Leadership

UC students win ‘zero energy’ national design competition

By Newsroom

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September 11, 2012

A group of University of Cincinnati students took home first place at a national sustainability design competition, designing an essentially "zero energy" building. The seven-member team redesigned the innovative Joe and Rika Mansueto Library of the University of Chicago. Students were tasked with theoretically creating a building with net zero energy usage. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, or ASHRAE, sponsors the annual competition, and this is UC's first No. 1 finish. Six graduate students and one undergrad made up UC's team; their educational backgrounds include architecture/construction and mechanical (HVAC) engineering. The team worked on the design for about three months, says member Ravik Chandra, a grad student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. The team divided into a group that worked on the building's architecture and a group in charge of mechanical systems. Both groups worked closely to assure the building would be both pleasing to look at and energy efficient. That teamwork paid off, and could serve as an example to professionals in the field, Chandra says. "It's the first time I've worked with an architect to solve a real-life problem. Usually the architecture or the engineering dominates (building design). It was quite a new challenge, and I never realized the many different aspects that go into architecture," he says. Teams were allowed to relocate the building to the state capitol of their home state, which the UC team did, bringing it to Columbus. Among the building's winning features were changing the orientation of the building to increase the amount of sunlight it would absorb. That cut cooling costs by some 20 percent. The team also altered the large glass dome that tops the building, using transparent photovoltaic cells that turned sunlight into electricity instead, says Dustin Altschul, the project manager who recently graduated with a B.S. in Architectural Engineering Technology. They also installed a system to harvest rainwater for the building's use to cut down on water consumption. The building wasn't 100 percent net zero, but it was the closest to achieving the goal. It's up to the Library itself to use any of the ideas, but UC team representatives will present their design concepts at the annual ASHRAE Winter Conference in January 2013 in Dallas. By Feoshia H. Davis Follow Feoshia on Twitter

Latest in Leadership

70-plus artists converge for Art Off Pike

By Newsroom

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Architecture + Design

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September 11, 2012

Jim Guthrie and his wife Deanna Heil have lived in Newport for about 20 years. The dynamic duo of architects met while studying at UC’s DAAP. While they planned a life far west of the town of their alma mater, a poor job economy left them little choice but to bloom where they were planted. Now Guthrie, who works for Hub + Weber Architects, and Heil, who started City Studios Architecture in OTR, are in their second home and raising three kids, aged 16 to 10. Guthrie took over as chair of Art Off Pike this year. In anticipation of this year's festival Sept. 30, Soapbox asked him to share his thoughts about the event and its latest incarnation. Q: How did you get interested in Art Off Pike in Covington--I mean, you're a Newport guy, right? A. I attended AOP a few years ago for the first time. The second time I participated as an artist—I dabble as an inner-demon catharsis. I volunteered on the committee last year. And this year, I was thrust into the Chair position because I stood still when someone asked, "Who wants to be Chair?" Everyone else took one step backwards. Q: Explain what it is for readers who haven't experienced it before. A: Art Off Pike is an urban street festival celebrating artists and downtown Covington. It was created by the Westside Action Coalition (a neighborhood coalition) eight years ago as an event (an ice cream social) capitalizing on local artists living and working in Covington and has grown from there. This year, we'll have more than 70 artists displaying their wares for sale, between $10 to $400 generally. We'll also have an area for kids art activities called "Picasso's Playground" which will be run by area arts organizations. You'll find coloring, water color, collage, doll making, bubbles, ice cube painting, hooping, finger painting and ceramics. Q: What's new about the celebration this year? A. This year there will be coffee!!! And lots of food. Both of which were painfully absent last year. We've signed up Deeper Roots Coffee, C'est Cheese, Cafe de Wheels, Lime, Yankee Doodle Pretzels and streetpops. Q: What role have you played in the festival? A: I'm the chair ... so I do everything that I can't get anyone else to do. But mostly organizing and occasionally begging. We have a great committee of folks - Natalie Bowers with the City of Covington, Jean St. Jean with My Nose Turns Red, Joan C. Lee (community leader), William Dickson with Haney, Chris Henry (community leader) and Chris Meyer.?? Q: Can you talk about the AOP posters a bit? A: The posters, and all the collateral material really, grew out of an effort to distinguish Art Off Pike from other art festivals. We wanted to recognize the urbanity of Covington instead of apologize for it. We wanted to recognize the beauty in the grit. So, we made an effort to make every piece of collateral material as authentic and real. We started out mailing "save the date" baggies to 100 of our best friends which contained hand stamped and numbered cards. We handed out business cards that were the same (stamped, signed and numbered). We walked around Pike and Seventh Streets in Covington (where the event is held) and took pictures of the cool things we noticed. We printed these images on corrugated cardboard. Each poster is individually spray painted, signed and numbered. There are eight copies of five versions for a total of 40 (41 actually). These were distributed to the area businesses and supporters that love us. I'm particularly proud of the posters and have to thank William Dickson and his firm Haney for helping us out.?? Q: When was the first time you heard about/went to Art Off Pike? What was your impression? A: It was like a yard sale for artists. And there's a certain amount of cool to that. It wasn't pretentious. It was a community. We want to grow ... but we don't want to lose that.?? Q: Describe Covington's art scene and how Art Off Pike fits in with it. A: Art and Culture are so important to cities - particularly the urban cores. You may have read recently that the Covington Arts District as a city designated zone no longer exists, but the arts initiative is absolutely alive ... just evolving, unrestricted by boundaries. Covington has recently been recognized by the governor's arts and cultural district certification. Covington's Mayor and Commission fully support the arts both personally (with their wallets) and politically. It's a recognition that Arts and culture do impact the bottom line economy. Covington is unique in that it has a city supported and staffed Gallery at AEC, but also many other arts organizations including Baker Hunt, Carnegie, Behringer Crawford, Madison Theater, Madison Event Center, concerts at the Basillica, the Ascent, public sculpture; and private groups like Bldg Gallery who regularly bring in international artists for shows and public art projects. AOP is the original arts event that Covington's Full Spectrum was based on. Capitalizing on all the artists - ceramists, painters, playwrights, musicians, singers, performers, living and working in Covington. ?Q: Anything you think people should know about the art scene in Northern Kentucky that they don't know already? A: It's there. I think the different incarnations, designations and zones and the disintegration of those zoning designations can confuse people. I think it's not where it needs to be; not where it will be. It has to come from within, and there are some energetic people working on fostering the artist community and it's going to happen (inside Covington joke).?? Do Good: • Show AOP some love on Facebook. • Make a day of it. Attend the festival Sept. 30. • Check out more Covington neighborhood action at the Center for Great Neighborhoods. Compiled by Elissa Yancey Follow Elissa on Twitter

Poet Hansel shares stories, love of words to create, heal

By Newsroom

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Arts + Culture

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September 11, 2012

Her words are precise, deliberate. Her pace is slow and measured. In her voice remains a slight sweet drawl of her native Eastern Kentucky. As her spoken words unfold, it becomes evident that Pauletta Hansel has spent a lifetime surrounded by the lyricism of language, a language heavily influenced by the storytellers of the Appalachian Mountains, her father and communities of other writers, poets and artists. But hers is far from the life of the solitary poet. The award-winning author of four collections of poetry is spending this fall – as she has for years - leading community-based workshops for writers as part of the Urban Appalachian Council and through Thomas More College and the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. On Sept. 24, she and three other authors will present “Our Beloved Community,’’ a collaborative performance of story, poetry and song created by the authors and residents of Over-The-Rhine. Each author interviewed Over-The-Rhine residents, wrote from those experiences and then came together to craft the performance, which gives voice to the residents. “This was really an opportunity to create something bigger than myself,’’ she says. Hansel, 53, of Paddock Hills, is also co-editor of Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel, the literary journal of the Southern Appalachian Writers Cooperative, and was the co-director of the Grailville Retreat in Loveland, where she continues to lead writing workshops. Most recently, Hansel was named the first Writer-in Residence at Thomas More College in Crestview Hills. Community and teaching have always been important to Hansel’s writing and her work is now part of repaying all those who supported – and continue to support – her work. Her first mentor was her father, a college professor and not a writer. “In my father’s eyes, books were more important than food,’’ she says. “It was a part of my nature and my nurture.” She started writing poetry while a young teen as a mechanism to help her deal with the intensity and emotions of her pre-teen years. But it quickly evolved into who she was. “I suppose it started as a verb and not as a noun; the writing started as a need to communicate to myself,” she says. “But I was a writer as opposed to the aspirational.” Two things helped catapult her writing: She grew up during the 1970s’ resurgence of the rich tradition of Appalachian writing and storytelling; and a poet – who was part of school Poet in the Schools program - lived with her family. “I really connected with her. Here was someone who made a living at writing and was a poet throughout her life,’’ she says. While Hansel finds that she must set aside time by herself to write, various writing communities sustain her. “I cannot talk enough about the value of a writing community … writing is a solitary act, but it is the act supported on the context of community.” She recommends that writers find havens of support and places where they will be able to “drop down into that psychological space” necessary to write. For her that is an annual trip to the Sisters of Loretto Motherhouse, in Nerinx, Ky., about 60 miles from Louisville. She has been going there since 1996. Hansel finds her retreats and communities in other places as well, including in teaching. “I love to teach. For me, writing and teaching are interconnected. It’s really good work,’’ she says. “I am so grateful for those who taught me. In the days of yore when arts and crafts were handed down through journeymen and apprentices … it’s like that to me. “It’s like my way of passing it on.” Do Good: • Attend Our Beloved Community performance at 7 p.m., Sept. 24, at the Main Library, 800 Vine St. • Find a writing program or retreat at grailville.org. • Attend an “Eat and Create” brownbag lunch with Hansel at Thomas More College from noon to 12:50 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12. The series is offered the second Wednesday of each month through December. By Chris Graves

NKU Women LEAD program offers inspiration, opportunities

By Newsroom

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Diversity

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September 11, 2012

Teen girls face a range of challenges—emotional, physical and psychological—as they navigate the sometimes choppy waters of adolescence. Hearing from young female leaders who have made it through those tough years and followed their own paths to success can offer insights and inspiration. That's the idea behind the Leadership, Education And Development Conference for High School Girls, this year hosted at Northern Kentucky University Oct. 16. (Registration for the free conference closes Sept. 14.) At the one-day conference, attendees will hear from Olympian Dominique Dawes as well as local female business and community leaders, who will share their stories on success, finding meaning and happiness in life and developing relationships. Do Good: • Register for the conference before Sept. 14. • Find out more about the NKU Institute for Talent Development and Gifted Studies. • Like the Mean Stinks campaign on Facebook.

CODE aims to crack city’s creative manifesto

By Newsroom

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Architecture + Design

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September 11, 2012

For four days in October, local creatives will launch a rebranding of Cincinnati as an international hub for design. CODE, which stands for Cincinnati Open Design Event, debuts Oct. 18-21. The event is a four-day creative conference showcasing local designers and tastemakers. The brainchild of AGAR (formerly Ionic Collective), CODE brings together international firms like LPK and Landor, as well as a bevy of freelancers and other professionals who call Cincinnati home. Over the course of four days, CODE participants will carve out Cincinnati’s creative manifesto, intent on solidifying the city’s international reputation, and build on that reputation. CODE partners include Mitchell’s Salon and Day Spa and Navarro Photography, along with sponsors like LPK and 4EG. It is part professional education and part creative collaboration with plenty of opportunities for networking and socializing. Andrew Salzbrun, AGAR managing partner, says, “CODE creates a unified place where local designers can really stake their flag in ground.” CODE’s educational component will be held at the LPK Brand Innovation Center on Garfield Park and will feature a series of talks and sessions. Professionals from large firms to small will present, as will representatives from the University of Cincinnati and Miami University. The daytime sessions are organized into tracks, including style, consumer marketing and entertainment, with topics ranging from fashion to branding to film and back again. Speakers will highlight how to leverage local design and keep working on the creative edge. The goal is brash and bold: create Cincinnati’s design manifesto. While sessions form the framework for daytime activities, the evenings bring a whole new level of networking with peers. Spearheaded by AGAR, event and experiential marketers that are responsible for some of the coolest events around, the CODE evening lineup includes custom designed cocktails during the Creative Directors Happy Hour, and Rocktober on Fountain Square in partnership with 4EG. The event concludes with a City Flea-inspired Freelance Market and evening fashion show. “The creative talent in this city is as good or better than you’ll find anywhere,” says Salzbrun. “CODE gives our city a chance to showcase that talent.” Tickets cost $125 for all three days, and can be purchased online. By Deidra Wiley Necco

LPK’s brand expansion for Knob Creek Rye gets noticed

By Newsroom

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Architecture + Design

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August 28, 2012

The design for the original Knob Creek Bourbon was highly recognizable and considered legendary by the brand’s fan base, so design agency LPK’s work for the brand’s expansion, which includes Knob Creek Rye, was an exercise in restraint. Read the full story here.

New SoMoLaunch competition to award 5K to small business with big idea

By Newsroom

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Entrepreneurship

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August 28, 2012

SoMoLend, the Cincinnati-based online peer-to-peer lending site, has launched a new small business competition. The winner gets $5,000 to help fund a new idea. SoMoLaunch is the lender's first business competition. Participants have until Sept. 30 to apply at the SoMoLend website. The winning company will receive: $5,000 in cashNational publicityA mentoring session with SoMoLend founder Candace Klein“There are so many talented entrepreneurs out there with fantastic business ideas, but gaining financing might be the hardest obstacle they face," says Klein in an announcement. "We want to encourage innovation and recognize small business owners and their hard work. This is our way of lending a hand to the entrepreneurial community.” The prize can be used for business expansion, equipment upgrades, promotional materials or other growth needs. Eligibility is based on a number of factors. Applicant businesses must be incorporated as a corporation or LLC, and submit a loan application. Other entry requirements include a fully developed business plan, completion of all sections of the SoMoLend application with contributions from all company owners, completed financial statements and financial projections, a viable business model and evidence of research. By Feoshia H. Davis Follow Feoshia on Twitter

X-Lab offers startups opportunities, expertise, community

By Newsroom

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Development News

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August 21, 2012

In 2010, Xavier University’s Williams College of Business launched its X-LAB program (short for Xavier Launch a Business) in an effort to recognize on-campus opportunities for community engagement. The program is returning for its third year, and is accepting applicants until Sept. 7. The X-Lab program is designed for people (including students) in the Cincinnati area who are excited about their ideas, but may not necessarily have the skills to execute them in the business world. “A lot of people understand their ideas and are passionate about them,” says Joe Carter, director of the X-lab competition and a professor at Xavier University, “but they have no idea how to take the next step or how to run a business.” The program will accept 25 applicants from Cincinnati who are interested in starting their own businesses, social enterprises and nonprofits. The businesses and nonprofits are chosen based on the applicants’ ideas and the potential for local and national growth. After the X-Lab committee chooses the program’s 25 finalists, they are invited to attend free workshops conducted by local executives and Xavier students and staff. The free workshops teach applicants how to turn their ideas into actual businesses and nonprofits. “We teach them the components of the business model,” says Carter. “Like how to protect their intellectual property, identifying target audiences and marketing skills.” Then, the X-Lab committee will choose five finalists in the program and introduce them to potential investors and collaborators. Carter says small businesses and nonprofits are important to the community because they help attract and retain jobs and talent in the region. He also says the X-lab members become a community of entrepreneurs, who work together to make their ideas successful. “We teach them how to run a business, and that builds confidence,” says Carter. “They also want to help one another and network, so it’s a positive experience for everyone.” By Jen Saltsman Follow Jen on Twitter

Soapdish: ‘Pop-up’ creativity sates local appetites

By Casey Coston

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General

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August 21, 2012

The term “pop up” has become quite fashionable in the cultural lexicon as of late, applying to everything from retail to restaurants to picnics. Soapbox columnist Casey Coston takes a tour of Cincinnati's "pop-up" scene.

Routing Djokovic, Federer Rolls On

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Cincy In The News

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August 21, 2012

Well over a decade into his career, Roger Federer has achieved the rare sort of successes that surpass even childhood dreams. “When I was a kid, I wasn’t thinking of winning five Cincinnatis,” Federer said after his semifinal win Saturday over his Swiss compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka. “But then again, here I am in this great situation being able to do it — the first man ever.” Read the full story here.