New Photos of completed Name Brand Tattoo.

Connie Rizzolo Brown designed the new interior for  Name Brand Tattoo on State Street in Ann Arbor.   She made the expected, into the unexpected,  with color, light and careful detailing.

webinares

Water experts like Gunnar Baldwin make writing about sustianable design products fun.  As a member of the USGBC Technical Advisory Group, he has made many contributions toward sustainable water conservation planning.  This Webinar will provide architects with  HSW Continuing Education credits. (Click on the Title to go to the Webinar)  SUSTAINABLE PLUMBING: Valuing Design, Innovation, Quality.  I wrote this script working with the enthusiastic Gunnar Baldwin and the creative marketing staff at TOTO USA.

Wall Street Parking

Contacted by the Wall Street Neighborhood Association regarding plans by the University of Michigan to build two large parking decks on Wall Street, Celeste Allen Novak of rizzolobrown + novak participated in a series of meetings and discussion groups to come up with alternatives and successfully mediate greater communications. With the help of Lawrence Tech students who visualize the potential for alternative sites, such as the Fuller Road future transit center, the Wall Street neighborhood association was able to discuss their visions for this area. City council members, the mayor and University staff all listened as members of this vibrant neighborhood expressed their concerns. Neighbors are planning a celebration and plan to continue to push for more transparent development processes in the future through communications with the University and the City.

WHAT IF your community were more sustainable

At the Mayor's Green Fair, citizens were asked to Imagine what if their communities were more sustainable. These are some of their responses.

What if?....all communities held a mayor’s green fair and celebrated sustainable products, planning, and people.

TRANSPORTATION:
We outlawed SUV’s in town?
We car pooled according to your location?
People were the priority over cars?
Main Street was closed to cars?
Ann Arbor banned gas-guzzling SUV’s?
CARS were outlawed?
Eliminate car and go back to travel by horseback… at least in the spring and summer?
No more parking structures in residential neighborhoods?
More weekend buses?
High speed rail?
High speed frikkin’ rail.
Washtenaw Avenue between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti was more of one place?
Main Street was a pedestrian mall 24/7?
More people lived walking distance?
EVERYONE could walk or bike to their jobs?
Cities made more bike paths so it would not be so dangerous biking to work?
Downtown buildings had bicycle paths on the 2nd floor?
There was a secure, dedicated bike route around in town?
People biked to work or to each other’s houses? Would there be more cook-outs?
… the City had a goal of raising bicycle mode share to 10% in 10 years?
ENERGY
Everybody in the universe spit into the core of the sun?
One used gym workout sessions for making electricity?
All canopies were solar panels?
Everyone in Ann Arbor put up a windmill far apart so it didn’t change wind currents?
All parking meters were charging stations?
Every roof had a solar panel?
Everyone had solar powered homes?
We all converted Michigan’s factories to make windmills?
We should use 100% green energy, produced by our own homes, and have it be totally affordable to install?
Argo dam were reactivated for hydroelectric power?
You could sell energy back to the utility company?
All people, including city employees called the city to report outside lights on during daylight hours? Easy energy savings and green!
EVERYONE uses renewable energy!!
A green energy technology was deadly to birds? Use bird friendly construction.
WATER RESOURCES
All roofs were green!
Everyone in Ann Arbor had a rain barrel?
Everyone stopped drinking bottled water?
Sawdust toilets are the way to go!
Everybody would turn off the water when they aren’t using it?
Everyone stopped using their sprinkler systems?
There were no more birds?
RECYCLING
EVERYONE recycled?
The city of Ann Arbor ran out of land fill and wanted to use playgrounds? Where would your children play?
We banned plastic bags?
Everyone did not litter
FOOD
People would really eat / farm sustainability?
There were no more lawn – all edible landscape?
Everyone was given a plot of land to live on and to grow their own organic food on?
Everyone had their own garden?
Everyone had a native landscape?
We shared food? We would all have enough to eat.
There was a large grocery downtown?
SOCIAL
Neighbors shared tools, child care, meals and responsibility for the commons?
Neighbors smiled at each other every day J
W e a l l s l o w e d d o w n ?
Everyone said “Hello” to each other?
Most Ann Arbor residents really cared about our environment? And actually did something about it?
We weren’t afraid of creativity?
There were any downtown family doctors?
Not only humans, but also everything else could live happily together?
We all smiled at each other J
We designed buildings that thought more about people?
There was music on our streets all year round?
Everyone helped everyone else build a moderate house on their plot of land for just the cost of materials, like the Amish community does?
People danced more Irish jigs? Answer: Happiness
You had zero kids instead of your current #?
We woke up one day and all the MUSIC was gone?
Ann Arbor became the leader in sustainable design practice?
ECONOMY
All wi-fi were FREE!
Incentivize!
Many/most of Ann Arbor’s businesses were virtual + were green?
Zero big box stores?
We co-locate communications equipment on existing towers! (No new towers!) Save money! Save the environment!
The cost of maintenance and disposal was priced into all products?

Ann Arbor Art Center Grand Opening

Ribbon cutting ceremony at the newly renovated Ann Arbor Art Center. This project, designed by Connie Rizzolo Brown received rave reviews from the center. Art Center director Marsha Chamberlin hopes "the renovation will spur a boost in daytime activities..." and is "hoping for exponential growth." Josie Bockeman, director of programming has expectations that this new renovation will bring a "great amount of energy " and cross polination between artists.

Using recycled Automobile glass - Yourist Design Studio

New Kiln and Canopy using Recycled Automoble Glass.

Yourist Studio Gallery

1133 Broadway, Ann Arbor, MI 48105

http://www.mlive.com/business/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2009/01/laura_blodgett_local_artists_c.html

Interview with artist and description of the canopy now competed.

http://www.mlive.com/business/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2009/01/laura_blodgett_local_artists_c.html