"Going green a breeze with natural ventilation and light"
By Staff, North American Precis Syndicate (NAPS)

John Carmody (CSBR) is cited in this natural ventilation and light article: "Natural ventilation created by venting skylights is much more effective than opening a window. A venting skylight can reduce the need for air-conditioning, especially in Northeastern climates, and most green building guidelines encourage homeowners to provide more natural ventilation, primarily because it reduces energy consumption."

Posted by Michael Fraase at 09:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"No pace like home"
By Kim Palmer, Star Tribune, May 6, 2008

Dean Tom Fisher is cited in this article covering slow design, an emerging design movement centered on handmade quality elements. "Architects and designers are under such pressure that it's more like super-fast design," Fisher told Palmer. "But if you call it sustainable design, green design, participatory design, that is going on locally." Fisher also got the last word in the article: "We're in the middle of a huge transformation in attitude. We're so materialistic, yet we dispose of the things we have. We can't continue to consume and waste resources on things we're going to throw away."

Posted by Michael Fraase at 09:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Staycation options"
By Bill Ward, Star Tribune, April 27, 2008

The Goldstein Museum of Design is suggested as a vacation destination for out-of-town guests.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 10:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"'Green' architecture expert to lecture"
By Kari VanDerVeen, St. Olaf College News, April 21, 2008

Dean Tom Fisher will present a lecture, "Architectural Design and Ethics: Tools for Survival," at St. Olaf College on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 at 7 p.m. in Holland Hall 501. The event is free and open to the public.

"Looking at the intersections of ethics and aesthetics in a world facing immense environmental problems," VanDerVeen writes, "Fisher challenges architects and designers to respond creatively to the opportunity for creating a culture of permanence."

Posted by Michael Fraase at 08:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"An apprenticeship with Ralph Rapson"
By Kay Lockhart, MinnPost.com, April 21, 2008

Kay Lockhart (Architecture emeritus) recounts working on the exterior design of the original Guthrie Theater with Ralph Rapson.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Livin' large"
By Kim Palmer, Star Tribune, April 15, 2008

Minnesota is apparently a hotbed for McMansions and is currently ranked fifth in the nation for the percentage of new homes with four or more bedrooms.

Dean Tom Fisher is quoted in the article as saying many people are building more house than they need:

"I cringe when I go to the suburbs and see excessively large homes with wasted space. People think they can't afford an architect, but a good architect will talk you out of doing unnecessary things. People used to raise a family in 800 square feet. Now they feel deprived with under 2,500 square feet -- 5,000 square feet is absurd."

Posted by Michael Fraase at 11:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Voltage '08: The veteran + the rookies"
By Jahna Peloquin, vita.mn, April 10, 2008

Current clothing design students Luci Kandler, Ashley Wokasch, and Brianne Jones as well as alumni are featured in Peloquin's coverage of this week's Voltage fashion show at First Ave.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 08:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Taking shape with osteoporosis"
By Karlee Weinmann, Star Tribune, April 4, 2008

Karen Ryan's and Karen LaBat's (Clothing Design) research in the college's Human Dimsnsioning Lab on designing garments for those with osteoporosis is highlited in this feature article.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 02:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"The hand of Ralph Rapson"
By Linda Mack, Star Tribune, April 4, 2008

Dean Tom Fisher's lecture, "Ralph Rapson: Playful Modernist," (scroll down about half the page) is highlighted in a sidebar to Linda Mack's extensive feature on Ralph Rapson.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"International designer presents lecture on mapping"
By Brittney Moore, Tennessee Journalist, April 4, 2008

Jan Abrams (Design Institute) presented a well-received lecture on mapping at the University of Tennessee's College of Architecture + Design Robert B. Church Memorial Lecture Series.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Artist in residence"
By Kim Yeager, Star Tribune, April 4, 2008

Amy Michielle Freeman (Retail Merchandising graduate) is profiled in this Star Tribune feature.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Rapson memorial on April 21; Fisher lecture on April 15"
By Todd Melby, Building Minnesota, April 5, 2008

Todd Melby mentions both the Ralph Rapson memorial service (and the School of Architecture/Landscape Architecture reception) and Dean Tom Fisher's upcoming lecture on Rapson.

Fisher's lecture, "Ralph Rapson: Playful Modernist," (scroll down about half the page) is part of the Working through architecture lecture series at the Minneapolis Central Library.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"More 'great ideas' offered for West Broadway makeover"
By Felicia Schultz, Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, April 2, 2008

News coverage of the Great Idea! Exchange where 16 CDes students offered ideas to address the problems and opportunities along West Broadway in north Minneapolis. Marcy Schulte (Design Institute) is quoted as telling Schultz, "Students have come up with some really interesting ideas. We believed we could make some of these ideas happen by bringing arts organizations together."

Posted by Michael Fraase at 02:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Guthrie design lifts architect to center stage"
By Mary Abbe, Star Tribune, March 30, 2008

Jean Nouvel has won architecture's highest honor, the Pritzker Prize, partly for his design of the Guthrie Theater. Five Minneapolis buildings have been designed by a Pritzker winner: Philip Johnson's IDS Tower, Kenzo Tange's addition to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Frank Gehry's Weisman Art Museum, and Jacques Herzog's and Pierre de Meuron's addition to the Walker Art Center.

Dean Tom Fisher was quoted in the Star Tribune piece, saying the Guthrie was the "premier new project of the past several years" in the Twin Cities.

"Nouvel 'quite literally thinks outside the box,' Fisher said. 'In the case of the Guthrie, he put the ramp/bridge outside the building, the scenery shop atop the parking garage across the street, and stacked the theaters up in the air. Those are indications of the way he thinks; he comes up with surprising, innovative solutions to common problems.'"

Posted by Michael Fraase at 09:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Foreclosure scourge hitting the suburbs"
By Mary Jane Smetanka, Star Tribune, March 20, 2008

Jeff Crump (Housing Studies) is cited in this article examining the growth of suburban foreclosures of homes financed with near-prime mortgages. Crump told the Star Tribune that foreclosures had previously been driven mostly by irresponsible lending but now people are starting to lose their homes as a result of job loss. The housing studies expert said that these loans were sold with the idea that the finances didn't matter because the borrower would eventually refinance. But now house values are falling and borrowers can't refinance because they might owe more than the house is worth.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 10:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Human interest"
By Jeanne Mettner, Minnesota Medicine, March 2008

Kathleen Harder (Center for Human Factors Systems Research and Design) is profiled in this Minnesota Medicine "Quality Rounds" column.

"Harder, a cognitive psychologist at the University of Minnesota, is an expert in human factors research and design, the focus of which is creating systems, work processes, and technologies that facilitate better human performance at work and elsewhere. Typically, human factors experts work with government or industry. Harder is one of the first to work with health care systems."

Posted by Michael Fraase at 06:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"How can errors be found before surgery begins?"
By Josephine Marcotty and Maura Lerner, Star Tribune, March 18, 2008

Kathleen Harder (Center for Human Factors Systems Research and Design) is cited in this article about the Methodist Hospital surgeon who accidentally removed a healthy kidney from a patient with kidney cancer last week. Harder works with Minnesota hospitals to reduce errors and believes it's possible to design ways to make hospitals better, but cautions against expecting to completely eliminate human error.

• Harder's expertise is also cited in KARE-TV's "Methodist Hospital surgeon removes wrong kidney"

Posted by Michael Fraase at 09:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Designing duo"
By Susan Maas, Minnesota Medicine, March 2008

The work of Karen LaBat (Clothing Design) and Karen Ryan -- a design professor and a physician -- to design clothes for women with osteoporosis is featured in this article. LaBat has spent nearly three decades studying clothing fit and sizing and is now using a three-dimensional body scanner that renders an image providing more than 80 body surface measurements in eight seconds.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 01:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Dream maker"
By Jim Buchta, Star Tribune, March 17, 2008

Dean Tom Fisher is featured in a sidebar to this article as a speaker at "Good Design Makes a Difference," a Home of the Month event sponsored by the Star Tribune and the AIA Minnesota. Fisher will speak on how design can help us adapt to climate change. The event takes place on March 25, 5-7 p.m., at International Market Square. Registration is $15 through the AIA Minnesota Web site or by phone at 612-338-6763.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 08:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Foreclosure situation different outside Twin Cities"
By Marisa Helms, Bemidji Pioneer, March 15, 2008

The foreclosure crisis affects all of Minnesota, although experts say those outside the Twin Cities area apparently face issues other than the concern with subprime lending. Jeff Crump (Housing Studies), subprime lending and foreclosure expert, agrees that subprime lending is less of a factor in greater Minnesota.

Crump's research indicates 25 percent of households in greater Minnesota have subprime mortgages, and a "significant federal response" will be required to resolve the crisis.

"'The federal government needs to move quickly to try to establish a program to refinance people out of loans they can't pay,' Crump said. 'They did this in the 1930s - the Homeowners Loan Corporation.

"'I'm afraid it should have happened a year or two ago, and I'm afraid it won't happen until after January. That worries me -- the longer this goes on, the more we get in trouble. Foreclosures depress the housing market in general and that's costing everybody their home equity.'"

• The article was also published in the [Red Wing] Republican Eagle

Posted by Michael Fraase at 10:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Design your future
By Lori Rothstein, minnesota.communityblogs.us, March 10, 2008

Rothstein reports on a College of Design community partnership program, Designing the Future: Community Strategies, that brings an outside perspective on what rural Minnesota communities have to offer.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 01:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Goldstein Museum of Design is featured in a listing on museumstuff.com:

"The Goldstein is an internationally recognized teaching museum and research center for interpreting the vital role of art in everyday life. The museum collects, preserves, documents, and exhibits clothing, textiles, and decorative and graphic arts, with an emphasis on objects of the late 19th and 20th centuries."

Posted by Michael Fraase at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Students shine green light on garbage burner"
By Melissa Slachetka, Twin Cities Daily Planet, February 23, 2008

Hennepin county and the College of Design's student group Greenlight are collaborating to educate the community about the Hennepin County Energy Recovery Center (HERC) and improve its appearance. HERC burns household trash to generate electricity for about 26,000 homes. County officials say the trash burner outputs mostly steam and its emissions don't pose a health risk.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 01:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Students shine green light on garbage burner"
By Melissa Slachetka, Twin Cities Daily Planet, February 23, 2008

Hennepin county and the College of Design's student group Greenlight are collaborating to educate the community about the Hennepin County Energy Recovery Center (HERC) and improve its appearance. HERC burns household trash to generate electricity for about 26,000 homes. County officials say the trash burner outputs mostly steam and its emissions don't pose a health risk.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 01:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"College of Design podcasts"
By Staff, With Respect to Architecture, February 2008

The Minnesota Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians (MNSAH) features the College of Design's Telling river stories and Fall 2007 lecture series podcasts in its February newsletter.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 08:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jeff Crump (Housing Studies) recorded a U of M Moment spot (.mp3; 1.4Mb) for University Relations after his appearance on Minnesota Public Radio last week.

Housing market continues to falter
In today's uncertain economy, the status symbol might not be how many bathrooms you have in your home but whether or not you have the mortgage paid off. Jeff Crump, University of Minnesota associate professor in the Housing Studies program, explains how the housing market got to this point.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 12:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Green Building Initiative celebrates milestones at international builders' show"
By Green Building Initiative staff, EARTHtimes.org, February 14, 2008

The Green Building Initiative will introduce two new online tools for builders and home builder associations at the International Builders' Show in Orlando. One of the new online tools is the ATHENA EcoCalculator for Assemblies, a free life cycle assessment tool that was developed by the ATHENA Institute in consultation with the College of Design's Center for Sustainable Building Research and Morrison Hershfield Consulting Engineers.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Abandon Your Threads: U senior fashion show
By Jahna Peloquin, Vita.mn, February 2008

Peloquin covers the 40th annual senior fashion show specifically mentioning College of Design senior Kate Troutman's line inspired by biodiversity.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jeff Crump (Housing Studies) will be a guest on Minnesota Public Radio's Midmorning show, tomorrow, Feb. 14,  from 9-10 a.m. The topic is foreclosures and subprime lending, plus current federal/state initiatives to address the housing crisis. Other guests will be Peter Coy, editor of Business Week and Alexa Milton, organizer for ACORN. MPR is at 91.1 FM and streams live online.

• Listen to Crump's interview on MPR

Posted by Michael Fraase at 01:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

James Boyd-Brent's (Graphic Design) home is featured in a slide show and he's interviewed by The Environment Report about the energy efficiency (or lack thereof) of his historic home. Homeowners like Boyd-Brent are, according to the story, "often forced to balance their interests in historical integrity and aesthetics against their environmental principles."

Posted by Michael Fraase at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Uptown goes red"
By Staff, KMSP-TV, February 11, 2008
As part of the American Heart Association Go Red month, stores are working with College of Design students making Uptown red. Sixteen businesses throughout the whole fingerprint of Uptown are going to be decorating their windows with the students using elements from the Go Red campaign. From February 11 to midnight on February 29, folks can come to Uptown and vote for their favorite window. Anyone who votes gets a coupon for a free heart health screening visit.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 08:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wesley Martin, student show chair for this year's senior fashion show, was interviewed Saturday, February 2 on a segment of FM107's Shopgirls program.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 08:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Budding fashion designers show their creations"
By John Reger, WCCO-TV, February 2, 2008

John Reger reports on the 40th annual senior fashion show, this year entitled "Abandon Your Threads."

Posted by Michael Fraase at 12:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Show spotlights U design seniors"
By Allison Kaplan, Pioneer Press, January 31, 2008

The College of Design's 40th annual fashion show, "Abandon Your Threads," features the work of 17 graduating seniors.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Library to begin nine-part lecture series on architects"
By Linda Mack, MinnPost.com, January 31, 2008

Former architecture critic for the Star Tribune, Linda Mack, previews the School of Architecture's lecture series, Working through architecture, at the Minneapolis Central Library.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Rethinking the runway"
By John Sand, Kara Nesvig, Becky Lang, Minnesota Daily, January 31, 2008

The Daily covers the College of Design's 40th annual senior fashion show, "Abandon Your Threads," scheduled to take place February 2.

"In preparation for this ambitious undertaking, the student designers lent their creative magic to Nike, re-imagining its women's yoga line; their agile fingers also fashioned unique garments for the Weisman Art Museum. The designers even concocted cocoa-inspired confections for the Chocolate Extravaganza, including a mocha-hued cocktail dress cleverly titled 'Swiss Miss.' They've created sweet sheath dresses from logo tags, found muses in everything from fabrics to nature to 'Star Trek,' and have the right to be completely proud of everything their dedication and desire has made a reality."

The article is available for download (.pdf; 5.2Mb).

Two of the senior designers are profiled, Andrea Vargo and Wesley Martin.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 09:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"U of M, Uptown Business Association partner to fight heart disease"
By Luisa Badaracco, UMNnews, January 31, 2008

Eighty-five students in the College of Design's retail merchandising class are teaming up with the (Minneapolis) Uptown Business Association to decorate store windows during February to raise awareness about heart disease. A collaboration with the American Heart Association (AHA), each of the 16 window displays will feature a red dress and retailers' merchandise as part of the AHA's "Go Red for Women" campaign. Jaeha Lee (Graphic Design) is quoted: "This is a great project on many levels and we are honored to be working with the American Heart Association for it. When students are able to directly connect community service with their academic curriculum, they are able to consider how their skills, their education, their time, and their effort can truly make a visible impact on those around them."

Posted by Michael Fraase at 09:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"A Wright turn"
By Kim Yeager, Star Tribune, January 29, 2008

The Star Tribune offers up an overview of the Goldstein Museum of Design's upcoming exhibition on industrial designer Russel Wright, which runs February 9 through April 20, with an opening reception 7-9 p.m. on February 8.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 03:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"U.S. Department of Energy asks students to compete"
By Devin Henry, Minnesota Daily, January 30, 2008

Architecture graduate student and president of the University's Solar Decathlon team, Shengyin Xu, is quoted in this article as saying the team is in the research and designing phase of the project, with design plans due in early June.

Jonee Kulman Brigham (Center for Sustainable Building Research) is also quoted about the integrated design of the project: "It's not just a matter of sticking technology on a building. It's a very integrated approach." Kulman Brigham pointed out that the design approach is looking at biomimicry, using nature as a model, and lifecycle analysis which intends to find an actual purpose for the house.

Posted by Michael Fraase at 03:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Design translations"
By Weta Ray Clark, News & Observer, January 26, 2008

In this article on the details of an annual home show, Christine Albertsson (Architecture) is quoted about the image of the historical driving housing designs. "Everybody wants to live in a modern way," says Albertsson. "Nobody comes to an architect and says, 'I want a tiny kitchen, with a few rooms and six to eight windows throughout.' The image of the historical is more of what they are interested in preserving. The problem is that to create that image from scratch is more expensive."

Posted by Michael Fraase at 08:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"The Greening of the U. of Minnesota"
By Scott Carlson, Chronicle of Higher Education Buildings & Grounds, January 24, 2008

President Bruininks had refused to sign the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment until January 8, when the University became the first Big 10 school to make the commitment. The University administration believed that some of the goals, specifically climate neutrality, weren't feasible. Deborah Swackhamer, interim director of the Institute on the Environment, a College of Design partner, is cited in a Chronicle of Higher Education Buildings & Grounds article, expressing her previous concern about the commitment's "fuzzy language and its push to include sustainability in the curriculum, which is set by faculty members, not the University president."

Posted by Michael Fraase at 01:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)