Author: mjneal

Urban Farming in Detroit

| mjneal
//detroitagriculture.com
Image from http://detroitagriculture.com

MJ and I love the idea of urban farming. We also turned practically vegetarian last year, with an emphasis in macrobiotics. We both enjoy cooking and make it up as we go, exploring all kinds of new dishes. Right now, we are on a diet of greens, grains, fruits, legumes, miso soups, etc of Japanese and Mediterranean influence. We’ve always eaten “healthy,” we thought,  but we realized that eliminating most of meat from our diet was not only the sustainable way to go but drastically helpful to our health. We do eat sometimes a bit of meat or eggs coming from local farms like Food you can Trust, Alexander Family Farm or Betsy Ross that we have personally visited and that we trust a 100%. 

This morning we listened to NPR’s program on Detroit and rejoiced, profoundly. There it is! The new world peeking…

Sustainable Homes in the USA

| mjneal

We are proud to be in this fine book and I’m particularly happy that my pictures are getting published all over the place. I’m enjoying photography more and more, as I have been mentioning in this blog. I’m preparing an exhibition… I’ll post about it soon.

Anyway, the focus of the book is sustainability. I encourage you to review the Texas Architect article by Richard Wintersole, AIA:

 Conserving energy is important to Neal, thus the SIPs serve as a thermal umbrella and air is encouraged to circulate through the building from end to end. The Farleys plan to add a large, low-velocity fan to improve the air circulation. When ambient air breezes through the home, the Farleys and their guests are truly in touch with the natural world.”

or by going to the Dwell article by Sarah Rich

In a climate like this, air-conditioning seems indispensable, but to cool the entire structure artificially would be inefficient and costly. Neal devised a solution by building a 540-square-foot box nested within the superstructure, which contains the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen, as the only air-conditioned space in the building. The two-story plywood envelope has sliding walls on all sides that can be closed to keep cool temperatures in or left open to the fluctuations of the natural ventilation throughout the building.”

 

Larkey Rocked

| mjneal

The interior gyp board is in at the Larkey residence and the cabinets have started to be installed. The tile work for the baths progresses also.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

 

more about “larkey rocked“, posted with vodpod

Interloping

| mjneal

There is a parakeet colony in Austin. Apparently a pretty large one. I’ve seen the squawking green beasts from time to time. I had no idea where they lived. The other day my son and I where on a walk and ran across the vocal squatters nests. 

Vodpod videos no longer available.

 

more about “interloping“, posted with vodpod

Robert Bruno

| mjneal

I received  very sad and shocking news today. Robert Bruno died on the 9th December.

We were just at his wonderful house a few months back. It filled me with joy. Made me want to sit at the big window and have tea and sandwiches with him so we could talk about architecture, life, whatever.

Poetry can fill one with hope and the beauty of life and being.

This is What I’m Talking About!

| mjneal

Check out this absolutely beautiful project. Earthy, poetic, powerful in all its rawness but elegant at the same time. 

This embodies everything that inspires me from latin america. 

 

 

//www.supersudaka.cl/
Image from http://www.supersudaka.cl/

First Wolfe Den Night Shots

| mjneal

Vodpod videos no longer available.

more about “untitled“, posted with vodpod

Macho Minimalism

| mjneal

The Wolfe Den is in it’s final stages. Little details are being completed like the front door handle and the landscaping is being installed. Becca of Rain Lilly Design has dubbed the front stone entry design “macho minimalism”. I really like that! I’m going to steal it;)

Enjoy, I am.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

more about “untitled“, posted with vodpod

Cal Lane’s Art at the Price Tower

| mjneal

MJ went to the Okhlahoma State University to lecture and he took the opportunity to go see the Price Tower, the only skyscraper that Frank Lloyd Wright got to build.

Cal Lane was exhibiting her exploded lace cars there, amazing stuff, not only it is beautiful art, but it is recycling too! Here’s a very interesting article on her by the NYT. I wonder if she’d let me do a short docco on her… 

From Blogger Pictures