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Reflections on IPD and Site Progress

Having all the mechanical parties heavily involved in the design from the get go means there really isn’t much need for little old me out in the trenches. Sure, I can take a trip out to site, snap some pics for our records, and scrawl up a glowing construction report, but at the end of the day I could just as easily have taken a spin through the 3-D model.
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Urban Agriculture Redux

Our biggest opportunity (and challenge) is in rethinking the remainder of the site - which we had previously designed as an central parkland fescue prairie landscape. We had originally focused our efforts on creating reasonably authentic plant communities (grasses, wildflowers, some shrub planting) over maximizing urban agriculture opportunities. Now we are looking at the potential for these same plants - as well as new plants - which contribute to the imperative.
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Potholes in the Process

When we started this journey 12 months ago, the entire core team made a promise to each other. We promised that, no matter how ugly it may be or how hard we might fall, we would tell the full story of the Mosaic Centre build (or failure to build). With this post I believe I am the first to record one of the potholes in the process.
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Maximizing Output: What’s Your End Goal?

The past 5 years have seen a significant drop in the cost of solar PV modules. A module that cost $2.50/watt in 2009 is now available for under $1/watt. This has significantly changed the way in which solar systems are now engineered. It’s no longer about maximizing the individual module; it’s about maximizing the total amount of energy your roof can produce, even at the expense of less output per module.
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Cued Up for Chaos & Transition to a New Phase

We’ve entered into the next phase of the process—how exciting and scary, all at the same time! We went from figuring out HOW to do the work to actually DOING the work, which means our group will be even busier over the next few months! Just as things are getting cued up for chaos, I will be stepping back from the working group and into a whole new world of chaos … motherhood!
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