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University of Louisiana at Lafayette
 Steve Chambers, AIA, studying stairwell of new museumBuilt in 1967, the university’s first art center was designed by A. Hays Town modeled after the 1812 Hermitage Plantation, an antebellum building in Darrow, Louisiana. The building is completely surrounded by 24 Doric columns, laid in the Greek Revival manner with bricks covered by plaster, the columns narrowing slightly toward the top.
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| Town Museum in front of new Hilliard Museum |
Originally, this building was a pale pink, an authentic reproduction of a color popular in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries in colonial Louisiana, made by crushing old bricks and mixing the dust with paint. A. Hays Town used bricks salvaged from Martin Hall, the university’s administration building demolished in 1963, for the costruction of the Art Center, as well as its color. Mr. Town also utilized the ‘embodied energy’ of the Martin Hall staircase railing and newel post, as well as recycling cypress flooring from a New Orleans convent and slate tiles used as ballast in New Orleans sailing ships for use in the Center. Whether or not this effort in sustainability was intentional, it was certainly a cutting-edge design decision by Mr. Town.
 Original museum reflected in the new museum's exterior glass wall |
Contrasting with its predecessor is a modern response designed by Eskew + Dumez + Ripple Architects. The new building is a steel-frame structure with precast-concrete walls on three sides and a glass curtain wall on the side facing the original Art Center. Depending on time of day and angle from which it is viewed, the glass alternates between reflective and transparent. Sometimes the viewer sees the old antebellum building in the glass; other times, we see the contemporary ‘bones’ and art of the new museum.
Of particular interest to me on my recent visit there was the stairwell of the new building. As one ascends to the contemporary art of the second floor, perforated metal walls and cathode tubing cast clean, white light and strobing images. From public spaces on the second floor, visitors can see the outdoor water feature and sculpture garden, as well as the original museum from an unusual vantage point.
When visitors look back at the old building they see the roots of Louisiana’s past. In the new design, they see the creativity and possibilities of its future. Both A. Hays Town and architecture firm of Eskew + Dumez + Ripple are to be commended for their vision and gift to Lafayette’s diverse cultural landscape. While the two buildings differ radically, they enhance rather ignore each other.
 Town's original museum as seen from second floor of new museum
 Eastern exterior view between old and new museums
 Outdoor waterwall as seen from inside new museum gift shop
 Second floor glass and metal corridor in new museum allows unusual vantage point to view antebellum museum from overhead
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 San Jacinto Battleground Monument at nightStephen B. Chambers Architects, Inc. salutes Preservation Texas for the compilation of an annual list of Texas’ Most Endangered Places (MEP). This program focuses attention on, encourages appreciation of, and generates support for designated significant threatened properties and is vital to preservation. Many extraordinary schools, missions, courthouses, inner city neighborhoods, and “main street’ communities fall victim to commercial development and neglect. By creating an ongoing list of endangered places, Preservation Texas manages to fulfill its mission to care for the legacy and built environment of the Texans who lived the rich and varied history of our diverse state. The MEP program calls attention to and articulates compelling reasons to act while there is still time to save significant places that have the highest probability for positive action. Chambers Architects remains committed to the belief that preservation of our remarkable built environment is essential to education and lays the foundation for thriving commercial and aesthetic development in all communities. Preservation Texas is the only private, nonprofit membership organization in Texas that is dedicated to being a full-service statewide preservation organization. Here is their 2010 List of Texas' Most Endangered Places:
Austin Woman’s Club, also known as Chateau Bellevue, Austin, Travis County
Brazos Drive-In Theatre, Granbury, Hood County
Herff Farm, Boerne, Kendall County
Downtown’s Austin’s Historic Assets, Austin, Travis County
Old Llano County (Red Top) Jail, Llano, Llano County
San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site, LaPorte, Harris County
Swenson Swimming Pool and Bathhouse, Spur, Dickens County
To read more and see pictures of these historic properties, go to:
http://www.preservationtexas.org
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 Steve Chambers at entrance to doors of modern wing of McNayA forward-thinking Ohio artist, Marian Koogler McNay, provided her San Antonio home, art collection, and considerable endowment to establish the first modern art museum in Texas. Her Spanish Colonial Revival house designed in 1927 by the renowned architect, Atlee Ayres, became its core. Today, the meticulously preserved original structure includes additions by O'Neill Ford and a recently completed strikingly modern wing designed by Jean-Paul Viguier. The McNay provides us with a successful model of how a structure can grow over time through the visions of various architects and still remain honest, expressive, and relevant. Each addition reveals the character and period of its implementation while maintaining overall integrity and function as a repository of significant modern art, a world-class theater arts library, and an educational facility.
 Calder mobile hung in Viguier-designed addition to McNay
 Column and arches located in original Ayres Spanish Colonial Revival home design
 Hand-stenciled beam and ceiling designed by Marian Koogler McNay in the original Atlee Ayres home
 Wrought iron gates in original Ayres-designed Spanish Colonial Revival residence
 Detail of solar screens whose design is based on aerial photography of a logjam, located in Vigiuer modern wing
 Art Nouveau-inspired floor tiles designed by Marian Koogler McNay
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 Rain chain on modern home in Dallas, TexasSoftly falling rain and the distinctive fragrance of rain-soaked air is a delightful experience, appreciated by all cultures. Our enjoyment of rain has increased with our growing awareness of the limited nature of freshwater as a resource. This awareness has led to a renewed interest in an ancient Japanese architectural feature, the kusari-doi, or the “rain chain,” in modern architectural design.
The chain functions as a downspout, allowing the water to run down the outside, as opposed to running on the inside of typical pipe. Functional as well as aesthetic, these devices provide an alternative to closed systems typical used with gutters and are more like water features. Given their decorative nature, rain chains are often placed where they can be observed and heard during rain events. The chain-gutter increases the enjoyment of seeing and hearing water rhythmically cascade from the rooftop into a barrel, cistern, or decorative splash-block.
In their simplest, most traditional form, a rain chain is just that – a chain commonly constructed of copper, brass, or steel. The styles range from simple links to elaborate, multiple interlocking links, funnels, and cups.
In the strictest Japanese tradition, a kusari-doi is considered a “kinetic sculpture” and provides water music which promotes peace and tranquility, as do all of the other Zen arts. For this reason, rain chains were often used in Buddhist Temple design.
For more information about sustainable design, please go to our contact page and write or call us with your questions.
 Kusari-doi on Japanese building.
 Rain chain in front courtyard directs water from roof
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There are many historic architectural treasures in the U.S., particularly in the Southwest. These ancient ruins in New Mexico, on the National Register of Historic Places, is one of the few remaining sites where there is an architectural record of Native Americans in close contact with their Spanish conquerors.
Entering this village, the visitor gets a profoundly sacred feeling that its inhabitants once thought of themselves as integral to the earth. The construction, location, operation, and maintenance of the prehistoric pueblo suggest that Tiwa Indians understood sustainability. Their central fortified plazas formed from local materials utilized a spring-fed irrigation system enabling multiple families to practice subsistence farming and raise animals for hides and food, providing surplus for sale or trade. Life in the village was administered through a moiety—two community divisions: one responsible for summer activities, another for winter. There was no social hierarchy and both men and women served as builders and stonemasons. All of these practices led not only to ecological, but aesthetic harmony between the structure and its natural surroundings, improving the health and well being of its occupants.
Photo credit: Stephanie Chambers
WATER CONSERVATION AS AN ELEMENT OF RESIDENTIAL DESIGN
 Residential cistern for landscape irrigation
“When the well is dry, we know the worth of water.” Benjamin Franklin, 1790
Water harvesting is critical to the southwest region of the United States because it is such a precious commodity here. Yet, while water in the southwest is scarce and droughts are a constant concern for farmers, ranchers, and homeowners alike, it is often seen as a problem because of the erosion it causes and the difficulty in designing drainage, particularly for those occasions of flash flooding. If we can see residential water collection as a contribution to the solution of our dry environment, we can also begin to conserve and protect our land and soils. Several of the benefits of residential water harvesting include:
-decrease in erosion
-reduced flooding
-minimized water pollution
-ground water re-charge
-enhanced soil fertility
-boost in wildlife habitat
-reduced demand for city water
-reduced demand for ground water
-sustainable cities and communities.
The Seven R’s, or the seven principles of sustainable design, are: respect, receive, reduce, reuse, recycle, restore, and remember. How do they apply to residential design and the use of water?
Respect and Receive
- Improve soil quality to increase water retention.
- Apply evaporative cooling in the summer to reduce energy usage.
- Select plants for drought tolerance.
- Select plants that provide a cooling effect which, in turn, increases comfort of guests
- Connect people to place. This imparts a serenity and respect for the environment.
- Respect the existing topography and plant material.
 Collect roof rain water runoff for supplementary landscape irrigation
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
- Specify low water toilets and appliances to reduce demand for water use.
- Minimize lawn area to reduce the need for irrigation.
- Recycle wastewater from the sink for gray water irrigation on site to reclaim water use.
- Use rainwater collection systems like residential cisterns that can provide supplementary irrigation for landscaping, reducing the load on the municipal drinking water supply and hydrating native plants that provide a habitat and wildlife forage.
- Consider the use of holding ponds and water features in the landscaping plan to reduce dependence on existing municipal drainage infrastructure.
- Use drip irrigation to reduce evaporation and runoff.
Restore and Remember
- Organize site plan according to a water theme to encourage stewardship of water resources, promote understanding of the dependence of living systems on water, and to connect guests and people who drive by the home to seasonal cycles.
- Design the landscape for specific site conditions to correct runoff into sewers system or flaws that may not contribute to water conservation.
- Replenish aquifers using storm water or collect storm water for supplemental irrigation.
- Respect and work with existing drainage conditions.
- Keep the site clean using natural and biological processes so that continuous renewal of water resources is maintained.
See a Case Study of a one of our green homes.
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