Mark H. sends a link to a troubling story in the New York Times about the often unconsidered (and terrible) human cost associated with the making of Apple's must-have products, such as iPads, iPhones, etc. Read it here.
Image via the New York Times
Consider The Cost
Imagine That Deductible!
And I thought my premiums were high! Curbed.com links to a humorous info graphic that estimates what it would take to insure some of the world's most famous houses. Among them: Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater makes the list at £9.4 million ($14.45 million)! See the entire list here.
Image via confused.com
Shedding Light On Light Bulb Controversy
With all the challenges facing this country, stirring the pot over energy efficient standards for light bulbs seems pretty low on the list. However, the phasing out of traditional incandescent bulbs controversy has been a heated topic recently. Luckily, Gregory Karp of the Chicago Tribune sheds some light on some of the complaints and mis-information dimming the issue. Read it here.
Image via sustainableken.com
Is A Failed Megamall Worth Saving?
Mark Hertzberg sends a link to a discussion about New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's decision to pour another $1 billion into reviving and expanding the as of now unfinished $1.9 billion megamall project called Xanadu (quite arguably one of the ugliest buildings in America). The New York Times discusses the pros and cons of such a move here.
Image via the NYT
Happy Earth Day
Today is Earth Day, a time to reflect on our home planet and how to be better stewards of it. In an effort not to be gloom and doom about environmentalism, here's a link to a recent NOVA special called "Power Surge" which discusses the ways our own creativity and technology could help save us from ourselves. See it here.
Image via PBS.org
A Look At The Bill
Mark Hertzberg's latest Wright in Racine blog post is an interesting and thought provoking examination of the costs and benefits (for both them and the community) associated with The SC Johnson Company's stewardship of their various Wright-designed buildings. Read it here.
Image copyright Mark Hertzberg
Say So Long To Save America's Treasures
Mark Hertzberg sent word today that the Save America’s Treasures program that helped provide funds for the restoration of Robie House, Unity Temple and Taliesin (and many, many other important projects) has been killed by Congress. More after the jump...
Continue reading "Say So Long To Save America's Treasures" »
Take Detroit's Houses...Please!
Saw this article link via Wright Chat: Apparently things in Detroit have gotten to the point that the Mayor is offering anyone willing to move back into abandoned neighborhoods everything from cash, to loan forgiveness, to free houses. Read more about it here and see a gallery of some of the heartbreaking homes of Detroit.
Image via businessinsider.com
On The Block
Frank Lloyd Wright did not design houses. He designed total works of art. This often meant he considered everything inside and outside the building—from art glass windows, sconces, mailboxes, furniture and more. So when pieces of these total architectural works of art appear on the auction block—stripped from their original and inteded context—it diminishes the importance and impact of Wright's artistic endeavor. This month, Wright-designed furniture is appearing at two major Chicago auction houses: The John Toomey Gallery and Wright auction house, and it signals the troubling trend of strip mining important architecture for cash. It's hoped that with enough education the sale of items that belong with their buildings will cease.
Image via Wright20.com
Downsizing The American Dream
If there is one bright spot in the popping of the real estate bubble, it's the growing trend for American families toward smaller homes and away from the resource-gobbling "McMansion." Here's a link to a recent article on the subject from USAToday.com. Read it here.
Image via smallhousestyle.com
Downsizing In Style
Here's another article on Andrew and Kim Todd explaining why they left a 5,000-square-foot Californian house with a pool and a large
landscaped garden for a 1958
Image via the spec.com
More Than Just Pretty Faces
Of Houses And Heartbreak
Here's a link to an article about the unfortunate demise of Michelle Kaufmann's pre fab housing company. She was riding high when we toured her beautiful "Smart Home" at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago a few years ago, but the economic downturn and the inability to get costs where they need to be has kept these homes on the drawing board and as an exhibit. Read about it here.
An interesting side note: The only other model home to be built on the grounds of the MSI was a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Usonian Automatic (another pre fab house design that never took off) that toured the country in the 1980s. Read about it here and here.
Image via the MSI website & sterinerag.com
Think Big, Build Small
Kenilworth Maher Sell-Off
A PrairieMod reader sent us the heads-up on a disturbing item in an upcoming Christie's auction. A set of original George Washington Maher art glass windows designed for the 1906 Kenilworth Club in Kenilworth, IL are being auctioned off. Read more after the jump...
Give These Smart Appliances a Whirl
Image via Whirlpool/Treehugger.com
To Build Or Not To Build
A recent article on arizonacentral.com highlights some controversy over a proposed retail development project for north Scottsdale that has some residents worried will destroy the area's rural character. Vernon Swaback, former Taliesin apprentice, has been tapped to design the project and promises it will set ambitious environmental and architectural
standards–but that doesn't seem to ease the ire of opponents. Read more about it here.
McMansions: Off The Menu For Good?
After years of Super-Sizing their houses (along with everything else) Americans have finally started to trend towards smaller homes (thanks in part to that pesky economic downturn and massive foreclosure rate). But will this new found sense of pragmatism last? You can read how Treehugger.com design and architecture contributor Lloyd Alter feels about it here.
Image via treehugger.com
Feral Houses
Image copyright sweet juniper
Instant Backyard Cottage
Check out this slideshow of Sunset's Modern Cottage demonstration house that's all about creating an affordable eco-friendly living space.
Image copyright Sunset
PrairieMod Monday
The wonderful thing about principles is the fact that they can become the foundation of our various life activities. The Principle of “Consider The Cost” can be applied to much more than just where you live or what you buy for home décor. In all of our lives there are costs that need to be recognized for decisions in our careers, our health and even our relationships with other people. For the last post this month on “Consider the Cost,” let’s explore what we eat.
PrairieMod Monday
Teardowns are a huge threat to communities all over the United States. The epidemic is so widespread that the National Trust for Historic Preservation added “Teardowns in Historic Neighborhoods” to its list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. Tearing down an existing house to make way for a larger, new house on the same site (sometimes more than one house) means a loss of historic and aesthetic character and ultimately has an overall negative impact on a community. It’s become a widespread breakdown in adherence to the principle of “Consider The Cost."
PrairieMod Monday
Whenever I need a reminder of the PrairieMod Principle “Consider the Cost” in urban development, I need not look any farther than a drive down my own street. There used to be a 50’s ranch that occupied a fairly good-sized lot (by Chicago suburb standards) at the corner. Torn down by a developer, that single house on a single lot has now given way to two skinny lots; each dominated by a giant McMansion. It’s quite a sight to behold. The first McMansion built has been finished and languishing on the market for over a year. The second was started this last month and each passing day sees more and more height and girth added. Every time I drive past these two behemoths battling for space, it makes my teeth hurt.
PrairieMod Monday
Two of my friends will be expecting their second child within a few weeks. When they had first learned they would have a new addition to their family, their cozy turn-of-the-century bungalow in Oak Park, Illinois seemed a little too cozy. It was decided that more family meant the need for more space. So they started talking about what their ideas were for the perfect family home. The idea of “space” became the buzzword that seemed to overtake every conversation. “More space!” went the mantra. “We’re going to have another baby, we naturally need more space!”
Well, once the idea of “More Space” took root, they began looking at new homes. Farther and farther west of Chicago they looked at bigger and bigger new homes. Just when they thought they had seen the biggest house they could afford, another town farther west would have a subdivision with even larger homes in their price range. Two-stories, Three-stories, Four-stories! Every night they would return from these expeditions to their little bungalow, their heads swimming with visions of vaulted ceilings and grand staircases to level after level. And yet…something kept them from signing the dotted line on one of the vinyl-sided behemoths.
Every night that they came home to their tiny 100-year old home in Oak Park, they would feel comfort at the sound of creaky wooden floors. The rooms were small, but well laid-out with features like shelves and seating built into the fabric of the house to save space. The human-sized scale of its proportions made the house feel warm and inviting. Plaster walls helped insulate and dampen the noise of the city. They slowly came to realize that the idea of “more space” lead them to ignore all the other aspects of a home that they appreciated and needed just as much.
They started to realize that in focusing on the allure of “space,” they had looked at homes that would add hours onto their commutes. They also realized that what they thought they were saving on a mortgage would quickly be eaten up in utility costs for heating and cooling all that “space”. Suddenly they realized the absurdity of 4 people living in a house that was big enough for 8. They decided then and there not to make this home purchase based on an idea of “want,” but instead on what their family actually needed.
This sort of epiphany is at the heart of the PrairieMod Principle of “Consider the Cost.” So many times we make major life decisions based on ideas of what we want, or what we think someone else wants, or what we are lead (or sold) to believe we want. Rarely do we take the time to examine the principles behind what we really need in our lives. Frank Lloyd Wright once said:
“A principle is a marvelous thing. It never changes. It is elemental. You first apprehend the nature of the principle, then you begin to realize the limitations, the felicities and the force of the principle.”
The Principle of “Consider the Cost” says that there are many facets to a decision and all should be examined before the decision should be made and it can be considered sound. So many people are terribly unhappy with their job, their house, their car, and their life because they don’t stop to consider the “needs” from the “wants”. There is a cost to be paid in every decision we make. It can be a monetary cost, a time cost, an energy cost or ultimately a happiness cost. Considering these costs in advance of making a decision can ensure that it is made in a sound and principled way. This will lead to a harmony and a confidence that the decision is the right one to be made. A decision that you will feel good about wanting, because you have first considered all the ways that you actually need to make it.
My friends ultimately decided to move out of the little bungalow in Oak Park. Even though there were many things they loved about that home, after considering all the costs, they felt they still needed more room to let their family grow. What they decided on instead of going to the Wild Vinyl West, was to buy another older home in Oak Park. Nothing too fancy, something that needed a little TLC, but a little bigger and within the price range of all of their costs.
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