Sears Tower to Be Revamped to Produce Most of Its Own Power

By SUSAN SAULNY
Published: June 24, 2009
CHICAGO — The Sears Tower, that bronze-black monument that forms the 110-story peak of the skyline here and stands as the tallest office building in the Western Hemisphere, will soon have another unique feature: wind turbines sprouting from its recessed rooftops high in the sky.
The building’s owners, leasing agents and architects said Wednesday that they are literally taking environmental sustainability to new heights with a $350 million retrofit of the 1970s-era modernist building — and the turbines are only the tip of the transformation. The plan, to begin immediately, aims to reduce electricity use in the tower by 80 percent over five years through upgrades in the glass exterior, internal lighting, heating, cooling and elevator systems — and its own green power generation.
In such a huge tower, with 4.5 million square feet of office and retail space, 16,000 windows and 104 elevators, the project is bound to be one of the most substantial green renovations ever tried on one site, planners said. The Sears Tower is significantly larger than the 102-story, 2.6-million-square-foot Empire State Building, for instance, which is also undergoing renovation to reduce energy consumption.
“If we can take care of one building that size, it has a huge impact on society,” said Adrian Smith, an architect whose firm designed the Sears Tower renovation. “It is a village in and of itself.”
Buildings are among the world’s largest contributors of greenhouse gas emissions. After the retrofit, energy savings at the Sears Tower, which is to be renamed the Willis Tower this summer, would be equal to 150,000 barrels of oil a year, officials said. The savings are expected to help redeem some of the project’s cost, which is to be financed through private equity investment, grants, debt financing and government funds.
The Sears Tower plans to open a first-floor center to educate the public about the redesign, and hopes to serve as a model for other aging skyscrapers around the world, officials said.

June 25, 2009

IC Green Container Dwellings Sprout Up in California

by Haily Zaki

Inhabitat loves shipping containers, whether from down under or the Great North. These self-contained quadrilateral wonders are the perfect modular building unit; easily transported, super durable, and, with over700,000 containers being abandoned per year in U.S. ports, in need dire need of being re-purposed. That’s why we are happy to see IC Green, another innovator in the field of shipping container architecture. Check out their line of modest but sustainable and stylish container dwellings as they sprout up all over Southern California, including this weekend at Dwell on Design!

IC Green is a Southern California-based design/build company that specializes in transforming overseas shipping containers into simple, comfortable and sustainable residences. The company features six main models ranging in size from a diminutive open floor plan studio to a full four-bedroom unit with courtyard.

All models come with water conservation measures such as rainwater collection systems, grey-water systems,green roofs, and dual flush toilets. Materials used include FSC certified wood products, VOC free paint, and metal products with high recycled content. All homes are also fitted with radiant floor systems paired with highly efficient insulation to reduce the overall energy demand of each residence. The large glass facades allow for ample daylighting and reduce the need for electrical lighting. IC Green is also currently investigating using LED lighting in their homes. Customized stackable designs are also available upon request. These boxy delights make simple but sweet abodes (and the perfect pool house).

For an up close and personal look at their dwellings, check them out at the special Dwell Outdoor pop-up community at Dwell on Design this weekend at the Los Angeles Convention Center. If you can’t make it to the conference, they also have an upcoming 2400 unit project in LA County, a 1200 unit project with a 480 studio over a garage in Torrance, and a 320 unit on display at their main office in Garden

What is Evidence-based Art?

How are Evidence-based Art Programs different from regular art programs and what advantage do they offer hospitals?

Evidence-based Art is based upon the principles of Evidence-based Design, and makes a commitment to basing design decisions on the best available research evidence. There is a small but significant body of research evidence today on the impact of art on clinical and behavioral outcomes of patients in hospital settings. Viewing artwork with appropriate nature content has been seen to reduce stress and pain perception, as measured by physiological outcomes such as blood pressure, heart-rate, and skin conductance, in addition to self-report measures such as pain-rating scales and surveys. For example, in a study conducted in Sweden by Roger Ulrich, heart surgery patients in an ICU who were shown nature scenes with water, trees and high depth of field, showed lesser anxiety, suffered less intense pain, and required lower strength pain medication, than those shown abstract scenes or no image at all. Economic benefits of lower cost of pain medication, reduced length of stay, and increased patient and staff satisfaction, can be extrapolated from such studies and strengthen the case for taking an evidence-based approach.

Unfortunately, the critical importance of Evidence-based Art programs has not yet been fully appreciated within the industry....

While experienced art consultants have the ability to provide aesthetically pleasing artwork consisting of pretty, local pictures, the insight into whether this aesthetic is appropriate for healthcare populations is often missing. Given the evidence on the therapeutic effect of using appropriate art (discussed above), this could be a critical oversight.

Yet another aspect of evidence that is relevant, in addition to the therapeutic benefit of art, relates to how presence and quality of art can effect patient/visitor perception of the quality of care at the hospital, act as a de-stressor for staff, have an impact on the branding of the hospital, serve as a point of focus and discussion for visitors, and of course, add to the overall appeal of the visual environment (these themes are emergent from a 2007 post-occupancy evaluation of the art program at MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston). Artwork is often the most visible and noticeable aspect of the visual environment and this increases its potential impact on patients/ staff/ visitors, and in the final analysis, the economic bottom-line at the hospital.

There are well-researched guidelines in place today for appropriate healthcare art based on rigorous research findings, which can be implemented, creatively, by experienced art consultants. Ulrich and Gilpin’s chapter on Healing Arts, in Frampton’s Putting Patients First, is one of the most comprehensive resources and recommends the use of

1. Waterscapes (Calm or Non-turbulent Water),
2. Landscapes (with visual depth or open foreground, trees with broad canopy, Savannah Landscapes, verdant Vegetation, or positive cultural artifacts),
3. Flowers (familiar, healthy and fresh, in natural settings with open foreground), and
4. Figurative Art (depicting emotionally positive faces, diverse and leisurely in nature).

While these guidelines are in place today, an evidence-based art consultant has the onus of creative but conscientious interpretation, in order to ensure that the most appropriate art for the facility is chosen while maintaining a standard of visual appeal that is befitting to the hospital. Furthermore, there is little known on art for special populations, or different ethnicities, and mere prescriptive adherence to guidelines cannot suffice.

In the end, commitment to an Evidence-based Art program entails going the step beyond the implementation of existing guidelines, to improving and updating guidelines towards the maximum impact art can have on improving the healthcare environment.

BY KATHY HATHORN AND UPALI NANDA
Published in FacilityCare Magazine. Vol 12. Number 3. May/June 2007

ORANGE

Orange evokes a variety of emotions and is said to stir up controversy more than any other color out there. It is a color that is definitely vibrant and is associated with energy, fun and warmth. It is used in many restaurants due its ability to stimulate ones appetite, which I found to be quite interesting. So, perhaps this may be a color that you may want to reserve for your kitchen or dining room.

HG's Walk for Autism awareness

We had a great time for a great cause!! THANK YOU Lisa, for getting our team motivated and the money raised for Autism awareness!! To see more event photos check out our Event Gallery, don't let the dark clouds fool you, it was a wonderful day!!

Art and Design in the Ice Hotel

Shigeru Uchida (Interior Designer)

It is named after the Paramount Picture "Alfie" in 1965. Its theme song is also a famous jazz number with the lyrics, "What's it all about, Alfie?" This petal-shaped chair was created on the image of flowers blooming in a neutral space. This product is suitable for the space with high ceiling.

You can arrange these system-centered chairs in various ways such as round shape, oval shape, waved shape, and rectangular shape and others by combining four different shapes while they can be used as an individual chair. This product is suitable for a narrow hallway, irregularly shaped space, and high ceiling space and the like. This system is truly "just in time" for space. You can apply part of this Series to private space such as a reception room in the office.	Chairs in this Series were designed based on the image of "Side by Side," a famous jazz number with rhythmical tune. Its design was born from rhythmical and bouncing image. Connected chairs are mainstream products of this Series, but you can use them individually by placing them separately around a table as well.	"So in Love" was created by Cole Porter as a theme song of the musical "Kiss Me Kate" in 1948. It is a sweet love song with a line, "When I'm close to you, dear, the stars fill the sky c" Since the chairs in this Series can be freely combined, you can create various images by arranging the bench seats with three different shapes at your own choice. Also, free combination of chairs will create a form of communication between space and people. Larger size chairs in this Series were designed to create a landscape in a space.
Shigeru Uchida(Interior Designer) Born in Yokohama in 1943. Graduated from Kuwasawa Design School in 1966. Guest professor at Tokyo University of Art and Design and Kuwasawa Design School. Uchida received the Mainichi Design Award, Commercial and Environment Design Award, the First Kuwasawa Design Award, and the Ministry of Education Award for Art. As one of the leading designers in Japan, Uchida has been engaged in a wide range of domestic and international activities from furniture and industrial design to community development as well as commercial/living space design. His major works include Yohji Yamamoto's boutiques, the Japanese Pavilion at the EXPO '85 in Tsukuba, Hotel Il Palazzo in Fukuoka, a lobby of Kyoto Hotel, Kobe Fashion Museum, Japanese tea-ceremony rooms called 'Ju-an, So-an, Gyo-an,' and Mojiko Hotel, etc. His works are exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum and others as permanent collection.