"Port-A-Blog" is hosted by Portico Residential LLC. This firm's web log is primarily focused on real estate
development but tries to bridge other professions/disciplines it considers influential in the art of development. Visit
us often for further postings.
Topic 1 - McMansions in Decline?
Topic 2 - Digital Convergence in Residential Development
Topic 3 - Technology Transfer made possible by NASA
Topic 4 - Restoration should entail an authentic approach while embracing modernity
Topic 5 - Capturing the Sun's Energy and Converting it into Electricity
Topic 6 - Light Pollution - Striving to Control use of Exterior Lighting
Topic 7 - Solar Panels in Historic Neighborhoods ?
Topic 8 - Land: Hedging Losses in a Buyer's Market
Topic 9 - The Rift Between Price and Value
Topic 10 - Suburban Sprawl: Economic Crawl
Topic 11 - Taking the Good with the Bad: The Silver Lining in the Subprime Debacle
Topic 12 - Red or Blue?
Topic 13 - The Lost 'Art' of Construction
Topic 14 - Advice from a Four-star General
Topic 1 - McMansions in Decline?
Current stirrings at Portico Residential LLC reflected in this video.
Topic 2 - Digital Convergence in Residential Development
At Portico Residential, we are actively engaged in deploying the latest technology into every space we build. "Hubs"
and "LAN Rooms" of the late 1990s have given way to a new era of digital convergence, owing, in large measure, to the advances
made in microprocessors and space exploration. Technology transfer from NASA has indeed impacted many diciplines
from health and medicine to agricultural sciences and building materials.
In Topic 3 below, the pilot control center aboard a mockup of the space shuttle illustrates the overwhelming complexity
associated with digital convergence. Portico's mission is to implement home automation via nerve centers carefullly planned
in each development. New technology reduces spatial requirements and allows less reliance on mechanical systems
to compensate for heat rejection of equipment. Today, Portico Residential is deploying "hub walls" which allows digital convergence
to flow across various platforms thus controlling/monitoring several key elements: security, A/C, lighting, home entertainment,
internet and telephony, solar PV panel output to net-metered utility grid, closed circuit TV and closed circuit intercom.
We believe deploying these technologies will improve building performance and decrease reliance on fossil fuels while improving
overall building operations, which in turn, helps our environment.
Topic 3 - Technology Transfer made possible by NASA
Interior view of the space shuttle flight deck at
NASA's Space Vehicle Mockup Facility, Houston, Texas. Courtesy of NASA.
IN MEMORIAM
The video clip below is an attempt to pay homage to the Space Shuttle
crew who perished on February 1, 2003, while returning to Earth at the end of mission STS-107. The seven astronauts: Rick
D. Husband, William C. McCool, Michael P. Anderson, David M. Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Blair Salton Clark, and Ilan Ramom
conducted over 80 microgravity experiments and worked on the International Space Station. Space Shuttle Columbia was NASA's
first orbiter. Its maiden voyage on April 12, 1981, is captured here.
Space Shuttle Columbia Maiden Voyage
Topic 4 - Restoration should entail an authentic approach while embracing modernity.
Why restore anything anyway? Because life is a continuum; we are not beings alone in one time.
At Portico Residential, we believe that all environments created to live in have an antecedent. Whether radical deconstructivism
or ancient classical architecture, all form is living among us. While embracing innovation and modern architecture is key
to the survival of our culture, it must be woven and integrated with history. We live not in a sterile vaccum, but we are
unconditionally part of a continuum with the past. This is why we actively search for new ways to restore old buildings and
integrate new technologies for greater sustainability.
On the fanciful side of restoration, we genuinely believe achieving an authentic look of the past can collide with a
modernist approach to design. Lacing restoration projects such as The Nix House (visit:
www.thenixhouse.com) with authentic fixtures and pieces for the interior is one example of bringing new light to the arena of historic preservation.
The image below captures this sentiment: The Beatles (inset photo) stayed at The Plaza Hotel in New York City on their
maiden tour of the United States in 1964. The classic black and white photo clearly shows The Beatles in front of these prominent
light fixtures. These same chandeliers were auctioned by Christie's in New York on March 15, 2006 and acquired by Portico
Residential for installation into The Nix House redevelopment. In the spirirt of discovering a provenance of place,
each project undertaken by Portico Residential is restored with authentic peices of interior architecture.
space
Topic 5 - Capturing the Sun's Energy and Converting it into Electricity
As oil steadily climbs in price--enough to be recognized as a potential threat
to the manufacture of petroleum-based building products--solar technology offers an opportunity to shine through
this energy madness. According to Uni-Solar, "throughout the world, the combination of the price of electricity, available
free sunshine and incentives offered by local and state governments now position grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) as an attractive
investment. Once considered to be too expensive an option, today’s PV systems produce electricity that has a quantifiable
cash value."
The first cells were
produced in the late 1950, early 1960s, and were principally used to provide electrical power for earth-orbiting satellites
launched by NASA. Following the energy crisis of the 1970s, efforts
shifted to the development of PV power systems for residential and commercial uses. By the 1980s, solar power became a popular energy source for some consumer electronic devices, including
calculators, watches, radios, lanterns and other small battery charging applications.
Today, the PV industry’s production of solar modules is growing at approximately
30% annually. Major incentive programs in Europe, Japan and the U.S. are rapidly accelerating the implementation of
building integrated PV power systems and interconnection to utility networks.
Portico Residential LLC is proud to be a real estate developer devoted to integrating
the latest in thin-film amorphous PV technology. Contact us to find out how this technology is no longer out of reach,
but flexible, economical and powerful enough to electrify homes and businesses with a value-added return on investment. For
more information about this renewable energy, visit the U.S. Department of Energy by clicking on the web link below.
US Department of Energy
Topic 6 - Light Pollution - Striving to Control use of Exterior Lighting
Ever wonder why people spend (and waste) so much energy on lighting their homes at night? Did you know most home landscape
lighting is approximately 1/3 your electricity cost? If you've ever flown over a major city at night and seen the countless
lights visible from the air, you've witnessed a small fraction of the estimated $1 billion per year in electricity
cost wasted into the night sky. Portico Residential LLC believes in using exterior lighting in a smart way: deploying softer lighting
on landscape features and building facades powered by solar energy.
Increasingly, manufacturers of light fixtures are making what they call a full cut-off
fixture where most, if not all, light is directed down and to the sides. This prevents light (and energy) from shining
up into the night sky. Today's manufacturers of full cut-off fixtures promote their products based on cost efficiency and
quality of lighting. For more information on this topic visit the McDonald Observatory's web page on light pollution.
McDonald Observatory
Topic 7 - Solar Panels in Historic Neighborhoods?
April 18, 2007 — By Associated Press
NASHVILLE -- Former Vice President Al Gore's upscale neighborhood
granted the environmental activist approval Tuesday to install 33 solar panels on the roof of his mansion.
Belle Meade had blocked his application until new rules were approved unanimously late Tuesday, said Gore spokesman Chris
Song. The city located within metropolitan Nashville said the panels must be placed in areas where they can't be seen by neighbors.
Gore, who starred in the documentary film "An Inconvenient Truth" about global warming, already buys enough energy from
renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and methane gas to balance 100 percent of his electricity costs.
He is also upgrading the furnace, windows, and light switches, as well as installing new floor radiant heat and solar vents,
to improve the home's energy standards, said Kalee Kreider, a Gore spokeswoman.
The home bought by Gore in 2002 is more than 70 years old and illustrates the challenges of renovating an older home to
conserve more energy, Kreider said.
"It's obviously easier to build a green home from the get-go," she said. "When you purchase an older home, these retrofits
take lot longer."
Associated Press Article on Al Gore's Solar Panels
Topic 8 - Land: Hedging Losses in a Buyer's Market
"The new calculus in real estate arrived in the last quarter of 2007. The year will certainly be remembered as unsettling,
and lead to tighter lending rules. While admirable in its aim—to advance the number of new homeowners to historic levels—the
spotty lending was unsustainable. The current financial strains suggests that we exceeded our social contract with the American
dream of homeownership. The bad news is the single-family markets will not see the record growth levels of the past five to
10 years." --By Roy Pachecano, excerpted from Builder News Magazine, January 2008.
Topic 9 - The Rift Between Price and Value
Topic 10 - Suburban Sprawl: Economic Crawl
Topic 11 - Taking the Good with the Bad
Topic 12 - Red or Blue? How does the political process influence
building?
Topic 13 - The Lost 'Art' of Construction - A Book Review: "Broken Buildings, Busted Budgets"
Posted Amazon.com, January 15, 2008
"Barry LePatner's essay on the state of the failed construction world in the US reminds
us that not all things are created equal. The concepts of financial leverage, specialization of trades, diffusion of risk,
and vertical/horizontal integration are explained so the lay person can grasp the intent of the book. The essential truths
of "time, price, and quality" have been replaced by "time value of money" and this theme is quietly woven throughout the book.
No single volume can elucidate the myriad forces affecting an industry some call the `second oldest profession,' but
Mr. LePatner's admirable attempt to uncover the sources of inefficient and cost overrun construction makes us want to understand
more. It used to be there was an `art' to construction that matched the glorious designs of prolific architects and what was
built was a source of pride for all. Mr. LePatner's book is both nostalgic and forward thinking; it offers us glimpses of
the malaise that characterizes the antiquated design-bid-build business model.
Not since Dana Cuff's "Architecture:
The Story of Practice"--the exposé about the esoteric underpinnings of the architectural profession--has an essay attempted
to exorcise the silent demons lurking in the counterpart profession of construction. If asymmetric information is a source
for unequal footing at the outset of every project, perhaps the economic context of construction too is antiquated.
I
appreciate the boldness with which Mr. LePatner argues his position. As a developer and financier of high-end real estate,
I empathize with each scenario illustrated. The lessons and practical advice to owners to overcome false starts and overbudgets
are put forward with a studied determination guided by good intentions. Will Mr. LePatner's book single-handedly be the catalyst
to fix the construction industry? No one can predict the future, but we can't say he didn't warn us. -Roy R. Pachecano, Real
Estate Columnist, BUILDERnews Magazine"
Topic 14 - Advice from a Four-star General
"It may be of interest to future generals to realize that one makes plans to fit circumstances and does not try to create
circumstances to fit plans. That way danger lies." -- General George S. Patton Jr. on advancing his troops
of the Third Army into German territory during the final stages of WWII.
