Syncronos Design: Ted Owens, Green Building, Appropriate Technology Design, Straw Bale Homes

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Syncronos Design Inc.—
What we do and who we are

Syncronos Design promotes the use of appropriate technology and sustainable design in our built environment. We emphasize the balancing of materials and user requirements with environmental considerations.
Our main emphasis is currently on education about sustainable living and energy efficiency. Our Building With Awareness web site, DVD video, and book on green building is part of this venture. Through the use of straw bale, adobe, and other natural materials, a hybrid home can make the best of solar energy through proper building design. In addition, we are currently producing a documentary film on energy efficiency.
Design matters in our everyday environment, yet this is not always apparent when we look around. Syncronos Design is a company that does not divide the design world into categories. This goes against the grain in a world that seems to consist of specialists. We see good design as being good design, whether it is the layout and detailing of a sustainable home, or how to convey information about solar energy in a video. Design is about the realtion of space, form, color, and function. Making our homes comfortable and environmentally sound is just as important as conveying information on how to do more while using less energy.
The company was founded by Ted Owens and Rick Perkins - childhood friends from Junior High School. They shared a common interest in motorless flight - sailplanes, hang gliders, paragliders, and radio control sailplanes. If something could be powered by human power, wind, or solar heat, they would be drawn to it. Their interest in alternative design solutions to common problems helped to form the company.
The business had its first office and small machine shop in Hermosa Beach, California. They had the ability to go from a concept sketch to a working prototype without delay. Engineering became as important as the aesthetics. With varied and overlapping backgrounds between the owners, Syncronos Design could easily move through all aspects of design, including product design and manufacturing, appropriate technology design, print media, and film and video. Design projects included energy-efficient table lamps, photographic equipment, multi-projector presentations, automobile accessories, and solar home designs.
The interest in doing more with less was furthered with work on solar ovens for both developing countries and here in the US. Solar ovens cook and brown food using only the energy from the sun. Much of their work in this area was for nonprofit organizations. In the early 90's, Syncronos Design designed and manufactured the first cylindrical solar oven that was commercially available. Whatever the company took on in either commercial or nonprofit work, the environmental aspects were always considered. Despite the considerable design challenge, over 80% of the materials that went into the manufacturing the solar oven were either recycled or recycleable.
In 1990, the business moved to Corrales, New Mexico, where an abundance of solar energy existed along with innovative building technologies. In New Mexico, solar ovens were manufactured for a couple of years, and later, design work began on energy and resource-efficient houses.
Working to solve the world's ecological problems is sometimes a daunting task. Fun is also an important element of design and humor may even be good for the planet. Several years ago, Syncronos Design teamed up with You-Betcha Interactive on a software CD-ROM. The two companies jointly developed the children's creativity software "The Home Gene-Splicing Kit", which was awarded the top honor in the industry as "Best Entertainment Software of the Year" in 1999 by the NewMedia Invision Awards. The software allows one to splice a photograph of yourself with your dog, cat, best friend, or anything with a face.
Syncronos is a conjunction of the words "sync" (in tune with) and "chronos" (time).

Ted Owens is president and co-founder of Syncronos Design. At an early age he developed strong interests in design, film, and environmental projects. These interests arose from hundreds of hours building and flying model sailplanes, designing and building underwater movie camera housings, and making Super 8mm movies. At the age of 15, he obtained his sailplane student pilot license and learned of the power of solar energy that could keep a sailplane and pilot in the air for hours. Before he could drive a car, he learned to use rising air currents to climb his sailplane to cloud base at 12,000 feet at over 1,000 feet per minute —all without an engine. This, along with his interest in ocean sailing, gave him a basic understanding of the use of wind and solar energy as a power source.
Ted is a graduate of Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, where he received a BFA degree. Since graduating, he has worked as a design generalist where he has combined his interests in design, appropriate technology, and film and video. His work has included designing permanent interactive exhibits on the environment for The California Museum of Science and Industry, to developing solar ovens. Additional work has included designing and directing award-winning video and multimedia documentaries and projects for major corporations such as GTE and Computer Sciences Corporation.
Since 1996, his main focus has been on energy and resource efficient building design - emphasizing the combination of high technology with low technology to create an aesthetic package. He designed and built his own straw bale home which is documented on this web site.
Ted was on the Board of Directors of the nonprofit group "Alliance for Green Development" in Albuquerque, NM, and was Chairman of the Green Building Standards Committee of this organization for almost three years. He has been a guest speaker on sustainable design to various groups including the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the National Association of Home Builders national convention, and the New Mexico Environmental Health Conference. He has also written a series of colums about green building for treehugger.com
Currently his time is spent on the production of a feature-length film on sustainable design and energy efficiency.

Anneliese Varaldiev's primary role is that of videographer. Anneliese worked for French television as a camera assistant, assistant director, and "best boy" (lighting) on documentaries about Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, and Orson Welles, among others. Her work in the commercial sector has included directing, and shooting more than 30 promotional and training videos for the aerospace industries. Anneliese's work as a portrait photographer has been exhibited in a number of museums, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Musée d'Art Moderne, Vielle de Paris and the Winterthur Fotomuseum in Switzerland. She is currently working on her first book project, a series of portraits depicting noted classical musicians, conductors, and composers.

Ryan Sciarrotta is a film student at the University of New Mexico. He currently is our production assistant on our upcoming film project on sustainable design.

Mary Jo Reutter is president of You-Betcha Interactive, Inc. and assists us in interactive media. She has extensive experience in interactive multi-media design and production and has produced permanent interactive installations for the California Museum of Science and Industry on the use of our natural resources and sustainable technologies. In addition, Mary Jo has produced interactive content for corporations and major interactive software publishers. She has developed CD-Roms for the International Olympic Committee and McGraw-Hill Home Interactive, to name a few.

Rick Perkins is the cofounder and previous co-owner of Syncronos Design. After graduating from the University of Southern California in television and film production, he worked on the hardware side of film special effects on feature films. Since then, Rick has been working as an inventor/engineer with extensive experience in materials and manufacturing techniques. He has designed and engineered cameras, product prototypes, and large trade show displays. He currently freelances in California.