by Charles Hendricks | Oct 26, 2011 | architecture, Harrisonburg Architect, Leadership
I have been searching this year for answers. Is there a better way to serve my clients? Is there a better way to serve my community? Am I doing everything I can to be a good father? Can I find another way?
I attended a Leadership Summit in Charlottesville recently (I was actually presenting and just attended one session). The speaker told his life story about all the failures that he has run into in his life that got him to “success.” He failed at every turn and through that failure he found opportunity by asking more questions. He learned from his mistakes, he did not take no for an answer, he opened the shut doors. As I continue to struggle with how to make it in this economy, this community, this world, I have finally seen the key to success. I need to ask questions. I need to ask for help. I need to find better solutions. I need to open shut doors and shut minds.
The most important thing in life you can do and that you can teach your children to do is ask lots of questions.
Never say yes, but.
Always say, yes, and.
by Charles Hendricks | Oct 13, 2011 | architecture, artwork, community, Harrisonburg Architect, Leadership, Local Leaders
The SVBA is presenting the 2011 Parade of Homes on October 22 – 23. Open house times on Saturday are 10 am – 4pm and Sunday 1 pm – 4pm. This annual event gives you a chance to see the latest innovations in home building, learn from the builders what it takes to build high performance, and to meet some of the innovators in the community. I encourage you to take time to visit a few of the homes in the parade this year.Your support of this event is very important for those taking time to prepare their homes for the parade and will go a long way of supporting the industry the is so key to our economic recovery.
We have an entry in this year’s parade in Crossroads Farm. The Connelly residence features a rainwater harvesting system, vegetative retaining walls, high performance insulation and Heating and Cooling system, and self-cleaning windows. Come out to see me at the house and I will be happy to answer questions, give you a tour, and talk about any building science questions you might have for your own home.
by Charles Hendricks | Aug 31, 2011 | architecture, Harrisonburg Architect, Leadership
JMU is ranked as the 20th Happiest School in the country by Newsweek & the Daily Beast in a poll just released. The poll looked at six categories, weighted equally using a measure of how close or distant each school is to average: dining, housing, nightlife, number of sunny days per year, student-teacher ratio, and the average indebtedness at graduation. With these factors you can clearly see how the place, Harrisonburg, the school is located has a major impact on the ranking. In a town that is vibrant, community based, and beautiful shouldn’t people be happy? Downtown has seen major gains in the last few years with the addition of the Friendly City Food Co-op, Jack Brown’s, and Beyond. Family life is enhanced by the new and improved Children’s Museum, the established You Made It, and incredible downtown library. The Farmer’s Markets in the area are rich with good local healthy food options. The community is supportive of each other and want success for their neighbors. We have great locally roasted coffee. There are active leaders engaged in the promoting healthy community. Our non-profits are focused on a bright future. Of course JMU being in the middle of all this life is a happy place to go to school, learn about community, and begin a career! Congratulations JMU on your ranking!
by Charles Hendricks | Jul 14, 2011 | architecture, Harrisonburg Architect, Leadership
Do you judge someone by how they dress? What about how they talk? Does the car they drive make a difference?
I started thinking about these concepts today after a question was posed by a writer developing a story on green renovations. How do you find a designer that really understands green design? I intentionally wear green shirts most days (no I don’t think this gives me any credibility, but I do like the color green). There are multiple certifications, but how does a client really know which add value? If you ask any architect in town, they will tell you they do green design. Almost every builder I know will tell you they understand green building. So what can a typical client look for in a designer and contractor to determine their level of knowledge?
I would first start with asking for past experience. What other projects have they worked on and what were the green goals? Were the green goals achieved and what has been the real-time results from the clients? Ask for references so you can talk to those past clients. They will know if the house is working the way the designer and builder intended it. Look for certifications, has your design team done EarthCraft training, are they a LEED AP (or a LEED GA), have they done building science training courses? Ask them questions about how they will measure success. While there is a lot of green washing in the industry, there are people who understand building science and can add value to your project. I am happy to talk to you about things to look for in a designer and builder, give me a call.
by Charles Hendricks | Apr 15, 2011 | architecture, Harrisonburg Architect, Leadership
As I look out from under the deadlines and phone messages, I find it hard to stay positive that my work is making a difference. Is anyone listening? Am I just adding to the background noise that blinds us from making this moment in time the point at which we come together as a nation to be great?
“Development that meets the needs of present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
-source: United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development
I have heard of the incredible stories of innovation and determination that were experienced after Pearl Harbor. The entire country re-tooled, pulled on their boots, and did what needed to be done. I remember back on 9/12 the tremendous change in our community. After the malicious attacks the day before, time stopped, we cried, we acknowledged our neighbors, we celebrated our country, we joined together to defend our nation. When Hurricane Katrina hit, the nation stood still watching, praying for courage and survival. As I traveled down Interstate 59 in the days following the storm, I was changed forever seeing others doing the same thing I was doing, with American Flags flying and care in their hearts for strangers they have never met before.
I am once more changed, sitting here at my desk wondering why it takes disaster, violence, immediate destruction to bring us together as a proud country.
It is time to come together as a community, as a state, as a nation to make a positive change. I understand that you don’t want to give up any opportunity in front of you now. I understand that you have worked hard to get the things in life that you have earned. I just want your kids and my kids to have those same opportunities. I want us to make decisions, painful or not, that will benefit the next generation, not just the current. It is time to look at the bigger costs involved in the decisions we are making today.
Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it.
-Milne, A.A. The House at Pooh Corner: New York, Dutton Juvenile, 1988
Look for an event next week as we approach Earth Day to plug in and listen, learn, then go and make a positive change. It is so easy to cut your energy use by 10%, to reduce your water consumption by 5%, to reduce your waste output by 50%. You will not even notice the sacrifice made, but you will see the economic benefits. All you need to do is ask questions. All you have to do is look toward the future, to others, all you have to do is think about a better way. If you always take the easy way out – “because that is the way we always do it” – I fear that we are never going to find our way out of this mess.
