"Swanky Treehouse" in Oregon: The Wilkinson Residence

"Wilkinson Residence in Portland is one swanky treehouse"
Green Diary (January 18, 2010)

"Evoking the feeling of being in a tree house is exactly what the beautiful Wilkinson residence in Portland does. Located on a flag lot, the extraordinary house is brilliantly designed to perfectly blend with the natural landscape. A steep sloping grade provided the opportunity to bring the main level of the house into the tree canopy...."



The article is mostly photos: 10, including the one shown here.

And kudos to Green Diary, for including a link to the architect's portfolio page: "Wilkinson Residence." (Robert Harvey Oshatz, Architect)

This "swanky treehouse" is in Portland, Oregon. In that area, anyway: I don't know how many wooded lots there are in the city itself.

The article is brief, almost terse, but that photos make up for that. The Wilkinson Residence is a remarkable - and non-standard - house.

I think that calling it a "swanky treehouse" may have unintentionally revealed something about the houses of people who can afford to built a house that they want, rather than something that's closer to the 50th percentile.

These folks are doing what many of us did as kids: building a place of their own, for their own use, without too much consideration of what everybody else thinks.

I think that's great. And, as long as there isn't a sort of "more sustainable than thou" attitude of superiority over folks who don't have huge bankrolls (there isn't a breath of that in the Green Diary article), I have no problem with someone living in the sort of greenhouse Flash Gordon might have.

Related post:

• "Recycled House: Well, That's Cool"
  (February 6, 2010)

The Blunt Umbrella is, Bluntly, Blunt: Built by Blunt

"Blunt Umbrella"
Wired Product Reviews (February 8, 2010)

"On a recent stormy San Francisco day, pedestrians all around me struggled as the wind made their bodega-bought umbrellas leap like impatient leashed puppies, or worse yet, flip inside-out like starfish stomachs. But not me. My umbrella kept its rounded shape in the nastiest of rainy gusts, its architectural integrity as unbroken as the dome of St. Peter's...."


(from Wired, used w/o permission)

"Blunt" isn't an adjective - although the the Blunt umbrella is a big "blunter" than most around the edge. It's made by the Blunt company.

The design looks good: and I've gone through enough umbrellas in my time to appreciate the idea of one that's built a bit tougher than the norm. And the Blunt umbrella, for all its apparent durability, doesn't look half bad.

Still, I doubt I'll be getting one. At $70 or $75 dollars each, it's a tad rich for my household's budget.

Toyota Cars Recalled: Again

"WRAPUP 1-Toyota to recall Prius, halts shipments on 2 hybrids"
Reuters (February 9, 2010)

"* Toyota says to file Prius recall in Japan at 0420 GMT

"* President Toyoda, quality chief to brief in Tokyo

"* Sai, Lexus HS250h hybrid shipments halted to check brakes

"* Suit filed in Calif. over Prius braking complaints

"* Toyota shares rally 3 pct, still down 20 pct from Jan. 21

"By Nobuhiro Kubo and Bernie Woodall

"TOKYO/DETROIT, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) said on Tuesday it would recall its flagship Prius hybrid in Japan for braking problems and that it had halted shipments of two other hybrid models to check for similar problems.

"The world's largest automaker is already under fire for two other recalls covering more than 8 million vehicles worldwide due to problems with slipping floormats and sticky accelerator pedals.

"Toyota is fighting to keep its reputation for quality and reliability while dealing with a potential rush of litigation for crashes linked to 19 deaths and numerous injuries in the United States over the past decade...."

I'd been hoping that the Toyota quality-control issue was limited to America. Don't get me wrong: I'm an American, and think rather highly of this country, overall. On the other hand, Toyota's had - and earned - a reputation for quality for a very long time. I don't like to see that sort of thing end.

Here's part of what's been happening in 2010, with automotive technology:

"... Toyota has said it had fixed a software glitch in the anti-brake lock system (ABS) on the 2010 Prius at the end of last month, and that cars being produced now would not be subject to any recall.

Owners of the latest, third-generation Prius have complained that on bumpy roads and on ice, the regenerative brakes which help charge the vehicles electric battery appear to slip and it lurches forward before the traditional brakes engage.

"U.S. automaker Ford Motor Co (F.N) said last week it would roll out a software patch for consumers to address similar problems with braking on two of its hybrid models, without filing a recall...."

That "regenerative brakes" technology looks pretty good on paper: making use of the kinetic energy invested in a vehicle's speed. Too bad it didn't work right.

Well, let's hope that the software patch deals with that issue.

Oh, my: 2010 does not look like it's going to be a good year for Toyota. On the other hand, if the company brass deals with this effectively, the company - and folks who use their products - could benefit in the long run.

Related post:

• "Toyota Cars Recalled: Because of Made-in-America Parts"
  (January 30, 2010)