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4,300 Sq.
Ft. "Hybrid" Home Completed In Yavapai
Hills  |
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CATALYST
Presents Energy-Efficient Housing
Prototype Designs To Yavapai-Apache
Nation |
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Prescott
Valley Commercial
Building Nears Completion |
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Planned METRO Light Rail System Already
Spurring Growth
In
Central Phoenix |
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Arizona
Votes 4 to 1 In Favor of Renewable Energy |
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Sprawl
Seen As A Problem, Yet Higher Densities Rejected |
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A
PRESCOTT TO NOGALES ...MEGACITY?
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Jeffrey L. Zucker, LEED
AIA
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“Growing
Smarter”, is the title of a segment in The Arizona Republic that
appears on a regular basis. An article, published in the November
12th issue of the paper this year, was entitled: “Obstacles
Unlikely To Stop Sprawl To Prescott”. The author states
“Planners envision a megacity from Prescott south to the border”.
Does anyone besides me shudder at this idea?
For decades, the drumbeat of sprawl has been pounding in our ears. From
Boston to New York to Philadelphia to Miami. From San Diego to
Los Angeles to San Francisco. Now it is Nogales to Tucson to
Phoenix to Prescott.
The article notes that “If available land doesn’t slow the Valley’s
growth, ...then water will". Is this
what it's going to take before we wake up? Does
anyone
remember when the Colorado River actually had water in it? Does anyone
really think that the Verde River will be able to avoid a similar fate,
in light of the apparently inevitable growth that is foreseen?
Our newsletter this month highlights a project
that we have worked on for over ten years, Manzanita Village.
Located a half mile from downtown Prescott, Manzanita Village is a
cohousing community with 36 homes clustered on 12 acres. By
intentionally working with slightly higher densities, over 50% of the
land is held in common as open space. Members of the community
are dedicated to the principles of ecological stewardship, which
includes caring for the land by water harvesting, organic gardening,
low-water use, and combining community resources.
Another project that offers hope is Arcosanti,
where I apprenticed during the 70’s and early 80’s. Located
directly in the path of this growth, Arcosanti offers a different
vision of the future, with an entire city designed to preserve our
precious resources, and to offer an alternative to both urban and
suburban sprawl.
If, indeed, this rising tide of growth is inevitable, perhaps it would
be wise to turn our attention from the dire consequences of this
unbridled growth,
and seriously start considering some "smarter"
alternatives.
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Green Technology
of the
Month: |
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Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) The Home
Building Industry’s “Hybrid”  |
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Green Product of the
Month: |
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Local Company ENTEK Produces Energy-Efficient,
Earth-Friendly, Structural Insulated Building Systems |
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Green Builder's
Tip of the Month: |
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An Under-Slab Sand Use NO-NO
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Green
Project of the
Month: |
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CIVANO, Arizona-- An "UnSprawl" Case Study
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| CATALYST ARCHITECTURE is an award winning,
full-service architectural design firm located in
Prescott, Arizona. We specialize in educational, commercial,
master
planning and custom residential work, with an emphasis on
high-performance design, and caring client relations. |
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| At CATALYST, our mission is to
creatively transform the space and budget needs of our clients,
with the opportunities and ecology of the site, into functional and
sustainable solutions that move the
spirit. |
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Comments
or feedback? Email
us. |
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Copyright
©
2003-2006 CATALYST ARCHITECTURE, LLC. All images, sketches,
artwork and photographs are the property of CATALYST ARCHITECTURE,
LLC. No reproduction, copying or redistribution of this
material for commercial purposes is allowed without the expressed
written consent of CATALYST ARCHITECTURE, LLC. All Rights
Reserved.
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