Softball, TruexCullins vs Engineering Ventures

Engineering Ventures joined TruexCullins for a beautiful-sunny day of softball and fun. Although TruexCullins played well, Engineering Ventures prevailed with their power-batting line up.

Here are some pictures from game at Callahan Park.



Lee Grutchfield calls for some help.

 

 



Exited fan!

 



EV's Paul Bunyan

 

Lee getting ready to cream the ball.



A triple is in sight for Carmen George.

Cam inspects the pitch and vows to crush it.

 

First time playing softball! Great job Elena!

E's secret weapon.

 

Meet TruexCullins Summer Interns

Elena Konva from Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine has a Bachelor of Architecture and is working toward her Master of Architecture from Pridniprovska State Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture (PSACEA). The focus of her internship at TruexCullins, and her master’s thesis, is eco-design technologies.

Kate Ford is a resident of Hinesburg, Vermont. She is attending Roger Williams University in Rhode Island, and will be starting her senior year in Florence, Italy where she will continue to study Architecture, Art + Architectural History and Visual Arts.

Anya Smith of Colchester is interning with TruexCullins this summer. She will be returning to Rhode Island School of Design in the fall to focus on Interior Architecture Design.

VT Schools Face Challenges Funding Construction

Schools across the state are in need of repair and maintenance but are facing challenges with passing local bond measures to fund the work. This was the story reported this week on WCAX TV.

TruexCullins is currently working with Rumney Memorial School - and others across the state - to come up with solutions to their building needs. As David Epstein points out in the report, creating high performance schools from both an energy and educational standpoint is a great investment for Vermont.

WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-

You can also view this story on the WCAX webpage.

TruexCullins Offices Under Construction

Our earthbag wall is rising!  Well, in this case, we are using air, but the end result is the same:  we are building an "earthbag" structure inside our offices at 209 Battery Street to symbolize and celebrate our work in Nepal.

In an earlier post, we described this method of earthbag construction, being used by Edge of Seven to build new schools for disadvantaged girls in rural Nepal.  Diantha Korzun is currently assisting Edge of Seven with the design of the latest earthbag construction project, a new school and community center at Mankhu Village Farm.

So what's our airbag wall all about?  You will see it in the front lobby of our space, where the walls are forming a makeshift classroom facing Battery Street.  We acquired some polypropylene rice bags and have been inflating them to emulate the real earthbag walls being built in Nepal.  The room that is forming has become an ad-hoc meeting space.  It has become a teaching tool.  And the rising walls have become a symbol of the upward mobility that these projects are affording to the girls of Nepal. 

At Sparky's retirement party on May 9, everyone will be invited to help us expand the construction.  We are looking forward to this being a fun, interactive event! 

 

 

We've collected all the info about our extended campaign with Edge of Seven into one mini-website:   For info about the earthbag construction projects, Sparky's party on May 9, and the October trek to Everest Base Camp, check out: www.truexcullins.com/sparky

 

And to make a donation to Sparky's fund now, please go to:

http://www.crowdrise.com/truexcullins-nepal

 

 

Building Hope, One Bag at a Time

In an earlier blog post, we described the innovative building technique known as earthbag construction that is being used to build schools in the rural countryside of Nepal. We shared the details of our own earthbag construction project that we are designing with Edge of Seven. And we invited you to celebrate with us as we commemorate the transition for Sparky Millikin from TruexCullins Managing Principal to Himalayan mountain climber.

Well, these is one more surprise we have in store. To build excitement for our earthbag construction project in Mankhu Village in Nepal, we are building a wall of our own in our offices at 209 Battery Street in Burlington.

LET’S BUILD THIS TOGETHER

FILL A BAG FOR A NEPALESE SCHOOL

The “earthbags” will come together during Sparky’s retirement party on Thursday, May 9th. For a $50 tax-deductible donation to Edge of Seven, we will place your name on a polypropylene bag like the ones we will use to construct a new community center for Nepalese girls. As our wall rises, it will symbolize our collective efforts to lift up these girls out of poverty and raise opportunities for all.

In Nepal, your donation will go far to educate and empower girls and break the cycle of poverty. Edge of Seven is a non-profit organization that works closely with local NGOs to ensure that all projects are carried out in a cost-effective manner. In 2010 and 2011, less than 10% of donations went toward administrative costs.

Donate Today!  You can make a donation through our crowdrise site at: http://www.crowdrise.com/truexcullins-nepal


And please join us on May 9 to celebrate Sparky’s lifelong career and support the work of the Edge of Seven in Nepal!

TruexCullins Supports Burlington City Arts

TruexCullins Architecture and Interior Design is one of the sponsors of the imaginative and whimsical "User Required" exhibit at Burlington City Arts (BCA). The artists use light and sound based technology to interact with visitors. The show breaks out of the gallery, extending into the upper floors of the Center. This show is appropriate for people of any age.

Join us at the exhibit to be engaged, provoked and have a unique art experience April 12 - May 18, 2013.

The opening receptions are:

Thursday, April 11, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm for BCA members and Friday, April 12, 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm for the general public.

For more details about the show and workshops with the artists, visit User Required.

A Himalayan Adventure Awaits

If you've been reading the blog recently, you’ve been learning about our work with Edge of Seven to build schools for girls in Nepal. Now here’s your chance to experience this part of the world for yourself!

FROM VERMONT TO NEPAL

THE EVEREST BASE CAMP EXPEDITION TREK

 

Join TruexCullins and Edge of Seven this October for an exciting and adventurous trek to Everest Base Camp, where we will push our personal limits and experience the beauty of the Himalayas - all while helping girls in Nepal access an education!

LOCATION:  Everest Region Nepal
DATES:        Oct 19 - Nov 8, 2013
COST:          $3,300*

INCLUDES: All food on trek, in-country lodging; transport, permits, guides and porters, fundraising requirements and 24/7 support

This trek will cover the basic Everest Base Camp route over the duration of 21 days. We will have two days in Kathmandu at the beginning and end of the trek to sightsee and rest.

Our journey will begin with a short flight to Lukla, the gateway to the Khumbu Region. We will hike along the Dudh Kosi River and through the Khumbu National Park, stopping at small villages, cultural and religious sites. The trek will take us to the Mt. Everest Base Camp and Kala Patthar, a peak of 18,200 feet with excellent views of Everest, the Khumbu icefall, Lhotse, Nuptse, and Pumori.


Trek Route. Click to Enlarge

Optional Climb of Island Peak

Trekkers looking to add more adventure to their trip can opt to add 3 additional days for a 24-day itinerary that includes a climb of Island Peak (Ima Tse), a popular mountain for climbers that stands at 20,305 ft.

Alternatively, trekkers interested in taking a more cultural route through the small villages of the Lower Solokhumbu can extend their stay to view Edge of Seven’s schools and girls’ hostels in the villages of Phuleli, Basa and Salleri.




* Prices do not include international airfare. The Island Peak climb adds 3 additional days and $800 to the trip total. Trekkers opting for the cultural tour of Edge of Seven’s projects should contact Edge of Seven for a custom itinerary and pricing:  www.edgeofseven.org 

For more information about the Everest Base Camp trek, visit http://edgeofseven.org/Adventure.html

You can also download the complete itinerary of the 21-day trip (8 page pdf) from the Edge of Seven website:

http://edgeofseven.org/VOLUNTEER%20TRAVEL/Edge%20of%20Seven_2013%20Everest%20Base%20Camp%20Trek_Itinerary.pdf

And to speak to us about our plans for this trip, or to discuss joining us yourself, call our office at 802-658-2775 and speak with Sparky Millikin or Carmen George.

 

Building Hope for the Women of Nepal

Last week we announced an exciting new campaign with Edge of Seven, a 501(3)c non-profit organization that works to build infrastructure and provide opportunity for women and girls in rural Nepal. Edge of Seven typically partners with local groups in Nepal to facilitate their projects and ensure that they are community focused and locally driven.

Edge of Seven joined one such group, The Small World, and together they have introduced an innovative and sustainable building method for the construction of new schools for Nepalese villages.

A SUSTAINABLE BUILDING SOLUTION

EARTHBAG CONSTRUCTION

Earthbag construction uses readily-available polypropylene rice bags filled with dirt as primary building blocks. The bags are laid in courses, like bricks, and covered with chicken wire and plaster.

This building method is environmentally friendly, sturdy and earthquake-resistant. Building with earthbags is affordable and requires less skilled labor than traditional masonry construction, allowing community volunteers to participate in the construction.

The first earthbag school in Nepal was built in the village of Phuleli, completed one year ago in February 2012. The facility, located in Nepal’s Everest Region, houses classes 7 and 8, enabling more students to receive an education in a safe and healthy learning environment closer to home.

Phuleli is a community plagued by poverty. 90% of families live off of subsistence farming and many families cannot afford to send their students to school. Previously, classes 7 and 8 had to walk 2 hours daily to a neighboring village to attend school. Many families chose to keep their girls at home, concerned about the large volume of household chores and the time away from the fields.

Another project was recently completed in the village of Basa. Up until this time, there had been only one higher secondary school in the Everest region of Nepal to serve 34 Village Development Committees and a total population of 107,686 people. The Government of Nepal approved the addition of a second higher secondary school in Basa, one of the largest communities with a population of approximately 4,000, to educate 150 students per year.

This is a two stage building project that is constructing two structures using the earthbag method. Each building is a two room structure that can hold up to 45 students per room. Again this project is being built in partnership with the local community and Nepali NGO, The Small World.

We are happy to share the stories of these successful projects by Edge of Seven, but our real interest lies in another project with them, one in which TruexCullins is taking a more active part.   More on that next time...

A New Venue for the Big Game, on the Field and on the Ice

This is it, sports fans: the weekend you’ve all been waiting for. (cue football music) On Sunday all eyes will be on New Orleans for the biggest sports event of the year.

This will be the seventh Super Bowl played at the Louisiana Superdome (now rebranded as the Mercedes-Benz Superdome). This impressive arena opened in 1975 and soon became a major draw for its size and location. More recently, in 2005 it suffered major damage from hurricane Katrina and became the symbol of institutional failure in the wake of a disaster.

But this year marks a new beginning for the aging structure. With a major renovation complete that spanned 6 years and cost $300 million, the Superdome may seem like a brand new building, inside and out, to the millions of fans tuning in.

If you’re still reading, you’re probably wondering what our connection is to this modern architectural landmark. Well, this is the moment in the TruexCullins blog when we roll out our design for the new 70,000 seat sports arena that will soon grace the Burlington waterfront.

Well, not quite. But we can share a sports facility renovation project that’s a little more… Vermont-style.

While modest in comparison to this weekend’s Super Bowl site, this project nonetheless would have made a notable difference for some local skaters. The project is an addition to one of our community ice rinks.

The building currently consists of two ice rinks connected by a long walkway. The design on the drawing board connects the two sides with a new addition that provides a suite of new amenities. A new Pro Shop, concessions, seating areas, offices and locker rooms all occupy a central location, with direct access to each of the rinks. The project improves circulation for players and spectators, and it unites the two rinks under the same roof with a singular grand entrance.

Unfortunately, this project can be filed under ‘Unbuilt Works’ due to a detour on the road to construction. This is a story not uncommon in the world of real estate and development, as many projects never get off the ground. But perhaps some day this addition will be built, and perhaps some day millions of viewers will tune in to watch two teams go head to head on the ice in northern Vermont.