Monthly Archives: September 2010
Posted in Current Events | Economic Development | Natural Gas by Marty Muggleton (VP Client Development & Marketing) on September 22, 2010
Photo: © Larson Design Group
We want to give you an introduction to this series of LDGBLOG posts. I say we, because I will share this space with Abbie Williams. Abbie and I will be sharing the conversations we have with people in the region, as well as our personal experiences within the natural gas industry.
I work for Larson Design Group; I’ll be looking out at the larger region and broader issues. I spend time in all areas of the region and New York State as well. I share thoughts and observations with all sorts of folks. Some are elected officials; some are running for office. I know dairy farmers, business owners, educators, and many more. These people are “one level” up and generally are trying to manage the change being brought to us by the Marcellus Shale development.
Abbie works for TerrAqua Resource Management (TARM). This subsidiary of LDG is involved in developing high-compliance solutions for field water management in the Marcellus Shale well development. As a young professional, she’ll share her experiences as part of this economic growth. She has strong connections to the community and knows a lot about the day-to-day challenges facing all of us.
We’ll post as individuals, allowing us to cover many different topics surrounding the Marcellus Shale Play. We will comment on each other’s experiences, and we hope you’ll comment as well.
No comments yet | Permalink |Posted in Architecture | Building Systems | Communication | Economic Development | Site Design & Land Development | Urban Development by Brad Breneisen (Graphic Design) on September 17, 2010
Photo: © Nina Chantrasmi
Wayfinding is all about orienting people within a space. It tells you where you are and helps you get where you’re going without droning on and or repeating itself – it’s like a good tour guide – it’s friendly and hopes to see you again soon. It can be as small as an address on your stationery or as large as the Golden Arches.
Wayfinding doesn’t get the appreciation it deserves, but it’s not our fault. Good wayfinding is often subtle in order to be effectively integrated into an existing or designed environment. The complementary nature of wayfinding frequently allows itself to be conveniently dismissed as we go along on our busy way. It doesn’t expect a tip.
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Posted in Energy Conservation | Innovative Solutions by Martin Brule, Jr. (Technology) on September 10, 2010
The term “alternative energy” is nothing new in this day and age but some of the innovations are certainly novel. There is ocean thermo-electric conversion in Puerto Rico that takes advantage of the temperature differences between the surface water and deep sea water. The Coast Guard in Maine harness tidal currents to generate electricity. The Republic of Rwanda in eastern-central Africa extracts trapped gases from a lake to generate electricity. Technologies like solar and wind power have been around, but there are even innovations in these areas as well. Another technology that has not been in the spotlight as of late aims to help everyone. This is the water fuel cell, also known as the hydrogen fuel cell, an alternative form of electrolysis. It helps to understand the fuel cell by first understanding what basic electrolysis is, as shown in this short video.
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Posted in Architecture | Building Systems | Codes & Regulations | Housing by Stefanie JH English, PE (Structural Engineering) on September 1, 2010
Photo: © Jason Nelson
At the end of 2008, I responded to a call for volunteers. The assignment: serve the Commonwealth of PA as an engineering representative on the yet-to-be-formed Uniform Construction Code Review and Advisory Council. The primary focus of the group would be to consider the International Code Council’s 2009 edition, providing recommendations for exclusion of any new provisions introduced. At the time, I had no idea what I would be getting into.
Soon after the council was formed, I began to hear about “the big issue” – residential fire sprinklers. Being a structural engineer, this was not something I was particularly concerned with. It seems that I was not the only one; more than once when talking about “residential sprinklers” the person with whom I was speaking thought that I meant lawn sprinklers, not fire sprinklers. I’ll admit, when it was explained to me that one of the new provisions in the 2009 International Residential Code required fire sprinklers in every one- and two-family home, I thought it was ridiculous. It sure seemed like a lot of effort and expense. Was this really necessary? What’s wrong with how we’ve been building homes for decades? Well, I figured, this is a no-brainer. I can’t support a provision that doesn’t make any sense. This must be so narrow an issue that we’ll breeze through it during our review meeting…
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