilities Act.

Dealing with bureaucracies can be frustrating for the faint hearted, but we do accomplish this for our clients. We are willing to wade through the paperwork so that you can walk through your new building.

-TJC

Landscaping by Floravista

Coordinating a building project is like fitting together pieces of a complicated puzzle. One piece of the puzzle that is often overlooked is landscape design. For several years, we have turned to Dinah Irino to advise us. She started her own landscape design business, Floravista, in 1994. Her clients include California Water Service, Pasadera, and several produce companies. Dinah currently teaches a class at Monterey Peninsula College on Irrigation Design and Water Economy.

• Q: What makes a good landscape design?
• A: It is a balance of choosing the right plants for the site environmentally and ascetically, with a concern for sustainability. Environmentally, one must look at the location to determine soil type, wind, amount of sun exposure, slope, and climate zone. Ascetically, you choose plants that will complement the building and provide pleasing views. This involves a balance of form, color, texture, and personal taste.
• Q: How do you decide what plants to specify?
• A: I always interview the client to determine what “look” they want to create. With our Mediterranean climate there is a huge plant palette from which to choose. So whether you want native, formal, cottage, drought tolerant, or a tropical look; it can be done. Obviously, there are also many plants that will not grow here, but substitutes can be made to get the look you want and still be sustainable.
• Q: What is a current trend in landscape design?
• A: Today’s focus is on water use. People are asking for a more native, drought tolerant, and sustainable landscapes. My class at MPC on Sustainable Landscaping is very popular. Also, huge advances have been made in irrigation equipment and practices. Controllers are now available that can adjust automatically for changes in the weather and drip irrigation has been perfected to replace many spray irrigation systems.

Contact Dinah at Floravista: (831) 663-3652