 |
| Matthew B.
Ackerman,
LEED-AP
AIA |
| Jeffrey L.
Zucker,
LEED-AP AIA |
|
 |
Happy 2011, And Welcome to a New
Shade of Green- BLUE
Well, it's a new
year, and there are some exciting changes happening at Catalyst, as
well
as for our company newsletter.
Following this issue of the SKETCH_PAD, we will be going to a seasonal
format, scheduled to coincide with the four solstice/equinox events
throughout the year. So, the next issue of our newsletter will be
our spring edition, scheduled to go out on the spring equinox– March
21st.
One of the more interesting changes you'll notice– located near the
lower right-hand corner of this newsletter– is the
addition of our "News from the
Blue..."
section. Here you'll find an image and link, featuring one of our
"on-the-boards" projects at AZUR-Ecotecture.
What exactly is
AZUR-Ecotecture you ask?
AZUR is the Masterplanning and Large Projects division of Catalyst,
formed in response to growing international, as well as US needs for
sustainable design solutions on larger-scaled community, urban design,
and masterplanning design commissions. AZUR is essentially a
collaboration of three partners-- myself (Matt Ackerman), my Catalyst
partner, Jeff (Zucker),
and long-time colleague, and one of the most talented
masterplanning/large project designers I've had the pleasure to work
with-- Mr. Yves (Rathle),
of Jacksonville, Florida.
As a color and symbolically, AZUR– derived from the word azure– is
literally 'beyond green' on the color
spectrum. And, architecture beyond green is what
AZUR-Ecotecture is all about. From Biomimicry, to
Eco-Optimization, to Less-Than-Zero Energy Design, AZUR was created to
explore the leading-edge of integrated sustainable design, both
domestically and abroad.
The Green movement, (and even the 'Green' label itself), while at times
egregiously overused- has essentially had value within the design
industry as an earth-conscious checklist. A
collection of non-toxic materials, low-impact technologies, and
enviro-friendly design strategies, intended in aggregate, to basically
reduce or mitigate the impact our man-made world is having on the
natural environment.
Where the Green movement doesn't go quite far enough, the 'blue'
movement (as
it's coming to be known), takes a more consciously integrative
approach. An approach based upon the belief that our buildings,
communities, and even urban centers can actually contribute more their
local environments, than they consume.
 The basic assumption of
this fledgling 'blue' school of thought, is that,
through integrated community
planning, landscape design, sustainable infrastucture, and aggressively
energy and resource-efficient building design, that man actually has
the capacity to create optimized
environments, encompassing both the man-made and natural world, which
can function to sustain (and create) both human and natural habitat, at
levels that could not exist without man's thoughtful
intervention, care, and design sensitivity.
'Blue' design is a more fully integrated systems
approach to the built environment; fusing building and site,
architecture and ecology, client and community, beauty and
performance. This direction in sustainable thinking is one that
has the potential to connect us on larger scales, affirming the
importance of local and regional considerations in relation to our more
globally shared aspirations.
I was in Chicago recently for the 2010 Greenbuild Expo, where I had the
opportunity to introduce AZUR to nine different international business
delegations from four different countries-- including Jordan, Brazil,
the UAE, and China. These meetings, arranged through a Business
to Business matchmaking program sponsored through the US Department of
Commerce, were very productive. AZUR is currently in preliminary
negotiations with 3 of the 9 delegations we met with in Chicago, for
large-scale, sustainable design collaborations on various project
asignments, coming up in the Middle East and beyond.
The delegations I met with are as equally committed to exploring the
cutting-edge of 'blue' design as we are at Catalyst, and AZUR. It
was an affirming experience to connect with these like-minded
professionals from across the globe, who are as passionate about
creating a sustainable future for their children, as we are right here
in Prescott.
Blue really seems a most fitting color for this new approach to the
design of our built environment– afterall, when one considers the earth
itself– it truly is a 'blue' planet . . .
|
 |
 |
|
| Green Product of
the Month: |
 |
Powerful Grass: Bamboo, the Ultimate
Green Material 
|
|
| Green Technology of
the
Month: |
| |
New Sensing Technologies Make Wind
Turbines Self-Protective |
|
| Green Builder's Tip of
the Month: |
| |
Green Building Myth Busting
|
|
| Green Project of
the
Month: |
| |
Rammed Earth Eco-Wellness Retreat
in the Sonoran Desert
|
|
 |
|
 |
Deb's Green Activist's Corner:
EASY Steps YOU
Can Take
To Help!
|
|
|
|
| |
Volunteer With a Local Organization
Dedicated to Clean Water & Healthy Habitat
Read More  |
|
| |
Watch the Video: Liquid Assets
Read More
|
|
|
 |
 |
 Questions?
Email Deb. |
 |
--
|
 |
News from the Blue |
Our
Featured AZUR Project:
12-Story
Sustainable Mixed-Use
Masterplan
for Orange, NJ.
AZUR-Ecotecture is the
master-
planning and large-scale projects
division of Catalyst Architecture.
- |
|
|
CATALYST
ARCHITECTURE
is an award winning, full-service sustainable 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 relationships.
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.
Comments
or
feedback? Email
us.
|
|
