Google’s Project Glass caught my eye while reading the New York Times. These augmented reality glasses that promise to display maps, charts, and other visuals right in front of our eyes, are one more piece of seductive technology. Before we buy in, we need to consider the social and design issues raised by such terrifically exciting innovations.

When we ran out and bought iPod Touches for our kids, we didn’t consider the difficulties these devices would create in carrying on focused conversations. Neither did we think of how these highly appealing objects would act on the long-term unintended impacts on the kids’ emotional and physical development.  Similarly, I’m seeing a lessening in quality of conversation in day to day interactions in business and out in public with so many of us multi-tasking on some device or another.  So given these recent experiences what are my larger concerns with Project Glass?

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Castle Square Apartments, before the retrofit.

On May 19th, Castle Square Apartments (a 1960s, 192 unit, mid-rise-tower low-income housing in Boston’s South End) welcomed Shaun Donovan, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Mayor Thomas M. Menino, and Congressman Capuano. They were there to see for themselves the nation’s “largest and most aggressive energy savings project of its kind”. The three officials were joined by members of the Castle Square Tenants Organization and Winn Companies, the co-developers and owners of this project.  They came to view the future of Deep Energy Retrofit, just beginning construction, an important foundation of a broad based strategy to fight climate change and achieve further energy independence.  It’s also a great example of the Green Jobs movement in action. Read more…

Why the funny title?  Well, I went to a conference a few weeks ago in Burlington, Vermont and came away wondering if the Passiv Haus movement is really accessible to the mainstream. The phrase is a play on words from the presentation, “From Bauhaus to Passivhaus”, given by Ken Levenson during the Better Building by Design Conference, hosted by Efficiency Vermont.

A handful of presentations showcased Passivhaus projects and their innovative design process, as well as other super-low energy, net-zero projects. They brought together a variety of professionals and their case studies, working on opposite ends of the spectrum— houses for the wealthy ‘spare no expense group’ and those working with Habitat for Humanity, ‘let’s figure out how to do this for everyone group’.  Somewhere in the middle we will meet. Read more…