HVAC Filter Replacement

I promote regularly scheduled maintenance of building systems to my clients. Homes and building structures (facilities) require check-ups just like our cars, trucks, and SUVs. Sometimes we procrastinate, get busy, or delay the service call. I have several examples of not following what I tell my clients to do. After 15 years, I finally had the trim on our house painted.

Earlier this year I remembered the air filter on the A/C unit was overdue for replacement. I installed a high efficiency filter system with 4” MERV 13 filters that recommends a filter change every 12 months (max.). Well I skipped my annual A/C check-up last spring, so the filter had been in the unit for 19 months.

I cut a piece out of the old media to see how much dirt had accumulated between the folds.

Dirt in the deep fold of the filter media

The filter was definitely doing it's job. I expected to see more dirt, but we don't have an active home; no big pets and the kids are grown and out of the house. So I would not extend your filter replacement beyond the manufacturer's recommended schedule.

Just like your car; take care of your home by scheduling periodic maintenance. Like my Dad used to tell me; Do as I as say, not as I do.

Death, Architecture and the Indiana Farmhouse

My son sent me a link to a Ted Talk by Alison Killing titled "There's a better way to die and architecture can help". She looks at buildings where death and dying happen. Brunelleschi’s Ospedale degli Innocenti in Florence is one project highlighted. It includes many features that promote a healthy environment. Natural daylight, fresh air, courtyard to name a few sustainable design strategies.

The Ted Talk reminded me of my grandparent's farmhouse.

When I was a young boy I remember visiting my great grandmother at the farm house. The farm was still run like a "farm family” farm. The elders took care of the babies until the elders weren’t capable. The family took care of their elders. The house had a bedroom off the living area on the first floor, specifically for the elders as they glided toward death. At the time of death, the body was prepared and the bedroom became a viewing area. There was a porch off the bedroom that was used by guests to pay respects. The body was taken through the door to the porch, it never passed through the main house.

Families taking care of family members at home in the elder’s comfort zone is best for the elders. The human aspect of care is much more important than the building where it occurs. If it can't be in the elder's home, then search for a facility that has a healthy environment with many natural design features.

Company Logo

Why a Logo? Really not sure, but most companies have one. Very few Logos have the recognition of being iconic. Most are emblems known best by the companies that create them and their clients, consultants, and local competitors. Logos fit nicely on letterheads and title blocks. Being an architect, I have the need to feed the creative process, so I created a logo for my business.

The logo is based on my interpretation of the ancient symbols for sun, earth, air, and water. The updated symbols represent the current terms of solar energy, materials & resources, air quality, and water conservation; the basis for my sustainable design practice.

Thirty six years ago, the circles were created by using a technical ink pen on vellum. A photocopy of the original was scanned and edited in Photoshop. The colors are primary red, green, and blue. Water takes on the color of the sky, so both circles are colored blue. The voids between the ink lines form bars that connect the four circles, reinforcing the idea that the four aspects of design are linked and integrated into a single solution.

That's the story behind my Business Logo.