v3.0 June 27, 2012
Which energy rating system is best? Which energy rating system will help you achieve net zero energy profits faster, i.e., with a shorter return on investment (ROI) period?
In a comparison between four energy rating systems: Energy Star, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), National Green Building Standard (NGBS), and Passive House Planning Package (PHPP), “only PHPP helps to bring the goals of net zero energy performance housing within reach”. That is according to one respectable study from the Integrated Technology in Architecture Center (ITAC) at the University of Utah's College of Architecture + Planning.
I was very excited to read an objective and well documented energy study “Energy Efficiency Benchmarks for Housing” and thought others would like to read it too.
Check HERE for the full report.
Feel free to comment and let me know what you think.
Thank you,
Michael Rybin~۩~
Architecture is a wonderful life ™
Copyright© 2012 Michael Rybin All Rights Reserved.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Is Stealing Ever Justified?
v4.0 updated June 27, 2012
University of Utah, summer 2012
Exercise and Sport Science Fitness (ESSF) 1057 – Elementary Yoga
Instructor: Denise Druce
Assignment: Write a one page reflection about one of five universal morality yoga yamas and your experience in yoga this semester.
Is spam or junk email, also known as unsolicited bulk email, stealing? Are telephone and door knocking solicitors stealing your time? The yama Asteya means non-stealing, non-coveting, or non-entering into debt. According to Wikipedia, “These are a form of moral imperatives, commandments, rules or goals. Every religion has a code of conduct, or series of "do's and don'ts", and the Yamas represent one of the "don't" lists within Hinduism, and specifically, Raja Yoga”.
Related to junk email, time is another impressionable element of the definition of Asteya --- taking someone else’s time or attention when it was not freely given. Wow! How does this perspective of stealing by intrusive interruptions compare to extending invitations? If your child or friend demands some of your time is that stealing, or are they simply offering an invitation? On the other side of the coin, if we do not give our time to our child or friend are we stealing what they genuinely need from us? Maybe if the invitation is a polite offer that can be easily declined, it is not stealing. At the same time, if you leave your keys in the ignition, are you inviting someone to be tempted and steal your car? It seems like the consequences of Asteya implicate both parties. It appears selfishness and selflessness are close relatives of Asteya.
Is Asteya only applicable when some inanimate object is stolen? Some things that are stolen can be returned. Some things cannot be returned yet be compensated or paid for after the foul deed. Yet, some things that are stolen are irreplaceable and lost forever. For example, murder.
To expand the idea further, is Asteya like the higher Christian law of adultery, that is if you look on a woman and lust after her in your heart you have already committed adultery. How do our thoughts relate to stealing? Thoughts or the mind and more particularly the heart is a symbol for one’s true identity, courage, honesty, motives, loyalty, and moral character --- expressed in our behavior regardless of extenuating circumstances. The theft and injury of these thoughts therefore would be from and to oneself, to our own moral character.
Is stealing justified in some circumstances? The old adage, they took mine so I took theirs does not measure up to the spirit of the law in Asteya. This behavior is also known as revenge. Was Jean Valjean, in the book “Les Miserables” by Victor Hugo, justified for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his sister’s starving children? No, but that does not mean that justice requires punishment. Does Asteya mean that it would be stealing for us to withhold food from Valjean and his sister’s starving children? Who is the thief? Who is stealing from whom? Ouch!
Some will confuse the issue and twist the moral idea of stealing to avoid justice. They will now say that they are justified in stealing, but that too would be morally wrong. The key to answering the question about justice is to ask another question: are mercy and forgiveness also true principles similar to yamas Ahimsa or nonviolence and Daya or compassion? In other words, there is no justification for stealing. Simultaneously, the punishment for stealing can be mercy. For instance, after stealing the bishop’s silverware, we see the bishop giving mercy to Valjean instead of exercising justice and sending him back to prison. By the way a great movie was created from the book!
Another element of Yamas is the morality of right and wrong. Sadly many people in our society have lost their relative bearings to morality. Although a little complicated, relative bearing is a good analogy to the moral truths of yamas. Relative bearing is comparing the position of a physical object to the direction you are heading, like a lighthouse and a ship. So the truth in yama Asteya is something we can use in our personal life to help us know, and do what is right, in order to be happy.
Finally, this idea of yamas Asteya reminded me when Thomas S. Monson’s quoted David Brooks’ 2008 article in The New York Times, “If It Feels Right ...” where an “eminent Notre Dame sociologist Christian Smith led a research team that conducted in-depth interviews with 230 young adults from across America … asking questions about right and wrong, moral dilemmas”.
“The default position, which most of them came back to again and again, is that moral choices are just a matter of individual taste. ‘It’s personal,’ the respondents typically said. ‘It’s up to the individual. Who am I to say?’
“Rejecting blind deference to authority, many of the young people have gone off to the other extreme [saying]: ‘I would do what I thought made me happy or how I felt. I have no other way of knowing what to do but how I internally feel.’”
We ask ourselves, are yamas like Asteya or stealing irrelevant and simply a matter of personal taste inconsequential to individual people or society? Are we without a moral conscience or responsibility to ourselves and others? Likewise, are the Ten Commandments true? My heart is shocked at the idea that some people believe there is no truth in Asteya or the belief that stealing is not morally wrong.
In conclusion, Asteya has made me think about honesty, ethics, stealing and my own behavior in a whole new light. May God help us --- your God and my God, regardless of religious differences --- to “Dare to Stand Alone” and “ever be courageous and prepared to stand for what we believe” is morally right. Stealing is never right. Justice, mercy, and forgiveness are always right, no matter what the circumstances.
Feel free to comment and let me know what you think.
Thank you,
Michael Rybin~۩~
Architecture is a wonderful life ™
Copyright© 2012 Michael Rybin All Rights Reserved.
University of Utah, summer 2012
Exercise and Sport Science Fitness (ESSF) 1057 – Elementary Yoga
Instructor: Denise Druce
Assignment: Write a one page reflection about one of five universal morality yoga yamas and your experience in yoga this semester.
Is spam or junk email, also known as unsolicited bulk email, stealing? Are telephone and door knocking solicitors stealing your time? The yama Asteya means non-stealing, non-coveting, or non-entering into debt. According to Wikipedia, “These are a form of moral imperatives, commandments, rules or goals. Every religion has a code of conduct, or series of "do's and don'ts", and the Yamas represent one of the "don't" lists within Hinduism, and specifically, Raja Yoga”.
Related to junk email, time is another impressionable element of the definition of Asteya --- taking someone else’s time or attention when it was not freely given. Wow! How does this perspective of stealing by intrusive interruptions compare to extending invitations? If your child or friend demands some of your time is that stealing, or are they simply offering an invitation? On the other side of the coin, if we do not give our time to our child or friend are we stealing what they genuinely need from us? Maybe if the invitation is a polite offer that can be easily declined, it is not stealing. At the same time, if you leave your keys in the ignition, are you inviting someone to be tempted and steal your car? It seems like the consequences of Asteya implicate both parties. It appears selfishness and selflessness are close relatives of Asteya.
Is Asteya only applicable when some inanimate object is stolen? Some things that are stolen can be returned. Some things cannot be returned yet be compensated or paid for after the foul deed. Yet, some things that are stolen are irreplaceable and lost forever. For example, murder.
To expand the idea further, is Asteya like the higher Christian law of adultery, that is if you look on a woman and lust after her in your heart you have already committed adultery. How do our thoughts relate to stealing? Thoughts or the mind and more particularly the heart is a symbol for one’s true identity, courage, honesty, motives, loyalty, and moral character --- expressed in our behavior regardless of extenuating circumstances. The theft and injury of these thoughts therefore would be from and to oneself, to our own moral character.
Is stealing justified in some circumstances? The old adage, they took mine so I took theirs does not measure up to the spirit of the law in Asteya. This behavior is also known as revenge. Was Jean Valjean, in the book “Les Miserables” by Victor Hugo, justified for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his sister’s starving children? No, but that does not mean that justice requires punishment. Does Asteya mean that it would be stealing for us to withhold food from Valjean and his sister’s starving children? Who is the thief? Who is stealing from whom? Ouch!
Some will confuse the issue and twist the moral idea of stealing to avoid justice. They will now say that they are justified in stealing, but that too would be morally wrong. The key to answering the question about justice is to ask another question: are mercy and forgiveness also true principles similar to yamas Ahimsa or nonviolence and Daya or compassion? In other words, there is no justification for stealing. Simultaneously, the punishment for stealing can be mercy. For instance, after stealing the bishop’s silverware, we see the bishop giving mercy to Valjean instead of exercising justice and sending him back to prison. By the way a great movie was created from the book!
Another element of Yamas is the morality of right and wrong. Sadly many people in our society have lost their relative bearings to morality. Although a little complicated, relative bearing is a good analogy to the moral truths of yamas. Relative bearing is comparing the position of a physical object to the direction you are heading, like a lighthouse and a ship. So the truth in yama Asteya is something we can use in our personal life to help us know, and do what is right, in order to be happy.
Finally, this idea of yamas Asteya reminded me when Thomas S. Monson’s quoted David Brooks’ 2008 article in The New York Times, “If It Feels Right ...” where an “eminent Notre Dame sociologist Christian Smith led a research team that conducted in-depth interviews with 230 young adults from across America … asking questions about right and wrong, moral dilemmas”.
“The default position, which most of them came back to again and again, is that moral choices are just a matter of individual taste. ‘It’s personal,’ the respondents typically said. ‘It’s up to the individual. Who am I to say?’
“Rejecting blind deference to authority, many of the young people have gone off to the other extreme [saying]: ‘I would do what I thought made me happy or how I felt. I have no other way of knowing what to do but how I internally feel.’”
We ask ourselves, are yamas like Asteya or stealing irrelevant and simply a matter of personal taste inconsequential to individual people or society? Are we without a moral conscience or responsibility to ourselves and others? Likewise, are the Ten Commandments true? My heart is shocked at the idea that some people believe there is no truth in Asteya or the belief that stealing is not morally wrong.
In conclusion, Asteya has made me think about honesty, ethics, stealing and my own behavior in a whole new light. May God help us --- your God and my God, regardless of religious differences --- to “Dare to Stand Alone” and “ever be courageous and prepared to stand for what we believe” is morally right. Stealing is never right. Justice, mercy, and forgiveness are always right, no matter what the circumstances.
Epilogue: Denise Druce is a fantastic Yoga instructor
with a superior talent of the awareness of each individual student. Also, she makes the course challenging yet gives
you the flexible to exercise at your own pace.
Feel free to comment and let me know what you think.
Thank you,
Michael Rybin~۩~
Architecture is a wonderful life ™
Copyright© 2012 Michael Rybin All Rights Reserved.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
WOW Awning
Notice the awning is not square or level, and assumed designed to capture the maximum shade from sunlight or solar azimuth and elevation angles based on the building's orientation with its geographic longitude and latitude.
To improve and maximize the light and shading of this awning, the slats could be angled and slightly overlapping to allow morning sunlight to pierce through, and at the same time provide shading from afternoon sunlight. For a relative example see Architectural Rendering ~ Night to Day Walkthrough.
To improve and maximize the light and shading of this awning, the slats could be angled and slightly overlapping to allow morning sunlight to pierce through, and at the same time provide shading from afternoon sunlight. For a relative example see Architectural Rendering ~ Night to Day Walkthrough.
Architecture Week, Steel Design Awards 2002
The Imperial Bank Tower Renovation in Costa Mesa, California, by Murphy/Jahn, of Chicago.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Architecture, Industrial Design, and Economics
Welcome! My name is Michael
Rybin. This college e-Portfolio includes highlights of my current course work
and experience at University of Utah.
Any bona fide grants or scholarships are welcome.
Summer 2012 semester, while waiting for a response to my application to the College of Architecture and Planning (plan A), or perhaps another architecture college; I am a full-time student at the University of Utah pursuing a BS in Economics with a minor in Design (plan B).
May 3, 2012, I graduated from SLCC with Institutional Honors with an Associate of Science in Architecture including a 3.74 GPA and membership in the SLCC Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. You can see highlights from my past college course work at Net Zero Energy Architecture WordPress.
Furthermore, I have been requesting estimates from architects and builders to renovate my home with the goal to achieve net zero energy or passive solar. It feels great, and is an interesting experience to put into practice what we learn and feel passionate about. I’ll keep you posted as events unfold.
As you can see, I love architecture, net-zero energy, Passive House design, and sustainability. It makes sense intellectually and financially.
Feel free to comment and let me know what you think.
Thank you,
Michael Rybin~۩~
Architecture is a wonderful life ™
Copyright© 2012 Michael Rybin All Rights Reserved.
Any bona fide grants or scholarships are welcome.
Summer 2012 semester, while waiting for a response to my application to the College of Architecture and Planning (plan A), or perhaps another architecture college; I am a full-time student at the University of Utah pursuing a BS in Economics with a minor in Design (plan B).
May 3, 2012, I graduated from SLCC with Institutional Honors with an Associate of Science in Architecture including a 3.74 GPA and membership in the SLCC Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. You can see highlights from my past college course work at Net Zero Energy Architecture WordPress.
Furthermore, I have been requesting estimates from architects and builders to renovate my home with the goal to achieve net zero energy or passive solar. It feels great, and is an interesting experience to put into practice what we learn and feel passionate about. I’ll keep you posted as events unfold.
As you can see, I love architecture, net-zero energy, Passive House design, and sustainability. It makes sense intellectually and financially.
Feel free to comment and let me know what you think.
Thank you,
Michael Rybin~۩~
Architecture is a wonderful life ™
Copyright© 2012 Michael Rybin All Rights Reserved.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
About
Current full-time student at the University of Utah. I was a Software Engineering Architect (aka Project, Program, or Product Manager depending on the company). Among other things, my work included leading the user-centered design of websites and products by talking with customers about their needs and dreams, and translating between customers and engineers — formally contextual inquiry, heuristic evaluations, and human-computer interaction research.
In addition to my college e-portfolio(s), I periodically write about a variety of topics on my personal blog. Please feel welcome to visit and comment.
Thank you,
Michael Rybin~۩~
Architecture is a wonderful life.
© Copyright 2012 Michael Rybin, All Rights Reserved.
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