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The New Company Town
Jul. 31st, 2008 09:31 amI've been arguing for these for some time now and it's really great to see my old friend and former teaching associate Bill Maclay along with fellow wind comrades, the Blittersdorfs, from the salad days get together on such a fascinating project. This is a near perfect team to be working on such a project.
Bill runs an innovative architecture firm out of Waitsfield, VT. He's one of the fellows who designed and built the (in)famous Dimetrodon alternative condominium in Warren, VT back in the 1970s. One time I helped Bill with some roofing and other repairs on it. The valley view from the tower is awesome. NRG Systems is a longtime anemometer and met tower manufacturer in Hinesberg, VT who has branched into building wind turbines recently.
I've been interested in company towns and how they fit into a more integrated and ecological 21st century way of living without all the nasty bits from the past ever since my graduate school days. One of the more interesting books on this topic, for those who might have an interest, is on the Pullman company town of Pullman, Illinois. The book is "Pullman: An Experiment in Industrial Order and Community Planning, 1880-1930" by Stanley Buder.
In particular, I used to kid a friend of mine at Oracle about how Ellison should put up another blue silo to house employees and keep them off the freeway all in one fell swoop. Also I've often thought of how cool it would be to link elderly housing to the enclosed malls that we have out in these parts. Keep all those old geezers off the killer ice and involved with people. It's all a step farther than the "new urbanism", imo.
NRG Offers Solution to Sprawl - Burlington Free Press - 24 Jul 08
"NRG Systems and Earth Turbines, two quickly growing sister companies in Hinesburg, have bought land and formed plans to expand the businesses and build what could be the 'company town' of the future. 'What we are playing with is how to make a community where you can live and work ... to avoid this suburban sprawl that has been so prevalent over the last few decades,' NRG Systems CEO Jan Blittersdorf said Wednesday. She emphasized the plan is in the early phases."
"'We have done sketches on numerous conceptual ideas ... inevitably things are going to change,' said Bill Maclay, principal of William Maclay Architects and Planners in Waitsfield, who is designing the project. Maclay said it's 'premature' to discuss the housing style or housing density.
'We're really trying to work on how to get people to work -- beyond the one person per one car' routine, Blittersdorf said. 'This is the company town of the future,' said NRG spokeswoman Abby White, noting the development would be built 'as sustainably as possible.''
Bill runs an innovative architecture firm out of Waitsfield, VT. He's one of the fellows who designed and built the (in)famous Dimetrodon alternative condominium in Warren, VT back in the 1970s. One time I helped Bill with some roofing and other repairs on it. The valley view from the tower is awesome. NRG Systems is a longtime anemometer and met tower manufacturer in Hinesberg, VT who has branched into building wind turbines recently.
I've been interested in company towns and how they fit into a more integrated and ecological 21st century way of living without all the nasty bits from the past ever since my graduate school days. One of the more interesting books on this topic, for those who might have an interest, is on the Pullman company town of Pullman, Illinois. The book is "Pullman: An Experiment in Industrial Order and Community Planning, 1880-1930" by Stanley Buder.
In particular, I used to kid a friend of mine at Oracle about how Ellison should put up another blue silo to house employees and keep them off the freeway all in one fell swoop. Also I've often thought of how cool it would be to link elderly housing to the enclosed malls that we have out in these parts. Keep all those old geezers off the killer ice and involved with people. It's all a step farther than the "new urbanism", imo.
NRG Offers Solution to Sprawl - Burlington Free Press - 24 Jul 08
"NRG Systems and Earth Turbines, two quickly growing sister companies in Hinesburg, have bought land and formed plans to expand the businesses and build what could be the 'company town' of the future. 'What we are playing with is how to make a community where you can live and work ... to avoid this suburban sprawl that has been so prevalent over the last few decades,' NRG Systems CEO Jan Blittersdorf said Wednesday. She emphasized the plan is in the early phases."
"'We have done sketches on numerous conceptual ideas ... inevitably things are going to change,' said Bill Maclay, principal of William Maclay Architects and Planners in Waitsfield, who is designing the project. Maclay said it's 'premature' to discuss the housing style or housing density.
'We're really trying to work on how to get people to work -- beyond the one person per one car' routine, Blittersdorf said. 'This is the company town of the future,' said NRG spokeswoman Abby White, noting the development would be built 'as sustainably as possible.''
