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It is an old friend that we have known for all of our lives
A workhorse of a bridge
More like something you would find in Pittsburgh than Barcelona
I had an industrial presence
In some ways defined the region
Farewell good buddy and all the memories we have
Crossing and recrossing
Of times past, many times past
Tomorrow for the last time
Video from OnlyHDVideo on Youtube
Historic Photos from Eric Fischer’s Flckr Page
We are all well aware of the economic pressures on the real estate market in our region and the resulting gentrification. Gentrification is a word that is bandied about a lot and, depending on your perspective, is either; the decline of western civilization, or the seed of urban revitalization. Either way, the wave of new wealth that is cascading over the region is bigger than policy and will undoubtedly yield long lasting, physical and social remnants.
While we can comment upon and shape these changes, we need to be cognizant of their causes and effects and try to work for the best outcomes for all. Too often, we throw our hands up in despair and hopelessness. Here is a real estate story with a happy ending that suggests that there is and will always be a place for locals in our growing and changing City.
A woman, lets call her Becky, lived in a flat in Noe Valley. When a young couple bought the two unit building, they had no choice but to evict Becky, invoking the Ellis Act. Becky you see was young and her upstairs neighbor was an older woman who was a “protected tenant” under the law. This made Becky the only target for the new owners who were themselves young and, having just been tenants themselves, sympathetic to Becky’s plight but unable to occupy their new home without removing her. Becky moved, not too far from where the flat was.
A year or so later, she ran into her former flat mate, the older woman from upstairs. The woman told Becky that she was ready to retire and was going to move to Florida. She went on to explain that the new owners of the building felt terribly guilty about having had to evict Becky and would like nothing better than to have her move back in, this time upstairs. Becky moved back in with her new boyfriend, Paul, and life proceeded.
Two more years passed and the young couple, now with a child, a growing three person household, came to Becky and Paul with more bad news. They needed more space and had purchased a single family house across the street. They would have to sell the apartment building, and did not want to see Becky and Paul homeless again. With this notice Becky and Paul set about polling their friends to see if anyone wanted to go in with them and buy the building as a TIC (Tenancy in Common). They found partners and were able to acquire the building in 2008, as interest rates were falling and the deal became affordable. They moved in and set about the necessary inspection and repair process that would allow them to create condominiums and each become owners of their own homes.
Three years later, that process was complete, and once again, interest rates had dropped allowing them to refinance and providing them the security of a long term financial instrument and the pleasures of home ownership. Becky and Paul live there today with their cats. They walk the neighborhood where they have now lived for over fifteen years. They are locals, Paul is a mechanic and Becky works in fashion. They work in and frequent local businesses, they know their neighbors and they participate in community events. The moral of the story, real estate transactions can have happy endings, not all evictions lead to disenfranchisement and the social fabric of our neighborhoods will survive.
I’m not in the habit of writing movie reviews, but Fruitvale Station by Ryan Coogler, deserves some attention. It is both a remarkable piece of film and a provocative commentary. It asks us to reflect on urban life, public transit, “the commons” that we share and the way that the shared space can unite or divide us.
The film depicts the events leading to the shooting and death of Oscar Grant, an unarmed, black man. This is either a terrible tragedy, a gross injustice, or both. The film is remarkable for its depiction of poverty, neither sentimental nor melodramatic, it portrays the daily struggles of the young and disenfranchised in a dramatic but entirely realistic way. The delivery is as tangible as documentary, without the pedantic narrative it is more compelling. The acting and cinematography seamlessly support this approach.
There are vignettes of the BART trains themselves, the tracks, tunnels and landscapes that are a familiar, and now haunting, part of the everyday lives of those of us who live in the Bay Area. These give the film structure, but also, in a very clever way, pace. As the story progresses the shots of the trains, the stations and the riders increase in number and duration creating tension, until we arrive at the chaotic arrest and shooting scene during the early morning hours of January 1, 2009.
While the film is a success as a cinematic experience, there is a deeper subtext about the nature of public transportation as a portion of the “commons” that makes up our shared experience. Specifically, aspects of segregation that are “unintended” and yet institutionalized by physical patterns of development and associated transit systems. These underlie the tragic events that are the film’s narrative.
BART was conceived and constructed as a commuter line, built to move a white collar work force to and from the San Francisco Downtown Center. It functions to mobilize a sub-urbanized population and by doing so, institutionalizes sprawl just as the early train lines built by Henry P. Huntington paved the way for the vast tract development of the Los Angeles Basin. During off hours, this commuter system is left to the less fortunate, those who may not be able to afford to own and maintain a private vehicle, thus reinforcing socio-economic patterns of segregation and literally setting the stage for the series of unfortunate events that led to Oscar Grant’s death. This, in stark contrast to other municipal systems, The New York Subway or Paris Metro, that are regularly used by all segments of the populus because they are the best, most time and cost effective, local transit option. As a result, these systems are egalitarian, functioning as a critical point of integration, bringing the broad spectrum into direct contact with one and other on a regular basis, for both work and recreational travel.
The point is that Transit in the Bay Area only works well at one scale. This is a function of planning, demographics and the challenges of our topography, but it is a fact that stems from the origins of the systems and the lack of a coordinated approach. The simple paucity of lines to many areas, time consuming transfers from system to system, and shear expense, dissuade all but the intended user group. These complications further disenfranchise the less fortunate costing them time and money if this is the only option available to them .
The result is segregation by transportation. The fact is that our system was not built to serve people, rather it was created to serve businesses, corporate headquarters and tract developers. What the film points out is that rapid transit here is for everyone, but not at the same time. As BART, MUNI, AC Transit and others expand, mature and refine their operations, the principals of smart growth, transit oriented development, inclusive housing and new urbanism should inform their efforts. This will result in not only a higher standard of living and greener transportation but greater integration, deeper understating and more sharing. In the end, environmentalism and humanism are founded in the same sense of placing ourselves as individuals within the larger natural and social eco-systems. The ways that we traverse these spaces can either support or detract from this understanding. 
When, or how, does photography become fine art? In some ways it is the most difficult medium in which to work. Because of the precision of a camera as a recording device, the photographer must endeavor to see the shot, to frame it, to capture the light, to focus on the subject in a way that transcends the mere registration of the moment.
In one instance, it can be defining, journalistic, but deeper, capturing a moment that lives in our collective consciousness. Think of the work of Margaret Bourke White, its rendition of the human condition is directly observed, re-presented so honestly that it is at once objective and impassioned. “Saturate yourself with your subject and the camera will all but take you by the hand.” MBW It is this tension and the emotion that it stirs in us, that elevates these images beyond historical document.
The second avenue is more technical, about the film, its contrast and the process as well as the composition and the subject. Here I site Mapplethorpe and Adams. “Mapplethorpe produced a bevy of images that simultaneously challenge and adhere to classical aesthetic standards: stylized compositions of male and female nudes, delicate flower still lifes, and studio portraits of artists and celebrities, to name a few of his preferred genres. He introduced and refined different techniques and formats, including color 20″ x 24″ Polaroids, photogravures, platinum prints on paper and linen, Cibachrome and dye transfer color prints.” Mapplethorpe Foundation. These two luminaries compose with nature and natural forms, rendering them in perfect gradations, high contrasts and unusual circumstances so that they become iconic, larger than life. “Photography is more than a medium for factual communication of ideas. It is a creative art.” AA
The third, perhaps the most contemporary and challenging approach, is to conceive of and execute the project in such a way that the image has its own character independent of the initial subject matter. This locates the photographic project within the realm of abstraction. “Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world.” Rudolph Arnheim Visual Thinking. The presence of the artwork transcends the subject matter to become its own object. This is particularly difficutl to achieve with a photograph because of the accuracy of the recording that defines the medium. We assume that a purely photographic exercise excludes post production techniques and is limited to the image capture itself thus making the leap to abstraction more difficult. It achieved by the composition and frame, the recording of natural light and physical phenomenon; patina, re-use, adaptation, and the marks of time. These works stand as artistic compositions of their own genesis and occupy a place in the history of art alongside expressionist painting, cubism, and Dadaism. They draw the viewer in and require an investment of imagination, an experiential dialogue in which the subject, the image and the viewer are all implicated.
Sharon Risedorph’s recent work at Pier 70 falls into this last category. It looks directly at the early twentieth century waterfront landscape and finds in it a wealth of inspiration. These works do not illustrate the size, scale, type or texture of the historical places, rather they find a wealth of raw material that is employed to create works of special presence. These are pure renditions of light and form, “made” in a creative process that is the result of exploration, observation and opportunism. Sharon uses the lens to produce works that are at once crisply photographic and richly abstract. They embody space and form in the same way that James Turrell’s works render light as physical matter. These images take the everyday, the discarded, the common and reposition it, elevating it to the level of abstraction that inspires curiosity and introspection.
We are excited to share these new works with you and look forward to seeing you all at Sharon’s show at Levy Art & Architecture in early September.
Zero Energy House was published in FuturARC (an Asian Green Architecture magazine) early in 2013, in an article written by Jalel Sager. The article explores the California codes, the most stringent in the US (probably the world). Here Jalel finds several developments that go further than most; their owners speak of sharing their abode with the planet. The battle between the personal and the political is fought on the fringes of mainstream Green.
Here is a PDF of the article
This Noe Valley Remodel pushes the envelope of what most would call a remodel, but when you start with an old small house a little goes a long way.
The house is being slightly lifted to allow for a full height understory and a new story is being added to dramatically increase the space, view and use.
The City of San Francisco and most jurisdictions have rules for what is allowed. In the case of San Francisco the permit process is much easier for a renovation, the only issue is that you can only change so much before it’s considered a demolition. However there’s sometimes tax consequences, so check with a financial adviser.
The building shell is up, roughed-in and insulated. We are making the final tweaks before sheetrock but the sense of the space and its connection to the outside has taken shape. It is already exciting even without the sheetrock. the floor to ceiling glass of the large sliders gives you the impression that the building disappears at moments and the 10′ foot ceilings give the feeling of openness. Views to the outdoors and the natural light provided reinforce this.
The background, this is an addition to a small suburban home for a growing family. The intent was to create a modern living/dining/kitchen space with a strong outdoor connection to the yard while re-purposing the smaller more contained living room in the existing house to a master bedroom suite. efficient and cost effective.
Our Zero Energy House was awarded the Best Remodel by Fine Homebuilding Magazine.
A San Francisco row house was badly in need of a renovation. In addition, the owners wanted a more modern home for their growing family, and they wanted their house to meet its own energy needs plus those of an electric car. Although city preservation requirements limited the changes that could be made to the house’s Edwardian facade, architects Ross Levy and Karen Andersen found that they could give the facade a simple facelift while transforming the house behind it. Because row houses can feel cramped and dark, Levy and Andersen brought light inside and created the illusion of space with three strategies:
(1) defining spaces with details, not walls
(2) integrating glazing where it would have the most impact; and
(3) using a central stairway with a skylight at the top as a lightwell
They achieved net-zero energy use by insulating the roof with open-cell spray foam and the walls with an inch of closed-cell foam covered with fiberglass batts, making the house all-electric, and powering it with an 8kw photovoltaic array. A chart demonstrates the economics of this net-zero home and estimates the payback time for the energy-efficiency extras to be nine years. For its successful bonding of preservation with performance while also reflecting its owners’ lifestyle, this home is FHB’s remodel of the year for 2013.
From Fine Homebuilding #235 (Houses)
pp. 42-47 April 25, 2013
Carlos Scarpa, the noted Italian Architect, said “to draw is to see.” Want he meant is that when we attempt to capture an image or an essence with a pen or pencil, we must observe it with far greater care than we regularly exercise, even when we think we are looking closely. Continue reading “Welcome”