Cole residence

This is exciting! Our architects, Specht-Harpman, made recent changes to their website. You can now view the "Cole Residence" on their site. Check it out at this link:

the cole residence

hazards of timing the market

According to the January issue of REALTOR Magazine, some buyers are holding out because they are gambling that home prices will come down and interest rates will hold steady or drop. The impact of changing interest rates on the actual monthly costs of home ownership is truly amazing! Even a 10% drop in home prices is immediately nullified by a mere 1% increase in interest rates on a 30-year mortgage loan.

And the timing gets even better if you are a first-time homebuyer who qualifies for the $8000 tax credit. Buyers who are holding out for the perfect time when both home prices and loan rates are at optimum levels could find themselves holding an empty bag!

a must - visit the Trinity River Audobon Center

Yesterday I had the incredible opportunity to accompany David Rodriguez, LEED AP and Vice President of Ware Architecture, on an interview at the Trinity River Audobon Center. The Trinity River Audobon Center is the Winner of the Dallas Business Journal's Best Real Estate Deals 2008 - Best Green Project. It's so exciting to have this world-class project just a hop, skip, and a jump from downtown Dallas!

David and I met for a conversation with Anne Hildenbrand and Gary DeVries with BRW Architects and Chris Culak, Audobon Center Director. The interview was preparation for an article that David is writing about sustainable, high performance architecture.

Both the building and the 120-acre site exemplify the City of Dallas commitment to sustainability. The project began with the restoration of the Deepwood Landfill site comprised of 1.5 million tons of illegally-dumped construction debris. The 21,000 sq ft building is in the process of obtaining LEED certification and the project will be the first LEED-certified Dallas Park and Recreation project.

Sustainable features of the project include:

• Remediation of the Brownfield (landfill) site.


• The creation of a series of wetland marshes and ponds to capture, filter, and cleanse water runoff prior to returning the cleansed water to the river.


• Planting native trees, prairie grasses, and plants to be irrigated through the use of rainwater harvesting.


• The usage of light-colored permeable paving materials.


• A "green" roof on the administration wing and a light-reflecting roof on the remainder of the building to minimize heat absorption.


• Installation of low-flow and waterless fixtures to reduce water consumption by at least 20%.


• High efficiency heating, cooling, and electrical systems.


• Low-e windows, natural lighting, and cross ventilation.


• Utilization of locally-produced, recycled, and low-to-no maintenance construction materials.

If you want to learn more about the site's sustainable features pick up a copy of Builder Insider and look for the article by David Rodriguez.

You will want to experience this site in person! Take a day-trip to visit the exhibits and see the diverse plant and animal species as you hike one of a number of nature trails. Don't forget your picnic lunch and be sure to pack your sneakers!

Click on this link to find out about directions, hours of operations, etc. Happy hiking!

http://tx.audubon.org/Trinity.html