We're Famous!

For as long as I can remember, I've always enjoyed reading the local Sandpaper (http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com/). So, since I don't live in the area anymore, even though I am there for work everyday, my grandmother saves each weeks' edition for me to read. Imagine my surprise when I turn to the back page to see one of my renderings! Next stop is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today!



[caption id="attachment_943" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Original File[/caption]

The Gear is Here!!

CMG apparel is in, place your orders now! I highly recommend the vest!

Avon-by-the-Sea Rendering

The workshop was recently asked to provide a rendering to present a conceptual design, within surrounding context, to a local planning board. Given a set of floorplans, 4 elevations and several site images, the renders below were created.

If you are looking for creative ways to start marketing and selling your plans, design or projects before you even break ground, give us a call!

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Designing a House in Guyana - Alternative Option

A little while back I wrote a post about a preliminary designs for a house in South America (http://creativemindsgroupworkshop.wordpress.com/2012/08/03/designing-a-house-in-guyana-preliminary/). Since then, the workshop has provided the client with a second design alternative, with a very similar layout, except now a more singular massing form. We did did tweak a couple things, like the location of the gym and entertainment area, and added a cabana, but for the most part, a very similar concept. Please take a look at the two and let us know which you prefer!

[gallery link="file" columns="2"]

Drexel Portfolio - 6 Years of Design (one to go)

Six years in and all classes and electives complete. The only thing that stands between me and a degree in architecture is 9 months worth of Thesis. Since the Thesis will be a portfolio in and of itself, I decided to take this time of "calm before the storm" to complete my student portfolio. Looking back, it seems like the time flew by, although it didn't feel like that at any single point throughout the process... Take a look (by clicking on "PORTFOLIO"), let me know what you think!

PORTFOLIO

Video Fly-throughs for Circul Custom Builders

Things are busy at the Workshop! Here are the first 3 of 10 videos that the CMG Workshop has been working on for Circul Custom Builders of Long Beach island, NJ (www.circul.com). The Workshop provided all the renderings and animations for the designs created by William C. Tagland, Architect (http://www.myredshow.com/). Enjoy!

the BEACH AVE DUPLEX

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4fDyFcpp6I&w=420&h=315]

32nd AVENUE DUPLEX

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRc4I6waHLY&w=420&h=315]

the McGRATH

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwLvu5XRIo8&w=420&h=315]

Designing a House in Guyana - Preliminary

The workshop has been busy lately with exciting projects going on all over the world!!! Right now, we have exciting projects going on in Long Beach Island NJ, the British Virgin Islands, and Guyana!! Here is the preliminary design for a house in Guyana and, while the next phase of design will likely change the aesthetics considerably, we still think this is a nice house.



[gallery link="file"]

Teahupoo's Summer Party

via Magic Seaweed (http://magicseaweed.com/)
[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/45988016 w=400&h=300]

Shark Week - Almost Here...

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcuYjDR2tSg]

The Merivale

Oceans of Trash Infographic

Created by: MastersDegree.net

THESIS - PROPOSAL SUBMITTED

And so it begins - the last hurdle between me and graduating - a Thesis project! The first step is complete, the ever important Thesis Proposal. This is the project I will be working on between now and July 1, 2013, so I tried my best to make it something that can keep my attention and interest that long. Keep and eye out for Thesis updates as the year progresses... and wish me luck!



TITLE:
Baymen’s Heritage Museum and Waterfront Park on Long Beach Island
Past, Present and Future of Water Dependent Society

THESIS STATEMENT:
The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the changing demand of a coastal society’s dependence on bays and oceans for transportation, recreation, nourishment, shelter and economy from the early Indian settlers to today, and to portray this dependency through the architecture of a museum celebrating these water-dependent uses.

BACKGROUND:
Since the early 1600’s when the Lenni Lenape Indians harvested the coastal waters for their vast resources and Dutch explorers began to land on the sandy beaches, the Barnegat Bay has provided food, shelter, transportation and other necessary amenities necessary for survival.  Today, although times and social context have changed, the Barnegat Bay and Atlantic Ocean provide other conveniences of a water dependent culture that drive the economic engine. Maritime resources ranging from commercial fishing, recreational boating, surfing and the tourist economy not only benefit Long Beach Island and the neighboring Stafford Township, but they are the reason for the areas economic survival. The Baymen’s Heritage Museum and Waterfront Park will celebrate the history of the Barnegat Bay and the people that lived on it, it will reveal the intricate relationship between the its vast resources and the requirements of a water dependent society, and it will explore the importance of sustainability and environmental stewardship necessary to ensure that the Bay remains a resource for future generations.

PROGRAM:
This program is more than just a museum, it will include:

• Baymen’s Heritage Museum,
  
  
  
  • Exhibition Space
  
  
  • Outdoor Gathering Spaces
  
  
  • Café
  
  
  • Meeting Rooms
  
  
  • Educational Spaces and Classrooms
  
  
  • Research Rooms
  
  
  • Storage and Mechanical
  
  
  • Circulation
  
  
  • Waterfront Park that includes developed and undeveloped shorelines (including a boat ramp and small municipal dock),
  
  
  • Nature Trails exhibiting the wide variety of flora and fauna of these areas and a glimpse to what the area may have looked like prior to major development and anthropogenic impacts.
  
  
  • Parking
  
  
  
  

SITE:
The proposed site is located on Cedar Bonnet Island adjacent to the Route 72 bridge connecting Stafford Township to Long Beach Island. The site is the optimal location because it provides easy access to the site, has high visibility to everyone entering or leaving LBI since this is the only bridge on and off the island, it is currently undeveloped, it contains a mix of wetlands, tidelands, and uplands, and it provides boat access to the adjacent New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway (NJICW).

TECHNOLOGY:
Modern technology is something that will be explored from not only a standpoint of integrated building systems, but from the standpoint of environmentally sustainable site design as well. For example, despite the economic importance of the recreational and commercial boating in this area, dredging and maintaining safe and navigable waters has come to all but a standstill due to the dwindling places to put dredged material. One site technology that can be investigated in depth during this Thesis is the Beneficial Use of Dredged material for raising elevations in required areas, creating paths and walkways as well as other applications. In addition to this, more “standard” technologies such as natural ventilation and sunlighting, solar power, and any opportunity to harvest wind or tidal energy will be explored.

CULTURAL CONTEXT:
As described above, both Long Beach Island and Stafford Township have a long history of being water dependent municipalities. However, there are very limited locations that celebrate this rich history and stress the importance of sustainability for future generations. This project will provide a highly visible, much needed outlet to raising awareness not only among locals, but to the millions of visitors that come to the Island every summer.

[gallery link="file" columns="1" orderby="post_date"]

Great White Shark: Cape Cod Beach Reopens After Sighting

I hought Shark Week started in August...



Swimmers in Cape Cod, Mass. are venturing back into the water Sunday after a great white shark sighting closed a popular beach this weekend. Lifeguards and swimmers spotted the shark some 100 to 150 yards off Nauset Beach in Orleans Saturday afternoon. The 12-14 foot...

via Great White Shark: Cape Cod Beach Reopens After Sighting.

Checking for Charity 2012 - Volunteer Needed!!!

Dear All:

We are well into July and the 2012 Checking for Charity tournament is quickly approaching. This year, the tournament will kick off with a Beef n' Beer on Thursday August 16th and the tournament games will be from Friday August 17th to Sunday August 19th. As we did last year, we will be holding games at both the Flyers Skate Zones in Voorhees as well as Pennsauken, NJ.

First things first, CFC has an immediate need for 2 or 3 volunteers to take on the responsibility of obtaining auction items for the Chinese and Silent Auction. This will require reaching out to potential donors to obtain auction items, keeping an inventory of the items, as well as assisting with the setup and actual auctions the weekend of the tournament. This is a great opportunity for people looking to get involved with this great cause not only during the tournament weekend, but throughout the preparation and planning process. If you are interested please let me and Marisa (marisa@evolvingathletes.com) know and we will be happy to get you started.

We are also beginning to think about volunteers during the tournament weekend. While I understand we are still a little ways away from the tournament and peoples' schedules and vacations may still be up in the air, I'm asking for you to start thinking about how much time you'd be willing to participate as a volunteer at this year's tournament.

We are currently working on a draft schedule broken into 3 hour time slots (approximately 2 hockey games) that will allow volunteers to choose what times they would like to volunteer, what rink they would like to volunteer at, and what section they would like to help out in. We will need volunteers to help out with registration table, merchandise tables, cooks (on the BBQ grill), selling Chinese Auction and 50/50 tickets, etc. For now, please think about helping out and let me know if you have any questions. If you already know specific times or areas you'd like to volunteer in, let me know and I will try my best to accommodate everyone.

One more important item. We are looking to greatly increase the number of volunteers this year. Please pass this email on to family, friends, charity representatives, coworkers, strangers and anyone else you think would like to be involved with CFC!!!

I look forward to seeing everyone again this year.

Best Regards,

Ed Gorleski

Director of Charitable Relations

edgorleski@gmail.com

50 Countries at the Workshop

According to the very useful, thorough Wordpress Stats page, people from over 50 different countries have visited the Workshop since this February. This is very exciting as well as a bit humbling. Thank you to everyone who has been to, and continues to visit, the Creative Minds Group Workshop site.

Ed

Co-Housing Project for a Philadelphia Neighborhood

Here it is... my final studio project at Drexel. This project was interesting and educational as well as fun to shepherd through the design process. Now we are on to thesis, my last project before being handed a piece of paper with those long sought after words, "Bachelor of Architecture." Stay tuned for a new series of posts related to the thesis project. Until then, I hope you enjoy this Co-Housing project located on Spruce and Juniper Streets, Philadelphia, PA.

Cohousing, an alternative form of "intentional community," was started in Denmark in the early 1970's. It combines the privacy of ones own residence with the convenience and communality of shared facilities - a communal dining room, children's play areas, workshops, meeting/living room and laundry room. Although the houses operate as self sufficient units, the shared areas are integral to the concept of community and cooperation.

A Cohousing community enables people of different generations and backgrounds to share their experiences, provide residents with a safety net and share a sense of family. These communities are created to encourage the extended family and neighbors helping neighbors.

Such a community also affords the individual the privacy to which we have all become accustomed and the financial benefits of home ownership while being part of a larger unit. Participants in a cohousing development take an active role in the creation of their community. Social interaction is a primary component; creating a sustainable environment, an artist community, a child-oriented community, a service oriented community, or a combination of these, are often goals. Successful communities are usually started by a core of people who choose to live in such a community, rather than by developers who want to sell their housing units.

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Best Uncle Ever - UPDATE

Yup - I was right... best Uncle in the World!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCnkKhMjLBA]

Best Uncle Ever

I have an ever growing laundry list of homework items that need to be attended to as I am currently in the home stretch of my last studio project before thesis begins. Thesis, by the way, starts only a few weeks after this class ends; not in the fall as I had anticipated. I am starting a new job, starting a new part time gig, doing side work in my free time, and all the while watching the list of household chores grows. So why then, you ask, did I spend my last free Sunday in the workshop building a BeyBlades battle area for my nephew when I could have been preparing for any or all of the above mentioned items... because I am the world's greatest Uncle (this is a statement of fact - I have the sweatshirt my nephew gave me for Christmas to prove it).

If you don't know what BeyBlades are, check them out...they are really cool. They are pretty much a modern version of a spinning top, but they spin for a REALLY long time. They are also made of metal and intended to "battle" with each other. I'm not too sure what the battle entails, but my nephew seems to have a good idea. The only problem with these BeyBlades is that, when you use them on the floor, they take off in two different directions and end up nowhere near each other let alone battling. That's why my nephew, AJ, asked me to build him a BeyBlades Battle Arena and the reason why I spend my last free day cutting and gluing.

Check these out if you have time: http://www.beyblade.com/splash?redir=1

Until next time, 3 - 2 - 1 - Let 'em Rip!!!









[caption id="attachment_576" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Oh yeah - and I made him a box to put all his BeyBlades and BeyBlades accessories in so he doesn't lose anymore pull cords...[/caption]

Enough Vegetables to Make a Salad - Update!

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post on my plan of attack for this years garden (POST).Well the seeds have sprouted, the gardens are built and I am well on my way to having enough vegetables to make a salad completely from things I've grown. One problem, all my lettuce died... No problem... I'm working on the backup plan. For now, I'm going to focus on making sure the tomatoes, peppers (bell, jalapeno, habanero and cayenne) and the eggplants, etc make it to harvest.

Co-Housing Project - Update

We're at the mid way point! Only a few more weeks left on our last studio project before diving into thesis. Starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully that isn't from an oncoming train...

Latest Designs from the Workshop

In Need of a Vacation

Having a full time career, while working part time and going back to school doesn't leave much free time. Going back and looking through pictures from previous vacations really makes me want to get away from it all for a bit. I think it's time for a vacation...