Floor Plan by Amanda Eubanks

A wise professor, from Ryerson University’s School of Interior Design in Toronto, once said, “Interior designers must also know half of what an architect knows and a quarter of what an engineer knows, but they get half the pay and a quarter of the respect.” -René Ng

Read a short article about the strategic value of interior design.

Check it out! Build your own. Listen to the NPR segment about window farms. Watch a Video about the vertical agriculture movement of Window Farms.

What are Window Farms??

Window Farms are vertical, hydroponic, modular, low-energy, high-yield edible window gardens built using low-impact or recycled local materials.

“The oak trees at Auburn University’s famous Toomer’s Corner are not the only trees getting recognition on campus.

The Arbor Day Foundation has honored Auburn University as a Tree Campus USA University for its dedication to campus and forestry management and environmental stewardship. Auburn is the first college or university in the Southeastern Conference to receive the designation.”

-Jamie Creamer : Wire Eagle : March 3, 2010

Read the rest of the story

Spring has arrived!  Flora Grubb Gardens in  San Francisco, CA designed these beautiful vertical gardens. Design one for yourself  & enjoy.   Che bella vista!

The St. Patrick’s Day celebration in Savannah is the second largest St. Patrick’s Day event in the United States. Likened by some to a Mardi Gras celebration, the spirited St. Patrick’s Day festivities in Savannah attract roughly 400,000 Irish and honorary Irish visitors each year. The comparison to Mardi Gras ends when it comes to displays of public nudity, however, which in Savannah will “get you arrested.”

On my Spring Break from Auburn University I was able to join in the festivities.  I awoke to a continental breakfast where I enjoyed a perfectly festive green waffle, then it was off to the morning parade, with huge green sequined bow atop my head.  During the parade, I  especially appreciated the many Irish kilts,  bag-pipes, honorary queens, the skateboarding kids, the dance teams, the pirates, and the leprechauns.  I had such a great time, and the day was filled with prime people-watching.  I was also able to spend time with the Green family (Thanks for having us Brad), who graciously invited us into their home, to a low-country boil, and a boat ride.  God Bless the South and I just love y’all!

Amateur Sketch

As a native Mobilian, I would also like to reflect upon 2006…the year of  the Mobile Leprechaun.

Click below to see the clip to refresh your memory.

Photography: Eric Laignel & Envision

The collage above features photographs of the USGBC headquarters in Washington D.C. designed by Envision Design.

I am currently auditing a LEED class through Auburn University’s interior design program.  My goal is to register, study, and pass the LEED GA examination by the end of June 2010.

While researching the U.S. Green Building Council, I have become fascinated and inspired by their Washington D.C. headquarters, designed by Envision Design.  Metropolis Magazine (June 2009) has made a very interesting case study out of the headquarters in Ultimate Client.  This article explores the intention and implementation of adapting reuse, local sourcing, and efficient use heating, cooling, and lighting.  The article gives graphic representations, explanation, and excellent photography of the completed space.  The USGBC headquarters is “the first commercial interior slated for Platinum under the organization’s revised certification program [ LEED 2009 Commercial Interiors]“.

Check it out: Ultimate Client

“The true sex appeal, of course, is in the
furnishings and finishes—the details
that make 2101 L Street the temple of
green design Fedrizzi so lusted after.”

- Metropolis Magazine : The Ultimate Client : June 2009

Designer : Francesca Signori in Milan

“eBARRITO is a green-thinking brand that specializes in bags and leather accessories with100% Italian quality – its ecological integrity extends right through – even to how its sales outlets are built! They are made from specially carved and shaped cardboard.  The new eBARRITO stores consist of modular, double-pressed cardboard walls equipped with wavy-style shelving – an  effect achieved with interlocking tubular sections and modular lamps resembling bird-cages.

A fresh new ethical style with a strong visual impact created by the designer Francesca Signori for the Milan-based brand.

eBARRITO is full of hope for the future -  its new ethical approach and world made up of perceptions and sensations.”

- FRANCESCA SIGNORI

View the eBarrito website. (awesome background music too…parlo l’italiano??? tutto va bene.)

It was quite difficult to develop the Obstetrics Department for my Women’s and Children’s hospital.  I am in the preliminary phases of my thesis project, and this floor plan will be edited and improved.  We are developing new departments each week, and we will finish the semester with an entire REVIT model of the hospital.  I’m very interested in learning BIM modeling.   We conducted a group critique today, and there are already new ideas for alterations in space planning.  Healthcare involves an enormous amount of information gathering and programming, and  I’m doing my best to use multiple sources of reference.  I wanted to upload my progress.  Let me know if you see anything for improvement.  I’m always open to new ideas and corrections.

Click here for zooming capabilities on GoogleDocs.