green vs grey

My neighbor/friend Andy I went out for beers last night down at Founders. For most of it we were joined by a friend who is an economic development guru in GR. It was really great to hang out in the neighborhood joint and talk neighborhood stuff! Basically, Spectrum Health is pissing a lot of people off because of their blatant disregard for all things pedestrian. St Mary's just announced their plans to have a "green" health campus - removing parking lots, adding back in greenspace, LEED certified buildings, etc. As our friend stated about halfway through the pitcher last night, "It's green vs. grey". When you look at the monoliths that Spectrum is creating with a major 5 lane road and freeway running through it, you have to wonder where they are getting their ideas from. You would think by this time in America's design history, that the context of a building would matter. Instead, they continue to build inaccessible buildings with no street-life - it doesn't exactly inspire one to think about health and well-being. So good job St. Mary's, keep it up, in the end it will come around and you will be grateful for making a stand now.

Also, a lot of credit goes to Peter Wege who set some standards as to what he would give money to in terms of environmental design. Yet another novel idea, a philanthropists values are reflected in the architecture. You can look at any major building project and see what the major donors care about. So what do the Spectrum donors value if you look at the design? People and Health don't exactly come to mind.

Well, Christmas is almost here. I have a half day tomorrow and then a couple days to enjoy family and friends. We are heading up to Nora's Dad's place tomorrow, my family on Saturday and then the rest of Nora's family on Monday - BUSY! This is one of my favorite times of year if I can keep my sanity and stamina going. I find myself needing to retreat a little each day to recharge the social battery. This will also be the week to reflect back on the great year of 2006.