BOOT COUTURE
What’s fun and exciting? Visiting the job site to see how buildings are constructed. What’s not fun and exciting? Hearing the words “proper thick soled shoes must be worn when on site.” What does this mean?!? I don’t even own such a thing!
I know for most of you fellows out there, this is not an issue. You probably have an old pair of boots just lying around waiting to be worn. I mean, what’s a guy to do without a trusty and dusty pair of work boots, right? For me this is not the case, and having discussed this issue with many of my female colleagues, I have discovered that I am not the only one. Here at BRW, I have survived a year and a half without having the proper “attire” when going on site visits — “What?! You mean to tell me that my purple Chuck Taylors aren’t going to get the job done? Or what about my Sperry Topsiders that have yet to be worn on an actual boat?!?” — I fear my luck is running out.
I am determined to find a pair of boots that comply with safety on the job site, yet have a slightly fashionable (not entirely hideous) aspect to them. The last thing I want is to be walking around with boots equivalent in weight and looks to a pair of CMUs. I have recently started researching possible solutions to this dilemma, but I have only scraped the surface. I have found a few that I like and several that I don’t like. At this rate, I will be a licensed architect before I can find a suitable solution. Any suggestions?
POSTED BY: jennasteinbeck
MUSIC LOVERS GO GREEN
Being my first time to ever attend one of the biggest music events in the world, last weekend at the Austin City Music Festival was a time filled with beautiful weather, people watching that could entertain for hours and of course, great music. One thing that particularly caught my eye was the amount of festival-goers arriving and leaving on bicycles. It wasn’t until the end of the day Sunday that the number of bicyclists present was really put into perspective. As my friends and I exited the gates, a sea of bicycles came into view. There had to be at least 10,000 bikes chained to anything that was stationary. Those that weren’t parked at the racks provided were locked to street signs, fences and hung from dozens of trees. Local Austin bike shop, Mellow Johnny’s provided the racks and even had a tent set up offering simple bike repair.
POSTED BY: jennasteinbeck
GOT STUDENT ID?
As the youngest intern here at BRW, I have come to grow some thick skin when it comes to colleagues cracking jokes about my age. Considering it has become a daily occurrence, I’ve learned to take it with a grain of salt and if I’m feeling jovial, maybe throw a few back at ‘em. While this is all in good fun, I was completely blind sided when I was mistaken for an enrolled high school student this past spring. This horrifying event took place on site at Woodrow Wilson High School when fellow design team members and I were surveying existing conditions of this 1928 Dallas landmark. We were prepping for the renovation of the existing structure and design of a new three-story addition to begin construction summer of 2011. Making our way through the halls, counting lockers and marking down ceiling heights, seemed like smooth sailing until I was abruptly stopped by a visiting parent. “Excuse me young lady, could you please direct me to the library?”, he said. After I kindly told him I was not a student, I turn around to find all of my colleagues bursting with laughter. As if they already didn’t have enough material to use on me!
POSTED BY: jennasteinbeck
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