¡el grupo!

Best of Austin 2011!!

2011-10-14T10:42:00.000-07:00

Exciting news! We received a Critics Pick in the Austin Chronicle's Best Of Austin 2011 for the Moustache Ride! This was for the Architecture and Lodging category. Thanks Critics. Scroll down to the fifth entry here.

More Than Architecture

2011-10-08T14:07:00.001-07:00

More than Architecture is an exhibit at the UT Fine Arts Library. We have a couple of things in the exhibit - Tennis Bench v2.3 and a photo exhibit of the Moustache Ride. Come by and take a look, it's free.

Tennis Bench 2.3 in Action

2011-10-08T13:50:00.000-07:00

Bonnie Rodd and Davey McEathron installed one of the tennis benches at Bailey Park and within an hour, it was being utilized.

Tennis Bench 2.0 almost done

2011-09-12T20:55:00.000-07:00

... but ready for a test. This bench went through a few design iterations and realistically should be known as Tennis Bench 2.3

This is the first of two. The second should be done this weekend.

KUT Video Blog for the Moustache Ride

2011-09-09T14:13:00.000-07:00

Spike Gillespie, a local rock star blogger and comedian in Austin wrote about the Moustache Ride in he KUT Blog this week. There is also some video! Thanks Spike!

Tennis Bench 2.0 Progress

2011-06-25T20:42:00.000-07:00

The frames for the benches for Bailey Park Tennis Courts are all welded together now. The next step will be to clean them up and powder coat them. The design was changed a little to express the structural forces and add some visual interest. More to come...

Tennis Bench 2.0

2011-05-10T11:42:00.000-07:00

We are in the midst of creating another Tennis Court Bench, this time for Bailey Park in Austin, TX.

We were approached by some University of Texas Architecture Students from Steve Ross' class about getting involved in a community project. We had a short time frame of about 6 weeks... Rosie from the Austin Parks Foundation had expressed some interest in some more benches in parks earlier in the year. So, we put the two together.

We came up with a simple, yet elegant design and sought out some donations from Lowe's and Home Depot - both donated materials. Our friends at Athena Manufacturing agreed to powder coat the steel frames as well - they also powder coated the frames from the last set of benches.

Currently we are fabricating the frames and expect to install in early June after the Parks Department refinishes the courts.

Here's a sketch of the design and a photo of Bonnie Rodd, a UT student, cutting some steel.

The Moustache.... errrrr... Glasses in a winning photo!

2011-01-27T08:26:00.001-08:00

http://rootedaustin.com/blog/photo-of-the-week-12111

The Moustache on Facebook

2011-01-26T07:08:00.000-08:00

Become a fan of the Moustache Ride on Facebook!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Moustache-Ride/181427068564049?v=wall

The Moustache in the News

2011-01-13T06:14:00.000-08:00

The Moustache appears in an interview with Bridget Quinn for the Payphone Revival Project on Austin YNN. Thanks Bridget.

http://austin.ynn.com/content/276020/local-wonders--pay-phone-revival-project?ap=1&MP4

A BIG thank you!

2011-01-05T09:07:00.000-08:00

¡el grupo! would like to say thanks to the sponsors of the Moustache Ride:

Bridget Francis Quinn with the Payphone Revival Project put together a great event and the whole Payphone Revival Project itself - a great idea from a great lady. She aquired some grants from the City of Austin, The Texas Payphone Association and Telenational, Inc. Check out her websites here:

http://bridgetfrancesquinn.com/
http://www.payphonerevival.com/

Jackson Jonson Enterprise gave us a great discount on the industrial coating that they applied over the Moustache. They are a really nice group of fellas and they do excellent work. Check them out on the web here:

http://www.jacksonjonson.com/index.htm

Bob Zrudsky was an invaluable resource for construction techniques. As well, he donated plenty of materials and beer to the project. He definitely made a huge contribution to the realization of the Moustache.

and of course, we would like to offer a big thanks to Maribel and Carlos at El Chilito for being supportive of this project. We definitely could not have done it without them. Check them out on the web, but definitely check out their cochinita pibil tacos in person!! Just try not to dribble any taco juice on the Moustache.

http://www.elchilito.com/home.html

Public Workshop Publishes the Moustache!

2010-11-22T21:47:00.000-08:00

Public Workshop posted the Moustache on their "Things We Like" section of their blog. There is a quick little interview with Nicolas and Davey as well.

Check out their post here - http://publicworkshop.us/?p=2119

Thanks!

The Moustache Ride

2010-11-22T21:34:00.001-08:00

Come see the Moustache Ride a El Chilito on Manor in East Austin. The installation will be up till late Winter. See more photos on Nicolas Rivard's Behance Page - http://www.behance.net/gallery/Moustache-Rides-5-Cents/821742

The Moustache Ride Progress Photos

2010-11-12T17:56:00.000-08:00

Saturday at 3:00 pm - El Chilito on Manor. Payphone Revival Project kick-off with the Moustache Ride by ¡el grupo! and Cabinet of Eastside Curiousities by J.P. Marquart. The Yellow Bike Project will be dropping off a bunch of yellow bikes also so that you may go on an Eastside Austin tour of the other Payphone Revival projects - if you choose. Or you can just stay at El Chilito and drink some beer and watch people play on a giant moustache.

Yes, Charlie got me addicted to the Hipstamatic iPhone App.

Abandoned Phone Booth Re-Purposing

2010-08-24T06:27:00.001-07:00

The idea of the public payphone as a mechanism to link two people and facilitate interaction presents a unique opportunity. We are proposing to reinterpret the interaction from a two way verbal communication mechanism to a mechanism that encourages play as physical communication. The image of children using two tin cans and a string as a makeshift telephone - both a toy and a tool simultaneously - leads to the retro-activating of the phone booth from a tool back to a toy, but in the transformation the distinction is blurred and made irrelevant. It is both things simultaneously.

The goal of the installation is to activate the area by reinventing the phone booth as a see-saw.The El Chilito site on Manor Rd. provides the ideal place for this reinvention. The site is a gathering place for both young fashionable people and families.The corner location is a north-south / east-west crossing point in a part of Austin that is itself being reinvented. The El Chilito sign as the installation location provides a visual counter point to the outdoor seating area, an ideal place for meeting and people watching. The playful nature of the sign relates with ease to both the visual and physical aesthetics of the moustache see-saw.

The material choice for the see-saw will be the repuposed phone booth, play sand, recycled wood and steel.The chosen materials are meant to evoke memories of playgrounds with their benefits of durability, economy and opportunity for recyclability.

The Mohawk

2010-08-16T22:46:00.000-07:00

Reclaimed wood was used to create a bench and wall feature; and milk crates and steel were used to create benches at the Mohawk Bar from 2008-2009. This project was done in collaboration with Thoughtbarn.

Melted Wood

2010-08-16T12:19:00.000-07:00

This coffee table/fireseat/pet lounge was an exploration into the synthesis of CNC technology and traditional wood working techniques. All steel components were waterjet cut, while all wooden components were made by hand. Similarly, the exploration also touched on synthesizing different functions into one piece of furniture. The geometry is set by an "average familial back curve," a profile determined to be the most comfortable for the client's family by measuring each family members back in position and averaging the curves. Connections are resolved with dry fit joints instead of mechanical fasteners. Material palette includes mesquite, steel, and resin, finished with danish and linseed oils. The project was created in 2008.

Tennis Court Benches

2010-08-09T20:34:00.000-07:00

Benches were fabricated for the Dottie Jordan Park Tennis Courts in conjunction with Architecture for Humanity and Ben Butler.

Materials used were steel and massaranduba. The wood was donated from a construction site. The powder coating for the steel was donated by Athena Manufacturing. Funds were granted from The Austin Parks Foundation. Completed in 2010.

McKinley Community Center, The Bronx

2010-08-09T14:49:00.000-07:00

3,000 SF addition and renovation for the New York City Housing Authority - completed under Alexander Gorlin in 2005.

Rowe Studio

2010-08-08T16:01:00.001-07:00

The Rowe Studio is a small, 600 sf space designed to function as both a yoga studio and a guest house. The studio is in the backyard of a traditional Portland, Oregon bungalow. The two structures share a patio. The pair of French doors allow for maximum light and fresh air. The West facing windows are intended to frame views of a future backyard garden while meditating on the bamboo floors. A Murphy Bed stows away in custom built cabinets. This project was done in collaboration with Architect Bob Schatz - designed in 2006, constructed in 2007.

Steel+Cedar

2010-08-07T22:23:00.000-07:00

This north-facing backyard porch in East Austin offers shade all day during the Texas summer. A peculiar roof was born of the client's desire for a traditional shed roof form and the constraints of the existing roof structure. The resulting trapezoid's splayed rafters create a forced perspective. This perception of increased depth imparts a certain grandness to the relatively shallow space. Designed and built in collaboration with Jonas Fox for our friend Teddy the dog trainer.

Lobby at Aqua at Allison Island, Florida

2010-08-01T19:29:00.000-07:00

Lobby and recreation center completed in 2004 under Alexander Gorlin.

Barkitecture 2009

2010-07-28T20:57:00.001-07:00

This doghouse was created for Austin Barkitecture 2009 in conjunction with Architecture for Humanity. We wanted to create a multifunctional piece of architecture. The doghouse moonlights as a bench and a planter. It was awarded "Best Backyard Bungalow".

Materials used were cypress, steel, luan, waterproofing membrane, paint, dirt and flowers. The wood and most of the power tools were donated by Pollen Architecture. The waterproofing membrane was donated and installed by Scott White of Siplast. The steel plate was bent by Hawkeye. The welder was donated by Handmade. The dog is Oscar.

Chinatown Bookmap

2010-07-28T20:12:00.000-07:00

Words become direction. Fiction becomes map. Ephemerality becomes purpose.

A path through Portland's Chinatown is found within a story. This bookmap can be found in several art galleries in Portland's Oldtown/Chinatown. Take it for a spin.

Materials used were canvas, ink, wood dowels and ipe. The ipe was culls from a job site donated by Bowerbird Build. Completed in 2008.

American't

2010-07-28T19:44:00.000-07:00

People believe in things or ideals based on the presentation. Just as there are two sides to every story, there are two sides to every window. This idea of opposing views was explored in this project with color, materiality and imagery. The completed project was abandoned in the middle of the sidewalk at a week long sit-in/sleep-in at the City Hall in Portland, OR. The event was to protest the treatment of homeless people by the city.

Materials used were douglas fir, plexiglass, wire mesh and paper. Completed in 2006.

Northrim Commercial

2010-07-01T20:14:00.000-07:00

after

before

A 10,000 sf full commercial remodel in Portland, OR. The project was designed in 2007 and completed in 2009. This was done in collaboration with Architect Bob Schatz - Allusa Architecture.