Prince Georgian: Adaptive re-use, sustainable development & Prince George's County

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An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.

"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil—he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." He continued, "The other is good—he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you—and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

First People - The Legends. Cherokee Legend of Two Wolves. November 16, 2004. [accessed April 7, 2012].

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Adaptive re-use, sustainable development & Prince George's County

Glenn Dale Hospital was a tuberculosis sanitarium and isolation hospital in Glenn Dale, Maryland

Sustainability is a foreign word in Prince George's County and adaptive re-use caused the leading dew to blanch. What adaptive re-use for far-reaching, high-paying employment is being proposed for the Glenn Dale Hospital site and buildings The site has 23 buildings on 216 acres (0.87 km2), that was built in 1934 and closed in 1981. The Glenn Dale Hospital should at the very least be considered as a research business center that could take advantage of the resources already here in the county aas well as provide high wage jobs for the community and the county. The site is located right enxt to NASA and USDA-ARS BARC and very close to the University of Maryland. Are the county leaders even thinking about economic or environmental suitability?

After looking at the current state of development in Prince George's County Maryland, it is fairly clear that any 21st century sense of the idea of sustainability is not part of any plan of the few who make the decisions for the many. Sustainability involves environmental, economic and social well-being for today and tomorrow, but not here. Here we focus on economic for today only. We plan and encourage the construction of facilities to house service jobs at minimum wage. Prince George's County has little time or use for ideas that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

The idea of meeting the needs of the least among us is completely absent from the thinking of our leading few. Adaptive re-use is a process that is thoughtful, thorough, unbiased, and transparent. Sustainable development considers all alternatives for disposition of the buildings not only Prince George's leadership's favorite sole option full: demolition and redevelopment of the site as a retail mall or housing subdivision for people who have to find work outside of the county.

While Prince George's dozes, Baltimore is sustainably developing buildings for commercial use. A furniture warehouse from the turn of the last century was saved and adapted for modern use incorporating the brand hallmarks of a PNC bank branch.

"Leaving the building's shell exposed, Gensler lowered the height of the basement by several feet and brought the retail space down to street level. The ground floor—already a high-ceilinged, light-filled space—gained a wealth of leftover building material: heavy timber beams sliced to reveal their rings are stacked in a grid to form an ATM wall, and former wood floor joists form a trellis-like canopy with built-in lighting over the waiting area. The use of salvaged material, along with water- and energy-saving mechanical systems, will help the project on its way to LEED Gold certification."[1]