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Hello everyone, sorry haven't blogged in a while. Summer is over and the fall brings new ideas that have been stewing. If possible, I hope you can leave a reply to this proposal - yeah or nay. Need some response, and probably ideas to help pull this one off!
The site is called MyVillagePlan.com If you go to this address, nothing will be there as I have only reserved the name. But the important thing here is the concept and operation that i'd like your input on. please reply below, or via facebook or twitter. i'll take all comments and input and aggregate. rules: ideas are free concept: The concept is to create a blog that accepts multiple authors and responses using video, text, and pictures, posting of documents, etc., that outlines a current project going on in your community. For example, in my community there is an affordable housing project that will come on line this fall at the old Advertiser building. The developer thinks that this project will sell well, and he uses conventional data sources to gather demographic info and location info to determine that market forces are pushing this project. MyVillagePlan.com would be a platform where he can express his ideas of the development, and also hear what bloggers, the community, special interest, the press, and anyone else wanting to weigh in can go to speak their mind. The project would have it's rating by the public before it even gets off the ground. Kind of like a Yelp! for architecture and projects in your community. This platform can save people a lot of heartache, and developers a lot of money. Free market research, and also more eyeballs looking at this than they ever wanted. We'll need some project captains to load information onto the site, but it should be open to all community and special interest voices. In our industry language we call them stakeholders... (people who have an interest in this project). MyVillagePlan.com will be the community voice, the developer's voice, the town square, and the public court of whether a development project has wings, or fail miserably... Now here's the lay of the land: inspired by the three C's as presented by Hokulia Developer CEO John DeFries - Community, Culture, and Commerce. A successful development needs all three. Ignore one, crash and burn! MyVillagePlan.com should organize by these three components to look at Community issues surrounding the development, Cultural issues (ancient, contemporary, and sub-cultures, - don't forget the urban culture, oh, and we also live in a green culture), and commerce - this of course should look at local economic impacts as well as how global currency and outer markets will affect us right here in our community. How will the site sustain itself? Hopefully volunteers, people who care, and tons of eyeballs. The site should be free to everyone, so any particular project can go viral faster. I'll be the first project captain for my community to start off so others can see ideas of information to post, but after that it should be a free for all. If the eyeballs come, sponsorships will follow. If we build this, they will come. But i'd really like to know what y'all think! Now as far as technology goes - i think it can be pulled off with Wordpress and their plugins... wordpress guru's, the site would really love your help with this! If the site get's too sophisticated, (i think simplicity is genius-by the way) then we'll have to grow on a shoestring until we get sponsorships. Sponsors should in no way be able to edit the content of the site, however. Ambition: how big can this be? as an architect, i can imagine a lot. This model MUST be scalable. The big hairy audacious goal should be that no developer or something like superferry in any town in the world should go un-vetted by its community. No longer will governments push their people into projects they don't want, and no longer will we waste money on engineers and architects to design things that will ultimately never break ground. (yes this site could put me out of a job, but damn, it will be worth it!) And finally, the projects that we do build will no longer be these ugly monstrosities that make our heads hurt! Let the vetting begin! thanks all for checking out this entry and thanks in advance for the input!
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Stories of What I See #14/24/2012 After meditating on an issue about a friend's company and where it is going, this came to me:
Fortune planted a seed up on a high cliff overlooking the sea. It was a wind swept peak with hard compacted dirt and sand. As he dug the hole to plant the seed, he inadvertently cut the seed. 80% of it flew over the cliff to the ocean below. The other piece was planted with high hopes that it would grow into a massive tree - where from its vantage point, one could rule the sea. The tree miraculously grew - by the grace of God alone, but remained small, stunted, windswept, and always struggling. Fortune also planted another seed down in the valley not far from the mouth of the stream that flowed down from the mountains. Beyond the high water mark, the tree grew quickly into a giant. It provided shade to all of the area beneath it, and allowed coverage for animals and other plants to freely lounge in its shad and have a drink. It did not command the sea, But the tree surely became master of its realm.
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Double Dip Economy8/31/2010 Well, things are getting to the point where everyone that walks into the office is talking about double-dip. People are depressed, and things are not so swell at all. Speaking with my friends at Morgan Stanley, they are the only optimists - saying that it won't go down, but just stay flat in the doldrums. Here are my observations:
1. Federal workers are paid much higher than their state and private counterparts 2. Federal grants are the only hope for building projects at this point it seems. 3. The super-strong yen is brining Japanese and other Asians to Hawaii in droves - keeping our local economy just above alive. 4. This is the beginning of the "government bubble" perhaps - predicted by Gerald Celente 2 years ago. 5. War is coming.... again. 6. Although I am focusing on high-end residential clients, I am also helping non-profits as they apply for massive government funding. Inouye's office is working very hard to help groups in Hawaii get grants and loans from Federal sources. 7. Meanwhile I am beginning to start a dialog with large Chinese interests who want to invest in Hawaii. Small limited investment to them is huge for us. And if things go well, who knows when the floodgates will burst... but they will. As real estate prices continue to drop, our Asian cousins will come once again, to hawaii to do business, and buy up the state at firesale prices. Get ready! Beware that the 2nd dip of the double dip in the early 30's resulted in an 80% loss of wealth... we are not even close to that kind of loss, yet. And our monetary regulators are doing their best to figure this out. My guess is that we could spiral down into a severe depression... and if it is going to happen, the cards will show themselves within the first 2 weeks after Labor Day - which any new yorker knows is the Wall Street end of summer, and back to business. My clients come in and ask - what is there left to invest in? My only answer now is silver, and land. good, top-grade agricultural land. Why? because silver is highly used and does not have reserves. And Agriculture because good agricultural land is very hard to come by - and it will be more in demand as we move toward depression and food shortages. Remember now, top-grade doesn't mean the land is located in a gentlemen's farm community. Top grade is the quality of soil on the property. Good nutrient-rich soil fed by a natural water-shed... wow - that will be an investment!
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Economic Leading Indicator7/20/2010 As some of you may know, I am the author of the newsletter, the Hawaii Leading Indicator. Economizing my energy, this blog will serve as the outlet to which my opinions about the economy shall be published. I won't focus entirely on economy, but also on other trends that impact our decisions to do business and consume.
Why listen to an architect? Here's why. My clients bring news. These clients are planners, developers, and very wealthy individuals who's main focus in life is to keep a pulse on economic indicators. When fear is out of the picture, these clients call me and begin early stage planning of their new ventures. My practice has strict confidentiality rules to protect clients, but I do write about trends. Trends forecast future events. Current trends: Lots of movement on the high end residential side as interest rates are kept low. High-end clients are lining up at the door. Commercial is slow as investors and developers wait for the ARM's that flooded the market 2 & 3 years ago become due. Short term rates will stay low as we go through this process. It will give relief to commercial and ARM holders. The Fed knows this and cannot raise interest rates until this wave passes in late 2011 and early 2012. This wave of low interest rates will continue until most of the ARMS have converted to longer terms or we have at least spread out this tsunami's volume. The world economy cannot take another credit crunch, so interest rates will be kept low. Hyperinflation will only result as a major catastrophe unfolds that the Fed cannot control. The intent is to keep interest rates low for several years. STAGNATION is a good word for this. Currently, my clients still see all of this as uncertain, and will not move on commercial projects unitl the public shows more confidence. War War with Iran is on the horizon. Predictions of this have come about 2 years ago as US defense contractors were filling very large orders of purchasing of ships and planes by Israel. Now mavens who follow the politics of the Israel/Iran conflict are predicting an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear sites. The US needs to secure Afghanistan in order to sandwich Iran geographically. The chess match is almost played out, and checkmate is being set up. If you look at a map surrounding Iran, which countries are friendly toward the US, or are under US control? War is a lucrative business, and it keeps empires profitable. Particularly when the economy is not healthy. How does all of this affect the world market for luxury items? Including architecture? The world will stratify even further into have's and have not's. The class system will no longer be by national class, but by global class. The US will stratify into the super wealthy and the poor. The American middle class is already losing ground, while China's middle class is exploding. So on a global scale, our middle class is growing, just not in the United States. Different architects cater to different tastes. Those who work for the people design for the people. Those who design for the wealthy, will continue to design for the wealthy, but on a scale of service that is much different than the recent past. The rich will expect services as well tailored as the Ritz Carleton does for hotel services. That's all I have for now on trends!
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what does Hale mean?7/7/2010 I get a lot of questions about my name. Yes it is strange, and rare - particularly for a first name. People often ask what my name means. Here in Hawaii, people often call me " ha le" pronounced ha lay. My mother gave me the name as pronounced "hayle" Here's the strangest thing, though.. and there really are no accidents - Hale in hawaiian means "house". yes, my mother is very wise.
Most dictionaries will say it means health, or hero. But after searching and reading about how the word hale was used in old english, it was used more as a reference to "life force". I don't think it is too much of a stretch to jump from hero to health to life force. They are really all connected. The spirit within the body that connects to life itself. In Greek, hale means breath. The ancients probably needed a definition for the life force within us, and "Hale" seems to come the closest. The Chinese came up with a different term - "chi" or "ki" in Japanese. So when people ask me what my name means, I usually tell them it's old English for "chi". And if they don't know what chi is, then that's when I ask if they've seen star wars. btw, i do practice tai-chi chuan. here's the kicker... what is the relationship between "house" and "life force"? Maybe it all is coming full circle. by the way, "ha" in hawaiian means breath.
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Hale Takazawa's Philosophy of Design7/7/2010 About my work. I'll soon be posting sketches of current schemes on the boards. All of my work is done freehand. I sometimes will use sketchup for the next stage of design, or then go straight to revit. however, all creative development is done free-hand. It is a direct connection to creativity, and it will always be this way. The first moves in anything make all the difference! Like a game of chess.
"you are legendary" say it to yourself, "I am legendary!" Of course we don't like to talk this way of ourselves, but you must believe it, and surround yourself with that belief. Because it really is the truth. It will be sad if you don't take my word for it until you stand at heaven's gate. It's better to be alive and realize this! If you are to be my client, you must believe this of yourself. I expect it - or the inspiration that derives from it will only be as strong as the belief in yourself. Creativity doesn't flow in a medium of self-doubt. the architecture that flows through my hands shows my clients a reflection of their power, strength, radiance, and beauty (which by the way, is a by-product of the first 3). It says of them, " I am an individual, and this work is my story." My work is about formality and rebellion. Complex but controlled. tension and breaking through. rationalization and then moving away from it. it has to be fun, and smart out of the box, and away from mainstream. but still rooted in the mature building traditions of architecture, sculpture, jewelry, craftsmanship, and engineering - just pushing it to the limit at times... when appropriate. alot like american Jazz, and Rock. in fact it is the American way! Sometimes the work has a personality - like Ghandi - peaceful yet explosive. Mature and thoughtful, yet full of action and strength. Volatile, but calm on the exterior. Kind of like Tai-chi or Yoga. If you don't know what the last statement means, try practicing it for a few sessions...
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The architect6/30/2010 Currently reading about the social and psychological variables of luxury. And this is the first time I am finally reading a book about the business of luxury and how different it is from all other business...
the following is a quote from The Luxury Strategy by Kapferer and Bastien.: "Historically, luxury was the creation of a talented craftsmen, using the very rarest materials, who accepted commissions from a client or patron. These craftsmen were known in their day, but their fame did not endure. That is how castles and private mansions were built and furnished. In France, everything changed when at the end of the 18th century craftsmen stopped accepting private commissions after someone came up with the ideas of making models, before they too were sold. What we were witnessing at that time was a radical reversal of the relationship between omnipotent client and craftsman. No longer was the craftsman prepared to go cap-in-hand to visit the client; instead, people went to them to see their latest collection, their new creations. The age of the nameless craftsman was now long gone - enter now on stage the creative designer and their retinue, their followers. Not to mention the reputation of their name." This is an interesting statement considering that we architects behave primarily like craftsmen because our clientèle(Patrons) who commission one-of-a kind works. We are truly an ancient profession. This architect however chooses to behave more like the modern day designer. I will take on commissions, but my primary work will be to provide designs each year based on the individual stories of people that I can recreate into modern myth and legend.
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About this blog6/20/2010 This blog is about the world, wealth, and the future. It is a perspective or window on how I see the world.
As an architect, entrepreneur, and person who is trained to see the big picture: - in time frames longer than 1 or 2 generations, -in terms of civilization building, - in the push for human creativity expressed through our environment, art, and human activities. My time is spent visualizing, and communicating those visions. happy reading! -hale Blog Rules: 1. I will relate my thoughts with the following bias: the world is never in a state of destruction, or in heavy competition, but rather in a state of creation - so much that there is enough for all. My bias is toward the world becoming rich. 2. The second bias in this blog assumes: Wealth in all its forms is good. And that seeking wealth is seeking to expand life itself - a fuller expression. 3. The third bias in this blog: Death, destruction and failure is merely a new beginning. All thoughts and fear of these demons will appear only as re-birth, resurrection, and opportunity. |