"Green April," FXFOWLE's month-long celebration of sustainability and sustainable design, has now ended. Events and educational programs throughout the month focused on this year's theme, Living Green, and included everything from guest lectures about urban-scale sustainability to building tours that we've designed to be greener. But sustainability at FXFOWLE doesn't just apply to the architecture that we advocate. "Living Green" is an opportunity to remind ourselves of how we need to walk-the-walk not just talk-the-talk.
Our final "Green April" event was a firm-wide charrette competition entitled "Spring Greening." We divided into teams, and engaged in a lively ideas session to propose how our own office could be more sustainable. Following the two-hour brainstorming session, each team presented their ideas to the firm using everything from traditional PowerPoint presentations with audience participation, to skits, and even a freestyle poem! Jurors on-hand to select a winning team included Kevin Cannon, FXFOWLE Senior Associate, and Joann Gonchar, AIA, LEED, Senior Editor at Architectural Record and special contributing editor to GreenSource magazine.
Here's an overview of the ideas presented by the various teams. See if you can select the winning concept...
SPRING GREENING TEAMS
Dream: What if we could work in a garden, under a pool, by a waterfall, or next to a geyser?
Being open to new possibilities beyond the traditional workplace was a critical part of the charrette. No proposal exemplified this better than the "Office Oasis." The team proposed a rooftop swimming and sailing pool that would actuate wheels to send water cascading down though our workspace into an underfloor catch basin. The power generated by the wheels would in turn power our servers and PC's. The heat generated by our PC's would create a geyser effect pushing the water back up to the pool to begin the cycle again. This dream ultimately delivers a destination that we aspire to, rather than a place that we commute to.
Incentives: What if we were rewarded for "Living Green"?
The reward for "Living Green" is a more sustainable future, but on a practical level, we often need incentives to change our behavior and habits. The "FXFOWLE Green Card" would work like a frequent buyer's program. Every "act" of being green would get a punch, and after completing a pre-determined number of activities in several sustainable categories, employee cardholders would get a prize. For example, biking to work, taking the stairs, and tending a rooftop garden could result in a day off!
Scheduled by Design: What if we transformed our business routine into a creative schedule?
Architects creatively solve design problems within a typical work schedule. "Scheduled by Design" imagines a telecommunting scenario that would allow us to transform our physical workplace and provide more opportunities to refuel our creative juices by working from home one day per week. This hoteling scenario would include unassigned workstations that can be reserved ahead of time, which would reduce the real estate needed for permanently-assigned desks by 20%. In addition, much-needed collaborative design space can be created from consolidating support spaces and eliminating unnecessary storage areas.
Paper Suits: What if we tamed our printers and adopted seasonal attire?
Dreaming is a great way to change tomorrow, but what can we do to work more sustainably today? Paper is an architect's creative blood, even in an office firmly-rooted in the 21st century. The "Waste Patrol" proposes to conserve paper by loading printers with 1-sided used paper and by eliminating prints inadvertently sent to the wrong printer due to cryptically-named output devices. The Patrol also questioned the compatibility of wearing suits and ties during hot summer days. Air conditioning our workspace consumes a substantial amount of energy during the summer. By subscribing to the suit and tie, we prioritize western business attire over comfort and energy conservation. The team challenged us to consider what a seasonable, yet sustainable professional would look like.
Rhymes: How can we make a pitch for a more sustainable workplace?
The office of the past produced much waste
Styrofoam, paper, and plastics, all used in haste
Productivity of the bottom line
Without considering environmental quality
Yours or mine!...
Future offices will feature synergistic hubs
That function less like cells and more like clubs.
We'll tear down walls and redesign the space
Making the office a more collaborative place!...
The office of the past separated inside from out
Sadly, not one living green plant throughout.
Presently we are more aware
That greening helps clean our air.
Finally it's time for the open outdoors
We'll carpet our roof with a grass floor.
We'll even place plants inside
Representing FXFOWLE's green pride!
-- House of Extravaganza
Each team did a great job presenting their ideas. By re-thinking our work schedules and office flow we can transform our workplace into a more sustainable environment and a better place to feed our creativity. Come to think of it, how about a triple-height hydroponics atrium and a green roof terrace planted with edible greens for our mid-day diets?
How else can we work more sustainably?
PS - The winning team was "Scheduled by Design." Did you guess correctly?
Our final "Green April" event was a firm-wide charrette competition entitled "Spring Greening." We divided into teams, and engaged in a lively ideas session to propose how our own office could be more sustainable. Following the two-hour brainstorming session, each team presented their ideas to the firm using everything from traditional PowerPoint presentations with audience participation, to skits, and even a freestyle poem! Jurors on-hand to select a winning team included Kevin Cannon, FXFOWLE Senior Associate, and Joann Gonchar, AIA, LEED, Senior Editor at Architectural Record and special contributing editor to GreenSource magazine.
Here's an overview of the ideas presented by the various teams. See if you can select the winning concept...
SPRING GREENING TEAMS
Dream: What if we could work in a garden, under a pool, by a waterfall, or next to a geyser?
Being open to new possibilities beyond the traditional workplace was a critical part of the charrette. No proposal exemplified this better than the "Office Oasis." The team proposed a rooftop swimming and sailing pool that would actuate wheels to send water cascading down though our workspace into an underfloor catch basin. The power generated by the wheels would in turn power our servers and PC's. The heat generated by our PC's would create a geyser effect pushing the water back up to the pool to begin the cycle again. This dream ultimately delivers a destination that we aspire to, rather than a place that we commute to.
Incentives: What if we were rewarded for "Living Green"?
The reward for "Living Green" is a more sustainable future, but on a practical level, we often need incentives to change our behavior and habits. The "FXFOWLE Green Card" would work like a frequent buyer's program. Every "act" of being green would get a punch, and after completing a pre-determined number of activities in several sustainable categories, employee cardholders would get a prize. For example, biking to work, taking the stairs, and tending a rooftop garden could result in a day off!
Scheduled by Design: What if we transformed our business routine into a creative schedule?
Architects creatively solve design problems within a typical work schedule. "Scheduled by Design" imagines a telecommunting scenario that would allow us to transform our physical workplace and provide more opportunities to refuel our creative juices by working from home one day per week. This hoteling scenario would include unassigned workstations that can be reserved ahead of time, which would reduce the real estate needed for permanently-assigned desks by 20%. In addition, much-needed collaborative design space can be created from consolidating support spaces and eliminating unnecessary storage areas.
Paper Suits: What if we tamed our printers and adopted seasonal attire?
Dreaming is a great way to change tomorrow, but what can we do to work more sustainably today? Paper is an architect's creative blood, even in an office firmly-rooted in the 21st century. The "Waste Patrol" proposes to conserve paper by loading printers with 1-sided used paper and by eliminating prints inadvertently sent to the wrong printer due to cryptically-named output devices. The Patrol also questioned the compatibility of wearing suits and ties during hot summer days. Air conditioning our workspace consumes a substantial amount of energy during the summer. By subscribing to the suit and tie, we prioritize western business attire over comfort and energy conservation. The team challenged us to consider what a seasonable, yet sustainable professional would look like.
Rhymes: How can we make a pitch for a more sustainable workplace?
The office of the past produced much waste
Styrofoam, paper, and plastics, all used in haste
Productivity of the bottom line
Without considering environmental quality
Yours or mine!...
Future offices will feature synergistic hubs
That function less like cells and more like clubs.
We'll tear down walls and redesign the space
Making the office a more collaborative place!...
The office of the past separated inside from out
Sadly, not one living green plant throughout.
Presently we are more aware
That greening helps clean our air.
Finally it's time for the open outdoors
We'll carpet our roof with a grass floor.
We'll even place plants inside
Representing FXFOWLE's green pride!
-- House of Extravaganza
Each team did a great job presenting their ideas. By re-thinking our work schedules and office flow we can transform our workplace into a more sustainable environment and a better place to feed our creativity. Come to think of it, how about a triple-height hydroponics atrium and a green roof terrace planted with edible greens for our mid-day diets?
How else can we work more sustainably?
PS - The winning team was "Scheduled by Design." Did you guess correctly?