A More Efficient & Sustainable Garage

Guest Post by Jakob Barry

Garages come in all different shapes and sizes and while they can be very useful spaces, they aren’t always built with efficiency or sustainability in mind. This is especially true of those constructed at a time when the term green was still just a color and not connected to any movement to improve the environment.  Even modern garages often have a tough time meeting these standards, as architects and designers probably hadn’t taken into account certain issues that are essential for today’s climate of green-consciousness.

Nevertheless, through innovative ideas and in some cases getting back to the basics, today’s students have the potential to be the next wave of professionals bringing garages of the past up to speed and making garages of the future more efficient and sustainable. A garage may still be made of cinder blocks with a whitewashed interior but there is plenty of room for improvements that can make life easier for a homeowner and better for the environment.

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I like color but I don't know how many I can add to one room or if I should blend bright colors with dull ones. Help!

Color, a seemingly straightforward topic, can actually be thought about in many different ways. It can be studied as science, as theory, as culture, as art. In light of this, creating a color palette for a room or project can be challenging but also very meaningful. Consider the implication the colors you choose will have on the project: However, there is no need to overthink your choices. Trust your instincts and keep the project fresh and whimsical!

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Quirky And Odd Bits: London

By: Denise Homme, Program Director

When DISD asked me to write a series of blog posts on my old graduate school hometown – London, England – I was naturally very excited!  After careful thought, I pondered “what – exactly- would our readers want to know about a town that is so often associated with bland food and clunky toilets”?   Bland and quirky is simply a matter of opinion, readers!  Granted, London does have its better known quaint eccentricities but, rarely is the well-deserved word “quirky” added to the mix.  So, that said, I devote this and future blog posts to the little known – and possibly less written about – quirky and odd bits of London.  Really now, where else in the world could a relatively recent murder be committed by someone using an umbrella with a poisonous tip?

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Designing for the Well-traveled

By Sue Royce, Director of Academic Services

I love to travel. And as I’ve gotten older, I’ve been fortunate enough to travel often. Over the years, I have stayed in a variety of hotels, from a one-star “resort” to five-star properties with all the amenities. I am not a designer, but I have developed firm ideas about what works and what doesn’t in hotel design. One hint: it’s not really about the number of stars.

For example, I recently stayed at a relatively new property that was clean and sleek and seemed to be designed to appeal to thirty-somethings. I loved the look and feel of the place, but as an older adult, I found that some things weren’t quite right. As you design hotel spaces, here are a few things to keep in mind:

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