*Editor’s Note: Long-time VSI consultant and international author Fernando Pages Ruiz presented in the IBS Show Village on January 22. During his presentation, Fernando highlighted the principles of New Urbanism, traditional neighborhood designs and the use of modern polymeric materials. He also shared VSI’s new architectural design book with show attendees, which was available for purchase for the first time-ever in the NAHB IBS bookstore. Here are highlights (in his own words) from Fernando’s adventures last week:
By Fernando Pages Ruiz
I arrived in Las Vegas a few days before the show began to assist with the setup of Andrés Duany’s Show Village exhibit, a Midcentury Modern house clad with polymeric siding and trim, and easily the most visited house in the Show Village. The existence of a show-home clad with a VSI member’s product designed by the most prominent New Urbanist and constructed by Dvele, a high-end, California homebuilder, is a victory for the polymeric industry. Many show attendees came up to the house to touch it and run their fingers along the siding.
Tuesday, Jan 21
On this first day, I dined with eight members of the National Town Builders Association, a developer group closely associated with the Congress for the New Urbanism. It was an ideal opportunity to network with members of the group, which included the prominent Urbanist Mike Watkin, representatives from Pinewood Forest Company, Ramage Company, as well as developer George Ford.
Wednesday, Jan. 22
I presented a 45-minute discussion on Architectural Design for Traditional Neighborhoods. Leading housing industry content provider, Pro Builder, filmed the presentation and broadcasted it throughout the conference.
And in other exciting news, VSI’s new book, “Architectural Design for Traditional Neighborhoods” officially landed on the IBS bookstore racks this year in a prominent location. I am pleased to report that we sold many books.
And That’s a Wrap
My big takeaway: While visiting Mr. Duany’s show house and overhearing conversations at IBS, I became aware of just how many architects attend the annual show. It was apparent that they all wanted to meet Mr. Duany. Increasingly, the NAHB has become more design-focused, and VSI’s presence there - especially with an educational publication on sale in the design section of the IBS bookstore - may have more influence on product specification than previously realized. Most importantly, many of the architects that attend IBS are also Urbanists.
Next year, IBS moves to Orlando, FL. I urge all VSI members to start devising strategies to creatively highlight wind resistance and resilience as a cladding that allows a building to dry after storms and floods. #NoLimits
