December 9, 2009 by Jeff.

I fell in love with Japanese architecture a few years ago while building stone and thatch homes of the English countryside vernacular. Less rustic than their English counterparts, these intricately detailed homes feature simple, clean lines.

Following the lead of architects such as Le Corbusier Japanese architects combined these traditional design aesthetics with elements of the international style for dramatic results.

and this one from Artechnic:

Today many Japanese architects must design homes with small footprints due to a lack of available land. For most the solution is to go up, up, up. A Ryuichi Ashizawa-designed home featured in this article accomplished this in a rather interesting and organic fashion. The twisted steel support columns resemble rods of bamboo, and the successive pods/platforms remind me of the tree house from the movie Swiss Family Robinson.

To me, this open-air design seems impractical for the city (with all the air and noise pollution), but I would certainly love to build something like this on my property up in Maine.

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November 3, 2009 by Jeff.

NOV 2: Started sketching out a house on the back of a paper bag as I drank my second cup of coffee.

NOV3: Interested to see what it would look like in three dimensions, I spent a couple of hours this afternoon rendering the frame in Google Sketchup. Over the next couple of days I plan to begin adding doors, windows, and, of course walls.

NOV 4: Changed the heavy framing plan and added a foundation plan to the sketch (below).

NOV 5: Added walls and openings for doors and windows.

NOV 6: Today I planted the gardens, added some floors, and installed other landscaping. This may help establish some needed perspective.

and, then I decided to add a roof.

NOV 7: Today I sketched out a section of the basement to illustrate the relationships between the 2 bedrooms, the open courtyard, the bath, and the utility room. I got this idea from Stuttio Workshop who finished second place in the COEH Design Competition.

NOV 8: How to best integrate modern energy efficiency with timber frame structures has been debated since the U.S. timber-frame resurgence in the 1970s. For much of the past 40 years, exterior wall systems have been utilized, which add significant expense and unnecessary structure. My study of historic infill systems has led me to the conclusion that an infill system, using modern materials, would be a more effective and sustainable approach. A diagram of a wall section is includes below. The exterior sheathing (red) and the interior finish board (blue) create a large - 7 inch - cavity that can be filled with any type of blown insulation (yellow). The 2X3 wall studs (grey) provide the necessary support. Notice that a wire chase is created by separating the exterior sheathing from the heavy timber; this gap also creates a thermal layer outside the frame, reducing energy loss.

July 31: Sketched out an idea for additional bedrooms on the east side.

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September 18, 2009 by Jeff.

For many years, I struggled to connect my faith with my passion for social justice. The two worlds felt distinct and separate. I would talk to my classmates at business school about innovative new ways to solve complex social issues such as poverty in the developing world and then talk to followers of Jesus about how to deepen my spiritual understanding and live a life more connected with the God I read about in the Bible. At times, I felt that I was straddling an ever-expanding chasm between a world of reason and intellect and another of mysticism and emotion. Then about a year ago, I found a group of people who were also seeking to find a connection between faith and justice at the Boston Faith & Justice Network . BFJN took the “least of these” Biblical passages from thought to action. I finally felt my esoteric and grandiose business school ideas could find real-world purchase.

After attending a Lazurus at the Gate small group study last fall, I joined my church’s BFJN chapter and began involving myself in the Fair Trade Boston campaign. In this capacity, I worked with a team from my church to educate our community about the connection between gratitude and consumption. I also began meeting monthly with other church, business, and community leaders to plan and execute initiatives such as Action Charlie and  Fair Trade Boston (the event). At Action Charlie, we gave away 25,000 coupons for Fair Trade Ceritified™ coffee, and at the spring Fair Trade Boston event, we provided visibility for local socially-conscious businesses in a bazaar-like setting. Both actions were big, fun, and introduced Fair Trade to a multitude of people.

However, my largest effort to date has been advocating for a switch to Fair Trade Certified™ products at the Greater Boston Vineyard’s Sunday morning cafe. It is with great pride and excitement that I can announce that Sunday, September 13, 2009 marked the first day that the Greater Boston Vineyard served Fair Trade Certified™ coffee and sugar to an estimated 800 adult attendees. How can you convince your organization to embrace the same commitment? I’m not going to pretend that there is an easy blueprint. However, I can share the story of how, with the help of two other committed advocates, I pulled, pushed, and prodded my church to its decision to make the switch.

Last February, at one of the very first meetings of my church’s BFJN chapter, we discussed how to build a foundation to begin advocating for greater availability of Fair Trade Certified™ products in our neighborhoods. We decided that we needed to first develop support and momentum within our own church before we could affect the larger community. Some of the groundwork had already been laid by our chapter’s founder over the course of the previous year as she developed a relationship with Danny, our church’s director of Community Development. However, to make real change in how our church operates and functions, we knew that we would need to talk to those who actually make purchasing decisions. I initially thought the process would be quick and painless. While there was little pain, the process took several more months and many more meetings than I had originally envisioned.

To begin, I set up my first meeting with Adam, the assistant pastor who orders all the food and beverage for Vineyard’s Sunday morning cafe. Adam and I spent most of the hour in early February talking about the foundational principles of Fair Trade and how it differs from direct trade. In the remaining time, I talked about how the use of Fair Trade Certified™ commodities could tie into and enhance our church’s mission. Adam asked many difficult questions, to some of which I knew no answers. I left the meeting with no commitment and no clear direction on how to continue our conversation. Adam remained unconvinced that the certification process added any real value to coffee trade.

The first meeting lead to a series of conversations – some formal and some not so much. My commitment was tested as little visible progress was being made. By the time June rolled around, Adam warmed to further exploring the issue but was still hung up on his current supplier relationship. To add some momentum to our effort, I began to reach out to local roasters that I found listed on TransfairUSA’s website. Several responded, and I asked Adam if we could set up meetings with each of them. My intention was to give Adam additional perspective on the issue of Fair Trade certification. In addition, meeting the roasters might allow him to consider switching from his current supplier relationship since it would put a face on “the competition.” It worked! After our second vendor meeting, Adam and I began organizing a coffee cupping for the Vineyard staff.

Getting the rest of the staff involved in the choice of our new coffee accelerated the momentum. Adam did a great job of promoting the coffee cupping. The executive pastor, an associate pastor, a couple of assistant pastors and much of the community development department participated in a blind taste test of five FTC blends from three local roasters. They were all very vocal about their choices throughout the tasting and took studious notes on the flavor and strength of each cup. To save paper, everyone used his or her mug and then threw any waste into a hastily arranged spittoon. Our lead pastor stopped by to lend his support, but we didn’t have enough coffee to offer a cup! As the tasting concluded, I had the chance to ask the staff if they had any questions regarding a potential switch to a Fair Trade Certified™ coffee. I felt more at ease explaining the basic tenants of Fair Trade than ever before. The questions were challenging, but I was a bit more prepared for the skepticism after initial meetings with Adam and provided answers that were hopefully at least as thoughtful and sincere as the questions. When asked to differentiate between direct trade and Fair Trade, I offered comparisons to familiar certification programs such as USDA Organic. The direct Q&A format allowed for more focus and interaction between everyone involved.

I cornered Adam in the kitchen as we cleaned up and uttered what we were both contemplating: “What’s the next step?” To my surprise, he said that he was ready to switch to a coffee from one of the companies we had just sampled. Step by step, I had answered each one of his questions and concerns throughout the process, provided security and support, and it was apparent that the staff tasting had provided the necessary organizational momentum. With the bus full, we were rolling down the hill at full speed. Adam and I quickly discussed which company and blend might be the best choice for our church based on our meetings with the company owners and the cupping that we just hosted. Adam chose one and said he’d make that contact, and we picked a launch date for the new coffee so that my team and I could plan a proper launch promotion. Below are a few photos of that launch on Sunday, September, 13, 2009.

Jeff Purser has a real passion to find sustainable solutions to eliminate extreme poverty. He recently completed his MBA at Northeastern University and lives near Central Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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September 11, 2009 by Jeff.

I have studied the work of Philip Johnson extensively. So it was with much anticipation and excitement that a few weeks ago, on the way back from my eco-adventure, I stopped in New Caanan, Connecticut to visit his Glass House. I love Johnson’s modern approach to space and light. To many his greatest legacy is indeed the glass house, which takes the concept of connection between indoor and outdoor space to the extreme. Every exterior wall is made of glass. No partition walls exist; the only visual obstructions inside the rectangular structure are a brick cylinder — that houses the fireplace and 3/4 bath — and a large wardrobe, which doubles as the headboard for the bed.

The simple kitchen functions well for a man who didn’t have to contend with storing groceries for a large family. Indeed, the house saw its use mainly as a weekend party retreat for most of Johnson’s life. Note that the countertop folds over the stove top and sink to transform into a wet bar.

The brickhouse which stands opposite the glass house is remarkable mainly as a foil for the glass house. The three round windows on the back side are invisible to the casual observer, leaving the solid brick walls to reflect off the gleam of the glass that oppose it. It was originally constructed to house weekend guests, but was later remodeled to eliminate all but one of the bedrooms and replace the other two with a library. The story is that Johnson preferred to shuttle his guests on the train back to the city rather than have them stay overnight. A collapsed three foot-wide tunnel connects the two buildings to provide water, electricity, and heat to the glass house.

I was most excited to visit the underground painting gallery and the sculture gallery. Inside, a handful of large paintings still hang on the rotating panels. Our tour guide coyly moved one so that we could slip behind and see a priceless original portrait of Johnson painted by Andy Warhol. The entire tour group crowded in, stood motionless and stared. What a rare chance to see the likeness of one great modern artist painted by another!

If you are interested in architecture to any degree, I urge you to make a pilgrimage to New Caanan. You’ll have to book your visit months in advance but all the planning will be worth it as you walk the grounds of a master architect’s residential retreat, hear inside stories of his life and work, and discover the details of his buildings that are never seen on the web — be it my ecletic blog or even a more robust travelog.

(photos of painting gallery courtesy Habitually Chic)

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September 4, 2009 by Jeff.

Several years ago I built a small stone and thatch cottage in Saco, Maine. Now that the landscaping has had a chance to grow in, I would like to share some photos of the home with you. Mixed in you will notice some older interior shots as well as a few of my favorites from the construction of the home.

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