Light reflecting fireplace
If you’ve driven, biked or hiked down Old Georgetown Road in Lexington’s Historic Western Suburb recently, you’ve probably noticed that there has been some creative development happening. Two examples of the positive effects that urban infill and land re-use can have are striking. Â
Resonance House
 One, Resonance House, is Kentucky’s first U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certified residence (www.USGBC.org). It is a single-family home designed by a collaborative of students and professionals directed by University of Kentucky Architecture professor Gregory A. Luhan (www.uky.edu/Design).    An important aspect in designing the house was maximing use of natural daylight. One surprising feature is a fireplace clad with reflective metal plates coated with zinc, creating a light vortex to brighten interior space. Outside the residence, eco-conscious landscaping by Jon Carloftis includes Kentucky native plants like River birch, ferns and even bluebells, which don’t require a lot of watering, and a driveway with planted surfaces between concrete drive pathways so that storm-sewer runoff is minimized.Â
Holly Wiedemann, President of AU Associates
Next door, on a previously paved and overgrown lot, AU Associates President Holly Wiedemann has worked wonders with urban infill by creating Artek (www.arteklofts.com), a residental development that combines art and technology to bring an underutilized section of this downtown area to life.  Care was taken to echo architectural elements like rooflines and design features including shingle styles and colors so that the new structures fit into the historic neighborhood. At the same time, the concrete and steel reflect the city skyline and urban setting. As part of the design process, light and shadow studies were done to
Artek Courtyard
maximize the sun’s natural lighting potential in the plans. One result: the lofts are perfectly suited for artists’ studios.  The paved lot was replaced with a permeable grass courtyard, traversed by locally quarried pebble walkways which allow rainwater to seep into the ground rather than being washed into overtaxed storm sewers. Wiedemann is known for her ‘adaptive use’ renovations of abandoned school buildings in many Kentucky towns, including Midway, Glasgow, Ervine and Louisville, transforming them into residental units with possibilities for displaying art and accomodating community events.  She notes, “Artek’s design is one of consciousness and conscience.”Â
Reflected light brightens an Artek loft
As daylight dwindles this time of year, and we’re all looking toward finding ways to keep those rays as bright and warm as possible, it’s reassuring to see glimmers of hope in these thoughtful and well-crafted projects.
