Check out this exchange between NESEA diehards Jamie Wolf and Bruce Coldham on the keynote speech at the annual meeting, delivered by Joachim Eble.

JAMIE’s POST
I want to share, briefly, the numbingly boring, but ultimately profoundly fascinating and inspiring presentation by German architect Joachim Eble at last night’s NESEA gathering in Providence. Let me first say that NESEA
continues to show evidence of an inspiring transformation as it actually (and finally) transitions to the twenty first century. Thanks to all who paved the way and even more, to those who are actively engaged NOW in that transition.

Eble led us, at his own pace and with dense graphics (as my new colleague Janet Downey explains: the architect intends a meaning for every line they draw, expecting the viewer to comprehend that intent with or without explanation). Eble’s intent was to lay out for us the grounds for a practice that is prepared to move beyond the narrower frameworks of energy and health (ever valid concerns) that consumed his practice earlier in his career to the layered relationships that demand attention in the practice of sustainable urbanism (city scaled projects that acknowledge a responsibility to consider bioclimatic design imperatives, transportation, regenerative environmental potential within and beyond project boundaries, material and energy flows, and the qualities that support social networks and thrive because of, not in spite of them.

He shared projects and organizing principles (in layered graphics with plenty of fine print) that demonstrated just how he has engaged these challenges in his practice, with success, and as a result for us in the audience, the opportunity to marvel at what is being achieved across Europe in the projects operating under the umbrella of the Eco-City movement and its many dedicated partners in at least six countries.

Of note: There is a potentially promising discovery related to carbon sequestration thru soils described as BioChar or AgriChar. I would love to hear what others know of this and its potential role an integrated sustainable practice across scale (this potential was intimated but not described – initial research via google/youtube expresses the promise but does not make this any clearer for me).

Most interesting: Eble described a growing development trend away from commercial development to cooperative development, with projects driven by the needs of multi-generational constituents rather then profit seeking developers (not unlike co-housing in which the coop is the client). This is exciting to contemplate, and is already being expressed here in the states by boomer retirees seeking to control their living options in the face of established twentieth century alternatives. For instance http://www.beaconhillvillage.org OR http://www.cambridgeathome.org/ (thanks to my wife Barbara for these examples).

I’m thankful to Bruce for bringing Joachim AND for initiating the upcoming journey to Germany and Upper Austria and return to share what is learned at BE11. — Jamie Wolf, Wolfworks

BRUCE’S RESPONSE
Jamie nailed it! – “numbingly boring, but ultimately profoundly fascinating and inspiring”.

I was sitting in the front row, after having introduced him, feeling more and more nervous as the first half of the evening wore on – (his fluency in English seemed to have diminished slightly in six years years I last spent time with him). But at the after-party at John Jacobson’s, people were excited, and I was relieved. I knew this stuff reasonably well, but I just wasn’t sure whether he was getting it across.

I have uploaded a pdf of the talk…… and talk to Jesse about the Terra Preta (bio-char and beyond material). Or read Charles Mann 1491 to begin with.

And something else. Joachim was PROFOUNDLY influenced by the New Alchemists as a young architect. So, on the way down to visit with John (an excursion on the way to Providence that I thought would be nice for him and nice for me, which it was), we visited Earle Barnhart and Hilde Maingay and the old NA site and “Ark” that E&H have made part of their house. For JE it was “a small pilgrimage, Yes?, I can say I was here, even years later”. But then, the Sat. night event of his talk, I introduced him to Kurt Teichert because K. was in at the tail end of NAI. Again JE was riveted. Then at the end of the evening, Kurt noticed that Ron Zweig and his wife Christine were in the audience, (Ron was with the Todds et al in at the very beginning of NAI, so I arranged for them to spend a few minutes together. It was just magic. JE was reverent in his admiration for Ron, and (because he had just sat through the numbingly boring, but ultimately profoundly fascinating and inspiring talk) – Ron had another achievement to add to his life.

For Eble, this will be what was important about this trip to America in 2010. And we made it all happen – by accident.
– Bruce Coldham, FAIA, Coldham & Hartman Architects