Custom Cabinets at Rosetti February 29, 2008
Posted by Vincent in Architecture, Design/Build.Tags: 145 rosetti
add a comment
Jason spent several days last week building some sweet kitchen cabinets over at Patti’s house. They’re very simple and elegant pine cabinets that we will probably stain to keep a natural color.
(Below left) The kitchen sink is ready to be installed as soon as work on the tile countertop is finished. (Right) The space for the refrigerator.
All of the flooring is in as well, but I don’t have any good pictures of that because there is cardboard laid down everywhere to protect it. The electrician and plumber will be coming in and the Mississippi State students are working on some other finishing touches. I’ll take more photos as we get things done over the next week or so.
UVA Visit - the Epic Tale February 29, 2008
Posted by Vincent in Explorations, Life.add a comment
It’s Monday, February 18th, and I’m finishing up at work when I get a message from my friend Chris. He has a challenge for me: be at UVA for the club swim meet that weekend. The time has come to return, and that time is Vince O’Clock. Reason takes over, but is subsequently defeated, and by Tuesday night I have bought my plane tickets. I’ll be flying to North Carolina, where Chris works, on Thursday night, then driving up for an epic three-day weekend in Charlottesville.
Pictures and more after the break:
Oak Street Townhall Meeting February 26, 2008
Posted by Vincent in Architecture, Community Planning.Tags: Oak Street
add a comment
Oak Street is the bookend for my mental map of East Biloxi, the last real stop of consequence before you head east to Ocean Springs. It’s not only because most of my projects are within a few blocks of the street, although (from east to west) Hoxie, Crawford, and Rosetti Streets are all ones I visit often. It’s the character of the street; even in its diminished state, you find the Vietnamese/French “Le Bakery”, the “Pho 777″ restaurant, the Hong Kong Market with its (to me) exotic foods, several convenience stores, the Vietnamese church and Buddhist temple, and more.
Spanning the Point from the Back Bay to the beach, Oak Street owes a great deal to shrimping and fishing, once the primary industries in East Biloxi. These jobs attracted large numbers of Vietnamese fishermen during the 1970s and 80s (1). Shrimping and fishing have been in decline since the 90s, and Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of the fleet as well as displacing many of the workers. The booming casino industry has provided some new jobs; the Grand Casino anchors the beach end of Oak Street and the Isle of Capri and others are nearby.
Sporadically, some residents — black, white, Vietnamese, and more — are returning. Since Katrina, waves of volunteers have patronized the restaurants and businesses that have rebuilt at this unlikely (inter)national crossroads. Still, the community is struggling to regain its identity and cohesiveness. Change is definitely going to come to the neighborhood. The question is, will the residents be the ones who decide what kind?
I believe they should, and in this spirit we’re holding a community meeting tomorrow night for Oak Street residents, business owners, and other interested parties. Hosting are NAVASA (the National Alliance of Vietnamese American Service Agencies), Boat People SOS, and of course the East Biloxi Coordination Center (and GCCDS), all organizations that have been aiding the residents of Oak Street and the surrounding neighborhoods since Hurricane Katrina. Trinh from NAVASA and I and a number of others have been working to put together the meeting, with these principles in mind:
- People should be involved in the decisions that affect their lives.
- A strong neighborhood has citizens who are civically engaged and invested in its well-being.
- The values, assets, and goals identified by the community can shape the planning process.
Armed with five scenarios for the future of Oak Street, we hope to start a vigorous discussion. (We are also armed with pens, lots of paper, and a small battalion of Vietnamese translators). I’ll report back on the results after it happens!
Going to UVA! February 19, 2008
Posted by Vincent in Explorations, Life.add a comment
I am taking a few days off work to go back to UVA! The plan: flying into Greensboro on Thursday night and driving with Chris up to Charlottesville on Friday. Saturday is the Club Swim meet and party, and we’ll stay through Sunday afternoon. If you’ll be around, give me a call! I want to catch up with everyone that I can.
Excited!!
Tiling with Sergio & Studio February 18, 2008
Posted by Vincent in Architecture, Design/Build, Residential Design.Tags: 145 rosetti
add a comment
Our friend Sergio Palleroni and his design/build studio from the UT-Austin School of Architecture came into town on Friday to spend the weekend at Patty’s house, lending a hand with construction and studying the landscape in order to go back to Austin and build some structures to complement Patty’s garden.
After getting oriented on Friday, everybody spent most of the day Saturday laying slate tile in the living room, bathroom, and laundry room. The tile is beautiful; it is also quite varied, both in coloration and thickness, which means we will need to chisel down the uneven joints. Sunday we finished laying almost all the tile and students began brainstorming various ideas for the garden. Patty already has a very strong vision which includes a variety of gathering spaces and a greenhouse of sorts for plants. The challenge for the students will be to help create these spaces using a limited number of architectural elements.
After two full days, after Vietnamese lunches, darts at Upstairs/Downstairs and dinner at Kiwi Brian’s, the students left on Monday morning to return to school and begin creating. Sergio’s plan is to return sometime in April so the students can install the work.
It was great to see Sergio and meet the group of students. The flow of talented and diverse people who come through Biloxi is one of the great things about working here. Many get drawn in, and end up coming back over and over, and hopefully that’ll be the case with this group. In the meantime, guys, send me pictures from the weekend!
Framing Ridiculously Fast February 12, 2008
Posted by Vincent in Architecture, Residential Design.Tags: 149 Hoxie
add a comment
Lendell’s house (my first design) is going up almost faster than I can follow. By now they’ve framed and sheathed almost everything and are preparing to start roofing. Thanks go to Hope Force, especially their construction supervisor Brent, and a group of young Pennsylvania framers (At risk of misidentifying them, I think they’re either Amish or Mennonite) who work together seamlessly and have nearly superhuman construction abilities.
The house is looking good; I think the high ceilings and unusual kitchen windows should take a fairly ordinary plan and transform it into something special. Better photos to come when I get the chance. My camera is currently broken, so I’m borrowing until I can get that fixed.
Danny’s House Is (Almost) Done! February 12, 2008
Posted by Vincent in Architecture, Residential Design.Tags: 188 Hoxie
add a comment
I visited Danny to check on the progress of his house. (Previous posts: one, two.) Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia brought it nearly to completion with impressive speed, and now Danny is putting the finishing touches on it himself. It looks great, thanks in part to Danny’s many improvements to the plan, such as the back porch, below:
The front room and front door:
The kitchen:
Overall, it’s coming together very well, thanks to Danny’s ability to deal with our mistakes. He reduced the excessive number of windows I had specified (which left barely any room for things like beds and couches) and has dealt cheerfully with Habitat’s occasional goofups. Hard to imagine a better person to work with.
