Every day Commute:

When I started working in the 80′s I made a promise to myself that I would never car commute. No matter what.  In order to help keep this promise we choose a studio location that allows several of us to ride our bikes to the office along Goose Creek Trail in Boulder, CO.

It is such a delight to start each day by gliding eastward down the green wetlands with the morning fresh air on my hears. Now that spring is upon us the trees are budding and the flowers are blooming. I see the consistent flow of bike commuters along the way each morning, but so far have seen nothing closer to a traffic jam than the ducks, fish and water snakes enjoying their own morning commutes down the creek.

The corridor runs below Boulder’s commercial district, but you would never know it from the peaceful, natural setting of the creek trail.  I am thankful to this community for carving out such an inspiring and continuous stream of wetland in a highly developed commercial district.

It reminds me of another community that has done something similar (although of quite a different scale), the High Line Park in New York City a public park and walkway on an historic railroad elevated above Manhattan’s West Side.  It might be worth the effort to get out of our cars to check around for any hidden paradise underneath, adjacent or above.  I guess that’s the idea behind the annual “bike to work” day.  This year on Wednesday June 22^nd; the website is: www3.drcog.org/biketowork.

About three years ago, upon meeting with Tamdin, who came to Colorado as a Tibetan refugee, I was introduced to the high-stamina work that Tibetan Village Project (TVP) (www.tibetanvillageproject.org) has been doing for the last 10 years: building pedestrian bridges, green-houses, schools, scholarships for college students, businesses micro-credit. Operating out of Westminster, Colorado, this non-profit organization has had tremendous success in raising awareness and support for sustainable development and the cultural heritages of Tibet.

Last year was the third time we participated in their fundraising events: a great mixture of camaraderie, hearty Tibetan food, auctions (that are anything but quiet) for the various projects, Tibetan flute music, a vibrant craft-market, and more.

The only time I have seen TVP get distracted from their goals for the region of Kham and Amdo is when the earthquake tragically hit in Yushu in the spring of 2010: Tibetan Village Project did not hesitate to get involved. They managed to raise the money necessary to buy 300 insulated tents large enough for a family at $300 a piece before the following winter came and also insured the delivery to the families most in need.

“A drop in the bucket,” like Tamdin told me, but what a huge drop for the receivers!

At the beginning of last year, Tamdin mentioned to us that communities of Kham and Amdo have been coming together with thoughts about further developing their community-based ecotourism. To that purpose, the community of Penbushi is planning on building a “base camp” / community center on the high banks of the Minyak River. Knowing that we have been foraying in the worldwide ecotourism industry, he asked us if our studio would be interested in getting involved.

That is how in June of 2011 Alejandra embarked on a scouting trip from Chengdu to Kangding, Tagong and Penbushi. She traveled with the high-spirited assistance of Conscious Journeys (www.consciousjourneys.org), a unique volun-tourism offspring program from TVP tours. The young guides at Conscious Journeys deliver a balanced blend of mindful tourism and volunteer excursions to Tibet. Hence, Alejandra visited and surveyed the project building site by the Minyak River in Penbushi. She visited with the families and leaders who initiated the project and came back with the radiance of someone who has been immersed in a meaningful enterprise.

Working for TVP from Tibet for more than six months of the year, Tamdin is now evaluating the possible risk of the building site being inundated due to another damming project.

We are eager to continue our fruitful collaboration with Tibetan Village Project and their mindful team.

* Click here to watch a video of Alejandra explaining a bit about Gettliffe Architecture’s work with Tamdin at TVP *

“You cannot make a building unless you are joyously engaged,” renowned architect Louis Kahn once said. This “joyous engagement,” as architect and clients’ imaginations meet, is a projection into the future of more than just a building. It is the envisioning of a felt experience of life which will take place within and around the architecture, and which ideally becomes a daily lived experience of inspiration. This inspiration may be drawn from many sources, but is especially influenced by the use of nature, light and sun as key design elements.

Nature is With Us
While buildings originated to protect humans from nature, today we are more in need of reconnection to her daily and seasonal cycles and to the flora and fauna around us. Strategically designed openings and transition spaces draw attention to the surrounding natural environment, inviting the user into nature or nature into the building. This connection grounds, refreshes and restores us, even as we experience a sense within that we too are part of nature.

Light Lifts the Spirit
The use of sun and light in architecture is a key to its capacity to move the user. The creative use of natural light can permeate a building with a sense of optimism and energy. Exposure to full spectrum light has a positive influence on mood and outlook, but beyond this, the artful interplay of light and shadow with the architecture itself can cause a space to become an ever-changing work of art. The user’s experience is also enhanced by passive solar and cooling techniques that use the sun for heating, and vegetation, overhangs and strategic openings for shade and breezes. These natural forms of climate control invite awareness of seasonal changes taking place throughout the year, as well as a certain sensual pleasure or “thermal delight.”

There are many more ways in which buildings can bring inspiration to life. Spatial volumes, both interior and exterior, can be designed to be uplifting and energizing. Colors, materials and acoustics play a role in the effect architecture has on people. Architecture which expresses clarity inspires greater clarity in those who live in it. When spaces are appropriately scaled and proportioned, there is a physical sense of ease as people move through them. Activities take less effort when environments are well-adapted to their functions, allowing human bodies to move with delicious freedom through space to accomplish the tasks at hand.

Buildings can also inspire people by bringing a sense of art into the life of the user. When an environment transcends its merely functional aspects to relate to us emotionally or playfully, the user begins to experience life as art.

A Congruent Expression of Values
Just as our choice of clothing expresses who we are, a building’s architecture can communicate the personality of a community, business, family or individual. Today, many architectural choices are also expressions of values related to social and ecological responsibility and sustainability. Architecture which is congruent with these values becomes a source of inspiration to those who experience it in this sense as well.