After Hours

MG'er Rey Zamora, Architect, playing drums for the "No Name Band" or "Lawrence & the Gypsy's" at Cafe Taxco. Good times!

Ride Of Silence

The Ride of Silence is an emotional experience for the majority of the 550 bicyclists who participate in the annual ride. MG'er Christopher Collins, Architect, (above) rode the 20-mile route that meandered through three Valley cities and passed several “ghost bikes” — marking the spots where other cyclists have died — moving many to tears.

The intent of the ride is to eliminate future fatalities of pedestrians or cyclists on area roads and units participants in a common goal that was solidified by the ride on that very night. A new road safety campaign, the "Run, Ride, Share" campaign strives to make area roads safer for those not on four or more wheels.

We applaud the strides that are being made simply by having citizens look out for others who might be running, walking or cycling on area trails and roads. Respecting the fact that many in our community strive for a healthier, fitter lifestyle is something we wholeheartedly encourage and we congratulate our local leaders for endorsing.

Career Day: Alton Elementary School

MG'er Hector Rene Garcia, Architect, was bombarded with questions by the well prepared students at Alton Elementary School. The students had been schooled on the basics of the profession and then were free to ask their own questions.  It never fails, the first and most frequent question: "How much does an architect make?" Best wishes to these eager students. See you next year!

Apollo Collins - Our Intern Barkitect!

Apollo Collins, the pride and joy of architect Christopher Collins, reviews the work of his master during a Saturday workshop. Apollo goes from desk to desk to greet familiar faces but mostly lounges at Christopher's side. "We all enjoy having him around and Apollo loves the attention," says MG partner Hector Rene Garcia.   "We believe that he brings a nice change of atmosphere. If someone is having a tense day, you just bring him in and he changes the dynamic in the office."  Staff cubicles are fitted with toddler gates to keep dogs in place while filing cabinets are filled with dog chow. "He brings me joy and happiness and helps me be more productive at work," says Collins. We agree!

Public Interest Design - Brownsville Workshop

Mata+Garcia Architects own Hector Rene Garcia attended this workshop on architectural firms taking part in community engagement, development and design. A growing sector in the field of architecture known as Public Interest Design is documented in exhibits such as MoMA’s Small Scale, Big Change and publications like Design Like You Give Damn. Unlike traditional practice, the projects in this field are an area of great potential for the future of our profession. The Public Interest Design Institute®  provided training to architecture and other design professionals in public interest design with in-depth study over two days, at Market Square in Brownsville, Texas, on methods of how design can address the critical issues faced by communities. Learning skills to become pro-actively engaged in community-based design through fee-based projects were discussed as a way to enhance existing design practices.

The workshop's curriculum was based on the Social Economic Environmental Design® (SEED) metric, a set of standards that outline the process and principles of this approach to design. (Mata+Garcia Architects is a member of SEED.) SEED goes beyond green design with a “triple bottom line” approach that includes the social and economic as well as the environmental. The SEED process takes a holistic and creative approach to design driven by community needs. (A core concept of Mata+Garcia's principles.) This process provides a step-by-step aid for those who want to undertake public interest design. Learning objectives addressed: 1. Finding new clients and public interest design projects 2. Learning about new fee sources and structures. 3. Using a step-by-step process of working with a community as a design partner. 4. Leveraging other partners and assets to address project challenged. 5. Maximizing a project’s positive impact on a community. 6. Moving beyond LEED to measure the social, economic, and environmental impact on communities. 7. Understanding public interest design and how is it re-shaping the design professions.

The sessions were led by Bryan Bell, Founder of Design Corps, Founder of the Public Interest Design Institute, and a Co-founder of SEED along with the staff of BC Workshop, Brownsville. Keynote speaker Maurice Cox, of Tulane University spoke about how Tulane had to reinvent itself after Hurricane Katrina, and how the university incorporated active citizen participation into the design process while achieving the highest quality of design excellence.  Architecture students from Texas Southmost College and Monterrey Tech kept the discussions lively.  

Permaculture Design Movement

MG'er, Hector Rene Garcia, Architect and Partner participated in Part Two of the Permaculture Design Intensive Training with Wayne Weiseman, an international leader in permaculture design, utilizing the teachings of Bill Mollison’s Permaculture Design System.  Garcia achieved a working understanding of ecologically-based planning, site design and management. He was awarded a Permaculture Design Certificate upon completion of this two-part intensive training with a total of 8 days of instruction and design. (Garcia also took part in the Permaculture Design and Education Workshop during the summer of 2014 for a total of 96 hours of hands-on training.)

Wayne Weiseman: An international leader in permaculture design, Weiseman has taught hundreds of Permaculture Design Certificate courses, designed numerous master plans, consulted for educators for curriculum and professional development, taught ecological construction methods, and worked as a contractor, herbalist, renewable energy expert, and farmer over the past thirty years. His new book, Integrated Forest Gardens: The Complete Guide to Polycultures and Plant Guilds in Permaculture Systems was published in August 2014.

Introduction to Permaculture by Bill Mollison. Mollison is considered by many to be the "father of permaculture," an integrated system of design that Mollison co-developed with David Holmgren. It encompasses not only agriculture, horticulture, architecture and ecology, but also economic systems, land access strategies and legal systems for businesses and communities. 

Former MG'er, Mario Garza, Jr. leads his group in mapping-out their design strategy. Mario has been a permaculture activist for many years and grows multiple varieties of fruits and vegetables on his property.

Concept for the Trinity Community Garden project.

Intense design sessions led to innovative results.

Project Goals.

UTPA engineering professor, Jorge Vidal and MG'er Hector Rene Garcia layout the rational for their design as Stephen Johnson and Daniel Vela offer constructive criticism. 

Concept for the Trinity Community Garden project.

Wayne Weiseman reviews team concepts for the Trinity Community Garden project as Hernan Colmenero explains his teams design.

Concept for the Trinity Community Garden project.

UTPA student, Carlos Cortez of Harlingen and his team develop their concept.

Concept for the Trinity Community Gardens project.

Ing. Gerardo González Garibay comments on the mission statement produced by Raziel Flores and Daniel Vela. Gonzalez graduated from the Faculty of Forestry at the University of Nuevo Leon as Forest Engineer in 2013. His first encounter with Permaculture was an introductory course in Tulum, Quintana Roo, learning system design and living philosophy, then deciding to transform his life and stop being a designer / developer of websites and advertising to jump into the development of sustainable systems; Gonzalez obtained his certificate in Permaculture Design (PCD) in Australia taught by Bill Mollison and Geoff Lawton in 2009.  He is currently in charge of the Huerta Project, La Loma Agri-Culture-Permanente, implementing and developing techniques according to the principles of design. Gonzalez seeks to provide tools and knowledge to system design and Permaculture Organic Farming for all those interested, creating Permaculture Mexico (www.permacultura.mx) and organizing information and training to all those who require knowledge.

Concept for the Trinity Community Gardens project.

Site of the future Trinity Community Garden.

Concept to be developed for the Trinity Community Garden project.

Carlos Cortez presents his teams concept.

MG'er Hector Rene Garcia, Architect, receiving his Permaculture Design Intensive Training Certificate from Wayne Weiseman.

Sustainability - Permaculture Design

The University of Texas - Pan American's Office of Sustainability (led by Marianella Franklin and her staff) offered Part One of a two part series - Permaculture Design Intensive Workshop - October 30th through November 2nd.  Mata+Garcia's own Hector Rene Garcia attended this fascinating workshop.

The course covered sustainable living systems for a wide variety of landscapes and climates. It included the application of permaculture principles to food production, home design & construction, energy conservation and generation, and explored the social and economic structures that support a culture that cares for the planet and all its inhabitants. Part I: October 30th to November 2nd, 2014. Part II: January 8th to 12th, 2015.

Topics included in the first workshop were:  Permaculture Ethics and Principles; Observation and Pattern Understanding; Concepts, Themes and Methods of Design; Climate; Landform and Earthworks; Measuring Tools, The Backyard Farmer; Water  & Keyline, Access and Circulation; Vegetation & Wildlife; Plants, Gardening and Farming; Seed Saving; Plant Propagation, Grafting; Gardening & Farming Systems; Plants and Trees; Plant Walk, Plant Guilds; Health use of Animals in Permaculture Systems. 

The funding for this workshop was provided by an anonymous donor. Many thanks to the foundation and the Office of Sustainability for offering this workshop, course material and meals at no cost to the attendees. Garcia said: "Everything was top notch and I met some incredible people that are practicing a sustainable lifestyle right here in the Rio Grande Valley."

   

Permaculture Leaders

I had the pleasure of meeting these gentlemen at the UTPA Permaculture Design & Education Workshop, held July 7th - 10th at various RGV locations.  (Information is from their websites.) They are (left to right):

Ing. Gerardo González Garibay

Gonzalez graduated from the Faculty of Forestry at the University of Nuevo Leon as Forest Engineer in 2013. His first encounter with Permaculture was an introductory course in Tulum, Quintana Roo, learning system design and living philosophy, then deciding to transform his life and stop being a designer / developer of websites and advertising to jump into the development of sustainable systems; Gonzalez obtained his certificate in Permaculture Design (PCD) in Australia by Bill Mollison and Geoff Lawton in 2009.  He is currently in charge of the Huerta Project, La Loma Agri-Culture-Permanente, implementing and developing techniques according to the principles of design. Gonzalez seeks to provide tools and knowledge to system design and Permaculture Organic Farming for all those interested, creating Permaculture Mexico (www.permacultura.mx) and organizing information and training to all those who require knowledge.

Wayne Weiseman

An international leader in permaculture design, Weiseman has taught hundreds of Permaculture Design Certificate courses, designed numerous master plans, consulted for educators for curriculum and professional development, taught ecological construction methods, and worked as a contractor, herbalist, renewable energy expert, and farmer over the past thirty years. His new book, Integrated Forest Gardens: The Complete Guide to Polycultures and Plant Guilds in Permaculture Systems will be published August 2014.

Ing. José Gómez Dib 

(Designer, consultant, instructor, translator, representative)  Studies:  May 2014 Regenerative Agriculture and Living Design Course (RAD), taught by Darren Doherty, Muskerry, Australia; July 2012 - Internship Permaculture, Permaculture Farmstay Perak, Lenggong, Malaysia; February 2012 - construction Superadobe Workshop , taught by  Cal Earth Institute , Hesperia, California. October 2009 - Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC Permaculture Design Certificate) , given by Bill Mollison and Geoff Lawton , Melbourne, Australia. November 2008 - University of Queensland. Bachelor of Information Technology.  Collaborating with Walter Pty Alchemy – New Zealand – worldwide leader in aquaculture systems, biogas and algal production; collaborating with Gaiacraft (www.gaiacraft.com) – Canada – development of techniques and educational programs for sustainability and permaculture.

MG'er Christopher R. Collins, Architect, has been selected to teach two architecture courses at Texas Southmost College School of Architecture. Chris will teach History of Architecture I and II.  (The course surveys painting, sculpture, architecture and the minor arts from pre-historic times to present with emphasis on the relationship of culture, geography, environment and materials to the method of construction.) and Architectural Technology I and II. (This course introduces students to construction materials, methods, and their applications with an emphasis on common building materials: wood, masonry, concrete and metals. Students study building envelope performance and issues of sustainability as well as the mechanical and electrical systems and their relationship to the structural system.) Chris will remain with Mata-Garcia Architects and head our Brownsville office and public relations. Congratulations!