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I have a friend who has built a few. It's not really about quality, though detail is important to eliminate thermal bridges. Then comes the "blower test" to see how tight everything is to get certified. And, ironically, one of the best designers/builders of Passivhaus is in Portland, OR! They...

Elkus Manfredi in Boston did the initial basic design and SMRT completed the remainder. For a University structure, Passivhaus and LEED are big feel-goods and probably result in additional and free money from the Fed Gov. I know that the U.S. Dept of Energy is "throwing" money at energy ideas...

The neighborhood is rising! https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/160-Washington-Ave-Portland-ME-04101/2104545787_zpid/

Interesting. The winning arch firm for the PMA addition is from Portland, OR too. I do know that firms there are more up to speed on the Passivhaus idea, like Kaplan Thompson. Are you planning that type of envelope? It's a big Green feel-good, of course.

Yes, but the U.S. is a vastly different culture than anywhere else in the world. But I can see the new name working, or well enough. The mascot thing will be interesting. Will there be one? Does there need to be one? It doesn't have to be literal, a running jumping gesturing pine tree firing the...

Some good ones here with more context. https://maineimaging.smugmug.com/Aerials/Maine/Kittery-to-Portland-Main/Portland-maine-aerial-photos/i-555JdHL

"I'd take the Rumble Ponies name (Binghamton in double AA baseball) over Hearts of Pine in a heartbeat. It might sound nice, Hearts of Pine, but it's confusing. Have you ever been to a soccer game in Europe? Soccer fans can brawl in a heartbeat. Do you want players known for a good heart when...

The block with Amato's and McDonald's could work (not behind). In Boston, when faced with this kind of infrastructure problem, leading architects and citizens with degrees from MIT and Harvard show up to meetings and argue the best way to approach it. In Maine, well...

The only way this will be settled is for the city to pay him what he thinks it took from him. Otherwise, he's got time--ten more years of time. It's a long-term investment for him. The city has been arrogant within this entire process. He's here to make money, not give them what THEY want at his...

The city needs to now bite the bullet on this and give the developer what he wants. Assigning blame is fruitless at this point. Otherwise, he holds on to the land and continues to watch it appreciate and we get to look at empty lots for another ten years.

I've flown into Westchester in a Bell 407 helicopter rideshare (I'm not that rich but had the chance, so why not). It's close to the train headed down into Manhattan. No worse of a trip than JFK. LGA is the best though. 15-20 min with the midtown tunnel. ISP would be for the The Hamptons only...

It looks like Fitzpatrick is going to get that renovation for 10,000 fixed seats (with backs) for the USL team for the 2025 season. They just hired a key former exec from Draft Kings to run things (Mainebiz). If the new train station could be ready by the 2026 season (a dream, I know), it would...

Yes, Concord Coach is probably not an amenable host for the bigger picture. The city and other cities (except Boston, which gets it right) rarely seem to plan well for their future infrastructure transportation needs. The city needs to start the process on how to get the shopping center land...

Maybe this?... The home office deduction, calculated on Form 8829, is available to both homeowners and renters. There are certain expenses taxpayers can deduct. These may include mortgage interest, insurance, utilities, repairs, maintenance, depreciation and rent. Nov 14, 2023 I too primarily...

This story has been making the rounds. We beat Stockholm and came in just behind Paris.

Interesting analysis article of available office space in Portland. Portland is doing better than most of the U.S., and a bit better than Boston? It's misleading. I follow the arch blog in Boston closely and the number of new office/lab buildings under construction and planned is impressive. I...

A bad rep in cold weather? In the winter the warm air and touch at the base of the window makes the ride far more pleasurable. Gov seems to always get it wrong. I think the only way we would ever have something good or much better for the Downeaster line is if Elon Musk got into train design and...

If the Downeaster replaced its passenger cars with newer ones, similar to what I rode on from Zurich to Basel, Switzerland in the summer of 2022, and with an even more exciting dining car with better food and drink options and a to-your-seat delivery person (with an app like it's done on...

I believe that for a skyline to stand out it simply needs to be varied (though it can be done at night with creative lighting). I've had to do a job in Houston for the past year, and I still, when driving into the downtown, have no real reference point to go by. Minute Maid Park (Astros) and its...

The original public market building did not work because it was kind of hidden behind the Fidelity Trust building, adjoining a part of town we would all avoid (and still do). It was also a different decade (1998), one in which for the residents of the city it was more about the Old Port or...