Measure Once, Cut Twice

Changing Skyline

2011-03-19T08:13:00.000-07:00

I've got a new post up at my new blog location. Check it out.
http://dewade.ca/

View from my windows

2011-03-12T19:53:00.001-08:00

Please visit dewade.ca for my latest blog entry.

Moving on up

2011-03-10T05:30:00.000-08:00

I haven't been posting entries for a bit. The reason is that I have been working on setting up a new blog. Say so long to blogger, and say hello to wordpress.

The contents of this blog will stay the same, but will be found at a new location.

So, please visit me at dewade.ca.

Thanks to all my faithful followers, and I sincerely hope you will join me over there for greater and grander adventures.

Wade

Things about Regina - Pt.4

2011-01-21T19:20:00.000-08:00

This will be my last post in this series. Farewell Regina.

TITLE: Wascana, the Leg, and the geese.

Saskatoon may be proud of it's beautiful river and the Meeswasin park system along it, but Wascana park in Regina can certainly be ranked in the same category of a beautiful park setting. The Wascana Centre (click here) includes the lake, the leg, etc., and holds the distinction of being larger than Central Park, and is the 4th largest urban park in North America.

It is home to an large population of migratory Canadian Geese, so much so that each year they round up a bunch and relocate them somewhere else...I dunno where.

And of course, the Saskatchewan Legislative Building is a wonder. Really, I could do a whole series of posts on it alone. Built in 1908 to 1912, and is actually the largest capital building in Canada. Tours are free to the public.

During my last 8 months in Regina, I would walk through the park everyday to work. I miss those walks. In the evening, when I would stroll past the gas lanterns that burned perpetually, I would feel like I was in Narnia or something.

Things about Regina - Pt.3

2011-01-12T19:56:00.000-08:00

Well, even though I have now been living in Saskatoon for the better part of three weeks, I still want to finish up my "Things about Regina" series.

This entry is about graffiti. In Regina, there seems to be an influx of building owners that have intentionally graffiti on their property. This stuff that has evidently been commissioned by the building owner, as it is far more than a simple "tag" and is not removed.

This is exterior art, and done well it kinda spruces up the urban landscape. It makes it more interesting, like hanging art in your home. This is only a sampling of what has been done.

Along 13th Ave on a business I can't recall at the moment.

Here are two ladies who didn't appreciate the un-commissioned graffiti on their building.

On Viet Thai...oh how I miss your noodle bowls and coconut curry soup!Another one along 13th. This one has been there for a while.
The sign says the Freehouse, but it is actually the back wall of Viet Thai.
On the alley side of the confectionery on 13th Ave.

So You Want To Become An Architect

2010-12-08T19:35:00.000-08:00

I did, until I saw this video! (warning - content advisory)

Things about Regina - Pt.2

2010-11-03T16:07:00.001-07:00

These may seem like unrevealing photos, but the big, square grey object in the middle is a great solution to an ubiquitous problem in architecture.

These photos were taken behind the UofR's College Ave. campus (beind Darke Hall in particular), otherwise known as "Old Campus." It consists of 4 buildings, some of which date back to the turn of the 20th century. This sculptural looking element actually encloses all the mechanical equipment (heating and a/c equipment) for one of the buildings. The equipment couldn't be placed on the roof, as it is a sloped roof with SLATE tiles, and instead of just plunking it on the ground behind a chain link fence, they (I need to find out who exactly) built this item to shield it from view. If you look closely in the last aerial photo, you can actually see the condenser fans.

Genius! Much more attractive to look at. You don't know the equipment is there.

Things about Regina - Pt.1

2010-10-26T19:30:00.000-07:00

Since I will be moving away from Regina come Christmas time, I've decided to do a series about things I find interesting about this city.

Today's entry is about the Holy Rosary Cathedral, in the aptly named Cathedral Area.

It's on 13th Ave., which is one of the trendier, more "artistic" areas of the city. It was completed in 1917, and though I've never been inside, I often look towards the two spires which are visible from a long distance away. I will often see them, and feel a level of architectural satisfaction. I guess I may have to go to church there once before I leave. Add that to the "Regina Bucket List." Click here for their website. You should check it out, as there is some very interesting art inside that they have photos of.

Sukkah

2010-10-18T12:03:00.000-07:00

For more info on what this is all about, click here or here.

Union Square's High-Concept Sukkahs from Jewish Forward on Vimeo.

Wikiarquitectura

2010-10-13T22:57:00.000-07:00

I came across this website.

It's like Wickipedia for architecture. It's pretty good for quick referencing, and even has some CAD files for download. Not much Canadian content yet, though.

It's all about balance

2010-10-07T20:05:00.000-07:00

"I always want the younger architects to take their headphones off because they’re missing 95% of what goes on in the office by not being aware – hearing other conversations, listening to other people talking about different projects. At the same time, I have full respect for people on deadline who have to get something done, who need to do what they can do block out everything else so they can make that deadline. So, it’s kind of a balance."

N.Scott Johnson - Richard Meier & Partners Architects

Beauty and the Beast

2010-09-27T21:50:00.000-07:00

I was out on site doing a quick inspection, and it was near dusk on the prairies. For those of you not privileged to have witnessed a prairie sunset...well, they are captivating and calming, but a bit foreboding because you know the cold, dark night looms. Unless you like cold, dark nights, then it draws nigh. It's all about spinning the words to create the mood you want.

Anyway...the contrast between machine and nature, between hard lines and soft lines, between urbanism and the rural setting all swirled together into a interesting moment.

Joseph Pettick, Architect, dies

2010-09-23T16:10:00.001-07:00

Joseph Pettick, the founder of the firm that I work for, passed away this past week. He was a prolific and well-known designer in Regina and beyond. He built some landmark buildings in Saskatchewan including the SaskPower Head Office, Regina City Hall, the SGI Tower, and the "Crushed Can" Civic Centre in Moose Jaw.

Below are a few links to different tributes in his honour.

Joseph Pettick, Regina architect, dies

Photos: Joseph Pettick's work defines downtown Regina

Bravo!FACT Shorts by Province : The Man Who Built My Childhood

Urban Planning

2010-09-19T19:58:00.000-07:00

So, the City of Regina is re-developing the downtown core to make it more vibrant, and designed so certain streets that can be shut-down to accommodate pedestrian activity. Theoretically a beautiful idea, though I will wait to see how it actually turns out. They've begun the construction. And as a commuter-cyclist, I look forward to how this might mean more dedicated bike lanes.

But....

....the construction-dudes clearly don't understand the future-intent. I pity the poor person who lost their bike to the machine that is supposed to make their life easier. Does anyone else see the irony in this?

Kudos to Rheinhold's Monkey for the photo.

Let's play a game

2010-09-12T21:56:00.000-07:00

I am going to "Google" each letter of the alphabet, and list what the number one prompt is for each letter.

A - Air Canada

B - BMO

C - Canadian Tire

D - Dictionary

E - Ebay

F - Facebook

G - Gmail

H - Hotmail

I - Ikea

J - Job bank

K - Kijiji

L - Lotto Max

M - Map Quest

N - NHL

O - OSAP

P - PayPal

Q - Quotes

R - Rogers

S - Skype

T - TSN

U - Utube

V - Via Rail

W - Walmart

X - XBox

Y - Youtube

Z - Zellers

Now, I don't know if the prompts are paid for positions like the website listings are, or if they are based on popularity. I am going to assume the former. Why, you ask? Well, I count 2 (maybe 3) out of 26 that aren't corporations. Still think you aren't being told what to think?

The canoe trip - Part 2

2010-09-10T22:02:00.000-07:00

Northern Architecture

When you are up in northern Saskatchewan, vernacular architecture seems to rule the world, and understandably so. Typically...and forgive my generalizations...those who live in the northern lakes region are more concerned about fundamentals: food, shelter, water. Whether they were born there, moved there, or vacation there, it is the outdoors that consumes, that is the prevalent force, that is the passion. Shelter is a means, not the end, and thus it is made with local materials, to a local design, to suit the local purpose. Now, there are exceptions, and I will show you one below.

On our trip, we encountered 4-5 varieties of construction. In my opinion, 3 of them were vernacular (built for a purpose more than for an aesthetic), and the other two were built to mimic that style.

1. The hamlet of Missinipe. (no photo)
This town was rather touristy, though small, and many of the buildings were lavish, but designed to look rustic. That is not truly vernacular, b/c the aesthetic came first to match the log-cabin look. However, many of the buildings, like the local store, are seemingly built solely to serve their reason for existence.

2. The steel bridge over Otter Rapids.
Is it vernacular? Despite its utilitarian design, I'd say no. The materials are not local, and some effort was put in into making it look nice.

3. The housing on the nearby Reserve.
I am torn on this one. The houses are extremely basic, and are built from "sort of" local materials. They serve the purpose of providing shelter, and not much more. They aren't much to look at, so function was of higher priority than form. However, the housing design is southern. It is not the log cabin look, but maybe that look is no longer the local style. Maybe using sheet goods is the new vernacular...it certainly would be cheaper.

4. Bush cabins littering the lakes.
These are my favorite, and they are ubiquitous. Summer residences, built with what appears to be local cord wood, for the purpose of providing a holiday crash pad. Squished into whatever open, flat space that can be found, they almost look like they were sprouted and grown rather than built.

5. Other (ie. tents, trailers, mega-cabins, etc.)
Then there is this thing we came across on one of the larger islands. This cabin was a monster, and it was brand-new. It had connections for power, plumbing that brought water in from the lake, and million dollar view. I hope the view is worth it, b/c it likely cost a million dollars to build it. The irony is that is is built as a log cabin, but I guarantee the logs did not come from anywhere nearby. Definitely not vernacular, as posers don't count.

I am not sure what point I am trying to make here. Perhaps I am just more publicly exploring the concepts discussed within this post, in an effort to understand it all better.

The Canoe trip - Part 1

2010-09-07T20:48:00.000-07:00

This post will be about the trip itself. The next entry coming tomorrow will be about "northern architecture."
My sister, who is a home-school educator, organized a trip for several home school kids, and asked myself and a couple of other guys to help guide it. There were 7 teenagers were took out on a three-day trip.
Itinerary: Depart Missinipe, SK on Thursday morning, spend three nights out, completing a 35 km loop along parts of the Churchill River.
Reality: we went faster than expected, and to beat the weather, we spent the third night back at base camp.
Click here for a description of the route we took.

Map of the area posted at the boat launch in Missinipe.The fog that greeted us the first morning at Missinipe as we prepared to head out.Being an odd-numbered group, I spent my fair share of time soloing a canoe. A new and fantastic experience for me.We couldn't have asked for better weather the first two days.The island we would call home for the first night. It was the only level spot we could find for miles around.
How many tents can you cram into a space not quite large enough? My tent was perilously close to the edge of the island, and to the campfire!
The view from my tent the second morning.

Notice the one girl that managed to find the teeniest ledge in the sun to curl up in.

Heading into one of three portages we had to do. This one was the easiest, at 90 flat metres.
The group posing along the portage (missing - myself and my sister).
A little horsing around after a different, much harder and sweatier portage.
Checking out some ancient Indian pictographs.
Attempting to make pizza buns the second night.
The only photo I have of the last day is when we were back at Missinipe, making supper in the rain. The day ad been fairly windy, and though it was a tail wind, it still was not my top priority to whip out the old camera while negotiating white caps. All in all, a very nice trip.

Living Pictures

2010-08-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

A co-worker of mine found out about an event hosted by the Dunlop Art Gallery, asked me if I would enter, and so I said sure.Apparently this is an age-old tradition for people to re-create paintings, but I had never heard of it before. There were prizes to be had - four judged prize categories that I can't recall, plus the "people's choice award" - which the public passer's-by could vote on. This is the painting we decided to "interpret." It is by Lucas Cranach the Elder, and was painted in 1526.There were eight entrants in the competition this year, and we had to have our living painting on display from 4:30-6:00 in Victoria Park. Next time, we will choose a painting where our hands aren't in the air for and hour and a half!
We were the winner's of the people's choice award, and each received a $50 gift certificate to the downtown mall. Also, if you live in Regina, be sure to watch CTV news tonite (Wednesday), as they interviewed us while we were in our pose.

Rockwall - Day 5 of 5

2010-08-14T21:10:00.000-07:00

date: August 8, 2010
itinerary: Helmet Falls to Paint Pots (parking lot)
trail: 14.9 kms, total descent 1,073'
weather: low 20's, mostly sunny, calm

By this point, we were ready to exit the trail. This section of trail is quite unremarkable, as it is basically path to get where you need to go. In a way it was good to do this last, because we were tired and sore, and this trail required little from us except time. There were rolling sections, but nothing too major. There is a campground halfway, where we saw a family camping along a nice creek, but for the life of me I can't understand why you would stay there. The trail is a boring slog through the trees, and there is no view or anything to do there. You may as well go all the way to Helmet Falls for the little extra effort that is required.On the previous day, we averaged a hiking speed of anywhere from 2.5 to 3.5 kms/hr. Luke, who had done this trail before, figured we could do the 15 kms in 5 hours, including breaks. That would be 3 kms/hr, including breaks.

So, Luke set the pace. I always took up the rear because my knee could slow me down on the downhill sections. But, they set a blinding pace, and I was determined to keep up. On the short downhill sections we were border-line running, which is a terrible idea with a forty pound pack on your back, and with wet tree roots underfoot.We stopped only twice for water. At the midway point, Gary took over the pace, and it went even faster.We reached our destination in 3.25 hours! I have never in my life hiked that fast. My feet were swollen for four days after, but it was a great new experience for me. I just kept my head down, found a happy meditative place to take my mind off the boredom of tree after tree, and just went.

The Paint Pots were kinda neat. Some sorta natural phenomenon, crawling with tourists. Honestly, we didn't really linger there, but just finished the last 1.5 kms to the parking lot, feeling sorta like heroes for burning up that trail, and feeling strange to be mixed in with all of the SUV-bound picture-takers.

Reaching the end of the trail always leaves me with mixed emotions.

You are glad to finally have some creature comforts, but at the cost of being overwhelmed with "civilization" once again. It only takes one good meal, a hot shower and a sleep in your own bed to make you feel rested and wanting to turn around and head out back out there again. When you are out in the back country, watching a weather system move in, and measuring to make sure you have enough trail mix left for each day, every thought and action can be so simply profound. Somehow, when you out there, no matter how much you like your job, or how good your life is, everything seems more real. You feel more alive.

"He was sounding the deeps of his nature, and of the parts of his nature that were deeper than he, going back into the womb of Time." - Jack London, "The Call of the Wild" Ch.3.

Rockwall - Day 4 of 5

2010-08-13T21:33:00.000-07:00

date: August 7, 2010
itinerary: Tumbling Creek to Helmet Falls
trail: 11.6 kms, total altitude gain 1,148', total descent 1,558'
weather: low to mid teens, mostly cloudy, rain off and on during afternoon and eveningLooking back at Tumbling Pass and Tumbling Glacier, where we stopped for lunch the day before. In between, the valley with Tumbling Creek and the campground.

As spectacular as Floe Lake was on day one, this was my favorite day of the trip. It was cloudy, and rainy at times, but, as I mentioned before, I love rambling above the tree line, and we got to do a lot of that this day. It was cloudy, and moody, and slightly foreboding, which put me into a great head space. Ever since I was a little shaver, I found some level of satisfaction in pitting myself against the elements. I used to bundle up and head out into blizzards, just because it felt cool to be able to survive in moderately difficult conditions. It somehow seems appropriate for it to be overcast when you are up there.The Rockwall Pass itself is quite long, at several kms, unlike the others which are more of a ridge. At it's high point of 7,349' there is a 500m metre westward diversion to Wolverine Pass at 7,250'. This is a dramatic pass, as it is right on the park boundary, and flanked by the two sentinel peaks of Mount Gray on the south side (9,843') and Mount Drysdale on the north sid (9,620'). In clear conditions, the westward view reveals clear-cutting in the distance, but we had a much more inspiring view of a lake of clouds over the valley. It reminded me somewhat of one of my favorite paintings . click here

Mount Gray at Wolverine Pass

Mount Drysdale at Wolverine Pass, with the Rockwall leading away from it to the north.

We managed to flush out some grouse or ptarmigan, or whatever they were (maybe Daniel can elucidate me), which gave me a sudden craving for Swiss Chalet. But we let them be.

The awe-inspiring Rockwall that I was looking forward to seeing in person. It feels like that, if it were in the mood, it could reach down and squish you like a bug. I am not sure why Luke is walking in that direction. The trail led us north, which put the Rockwall over our left shoulder. Oh well, maybe he was posing or something.

As we began to descend out of the pass, we came across this bizarre tree. I think it may be a Larch, which the area is known for, but am not 100% certain because it is so strange looking. Larch are a coniferous tree, but they lose they needles in the winter like deciduous trees do.
When we got to the campground at Helmet Falls, we quickly set up our tent, then took off for another 30 minute walk and climb to get to the base of the falls. These falls are one of the highest in the Canadian Rockies, at 1154 feet high with two drops. They are quite spectacular and powerful, and especially rewarding to view since you only hikers can see them. No lazy vehicle bound tourists out here.The campground was nearly deserted except for one other group, but we never actually saw them because they were a long ways off from us. This sense of isolation was a great way to round off the day, as it really felt like we had disappeared into the wild at that point. To top it off, since it was raining off and on, and rather cool out, we chose to cook and hang out in the "living room" which was right next our tent. It was a natural figure-8 hollow in amongst the trees which provided shelter from the wind and the rain if it was light, thus we could stay dry and comfortable without living in the tent (even though we still spent a considerable amount of time in the tent....long enough for me to read the "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London in only two rainy evenings). Plus, it has right next to a creek, so getting water for cooking was much easier. It felt like we were really roughin-it, which, again, I enjoyed on some ethereal level which I hope I am succeeding in conveying.

Rockwall - Day 3 of 5

2010-08-12T17:03:00.000-07:00

date: August 6, 2010
itinerary: Numa Creek to Tumbling Creek
trail: 7.9 kms, altitude gain 2,248', descent 1,050'
weather: high teens, mostly cloudy, rain off and on during evening and nightThe ubiquitous Indian Paintbrush Flower

This morning would turn out to be a brutal climb as well. Though it was spread out more than the climb on day 1, coming in at 2,220 feet in 5.3 kms, it was through very dewy and dense short growth, with no air movement. It felt more like you were hiking in the tropics, complete with the requisite embarrassing level of perspiration. But we eventiually broke past the tree line once again, and I could have climbed indefinitely at that point...well, not really, because the last 1000 feet of scree slope switch backs were even steeper.This is when we finally broke the tree (a.k.a. rain forest) line, looking back at the valley from where we came.From there we got to linger towards Tumbling Pass, which reached 7,251', where we stopped to have lunch. It was starting to cloud over at that point, and the winds alway pick up at the ridge lines, so it was getting a little cool.
However, we did finally manage to spot some wildlife (aside from the porcupine that showed up at camp the night before). On the slope face across the valley from us, next to Tumbling Glacier, we spied a mountain goat. It was so far away that even with binoculars we couldn't tell if it was a billy or not, but we could see it moseying around. Can you pick it out in the photo below?It is just below and to the right of the small snow patch in the middle of the imageTumbling glacier

From there we descended back into the valley once again, with a very gentle descent, towards Tumbling Creek campground. Presumably the glacier feeds the creek, and just before you get to the campground, a bridge takes you over a small canyon. It wasn't until we got back to our vehicle a few days later that we discovered if we had traveled 0.3 kms down a side trail we ignored, we could have seen this canyon creek/river go over a 300' waterfall. Oops!Tumbling Creek is kind of a lame-o campground, made only more boring and annoying by the rain that started to come. We timed it "perfect" that we wound up eating supper during the rain, and snoozing in the tent when it was sunny. Just a bit of an off day all around I guess. That weather system never left us alone for the rest of the trip, and though it didn't rain a whole bunch, the threat was always there, and we did get wet a few times.Gary did manage to snap a snazzy artistic shot of a Nalgene bottle. It is amazing how much water becomes a focus of your life, when you have to filter everything you drink cold, and you only carry a couple of one-litre bottles with you during high levels of activity. My tip of the day...juice crystals...especially the single portion servings of energy drink that you can buy. Mmmmm, electrolytes.The other focus was blister control. Here, Luke and I are prepping our heels in the morning with moleskin and medical tape. Once you get going, though, the adrenalin seems to numb the discomfort.

Rockwall - Day 2 of 5

2010-08-11T22:51:00.000-07:00

date: August 5, 2010
itinerary: Floe Lake to Numa Creek
trail: 9.5 kms, altitude gain 1,033', descent 2,723'
weather: low 20's, mostly sunny, slight windFloe Lake 1000 feet below, 2.7 kms away

We started the morning with a climb, but a much more gentle one, to Numa Pass. This would be the highest elevation we would reach on the trail, topping out officially at 7,726', though we then dropped our packs and did a scramble up a ridge for few hundred more feet.in this photo, looking west, Floe Lake to the left, Numa Creek to the right, Gary and Luke scrambling the ridge

There are few things I enjoy more than hiking above the tree line, where the world lays below you, and you are totally exposed. That does more for me spiritually than a month of Sundays. It feels so primal and satisfying to be fully aware of how insignificant you are compared to the planet, yet so intimately connected with it.the trail we came up is sort of visible in the centre of the image

We were lucky enough to have blue skies this day as well, and the view back down to Floe Lake was...was...nearly beyond words. We could grasp the full extent of the lake finally, and see the entire cliff face without having to turn our heads to take it all in.On the pass ridge, what really struck me was the contrast in scales...from the sheer mass of rock surrounding us, to the teeniest of flowers growing right of a shale scree slope. And there were these delicate shale formations that stuck straight up like razor blades on edge.
After lingering, we began "the descent." 2,700' down over switchbacks, mercifully spread out over 6.8 kms. Still, I strapped on the knee brace, and took my sweet time. The last thing I wanted was for my old ACL injury to hobble me by placing a mis-step and twisting it.At long last, and with two fresh blisters for both Luke and myself, we reached camp in the mid-afternoon. It was a long boring, climb down to the valley, but the site was quite nice. The tent pads were on one side of Numa Creek, and the eating area on the other, with a not so stable bridge in between.Here it looks like Gary is stomping his foot to Luke's harmonica playing, but I think he is just trying to break up the dead fall we collected for the fire

And never in all my days have I been at a back-country site that had a firepit. That was a really nice treat...to get us psyched up for the climb we had waiting for us the next day.

Rockwall - Day 1 of 5

2010-08-10T19:42:00.000-07:00

date: August 4, 2010
itinerary: Hwy 93 trailhead to Floe Lake
trail: 10.5 kms, altitude gain 2,346'
weather: low 20's, mostly sunny, calmWade: foreground with white hat (architectural technologist)
Gary: middle with glasses and dark hair (carpenter with Habitat for Humanity)
Luke: background with shades and stylin' bandana (teacher)

click on all images for larger views

The Rockwall Trail (see map on previous post) is a part of the incomplete Great Divide Trail which follows the Continental Divide, and is named because of the 55km long massive limestone cliff that is parallels. There are 4 main campgrounds, with "bailout" trails from each leading to the highway. We chose to do the entire trail in 5 days/4 nights, from south to north, and would do so again if we were to hike the trail again, but it seems most people go the opposite direction. We preferred this direction mainly because of the nature of the climbs and descents in the middle of the trail are more desirable to do in the direction we went.
Our first day has been described by some "as one of the few trails in the Rockies I dread," and for good reason. The trail gains over 2300 feet, but doesn't do so until the last 2-3 kms, which is a demoralizing first day to say the least. It was honestly the toughest climb I've done in my backpacking career.The trail leads through a burn area from 2003, which affords some unique vistas, and an overabundance of undergrowth due to increased sunlight exposure. It was incredibly humid, and the plants were up to my shoulders at points. All the sweat and strain is well worth it, though, when you hit Floe Lake, named for the ice floes that are sometimes seen floating in it. Crystal clear blue, and highly reflective of the 3500' cliff surrounding two-thirds of it. The shore line was covered with some of the most incredible rock specimens...shale, quartz, and mutli-layered ones that my dad might know what they are. Gary found a chunk of pure quartz the size of a baseball that now belongs to his daughter.I longed to stay in the Warden's cabin, but it was locked tighter than, well, something locked really tight. It had a little stream beside it entering into the lake, but we couldn't locate the outlet, which led us to believe that the lake may drain underground somewhere at the south end. The only drawback to this campground against the others...for some reason it had far more mosquitoes and biting black flies.
In the morning, when the sunrise hit the east face of the cliff, and the water was undisturbed, it was hard to tell where the mountain stopped and the water began. And, off and on, we kept hearing rocks tumbling off the face, though we could never visually see them.

Rockwall - Day 0

2010-08-09T10:12:00.001-07:00

Itinerary;
- drive from Regina to Calgary
- eat at Peters Drive In and shop at M.E.C.
- drive to Kootenay National Park
- tent-squat for the night at the "Paint Pots" parking lot at what would be the end of the trail
- the next morning, we planned to drive 10kms further down the highway to the trail head parking lot, drop off our gear and two of us...the third (Gary) would drive back to the first parking lot and hitch a ride back to meet us
- this allows us to complete the trail-loop, with our vehicle waiting for us when we return in 5 days
Sorting gear at the Paint Pots parking lot the evening before we head out.

Backpacking-Itinerary

2010-08-02T16:51:00.001-07:00

I am off on a backpacking trip with a couple of buddies. I haven't been hiking since long before I was married, so this will be a chance to see if I can still live up to my former glory. This is no sissy trail, either, so I am a little worried about the old knee injury holding up. But I've been working hard all winter and spring to get in shape, so hopefully I be able to show the younger wipper-snappers a thing or two.
We are doing the Rockwall Trail in Kootenay National Park, which is just inside the B.C. border, a ways past Banff. We are on the trail for 4 nights / 5 days, and will be covering 55 kms, and going over three major mountain passes. We peak out at 7726 feet elevation, with a base elevation starting point of 4347 feet. We trace the pass of the Rockwall limestone cliff, which is about 1600' high. Our first day, we climb 2300 feet in less than a 10 km stretch of trail. You do the math to average the slope. The other days are all similar.We hit the trail Wednesday morning, starting at the Floe Lake trail, and come off on Sunday afternoon at the Paint Pots parking lot. We are camping at: Floe Lake, Numa Creek, Tumbling Creek, and Helmet Falls.
I'll post my own pictures and some more details when I get back, but for now here is a map of the trail. Also, click on this link to go to a good blog of some guys who did the same trail last year, though on a slightly different schedule.

chip knives

2010-07-18T19:42:00.001-07:00

Apparently that previous post about the church was my 200th blog entry. Kewl!

I had a new purchase arrive in my mail box last week. I ordered a coupla chip knives from Lee Valley. I had a gift card to use that I got from my pal Matt (He works there 'n stuff, and I MC'd his wedding so he owed me), so I decided to get some smaller carving knives to complement the nice piece of bass (?) wood he also got me.

I've been planning on taking up carving for some time now, and even received a book on carving last year. However, I want to start small, and my wife would like some hand-carved light switch covers, which is a perfect project for the wood I now have. However, my current (un-used) carving set is a bit too large for such small work I think.
Anyway, I'll keep you posted.

My time right now, however, is consumed with trying to design a tattoo I want to get before I move away from Regina by the end of the year.

How not to

2010-07-13T19:52:00.000-07:00

I was at my sisters wedding recently in Langha m, SK. The event was held at Zoar Mennonite church, which is celebrating it's 100th anniversary this weekend. And, if you like pancake breakfasts or Roll Kuchen as much as I do, you'll want to head down there this Saturday. Moar (get it?) information is available here.

Now, I did a closer inspection of the church, and the original portion of the church building may be 100 years old, but I am skeptical of which parts. The basement is rather new, and the additions are new as well. But the rest of the building seems to be in remarkable condition for that age. But it could be the sanctuary portion, with its beautiful, sloped, theatre-esque floor.

Speaking of additions...I've been thinking of doing a series on ugly churches, but I feel like I might have to walk on egg shells if I did that. Plus, I am not a big fan of open criticism. It is much harder to come up with good design than it is to criticize mediocre or bad design.

That said, what is with destroying the essence of the style of a building with a brutal add-on? This one isn't even at the back of the building, away from the street and from view. And the exterior service stairs on the front are just the icing on the icky cake. I believe that churches...hold onto your hats all you iconoclasts...that the church should be a beautiful structure to help inspire one's thought's towards the heavens.

They must have built a model of the original church for the celebrations, and you can see, humble though it be, that it had a certain vernacular elegance to it. The one end simply had stairs, while the other had some sort of apse at the eastern end. See, that's nice, and it's even consistent with pre-reformation style with putting the altar at the eastern end.

The newly constructed apse done at some point is okay, and effort was clearly put into retaining the origianl style of the building. But what hack put that horrid, utilitarian box at the western end?

Commercial

2010-06-20T20:52:00.000-07:00

My new favorite sketching pens...Staedtler Triplus Fineliner
A big part of learning how to be an architect is learning how to sketch and draw. If you can't communicate your ideas, how do you ever expect to get people to buy into them?
Of course, nowadays, it is almost easier to using computer modelling software to sketch ideas, but that isn't always an option. Say, for instance, you are in a meeting or meeting a client on site or for lunch, and you don't have a computer at hand. Plus, the sketch needs to come to reality within seconds, then you need to whip out the pen and paper. Also, I like the feeling of putting ink and graphite to paper. It's a very primal feeling to hand draw your ideas.
I like to practice by simply re-creating images in mags and books of ideas that I like.
So, I've discovered these pens. They have nice colours, and a smooth feeling as they run across the paper. The ink flows nice, they are a triangular shaped barrel for easy grip, the tip doesn't dry out if left un-capped, and they aren't too expensive.
Check them out here.

Sask.'s oldest building turns 150

2010-06-10T11:16:00.000-07:00

I was there last summer on my canoe trip.
http://dewade.blogspot.com/2009/08/suumer-adventure-3.html

Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Stanley Mission, Saskatchewan's oldest building, marks its 150 anniversary Thursday...read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2010/06/09/sk-stanley-mission-church-1860-1069.html#ixzz0qTXqyfxl

Proposal

2010-05-26T17:37:00.000-07:00

Museum Plaza, a $490 million, 1.5-million-square-foot skyscraper, is under construction in downtown Louisville, one of three multi-million-dollar projects set to be completed by late 2010 and spring 2011 in the Kentucky city.

This was just the proposal presentation the New York firm REX put together to get the job! Pretty impressive stuff, regardless of the design of the building. (turn your sound on)

Re-purposed

2010-05-17T06:50:00.001-07:00

Crystal found some used bricks for free on UsedRegina.com, so we scooted on over and picked a few up. Now we have a firepit in our backyard. It was kinda satisfying the knock the mortar off of the bricks to give them a new life, and as I was doing so I couldn't help but think "just a few thousand more and I could build a pizza oven by our deck. The lowest course of brick I turned on their sides so that the holes provided natural air flow, and they also allow the heat to escape more readily which helps for keeping your toes warm.

My personal structure

2010-05-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

Many of you are aware that I have scoliosis (abnormal curvature of the spine). I have what is called an idiopathic right thoracic c-curve, which means that I've had it my whole life, and the middle of my back forms a c-shape. Some people develop it later in life for various reasons, and some have an s-shape curve.
My back has been bothering me more lately, likely due to working out more, or perhaps becoming a full-time desk jockey. In either event, based on the advice of my sis, I've pursued yoga therapy for it at the Bodhi Tree Yoga Studio, which is near our house. It is a very interesting class, full of people with different back ailments.The yoga therapist wanted to see some x-rays of my back, so for the first time since I was a kid, I got my back x-ray'd, and sure enough there it was. It is weird to see something "for the first time" despite being so familiar with how it affects me. You can see how the spine above my pelvis (lumbar) is straight, then it bends to the right (thoracic) then straightens out again at my neck (cervical).I've also included a picture that illustrates it more clearly. My situation is shown on the left. What really surprised me was how abruptly the curve starts and ends...very little transition curve. Maybe someday I'll post a picture of my humped back when I bend at the waist.

My structure is crooked.

Procrastination

2010-05-10T07:04:00.000-07:00

How to avoid doing homework...sketch the house across the street.

this post is 292 words long

2010-04-26T11:16:00.000-07:00

I've started my studies for architecture with the RAIC Syllabus, and one of my classes is called "Introduction To Ideas." I can't believe I have to take a class about ideas in general! I tried to get out of it, but they make it mandatory for some reason, even though I have the equivalent of a university degree in arts&science.

Anyway, all of the assignments (which we are given 2 weeks to do) require 3 essays, each 250 words long, and then another little question that requires sketching usually.

Did you catch that...250 words. That's, less than a page of writing, if it is double-spaced.

My wife thinks that makes it easy, but let's take a look at the questions they give. For instance, currently I am trying to answer these questions about medieval Europe.

Explain how the Church became the holder of political power in Medieval Europe. What was, in your view, the major factor contributing to the closing down of trade routes in the Mediterranean and what affect did this have in the geo-politics of northern Europe?

Compare the role of Myth, Knowledge and Intellect in both Islam and Christian religions at the 10th century mark. How did Islam and Christianity deal the the issues of tolerance for minorities?

Why is the strengthening of the city so important to the formation of nations, or at least, national entities? Describe a contemporary example of a Port-City whose role is crucial in defining nationhood.

C'mon!! 250 words! These could easily be 10-page essays. The very first time I answered one, I crafted my intro, then checked and it alone was 350 words, and I thought it was far too concise. The challenge really is to distill the content down to the ultra-bare-minimum.

Construction Award Nominees

2010-03-25T11:43:00.000-07:00

And the winner...

Goal achieved

2010-03-15T06:53:00.000-07:00

I took up swimming last fall at the YMCA. At first I could barely swim 4 lengths of the pool before my legs burned and I was coughing up water. But a co-worker told me how, when he was a kid, swam a mile in 45 mins.

So I set myself a goal to swim a mile...36 lengths of the pool...1800 yards. On Friday I achieved my goal. It took me an hour, and I had a stomach ache after for some reason, but it felt good.

Next goal. To swim a mile in 45 minutes.

new digs

2010-03-07T16:54:00.000-08:00

We've moved. Still in Regina, but into a small house in a nice central area of the city, near the park and within walking distance to downtown (i.e. work). I tried to get some pictures of it when it was sunny, but it has been foggy here for the better part of a month. It's kinda weird, b/c the area we are in is older within a lot of 1920's-ish houses, and with the fog, it feels like we've left Kansas, and landed somewhere in Europe.
This place is actually very close to a dream I've had for a number of years. I would very much like to buy an old house in decent condition on the outside, and gut the inside to re-build it. I'd keep the period appearance of the house on the outside, and let that carry through into the interior, but fully update the features (kitchen, insulation , plumbing and the like).
I might actually get a chance to do a few reno's on this place, as the landlord wants some work done on it, and they may hire me to do them...new deck, new front stoop, maybe shingles.

Warehouse Condos

2010-02-06T19:01:00.000-08:00

I am torn about stuff like this, that is, I can't decide whether to like it or not.This is one of many warehouses in Regina that have been converted into a private condo development, which has become increasingly popular in many Canadian cities. I have seen photos of the inside, and they are very nice, and my initial reaction to them is approval. Yet, as I consider them further, not all the thoughts I have are happy ones.Likes:
- adaptive re-use of an existing building
- internal aesthetics are good for the most part, if your into the currently trendy warehouse-chic
- some of the external aesthetics, especially the retention of historic developments
- potential use of roof as a green-space (strong, flat roofs can handle the weight)

Dislikes:
- this one in particular is very plain and boring on the front - not exactly a homey facade to come home to (not that most people who live here likely ever go through the front door - parking garage to back door)
- the neighbourhood is a warehouse district - no parks or grocery stores or schools and the like nearby
- the price - too many condo developments are geared towards the affluent, leaving us "working-poor" folks to live in shit boxes because we can't afford to buy a house
- the price - click here for more info - but I found a listing for one of the suites in this building - 4800 sq.ft. for $675,000!I want to like the warehouse-chic, but I think I would struggle with the location and the price. I guess if I have to live in a condo-style place, I would prefer it to be downtown at least so I could walk to work, and the library, the YMCA, and perhaps a small grocery store.

Steve Jobs, are you reading this?

2010-01-25T20:32:00.000-08:00

You may have heard the buzz about Apple's forthcoming device that could possibly be a tablet screen dealy.
Well, I've had an idea that's even better, and I've been thinking about it for a couple of years. So, I am going to tell you all about it now, so when "they" invent it, I can say that I thought of it first.

In my line of work, we use a lot of paper to print floor plans and the like; and large too, as in 24" x 36" for the largest sheets. The problem is, we don't just print these off at the end, but we print "check sets" for meetings, mark-up's, to see it better, etc. Sometimes, to save paper, we just print off 11x17 size, but it is still a lot of paper that we go through.

I think what we need is Electronic Paper (ElPa). This could be a device that is the same size as the paper we need (11x17, 18x24, 24x36), and that we can transfer our plans to at full size...kinda like a full-sized PDF. It would look real, as if it was printed, and it would have the ability to let us write on it with special pens, and then record those mark-ups onto the PDF.

It would be able to roll up like paper, but it would stay flat when un-rolled. It could hold multiple documents, so one ElPa Device could be used at a meeting to look at all your documents. Just minimize the ones you don't want, and maximize the ones you do. This would also ease the hassle of flipping through large sheets.

Wouldn't that be nice! Who knows, maybe it's already been done.

A bit of a ramble

2010-01-24T14:54:00.000-08:00

I received this book as a present from my wife for our anniversary last fall. It is intended to accompany the carving set I received from the folks a number of years ago, which I have yet to use. The main reason I haven't used them yet is because I don't really know how...thus the book. Now all I need is wood that is appropriate to practice on.My dream would be able to work half time, and to stay at home half time to work in my (future) wood-shop. Alas, my kind of career is the kind where you pretty much need to be there all the time. Maybe in ten years when I become an architect I can figure out something to make my dream a reality.

I often get creative urges, but I feel so futile when I want to draw or sketch ideas. But when it comes to wood, if I have the time, I feel much more able to create what I imagine. I am hoping that carving will be something that I can pursue as a small hobby, where I don't need to have a big wood-shop (which I likely won't have for some time to come), and will satisfy my desire to create.

so true

2010-01-13T20:12:00.000-08:00

Tracks

2010-01-08T20:58:00.000-08:00

I need your help. What kind of tracks are these? I found them on the K&K homestead along the North Sask River. That's my size 12 boot print in the first photo, and my hand in the second. (click on the image for a larger view of it).
I am pretty sure these next ones are moose.
And I believe these are whitetail.Are they just the same as one of these other kinds of tracks, but they made an impression in the snow differently? I don't know what else they could be.

The next phase of my life begins

2010-01-05T19:04:00.000-08:00

January 5, 2010

D.E. Wade Klassen

RAIC Syllabus Diploma Program of Studies: Letter of Acceptance

Dear Mr. Klassen:
We have processed your application and are pleased to welcome you as a Diploma Program Student of the RAIC Syllabus....

Sincerely,
Jeanné Fox, Hon. MRAIC
Registrar, RAIC Syllabus National Office

small pieces of history in suspension

2009-12-20T13:57:00.000-08:00

As part of our rather regular weekly trip to Chapters/Starbucks after church, Crys and I were looking through the magazines for free (if only the coffee was free). I was flipping through MARK magazine, and I came across this engaging photo exposition by Yves Marchand & Roman Meffre. The one shown in the magazine was entitled "The Ruins of Detroit," but they have two other similar expositions available on their website.

It enthralled me because it depicts an aspect of architecture that I have always been fascinated with, but more in a morbid way than in an inspiring way. That is, the decay of architecture.We see plenty of it in rural Saskatchewan in old abandoned farmhouses and dying towns. We see it in the semi-preserved ruins of Greece and Italy and Egypt. But this photo series is smack-dab in the middle of one of the (formerly) great cities of North America. They cite de-urbanization and the subsequent plummeting population of downtown cores as the cause. I buy it. We are seeing it everywhere thanks to urban-sprawl. At least Regina and Saskatoon can be given credit for having a semblance of a plan to fight this, and to retain people downtown. We'll see how well it goes, but I want to have hope.

The historian in me is conflicted, because I find these old places so visually compelling, yet they are slightly depressing, and the carpenter/architect in me wants to restore them to some sort of usefulness. Sometimes I think I should be going into urban-planning rather than into architecture.

Why I Want to Study Architecture

2009-12-06T13:38:00.000-08:00

The following is a short essay I must submit with my application to the RAIC Syllabus, which is the organization through which I plan to study to get my architectural diploma.

The notion of buildings that speak helps us to place at the very centre of our architectural conundrums the questions of the values we want to live by – rather than merely of how we want things to look. – Alain de Botton, "The Architecture of Happiness"

Every generation of designers and architects, regardless of whether being Neoclassical, Beaux Arts, Modernist, or from any other design era, are usually products of their generation. Despite best efforts, only a few gifted individuals in each generation have the true ability to design to their own preferences, rather than to the preferences of the society in which they live. This is not to say that there aren’t currently any talented or gifted architects, but few are the individuals that shun trends and create seemingly unique building types. This is not necessarily negative, although it can render architectural trends a bit predictable. Once a culture and its resident architects develop a preference for a certain style of building, they tend to run with it for a while until the next great free thinker is able to convince the current generation otherwise.

The next proliferative style that is about to manifest itself may be labeled under the now ubiquitous term “green.” These are buildings that are driven by the perceived need to reduce how much of an impact the building has on its surrounding environment, which, as we are already beginning to see, is impacting the aesthetic of the buildings. Within a generation from now in the northern hemisphere, you may be hard-pressed to see a building with any significant windows on its northern exposure. Is this going to be a style of building defined by well-known concept “form follows function?” Yet, despite the fact that new technologies threaten the aesthetic of buildings for the practicality of polluting less and making better use of resources, this cannot be used as an excuse for weak-minded design.

On the contrary, this may be one of those times in history when architecture is driven by more than aesthetic preference, but by the values of its society, which in this case is the environmental cause. Similar occurrences have happened many times throughout history, and as much as it was true then, it is equally true now that it is the current generation of architects’ responsibility to ensure that the values of their society are respected, if indeed they are judged to be sincere and well-founded, and to make sure that they still design aesthetically pleasing buildings. That is the responsibility I set out for my career as an architect.

I am the son of a carpenter, and the need to design and construct runs through the core of who I am. I am an architectural technologist, and that practical training will no doubt influence the type of architect I become, but this, as I have said, cannot be used as an excuse for weak-minded design. For me, studying architecture will be the process I must go through to learn how to synthesize the values I have judged to be important and want my buildings to speak to, with the aesthetic style that is appropriate and pleasing. Further, I must challenge myself to not be bound by the technologies of the day, or to the style preferences of the masses to create the status quo, but to be continually re-evaluating those same values and aesthetics so that each new building is true to who I am.

ROM is ugly

2009-11-23T10:24:00.000-08:00

Check out this headline...
Toursim Website Includes Toronto Museum Addition On Ugly Buildings List

...I agree. Here is the list, in link form to some images so you can see each of the "ugly" buildings.
And, of course, someone I work with pointed out that there are several buildings that should be on this list, like...
- Walmart
- Golftown
- strip malls in general
And don't forget about that fancy-schmancy Cathedral they want to build in north-end Saskatoon.

1. Morris A. Mechanic Theater in Baltimore, Md.

2. Zizkov Television Tower; Prague, Czech Republic

3. "The Beehive"; Wellington, New Zealand

4. Center Georges Pompidou; Paris, France

5. Federation Square; Melbourne, Australia

6. Petrobras Headquarters; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

7. Markel Building; Richmond, Va.

8. Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, Royal Ontario Museum; Toronto

9. National Library; Pristina, Kosovo

10. Ryugyong Hotel; Pyongyang, North Korea

LEED Exam

2009-11-18T05:49:00.001-08:00

I passed! Easily the most stressful week of my life since school, but I managed to get a passing score. I can now call myself a LEED Accredited Professional, or LEED-AP.

2009-11-08T10:26:00.000-08:00

You know what these are? These are the tickets that Crystal and I had so we could go watch the Riders beat Calgary 30-14 to finish 1st in the Western Division...something they haven't done since the year I was born.

A guy at work has season tickets at centre-field, and he wasn't able to go, so he gave them to me (thanks Mike!).

Crystal has never been to a CFL game before, and what a way to cut her teeth. It was a fantastic game. The Riders played great, and despite some crap calls from the ref's, they remained composed and kept getting first downs.

I think the highlight for me was seeing Chris Szarka bust through on third-and-two for about a 50-yard run, and go on to score a TD 2 plays later.

I woke up this morning unable to speak from cheering so much, and a nice headache to match. A booze-free hangover. I think Crys had a good time too, despite cold fingers.

LEED

2009-11-08T09:55:00.001-08:00

I have decided to answer a question here that's a little difficult to answer off the cuff.

I am writing an exam this week to become LEED certified, which means nothing to people outside the building industry...yet. It is gaining more and more awareness, though, and I believe that it will become common knowledge in the next few years.

The first question to answer is "What does LEED mean?"

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

This is a program first developed in the States, and has been re-developed to suit the Canadian context. It is a point based system whereby buildings can be designed and built to a higher level of energy efficiency and to be less environmentally impactful...both during construction and during their operational lifetime. The more points a building achieves, the higher rating it gets.

Some samples of the points that a building can achieve are (there are a total of 70 points available):

Site Selection: Avoid development of inappropriate sites and reduce the environmental impact from the location of a building on a site.

Construction Waste Management - Divert 50% From Landfill: Divert construction, demolition and land clearing debris from landfill disposal.

Ventilation Effectiveness: Provide for the effective delivery and mixing of supply air to support the safety, comfort and well-being of occupants.

Why are you getting LEED certified?

There are a few reasons.
1. I believe that this is going to be mainstream soon, and clients are going to expect designers to have the required level of knowledge to design their buildings a level of certification. By being certified, it says "I know what we need to do to get you what you want."

2. It jives with my hippy sensibilities.

3. I get to put the letters LEED-AP behind my name.

Why do clients want to do this?

That is a good question. It isn't mandatory right now, though it is in some states. It costs extra money up front. There is no immediate monetary incentive.

There have been studies to show that over the life-cycle of the building, say 50-100 years, that introducing energy-efficient features now, will have a turn around time for pay-back that is much shorter than the life-cycle of the building. Therefore it saves money in the long-term.
Plus, it looks good for some organizations to say they've built their building to a higher standard.

So, I write my certification exam in a few days. I've been studying for it for about 4 months, off and on. There is a ton of information to know, so I have no idea if I am prepared or not. It's not cheap to write this exam, but so long as I pass it, the firm I work for will pay for it.

Wish me luck.

Then I thought

2009-10-18T15:28:00.000-07:00

I ride the bus a lot, and on the bus there are a lot of different kinds of people. There are the yuppie professionals going to work, there are the high school students, there are those who can't afford a car, and there are those who are unable to drive a car...plus I am sure there are a few other groups I could generalize. I don't like riding the bus, but I also don't like the cost of parking downtown. Plus, it makes me feel like I am making an effort to reduce the impact I personally make on the environment. I do, however, like to watch people (anthropologically speaking), and the bus is a great place to do that.

There are some people that just seem stressed on the bus, like this lady I observed the other day. She watched the road very carefully, and rang the bell as soon as she possibly could. I can only imagine...as I like to create life stories for the people I watch, and give them fictitious names...that she was working a dead end job, and was trying to figure out what to make her kids for supper.

Then my mind slipped into more ontological thoughts.

What is this lady living for? Does she like her job/life, or is she simply working to survive? I like my quality of life more or less, and there is meaning and purpose to what I do? I strive and dream. What about people who barely survive, and simply struggle to feed themselves? What about those who lack the mental faculties to know much beyond working, eating, sleeping? Are they happy? Does everyone have something to live for beyond getting off of the bus at the correct stop?

Then I thought about animals. My cats are basically there to provide us with entertainment, pleasure, de-stressing, and so on. Their purpose in life is solely caught up in my desires. Beyond being a part of my existence, they have no 'reason' to be alive, no grander meaning to their life beyond being a part of the food chain.

Then I thought, why are us humans so caught up in trying to figure out the meaning of life? Are we really all that much different than my cats?

Then I thought about Christians. What if our only reason for existing is to be the giant lap-cat for God to pet and look after? Just because we have a rational intellect that can surmise and speculate, does that necessarily mean that we have to have a purpose to be alive other than to be entertainment for something greater than ourselves? Are we okay with simply being another animal on the planet, if that is in fact our role in the cosmos?

Then I thought, will anyone read this far into this post, and even respond?

This was Autumn

2009-10-13T19:44:00.000-07:00

It lasted one day last weekend, maybe two, then came winter. Oh well, it was a nice day. Millions of pumpkins, pumpkins for free, millions of pumpkins, pumpkins for me. Well, not really free and we only bought one, but there sure were lots of them. This is at a garden market on the road between Lumsden and Craven - a little area I like to call the Okanagan Valley of Saskatchewan.

Churches

2009-09-27T17:07:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned a while back, it was mentioned to my by my father that it seems I have an interest in church architecture. Yes, it is true, and this post is intended to briefly examine why that may be so and some of the ramifications of such a mentality.

1. I was raised in the church, and as such I have always appreciated matters of church and faith. Beyond that, the friendships I fostered encouraged me to dig deeper into some of the mysteries of Christianity, and explore some of the less evangelical aspects of it.

2. This spilled over into an interest of church architecture. More accurately, my interest in church history and so on and so forth, combined with my interest in architecture, led me to focus much of my energy into exploring ecclesiastical architecture.

3. I very much like to explore Saskatchewan, and there are a lot of churches in small towns that were built around the turn of the 20th century. Lately, I've been taking a closer look at these, simply because I find it enjoyable.

4. Because of all this, my favorite form of architecture is very traditional and dated. Unfortunately, this does not bode well for the career, as the trend now is towards modern, straight lines, and organic forms. I don't mind minimalist architecture, or forms that blend with nature, but nothing gets me like a good old gothic stone arch, or symbolism in the form that is only evident to those with more than common knowledge.

A response

2009-09-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

Dear Mr. Klassen:

Thank you for your message about the timing of the next election.

I fully understand the angst about another campaign. The timing issue arises from Mr. Harper's decision, almost exactly one year ago, to break his own "fixed election date" law and force a snap vote one year early.

That was the campaign that was totally out-of-order and unnecessary, but its consequences linger on.

Attached are a couple of recent commentaries which I have published about this issue. The position of the Liberal Official Opposition is both clear and appropriate. The onus has now shifted to the Conservatives and the NDP. The timing issue is in their hands.

Yours sincerely,
Ralph Goodale, MP
Wascana

(I've included his attached commentaries in the comments section to this post)

Fall Election

2009-09-03T11:29:00.000-07:00

Dear Your Honorable Ralph Goodale,

I have been hearing reports that the Canadian public is not as strongly opposed to a federal election as it was earlier this year. Let me advise that this is certainly not the case. I, and many of my work and social peers, are strongly opposed to the idea of another election at this time. I am very tired of all the "politicking" surrounding election calls. It seems to me that if as much energy that was spent on speculating on elections was put into making a minority government function effectively, then there would be no need for an election.

As much as there are flaws in the American system, I believe their "fixed-election dates" legislation is a good idea. Regardless of how poorly of effectively any given leader or party is governing, they should not have to expend their time constantly looking over their shoulder wondering if the opposition is out to coalesce with another party against. Help them govern well, and if they are unable to, then you will get your chance in four years time. If the Liberal Party leads us to an election in 2009 or early 2010, then I will, despite my apathy, vote NOT in your favour.

Please convey my thoughts to your leader and party.

Respectfully Yours,

Wade Klassen
Regina, SK
S4N-5N3

if you wish to contact your MP, you can locate their contact information here

Photogs of SA#3

2009-08-30T19:34:00.000-07:00

Day 1 - sorting the gear at Four Portages on Stanley Mission Road.

Day 1 - hitting the open water of Lac La Ronge. Stupid head-winds.
Day 1 - look close to see the Bald Eagle. She led us to the last day...our guide.
Day 2 - one of four portages. This one had a cart and light rail system.
Day 2 - after we swamped our canoe going through some rapids....lesson...better communication required between canoe-mates.
Day 2 - camp...very windy...glad to get off of water with white-caps.
Day 3 - it's hard to justly photograph Nistowiak falls.
Day 3 - short portage in the rain.
Day 4 - very old First Nations cliff art.
Day 4 - approaching the end. Stanley Mission visible on the left, Holy Trinity Anglican Church visible on the right, Wade visible in the middle.

Summer Adventure #3

2009-08-16T19:10:00.000-07:00

Mon pere commented the other day that he noticed, via this blog, my "interest in churches." I think I know why this is. But before I give my answer, I am going to be visiting yet another famous church in SK. Holy Trinity Anglican Church (lower left-hand corner of above pic) is at Stanley Mission, SK, which is a couple of hours north of LaRonge. I am going on a canoe trip with about 15 men from my church, of whom I know only a few. This church is the oldest in Western Canada, and a National Historic Site. Crystal and I visited it several years ago when we were camping up in that area.

I've created a few images of the canoe route we are being taken on. The pastor leading the trip grew up in this area, so hopefully he knows where he is going. I don't like the satellite images, because they make the water look dark and menacing. The images didn't turn out the clearest, but the approximate route is to depart from Four Portages Bay on Lac La Ronge (on the Stanley Mission road), then cross to Hale Lake, Iskwatican Lake, Nistowiak Lake (passing Nistowiak Falls along the way), then to Drope Lake, ending up at Stanley Mission. We start paddling Thursday morning, and end Sunday.

So, that whole "I am interested in churches thing" was just bait, and will have to wait until later.

What to say?

2009-08-12T20:11:00.001-07:00

I was told to look at the front page of the Star Phoenix today. This is what I found. This is what I saw.

This is what I read...$28.5 million!

I am not a fan of international / post-modern architecture in general, but I am learning to deal with it since I am surrounded by it. Give me modern or renaissance-revival any day. But this proposed Catholic Cathedral in Saskatoon is ridiculous. I could even deal with the bell tower, but pair it with that entrance canopy, and I feel like it's about to take off. Or maybe it crash landed.

I don't like to be overly critical, because it is far too easy to criticize, and much harder to come up with good design. But really, is thing justified? Matthew Alderman made a hypothetical counter-proposal which I think conveys ten-times the presence as the accepted design, but we all know the yuppies who rule the planet over there in the north-east would never allow something so traditional and stable looking. He has a lot to say about the design, the liturgical aspects, the history of the church, etc., here and here.
Even if it is preferential in style, it would likely be even more expensive, and is $28.5 million a justifiable expenditure on a church. I mean, I know we all love the big old European Cathedrals, but times, they are a changing. We could easily design something far more simple, eloquent and befitting the presence of God...less is more...for a third the price, and use the rest to fund the food bank or something like that.

I could really ramble on this one, but I'll let it go for now.

Makes you wonder

2009-08-11T20:18:00.001-07:00

Do you have to be really short to be a pastor at this church?

Summer Adventure #2

2009-08-03T11:07:00.000-07:00

A co-worker got married a couple of weekends ago in the one-horse town (rather, Hamlet) of Claybank, which is about an hours drive south of Regina. It is interesting how many of these small, drying up old towns have these large, elaborate Catholic churches. Like Lebret, the entire population of Claybank could easilt fit into the church, which can seat about 150-200 people.
Claybank does have one other feature, though. It is the home of the Claybank Brick Plant, which is now a national historic site. So, between the wedding and reception (held in a tent at a nearby ranch), Crystal and scooted over there, paid our $8 fee for a self-guided tour, and wandered around.There are lots of artifacts, and bricks, and machinery, and factory spaces, and old clothes, and brick kilns, and on and on and on, just sitting around with very few physical barriers between us and them. Unlike most museums, this place seems more authentic because it is authentic. This is where it happened, and it hasn't been re-assembled in a display in some modern building. And since we were the only two people there, it felt like we had stumbled upon a ghost-town or something, where the residents had just up and left.If you ever get a chance, there is a 30 minute film that has been made about it, which is quite informative. It's a part of the "Edifice and Us" series, which is a recent development that is video-cataloging some of Saskatchewan's more interesting buidlings.

Here are a few other links to check out:
Claybank Brick Plant Historical Society
A Little Brick Plant in the Middle of Nowhere
Claybank National Historic Site

Summer Adventure #1

2009-07-19T18:27:00.001-07:00

At the recommendation of the guy who cuts my hair, Crystal and I drove to the small village of Lebret, SK about an hour away from Regina. Neither of us had heard of the town before, but apparently it is the home to The Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church. Knowing nothing of this place, except that it was in the Qu'Appelle Valley, and that there was an art sale, off we went.

This is what we discovered. The church was built in 1926, and was a missionary out post to the Metis and other indian tribes of the area. It is a huge church in a town of about 200 people, and is situated along side a lake. It houses iconic sculptures that were brought over from France by the French missionaries, and there is a "museum" in the back that had loads of antiques. There were photos, rifles, arrowheads, a Narwhal tusk coat-rack, indian headress, and on and on. Truly a gem in the middle of hicksville.

On the hillside, they've built a small chapel on can hike up to, passing by the 14 Stations of the Cross along the way. At the top is a good vista of the valley and lake, and you can see the former convent building, the site of the residential school that closed in the 90's, and the church itself.

I've only got a few pix, but hopefully my photographer wife will post a few more in the near future. I am still learning how to be a spouse to an artist. I've been relying on her to take photos, but I am realizing I need to take my own snapshots still, as her photos are much more professional, and are potentially income earning for her, so I can't just spread them around willy-nilly.)

We never did go to the art sale, as it was "granny" art, and it cost $3 to get in.

Hardest word

2009-06-28T19:34:00.000-07:00

I used to be a great speller, but as I age I seem to be losing my touch. I blame automatic word correcting on MS Word and the like.

But the hardest word I can never recall how to spell is definetly....definitly...well you get the idea. Without spell checking programs, I would definitely never spell this word correctly. Which is rather ironic, as Tom Allen pointed out, because this word is an assertion, but I cannot properly assert my idea without spelling it correctly.

Help P3A Give 'R Ship at the 5th Annual Plywood Cup

2009-06-17T20:16:00.000-07:00

P3 Architecture is competing in the Plywood Cup to raise funds for the Hospitals of Regina Foundation! This year's event will raise funds for pediatric equipment at the Regina General and Pasqua Hospitals.

We are holding two events in the upcoming week:

· Wednesday June 24^th 4:30pm – Luigi’s ‘Stache Bash @ O’Hanlon’s

· Saturday June 27^th 5:30pm – Give R’ Ship Pub Crawl starting at Beer Bros

To donate to the ‘Stache Bash contact Wade Klassen – wklassen@p3arch.com or 527-9643 or visit http://www.hrf.sk.ca/Page.aspx?pid=538&erid=7488&frsid=487

For more information on the Pub Crawl contact Andrea Kowalchuk – akowalchuk@p3arch.com or 526-4244

Gradeyated

2009-05-12T20:55:00.000-07:00

Most of my readers likely already know, but I have completed school. I am now a full-blown architectural technologist, with a grown-up job and everything.

Anyway, if you live in the Saskabush region, you may want to check this out. He's a friend and family, and a genuinely talented artist.

RCMP Model

2009-04-19T23:18:00.000-07:00

Every year, the graduating class is assigned a series of models to build. They are of existing buildings, usually in the Regina area, and typically turn out quite well. Last year the models turned out so that they were exhibited in a local gallery.

This year, the models were we 'commissioned' to build were a bit different. We were to build a small replica of the RCMP Depot...and by small I mean small. These models usually are built at about 1:100, which makes a 2 storey building stand about a foot high. Well, our models were to be at 1:400, so the same buildings would be about 3" high. It was a little disappointing that we didn't get to work on something a little larger, but that's o.k. The miniature affect is kind of neat, and it was a real learning experience.

The reason for this is so that we could make a map of the campus, that would slowly be added to over the years by the following years classes. Anyway, the model(s) is done, and I'll let the pictures tell the story. My group didn't actually work on a building, but rather we worked on mapping out and making the base.

Libraries

2009-04-12T23:19:00.000-07:00

My life in this final semester has been focused around the institution of the library. I have to do a set of drawings for a library, and prepare a 15-page technical report I've entitled "A Study of the Interface Between Libraries and Galleries." It is basically three case-studies from 2 buildings in Regina and one in Moose Jaw.

Anyway, during my research, I came across a debate that the library as a societal institution is wrestling with:
Should libraries protect books from harm, and encourage people towards a higher level of reading, or, Should Libraries provide the public with what they demand, including internet access and the like?
The focus of the role of the library, of course, will then affect its architectural style, since they should look like the service they offer...ie. traditional or modern or post-modern.

The Regina Public Library is likely wrestling with this, as they are wanting to either re-build or renovate their existing central location.

So, the question to you is this. If you had a choice, which of the following would you want your library to look like? (click each for a link to find out where it is)

A response to my letter

2009-04-07T12:16:00.000-07:00

Hi Mr Klassen,

First, I would like to thank you for your input and suggestions on the recycling programs offered in Regina, specifically the bottle recycling. For future reference, there is an email address to send suggestions that go directly to the solid waste department, which is letstalktrash@regina.ca .

The City of Regina has not made any decisions on the water bottle ban that a number of other Canadian cities are enforcing. For your comments about providing recycling bins along with garbage containers like Saskatoon, I wanted to inform you that we are in the middle of a project called Waste Plan Regina. There are a number of ideas being taken into consideration for this project with one of the main issues being recycling. We are hoping that once this plan is implemented that it will be much easier for the residents of Regina to recycle, whether they are at home or out in the community.

If you have any further comments or questions, feel free to contact me at the information provided below and I will assist the best I can.

Colin Carleton

Waste Diversion Officer

Public Works - City of Regina

Po Box 1790 Regina, SK S4P 3C8

Office: (306) 777-7320

Cell: (306) 540-8114

Email: ccarleton@regina.ca

Some art

2009-04-05T16:33:00.000-07:00

For those of you who may not be aware, I plan on continuing on to study architecture once I graduate from my technology program. In an effort to better my drawing skills, and to build a better portfolio (which you need to apply for architecture), I've been taking an evening drawing class. I've had several works come from these classes that turned out fairly well. This one is graphite on paper, and is entitled "S&P." (guess why)The next class I am taking is a pen-and-ink class. Pen-and-ink is the traditional medium for architectural drawings, so I thought that would be good skill to have, even though that art form is dying. The subjects we will be drawing will be wildlife, which is not my favorite to draw, but the skills should be transferable.More and more these days, architects are turning to software to render architectural details. Google SketchUp is one of the more popular choices, because it is easy to use, and the results are pretty good. There is a free version of this software, which is all I use, but there are upgrades you can pay for. This model is of a library for which I have been assigned as my major project this semester. The model is for the cover page for the working drawing set.

A Letter for Regina

2009-03-22T21:35:00.000-07:00

The following is a letter I plan to send to the City of Regina. You should all do the same, even if you don't live here. I give you permission to copy it (though you may want to re-phrase some of it, as I likely will).
Mayor's Office
City of Regina
PO Box 1790
Regina, SK S4P 3C8
email: service_regina@regina.ca
Mayor's Speak Out Line
306-777-7301

Dear Mayor Pat Fiaco,

Lately I have been hearing news of the city contemplating banning selling bottled water in public facilities, in an effort to reduce the amount of waste going into our landfill. I think this is a fine idea, even though I feel the water here, safe though it may be, is still rather unpalatable. I've come from Saskatoon recently, and there I was able to drink water from the tap, where here I find it still has an unpleasant taste.

Preferences aside, I think there is another initiative you should seriously consider, whether or not you follow through with the bottled-water ban. This idea comes from what I've seen the city of Saskatoon do in it's downtown and Broadway area. They have replaced all of their garbage cans with recycling stations, where you can deposit garbage, paper waste, and cans and bottles. This gives people the option of how to deal with their waste.

You say that plastic water bottles are used once and then tossed, but the same holds true for any number of beverage containers. Why not ban selling canned pop too? Or newspapers? I am sure the cost of these stations, and having to have specialized pick-up services would be at least partially offset by the revenue from recycling cans and the ad revenue. Or maybe you can offer contracts to at-risk youth to collect the cans for you?

Just an idea, but I think its a darn good one. I've attached a picture for you to look at.

Sincerely,

namethanx to Caroline for sending me the photo

Coolest thing ever

2009-03-15T16:00:00.001-07:00

My mom found these images for me.
Makes me want to be a farmer!

colour is bad

2009-03-10T18:17:00.000-07:00

Okay, can we please finally stop using the term "GREEN" as a catch phrase for anything that has to do with environmental sustainability. I am sick to death of hearing of how someone is trying to be greener, or how this government policy is green, or soap-boxers telling me how I can do things to be more green!

Alternatives/suggestions I'd encourage everyone to use:
- sustainable
- environmentally aware
- energy efficient
- less wasteful

Oh, and "CARBON NEUTRAL" is junk too. No one is carbon neutral. Living life necessitates contributing to carbon emissions. And those who claim to be are just digging into their wallets to pay off their guilty consciences, which is exact the same as the papal abuse of indulgences which caused Martin Luther to post his theses against the church.

All this coming from someone who is committed to a more environmentally sensitive lifestyle and career.

I see you

2009-02-20T12:29:00.000-08:00

I think this is a really intriguing photo of Obama's recent visit to Steve. I am not sure what to make of it exactly, but it seems to want to speak loads to me. Some potential interpretations:
- Obama is looking a little contemptuously at the PM
- Obama eyes seems a little too calculated
- Obama has got respect for Steve-o
- Steven PM is oblivious to it all
- Steven PM knows and does not care, because he knows where its all at

The title of the article this came from is "Not to worry, substance trumps charisma" which may be just as telling.

On Hiatus...

2009-02-08T22:19:00.000-08:00

...due to my current workload at school and otherwise. Check back in a few weeks or so.

Interlude-Memorabila

2009-01-20T10:15:00.000-08:00

Am I done school yet!?

2009-01-18T19:26:00.000-08:00

Only 14 more weeks to go, not counting spring break!

This semester we have two more 'theory of design' type classes, and the more university-like structure of them makes me miss the halls of real academia. I am really looking forward to beginning my architectural studies, and though it is home-study based, rather than going to university, I can't wait to learn more about design and less about figuring out how many washrooms to fit in, or how to build an elevator pit.

The one class is taught by a guest lecturer, by the name of Bernard (Bernie) Flaman. He is currently the Provincial Heritage Architect, and I think he may also be involved with Edifice and Us, though I can't be certain. Bernie seems to have a real passion for Saskatchewan architectural heritage, which makes for an immensely interesting class for me.

Well, as I continue to wrestle with my self-imposed perception of my lack of creativity, it makes me wonder if I'll be any good as an architect. I am even taking a drawing class to help build my portfolio, but when I sit down with my sketch book, I can never come up with any ideas to sketch. But in my last class, Bernie said something that gave me much hope and even some direction.

Loosely quoted, he said, "It's not as if there are a great deal of new and wonderful ideas out there that are constantly being dreamed up. There was such a pervasive idea of 'prescriptive design training' influenced Ecole des Beaux-Arts (in speaking of the similarity of design proposals that came forth for the design competition for the Saskatchewan Legislative Building in Regina), that great achitecture entailed understanding what the masters did, and being able to faithfully copy it."

Translation: forget about being uber-creative. Be good at copying what is good design, and then put your variations on it.

Rubber to road for Wade: I am going to start practicing sketching buildings that I like, and stop worrying about coming up with my own crazy new designs (for the time being.)

Interlude

2009-01-14T18:15:00.001-08:00

So You Think You Can Dance 2008: Robert Muraine.

My buddy Pat showed me this. It is un-believe-able!

Not Everything that is New is Shiny

2009-01-11T16:52:00.000-08:00

The latest issue of Azure Magazine has amongst its features an examination of this beach house. It isn't all that grandiose, but it sure beats the pants off of any beach cabin I've ever been at.
Well, let me qualify that. It is much more, oh what's the word I am looking for...expensive...snooty...elaborate in a minimalist sort of way. I guess what I am trying to say is that, while I appreciate the modern aesthetic it portrays, and how the designer has made effort into making it fit into its surroundings, I think the layout falls short of the mark.

The cedar slatting is very nice, and an excellent material choice for longevity. The building's long, low profile fits well with the wooded plain it is situated in, and the heavy use of large windows blurs the boundary between nature and the interior space. They've even forgone the use of window treatments in the bedrooms, due to the secluded area where it has been built.

But what I don't like is the floor plan itself. For starters, all three bedrooms have their own 3-piece private bath. This is in addition to the powder room in the more public area. A bit excessive, perhaps?
Next, they've designed a "fire nook." Well, it is situated in a corridor that has an exterior entrance at either end, and the only place where you can actually see or enjoy the fire is by sitting in the nook across the corridor from the fireplace. So, there stands a good chance someone will have to walk in front of you while you sit, not to mention the inevitable drafts you'll feel every time a door is opened.
The living/dining area is huge and bare, which is fine it that's what you are into. But for me, when I escape to my cottage, I don't want to sit in a minimalist room. I want a nice, cozy area....where I can see the frickin' fire that I just built.

Anyway, that's my rant. I could go one, but I've got homework to do.

signed,

wade w "dubya"

Yellowknife

2008-12-21T18:48:00.000-08:00

So, there I was flipping through the latest issue of Canadian Architect magazine, when I came across an article about a building in Yellowknife. Well, if any of you doesn't know, Crystal and I lived in Yellowknife for a couple of months during the summer of 2006...right before we moved to Moose Jaw.

The article was about an architect who lives in Yellowknife, Pin/Taylor Architects, who designed an 8-unit condo complex built on the local bedrock rather than blasting the rock away. Well, it just so happens that they were framing that building when I was working construction up there, and I drove past it every day, quite intrigued by the techniques they were using. Here is what it looked like then.
Notice how they wrap they building over the bedrock with a very custom-shaped foundation wall.

Well, here are a few pics of what it looks like in the magazine. Here's link to the article. It's kind of neat to see it going from almost nothing to be featured in a prominent magazine. Man, this makes me really miss the north country.

Interlude

2008-12-17T17:25:00.000-08:00

I created a new beverage. It's sort of like a paralyzer, but modified. I think it tastes good, but then I probably wouldn't share the recipe if I though it tasted bad.

Gentleman's Discretion
1 part (oz.) Kahlua
1 part (oz.) blended scotch (ie. don't waste your single-malt in a cocktail recipe)
1.5 parts cream or milk
Carefully layer each item over ice, adding cream last. Stir slowly to mix. Sit by a nice fire and sip slowly, but beware its a bit stiff.

Your welcome!

Natural Architecture

2008-12-14T18:58:00.000-08:00

"Fallen obelisks, pillars of light, the crystals are enormous, some several feet thick. On the floor and walls are clumps of smaller crystals, sharp as blades and flawlessly transparent."

Found this article in a recent issue of National Geographic magazine. I had no idea such a world existed. For all of man's achievements and creativity, we still pale in our efforts to match what is naturally created. Click on the picture to see and read more.

Interlude for Holiday Sillyness

2008-12-05T20:54:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Urban Design

2008-11-30T19:24:00.000-08:00

...or the lack thereof.

Due to a bit of an incident with our car, we will be without it for a yet to be determined length of time. Thankfully, both Crystal and I were already rather used to not using it on a daily basis, so it won't be a complete shock to our system. Still, we used it enough on evenings and weekends, that it is certainly an inconvenience. And it serves to highlight how our cities are designed to serve the automobile, and pedestrians are hardly accommodated for at all.
Point in case, I needed to run several errands this afternoon, and the one bus that does run only comes every 30 minutes, and runs a limited route. Having missed that bus, and being a nice day I thought I'd walk instead.
After and hour of walking, the last half of which was outside of residential so there was nary a sidewalk to be found, I was already growing frustrated with how many ditches, parking lots, side streets and lawns I had to walk through. The intersections had cross lights, but no walks leading to them. My return trip required several stops at different stores, and took two hours of dodging traffic and getting covered with road spray.

Finally, I gave up, and found the nearest bus shelter to wait for the next public transport. It was on Quance Street, which is more like Quance Raceway. The shelter was literally a foot away from the curb, and I had to wait for traffic simply to get inside it, all the while carrying grocery bags and a laden backpack. It seems fitting that the "I Love Regina" pin I received as a gift from a bus driver a while back, and had pinned to my backpack, fell off during this fiasco.

Honestly, I don't have some unrealistic expectation that we can live in an urban pedestrian paradise, but a few more considerations really are necessary. We study some urban design at school, and one of the requirements that new city suburbs are to ideally have is ease of access for pedestrians to all the major infrastructures...like grocery stores, public transit and the like.

East Regina has none of this. It is, as my wifey termed it, a "big-box paradise" which is only easily navigated in a car. Pedestrians beware. This is a problem that I know will not be addressed any time soon because this province is too caught up in growth, and rapid growth with out little thought put into a more managed, holistic, and managed growth scenario that allows the infrastructure to keep pace.

My next blog entry, entitled "Fort Mac versus Denmark" will explore this matter further. In the mean time, if you can find a copy of the mock-umentary "Radiant City," I highly recommend it.

Heritage or not?

2008-11-16T19:30:00.000-08:00

As many of you likely know, I have a strong interest in architectural heritage. In fact, when I started school, one career avenue I wanted to explore was to specialize in heritage renovations, and/or work for the government in the area of heritage.

Then, I began to learn what heritage was. In my mind, I thought, as many people do, that if a building was old, it deserved to be considered a heritage building, and therefore every effort should be made to renovate it, if not restore it to its original condition outright. I was also aware of people in this world who thought if it was old, it should be torn down, in order to make way for new buildings.

Well, a few classes, conferences, and site visits later, and I have begun to learn that there is a whole world of compromise between the two, and that assessing a building as to where it lies on the spectrum of "its heritage and should be restored" to "its junk and should be demolished" is no simple matter.

Take for instance the courthouse building in Wolseley, SK, that I referred to a couple of posts ago. Its over 100 years old, and is one of the first of its kind in the province. The town hired our class to do an assessment of it, and to make some recommendations in regards to renovating/restoring it so that they could have something to present to the government when they would apply for provincial funding. And, at first glance, I thought it was a sure thing to be a provincial heritage property.

However, after more in depth investigation into its history, usage, and present condition. I was surprised at what we concluded as a group. You see, it only functioned as an actual courthouse for less than a decade, after which point it was used for a host of different purposes, not the least of which was as an auxiliary building for the subsequently built adjacent seniors home. It was 'bastardized' over and over, and very little of it original stature remains. Nothing significant ever happened there, and there are no overly notable names associated with it. It now stands empty and unused, and while it is mostly structurally sound, and great deal of work (and money) would need to be poured into it before it could be used as a public building again.

So the question is, does this building warrant full restoration to its original condition, should it be renovated again to be made functional for a different purpose, or should it be torn down to make way for something newer and shiner?

Interlude

2008-11-12T18:41:00.000-08:00

Hunting 2008 - Mossbank, SK
Mowchenko farm (cudo's to Joel and Cheryl for their hospitality)

The sun rising. It's good to get out of the city from time to time.

A coulee near a dried up lake bed. This is where I expected to be hunting. But most of the deer were in the field instead.

The quarry in the distance. They insisted I stalk them in an open instead of the coulee. It's much harder to get close to deer when the only cover is 16" scrub grass and mud.

The doe on the left was my primary target. The buck was tempting, but my licence didn't allow me to shoot him. The trick was to get them to stand up once I got close enough to get a shot, without spooking them entirely. It took me 1.5 hours of crawling and belly crawling to get within 75 yards, then by luck or divine intervention, the noise of children playing a very long ways away was enough to get them to get up from their mid-morning snooze.

After the commotion, the second group of deer 100 yards to my right flank stuck around and were curious enough for me fill my second tag.

The result, and nice big doe, and a smaller spiker buck. Hmm mmm, sausage is on the way

As a prologue, we were able to get Joel a small doe as well. Three deer, 2 mornings. Not too bad me thinks.

Intropsection

2008-11-09T15:56:00.000-08:00

Hey, what happened to the "a new post every week" thing? Oh well, no one seemed to complain, so no harm done I guess. Truth be told, I haven't been feeling too inspired lately, which causes me some concern.

I am in school to become a technologist of the architectural variety, which opens up job opportunities from all over the spectrum. I could work in residential design, become a design-build contractor, work for a big commercial contractor, like Graham and the like, or even work for an engineering firm. I have chosen the career path to work in an architectural firm, which is not at all the reason why I went to school in the first place, but I enjoy it a lot. A technologist in this capacity basically takes the architects design, and decides how it will actually be built. Then, they will manage the project from the design end, to make sure it is built properly by the contractor.

Now, as I begin to dabble in commercial architecture, I am strongly considering continuing on with school to become an actual architect. I can do this through a sort-of-correspondence program called the 'Syllabus,' which is done while you are working full-time. A heavy load, but I'd get credit for a third of the material due to my education thus far.

The problem....I am not sure I am architect material. Am I creative enough? I am taking a drawing class right now to work on that skill. But do I dream and "think outside the box" enough? I can't even manage enough creativity to keep a weekly blog updated with ideas.

Also, what I seem to think looks nice is often at odds with what everyone else seems to think looks nice. Maybe my aesthetic sensibilities are too old-fashioned to be marketable. It's not like I can do art for art's sake. The architect needs to having clients willing to pay for the building to be built.

Anyway, here's a building that I kind of like in downtown Regina. More specifically, I like the shadow lines it creates during sunrise. It doesn't show as well in the pictures, but each vertical separation between windows creates the very angular, yet soothing shadow line. Very classy looking.

Wolseley, SK

2008-10-18T21:52:00.000-07:00

(throughout this post, click the red links for more pics)

Crystal and I recently celebrated our 4th anniversary by staying at The Banbury House Inn, a bed & breakfast in Wolseley (about 45 minutes east of Regina). Right next door to the Banbury is Le Pariesien, a fancy-schmancy french restuarant that has some fame in this neck of the woods. We didn't eat there this time, but by all accounts it is worth the drive.

I discovered the town of Wolseley this summer through school. The town administration had commissioned our class to do an historical assessment of their courthouse building, for which they are trying to get funding to restore it back to its original stature. This courthouse is one of the oldest in Saskatchewan, as it as built in 1895. And although it hasn't functioned as a legal building since the 1920's, it still retains many of its original features, including two cell's in the basement.

There are also plenty of other buildings in this town that were built around the turn of the century. Wolseley was quite the hub of activity for a while, and the CPR even built a reservoir there for its steam engines. The reservoir is now the town lake, complete with requisite swinging foot-bridge, which has been re-built twice since the first one was erected back in 1906.

The Banbury House we stayed in was built in 1907 for Edwin Ashley Banbury, at a different location that it stands now. It was moved in 1985 to be converted into its present usage. The entire building has been maintained to its original condition and appearance, as have most of the historical buildings here (I'll highlight a couple of exceptions in a bit). The staircase is at least three feet wide with all original wood...beautiful. Our room was in the third-storey tower room, which was neat, because the ceiling was cone-shaped, and about 15 feet at the peak.

Robert A. Magee was the first mayor of Wolseley, and among other things, he owned and operated a local brick-yard, which was the source for much of the brick used in buildings from the 1890's to 19-teens. This, along with local fieldstones, were the major buildings material of choice, and as such, many of the buildings have a similar treatment to them, give Wolseley almost a building style of its own.

Mr. Magee's house, which was built in 1896 shortly after he helped build the courthouse, was also built of this same stone and brick. His house, shown right, still stands as straight and true as the day it was built 100 years ago (a testament not only to craftsmanship, but also to material choice), and is still used as a residence.

Right across the street from this house is the former Town Hall/Opera House/Fire Hall. This building is most impressive, and is a designated Provincial Heritage Property. Built in 1906 at a cost of $20,000, there was not an ample enough supply of Magee's bricks, so some had to be brought in from Manitoba, but they were not an exact match. The hall portion includes a stage and rear balcony, and the firehall was at the back. It was designed like a drive-thru, so that the horses could pull the firecart inside, get unhitched, and then continue straight through back out. The tower was used to hang the fire hoses to dry. An extensive renovation/restoration was completed in 1993, and the hall can be rented out for weddings and the like.

There are a lot of nice, old buildings in this town, and a lot of them have been kept up very nicely. However, there are also some unfortunate additions and changes that have been made to some over the years. It seems like churches are a particulat target for tacky and thoughtless reno's.

Like St. George's, for instance, which was built in 1902. However, I don't think the glowing neon cross is an original feature.

Then there is St. James', which is a rather nice design, complete with butresses and a asymmetrical front elevation. However, the 1967 addition, which seems to have been designed with some consideration made to the existing design and brick-work, in my mind is a compete disaster. They would have been better off to go with something completely different but complimentary, than to aim and miss at trying to blend stylistcally.

Anyway, let's end this by saying, Wolseley is a hidden treasure I recommend to all. I'd love to take y'all on a heritage tour of this quaint prairie town. There are many, many more buildings like the few I've highlighted here. There are even real-estate opportunities here, if anyone wants to build their equity. So, let's conclude with a parting shot of my lovely wife, which also shows the Town Hall behind her in the background. (Thanx to the "Heritage Tour" booklet produced by the Town of Wolseley for much of the information in this post).

Interlude

2008-10-16T21:13:00.000-07:00

Went to see "W" last night. What a great film; Oliver Stone at his controversial best! And all you have to do is close your eyes, and Josh Brolin becomes George W.
I highly recommend this, especially heading into the homestretch of the US election.

Buildings that speak to us

2008-10-13T10:21:00.000-07:00

Crystal introduced me to a book recently, and though I am barely a third of the way through, it is already revolutionizing how I understand architecture. I often hear architects or designers say they like or don't like certain buildings, and I've often wanted to know why. Even for myself, there are buildings I do or don't like, but I don't always know why. The below quotes are just one theory on beauty, but I find them to be very helpful so far.

"To describe a building as beautiful therefore suggests more than a mere aesthetic fondness; it implies an attraction to the particular way of life this structure is promoting through its roof, door handles, window frames, staircase and furnishings. A feeling of beauty is a sign that we have come upon a material articulation of certain of our ideas of a good life. Similarly, buildings will strike us as offensive not because they violate a...visual preference but because they conflict with our understanding of the rightful sense of existence..." (72)

"The notion of buildings that speak helps us to place at the very centre of our architectural conundrums the question of the values we want to live by - rather than merely of how we want things to look." (73)

The Architecture of Happiness - Alain de Botton (2006 McClelland & Stewart Ltd.; Toronto)

I often differ in my preference of buildings with the architects and designers at work, and now I am starting to understand why. My natural tendency is too long for a former way of life that I have never known, which might explain why I prefer classical designs, one of which is Gothic, which I've looked at in my two previous posts.

Which of these buildings do you prefer? (click on the image to see a larger version of it)

Grayson Manor - Moose Jaw, SK or Villa Savoye - Poissy, France

Rose windows

2008-10-05T21:01:00.000-07:00

Although by no means solely a phenomenon of the Gothic era, Rose windows (or Catherine Windows as they were sometimes called) were incorporated and devised on a grandiose scale in the French Gothic Cathedrals. A rose window is a large, round window that is typically on the west end of the cathedral, above the main entrance to the nave. If you look at my previous post below, in the first picture of Notre Dame, you can see the large round window above the door. These windows were massive in scale, and if you look closely at the picture, you can see the silhouettes of the people on the ground to put it into perspective. These windows could be thirty feet or more in diameter, and could be as large as the width of the nave.

The purpose of the window was, at the most base level, to let in light, particularly later in the day as the sun began to set in the west (though the transepts [arms of the cross] often had them as well). However, these windows were so much more than this.

There was a great deal of symbolism in these windows. For instance, the geometry of the entire cathedral was very precise, and often had a lot of significance and/or numerology involved in the design. The Rose windows were no exception, and the size of it was no accident. Also of no accident was the tracery inside the window. There are literally hundreds of different designs of Rose windows, but often they conveyed some sort of message.

Often, the stained glass in the window was used to depict some sort of message to the largely illiterate people who came to mass each week. Because these people were unable to read the Bible for themselves (not that they would have been able to anyway if they could read, for prior to Reformation, only clergy were allowed to read the Scripture which was written in Latin [vulgate]), biblical stories were depicted in the stained glass all around the cathedral for them to be able to 'read' the stories for themselves. The Rose windows often place Christ at the centre, with varying things happening around him. Other windows had much more mystical and/or pagan influnces in them, and may be connected through their design with the zodiac.

Unfortunately, it is too complex to get into the real details of the windows, but this website provides a pretty good and brief summary of what they were all about.

For Katherine, here is a good website that deals with the geometry of them, and even shows you how to go about laying them out.

I guess what is most fascinating about them for me is not their meaning, or their placement for bringing in light, or even their beauty. What really fascincates me is their sheer magnitude, and how they could have been constructed. Much of the tracery (the inside design) is made from stone, and the glass would have been made by hand. So, how on earth were they able to build these things, lift them into place (or carve them in place), and give them enough strength to stand the test of time (and in some cases, the test of WWII bombing raids), and not simply crumble like lacework. The stone masons of that time truly were artisans like the world has never seen since.

Interlude

2008-10-01T11:11:00.000-07:00

An interesting website to check out real quick.

Slow Home Principles

Notre Dame

2008-09-28T19:39:00.000-07:00

I wanted to do a post about Gothic cathedral architecture in general, but that is simply not possible in any other format than a textbook. I thought then that I could so a series of posts on Gothic cathedrals, each focusing on a particular aspect, but that was proving to be rather boring. So, in my third attempt, I've decided to simply blog about one of the most spectacular examples (in my mind) of Gothic architecture...Notre dame de Paris (sorry Kris, I was going to do Amiens, but I changed my mind).

Let's get the facts out of the way.

Name: Notre Dame de Paris, means "Our Lady of Paris." All French cathedrals are preceded with the title 'Notre Dame' followed by the name of the town in which they stand. And they are usually referred to by the name of the town only (for example, Notre Dame de Amiens would simply be called Amiens). In the case of Paris, this would presumably be too confusing, so in that case it is often referred to simply as Notre Dame.

Date: Started in 1163 and completed in 1345 (nearly 200 years!). It was not uncommon for a cathedral to take over 100 years to build, and as such the construction of the building would out-live the architect who originally designed it. Several architects would be needed to complete it, and therefore the style of the cathedral may change with the stylistic preferences of the architect in charge at the time.

Orientation: All cathedrals had the main entrance facing west, which in turn meant the altar was at the east end of the building. In this way, during the morning liturgy, the rising sun would be behind the altar and the priest, and in front of the congregation. The morning light spilling through the stained-glass would be a source of inspiration for the parishioners. The cathedrals were most often built in the shape of a cross.Size: Length 420'. Width of transept (the "arms" of the cross) 158'. Width of aisles and nave (the vertical part of the cross) 118'. Height of towers 226' (22 storeys).

What really defines a Gothic building is the ability of its designers to span massive distances at massive heights, with walls that are made up almost entirely of windows. Prior to this, Romanesque buildings required thick, heavy stone walls with small windows and rounded arches to achieve the necessary structural support required for the huge weight of the stone roof. But, with the simultaneous invention (read evolution) of both the pointed arch and the flying buttress, Gothic walls were pared down to a structural skeleton. In my mind, the flying buttress is technically the neatest part of these buildings, but the interior ceiling vault is the most inspiring to see.

The pointed arch, as opposed to the rounded arch, was able to direct loads in a more downward direction rather than in an outward manner, which lessened the amount of lateral support needed to hold up the roof. This diminished load was able to be carried by columns alone, which were in turn kept from buckling outwards by a skeleton-like structure called a buttress. The buttressing at Notre Dame is quite spectacular to see from the east end, because it is built so as to be quite visible and exposed. This was not always the case, as some buttresses were enclosed under a secondary roof, and hidden from view, which also allowed for greater interior width along the side aisles of the nave (the central portion of the long axis on the 'lower' part of the 'cross.'

But truly, the most breath-taking part of Notre Dame, and many other French Gothic cathedrals (like Notre Dame de Amiens), is the sheer beauty and size of the nave. Can you imagine sitting in this hall, with an arched ceiling some 20 storeys above your head, which is surrounded by stained glass windows, while some monks nearby chant mysteriously. It would be enough to silence anyone, and invoke thoughts of the divine as your eyes and mind are directed skyward, which what is what it was intended to do. I'll leave you with a few pictures of this space, which I only hope I be lucky enought to someday see in person.

Burj Dubai

2008-09-21T19:52:00.000-07:00

This isn't the cerebral post as I hoped my first few might be, but I didn't want to wait an entire week while I researched my first building. I decided I will try to post every Sunday, because I typically have more free time on the weekends to compile what I may have gathered.

Anyway, I came across this image quite accidentally, but it really captured my attention. It is a picture of the core of the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with fog rolled in over it. Dubai is one of the richest cities in the world, and has seen an explosion of construction like no other in recent history. I learned, as I investigated this image, that one year ago this month, Dubai Tower surpassed the 1,825' storey tall CN Tower in Toronto in height to become the tallest free-standing building on Earth. Its construction will be completed in 2009, but its current height is at 2,257'! It's finished height will not be announced until construction is complete.

My biggest question is, "How many labourers will have died constructing it, and will that be a world record as well?" Dubai is not known for its fair treatment of labourers, the majority of which come from places like India.

Newness

2008-09-18T20:54:00.000-07:00

I think what I'll try for the next little bit is post once a week, on the same day. I have found in my life that if I establish routines, I am more likely to stick with the things I set out to do. I haven't fully decided on the exact content of my posts just yet, but that will reveal itself in time.

"Monk by the Sea"
Caspar David Friedrich

Thinking of quitting

2008-09-15T18:13:00.000-07:00

I am debating whether or not to terminate this blog. I don't post all that frequently anymore, and my hit count is dwindling. Maybe I could change what I do with the blog, like make it a forum for venting my thoughts about the efficacy of religion, or perhaps an exploration of architecture, or maybe make it a mundane daily journal.
While I mull it over, here are some pictures to keep you entertained.

You are what you listen to

2008-09-05T19:54:00.000-07:00

According to a university study...

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2008/09/05/musical-taste.html

...there is a link between the type of music we listen to and our personalities. Here's is a quick summary.

People who listen to...Are

Heavy Metal...Creative and at ease with themselves, gentle
Classical...Creative and at ease with themselves
Jazz...Creative and outgoing with high self-esteem
Country Western...Hard-working but introverted
Rap...Outgoing and far from gentle
Indie...Lack both self-esteem and a work-ethic
Rock and Rap...Rebellious
Opera...Wealthy and well-educated

P.S. I tend to prefer jazz.

spam

2008-08-20T19:02:00.000-07:00

There was an email in my "spam" folder today that had the following subject line.

Britney Spears is actually a piece of broccoli!

No word of a lie. She sure hides it well, though, because I never would have guessed.

Vanishing Act

2008-08-18T20:05:00.001-07:00

Another doctor story

2008-08-13T18:45:00.000-07:00

So, if you remember from a while back, I related a frustrating experience I had with a doctor at a walk-in clinic. Well, this time I asked around a bit, and found a good clinic to go to, where the doctors are taking new patients. I made an appointment during work hours, and it is close enough to my office that I can walk over...handy, I thought.

I arrive 15 minutes early for my 8:20 appointment, then begin the waiting game. At about 15 minutes past my appointment time, I see another patient go up to the desk and ask the receptionist if the doctor is even in yet, as he was waiting still for his 8:00 appointment. She wasn't sure, because his office door was closed. Finally, by 9:00, I go up to her and tell her I need to get back to work, and she re-schedules me...sans apology (though I wasn't expecting one). When I left, the other patient was still waiting, 1 hour past his appointment time.

Is there a rule somewhere that says doctors are required to be inconsiderate? I mean, maybe he was in surgery or delivering a baby or something, but a bit of a heads up to the rest of us shmucks would be nice.

Getting closer

2008-08-05T21:10:00.000-07:00

Well, I am all finished school for another semester. It was a really good semester, as the workload was lighter, the term was only three months long, we spent a lot of time outside, and it was less technical. There was a greater focus on design considerations, and we did a lot of work involving older existing buildings and heritage sites, which is an interest of mine. Part of this semester involved earning an Applied Certificate in Architectural Heritage and Building Renovation, whatever that means, but it sounds cool. There was even an history class in architecture, which was the most university-like class yet, and was a breath of fresh air after learning too many technical details in semesters past.

Now I am back at work at P3A for the rest of the year, and it is good to be back there.

Crystal and I took a much needed holiday this past week. For five of our ten days away we went camping at Waskesiu. And even though it rained for a good portion of the time, and was more often cloudy than not, it was still relaxing and we were able to sneak in a few hours of basking in the sun. All I have to say, though, is thank goodness for tarps and fatherly advice to dig a trench around one's tent (cockroach). Oh, and we found where are the mosquitos are hanging out.

Sweet fort

2008-07-17T15:52:00.000-07:00

The other morning I noticed that one of Crystal's sewing projects had a set of legs on it...black, fuzzy legs.Oh, hey Phinn. Nice new hideout you've got there!

Peasant vision sucks

2008-07-12T16:22:00.000-07:00

Now that CBC sucks, I am unable to watch any Riders games at all! I can't even watch games online, despite the fact they are playing in Hamilton. Apparently, to be a true Rider fan now, you've need cable, but if you are trying to avoid having cable, or can't afford it, then you are SOL. I can't even find out the score anywhere!

#)@%!!&$TSN!@@&$%CBC%!#*$ expletive expletive