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A highlight of  our Shanghai trip was the visit to Gucheng Park (古代公园). On a hot June day people gathered in areas well suited… here men and their birds stopped for beverages and conversation. Through the bamboo woods there is a narrow shady path. Here Mark Kramer and I met up with an impromptu group of Tai Chi players and experienced the energetic inspiration and comradeship that practicing the meditative martial art form provides. #TaiChi #China #parks #landscape #LinkedIn #cities

Image: MTC/California High-Speed Train from 1999 From Progressive Railroading: The Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009 (STAA) proposes $99.8 billion for public transportation — a more than 90 percent increase compared with SAFETEA-LU levels. The bill also calls for investing $50 billion in high-speed rail. The (funding) guidelines institute a July 10 pre-application deadline, which will enable the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to provide feedback on project applications, according to National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP).  Final applications for funding Tracks 1, 3 and 4 are due Aug. 24; applications for funding Track 2 are due by Oct. 2. The FRA plans to award the first round of grants by mid-September. American Society of Civil Engineers comments: The blueprint … will form a solid foundation for the future of the nation’s transportation systems. US transportation ‘blueprint’ doubles spending to $500bn (6/18) USDOT unveils application guidelines for high-speed stimulus dollars (6/18) House committee leaders introduce surface transportation authorization bill (6/19) High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Interim Program Guidance – (Pre-Application updated 6/19) DOT Information Related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery “Tiger” #construction #ARRA #transportation #publictransit #Infrastructure #publicagencies #LinkedIn #stimulusdollars #US #AmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentAct

Triple Bridge Gateway was honored by the Society For Environmental Graphic Design’s MERIT AWARD on May 30, 2009. To learn more, join Leni Schwendinger, Light Projects LTD and Henry Stolzman, PKSB Architects, at the Architectural League’s lecture series New York Designs: Public on June 4th. All Images by ArchPhoto #PortAuthorityofNYandNJ #ArchPhoto #transportation #TripleBridgeGateway #ArchitecturalLeague #NewYork #NewYorkCity #Infrastructure #LinkedIn #terminal #Lighting #publicart #lectures

May 17th – Meatpacking District Design ’09 An unusual breezy Sunday.  We met at the Standard Hotel. Quietly thrilling to walk a few blocks to the glass-slab building which reflects light from the Hudson River from two directions – slightly south and slightly north.  Double sunset. The rendezvous was set but the itinerary was not.  How would we feel, in the adjacent neighborhood of cobbles and eviscerated butchershops – now overrun by design seekers enjoying the Department of Transportation’s new traffic/public space patterning? After drinks in the lounge, our group of writers, artists and designers, animated, wobbled on.  Here, on “Gansevoort Plaza”, shipping containers showcasing Finnish Design, and along the street, welcoming high fashion shop-doors were open. 414 Gallery was a target, but was so crowded and jumbled that we opted for the drinks and continued on.  CORE 77 describes it, …The space acts as a sort of gallery concentrator, gathering together recent work from IDEA/Brasil, IDSA New York members, Iceland Design Center, designboom, LO-TEK, and a number of other design and architecture studios. Bustelo-coffee-in-cans, macerated fruit and vodka, sidecars… in the main, drinking and walking typified the halcyon day. Pictured above, fig. 2 – the three writers; Andy Forell,  Lani Steinberg, Mark Kramer (author “Lee Lozano.net“)… and me. Fig 4 – Conceptual artist (and wearable art designer) Sakurako Shimizu… and me. Carolee Schneemann at St. Mark’s Church In-the-Bowery Happily traipsing to St. Mark’s Church In-the-Bowery (MTA Bus M8) we anticipated a historic event, Mysteries of the Iconographies, a visual talk by the artist Carolee Schneemann, who, in her own words is “transforming the definition of art, especially discourse on the body, sexuality, and gender”. She asserted the connection of her youthful sketches to her adult art making– one’s “own iconographies”.  Stairs, sticks, lines and ropes… a humble discourse on childhood symbols and an eloquent tracing of her spectacular controversies. A particularly poignant slide reminded us of St. Mark’s Church In-the-Bowery‘s deep arts history.  An image  from the late 60’s performance Water Light/Water Needle was projected, depicting the very same Parish Hall in which we were listening to the artist talk that evening. Pictured above, projections from Schneemann’s lecture, Fig 1 – Interior Scroll, Fig 2 – Carolee speaking, Fig 3 – Water Light/Water Needle (1966). May 20 – American Academy of Arts and Letters The big trip… take the A-train and then the C to 155th Street clutching our hard-copy invitations. On May 20th, the American Academy held it’s annual ceremony honor over 50 composers, artists, architects, and writers with cash awards ranging from $5,000 to $75,000. My composer cousin Laura Elise Schwendinger was the recipient of the Goddard Lieberson fellowship for mid-career composers of exceptional gifts grant.  And we were there to  is to observe her acceptance – and to cheer as the institution  inducted nine members into the 250-person organization: artist Judy Pfaff and architect Tod Williams; writers T. Coraghessan Boyle, Jorie Graham, Yusef Komunyakaa, and Richard Price; composers Stephen Hartke, Frederic Rzewski, and Augusta Read Thomas. After basking in the celebrity of intellectuals and artists, a group of us, now including sculptor Judy Fox and composer Sebastian Currier , descended the hill to somewhere around 130th Street and then the stone stair-wall that separates Riverside Drive from the Hudson’s shore to have dinner and share experiences of the day. Pictured above, (right to left, top to bottom), Fig 1 – Laura, Fig 2 – the gate, Fig 3 – T.C. Boyle, Fig 4 and 6 – view of the ceremony from the balcony, and Fig 5 – Architect Stan Allen’s magnificent, multi-color site model. May 22 – Publicolor Design Module And to complete a week of intensive observation, reflection, revelry and camaraderie, I spoke before an audience of high-schoolers at Publicolor for the “Design Module” – a weekly session with designers describing their jobs. Telling the story of my development as an artist and designer via the world of film, community activism and civic theatre, I realized how extraordinarily my life and practice has progressed — and struggled to describe my serendipitous and self-made opportunities to these disaffected teenage students.  The Color Club students asked me if I “liked my work” (“Yes”),  what my “favorite color” was (“Colors are site specific”) and we discussed the merits of light and shadow. Pictured above, scenes from Stir, Splatter+ Roll Gala 2009 (Light Projects’ 10th year participating as Lighting Design consultant and mine; as team leader, for the Publicolor annual fundraiser). ———————————- * dérive One of the basic situationist practices is the dérive [literally: “drifting”], a technique of rapid passage through varied ambiances. Dérives involve playful-constructive behavior and awareness of psychogeographical effects, and are thus quite different from the classic notions of journey or stroll. In a dérive one or more persons during a certain period drop their relations, their work and leisure activities, and all their other usual motives for movement and action, and let themselves be drawn by the attractions of the terrain and the encounters they find there. Chance is a less important factor in this activity than one might think: from a dérive point of view cities have psychogeographical contours, with constant currents, fixed points and vortexes that strongly discourage entry into or exit from certain zones. — Theory of the Dérive by Guy-Ernest Debord #design #visuallecture #creativity #NewYork #NewYorkCity #LinkedIn #exhibition #AmericanAcademyofArtsandLetters #artwork #derive #landmark

A/E firms (and  sub-consultants who regularly team for public works) should get their Federal Forms  SF 330 updated and ready to create design team proposals, as indicated by Ann Looper Pryor’s post on LinkedIn, today, May 7, 2009, Several major funding sources will start the RFP process  in mid-May to fulfill the strict funding deadlines as discussed previously on this blog. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act gives agencies, counties, and municipalities … 90-120 days to obligate funding to “shovel ready” projects. That means that between May 18 and June 19, recipients of the funding will be in a full court press to secure design professionals to take advantage of those funds within the federal Fiscal Year 2009, ending September 30. Another surge in public project inquiries is expected June through September as the Federal Omnibus Budget (supplemental funding for March 6-September 30, 2009) and the 2010 Federal Budget (October 1, 2009-September 30, 2010) kick in for agency capital improvements and a variety of state programs. This report is based on the post Good Economic News for Landscape Architecture Profession on LinkedIn’s American Society of Landscape Architects’ group by Ann Looper Pryor; Publisher, Landscape Architecture Magazine and Managing Director, Resource Development  of the American Society of Landscape Architects #construction #designteams #designprofessionals #ARRA #landscape #Infrastructure #publicagencies #LinkedIn #AmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentAct #funding #landscapearchitects

Greater New York Construction User Council and the Building Trades Employers’ Association at  AIA Center for Architecture (NYC), April 21,2009. The panels were: Rebuilding our Nation’s Infrastructure, from Housing to Highways, Green Retrofitting of Public and Private Buildings, Public-Private Partnerships for Municipal and Institutional construction, Renewable Energy for the 21st Century. Here I comment on two of them: Rebuilding our Nation’s Infrastructure, from Housing to Highways Michael Della Rocca, President/Regional Managing Director, North America Halcrow Inc After 30 years doing this work, infrastructure is finally a headline story. Mr. Della Rocca discussed why the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds are more valuable;  usually federal funding has to be matched by the state at  80/20 or 50/50, this program is 100% on the dollar.  Projects will be bid as usual.  Agencies involved include DOT, Amtrak and Metro North.  There is a “Use it or lose it”.  The  projects have time sensitivity – have to be completed in 120 days or365 days depending on requirements. ARRA Priorities: job creation speed – shovel ready, design is done, ready to bid green component, for example, public transit Mr. Della Rocca’s counter intuitive statement; Why it is important that Recovery Acts projects succeed. Every six years a new transportation bill is reauthorized.  On  September 30 2009 the new legislation will be passed regarding how transportation monies are allocated and spent.   If we are effective there will be more political will to add more transportation dollars. He mentioned Transportation for America’s T4 Platform designed to guide the new federal surface transportation authorization legislation.  This is important! If you do not know T4 yet – see the Transportation for America website – a comprehensive review the issues, headlines and organizations who support a wide ranging platform for the renewed TEA bill, surprisingly inclusive of a sustainable transportation system (including high- speed rail and world-class public transportation), infrastructure, walking and biking and new public policy of accountability. In 2009, Congress and the next Administration will face the expiration of the current $286 billion national transportation program. The choice is clear: Move our nation in a bold new direction, or continue on the current path of spending billions of taxpayer dollars with little accountability on a system that is both BROKE and BROKEN. (Transportation for America Website) New York City’s transit/transportation use is skewed opposite to the rest of the country.  Federal funding used to slant toward creating urban sprawl (roadways) and now, with a focus on transit-oriented development, funds favor the NYC approach. David Tweedy, Chief of Capital Planning, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PA) Issues from the owner’s perspective: lost revenue from bridges and tunnels challenges as a Bi-State agency annual plan has to balance – not enough revenues commit and award $3.3 billion — a historic amount to capital projects such as airports, security, sustainability PA is not beneficiary of first round of stimulus funds but  if  MTA gets money, the linkages to Port Authority services- such as 1 and 9 subway lines at the Hub – are enhanced.  Also, Route 9A impacts PA services.  He stated that phasing projects so that smaller firms can bid has made the Port’s MBE/WBE/DBE program very strong, robust and outreach is good. PA is helping other agencies with weaker MBE/WBE/DBE programs. (Light Projects had to apply first to Port Authority to enter the Unified Application for Disadvantaged Business Enterprise, a must for small businesses to qualify for  federally funded projects. Refer to  my previous post – February) The World Trade Center rebuilding is expending up $11 billion over 5 years — and there is a burden on balancing capital planning and spending… “quiet projects tend to be deferred”, he stated. What about P3?  Mr. Tweedy had the same answer as Executive Director, Christopher Ward, as quoted in my February post about the Construction Users Council’s previous meeting; the PA is “taking  a hard look” at PPP for the Staten Island bridges linking New York with New Jersey; the Bayonne, Goethals and Outerbridge Crossing.  All need refurbishment and the Bayonne Bridge in particular will need an overhaul to accept taller ships that the new dimensions of the Panama Canal allow. Constructing the Economic Recovery – Public-Private Partnerships for Municipal and Institutional Construction. Kenneth D. Levien, President Levien & Company Where did PPP come from? Mr. Levien humorously invoked the Daily News’ famous banner headline when President Ford declared his lack of support for  “a federal bail-out of New York City” in 1975. FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD [“I can tell you now that I am prepared to veto any bill that has as its purpose a federal bailout of New York City to prevent a default,” the President said.] Here I reproduce Mr. Leviens PowerPoint primer on public/private… Successful public/private projects generally share three attributes: partners are cooperative rather than adversarial, because their interests align formal contracts set the terms under which they share risk and responsibility for mutual financial gain and social benefit. custom tailored business arrangements often persist after the project is completed and operating. Why establish public/private partnerships? the actual cost of providing government services is too high it creates more budget capacity for your operating budget and it spreads the risk having alternative activities with partners spreads the risk merging resources helps to create a higher service delivery between partners creates entrepreneurial opportunities not always affordable to public agencies expands and changes the staff’s mindset in creative thinking when you have to plan with your partner creates a market driven approach to service delivery versus a product approach service to patrons becomes the key to success in partnering. Why partnerships fail: lack of commitment from one or multiple partners using partnership for personal gain the objectives lacked clarity greater than reasonable expectations form the partner the agreement was not equitable – not considered a Win-Win hidden agendas on both sides did not communicate effectively and no follow through. John T Livingston, President Tishman Construction Corp. … don’t confuse design-ready with shovel ready. Has the project been value-engineered?  If so then it is shovel ready. And despite requirement for shovel ready projects they will still be widely advertised and subject to competition. Mr. Livingston feels that potential PPP Projects will be infrastructure such as tunnels, bridges, and highways; buildings such as courthouses, office buildings and renovations of existing buildings;  energy sustainability projects;  and FDIC joint venture for development projects. Building and crafting were noble… and no job was too hard to do or envision. As a New Yorker,  I have not driven for over a decade, walking and public transportation are daily modes of movement.  Pounding my dear city’s pavement while envisioning a city of light is not impossible these days. CITY TO CITIZEN: I AM YOUR HOME ————————————————————————————————————————————————————— Resources ANALYSIS-Clock ticking on US transportation bill (Reuters April 28, 2009) Federal www.Recovery.gov -As the centerpiece of the President’s commitment to transparency and accountability, Recovery.gov will feature information on how the Act is working, tools to help you hold the government accountable, and up-to-date data on the expenditure of funds. www.grants.gov -Grants.gov is your source to FIND and APPLY for federal government grants. www.FedBizOpps.gov – the federal government’s one-stop virtual marketplace www.GovLoans.gov – your source for locating the loans you need www.GovBenefits.gov – the official benefits website of the U.S. government, with information on over 1,000 benefit and assistance programs. Progress Report; US DOT – this is the 100 day report card from the US Department of Transportation EPA Implementation of ARRA – read about the Environmental Protection Agencies progress State www.economicrecovery.ny.gov – New York State Information Related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 www.panynj.gov – Port Authority of NY and NJ City www.nycetc.org – NYC Training Employment Coalition NYC.Gov – Stimulus Tracker With the NYCStat Stimulus Tracker, New Yorkers can track the City’s use of federal stimulus/recovery funds provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). #Architecture #construction #design #P3 #ARRA #TransporationforAmerica #Whypartnershipsfail #transportation #transit #PublicPrivatePartnerships #NewYork #Infrastructure #publicagencies #sustainable #MBEWBEDBE #LinkedIn #PPP #T4 #resources #AmericanRecoveryandReinvestmentAct #engineering

Joan Grubin explains "Portal" to Leni I love the Mid-Manhattan Library on West 40th and Fifth Avenue, the poor  cousin to the 1911, iconic lion flanked  and landmarked white-marble Beaux-Arts revival,  Research Library building, across the street… which at times is referred to as the Humanities and Social Sciences Library, and more recently as the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building designed by Carrère and Hastings. The Mid-Manhattan Library, the destination of many a 4th floor  picture research foray,  is a limestone and granite building built in 1915.   In 1961 New York Public Library set its sights on 455 Fifth Avenue, and in 1970, the Mid-Manhattan officially opened — on the fourth through sixth floors above the The Arnold Constables Department Store.   In 1982 Mid-Manhattan took possession of the entire building, renovated by Artist/Architect Giorgio Cavaglieri. Today Mid-Manhattan  houses the largest circulating and reference collections in NYPL’s branches. On Thursday early evening, the Light Projects staff and I walked over to the library, through Bryant Park, to visit Joan Grubin’s “Portal“, a perception-popping window installation. Joan’s work is an adventure of paper, paint and light.  Her studies in reflection and texture have, in these public pieces, literally and optically deepened – the color and cut-outs lead the viewer to assume spatial relationships that change depending on vantage point and ambient light. As we approached the library, the Portals glowed strongly, activated by the new 1 Bryant Park building as it reflected its urban beam of light onto the paper works. Why worship?  Several years ago, arms filled with books and videos, I asked the clerk, “How many books may I check out”.  She answered sweetly, “As many as you need”.  It was then I fell in love with this generous mecca on Fifth Avenue. #preservation #urbanlight #NewYorkCity #publicagencies #LinkedIn #library #artwork #paperandpaint #publicart

Jean Parker Phifer, author and Francis Dzikowski, photographer have published a useful and inspiring guide to permanent public art in NYC. Light Projects’ illumination of the Coney Island Parachute Jump is presented with a beautiful magic-hour photograph. …the iridescent lighting keyed to the seasons of the year and to special holidays has renewed the neighborhood’s appreciation of its delightful and colorful past. The project brings renewed focus and artful celebration to a previously neglected remnant of recreational infrastructure. The book is located in bookstores near you or on Amazon. #ConeyIslandParachuteJump #NewYork #Infrastructure #LinkedIn #Lighting #artwork #publicart #landmark

iGuzzini factory near Ancona, Italy The iGuzzini lighting factory is set near the Adriatic sea, tucked into a composition of small villages, towns and pastures. In March, a group of North American lighting designers and representatives were hosted by iGuzzini and Sistemalux – for a week in Ancona and Roma, Italy.  Our hosts were generous, and the visit was high-spirited, informative and luscious. When we arrived at the factory our host declared, Italians think sideways. We deviate from rationale thinking… and went on to tell us about the newly designed LED street light: Archiled. Archiled on display The cobrahead-style streetlight head contains an 84-watt array of LEDs (106-watts total) comparable to the light output of a 150 watt HID source.  Characteristics include Color Rendering Index (CRI) of 80, a patented thermal management system, an integrated fin design to optimize the thermal management, and replaceable ballast. Archiled has four  default operating modes which reduce the power and the light output of the fittings according to the selected profiles. Besides the default operating modes, customized scenes and profiles can be programmed using a dedicated software. The products will be on the worldwide market for 2010 and iGuzzini expects orders of 40,000 pieces per year. Public lighting is increasingly recognized by new theory, science, practice and as a distinctive market.  The outdoor lighting fixture industry is in an overheated race to blend new street lighting fixtures with energy-saving and sustainable characteristics. LED is the source of choice and the number of cities testing LED street lighting is multiplying.  ( See “More cities tap stimulus package for LED streetlights” USA Today March 3, 2009, “At least 30 cities have asked for more than $104 million in federal stimulus funds to help them make the change.”) My company, Light Projects, is currently reviewing a new LED  streetlight for the municipality known as New York City. #factoryvisit #energysaving #powerutility #Infrastructure #sustainable #innovation #LinkedIn #Italy #streetlight #Lighting #LED

Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art Center, Brooklyn Museum; Photo by Aislinn Weidele/Polshek Partnership Architects After combing through 404 entries — 160 in architecture, 118 in interiors, and 126 projects — the 2009 AIANY Design Awards were announced on February 24th. (Published in AIA E-Oculus Reports from the Field on February 24th, 2009) Interiors — Merit Jury: Randy Brown, FAIA, LEED AP, Randy Brown Architects (Omaha); Ivonne Garcia, AIA, AECOM (Arlington, VA); Eva Jiricna, Hon. FAIA, Eva Jiricna Architects (London). Polshek Partnership Architects Brooklyn Museum, Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn Museum Quoting the architect, Susan T. Rodriguez, Design Partner , Polshek Partnership Architects from the Museum’s website essay, “The Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art establishes a vital new venue and focal point within the Brooklyn Museum. The design for the new Center creates a visually distinctive environment symbolic of the Museum’s commitment to creating a permanent home for showcasing feminist art and recognizing and exploring the importance of a woman’s point of view… A metal lighting armature extends over the visitor’s path from the surrounding walls to define the circulation zone and accent each individual place setting. Carefully focused light illuminates the intricate details of each place setting, as well as the luminous quality of the ceramic tile base… In addition to the technical and architectural challenges presented by an intervention within a nineteenth-century structure, curatorial and conservation requirements for the permanent installation of a fragile artwork had to be addressed. Exterior wall upgrades were designed and contemporary mechanical systems introduced to ensure a stable and comfortable environment. An intelligent lighting control system has been integrated to minimize the work’s exposure to light when the galleries are unoccupied.” #design #museumdesign #NewYork #LinkedIn #Lighting #artwork