In The News

When Robots dance: Drexel engineers unleash power of humanoids

Star-Ledger Tuesday, February 21, 2012

The Star-Ledger writes about Drexel University engineers who kicked off national Engineers Week by displaying seven adult-sized humanoid robots on Monday.

"These are world-class, state-of-the-art robots, says Youngmoo Kim, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering. "No one has ever seen that many on the same stage before. Never in the world, and never in history."

But don't get excited just yet. "They are not ready to sweep the floor," says Kim, who also is assistant dean of media technologies in the College of Engineering and director of Drexel's Music and Entertainment Technology Laboratory. While the HUBOS (a contraction from "humanoid" and "robot") stand about 4 feet tall and weigh in at about 100 pounds each, developmentally, they seem a lot like babies. "We're working on getting them to walk without falling over," Kim says, "getting them to climb stairs, pick up small objects." They also can't talk or see or hear (which, actually, makes them also a bit like teenagers...). The computer-driven robots will be outfitted with cameras, microphones and tactile sensors and other apparatus that will allow them to make their way around in the real world, Kim says.

Original source: Star-Ledger
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The wayfinding stranger: Designs to help you get around cities

The Atlantic Cities Tuesday, February 21, 2012

The Atlantic Cities takes a broad look at wayfinding, or environmental graphic design, including our city's 17 year-old Walk!Philadelphia pedestrian wayfinding program.

If you've been to downtown Philadelphia since, you may have appreciated how easy the convention center was to find. But you probably did not appreciate that someone had to design your path there.

"My parents never understood what it was that I did," Labouvie laughs. "People know what advertising is. They know how to sell products. But understanding that there are best ways of moving through cities, that there are cues that will help you do that, people don’t understand that until it’s really pointed out."

Original source: The Atlantic Cities
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Philly in running for New Belgium Brewing's East Coast operation, 120 jobs

Philadelphia Business Journal Tuesday, February 21, 2012

It's down to Philadelphia and Asheville, N.C., according to the Philadelphia Business Journal, for Fort Collins, Col.-based New Belgium Brewing's new East Coast site, which would create up to 120 jobs and 500,000 barrels of beer a year.

New Belgium, which is sold in 28 states but has limited availability on the East Coast, started by looking at "dozens" of areas before narrowing the list to 10 and then two, Simpson said. It is looking for a site to build from the ground up.

News reports from North Carolina and Colorado have indicated that a decision was imminent, but Simpson said Monday the decision might not be made before June.

Original source: Philadelphia Business Journal
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Locally designed overhaul of library's second floor promotes collaboration at Villanova

Campus Technology Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Campus Technology checks in on Villanova University's transformation of the second floor of its Falvey Memorial Library into a state-of-the-art learning and student support center.

Philadelphia-based BLT Architects designed Villanova's new Learning Commons. The layout of the physical space follows a shared "street" concept to enable library users to easily access academic support resources. The space also features high ceilings, improved lighting, multi-purpose rooms with flexible furniture, an open lounge area for informal group study, and smaller spaces for individual study. The Commons' large conference rooms have been outfitted with display systems and digital whiteboards for presentations, meetings, and informal classes.

Original source: Campus Technology
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Philly startup Caseinity finding interest for electronics accessories

Hamilton-Wenham Chronicle Tuesday, February 14, 2012

The Hamilton-Wenham Chronicle catches up with local native Nate Trunfio, an Eastern University grad who founded the Philadelphia consumer electronics accessory startup Caseinitiy with some friends.

The marketing genius for the company, he draws on his marketing and management knowledge gained during his tenure at Eastern University in Philadelphia and selling insurance as a first job after graduation.

The young entrepreneur works for Caseinity during his free time, when he isn’t working fulltime as a mortgage loan officer at a local Philadelphia bank. Caseinity is being funded in part by Trunfio and through Kickstarter, an online funding platform that uses a threshold pledge system for creative projects.

Original source: Hamilton-Wenham Chronicle
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Soup's on: PhilaSoup promotes innovative education projects

NPR Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Philadelphia sisters Claire and Nikka Landau and friend Jason Tucker have established PhilaSoup as a monthly dinner bringing together dynamic educators to fund the most ambitious and innovative projects, reports NPR.

On a recent Sunday night, the trio of friends welcomed about 45 teachers and other members of the local education community to a cozy gathering at the University Barge Club, a 19th-century boathouse on the banks of the Schuylkill River. As folks walked in, they were asked to fill out name tags -- with their names and the names of their favorite children's books.

"Teachers all over Philadelphia are doing terrific projects," Claire said. "It's really exciting to gather and break bread with teachers from across the city doing exciting things."

Original source: NPR
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Center City looking good for retailers, with annual retail demand at $710.9M

Shopping Center Business Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Shopping Center Business takes a stroll through Center City Philadelphia, finding a bright spot for U.S. retailers via redevelopment and growing assets.

Meanwhile, Walnut Street -- Center City’s high street shopping district -- and its surrounding streets continue to pick up additional retailers who want to capture the city’s affluent residents (Philadelphia has the third largest CBD residential population following New York and Chicago). Center City District estimates that a business located on the 1400 block of Walnut Street can expect to see an average of greater than 2,000 people per hour. The Center City District estimates retail demand within one mile of City Hall is $710.9 million per year. Center City has a population of nearly 180,000, 73% of which have at least a bachelor’s degree.

Original source: Shopping Center Business
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OLIN in NY: Philly firm's design 'as dramatic as anything I'd ever seen,' says philanthropist

The New York Times Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Philadelphia landscape architecture and urban design firm OLIN has a history of wowing New York crowds with its work, and is now part of an ambitious plan to transform the city's Museum of Modern Art, reports The New York Times.

OLIN, the Philadelphia landscape architecture and urban design firm behind the renewals of Bryant Park and Columbus Circle, has planned the project and will serve as its lead designer. David H. Koch, a Met trustee and the philanthropist who in 2008 pledged $100 million to renovate the New York State Theater at Lincoln Center -- which was renamed for him -- is providing $60 million to finance it. But the plaza will not be named after him.

"It all began when I was invited to attend the restarting of the fountains on Lincoln Center’s plaza" in 2009, Mr. Koch said in a telephone interview. "When the water started shooting up and was so beautifully illuminated, it blew me away. That's when I suddenly got the idea that it would be great if the Met did something similar with their crummy fountains."

Original source: The New York Times
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Philly attracts more singles than most

Kiplingers Tuesday, February 14, 2012

The rise of college-educated residents and predominance of unmarried households put Philadelphia sixth on Kiplinger's 10 Best Cities for Singles list. Do you agree?

Now, one in two Philadelphians is unmarried, one in five is between 20 and 34, and one in three holds at least a bachelor's degree. Young people congregate in Northern Liberties, Fishtown and Fairmount, where rent for a two-bedroom apartment averages about $1,000.

Original source: Kiplingers
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BBC touts Philly's "surprisingly eclectic mix" of musical offerings

BBC Tuesday, February 07, 2012

The BBC dives into Philadelphia's pioneering musical artists and a host of new sounds, including the city's most well-known venues.

There is a small, hidden gem inside Philly’s musical soul where you can take in emerging local artists like The Lawsuits, The Spinning Leaves and spoken word artist MsWise in the most intimate of spaces -- someone’s living room. Brought to you by Sofar Sounds (which started in London), this international small space, concert movement unites music lovers in secret living room locations. Always on the cutting edge of something new, Philadelphia is one of just 15 cities participating, and you can sign up through the Sofar Sounds website.

Original source: BBC
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NYT examines Philadelphia Media Network's move and digital signs' impact on Market East

The New York Times Tuesday, February 07, 2012

The New York Times looks at the Philadelphia Media Network's move to Market East and the sign ordinance that will effectively create a digital district in Center City.

Philadelphia Media Network will have two digital signs on Market Street and two on Ninth Street, and each sign will be about 14 feet wide and 45 feet long, said Joseph F. Coradino, the president of Preit Services and Preit-Rubin, the commercial development and management subsidiaries of the Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust, the company that owns both the Gallery and the old Strawbridge site.

The sign ordinance has limits. For example, it will allow digital signs to appear only on properties that have 100 feet or more of frontage on Market Street.

"This is not Times Square, where the goal is to basically cover buildings with signs," said Paul R. Levy, the president of the Center City District, a business improvement group and an early supporter of the ordinance. "Our goal here was to integrate the signs into the existing architecture."

Original source: The New York Times
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Demand for Federal Donuts remains strong; try the new s'mores variety

The New York Times Tuesday, February 07, 2012

The doughnuts are still falling fast and furious in Pennsport at Federal Donuts, reports The New York Times.

Some cities have speakeasies where would-be customers step into an antique phone booth to petition for entry. Others have underground supper clubs. At the moment, though, Philadelphia's most dedicated eaters covet no prize more than a red ticket at Federal Donuts, with the possible exception of the morning’s last glazed doughnut.

Original source: The New York Times
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Berwyn's B Lab leading Benefit Corporation legislation in Oregon

Sustainable Business Oregon Tuesday, February 07, 2012

Berwyn-based B Lab is leading the push for Benefit Corporation legislation in Oregon, reports Sustainable Business Oregon.

The legislation would provide a legal framework for companies to register as a company dedicated to providing a public benefit. The designation would be available as an option alongside C Corporation or S Corporation.

Similar legislation has been passed in California, Vermont, Hawaii, New York, Maryland and New Jersey and is pending in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan and the District of Columbia.

Original source: Sustainable Business Oregon
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Onion Flats and the nation's largest net-zero mixed-use development

The Architects Newspaper Tuesday, January 31, 2012

The Architects Newspaper is a fan of green developer Onion Flats and its project known as The Ridge, which includes plans for the nation's largest Passive House, a net-zero energy building.

Onion Flats plans a new five-story structure to include 8,700 square feet of retail on the ground floor that will anchor a plaza along the river, and 126 predominantly one- and two-bedroom units above. McDonald said The Ridge’s design is an interpretation of the classic Philly townhome and its sociable stoop. Residences are clustered around a second-floor garden serving as a communal gathering space, reinforced by an open interior circulation system of elevated platforms. Special attention was paid to creating a building that uses a minimum of resources, generating its own power from a 200-kilowatt solar array, and includes a completely permeable, green-roof covered site.

Original source: The Architects Newspaper
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Rowhome redux: Postgreen plans for biggest year yet

Smart Planet Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Smart Planet brings us up to speed on Postgreen and its new home construction innovations.

With one house sold and three in the works, the Avant Garage project on Memphis Street is among Postgreen’s most expensive undertakings. (The base price of an Avant Garage house is $355,000.) Each home has a roof deck and a two-car garage. To cater to the neighborhood’s artists and professionals, the garage situates vehicles in front of each other, rather than side-by-side, and has a second door opening to the backyard. The idea is to create space suitable for a studio or workshop.

Original source: Smart Planet
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