Search

Get to Know a Member in 5 Questions - Sandhya Sood

Equity by Design - Lucy Irwin, AIA

City Slickers Farm - Naomi Horowitz

SFO Tour - Carole Mancke

Autodesk - Aziza Zare

Book Review: Sharing the Work - Wendy Bertrand, Architect

A Conversation with My Dentist - Naomi Horowitz

Members - Naomi Horowitz

Steering Committee Meeting Highlights - Cynthia Bathgate

I believe that I embody the mind of an architect, the hands of an artist and the heart of an activist. As founding principal of Accent Architecture+Design, I’m engaged in a research based practice with sustainable design at its core that serves a diverse clientele through a range of project scales. A graduate education in Environmental Design from UC Berkeley and a background in the global history of architecture enable my work in conservation and climate responsive architecture. I have advocated for these concerns as a board member of Docomomo (Northern California chapter) and in my writing on Le Corbusier and Julia Morgan’s architecture.

1. How has someone’s mentoring made a difference in your life or career?

Adele Naudé Santos took a special interest in me when she was teaching at UC Berkeley. Our conversations over lunches and design critiques helped develop my unique understanding of housing design, one of the project types that I continue to practice with a passion. Adele went on to become the Dean of the School of Architecture and Planning at MIT and was honored with the 2009 Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education. I was indeed fortunate to have crossed paths with her.

I also remember my first OWA retreat more than a decade ago when I met the light hearted Phoebe Bressack. Her wisdom as a seasoned architect became a wonderful sounding board for me at the time. Through contributing to a renewed sense of clarity in the lives of two architects, I have passed on the legacy of mentoring.

2. What is your next big goal for yourself, personally or professionally?

I’d like to deepen my meditation practice and learn more ways of using its benefits in my work. Mindful meditation focuses on building a vital connection with oneself and holds the potential to create thoughtful interactions with others, including, I believe, our clients. This heightened sense of awareness can assist in recognizing the many aspects and challenges of a client’s life, whether financial (access to resources), physical (limitations of body) or emotional (their passion), from a perspective of empathy, leading to identification of valuable goals for the project.






3. In a parallel life, what would be your line of work?

As a Gemini I can think of seven different parallel lives! Although I’ve dabbled in visual art and poetry, I carried a particular soft spot for the performing arts. That led to a few years of training in classical dance, although architecture prevailed.

4. What has changed since you started in your field?

Sustainable design has come a long way in being integrated with building codes and the concept of human wellness. However, as prescribed products and certifications infuse the industry, making green labels accessible to small scale projects and affordable to all strata of society is still a challenge.

On another note, the discourse on social sustainability is rather refreshing. It points to resolving issues of social justice and preserving diversity in our communities within the larger context of conservation.

5. Has your career path been shaped by being a woman?

One of my first independent projects as a young architect in my twenties was a passive solar house built with earth filled stone masonry walls in the foothills of the Himalayas. Besides dispelling gender assumptions, the project became an exercise in hands on design thinking and problem solving at a remote site with no running water or electricity. Of the many memorable hurdles that I crossed in that forest, I’ll share a couple.

Whenever the stone masons questioned my construction technique, I would climb over scaffoldings and demonstrate by building a full scale prototype, despite their assertion that it could not be done. Challenged by the microclimate of the site, I sat under an ancient oak tree to figure out how to counteract the unpredictable wind thrust. And then, Nirvana! By using the concept of a flying buttress, I braced the reinforced concrete roof structure with beams “flying” into the adjoining hill. Cement concrete was mixed by hand with my prescribed ratio and poured into the shuttering to cast roof slabs.

I realize that the many challenges I faced as a (tiny) woman playing the unusual role of master builder enabled me to be inventive and push through the status quo with remarkable success. The project not only became a lesson in self reliance early in my career, it also fueled my interest in site specific design-build projects that conserve their natural setting and, of course, slimy snakes.

Rebecca Friedberg, a member of the OWA+DP Steering Committee, organized a potluck picnic and tour of the recently-opened City Slickers Farm in West Oakland, where she told us about the City Slickers organization, her firm’s design work, and the community-driven process of this project.

It was a warm, sunny day in Oakland, perfect for an outdoor event. We gathered under the generous shade of the farm’s central structure to chat and eat. Rebecca then gave us some background and led us on a tour of the lot.

City Slickers is an organization that has been operating in Oakland since 2001, with a combination of farm lots and assistance to households in setting up backyard gardens. A major challenge had been the temporary nature of the land they were able to use. At their new farm, they have finally gained ownership of land, so they can be assured of many years of working the same soil.

There were a few features that were interesting from a design perspective. First of all, they thought long and hard about how much to prioritize security. In the end, the fences built between the public park portion and the farm area are about four feet high, presenting more of a psychological boundary than an absolute physical barrier, and contributing to the welcoming feeling of the place. Similarly, in the central building, the kitchen area is surprisingly open. The sink and counter are open to all, with only an area on one side closed with a roll-down door. So far, this seems to be working out. Shade was also an important factor on the site: both shade desired over outdoor work areas, and shade to be minimized over growing areas. This determined the height and shape of roofs. I was also charmed by the chicken coop. Its run (the outdoor but enclosed area where the chickens can roam) is divided into three areas, each of which can be accessed directly from the coop. This should allow plant cover to regrow in one section as chickens forage in another. It will be interesting to see how that works out; there were no chickens in residence when we visited.

The project was made possible with many kinds of support: Lowney Architecture, Rebecca’s employer, provided design work on a pro bono basis. Matthew Wolpe, a teacher at Laney College, provided shade structures for the site through design-build projects with his students. Students at CCA provided murals and a chicken coop. Metal gates were created by apprentices at the Crucible, another West Oakland institution. Funds for construction came through Proposition 84 grants in 2010. The playground was funded through a program organized by Kaboom, which connects corporate sponsors (in this case, PG&E) with local projects.

The local community was also involved in the design process. Multiple meetings with community members eventually gave rise to a community committee that met on a monthly basis. Now that the farm is up and running, volunteers continue to be important. Youth programs frequently come to work on the farm. Individual volunteers are also welcome. For more information on City Slicker Farms, including how to volunteer, see their website at http://www.cityslickerfarms.org/

As a side note, two other OWA+DP members, Allison Kinst and Cynthia Bathgate, are working on a residential project to be built in the lot immediately adjacent to the farm. It would be interesting to visit again once that is constructed.

Of course, at its heart the farm is not about the buildings, but the soil and what grows in it. Planting just started this spring. They have already been able to sell produce at their weekly farm stand, and we could see zucchini, kale, chard and tomatoes growing. An orchard along one edge of the property is still in its infancy, but will eventually provide fruit. Some rows are not yet planted, and some soil remained to be plowed. Rebecca was clearly excited to see the design realized in both built and living form.

We are eager to highlight the work of our members both in our programs and in this newsletter. If you have a project you would like to share with OWA+DP members, please contact the Program Coordinators to arrange a tour.