Follow-up- YAF “Architects and Beyond.”

On January 28th, Nathan Benjamin traveled to the Windy City to participate in the Chicago Young Architect's Forum event, "Architects and Beyond." The event was well attended by those looking to up their game in a competitive market and learn from architecture professionals that weren't afraid to think outside of the box. The other presenters included Annie Mohaupt of Mohop Shoes, Jessica Lybeck of Till Creative, and Cagri Kanver of HOK Advance Strategies.

Mohaupt explained the concept behind her, "infinity sandal," which is essentially one pair of wooden soles with elastic loops that you can lace your choice of ribbon through allowing limitless possibilities! Lybeck spoke about starting up her business that specializes in, "putting the tools of design thinking in the hands of entrepreneurs, cultivating good ideas into great businesses." Lastly, Kanver explained how Advance Strategies, "help clients make value-based decisions, make effective changes and achieve quantifiable results."

For a more thorough report of the YAF event, "Architects and Beyond," please visit our friend in the blogging community, "Archiprose." Also, for more photos from the event, join the PlanetReuse Facebook group here!

Quote of the week.

"The difference between getting somewhere and nowhere is the courage to make an early start. The fellow who sits still and does just what he is told will never be told to do big things."

-Charles Schwab, entrepreneur

Perkins+Will Research Journal features PlanetReuse.

In the Fall 2009 volume of the Perkins+Will Research Journal, they highlight PlanetReuse for our use of, "locally sourced reclaimed materials." They explain what materials can be locally sourced and the benefits of using these materials. To understand what it is that the Perkins+Will Research Journal hopes to accomplish, read on for a short description of their purpose.

"The Perkins+Will Research Journal is dedicated to documenting and presenting practice-related research associated with buildings and their environs. The aim of this journal is to capture and document research questions and methodologies that arise prior, during and after the design process. Original research articles, literature reviews, and case studies have been incorporated into this publication. The unique aspect of this journal is that is conveys practice-oriented research projects aimed at supporting our design and project teams."

To download the full Fall 2009 publication, click here! *Note: we are mentioned on page 22!

KSHB-TV (NBC 41) features OfficePort KC.

Reporter Keith King of KSHB-TV (NBC 41) made his way through OfficePort KC this week, home to PlanetReuse and several other adjustable office spaces. OPKC is a shared office space located within an older building in the Crossroads District that can be rented primarily to those looking to branch out in businesses of their own. At OPKC, all the equipment necessary to start a business, such as computers, printers and conference rooms, are provided at a low overhead. King spoke with OPKC co-founder Shaul Jolles who had this to say about his innovative communal office space vision.

"Basically it is a reflection of society right now," Jolles says. "We have a lot of people that got laid off. They need to reinvent themselves and we just give them the tool to do it in here."

Check out the 6 o'clock news spot and King's interview with Jolles in its' entirety here!

Chicago YAF Forum: Architects & Beyond.

Next Thursday, Nathan Benjamin will travel to Chicago, Illinois for the opportunity to speak at Chicago Young Architect's Forum event titled, "Architects and Beyond." Among the other speakers will be the architect and founder of Mohop Shoes, Annie Mohaupt, Assoc AIA of Till Creative, Jessica Lybeck, and Cagri Kanver of HOK Advance Strategies. The event will provide young professionals in the design realm the opportunity to, "learn how to promote yourself effectively and identify key skill-sets that will set you apart and make you a valuable asset." Promised by the event are the opportunities to focus on your strengths and increase your contact list by at least 3 to pave the way for creating your own future success story!

If you are in the Windy City and would like to attend, click here for more information on the event!

BMRA Annual Members Meeting - January 20th.

The Building Materials Reuse Association (BMRA) will be holding their annual members meeting next week on January 20th from 3-5 P.M. The annual meeting is a great opportunity to, "talk directly with board members and other BMRA members, to learn about what is going on in the organization, and about plans for the upcoming year." If you have any questions or suggestions for the BMRA, the open forum would be the ideal time to present it. This is a phone-in meeting that is open to members and non-members alike, so if you would like to participate, follow the instructions here.

Defining Industrial Design and 5 Green Designs.

In the "What is 'Industrial Design?'" article, Tucker Veimester examines an industry that is not fully understood: Industrial Design. He chose to follow his father's publication projet that is today the magazine known as 'I.D.' It began in 1943 as a section titled, "Industrial Design," in the magazine called, "Interiors." At this time, it focused on how the new industry would address a post-war America. Then, the section was demo-ed and its' own full publication in 1947 titled, "Industrial Design," was born. Later re-titled to, "I.D. Magazine," the magazine content began to morph when the covered trends began to involve, "more scientific processes and theories." Since the magazine was covering a more international basis, from that point forth, the publication's initials would no longer stand for Industrial Design. It would be more suitable as International Design (I.D.) Magazine. What originally had began as a section devoted specifically to the industry now had been turned into a broader base of several industries, thus, blurring the boundaries of what Industrial Design is. Here to set the record straight on what Industrial (Product) Design is, the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA).

"Industrial Design(ID) is the professional service of creating and developing concepts and specifications that optimize the function, value and appearance of products and systems for the mutual benefit of both user and manufacturer. Industrial designers develop these concepts and specifications through collection, analysis and synthesis of data guided by the special requirements of the client or manufacturer. They are trained to prepare clear and concise recommendations through drawings, models and verbal descriptions."

In a field that began in the plastic-less, electronic-less year of 1938, Industrial (Product) Design has grown to have 27 local chapters throughout the United States. Today, this field is facing the same problems other design industries are facing with the, "go green," initiative: coming up with innovative ways to solve a problem while still remaining earth-friendly. Below are five product designs that are some of the most innovative ways to sustain-ably solve problems at-hand.

-Enjoy!

Log Bowls.
Designer: Doha Chebib for Loyal Loot Collective

"Each bowl is handmade using only locally reclaimed trees of all varieties (fallen or cut down due to infrastructure, re-landscaping, droughts, or stormy weather). The trees are hand selected, gathered, turned and finished by Loyal Loot Collective and local crafts people."



Hughie Sink.
Designer: Hughie Products Pty Ltd

"Capturing water which would normally go down the drain, when washing hands, cleaning the veges, or even the warm up water in the shower. Submerge in the bath and this water can also be reused to water the garden."



Green Pockets.
Designer: Maruja Fuentes

"Green pockets are ceramic tiles which fuse nature with the interior space improving both air quality and health...The tiles, made from recycled materials, serve as planters and their unique shape allows them to interlock, thereby creating different patterns depending on the vegetation planted."



The Green PC.
Designer: Design Hara

"Depending on customer preference, the side wood panels are selectable between cypress wood from Italy and Canadian rose wood. The front natural sheep leather (lamb) cover is optional as well."



Sparks Exterior Lighting.
Designer: Daniel Becker

"The lighting elements are based on low-energy led modules, all pieces are connected by simple screw-type joints which don't need any technical expertise."

FSC & Copenhagen '09.

One month ago, Copenhagen, Denmark was a flurry of activity with the United Nations climate negotiations (COP 15) taking place. For the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), deforestation and forest degradation were certainly on the agenda. As both cause, "nearly 20% of all global greenhouse gas emissions - more than are produced by all forms of transportation combined," they needed to be addressed in the UN's draft plan for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD). The REDD plan sets the stepping-stone goal of cutting deforestation in poor countries in half by the year 2020 and the ultimate goal of completely ending it by 2030. The FSC is the, "most appropriate and proven tool to safeguard social concerns such as tenure rights and community benefits, as well as for addressing environmental issues such as protection of old-growth forests and rare species." The importance of becoming FSC Chain-of-Custody (COC) certified are as follows.

"While consumers already select forest products based on species, grade, visual characteristics, etc., they now can identify products that provide an assurance of social and environmental responsibility on the part of the producer. To do this, the FSC system requires that material be tracked from the certified source through the manufacturing process. This aspect of the system is the basis for any credible certification system and is the link between consumer preference and responsible, on the ground performance."

On projects you are working on, PlanetReuse can help with FSC options. For our COC certificate detail, click here!

Residential playroom project: photos uploaded!

PlanetReuse, C&G Construction, and el dorado architects collaborate on a Prairie Village, KS residential playroom project made with sinker reclaimed wood.

"The rich look and history inherent in salvaged materials can make a big difference on efforts of any scope. For a large playroom expansion, a Kansas family exploring reclaimed materials fell in love with sinker reclaimed cypress. Sinker materials are those that have been submerged for a number of years, in this case, in a Louisiana bayou for more than a century. For a cohesive visual look, the design team used the material in several ways, as flooring, wall panels and on the pitched ceiling in the interior, and for balconies on the exterior of the addition.

The cypress showed an astounding range of subtle colors from the minerals absorbed while underwater. The client felt the materials - with its heritage, story and natural beauty - was a fitting match for a space that would sustain their children's imagination for years to come."

To check out all the newly uploaded photos of the Residential Playroom project, join the PlanetReuse Facebook group and take a look at our work in the "Group Photos" section! (If you are interested in the before and after photos, take a look at the C and G Construction Facebook group in the "tyler res" photo album.

2010 K-State Sustainability Conference.

Nathan Benjamin of PlanetReuse will travel to Kansas State University Sustainability Conference on January 30th to serve as a guest speaker. Along with Benjamin will be Stephen Hardy of BNIM Architects, Bill Hanlon of Flint Hills Technical College, and KSU College of Architecture, Planning and Design professor Gary Coates. Moderating the session will be Casey Cassias, also of BNIM Architects. Here is a little bit of information about this year's focus of the conference.

"This year's sustainability conference at K-State will focus on sharing ideas and building new networks across Kansas in the higher education community. Sustainability has become a very important word in the life of universities, but we need effective partnerships to bring meaning to that word. In the overlap between environmental stewardship, smart planning, and saving money on resource costs, universities have a responsibility to serve their own needs and those of society. They can bring action on their own campuses that radiates outward through our partnerships and outreach."

Those to attend this event include university faculty, students, and non-university professionals and a copy of the presentations will be posted to K-State Research Exchange.

Go State!

Air & Waste Management Association Midwest Environmental Conference.

Nathan Benjamin of PlanetReuse will attend the annual Environmental Conference held by the Air & Waste Management Association as a guest speaker on the topic of "Recycling, Reuse, Reduction Successes." In attendance will be various representatives from Midwest section firms and businesses such as BNIM Architects' Bob Berkebile, Mike Utz of Ripple Glass, and Habitat for Humanity ReStore's Brian Alferman, just to name a few. This year, the A&WMA event changes will include a new partnership with the local US Green Building Chapter, one of the founders of the USGBC, Berkebile, as key note speaker, and tools and techniques over lunch for "Networking for Success."

To find out more information about the schedule for this event, go here.

Haley Wilson joins team PlanetReuse!

Haley Wilson, grad student of Interior Architecture + Product Design at Kansas State University, joined PlanetReuse as an associate/intern in December 2009. Among other things, she will be helping keep our blog up to date, finding Twitter-worthy things to tweet about, making new additions to the website, and helping us out around the office. She had already made great strides in just her first few days, and we're extremely excited to have Haley as the newest team member of PlanetReuse!

- Tim Bensman, Operation Manager

PlanetReuse featured in Jan '10 issue of Log Home Living.

Log Home Living features PlanetReuse in their latest issue called "In with the Old." Here is a taste of the article which you will find in its' entirety here.

" We've all heard the saying, "Out with the old, in with the new." People envision their homes filled with bright, shiny, new products to keep them on the cutting edge with everyone else. But with increased interest toward sustainable building practices and using what's already available, more and more homeowners are turning their interests to reclaimed materials.

Whether it's lumber from an old barn or bricks from an old warehouse, reclaimed materials can be found- and used- in a variety of places, none of which is a dumping ground. "We're trying to expand views of what reclaimed materials can be," says Nathan Benjamin, principal and founder of Kansas City-based Planet ReUse. "Some people have no way to make this connection, so the material goes to landfills predominantly." "

NEW: PlanetReuse Twitter facelift!

Check out the newly revamped PlanetReuse Twitter page and follow us for great tweets about reclaimed materials, sustainable architecture, and what projects we are working on!