Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

EL PASO, TX - The murder trial of Ricardo Marquez continued today, and witnesses provided their testimony to the court.

An officer with the El Paso Police Department was the first witness of the day, and his testimony revealed that he was the one that collected evidence from Marquez's brother-in-law's Jeep. Pictures of the Jeep's cargo area were shown, including a mat that had been sprayed with luminol by the officer. The mat had illuminated, indicating that blood may have been on it, but the officer would not confirm if it was indeed blood. He stated that various things can cause illumination, such as copper, iron unrelated to blood, dirt, and plant-based items.

The rest of the witnesses included forensic experts and scientists from the Department of Public Safety. Forensic scientist Jessica Gonzalez-Pea testified that she was able to confirm that blood was present on a mat found in Marquez's garage. Despite this, she could not confirm how old the blood was or if it could be attributed to Gaytan.

Kathy Serrano, another forensic scientist for DPS, stated that she was tasked with finding and identifying DNA from both Gaytan and Marquez. Using a DNA profile taken from Gaytan's toothbrush, she was able to compare the DNA found in the back of the Jeep to Gaytan. She found that the DNA had a probability of greater than 4 times that it could be Gaytan's. However, she testified that the probability was still too low to call the DNA a definitive match to Gaytan. Serrano then underwent cross-examination.

Originally posted here:
Ricardo Marquez trial update: Witness testimony sheds more light into what may have happened to Erika Gaytan - KVIA

We are Oklahomas largest koi pond and decorative water garden builder. After over 20 years, we understand the science of ponds and pass on our passion for excellence to our customers.

Come visit our showroom and see our craftsmanship in person. We have several display ponds onsite. All you have to do is pick your favorite design. We also staff full time year round pond service professionals for pond cleaning and pond repairs.

Did you know that we even build koi ponds in the winter? Ponds are our full time passion, not just something we do on the side. Youll rest easy knowing that you hired a landscape pond company with a retail storefront that will always be available to assist you and your pond needs.

Service after the sale is extremely important to us. Let us show you how waterfalls and water gardens can enhance your lifestyle. Koi Ponds and decorative water gardens accentuate your yard and provide a wow factor that is achieved by little else. Water features add a unique look to your yard but they also help you relax and unwind so you can enjoy the serenity of your yard.

Contact Garden Ponds Unlimited TODAY! 405-799-7663

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Water Garden Ponds OKC | Water Features | Garden Ponds Unlimited

In other to grow fish, itis necessary to have a suitable fish pond for better fish production. A fish pond issimply an artificial structure/habitat that meets the necessary requirements for growing fish. As youread down, you will learn how fish pond design and construction is carried outfrom start to finish. Before we discussthe steps involved, lets look at the general features of a fish pond.

Although there are many kinds of fish ponds, the following are the main features and structures associated with them in general:

A typical earthen fish pond should be about 300m2. Although ponds can be much larger than this, having several small ponds rather than one large one will allow you harvest fish more often.

A shortcoming to this is that, many but small ponds are more expensive to construct as compared to a few but larger ponds. Small ponds also waste a lot of space in comparison. However, very large ponds take long to fill and drain and are also difficult to manage.

The physical attributes of a pond usually have a direct influence on achievable levels of production and returns. The main physical factors to consider are the land area, water supply and the soil water retention capacity.

Select land area with a gentle slope and layout ponds in a way that will take advantage of existing land contours. A farmer should determine an area large enough for the present plans and any future expansion. Also, ensure that such an area is not prone to flooding.

A good water source will be relatively free of silt, aquatic insects, potential predators, and toxic substances, and it will have high concentration of dissolved oxygen. The quantity and quality of water should be adequate to support production throughout the culture period.

The most common water sources can be spring water, seepage water, rainwater or run-off, tide water (marine ponds), water from bore holes (wells), or water pumped or diverted from a river, lake, or reservoir. Wells and springs are generally preferred for their consistently high quality water.

A simple test can be carried out to determine the suitability of the soil for pond construction:

1. Dampen a handful of soil with water. Use only enough water to dampen the sample (do not saturate it).

2. Squeeze the sample tightly in your hand.

3. Open your hand:

The quality of soil influences both productivity and water quality in a pond. Farmers should consider importing clay soil for compacting the pond bottom, sides and core trench to minimize seepage.

=> Consider the intended culture practices to be carried out: In designing the fish farm, it should be decided as to where and how many nursery, rearing and stocking ponds are to be constructed.

=> It is important to know the exact size, maximum depth, average depth, and water volume of the pond. This information becomes useful in calculating the amount of herbicide needed for weed control and the number of fish fingerlings needed for stocking.

=>The water source must be able to keep the pond full throughout the culture period.

=> Relatively shallow ponds are productive, but the shallow end should be at least 0.5 m deep to avoid invasion by weeds.

=> It is always desirable to place screens on pond inlets and outlets to keep out predators, insects, and unwanted fish, and to retain the cultured fish.

=> Every pond should be drainable.

=> Every pond should have an independent controlled inlet and outlet.

=> Excavation of a core trench should be done where soils are less suitable.

=> Perimeter and feeder roads are required to provide for movement of machines during construction and at harvest.

=> If you plan to drive on the dykes, build them at least 3 meters wide on top, and wider at the base.

=> Soil used to build dykes should always be compacted in layers.

In conclusion, a pond must be able to hold water and sustain favorable conditions for production. One should also be able to undertake the required pond management activities (such as harvesting and feeding) effectively, with relative ease and safety.

Consequently, poorly constructed ponds, give poorer production yields and returns. This is because additional management efforts and associated costs are required to achieve comparable yields. Paying attention to pond design and construction detail is, therefore, the first step to successful pond production.

Please do well to leave a comment if you need more help.

Read more from the original source:
How to Design and Construct a Fish Pond - Agro4africa

Stormwater is a major concern because if not properly handled, it can lead to flooding, erosion, and pollution of neighboring water bodies. Therefore, it is important to manage stormwater using the right tools and techniques.

Retention ponds are one of the most popular ways that help in managing stormwater. They are man-made, shallow bodies of water that are built to hold stormwater runoff in order to avoid flooding.

A well-designed retention pond will reduce the negative environmental effects of stormwater runoff. In addition, it will provide additional benefits such as water storage and wildlife habitat.

In this post, we will cover everything you need to know about retention ponds, from basic design principles to available structures and costs.

A retention pond is a man-made pond created by digging out or building an earthen dam to hold back stormwater runoff collected from a drainage area. It is designed to prevent flooding, prevent erosion, and improve water quality.

A retention pond collects stormwater during a storm and slowly releases it back into the natural environment. Therefore, it should be built on a slope that directs water into the pond to achieve this goal.

A retention ponds bottom is typically lined with an impermeable material that prevents water from seeping out. This allows the pond to retain and slowly release the water rather than letting it run off quickly.

A well-designed retention pond will offer a high level of stormwater treatment, which will improve the water quality before it is released back into the environment.

Because stormwater runoff can carry significant amounts of sediment and chemicals into these ponds during heavy storms.

Retention ponds are popular in residential areas because they can be constructed quickly and with little excavation. Theyre also very attractive to look at, and if well-designed, they can even become the propertys focal point.

Existing natural water bodies are not suitable as retention ponds. Because they will only add to the flooding problem in the surrounding area.

A retention pond works by storing stormwater and slowly releasing it back into the environment. It is often used as a way to treat polluted runoff from urban areas, which helps improve overall water quality downstream.

In order for a retention pond to function properly, its surroundings must have enough slope to direct stormwater into its basin. If the surrounding land is not properly sloped, stormwater may have difficulty entering the retention pond.

When water enters a retention pond, it flows over an outfall structure, which regulates how fast and in which direction it flows downstream. During heavy rains, there may be an excess of runoff entering these ponds, causing them to overflow and release water more quickly than usual.

To avoid this, a well-designed spillway should be installed to help manage the flow of stormwater runoff downstream. When the ponds water level reaches a certain level, it will spill over the designated path and flow downstream.

Retention ponds can be built in a variety of shapes and sizes depending on the landscape. However, they should always be built with the local environment in mind to avoid harming wildlife habitat or water quality.

Although retention ponds appear to be a single structure, they are actually a collection of smaller zones. Each zone serves a specific purpose and should be managed in accordance with the overall goals of the retention pond system.

All retention ponds should be built to handle the maximum amount of stormwater runoff from a given storm event.

The amount of water that a retention pond can store is determined by its storage capacity and infiltration rate. Therefore, it is important to build it with the appropriate size so that it will not overflow during heavy rainstorms.

Here is a list of different zones in a typical retention pond:

A sediment forebay is a settling basin at the start of a retention pond system. It works by slowing stormwater runoff and preventing sediment from entering the retention ponds main body.

Sediment forebays should be large enough to allow for adequate settling time before the water enters other parts of the pond. This aids in the removal of debris and sediments from water, thereby reducing pollution.

The main basin of the retention pond is the main body of water that captures stormwater runoff. This is where the majority of filtration processes occur which reduces pollutants in stormwater runoff.

Main basins can be designed to achieve a variety of water quality retention goals. However, they should always have enough space to store stormwater runoff and slowly release it downstream while maintaining nearby water levels.

Infiltration basins are located at the end of retention ponds before the water flows downstream. The purpose of this zone is to allow for additional filtration processes so that the water quality entering surrounding areas remains high.

It should have a large storage area that allows it to hold back stormwater runoff during heavy rainstorms while releasing at an acceptable rate until the next rainfall event occurs.

The outfall structure governs how water flows from the main basin into the retention pond systems downstream sections. It is designed to release stormwater runoff at a slow and controlled rate during rainstorms.

Outfall structures are made up of two parts: the control structure (weir) and the outlet pipe. Depending on the design requirements for each retention pond system, the outflow structure should include both of these elements.

The spillway is a controlled release path that is used to manage the flow of stormwater runoff downstream during major rainstorms.

If too much water enters the retention pond system, it can spill over along this designated path and continue to flow downstream until the excess volume of water exits the system.

Retention ponds are an important part of the local communitys stormwater management solution. They help to reduce the amount of pollution entering into waterways by slowing down and filtering water before it enters downstream parts of the system.

Understanding each zone type can help you to better design a retention pond that will maintain optimal levels in surrounding areas while protecting wildlife habitats and improving water quality throughout your community.

Retention ponds can benefit the environment and the surrounding community in a variety of ways. Some of these benefits are immediate and can be seen right away, while others are long-term and will help to improve the surrounding environment over time.

Here are some of the primary benefits of retention ponds.

Retention ponds help reduce flooding by slowing runoff. This is critical during heavy rain events when stormwater runoff increases dramatically, causing waterways to overflow and potentially damaging surrounding areas.

However, in order to function properly, retention ponds must be appropriately sized for the catchment area and critical storm depth.

Retention ponds should be designed to reduce runoff for events as large as the drainage areas 1 in a 30-year storm (possibly larger), with excess stormwater discharged within 24 to 72 hours of the event.

Stormwater runoff has the potential to contaminate nearby waterways. Because water picks up harmful pollutants as it runs through lawns, streets, and parking lots.

Retention ponds filter the water runoff that enters them on a continuous basis. This keeps pollutants and other contaminants out of downstream waterways, where they can degrade water quality over time.

These pollutants include oil, grease, and heavy metals such as lead and mercury. A retention pond can trap these contaminants in the water to some extent before they are released back into the environment.

Because contaminants accumulate in retention ponds, it is critical to monitor water quality by sampling the water at least once every three months. This will allow us to identify any problems that may arise with our pond.

Retention ponds help to conserve biodiversity by providing habitat for animals native to the area. Because the water in retention ponds provides a safe haven for fish, birds, insects, reptiles, and amphibians.

Frogs, turtles, salamanders, minnows, and crayfish are among the species that live in or near the pond, while others feed on insects found along its banks.

Retention ponds also help gradually recharge groundwater levels by recharging the groundwater aquifer with rainwater.

Erosion is a natural process in which the earths surface is worn away by water and wind. Erosion can be caused by fast-moving water or wind carrying sediment, sand, and debris.

Retention ponds are intended to slow the speed of surface runoff so that it does not cause as much disturbance on land surfaces, thereby preventing erosion in surrounding areas.

This reduces soil loss during high-intensity rainfall events while also trapping sediment, debris, and other particles in the process.

Retention ponds large surface area allows them to absorb sunlight, which can help reduce the peak temperature of the surrounding environment during the summer.

High temperatures can be harmful to animals and plants, which cannot survive in such extreme conditions for long. As a result, lowering the temperature helps to prevent overheating problems from developing over time.

Retention ponds provide both green space and open water. Depending on the quantity and distribution of vegetation, they can help to create cool islands in metropolitan areas (as a result of evapotranspiration, water supply, shading).

Retention ponds prevent pollution by trapping sediment, debris, and other particles that are being carried along in the water before they can reach nearby waterways. Although retention ponds cannot remove all pollutants from the water, they can reduce contaminants by trapping them.

Good design and adequate maintenance are likely to improve the ability to achieve high efficacy in pollutant removal.

A retention ponds capacity to remove pollutants from runoff will improve with time if it receives adequate maintenance and care. Because a pond is a living environment, it will eventually become more effective as plants and animals grow.

Retention ponds provide an excellent defense against landslides because they prevent the rapid flow of water over a large area.

When rainfall occurs rapidly, water can flow downhill to a nearby body of water which causes erosion. This reduces the stability of land surfaces and increases the risk of landslides occurring over time.

Retention ponds reduce this risk by slowing down surface runoff so it does not cause as much disturbance to slopes or hills surrounding them.

Plants and trees help to remove CO from the atmosphere through photosynthesis, which absorbs C02. Though ponds do not directly absorb or retain carbon dioxide, they can increase habitat for plants that are able to effectively capture this greenhouse gas.

Retention ponds provide a place where aquatic vegetation can grow while also providing an additional source of food for many organisms which increases biodiversity. This can help to increase the ability of vegetation in and around a pond to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions over time.

Ponds can help to store water for later use. They assist the landscapes ability to retain water in the event of a flood and, by slowing down runoff, make this water accessible for other uses (such as water to sustain aquatic and riparian ecology in and around the pond), though they are unlikely to be big enough to store water for significant human usage.

Natural vegetation and aquatic plants provide biomass production. Though retention ponds cannot produce a significant amount of biomass on their own, they can help to increase the total amount produced by an ecosystem over time as more organisms grow in and around them.

Produced biomass can attract wildlife and help with small-scale bioenergy production.

A wetland is an ecosystem that contains both terrestrial and aquatic plants. A retention pond can be designed to mimic some features of a natural wetland by including various types of wetlands vegetation as part of its design.

Wetlands vegetation helps to purify water by removing pollutants and trapping sediment, which improves the overall quality of runoff. They can also improve biodiversity in an area while providing a habitat for many organisms that cannot survive in open areas without major changes.

Climate change is an important issue facing many countries around the world. Freshwater ecosystems are at risk from many changes to the environment.

In particular, coastal wetlands that serve as natural buffers against flooding and storm surges could be lost due to rising sea levels or increased surface runoff in wetland areas leading to saltwater intrusion into freshwater systems.

Retention ponds contribute to adaptation to higher storm intensity storm occurrences projected as a result of climate change by helping to decrease urban runoff and flooding.

Furthermore, if additional vegetation, particularly woody vegetation, is introduced, it may boost carbon sequestration and help to moderate urban temperatures.

Ponds are great places to go fishing, boating, kayaking, or canoeing in order to spend time outside and enjoy the beauty of nature. They may also provide space for animals that require both land and water habitats.

They may even include pathways that allow people to walk or bike around them. This provides more opportunities for the community to engage with nature in a positive way.

Ponds can help to increase property value because they add an interesting outdoor feature that can be used for recreation and enjoyment. They also add natural beauty to the surrounding landscape which may help increase a sense of peace or well-being in people who live nearby.

Therefore, if you are thinking of selling your property, building a retention pond could help attract more buyers that may be interested in the unique outdoor feature.

Although retention ponds are useful for many reasons, they do have some disadvantages that you should consider before building one on your property or in the surrounding community.

Here are some things to think about:

Retention ponds need to be maintained regularly because the water tends to become stagnant over time.

The stagnation creates an environment that is more likely to support harmful bacteria and other pathogens rather than the desirable algae and vegetation that is present in healthy ponds.

This can be done by regularly removing any excess plant growth, adding additional aeration devices to improve circulation and oxygen levels, and removing any dead animals that may have accumulated around the pond.

Retention ponds can create a drowning hazard, especially for young children and pets.

Therefore, it is important to take precautions when building a retention pond in an area where there are likely to be children or animals.

A retention pond can provide a habitat for mosquitoes if it is not properly maintained. This happens when the water becomes stagnant and the mosquitoes find it as a suitable breeding ground.

In order to prevent this from becoming an issue, you should take measures such as adding additional aeration devices and removing any excess plant growth so that the water is not allowed to become stagnant over time.

If you plan on having a retention pond in your yard, it is important to take measures like working with a pest control service to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in the area.

Although a well-maintained retention pond can provide a habitat for fish and other aquatic life, stagnant water is not ideal for the health of the organisms.

This is especially a bigger concern for smaller ponds that are not capable of sustaining a certain type of water quality and nutrient balance that is necessary for the survival of these species.

In order to keep your pond healthy and prevent fish from dying, you should regularly add aeration devices that will improve circulation and oxygen levels in the water. You can also remove dead animals or plants on a regular basis if they begin to accumulate around the area.

Retention ponds are built to retain water, but they also need access to drain if they are to be effective. This is why its important for the pond to have a drainage system in place that will help prevent standing water or overflow.

A drainage system that is poorly designed and maintained can lead to the pond overflowing and causing flooding in nearby areas, which can be both messy and dangerous.

A retention pond can make a significant impact on the environment especially if it is in an undeveloped area.

Construction of retention ponds almost always requires the clearing of natural vegetation and/or generating pollution, losing healthy soil, and disturbing the natural ecosystem.

If you are building a retention pond in an area that was previously undeveloped, it is important to take these factors into consideration before starting construction on one.

A well-maintained retention pond is an attractive asset that contributes greatly to the environment. To keep your pond healthy and looking great, here are some tips on how to maintain it:

All ponds accumulate trash, whether its from natural causes or through human interference. In order to keep your pond clean, you should make sure to regularly inspect it for visible trash and remove it as soon as possible.

As mentioned earlier, retention ponds can be low-oxygen environments that are not conducive to the survival of fish and other aquatic life. To keep your pond healthy, you should install aeration devices in order to improve circulation and oxygen levels throughout the water column.

One of the most important factors in maintaining a healthy pond is its drainage system.

If its not properly designed and maintained, there can be standing water or overflow which will cause significant problems for surrounding areas. You should regularly inspect this area to make sure that everything is working as intended and fix any issues immediately.

If your drainage system is damaged or poorly maintained, then water can accumulate and become stagnant instead of draining properly.

This lets mosquitoes breed in the area which causes a public health concern for everyone living nearby. To make sure your drainage system is in good working order, have a professional inspect it regularly.

The water quality of your pond should be tested regularly to make sure it does not have high levels of nitrogen or phosphates, which are toxic to fish and other aquatic life.

However, there are some clear signs that should let you know if your pond is not doing well simply by looking at it.

If your pond is green, brown, or has a blue-green tint to the water then you should have it tested right away to make sure its safe for your aquatic life. If you can see algae, scum, or foam on the surface of your pond then it is most likely due to excess nutrients, and you should have it tested right away.

Although retention ponds provide a habitat for aquatic life, it may not be possible to achieve it immediately after the pond is created. To accelerate the process, you should plan ahead and provide the right habitat for your aquatic life.

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Retention Ponds: [Everything You Need to Know About]

Ponds used for holding koi

Koi ponds are ponds used for holding koi carp, usually as part of a garden. Koi ponds can be designed specifically to promote health and growth of the Nishikigoi or Japanese Ornamental Carp. Koi ponds or lakes are a traditional feature of Japanese gardens, but many hobbyists use special ponds in small locations, with no attempt to suggest a natural landscape feature.

The architecture of the koi pond can have a great effect on the health and well being of the koi. The practice of keeping koi often revolves around "finishing" a koi at the right time. The concept of finishing means that the fish has reached its highest potential. Koi clubs hold shows where koi keepers bring their fish for judging.[1]

Koi pond with extensive filtration

Pond with liner installed, note vertical walls and bottom drains

Pond windows are increasingly installed in contemporary koi ponds.

The skimmer allows water to be drawn from the surface of the pond. It collects leaves, pollen, twigs, uneaten food and all other kinds of floating debris. The skimmer usually has a clean out basket that can be quickly emptied on a regular basis to allow the skimmer to run properly. Most floating skimmers will also have a foam that sits underneath the basket to filter out the finer particles. Also, depending on the skimmer, fish and other live critters may get stuck in the skimmer so it is a good idea to check the skimmer on a regular basis. If there is a self fill valve in the pond, try to install it out in the pond area and not in the skimmer. If the skimmer becomes clogged with debris and the water level drops in the skimmer, the fill valve may over fill the pond.

Bottom drains are not required in water gardens but are very beneficial for Koi Ponds. When used in a pond that does or does not have rocks on the bottom, a bottom drain allows the heavy solids to be carried to the mechanical filter. In addition, many bottom drains are equipped with air diffusers, adding much needed oxygen to a pond. And depending on the size of the pond, larger ponds will work more efficient with a bottom drain especially if there are jets in place pushing all debris toward the drain. Also, if there is a place where an external pump can be installed, you can have the water pumped out to a drainage area quicker and more efficiently.

Mechanical filtration can be accomplished in many different ways. The job of this filter is to trap solids, preventing them from clogging the Biological filter. The mechanical filter should be backwashed or cleaned out often. Types of mechanical filters include Vortex, brushes, matting, sand and gravel, sieve screen, and settlement chamber. If a BOG is installed into the pond, plants can be planted in it to filter the water even more.

Biological filters convert the nitrogenous wastes from the fish. This cycle is called the nitrogen cycle. A biofilter can be constructed in many different ways. It is important for the koi keeper to understand how the filter is to be cleaned before they install one. Proper and regular cleaning of the mechanical and biological filters is critical for the health and quality of the koi. Bio-filters are sometimes divided into sub groups such as aerated or non-aerated. Types of bio-filters include:[2]

For natural Eco System ponds, beneficial bacteria must be put into the pond to assist in the natural balance of the bond. When this is accomplished, and the pond is a sustainable ecosystem pond, try not to changed out the water to often because you could be upsetting the natural balance of the pond. When the pond becomes balanced, it will sustain itself.

An ultraviolet light is used to make algae flocculate (form into clumps), so that they can be removed by mechanical filtration. The UV sterilizer will also kill free-floating bacteria in the pond water. And in some cases, the UV light can kill some types of pathogens in the water[3] that can infect the fish and possibly kill them.

Water pumps move water through the filter system and back to the pond in a recirculating manner. The important thing to understand about pumps is that they be sized to the pond and the filter system. When the total back pressure in the system is considered, a pump should be circulating the total volume of water at least once per hour for proper water quality. An air pump can be used to increase dissolved oxygen. In a heavily stocked koi pond, an air pump is a necessity. Along with the water pumps, there must be jets placed in areas where there is little to no water flow to keep stagnant water from forming and possibly assisting in preventing mosquito larva from breeding.

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Koi pond - Wikipedia

Following graduation from the University of Brighton in graphic design, James got his first creative job in 2005 at Cog Design. Next, he went on to work for Emak Mafu in 2008 when the global recession hit. James left and started his own design studio (Cure Studio), an illustration agency (HigginsonHurst) and a Type Foundry (The Type Foundry). This was followed by senior roles at Figtree, Prophet and Wednesday.

In 2014, he joined DesignStudio, where he spent five years progressing from digital creative director to principal USA. In 2019 came Pinterest, where he worked as the global creative director until this year, landing his current role at Google.

In short, James has worked at some of the highest levels of the design world, starting from the ground up and getting hands-on with client projects along the way. So if ever you wanted insight about where the world of agencies and tech is heading, he's a good person to talk to.

Chatting to James from an office that overlooks the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, we discussed his journey so far, what he thinks of Big Tech's current bad press, and what he hopes to achieve at Google.

I was born in Switzerland and grew up there until I was eight, when we moved to Bishop's Waltham in the UK. The hilarious thing is that I think it was maybe the first moment I realised what design was. I went to a very small kindergarten with about 30 kids in Switzerland. Back in the '80s, Swiss kids used to wear cowhide leather satchels. I went from that to a school just outside Southampton and Portsmouth with about 2,000 kids with my little cowhide leather bag. When you're an eight-year-old, you quickly look around and spot that sort of difference!

I remember having weird conversations with my mum because Switzerland is broken up into cantons like English counties, but each canton has its unique look and feel (look up the country's history, and you'll see why!). It makes everything feel unique to that canton. In the UK, I was always enamoured that all signs look the same! I couldn't get over it. I asked my mum what was going on. Because that stop sign looks like that stop sign, when we went to see my gran miles away, they still looked the same! That's when I started to notice design.

It informed me a lot. I used to speak Swiss-German fluently and English as a second language. My mum and dad spoke English to me at home, but I spoke Swiss-German all day, every day. When we first moved here, I remember having to sit down and say, "be less Swiss", and decide what to do to fit in.

I think every kid has their formative moment. I don't think you need to move from Switzerland to England to have that sort of thing happen to you (and as an ex-pat living in the USA, I'm curious about how my kids would react if we moved back to the UK!).

James Hurst, Head of Brand Design at Google

I left Brighton in the post-cool-Britannia era. The country was alive with the Spice Girls and gossiping about what Oasis did in 10 Downing Street. My mum and dad were disappointed I'd gone to art school. They were adamant I'd made a terrible decision. They just didn't see that there would be a future for me after art school.

When I finished art school, I moved back in with my parents and applied for endless internships. After about a year, my parents held it over me that I should definitely not have gone to art school.

But all was not lost. My portfolio was an A1 printed folder, mainly screen printed. There were weird posters for mythical things that didn't exist. It had been a lot of work, and I was really, really proud of it. I kept carrying it around to loads of different agencies, and most would take one look at this sort of scruffy, crazy human being and say, "No, actually, we don't need this in our building".

Then I met Michael Smith, the founder of Cog Design. And in that haze of cool Brittania optimism, even though that portfolio was terrible, Michael saw it was full of hope, ambition and a desire to learn and spread my wings. He took a chance on me and became my boss and a great mentor. We're still really good friends, and he's someone I often turn to for advice.

I learnt so much at that agency about understanding the questions you need to ask to get to something that's going to make sense. And they did wild stuff. The first project I worked on was Sultan's Elephant, where this huge, big, mechanical elephant walked through London. It was a crazy time and a fantastic agency.

A friend of mine called Chester Chipperfield had set up a digital agency. And he needed some help. They were just kicking off redesigning Anthony Gormley's website. And so I joined to help.

When I look back at those days, I wonder how we accomplished anything, as it was fresh and wild. Today, you've got design roles for most deductive tasks. But back then, we made it up as we went along. At Emak Mafu, we had to learn how to run a company, create a culture for a team of people, and build trusting partnerships with big brands as they took their first tentative step on 'the internet'. We had to invent the playbook. Creative thinking wasn't just: does this thing we've designed look nice? It was about the entire process of getting a business online and thinking inductively.

Then sadly, 2008 happened. And like many businesses, Emak Mafu hit tough times. So I set up a small little studio for a few years, which was an adventure.

Cure days with Fred Higginson from Print Club London, 'Editions'.

"The humble studio we ran," James on Cure Studio, HigginsonHurst & The Type Foundry

I later met Nick Couch, the MD of a company called Figtree. He's an incredibly awesome brand thinker, brand designer, brand strategist, and creative super brain. I remember our first conversation. I went in hard about what we did at my studio, saying how we're doing all this great brand stuff. And he was kind enough to say: "I don't think you are, but I think I can see that you want to do that. And now you should come and join us".

And so that was the next fun adventure. Working out what the role of digital thinking meant for brand building. They'd just delivered the HTC rebrand, and everything flew a million miles an hour. I've always had impostor syndrome. But that was a real moment of walking into many rooms with some incredible strategists and incredible brand thinkers and seeing them unpick problems and reframe problems in such fascinating ways. And I'm pleased that so many of them are still fantastic friends.

Yeah, so I joined DesignStudio in London just after the agency launched the Airbnb rebrand. It was a rocket ship. Anybody starting a business wanted to talk to the agency about their brand. After about a year of me being there, they set up an office in San Francisco, just down the road from where Airbnb's offices are based. But as everyone was so fraught and busy all the time, we never really built one studio culture. So it was my job to try and transplant some of the DNA we had in London to the West Coast arm. James Gilmore did the same for the team in Australia. That's when I left the UK.

Moving from the UK to the US with "everything we had". James' wife sophie and 18-month-old twins

DesignStudio in San Francisco. Photography by Paul Barbera

DesignStudio in San Francisco. Photography by Paul Barbera

Definitely. The studio is going from strength to strength. It has a really good ethos about how it makes good work happen. Our job as designers is to ask dumb questions, and that is the DesignStudio philosophy. To ensure that everyone understands that if you're working there, your job is to help other businesses be as good as they can be. And that means asking ridiculous questions and going on amazing adventures with clients. In that process, you uncover what is radically different for each business.

Yeah, I'd always worked agency-side where clients would come in for help, almost like sitting in a therapist's chair, and we'd guide them towards their goals. In contrast, I learned that going in-house is a little like going into the head of the patient. You don't play the leading role; you bring people together who might have different ideas of how things should run and inspire them to move forward together.

It's an entirely different pace. It's like throwing snowballs at the top of a mountain. You can throw a lot of snowballs, and then nothing happens. But then one of them just starts rolling, and you're like, "Oh, my God, what have I started?!" If the chess pieces align, the stars align, or whatever, and you can seed an idea, that idea can change the entire business.

I'm proud of the work that we did at Pinterest. We introduced an entirely new audience (creators) and gave the company a ton of confidence in how it would use that to talk to different people that it hopes will use the platform. There are some really big challenges I don't think you'd ever get near if you weren't working inside the business.

So, yes. The pace can be slow at first. But then you realise that your legs are sprinting, and you wonder who set us off in this direction.

It's a fantastic opportunity. This company is huge. The number of products is eye-watering, and the number of different ways people use the products is mind-blowing. The role of the brand is hugely different for different people in really meaningful ways.

It's only week five of me being here, but there are some incredible brand thinkers, brand dreamers, and brand doers. People are working out the role of this thing as a brand? And how do we think about that? Sometimes really speculatively, what do we need to take away from the world? Or sometimes really additively? So what will we throw into the world to make sense of it? And then how do we take that thinking and socialise it in many different places around the business?

I'll probably be finding my feet for years. It's been one of the most humbling onboarding experiences, where every single day, I've been keen and eager to show that I can add value in all of these various ways. I spin up these presentations for things, and then I send them off, and people are like, "Oh, we have an entire team doing that".

I'm in the honeymoon phase. I think everything about Google is amazing. I think the thing that makes me excited is that I'm going to learn a ton about what the role of a brand is from the inside of Google. For a business as interesting as this, it's a dream. With the different ways people think about Google alongside the company's enormous ambition, I've never experienced anything like it before.

Something we offer is help. We make people's lives better. I think if we can show that we're genuinely helping people, then I think that's the area where we prove ourselves. We've got to hold ourselves accountable. And we have to make sure that we live by that value.

Well, Google is a family of well-established products that people rely on every day with some inspirational moonshots that will define our future. It's huge and adds so much value. So the interesting part of the puzzle is that there are many ways people interact with Google, but where and what is the brand? It's also a hyper-competitive market. We have to stay humble and nimble.

The key for me is to listen. I care about what people who don't work at Google are saying about Google while defining what we hope they'll say. My job is to help close that gap.

I think trust is a key attribute every brand has to earn. Thankfully, we're already well respected and well regarded. That's because Google is a responsible company in how it builds products and how it develops services. It's an engineering-led company that has succeeded by responsibly building tech that people rely on. Like every brand, we have to continue to work hard to protect and nurture the trust our community has put in us.

In today's world, we should expect much more from the brands we adore. We need to ensure we make people's lives better. I think if we can show that we're genuinely helping people, then I think that's the area where we continue to build a meaningful brand.

DesignStudio in San Francisco. Photography by Paul Barbera

DesignStudio in San Francisco. Photography by Paul Barbera

DesignStudio in San Francisco. Photography by Paul Barbera

I'm a tech evangelist. My ambition is to ensure we keep building the friendlier, happier, optimistic company that helps people. I was just reading about the dreamers in Afghanistan, this group of inspiring teenage girls who rebuilt a bunch of car parts and motors to make defibrillators during Covid-19. They did it all through finding the right information online, working out how to model things, build things, and have created this extremely efficient bit of medical kit, which people are celebrating. I think that's when tech is at its absolute best.

Agreed. It's got a bad name for itself, which is infuriating as it's helping us manage one of the most extraordinary events of our time Covid. It could be in how tech is helping scientists understand what the virus is or the inspiring ways we're using tech to deliver care to people who live in places that have historically not been able to access it.

I'm so inspired by teams like Sehat Kahani, who are getting healthcare into the hands of people who haven't ever had that opportunity before.

Or tools like System, whose belief that "seeing the whole system will help us make better decisions" continues the spirit of thinking that advanced the human race. Particularly when Nasa shared Blue Marble which kicked off an era of philosophical and sociological advances as a result of our species getting to see as Buckminster Fuller would call it 'Spaceship Earth'.

The thing that I would love to do is get back to a place where we see the positives in tech. And we start to see the positive impact that it's having.

I'm a board advisor to the team at Hoo Koo E Koo, who (amongst many other things) runs the Future Horizon event. For anyone cynical about the positive impact of tech. Please attend their next event. It is brimming with hope and making meaningful change.

We've got problems to solve. The optimist in me believes that we are moving into a world where people are aware of what those problems are and can get the tools to solve those problems.

I'm already seeing it happen. So much investment is being pumped into businesses doing good, and Google is an inspiring corporate citizen in how it stewards and supports these initiatives.

Use Design to Design Change by James Hurst

I think a heavy dose of cynicism is healthy. It helps ensure that you look at what companies are doing while asking is that right? Is that good for the world?

I wrote a book last year, Use Design to Design Change. It's built from my experience branding countless companies and considers how businesses can make a positive impact. The book's premise is to use the triple bottom line used to audit a business: taking people, planet, and profit as levers to consciously define what decisions to make when building a brand. It's a set of tools designed to be used by anyone.

Yes, this feels like the start of a new epoch in this industry. More and more founders, CEOs and leaders that I talk with are looking hard at the many problems they can positively impact. My humble book is part of a huge wave of great thinking about how creative people can use design thinking to nurture and amplify that impact, but I'm not the first, and I'm thrilled I'm not alone!

Go here to read the rest:
James Hurst on his new role at Google, Big Tech's bad press and why he's hopeful for the future - Creative Boom

Commercial satellite imagery of North Koreas unfinished 50 MWe Reactor at the Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center suggests that the main reactor building is being scavenged for materials probably for use in other construction projects. Some trenching work was observed in April, initially reported by the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, near an old pump house on the Kuryong River originally intended to service this unfinished reactor project. But the purpose of this limited activity is unclear.

Construction of the 50 MWe Reactor began in the late 1980s and came to a halt in 1994 when the US and the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK, or North Korea) signed the Agreed Framework, which was supposed to provide North Korea with light water reactors in lieu of graphite-moderated, gas-cooled reactors. Even when the Agreed Framework fell apart in 2002, construction did not resume. At that time, the project had already been stalled for eight years, and the previously installed reactor components had not been maintained.

Today, based on eyewitness accounts from 2007 through 2010, as well as commercial satellite imagery, the reactor vessel remains incomplete and badly corroded. The buildings are in a state of disrepair. Even North Korean officials referred to the reactor as ruined concrete structures and iron scrap in 2010.

Some activity around the site has been observed over the years, but no work has been done on the main reactor area. Moreover, building materials such as roofs have been partially dismantled in recent years, presumably as part of efforts to salvage metal for other industrial needs. The partial dismantlement of the spent fuel building started in 2021 might have been to repurpose the facilityperhaps to eventually store spent fuel for the Experimental Light Water Reactorbut no further work has been done on this building for nearly a year.

Given the current state of the reactor, the recent trenching work is unlikely to have indicated efforts to resume work on the 50 MWe Reactor. Instead, it may be related to operations at the nearby underground facility.

In addition to the trenching working in April, on May 28, a barge or boat was seen docked at the riverside pump house near where recent trenching activity occurred. This appears to be the first time a vessel has been observed in this location; it had departed by May 31. Its purpose is unclear, but may have been related to maintenance or repair of the pump house or also associated with operations at the underground facility.

Background

North Koreas 5 MWe Gas-Graphite Plutonium Production Reactor (5 MWe Reactor) has been operational since 1986 and can produce up to six kilograms of plutonium per year, or enough fissile material for one nuclear weapon annually.

In the late 1980s, North Korea began construction of the 50 MWe Reactor, which would have had the capacity to produce approximately 55 kilograms of plutonium, or enough fissile material for an additional seven to 10 nuclear weapons annually. When the construction site was first inspected in 1992, the reactor vessel was in an early stage of construction. Other key components such as cooling piping or other necessary equipment such heat exchangers were still at the manufacturing workshops. North Korea had also started to manufacture the graphite blocks for the reactor but had only produced about half of what was needed. Manufacturing of the fuel rod cores had also started but still lacked the necessary cladding to complete production.

While it was originally expected to be operational by 1995, reactor construction was halted by the 1994 US-DPRK Agreed Framework, and it was never completed. Likewise, no reactor fuel was produced. Observers who visited the site noted cracks in the concrete, rusted out buildings and junk littering the grounds. North Korean assessments at the time were that it would be more cost effective to build a new reactor than try to salvage what had been built so far. Work did not resume when the agreement collapsed in 2002.

When the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) returned to North Korea in the summer of 2007, it reported: There has been no construction work at this installation since 2002. The Agency has made photographic records and has confirmed the status of the facility. A site visit report by Dr. Siegfried Hecker in 2010 quoted the senior North Korean technical official leading the facility tour, introducing the reactor as: In the early 1990s we built 50 and 200 MWe reactors (of gas-graphite design).Now they have become ruined concrete structures and iron scrap

Past Activity Around the 50 MWe Reactor

While no new construction on the 50 MWe Reactor has been reported by inspectors or observed in commercial satellite imagery, some activity around the reactor has not been unusual.

In 2003, the Institute for Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) documented that when operations resumed at Yongbyon, the temporary housing at the 50 MWe Reactor that had been erected for construction workers was dismantled.

In 2005, ISIS reported that the road around the reactor site had been resurfaced, and a possible new crane was on the grounds. However, there were no signs of large scale construction.

Between late October 2010 and early April 2011, the North Koreans removed a large tower crane that had been used to erect the 50 MWe Reactors reactor hall.

In 2014, imagery showed the road around the reactor had been paved but the crane seen near the road in 2005 remained apparently abandoned in place.

In 2016, a small single story building had been built in front of the reactors main entrance, and a circular area had been cleared next to it. Its purpose is unknown, but a placard had been placed just across the street from the new building were observed.

Between February and June 2018, an eight-by-six-meter hole appeared in the roof of the reactor building. A second circular structure was erected next to a small administrative or support building in December. The structure, approximately 4.5 meters in diameter, appears to be a water holding tank.

In 2019, new trenching was noted underneath the southeastern security wall along with new excavation near the reactor building. Additionally, the small single story building built in 2015 was razed in late October or early November.

In August 2020, a typhoon hit the region, causing flooding and wind damage at Yongbyon, including at the 50 MWe Reactor complex. In the following months, repairs to a road and bridge south of the reactor and the roofs of several buildings in and around the complex.

In February 2022, troops were seen in formation outside one of the buildings. Snow had been removed from that area of the complex and had melted off the roofs of two of the buildings, suggesting activity within.

Figure 1. Activity around the 50 MWe Reactor (2014-2020).

Spent Fuel Building Activity

Between June and August 2021, as previously reported by 38 North, the roof and walls of the spent fuel storage building were dismantled, revealing the storage ponds. During that process, the removed building materials appeared to have been salvaged, possibly for future use on site or elsewhere. In October, a flatbed truck was present and appeared to be hauling away the stacks of recovered material. By November 1, the materials were gone.

At the time, 38 North analysts suggested that because the water treatment area was not dismantled, it was possible the building was being repurposed rather than being fully torn down.

Imagery from April 27, 2022, however, shows the building remains uncovered. What appeared to be excavated footings for new pillars are still visible, but no further work appears to have been done since the roof was removed in 2021.

The partial dismantlement of the spent fuel storage building was not an isolated case around the 50 MWe Reactor complex. In July 2021, approximately half of the posts and girders from the framework of another building that was never completed were also taken down. Presumably, some of those materials were removed from the site, while others remain strewn on the ground nearby.

In February 2022, a number of roof sections had been removed from the south wing of the main building. A crane was observed working at the south end, and a flatbed truck was parked nearby, presumably to take the salvaged materials away. Imagery from May reveals the removal of more roof panels. Together, the cannibalization of these structures does not point to actions to resume construction of the 50 MWe Reactor.

Figure 2. Partial dismantlement of the spent fuel storage building in 2021.

Figure 3. Overview of activity from 2020-2022.

Recent Trenching Activity

In April 2022, as reported by Middlebury Institute, trenching for what appeared to be pipe work can be seen in a field near an old pumphouse on the Kuryong River. It began from a point just north of the pumphouse and extended to the west approximately 60 meters. On various dates, a few large-diameter, but short cylindrical objects were present near the trench where a power shovel was at work. These may have been pipe segments and it is unclear if they are being installed or removed.

By April 19, the trenching had crossed much of the fielda distance of around 140 metersand by 27th, the trench had been covered over. But the purpose of this work remains unclear.

It had been thought that this large, riverside pumphouse, located just a half kilometer downstream from the 50 MWe reactor, was constructed to service the reactor. However, its role in the reactor complex is uncertain since construction began before frequent high resolution commercial satellite imagery was available. Thus, much of what is known comes from open-source accounts by site inspectors, defector reports, and forensic evidence gleaned from satellite imagery beginning in early 2000.

Given the body of evidence discussed earlier regarding the 50 MWe reactors condition and the dismantlement activity seen around the complex, it is unlikely this trenching is associated with efforts to finish the reactor. While this activity could indicate an effort to salvage pipes in that area for other purposes, it is more likely related to the large, underground facility located beneath the hill where this field is located.

Figure 4. Overview of area of trenching activity.

Figure 5. Trenching activity from April 16-27, 2022.

The Underground Facility

A 38 North article in 2019 by Frank Pabian profiled this underground facility. As documented in that report, initial tunnel excavation for this complex began between April 2005 and April 2006. By 2010, two additional entrances were excavated into the same hillside. All three entrances are connected by a service road and there is at least one utility or powerline connected to the third tunnel entrance. Expansion activities appear to have concluded by fall 2013. A year later, the spoil piles had been smoothed over and natural vegetation began to take hold. By 2019, the area was completely camouflaged with vegetation.

This underground facility demonstrates conditions similar to a wet cave, which requires water drainage and management to inhabit. For instance, drainage ditches were dug leading from the portals and across the spoil piles in the fall of 2012, following a typhoon that year, suggesting the importance of channeling storm waters in this area. Further drainage or repair of drainage systems for this facility may have been recently necessary ahead of this years rainy season.

Figure 6. Overview of the Underground Facility area.

Recent Trenching vs Prospective Path to the 50 MWe Reactor

The reactors original design called for the use of two cooling towers, akin to the original operational design for the 5 MWe Reactor with its single cooling tower. The twin towers for the 50 MWe reactor, however, never progressed beyond laying their foundations.

Imagery from March 2003 showed the likely path for the planned pipeline from the pumphouse to the 50 MWe. From the pumphouse at its eastern point, the path extends westward, crosses an open field, cuts through a tree covered hill, passes just south of a small support facility where a small, rectangular covered reservoir is located, and then crosses under a dirt road, through a stream, and terminates at the south side of a building whose purpose is unknown. None of that likely path has been recently disturbed. All recent activity has instead, been confined to the field near the old riverside pumphouse.

Figure 7. Likely path of the 50 MWe Reactor pipeline.

One possibility is that the recent trenching may be related to agriculture. Crops have flourished in the field where the trenching took place since 2010. But it appears excessive for field drainage alone. The numerous drainage ditches present, many of which begin at the top of the hill, are likely adequate to prevent flooding during the rainy season.

Rather, the presence of the underground facility beneath the field suggests a more likely purpose: the protection of that facility from seepage from the kind of heavy rains that are common in North Korean summers.

Recent Activity

Imagery from May 28, 2022 shows a barge or boat berthed near the riverside pumphouse. Its purpose was unclear, although it may be related to maintenance and repair of the pumphouse itself or associated with operations at the underground facility. The vessel had departed by May 31. While dredges have been observed near pumphouses along the river before, this appears to the be the first time seeing a boat or barge in this location.

Figure 8. Probable barge or boat at the riverside pump house.

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Is North Korea Restarting Construction of the 50 MWe Reactor at Yongbyon? It's Unlikely - 38 North

The employee art exhibition during installation (all photos Elaine Velie/Hyperallergic unless otherwise noted)

Every other year since 1935, New Yorks Metropolitan Museum of Art has presented an exhibition of its employees art. It has always been a relatively private affair, with the works on view for staff members eyes only until now. This year, the museums beloved employee art show is back, and for the first time ever, its open to the public.

Of the Mets staff of 1,700, over 450 employees contributed works to the show, which opens today, June 6 and will run through June 19. Titled Art Work: Artists Working at The Met, the presentation is held in an exhibition space next to the museums Ancient Greek sculpture hall and includes pieces by workers across departments, from security guards and technicians to librarians, registrars, and volunteers.

Daniel Kershaw, an exhibition design manager at the museum, has directed the shows curatorial process for more than 20 years. Every piece of art submitted is traditionally included in the show, and staff members like Kershaw work after hours to install the exhibition in time.

As the works come in, Kershaw looks for common threads to tie the diverse and eclectic pieces together. Its terrifying, and then as it goes along, it starts to make some sense maybe only to me, Kershaw told Hyperallergic. Im sure that a lot of the artists are thinking, Are you kidding, you put my masterpiece next to that awful thing? But thats okay, everybody seems to behave relatively well together.

Curating the exhibition thematically allows Kershaw to perceive how artists areas of interest change from year to year.

I think you see a pulse of what artists are going for right at the moment in a way that I dont usually see in anything else, Kershaw said. Compared to previous years, for instance, he observed less nudity in this years artworks. What happened? Theres almost no nudity, sex is way down this year, Kershaw said. Maybe Covid took a toll.

Kershaw explained that some of the artists in the exhibition are professionals who work at the Met to pay their bills. Others are hobbyists creating art in their spare time.

For Rachel High, a manager of editorial marketing and rightswho has been at the Met for eight years, its her second time participating in the employee art show. This year, High contributed two small sculptural vessels to the exhibition. She covered a tin can and glass jar in clay and painted them to look like monsters, brushing resin onto the eyes to create depth. Both of the pieces are functional, and in addition to giving her artwork to friends as gifts, she uses the objects she creates in her daily life.

High said that seeing the museums displays of decorative arts helped changed the way she thinks about her own work. Even though I think of it as craft, its still technically art, she told Hyperallergic.

Jeary Payne, who works in the education department, contributed a photograph titled Juke Joint, which he shot this year on the patio of one of his favorite neighborhood bars. The picture is from his series Finding Here, which Payne started in 2016 after moving to the Brooklyn neighborhood of Crown Heights.

Its about being able to capture actual moments of actual Black people in rest, in living their lives, Payne told Hyperallergic. Especially living in Brooklyn but not being from Brooklyn, a lot of my questions behind my work which is primarily about Black collective memory have been about asking, Whats my responsibility? How do I lend myself to the space, how do I record those moments?'

Rebecca Schear, who submitted an image she captured during a trip to Cuba, has been taking photographs for about 15 years. She also works with photography and film crews in her job as senior production manager at the museum.

In an interview with Hyperallergic, Schear described feeling awe-struck as she walked through the exhibition and saw her coworkers names on wall labels alongside stunning works of art.

You just dont even realize, I work with him all the time, she said, gesturing to a photograph hanging near hers. I didnt even know thats something he can do.

Michael Gallagher, the chair of the paintings conservation department, contributed one of his own oil on canvas works to the show. He told Hyperallergic that being a painter has illuminated his work as a conservator. Thanks to his personal studio practice, he can better understand artists instincts, and he knows not to overcomplicate someone elses work the application of two-layered paint colors might have a deeper meaning, he says, or maybe the artist just didnt like the first shade of green.

Being a conservator has also influenced how Gallagher behaves as a painter. He related a story of painting en plein air, as he normally does, when his canvas fell face-first into the dirt. Gallagher said he immediately picked it up and started pulling off the dirt as a conservator would.

But for years, Gallagher kept his painting practice to himself.

The reason you keep this private is because its so important to you, Gallagher said. Its because you feel very vulnerable, and also, when you work for one of the greatest arts institutions in the world and you deal with some of the greatest paintings, it just seems hugely presumptuous to be like, Oh, I paint, too.'

There are some great artists walking the halls of the Met, Gallagher added.

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The Met Hosts an Exhibition of Employees' Art, Open to the Public for the First Time - Hyperallergic

Abodu, a company focused on building prefabricated Accessory Dwelling Units, installed its first North Bay unit in unincorporated Sonoma County roughly two weeks ago. The company says more units will be coming to both Sonoma and Napa counties in the coming months.

ADUs are small, self-contained living units that can be attached or detached to single family homes, within the single family lot. A statewide boom in ADU approvals started up roughly five years ago, when California legislators required local municipalities to relax their regulations on ADUs approvals. Further legislation, particularly in 2020, has made building such units even easier.

Legislators have framed opening up the approval process for ADUs as one part of an effort to take on Californias housing crisis. Though getting ADU plans approved by local governments has become swifter and easier, thats only one part of the process. The time and financial burden of building such units falls on homeowners who typically have no experience with construction, said John Geary, CEO of Abodu.

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Thats a problem because even if a homeowner has sufficient money and interest to build such a structure in their backyard perhaps because doing so could give them needed rental income, because theyd like to move a family member in there or a variety of other reasons they might see the time commitment and uncertainty of trying to learn how to navigate the process as too much of a burden.

Abodu designed its business around taking stress out of the process by handling most of it themselves, Geary said.Rene Schomp, director of the Napa Sonoma ADU Center nonprofit, said that similar options are offered by a several other prefab ADU companies.

Construction is tough. Its dirty. Its expensive. Its confusing. And when the average homeowner is building an ADU, theyre essentially building a home in their backyard, Geary said. What we saw is most homeowners arent equipped to do that well. Its a scary endeavor; theres a lot of opacity in the industry. And so our goal was, how do we make this as simple as buying a car or a product; how do we make it easy as possible for folks?

Cindy Loughridge and Seth Restaino, owners of the ADU in Sonoma, said that when they bought their home roughly a year ago, there was already an old, run down ADU on the property. The homeowner at the time was working with another company to replace that with a new ADU, which Loughridge said was a selling point for the house.

The state of the old ADU was almost a deal-breaker, Restaino recalled. It was an eyesore, and it had to either come down or be reworked.

But the company that wouldve built the ADU ended up busy for at least a year, perhaps because of supply chain delays, Loughridge said. Loughridge then discovered Abodu as a replacement option that would get the new ADU installed there relatively quickly. Restaino said the unit the most expensive model out of three possible Abodu choices, a two-bedroom unit with some upgrades cost roughly $425,000 in total.

Loughridge said they began talking with Abodu in August 2021 and signed a contract for the ADU in October. Abodu started building the unit at a factory in November, Restaino said, and it took three months for the custom build to be finished. Owing to various permitting and code compliance delays, the unit was installed in late May, and it will be ready to serve as a residence for the bride and groom during a wedding June 25.

We knew we were the guinea pigs, Restaino said. Im just also a realist about permitting and stuff going to take a little while.

Restaino said the main point of the ADU for now is that it will serve as a guest house to the two-bedroom main house. He added that its possible they might move their parents into the unit when they get older, or it could serve as a long-term rental should they decide to sell the property.

The speed of building such prefab units depends on whether homeowners buy in-production units or wish to design various aspects of the unit. Geary said the organization has installed more than 100 units in California over the past two years, and has several hundred in production behind that.

Schomp said she sees prefab ADUs as one important way to fill California's extreme need for housing. (Though ADU approvals have been picking up in Napa County and across the state in recent years, the number of total ADU approvals is still minuscule compared to the state's housing need.)

Schomp added there's essentially three categories of prefab unit: manufactured, factory built and panelized.

Manufactured housing is certified and regulated on the federal level through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. That means building requirements are less onerous than factory built, or modular, housing which is what Abodu builds because it's certified at the state level and must be built to state building code standards. As a result, manufactured ADUs tend to be cheaper than factory-built, Schomp said.

Panelized ADUs allow a greater level of customization because only the outer shell of the house is prefabricated, and it's delivered in flat panels that then have to be assembled.

All prefab ADUs have the advantage of generally being built more quickly than traditionally constructed units and taking a much shorter time to be installed on the property, Schomp said.

"What we do is we manage the ADU process from start to finish, the home is built entirely off site," Geary said. "So there's no months and months and months of construction in a homeowner's backyard. We're talking about two weeks before delivery, one day of delivery and then about two weeks after delivery, and that's all the homeowner sees of us in that backyard."

But, Schomp added, it's important to recognize that other ADU options traditional "stick-built" ADUs, junior ADUs that convert areas inside an existing home into housing, multifamily affordable housing have upsides as well.

And there are also a few limitations to prefab units to consider, she said. Having a flat lot and enough access to the site that a truck can drive in there with the unit, or so a crane can place it, is essentially a requirement.

The ADU center recently launched a Standard Plans Program which features a gallery of plans that at least some of 16 Napa and Sonoma county jurisdictions have pre-approved. That allows for a diversity of options for interested buyers, and helps the center pursue a goal of saving homeowners and cities time and money on the design and permitting process for ADUs, Schomp emphasized.

And though organizations like Abodu also work with local governments to have their ADU options essentially be pre-approved to cut down on delivery time and hassle, the ADU Center's program attempts to solve another potential flaw of prefab ADUs: the relative lack of options most prefab companies offer on their own. Those looking for ADUs can see options from a variety of companies: Abodu, Villa, Connect Homes, Inspired ADUs, Homes for Sonoma and more.

What I have seen time and time again in the housing space is theres no single silver bullet solution, Schomp said. You cannot say prefab is the answer; its one of the tools in the toolkit. And were going to be the most successful to meet our housing crisis if we approach with a diversity of housing options.

Schomp added that she initially skeptical of prefab ADU companies given that many of them started up, backed by venture capital, after the state's 2020 housing laws that made local permitting processes for ADUs more uniform came into effect. Those processes still aren't entirely uniform, she said, which means that in order for the companies to be successful, they need two teams of employees that work closely with every jurisdiction they're building ADUs in.

Schomp said she didn't anticipate that she'd feel the prefab companies have proven themselves this quickly, but she now feels confident referring people to them. And she believes prefab ADUs are a vital part of solving California's current housing puzzle.

Im pleasantly surprised by how successful these companies have been so far, and Im seeing homeowners significantly shifting from wanting to do traditional construction to wanting to do prefab, Schomp said.

You can reach Edward Booth at 707-256-2213.

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Prefab Accessory Dwelling Units are coming to the North Bay - Napa Valley Register

June 9, 2022

By Ethan Weinstein, VTDigger

RANDOLPH Gov. Phil Scott signed two key pieces of legislation Tuesday meant to address the states housing crisis.

The press conference and bill signing for S.210 and S.226, held at an in-process housing development at Salisbury Square in Randolph, highlighted legislation that will collectively invest over $45 million.

Building more housing to address our critical shortage has been a top priority, Scott said. In the aggregate, this will amount to the largest state investment in housing weve ever seen.

According to Sen. Alison Clarkson, D-Windsor, who also spoke at the event, the Legislature passed about $300 million in housing-related funds in the recently concluded biennium.

S.210 includes $20 million for the Vermont Housing Improvement Program, which seeks to bring houses and apartments in disrepair back into the market.

Having run up against the governors veto of a statewide rental registry, the Legislature passed S.210, which provides funding for the state Division of Fire Safety to enforce health and housing codes in rental units. In most towns, housing code inspections currently fall to the local health officer, often a volunteer.

S.226 will fund middle-income housing and eliminates the need for developers to get water and sewer permits from both a municipality and the state. It raises the cap on units allowed in projects in densely populated areas from 25 to 50. And it prohibits municipalities from imposing parking requirements of more than one space per bedroom on accessory dwelling units.

The legislation also will offer subsidies to contractors building homes that cost more to construct than their market value. It provides $1 million to assist first-generation home buyers and includes $4 million in grants to make upgrades to mobile homes and mobile home parks.

I know its usually the areas of disagreement that get the most attention, Scott said. Here is a great example of how people of different parties can agree on a fundamental problem, put differences aside and work together to find solutions that will benefit our state for decades to come.

The governor pointed to Springfield and his hometown of Barre as examples of communities that, having lost population, will benefit from the new funding to update vacant properties.

Money for the two new laws comes from both state and federal sources.

In a press release, Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint, D-Windham, celebrated the bills as an example of a hard-earned compromise.

Im proud of the work weve done to meet housing needs at every level, from affordable housing to middle-income homeownership, and that includes critical updates to rental units and manufactured homes, she said.

Weve also updated policy to make it easier to build housing where we want it, in our downtowns and village centers, and to better ensure that no Vermonter lives in substandard housing.

Phase I of the project involved developing 14 pedestrian-friendly apartments and one permitted home.

The second phase, now underway, seeks to create 19 solar-powered, net-zero units at the site of the former Ethan Allen furniture plant.

Julie Iffland, the groups executive director, highlighted the effort in Randolph to create mixed-income housing within walking distance of downtown. The units, powered by solar panels, will be connected by a microgrid, sharing power and even allowing the storage of solar energy, Iffland said. The project, she said, works toward the common-sense desire to make our communities livable.

During his remarks at the bill signing the first of its kind since the pandemic began Scott praised the Randolph initiative as a community-supported way to help ease Vermonts housing crisis.

The crowd, which numbered about 100, tells a lot about support you have in Vermont and for housing, he said.

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New laws will invest $45M into housing - Addison County Independent