Project Kickoff Meeting

First project meeting held at office of Paul Castrucci

About a dozen people showed up yesterday for the first project meeting at Paul's office. The multi-disciplinary group included engineers, a landscape architect, a lawyer, a mechanical engineering student, and the architectural consultants.

We engaged in a lively discussion of some of the project's technical issues, focusing mostly on feasibility of the sustainable designs. We also had a chance to tour the existing ABC No Rio building.

Project Presentation

Project architect Paul Castrucci presents ABC No Rio project to Engineers Without Borders

Paul presented the project, along with associate architect Grayson Jordan, during the EWB Chapter meeting yesterday. Castrucci Architects are serving as ABC No Rio's architectural consultants, and we are excited to be collaborating with them. Paul has over twenty years experience, and has designed or renovated over 1,000 dwelling units and numerous historic buildings and cultural institutions. Paul specializes in contextual, sustainable and energy-efficient design. One of his buildings can be seen right down the block at 179 Rivington Street.

Paul has also been involved in the cultural milieu of which ABC No Rio is part. He was co-founder of the Bullet Space gallery and squat and is the architect for several of the formerly squatted buildings on the Lower East Side now being developed as limited-equity coops. Paul's commitment to sustainable and energy-efficient design resonates with ABC No Rio's institutional values. His understanding of what is unique about ABC No Rio serves us well in designing a new space for our projects and programs.

New Project

Sustainable Building Design for ABC No Rio

EWB is seeking volunteers to help design a Green building, which will house a community center for art and activism on the Lower East Side. Paul Castrucci will present this new EWB project located in New York City.

Everyone is welcome, especially those with design experience in: energy and water efficiency and conservation; use of local and recycled materials; use of less toxic (low VOC) materials; recycling of materials from demolition; creation of a green roof; and use of both active and passive solar technologies.

ABC No Rio is a collectively-run center for art and activism. Since 1980, the group has been involved with community programs such as Books Through Bars and Food Not Bombs. It is a community committed to social justice, equality, anti-authoritarianism, autonomous action, collective processes, and to nurturing alternative structures and institutions operating on such principles.

For more information, visit: http://www.abcnorio.org/