Fountainhead revisited

[Backlighting]

I heard today on tv NYC's new mayor say "We're going to require developers to build more affordable homes"

Will any "Roarks" surface? Will anyone object?

NYC increasingly becoming another collectivist cesspool. How sad. I grew up there.

[BaalChatzaf]

I heard today on tv NYC's new mayor say "We're going to require developers to build more affordable homes"

Will any "Roarks" surface? Will anyone object?

NYC increasingly becoming another collectivist cesspool. How sad. I grew up there.

New York was a collectivist cesspool even before you lived there.

The politics in New York was foul even before Boss Tweed and the Irish arrived.

Ba'al Chatzaf

[Selene]

I heard today on tv NYC's new mayor say "We're going to require developers to build more affordable homes"

Will any "Roarks" surface? Will anyone object?

NYC increasingly becoming another collectivist cesspool. How sad. I grew up there.

Have you heard what the paradigm is going to be for the "approved" living space?

The apartment is to be under 370 square feet:

According to the city’s press release, it will be the first multi-unit building in Manhattan using modular construction, meaning the unit modules will be prefabricated at the Brooklyn Navy Yard by the company Capsys.****

“New York’s ability to adapt with changing times is what made us the world’s greatest city – and it’s going to be what keeps us strong in the 21st Century,” Bloomberg said in a statement. “The growth rate for one- and two-person households greatly exceeds that of households with three or more people, and addressing that housing challenge requires us to think creatively and beyond our current regulations.”

Watch Bloomberg announce the winner:

The YouTube is in the article...

This is almost like a Kafkaesque parody of The Fountainhead.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/01/23/new-york-is-pushing-under-400-sqft-micro-apartments-see-the-winning-design/

It also illustrates the way Progressives think about the individual human citizen, of the world, of the United States and of New York City.

Progressives are, essentially anti-individual through to their core.

These secular "Attila's" have absolutely no problem with forcing you to do what they believe is best for the beehive/anthill [if you like your slavery with wings at least you have a better view].

This article is hilarious.

A...

**** http://www.nysupportivehousing.com/

http://www.capsyscorp.com/contact.php

http://thebridgeny.org/newsroom/blog/209

This firm is so hooked up in NY City/State/Federal projects.

Apparently, they started in 1996. Clinton, Cuomo was HUD secretary I believe.

I am attempting to find out who is on their Board of Directors.

Curiouser and curiouser as Alice looks through the looking glass.

[Backlighting]

375' of space. I wonder if that includes the head?

[Selene]

375' of space. I wonder if that includes the head?

Human or toilet?

[anthony]

375' of space. I wonder if that includes the head?

Human or toilet?

Cabbage.

[Selene]

375' of space. I wonder if that includes the head?

Human or toilet?

Cabbage.

Good one...and so many perverse choices...him maybe I need to send Brant the Bat Signal...

[moralist]

375' of space. I wonder if that includes the head?

Reminded me of the movie, Being John Malkovitch...

[moralist]

The insanity of living in a city could only appeal to liberals.

[Selene]

Both Buckminster Fuller and Frank Lloyd Wright were fascinated by modular construction. Bucky designed a dymaxian house and also developed the geodisic dome.

I ran across this on the firms blog:

“I think a lot of people are waiting to see how things turn out for Bruce,” said David Kramer, a principal at Hudson Cos., a developer with numerous affordable and high-end projects in the city.

Yet even as a growing number of builders line up to try their hand at modular, many others remain skeptical—and with good reason. The technique has been a dream of architects and developers for nearly a century—both Buckminster Fuller and Frank Lloyd Wright were high on it—yet little progress has been made since the idea of houses rolling off the assembly line like so many Model Ts was first dreamed up. After all, what is going up now is little different from Montreal’s famous Habitat 67, built for that city’s world’s fair 46 years ago.

Curiously, it is also a method of building that has been far more successful outside the city. In South Carolina, New Mexico and West Virginia, one in six homes is manufactured—a group that includes mobile homes—according to the Census Bureau. In New York state, it is one in 50, with most of those outside the city.

http://www.capsyscorp.com/nextlevelbuilding/?p=1578

Can't seem to find there Board of Directors, however I will be calling them on Monday, if I cannot find it by then.

Update:

They have a sister corporation:

From conception to completion, we take ownership, responsibility and pride in our work. Monadnock’s operations are supported by a staff that is experienced in all aspects of government compliance and reporting. We have a Contractors Controlled Insurance Program (CCIP) with dedicated safety staff monitoring all projects and a large bonding capacity from a AAA- rated company. Most importantly, every project receives the hands-on involvement of the company principles, Nicholas Lembo, Peter Hansen, and Greg Bauso.

http://www.moncon.com/modular-construction/

[moralist]

Both Buckminster Fuller and Frank Lloyd Wright were fascinated by modular construction. Bucky designed a dymaxian house and also developed the geodisic dome.

There's nothing wrong with modular construction itself. I worked on a Wright inspired design (a 4plex) in which all of the units were close together on a moderate grade, but without being stacked, and yet you could not see any of the other apartments from any of the units. It was very cleverly done.

Stacked urban rat cages is something else altogether. But they'll appeal to city people so will definitely be in demand and will quickly sell out. It's just another expression of the freedom to choose how to live.

Greg

[Backlighting]

Will it eventually come to this?

http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2012/10/30/too-big-for-his-bed-squeezing-into-capsule-hotel-in-tokyo-can-make-man-feel/

[moralist]

Will it eventually come to this?

http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2012/10/30/too-big-for-his-bed-squeezing-into-capsule-hotel-in-tokyo-can-make-man-feel/

Or even this?

(The Matrix)

[Peter]

Las Vegas wrote:

Will it eventually come to this?

end quote

I would consider one of those small, rentable huts found at some airports if I was on a stopover but I would worry about the cleanliness and maid service. Capsule motel rooms are certainly not for the claustrophobic. Can two fit in one tiny room? What if you have a room next to something going on, and you are trying to sleep?

Humans always need decent plumbing and water to avoid disease so the airport bathrooms must be a sight to behold. What is the proper etiquette there? Pants on when taking a splash bath in the sink?

Affordable, factory built housing may be the wave of the future but it need not turn into third world shacks. Yet, I remember reading about mud huts in some African republic and adobe housing. Neither was all that bad when a westerner lived in them for a brief period. The mud huts floor was a foot or more below ground level. It was much cooler inside the insulated walls with fewer buzzing insects. The American equivalent would be mud caulked log cabins.

[Peter]

Thirty five years ago I bought a Nanticoke factory built home. Many of the factory workmen were Amish men. It was driven to my eight acres in the country where a crane unloaded the two halves which were then joined together. Inside work was completed in about four weeks and we moved in.

It is still great living here. The house has held up as well as a “stick built home.” I had concrete poured for a drive way and patio on my own and those are the only two things that have a few cracks in them. I may have them spruced up soon but the cracks are minor. During the holidays I checked out the descending ladder to the attic when we brought down Christmas ornaments and it is still in perfect shape.

The house and garage were thirty grand, and the water well, septic system and concrete a couple more thousand dollars. The only money bother now is county taxes.

[Selene]

Thirty five years ago I bought a Nanticoke factory built home. Many of the factory workmen were Amish men. It was driven to my eight acres in the country where a crane unloaded the two halves which were then joined together. Inside work was completed in about four weeks and we moved in.

It is still great living here. The house has held up as well as a “stick built home.”

Peter, you are a wise man. I have always thought about modular, however, family manly, time and circumstances just never worked out.

Family had a 150 year old house right on the Delaware River so had the best of both worlds.[corrected]

A....

[tmj]

Thirty five years ago I bought a Nanticoke factory built home. Many of the factory workmen were Amish men. It was driven to my eight acres in the country where a crane unloaded the two halves which were then joined together. Inside work was completed in about four weeks and we moved in.

It is still great living here. The house has held up as well as a “stick built home.”

Peter, you are a wise man. I have always thought about modular, however, family manly, time and circumstances just never worked out.

Family had a 150 house tight on the Delaware River so had the best of both worlds.

A....

how did they make out in ought5 and ought6, the latest storms of the century to affect the Delaware?

[Backlighting]

Small living space is not foreign to me either.

The Army packed us in like sardines in the barracks. Your foot locker & narrow clothing locker plus a bunk were the areas you occupied when not in training or in the head. You always knew who didn't use deodorant. Add to that the 2 man pup tents you were in when you were out, overnight, in the field.

[moralist]

Thirty five years ago I bought a Nanticoke factory built home. Many of the factory workmen were Amish men. It was driven to my eight acres in the country where a crane unloaded the two halves which were then joined together. Inside work was completed in about four weeks and we moved in.

It is still great living here. The house has held up as well as a “stick built home.” I had concrete poured for a drive way and patio on my own and those are the only two things that have a few cracks in them. I may have them spruced up soon but the cracks are minor. During the holidays I checked out the descending ladder to the attic when we brought down Christmas ornaments and it is still in perfect shape.

The house and garage were thirty grand, and the water well, septic system and concrete a couple more thousand dollars. The only money bother now is county taxes.

I love to hear stories like yours, Peter.

The shell of the little house I built for my Mom (now 92) was modular. There's a real advantage when all of the stud walls are built in a shop on trued jigs and then assembled on site. I first laid a raised cinderblock foundation so that when they put up the square and true walls everything fit together just fine. It took only one day to raise the shell which included exterior siding, windows, and a shingled roof. Then I did the rest of the supporting utility infrastructure and amenities: plumbing, electrical, tile floors, insulation, shower, sink, toilet, thermostatic heat, etc. Total cost for the complete stand alone living unit: $15K. Beats the cost of a convalescent home by a longshot.

Greg

[moralist]

Small living space is not foreign to me either.

The Army packed us in like sardines in the barracks. Your foot locker & narrow clothing locker plus a bunk were the areas you occupied when not in training or in the head. You always knew who didn't use deodorant. Add to that the 2 man pup tents you were in when you were out, overnight, in the field.

Your experience brings back Army memories when just about everyone in the barracks except me smoked cigarettes. (cough cough)

Greg

[Peter]

Greg wrote:

Your experience brings back Army memories when just about everyone in the barracks except me smoked cigarettes. (cough cough)

end quote

My family has been devastated by tobacco. They die young and they die bad. I have discussed this before on OL. Genetically, my family is hooked on nicotine easily and quickly gets lung disease, then we usually die of emphysema though not from lung cancer. Two scientific studies one in Baltimore and one in Philadelphia tried to map this anomaly. I wrote a letter to my daughter who smoked, when my Uncle Pete died from smoking which I then sent to Rush Limbaugh about 8 years ago. He paraphrased and pooh poohed the letter on the air. I was trying to get him to stop smoking but he never has, except briefly and as a joke. “I am holding a document in my formally nicotine stained fingers . . .” he might say. Then he starts in, destroying himself with ceegars.

My own memories of Army barracks at Fort Bragg, NC, Fort Gordon, GA, Fort Dix, NJ, Japan, and South Korea don’t bring up any memories of smokiness, though the coal stove we had in Korea did generate a bit of coughing when it was first lit.

Interestingly the harmonizing brother, Phil, of the Everly Brothers just died of smoking related illness. He and his brother joined the Marines but both had to stop smoking to keep up with the other leathernecks. Unfortunately, Phil Everly kept smoking after that and if you look at a picture of them from when they were around 25, Phil (who just died) had cholesterol bags under his eyes that were four times bigger than his brother Don’s.

For years my favorite song was, “Cathy’s Clown.” Beautiful. Close harmony is superb but barber shop harmony is awful.

“Just don’t smoke,” as Yul Brenner said.

[Peter]

Greg wrote:

I first laid a raised cinderblock foundation . . .

end quote

Ah, I remember that phase of our own construction. We live on a hundred year flood plane near the Assawoman Bay and we deliberated whether to have a foundation four or five cinderblocks high. We chose four and so far, have not regretted that decision.

I thought back about our initial costs and I may have underestimated that. I now think the two bedroom factory built Nanticoke home was just under thirty grand and the garage was another five thousand dollars for a total of $35,000. After our two daughters were born, around 1985, we added on two more bedrooms for an additional fifteen thousand dollars.

In 2013 we had a new roof installed, and also “gutter helmet,” and now I no longer need to climb a ladder to clean my gutters out, which is wonderful. With my generator, I can now keep the power going for quite a while no matter what happens. The recent four inches of snow and 9 degree Fahrenheit low temperature had no affect on us. We are expected more low temps on Monday. Gosh, when is that promised Global Warming going to take affect? I am thinking about starting a winery.

[Selene]

how did they make out in ought5 and ought6, the latest storms of the century to affect the Delaware?

Minor flooding.

The location is ten (10) river miles south of the "joining of the waters," where the East and West branches of this majestic river converge.

The closest graph in the link is Calicoon - the location is sixteen up river miles from that measurement location.

The mid to late fifties was when the entire town was almost destroyed when the river by us rose approximately forty (40) to fifty (50) feet.

We could not evacuate the town as the major bridge one mile away was destroyed, the two (2) lane state highway was under twenty (20) feet of water at their low points and we had a fifty (50) foot damn a mile above the town that was showing cracks,

Had that damn broken, I might not be able to type this, lol.

One of the longest nights of my life, at that time because we did not know with certianty that we would all live through it,

http://www.state.nj.us/drbc/library/documents/Flood_Website/Ivan2004.pdf

A...

Post Script: 1955 - Devastation On The Delaware ... http://www.55flood.com/ I will be getting this book, did not know it existed lol...

[tmj]

I assume you mean Diana , yes ?

[Selene]

I assume you mean Diana , yes ?

August 18-20, 1955: Three terrifying days and nights still remembered with awe in the Delaware River valley. Record-breaking rainfall from hurricanes Connie and Diane abruptly ended a withering drought, but the relief was short lived. It was soon overshadowed by terror and destruction that tore away bridges and ripped houses from their foundations.

This is how the authoress spells it in the YouTube in # 23 above ...