March 22, 2018
On February 26th, a group of 23 people attended a US Green Building Council event at the Nagle-Dunn house for a tour and discussion about the many green aspects of the project. Led by the architect, Arcollab’s Lori Bork Newcomer, the contractor, David Hyde of Timerbilt Construction, and the Imery Ratings building science manager, Jeremy Fields, the tour provided an interesting and inspiring field trip opportunity for all who attended.
“We had a great turnout,” commented Hyde, who is also the current chair of USGBC-Athens. “The opportunity to share these practices with people in an active construction site makes the concept of green building come alive in a tangible way.”
“People asked good questions,” noted Bork. “It was great to be able to have the home owner with us to share their inspiration for wanting a certified home, and to have Jeremy talk about EarthCraft certification and his role in the project.”
Stay tuned to our website for in-progress construction photos.
February 15, 2018
Great news! The Milledgeville Library project we’ve been working on just received a $50,000 grant award for the business incubator project.
The Twin Lakes Library System has received a $50,000 grant from the Knight Foundation to create a business incubator in Milledgeville.
Officials hope it will rejuvenate business in the city and keep it downtown.
Milledgeville is working with the Baldwin Co. Chamber of Commerce on the project they say will be a one-stop shop for future entrepreneurs. Essentially, it will provide classes that will teach how to run a business.
January 25, 2018
This is the first in a series of posts presenting the work of Project Drawdown. We’ll focus on Buildings and Cities, however if you would like to explore more about Project Drawdown, we encourage you to visit their website.
What is Project Drawdown? The intention of the founders is to identify, analyze, and develop a database of the most effective solutions already in place for arresting and reversing global warming. Can these solutions be scaled, and if so, what are their impacts? What’s the ultimate price tag — what are the costs and savings related to each solution?
“Drawdown Fellows include 75 individuals from twenty-two countries. Forty percent are women, nearly half have PhDs, and others have at least one advanced degree. They have extensive academic and professional experience at some of the world’s most respected institutions.”
Nearly all of the solutions presented by Project Drawdown result in “regenerative economic outcomes that create security, produce jobs, improve health, save money, facilitate mobility, eliminate hunger, prevent pollution, restore soil, clean rivers, and more.”
LED LIGHTING: Residential and Commercial
Through these links, you can read more about the technical reports on both residential and commercial use of LED lighting.
LEDs work like solar panels in reverse, converting electrons to photons instead of the other way around. They use 90 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs for the same amount of light, and half as much as compact fluorescents, without toxic mercury. By transferring most of their energy use into creating light—rather than heat, like older technologies—LEDs reduce electricity consumption and air-conditioning loads.
The price (per watt equivalent) for LEDs is two to three times higher than incandescents or floursescents, but falling rapidly. And an LED bulb will last much longer than either other type. Still, upfront cost remains an obstacle for household adoption.
Drawdown’s analysis suggests that by 2050, the potential impact of a significant conversion of household lighting to LEDs would result in:
- 7.81 GIGATONS REDUCED CO2
- $323.52 BILLION NET IMPLEMENTATION COST
- $1.73 TRILLION NET OPERATIONAL SAVINGS
Drawdown’s analysis suggests that by 2050, the potential impact of a significant conversion of commercial lighting to LEDs would result in:
- 5.04 GIGATONS REDUCED CO2
- $-205.05 BILLION NET IMPLEMENTATION COST (yep, you read right…negative implementation costs!)
- $1.09 TRILLION NET OPERATIONAL SAVINGS
(Sources: Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reduce Global Warming. Paul Hawken, editor. Penguin Books. 2017. drawdown.org)
January 19, 2018
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Athens, GA, January 19, 2018 – Architectural Collaborative – Arcollab of Athens, Georgia has won “Best Of Customer Service” on Houzz®, the leading platform for home remodeling and design. Arcollab, a leading architecture firm in Athens, was chosen by the more than 40 million monthly unique users that comprise the Houzz community from among more than one million active home building, remodeling and design industry professionals. This marks the seventh consecutive year that Arcollab principal Lori Bork Newcomer has won a Best Of Houzz award.
The Best Of Houzz is awarded annually in three categories: Design, Customer Service and Photography. Design award winners’ work was the most popular among the more than 40 million monthly users on Houzz. Customer Service honors are based on several factors, including the number and quality of client reviews a professional received in 2017. Architecture and interior design photographers whose images were most popular are recognized with the Photography award. A “Best Of Houzz 2018” badge will appear on winners’ profiles, as a sign of their commitment to excellence. These badges help homeowners identify popular and top-rated home professionals in every metro area on Houzz.
“We are honored by this award which reflects our firm’s commitment to deliver inspiring design and to offer the highest level of customer service to our clients,” said Lori Bork Newcomer, one of the firm’s three principals. “We enjoy the relationships we have built with our clients, helping translate their dreams into reality.”
“The Houzz community selected a phenomenal group of Best of Houzz 2018 award winners, so this year’s recipients should be very proud,” said Liza Hausman, Vice President of Industry Marketing at Houzz. “Best of Houzz winners represent some of the most talented and customer-focused professionals in our industry, and we are extremely pleased to give them both this recognition and a platform on which to showcase their expertise.”
Follow Arcollab on Houzz
December 17, 2017
We’re excited for construction to begin on the new Amici restaurant in Madison! Joe Smith has masterfully worked his magic on a new set of plans for the old Livery Stable building. Next time you’re in Madison, check out the construction progress, and once it’s finished this spring, stop in for some delicious wings!!!
December 16, 2017
Renoviso recently ranked Architectural Collaborative as one of the top 100 Houzz pages which inspire home design. We hope our work inspires you, too!
Check our our projects on Houzz. In addition to the projects found on our website, our Houzz.com page includes many more projects and photos of the residential work we’ve done, along with reviews of our work.
December 4, 2017
Joe Smith had a great time meeting folks from the Rome area and North Georgia and introducing them to the Fairview School project.
The Rome News-Tribune wrote a nice piece highlighting the extraordinary generosity of Wes Walraven and Brian Moore with their donation of $75,000 to the project and sending out the call to others to donate. We’re well on our way to a fundraising goal of $175,000 to restore the First Grade Classroom building at Fairview.
