Another great AIA Austin event this weekend:

Austin Open Architecture Downtown

Saturday, May 1, 2010
1:00 – 5:00 PM

Join the members of AIA Austin in the 2010 OPEN ARCHITECTURE event, an “open house” of twenty-two Architects’ Studios in the Downtown Area. See where and how the magic happens inside these creative downtown businesses, hear plans for future projects and developments straight from the Architects themselves and experience the unique styles and personalities of each studio. Maps will be provided so you may tour the studios at your own pace. Refreshments will be served.

Tickets – $5.00 wristband.

Full details here:AIA Austin – Open Architecture Downtown

Participating firms:
McCann Adams Studio
Rhode Partners
hatch + ulland owen architects
Minguell-McQuary
Loop Design
Pitt Architecture
AguirreRoden
Alterstudio
Architecture + Plus
Black + Vernooy
Block 16 Architects
Dick Clark Architecture
Graeber Simmons & Cowan
Hurt Partners
Jerri Kunz Design
Lym Architecture
Nelsen Partners, Inc.
NoackLittle Architecture and Interiors
PageSoutherlandPage
Runa Workshop, LLC
STG Design
Webber + Studio

Happy to post for the UT Student Engineers Council:
Saturday, April 17, 9am – 3pm
Location: Lot 39, LBJ Library (http://tinyurl.com/ewasteLot39)
Goal: Help the environment by collecting and recycling electronic waste

The University of Texas Student Engineering Council (SEC) and Goodwill are hosting an electronics waste collection and recycling event.
If you have electronics that you don’t use (broken or working, but not UT property) and/or if you would like to help the event, check out the info below.

Examples of Accepted items: Computers, DVD/VCR Players, Cables and Wires, Fax Machines, MP3 Players, Cell Phones, Phones, Answering Machines, Scanners, Printers, Copiers, and Televisions

NOT accepted: Non-computer plastics, Hazardous materials, University property, Ferrous materials, Paper or wood, Refrigerators, and Household appliances

For more information, go to http://sec.engr.utexas.edu/index.cfm/activities/ewaste/

Hopefully this beautiful weather holds because there’s a great outdoor event in Austin this weekend:

The Austin Outdoor Living Tour is this Saturday, April 17, 2010, from 10 AM to 6 PM. My good friends at modern pools have two beautiful designs on the tour, one of which is part of an amazing Cottam Hargrave designed home. This alone would probably be worth the $12 ticket!

Full details are here: outdoorlivingtouraustin.com
Tickets are $12 in advance, $20 on the day of the tour.

The next Architecture at the Umlauf program will be held this Thursday, April 1, where we will hear from Austin architect Travis Young.

Travis designed many of the Metrohouse infill projects around town, proving himself to be very skilled maximizing the design details on a developer’s budget. You also may have seen his work on the 2008 Cool Homes Tour (Shoal Creek Residence).

Architecture at the Umlauf – Thursday, 4/1/10, Doors at 7:00 PM

See you there! And if you see me, come up and say hello!

One of the key missing pieces in our home has been a dining table. We designed a dining nook based on a specific table size, and I took it upon myself to find the perfect table. For some reason my wife gave me carte blanche on this one design element, so I made the most of it. Last night we assembled the finished product, and I am pretty excited, check it out:

There are three main elements: a reclaimed Maple bowling lane top, a maple beam, and hot-rolled steel legs. Further details are below, and a full gallery with assembly pics is at the bottom of the post.

Background:

Reclaimed Bowling Lane Table Top

My main inspiration for the top was seeing the Brooklyn Bowl preview photos last summer, like this one:

Flickr Photo by Adam Macchia

I located a carpenter selling reclaimed lanes through many hours of googling and several phonecalls. There are sources in Texas as well as further away.

Metal Support Design & Fabrication

Jonathan at Austin Outdoor Studio really came through for me here. I gave him the following problem statement: “I need table legs to support a 200 lb table that allow for people to scoot in to a banquette without bumping their knees. They also must look really cool.” This is what he came back with. The legs are actually two pieces that bolt together around the cross beam. It’s amazing what they can do with a CNC Plasma table and a welder:

Here is a sketchup model I put together (primarily for spousal approval) of the table based on Jonathan’s design for the legs:



Jonathan’s design was inspired by Brander Design’s truss table.

Maple Beam Finishing

I chose a Maple beam to connect the steel legs as it matches the Maple top. My first phonecall was to Austin carpenter Evan McArthur. Evan is meticulous in his finish work and has a good eye for design. We purchased the milled beam from Austin Fine Lumber. Evan then took care of the final cuts and routing as well as the clearcoat. This was the first complete piece of the puzzle, and it looked beautiful.

Table Assembly Gallery