I was at a local hardware store purchasing paint supplies last week. The elderly woman behind me in line (that was very interested in my reasons for purchasing the items) asked why I did not buy any paint. I told her that I wanted to use a paint that had No-VOC’s in the tint and that store did not offer that as an option. She looked puzzled and asked me what is a VOC. So I explained chemical off-gasing, links to long-term adverse health effects, and my goal to protect my children. Her concern for my purchase quickly faded (this often happens when someone asks me about building science in passing) and turned to being defensive for the “way she always does it.” She explained that she was too old to worry about things like that, after all, everything causes cancer these days. So is that the answer, don’t worry about it since everything is bad, or is it better to understand and try to change. Of course my goal is to constantly learn more and to try to be better. So here is some of what I know about VOCs and the link to health issues – my understanding is limited and I am always looking for more information.
Many products that are used in home construction have various chemicals that are released into the air post installation. Some of these gases are Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Concentrations of VOCs are often found to be higher indoors than outdoors (an obvious conclusion looking at air circulation and volume of space). The levels of these chemicals is found to be even higher in a ‘energy-efficient’ home that does not have a dedicated fresh air system integrated with the heating and cooling system (remember when a HVAC system included ventilation and not just heating and cooling?). VOCs can be found in many products including paints, lacquers, paint strippers, cleaning supplies, pesticides, building materials, printers, correction fluid, and glues. So we typically select products that have low or No VOCs in them for our clients and for our own personal use. This is not an across the board answer as there are many considerations, but it is certainly a huge factor as all of our projects are designed to be energy efficient. The other strategy used in combination with product selection is to include a dedicated fresh air source integrated with the HVAC system. While there are no guarantees in life, these two strategies will certainly diminish a known risk the health of your family. It will reduce the probability of headaches, nausea, eye nose and throat irritation, and possible damage to the central nervous system, and kidneys and livers.
With the known correlation between VOCs and various types of cancer, don’t you owe it to yourself, your family, and your friends to use products that are No VOCs? I cannot imagine ever being to old to care about prevention.
1. You need to work harder than anyone else, it will always benefit you in the long run.
2. Volunteer – you have to get away from your computer and build connections, learn from others, and experience life.
3. Be Original, stand up for what you believe, hold true to your beliefs.
4. Be authentic. The most important asset you bring to design is your individuality, perspective, and experience.
5. Learn. Constantly look for opportunities to advance your craft, learn from others, and grow your abilities.
6. Observe. As you travel through life look at other solutions to other problems. You will be inspired and humbled when you see good design and blown away when you see bad design. This will be your motivation for every future assignment.
7. Trust your instinct.
8. Keep an open mind, sometimes the idea presented by others is the best solution.
9. Think holistic with your solutions. Sometimes the idea you are focused on will work better only if you make three other changes first.
10. If all else fails, go back to No. 1, working harder than everyone else.
As we stand at the edge and look towards the future, I wonder if we will start to build bridges or continue to erode the banks. As we continue to borrow against our future, our children’s future, we are damaging the fabric needed for success. We fight for things that benefit ourselves right now without thinking through the issues in a holistic manner. We throw insults and accusations at those in leadership to discredit them often simply because they are not on our ‘team’. We shove people in a category because they have voiced an opinion about one issue, at one time, concerning one matter. We are ripping away the power of thoughtful discussion and compromise. We are tearing down the pathways to unity and power all in the name of money, taxes, ‘freedom’. As we stand at the edge I wonder if you will reach out your hand to help me up or continue on your way without looking back.
Every decision we make has an impact. You can choose to support those looking to build community or those looking to build themselves. What do you want our future to look like? What do you want to pass down to our children? Will you stand up for those making decisions that do not benefit you today, but rather benefit us in the long run? Will you make changes to your lifestyle today that reduces air and water pollution in the future? Will you change your shopping patterns to support your neighbors even though it may cost you more cash today? Will you stop spreading hate so that your children can experience a world that puts respect, conversation, and community as a top priority?
I don’t have the answers and I struggle to make the right changes myself. I am always looking for a better way, but often fall short. We are standing at the edge of an ecological disaster, a financial meltdown, an energy nightmare. We are facing serious climate change issues, over fishing, agricultural deprivation of soil, polluting chemical companies, ozone layer deprivation, waste disposal problems, energy production issues, energy grid failures, overpopulation, food shortages, water pollution, poor fiscal policy, political lobby groups, and communication failures just to name a few. How can we ever overcome all these challenges? How can we get past the political maneuvering of those with money and power and make a real change in our community? We only have one option that can provide success – we have to come together, as a community, as a nation, and as a family and work towards a positive future. We need to stop fighting for power and instead work to help each other.
“The encouraging thing is that every time you meet a situation, though you may think at the time it is an impossibility and you go through the tortures of the damned, once you have met it and lived through it you find that forever after you are freer than you ever were before. If you can live through that you can live through anything. You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, `I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ The danger lies in refusing to face the fear, in not daring to come to grips with it. If you fail anywhere along the line, it will take away your confidence. You must make yourself succeed every time. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”
Many look at our plight as a fairy tale of watching television, burping, yelling for our team, and mowing the yard. However, there is more to the story than you have seen in the news. There are more trials and tribulations to being a father than any other role in the world. The FATHER is more than a stereotype of football fanatic, grill loving, trash taker outer. The FATHER is the glue that makes all things possible. Here is a look at dads on this Happy Father’s Day.
Father, or Dad as some people prefer, is the person that makes all other things possible. Without Dad to leave the seat up to give that cold surprise in the middle of the night that wakes you up early so you can get more done. This is a role only a father can fill to the utmost potential!
Dad is the person that is called in when there is a spider that needs a special friend to take them on a trip outside. Of course Dad probably does not want to touch the spider either, but he braves the 8 legs and disposes of the spider carefully.
Dad is the person that avoids climbing on the roof so you can have that vegetated roof you always wanted and did not know to ask for. Without his not doing the gutters that seed pod would have never seen the potential of growing in the gutter. Those weeds would not have sprouted roots and flowered.
Dad is the person that brings the tickles in the morning when the little ones are having trouble getting up in the morning. There is nobody else fully qualified to get the belly button with slobbery vigor.
Dad is the one person available at all times for that afternoon nap that someone needs to take. That couch was purchased and paid for with money that took time to earn, delivered with the sweat of the delivery men hired so dad would not have to carry it, and it just sits there. Dad gives it potential and purpose making the efforts and money used worthwhile.
Dad does not mow the grass more often so when it gets done it looks that much better. If it was mowed weekly you would never get to experience it looking terrible. Without Dad procrastinating you would not get to experience the full beauty of a neat trimmed lawn compared to the unkempt looking unkept experience it has every other week.
Without Dad, who would finish that half eaten ice cream, donuts, or hamburger? Dad is the ultimate environmentalist helping reduce food waste one meal at a time.
Dads were created to give kids something to climb on, jump on, and bounce on. Dads were created to give others a higher sense of accomplishment.
Dads give purpose to kids. Dads give motivation for others to get better, always looking for ways to set a baseline standard that others can surpass to give them the feeling of success. If a Dad was to get up and do all the work, follow all the rules, and always behave, then others would feel inadequate.
As a Father, I pride myself in my ability to give my kids a sense of accomplishment. I hope your father’s day can be just as beneficial to those around you and that you take an extra long nap, grill a few extra burgers, and watch many hours of the game.
“In the architectural world there are two types of Architects, frustrated Artists and frustrated Engineers” ~ Raymond E. Gaines, FCSI
As anyone that knows Ray will understand, this is one of his favorite sayings. While I think there is more diversity in the industry that he lets on, there is truth to this statement. There are many architects that are known for their aesthetic design ability and others that are known for their technical knowledge. I believe I fall somewhere in between the two. I do love to measure and quantify design decisions and I am always looking back to find the successful moves, details, and proportions of various projects. This does not stop at design alone. I try to measure everything and analyze it based on some criteria that seems appropriate for the particular goal.
My strategy to achieve my professional career goals has been a focus on education, mentorship, and relationships. Upon graduating from the University of Tennessee I joined multiple organizations and started volunteering. Looking back to measure my success so far the most beneficial organization in my career growth to date is the Construction Specifications Institute. I have built friendships with the leaders of the construction industry across the country. I know who to call to get the right answer for almost any issue that might come up on a construction site. I read the Project Resource Manual to learn the roles and responsibilities of those on a job site and how a project should be executed (so when they get off track you can get them back to where they should be as fast as possible). I learned about public speaking and gained confidence to stand in a room (this is almost always the case even today) of people who know way more than me and discuss intelligently many topics concerning the construction industry. CSI has allowed me to gain respect in my local community, have a network of supporters across the country, learn best practices to manage my active projects, and achieve many of my career goals before the age of 40.
While joining any organization is just a first step in the process to career growth and you can gain parts of any of these attributes from other organizations, CSI is the only one that brings all members of the construction industry to one table to have discussions, education, and networking. CSI members are the only ones that have supported my career goals without asking for anything in return. I hold many of my CSI relationships very highly and look to many CSI leaders as my mentors. While I have experienced this organization and the growth of my career from the standpoint of just starting out in the industry, there is no right starting point to get involved in CSI. No matter your level of experience, joining CSI, getting involved, and building relationships will help you do better work, create better projects, and have a more successful career.
Join CSI online between Wednesday, June 13, and Wednesday, June 20, and pay only $192 — a 20% savings — for your membership. Use promo code “12spring20” when you join at www.csinet.org/joincsi.This promotion is only available to new members joining at the professional level. Chapter dues are not included in this promotion. To join:
When you think about architecture your mind often goes to signature works that stand up and mark a moment in history. You think about those forms that appear to be a symphony captured in place and time. You remember those famous buildings that grace the cover of magazines, mansions on the hill, modern sculptures that people inhabit. Architecture is often thought to be lofty, prestigious, and elite.
Habitat for Humanity volunteer
The Gaines Group, plc, an architectural firm in Virginia, is trying to break that stereotype. Architect Charles Hendricks, AIA, CSI, CDT, LEED AP reminds us of the firm’s mantra: Everyone Deserves Good Design. In a profession that often does not place high value on durability, energy efficiency, or functional solutions, The Gaines Group is changing the questions being asked, the solutions being provided, and the definition of what an architect delivers.
Canstruction food drive
The firm was founded in 1987 when Raymond E. Gaines, AIA, FCSI, CCS was ‘kicked’ out of the door of the design build firm where he began his career fresh out of Virginia Tech’s Architecture Program. He decided at that point (picking up his former employer as one of his main clients) that the goal for his career was to be a unique kind of architectural firm. He wanted to deliver functional solutions that were easy to build, practical, and affordable. He states “I want to see that our work made a difference and the community is a better place for it.” His attitude towards design has led to multiple affordable housing solutions, senior housing projects, and many happy clients over the last 25 years.
Ray taking a break from volunteering with Albemarle High School drama students
Adding Charles Hendricks to the firm in 1999 their reputation grew to include the term: green designers. Charles is a thought leader in the industry for sustainable design and the firm quickly became known for their LEED, Earthcraft, and Energy Star projects under his direction. Building on Ray’s knowledge of practical construction details and working with a full understanding of building science the firm won the “best green designers” award in 2008, the Virginia Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award in 2008 and 2009, and the “best green residential renovation” award in 2011 for their dedication to sustainable design. This practical approach to design that delivers energy efficient, healthy and durable solutions is the foundation of their current success.
Ribbon cutting
The firm’s dedication to the community does not stop at the design phase, they are known community leaders that volunteer their time, skills, and knowledge to many non-profit organizations. This dedication to community health has allowed them to grow their firm to include a second office (Charlottesville and Harrisonburg, Virginia) during the worst economy in the history of the business. As partner Roger Bryant states: “our clients deserve us to make balanced well thought out decisions to be able to serve them to the best of our abilities.” Adding the Harrisonburg office in a time of recession was a risky move for the firm, but it has paid off with many new clients and tremendous opportunities to make a difference in another community. Charles now runs the Harrisonburg office and he quickly got involved with numerous community organizations as well as providing professional services to several non-profits in the area that were in need of design assistance.
Governor’s Excellence in Environmental Design Award
Many products that are used in home construction have various chemicals that are released into the air post installation. Some of these gases are Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Concentrations of VOCs are often found to be higher indoors than outdoors (an obvious conclusion looking at air circulation and volume of space). The levels of these chemicals is found to be even higher in a ‘energy-efficient’ home that does not have a dedicated fresh air system integrated with the heating and cooling system (remember when a HVAC system included ventilation and not just heating and cooling?). VOCs can be found in many products including paints, lacquers, paint strippers, cleaning supplies, pesticides, building materials, printers, correction fluid, and glues. So we typically select products that have low or No VOCs in them for our clients and for our own personal use. This is not an across the board answer as there are many considerations, but it is certainly a huge factor as all of our projects are designed to be energy efficient. The other strategy used in combination with product selection is to include a dedicated fresh air source integrated with the HVAC system. While there are no guarantees in life, these two strategies will certainly diminish a known risk the health of your family. It will reduce the probability of headaches, nausea, eye nose and throat irritation, and possible damage to the central nervous system, and kidneys and livers.
