Showing posts with label for. Show all posts
Showing posts with label for. Show all posts
Thursday, 6 March 2014
Spark Workshop A Collaborative Space For Making Things
I recently joined Spark Workshop in Sunset Park in order to start building garden elements for clients.
The timing is perfect since winter is around the corner and my urban anxieties start to build-up if I dont have an outlet for my creative energies. This is now my chance to build planter boxes, offbeat birdhouses, 15 foot trellises made from re-bar and recycled wood and anything else that I can come up with.
The space is located on 34th street between 2nd and 3rd avenues and without the oversized freight elevator and loading dock my fabrication goals wouldnt be possible. Blue Marble Ice Cream, Tumbador Chocolates and Industry City Distillery are all nearby. Getting my work done might be a bigger challenge than expected.
Spark opened shortly before I joined. Back then the space had recently been renovated with a conference room, kitchen, photo studio, education room, gallery space and woodshop. But the rooms were empty except for a chop-box and a few hand tools. The place was eerily devoid of activity. But now the workshop is filled with equipment for drilling, cutting, planing, sanding and connecting materials. Artists and artisans have joined and the sites and sounds of things being produced motivate me to get my latest projects done. Until joining Spark I had never drilled or cut through steel with an angle grinder. I had never used a band saw. Learning how to use new tools and applying them to new projects has opened up new possibilities for GreenZone Landscape and personal projects as well.
Right now the education room is empty except for scraps of wood that Ive been collecting for a future class on woodworking that I plan on teaching as an afternoon class with kids. I also plan on teaching an introductory class to garden design. Work tables will soon be installed and anyone with an idea for a class will have the opportunity to pitch it.
The first big collaborative effort at Spark is a group show that will happen in mid-December. Artists, artisans, and designers from Brooklyn are welcome to participate. Aside from food and drink it will be a great opportunity to expose local artists to a larger audience and expose people to Brooklyns newest collaborative work space.
Link to Spark Workshop Brooklyn
Link to other Industry City tenants
Read More..
The timing is perfect since winter is around the corner and my urban anxieties start to build-up if I dont have an outlet for my creative energies. This is now my chance to build planter boxes, offbeat birdhouses, 15 foot trellises made from re-bar and recycled wood and anything else that I can come up with.
The space is located on 34th street between 2nd and 3rd avenues and without the oversized freight elevator and loading dock my fabrication goals wouldnt be possible. Blue Marble Ice Cream, Tumbador Chocolates and Industry City Distillery are all nearby. Getting my work done might be a bigger challenge than expected.
Spark opened shortly before I joined. Back then the space had recently been renovated with a conference room, kitchen, photo studio, education room, gallery space and woodshop. But the rooms were empty except for a chop-box and a few hand tools. The place was eerily devoid of activity. But now the workshop is filled with equipment for drilling, cutting, planing, sanding and connecting materials. Artists and artisans have joined and the sites and sounds of things being produced motivate me to get my latest projects done. Until joining Spark I had never drilled or cut through steel with an angle grinder. I had never used a band saw. Learning how to use new tools and applying them to new projects has opened up new possibilities for GreenZone Landscape and personal projects as well.
Right now the education room is empty except for scraps of wood that Ive been collecting for a future class on woodworking that I plan on teaching as an afternoon class with kids. I also plan on teaching an introductory class to garden design. Work tables will soon be installed and anyone with an idea for a class will have the opportunity to pitch it.
The first big collaborative effort at Spark is a group show that will happen in mid-December. Artists, artisans, and designers from Brooklyn are welcome to participate. Aside from food and drink it will be a great opportunity to expose local artists to a larger audience and expose people to Brooklyns newest collaborative work space.
Link to Spark Workshop Brooklyn
Link to other Industry City tenants
Tuesday, 4 March 2014
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN FOR RESIDENTIAL DRIVEWAY
Impervious surfaces (such as driveways) limit the amount of stormwater capture and retention. During rain storms these surfaces (built from materials such as asphalt, cement and concrete) along with rooftops, carry polluted stormwater to storm drains, instead of allowing the water to percolate through the soil. This causes flooding as there is no absorption into the ground. Most municipal storm sewer systems discharge stormwater, untreated to streams, rivers, bays. In New York City, my understanding is that the overtaxed sewage system overflows into the East River.
So,…controlling the amount of stormwater runoff from urban homes is paramount in creating green infrastructure. The challenge is to allow the stormwater to percolate into the soil or ground, thereby reducing levels of urban runoff.
Thanks to a wonderful client of ours in Brooklyn, my partner Dinorah and I designed a sustainable solution to their problematic residential driveway in the midst of redesigning the entire property. The existing asphalt was cracking, pot-holed, consistently failing and flooding during rainstorms. As per local ordinances we could not repave + re-pitch the driveway to direct stormwater into the street. As we were demolishing the pressure treated wood deck in the rear, we chose to create a pea gravel driveway with secured wood boards from the demolished deck (which would then allow the stormwater to percolate down). The broken up asphalt driveway was then used to provide fill for the newly designed above grade stone deck. Only the pea gravel was trucked in, since we used material on-site to produce this. Best of all, the client reaped a tremendous cost savings through this solution!
Old driveway
Old deck
Sustainable Driveway solution
Read More..
So,…controlling the amount of stormwater runoff from urban homes is paramount in creating green infrastructure. The challenge is to allow the stormwater to percolate into the soil or ground, thereby reducing levels of urban runoff.
Thanks to a wonderful client of ours in Brooklyn, my partner Dinorah and I designed a sustainable solution to their problematic residential driveway in the midst of redesigning the entire property. The existing asphalt was cracking, pot-holed, consistently failing and flooding during rainstorms. As per local ordinances we could not repave + re-pitch the driveway to direct stormwater into the street. As we were demolishing the pressure treated wood deck in the rear, we chose to create a pea gravel driveway with secured wood boards from the demolished deck (which would then allow the stormwater to percolate down). The broken up asphalt driveway was then used to provide fill for the newly designed above grade stone deck. Only the pea gravel was trucked in, since we used material on-site to produce this. Best of all, the client reaped a tremendous cost savings through this solution!
Old driveway
Old deck
Sustainable Driveway solution
Outdoor Grilling Tips For You
Whats better than cooking a lovely dinner inside? Grilling a spectacular dinner outside over the flames of some piping hot coals, thats what. The taste of grilled food, and I mean more than just meat (vegetables and tofu included) far exceeds the taste of food that is prepared on a skillet or in an oven. The best part of outdoor cooking is that you can grill, roast, steam, bake, smoke and sear. Below are some grilling tips to ensure that you get the most out of your grilling experience.
First up, preparation! You need to make sure you have everything you are going to be needing and using at your fingertips, or at least within reach. This includes all the spices, oils, marinades, tongs, spatulas and other cooking utensils you will be using. This way you are ensured to stay on top of your cooking process without any chance of needing to run inside to grab something while your meat is becoming too charred because you werent prepared. Also, on the safety side of things, make sure to have a fire extinguisher or a bucket of water on hand just in case your flame gets out of control. The LAST thing you want is to have an out of control fire on your hands with no safety measures on hand.
Secondly, preheating the grill. The most important part, the "golden rule" if you will, of getting the most out of the grill is to ensure that the coals are preheated and hot enough before you put any food on the grill. The best way to figure out if your coals are hot enough is to place your hand over the grill and if after three seconds, you can no longer bear the heat, then your coals are ready for grilling!
Third up on our grilling tips, cleanliness. Be sure to use a stiff brush to clean all the former grime off of the grill from your last grilling experience. You dont want to mix flavors from the last grilling experience, and of course its healthier to be grilling on a clean surface. You dont want to ingest old dried up burnt remnants of past grilling, thats just not safe for you.
Fourth, oil your grill. After cleaning the grill, lightly brush some oil on the grate so that food wont stick to it. This is grilling tip 101 for all aspiring grill masters.
Fifth, grilling isnt just for meat. Utilize the oil and some spices on vegetables and toss them directly on the grill right when the meat is about to be done cooking. You can also wrap vegetables in tin foil with marinade, oil and spices to capture more of a succulent flavor absorption. Another great non-meat related grilling idea is to marinate tofu for a few hours (be sure to get firm or extra firm tofu and squeeze the water out of it prior to marinating, this will help the tofu absorb the marinade itself) and then place half inch slices of tofu directly on the grill. This takes about as much time to grill as meat to achieve a meat-esque-like texture from the tofu, so place them on at the same time and flip them when you flip the meat.
Finally, closed grill vs open grill. A closed grill will prevent flame flare-ups, keep the temperature consistent, retain flavor, moisture, natural juices and overall, makes the cooking process more even and succulent. So close the lid.
We here at Warming Trends hope that these tips will help you fulfill the grill guru that is living inside of all of us. Contact us at any time for any of your outdoor living needs including custom fire pit and burning system needs. 1-877-556-5255
Read More..
First up, preparation! You need to make sure you have everything you are going to be needing and using at your fingertips, or at least within reach. This includes all the spices, oils, marinades, tongs, spatulas and other cooking utensils you will be using. This way you are ensured to stay on top of your cooking process without any chance of needing to run inside to grab something while your meat is becoming too charred because you werent prepared. Also, on the safety side of things, make sure to have a fire extinguisher or a bucket of water on hand just in case your flame gets out of control. The LAST thing you want is to have an out of control fire on your hands with no safety measures on hand.
Secondly, preheating the grill. The most important part, the "golden rule" if you will, of getting the most out of the grill is to ensure that the coals are preheated and hot enough before you put any food on the grill. The best way to figure out if your coals are hot enough is to place your hand over the grill and if after three seconds, you can no longer bear the heat, then your coals are ready for grilling!
Third up on our grilling tips, cleanliness. Be sure to use a stiff brush to clean all the former grime off of the grill from your last grilling experience. You dont want to mix flavors from the last grilling experience, and of course its healthier to be grilling on a clean surface. You dont want to ingest old dried up burnt remnants of past grilling, thats just not safe for you.
Fourth, oil your grill. After cleaning the grill, lightly brush some oil on the grate so that food wont stick to it. This is grilling tip 101 for all aspiring grill masters.
Fifth, grilling isnt just for meat. Utilize the oil and some spices on vegetables and toss them directly on the grill right when the meat is about to be done cooking. You can also wrap vegetables in tin foil with marinade, oil and spices to capture more of a succulent flavor absorption. Another great non-meat related grilling idea is to marinate tofu for a few hours (be sure to get firm or extra firm tofu and squeeze the water out of it prior to marinating, this will help the tofu absorb the marinade itself) and then place half inch slices of tofu directly on the grill. This takes about as much time to grill as meat to achieve a meat-esque-like texture from the tofu, so place them on at the same time and flip them when you flip the meat.
Finally, closed grill vs open grill. A closed grill will prevent flame flare-ups, keep the temperature consistent, retain flavor, moisture, natural juices and overall, makes the cooking process more even and succulent. So close the lid.
We here at Warming Trends hope that these tips will help you fulfill the grill guru that is living inside of all of us. Contact us at any time for any of your outdoor living needs including custom fire pit and burning system needs. 1-877-556-5255
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