|
:
DE sign:
(Deconstructing in-order to find new meanings)
A blogging space about my personal interests; was made during training in Stockholm #Young Leaders Visitors Program #Ylvp08 it developed into a social bookmarking blog.
I studied #Architecture; interested in #Design #Art #Education #Urban Design #Digital-media #social-media #Inhabited-Environments #Contemporary-Cultures #experimentation #networking #sustainability & more =)
Please Enjoy, feedback recommended.
p.s. sharing is usually out of interest not Blind praise.
This is neither sacred nor political.
Friday, June 12
Feminist theory, practices and actions can lead to innovative solutions on internet governance
Friday, June 5
Security and Climate Change
Just an hour ago we got a dispatch from our partners who have been working hard to get a resolution passed by the UN Security Council. It's a resolution that draws the link--strongly--between climate and international security issues. Here's the dispatch from Tekau Frere (small island advocate and French Polynesian) about the latest developments:
Sea level rise, increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme events, destruction of coral reefs, soil erosion, salinization of soils and fresh water reserves, changes in precipitation patterns, spread of vector-borne diseases, etc, are some of the current and projected impacts used by scientists, community members, governments, or organizations to demonstrate the reality of climate on small islands. Yet, despite the numerous graphic images, reports, or documentaries, the alarmist bell has been rung in vacuum. The fate of many island nations, especially atoll nations such as Tuvalu, Kiribati, or the Maldives, has been used as a matter of sensational news. The international climate change negotiations never truly discussed how climate change would impact the existence, thus security of these nations.
For small island nations, climate change is an existential threat. Representatives of these countries have been seeking the help of the international community for years. Despite their multiple and repetitive shout out for assistance, they never received a concrete echo. Tired of waiting and thriving to get their plight heard, a group of 12 island nations at the United Nations, the Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS), decided to act and move the international community.
The PSIDS drafted a resolution which is now strong of more than 80 co-sponsors. Entitled “the possible implications of climate change on security”, this ground breaking resolution urges all relevant organs of the UN to intensify their efforts in dealing with climate change and its consequences. It also asks the Secretary General to submit a report to the general assembly on the security implications of climate change.
Although no blue helmet will be sent to small islands to stop the waters from rising, the text demonstrates the commitment of the international community to recognize that climate change is not just a development issue. It recognizes that this global and multi-sector challenge needs to be dealt with the entire spectrum of UN organs and, thus, opens the door to more climate related actions.
Small islands contribute the least to climate change, yet they suffer the most. Their small sizes and small economies may not make them focal international actors, but their passion, perseverance, and legitimacy in this matter have inscribed them as protagonists in the issue of climate change. Although the negotiation process was certainly challenging, they succeeded in sharing their plight and overcoming national interests. Thanks to the support and strong assistance from their initial co-sponsors, they achieve a significant and admirable victory. This resolution proves that with a little political will and willingness to communicate, there is hope in climate negotiations.
http://www.350.org/about/blogs/security-and-climate-change-together-laste n v i r o n m e n t
Monday, May 11
Water Management in Syria
Water Management in Syria
From a Gift of God to a Valuable Economic Factor
Syria is the most arid country in the watershed of the Euphrates and Tigris. To alleviate the situation, Germany is pumping € 130 million into the Syrian water sector. Kristin Helberg reports on the work of German engineers in Damascus and Aleppo
A dried out paradise
Just a five-minute walk from Korte's office in the center of Damascus flows the Barada, or all that remains of the once-mighty river – a narrow, odorous trickle of water. Fed from the Anti-Lebanon Mountains, the Barada made Damascus into a fertile oasis in the middle of a stone desert. At one time, its clear water flowed through the city's green gardens and fruit orchards – hence Damascus' moniker as "paradise on earth." By the middle of the 20th century, there wasn't sufficient water for the city's rapidly growing population, and illegal wells were dug everywhere within the city limits, resulting in a sinking of the ground water table. Even today, unfiltered sewage water is seeping into the ground and contaminating the water below.
Wasteful use of water
Not only Damascus, but the whole of Syria is lacking an effective management system for water resources, says Johannes Wolfer, who works in the area surrounding Damascus on behalf of the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR). According to the hydrologist, Syria has a relatively large amount of water for the region, but it is distributed very unevenly and therefore must be managed more carefully. Valuable drinking water should not be used to wash cars or irrigate fruit trees. "In the long term, Syria has to move away from agriculture," says the specialist. In comparison to agriculture, more income can be generated though industry, tourism, and the service sector – with less use of water.
Al Tayep is satisfied with her colleagues, even though she had to get used to their flexible working hours. State workers in Syria only earn about 120 euros a month, so they usually require additional jobs in order to feed their families. As a result, they only work three to four hours in the water treatment plant, often leaving the German expert alone on the site. "It is something you just have to accept," says Al Tayep. She claims that it wouldn't achieve anything for a German expert to demand that everyone stayed at their posts from 8 to 3. "Then no one at all would work with me." Instead, she expects that her colleagues at least let her know when they will be at work so that she can plan her activities.
Kristin Helberg © Qantara.de 2008 Translated from the German by John Bergeron
International Women’s Media Foundation Fellowships 2009-201
Sunday, May 3
worlds-largest-3d-display
Saturday, April 25
LEED 2009 to Include LEED Credits for Regional Environmental Priorities
Affordable And Green: Sandbag Houses // Cape Town // South Africa // MMA Architects”
MMA Architects completed a home built out of timber and sandbags and became the winner of the Curry Stone Foundation Prize this year. The prize is awarded to individuals or groups that create architecture that has the potential to make positive changes in a community by offering shelter, community health, peace, or clean water, air and food. This sandbag house was built for a mere $6,000, making it affordable for low-income housing. The design also utilizes uncomplicated techniques- and was constructed with the help of its future residents who were able to gain a sense of ownership through the building process.
While these homes are not necessarily decked out with solar panels and energy-efficient insulation, the design and construction of the home takes advantage of techniques that conserve money and resources. First, the home uses inexpensive local materials which cuts down on transportation. Second, the home utilizes Eco Beams, a system of building that replaces brick-and-mortar with sandbags. The system is reported to be just as strong as a brick system and uses less timber than traditional construction.
The home is the first in a community of 10 other homes to be built in Freedom Park, near Cape Town in South Africa. The homes are the result of the 10×10 Housing Project, a project challenging 10 architecture teams to develop plans for low-cost housing.
Luyunda Mpahlwa has said that he plans on using the prize money- $100,000- to build more of these homes, and to send underprivileged students to architecture school.
>>>
Affordable And Green: Sandbag Houses // Cape Town // South Africa // MMA Architects”
MMA Architects completed a home built out of timber and sandbags and became the winner of the Curry Stone Foundation Prize this year. The prize is awarded to individuals or groups that create architecture that has the potential to make positive changes in a community by offering shelter, community health, peace, or clean water, air and food. This sandbag house was built for a mere $6,000, making it affordable for low-income housing. The design also utilizes uncomplicated techniques- and was constructed with the help of its future residents who were able to gain a sense of ownership through the building process.
While these homes are not necessarily decked out with solar panels and energy-efficient insulation, the design and construction of the home takes advantage of techniques that conserve money and resources. First, the home uses inexpensive local materials which cuts down on transportation. Second, the home utilizes Eco Beams, a system of building that replaces brick-and-mortar with sandbags. The system is reported to be just as strong as a brick system and uses less timber than traditional construction.
The home is the first in a community of 10 other homes to be built in Freedom Park, near Cape Town in South Africa. The homes are the result of the 10×10 Housing Project, a project challenging 10 architecture teams to develop plans for low-cost housing.
Luyunda Mpahlwa has said that he plans on using the prize money- $100,000- to build more of these homes, and to send underprivileged students to architecture school.
>>>
Monday, April 20
Low2No-A Sustainable Development Design Competition
The built environment is now the largest negative factor in the stability of ecosystems and the climate. And as populations become increasingly urbanized, the evolution of cities will largely shape the outcome of our long dependence on natural resources. Two pathways of evolution are evident: an urban society that is in balance with the environment, or one that has depleted available natural capital. The decisions that will direct this evolution over the next 50-100 years are being made now.
It is clear that no single organization, profession or nation can achieve the goals of sustainable global development. It will require an architecture of solutions including low/no carbon buildings; sustainable economic systems; enhanced/targeted mobility; sustainable planning and energy policies; resilient social systems (access, equity and capacity), among countless others.
Recognizing the need and opportunity to significantly improve sustainable building development practices, Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund—in collaboration with the City of Helsinki—is launching a sustainable development design competition. The competition will be launched March 31, 2009 with a global request for qualifications. The goal is to attract and identify the best teams to design a large building complex on an approximately 3/4 hectare site on the reclaimed goods harbour at the western edge of Helsinki’s central business district.
Given that the repertoire of sustainable urban development models is still in its infancy, the question of “who & how” is our question of first order. WHO: We believe that identifying the best team and approach is the key factor impacting the long term quality and robustness of the final solution. HOW: Our sustainable development design competition is designed to seek approaches for four central objectives applied at the scale of a city block:
1. energy efficiency 2. low/no carbon emissions 3. high architectural, spatial and social value
4. sustainable materials and methods
As part of their proposals, entrants must also consider the context and dynamics beyond the city block that will impact the project in the near and long terms. As such we will select teams with a robust and mixed set of competencies (such as architecture, engineering, economics, landscape, technology, urban planning and energy infrastructure), representing the mix of stakeholders and issues at play in urban development. We expect that architects will lead these teams in most cases, but are open to other team configurations.
Our program is a mixed-use development that includes: headquarters for an innovation driven organization; housing; retail; and potentially other programs that support a sustainable approach to urban development.
Our site is located on 100 hectares of reclaimed land known as Jätkäsaari. The relocation of Helsinki’s port facilities to the eastern edge of the city in 2008 has initiated the largest transformation of land use in the city since the industrial era. As many as six large areas in metropolitan Helsinki, including Jätkäsaari, are in various stages of planning as a result.
Jätkäsaari will be developed over the next two decades to house 16.000 residents, 6.000 jobs, offices and public services. Several new tram line extensions will provide access to the city centre only three kilometres away while parking space and vehicular traffic will be minimized through a mobility management plan.
It is our intention to stimulate innovation in sustainable architecture, energy efficiency, and city-building solutions. We hope that a model of sustainable urbanism emerges from the proposals that will not only serve the City of Helsinki and its inhabitants, but more broadly, be a learning model for development globally.
Visit: http://www.low2no.org/competition/ for more details. A summary of the competition is available here (PDF).
http://bustler.net/index.php/competition/low2no-a_sustainable_development_design_competition/
Dreamland: Architectural Experiments Since the 1970s
Saturday, April 18
Architectural Damascene rose
As one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities, Damascus represents discovery all by itself. Evoking the necessity to embrace this spirit are the statistics - 40% of the Syrian population is under the age of 14. Embarking on a revolutionary project for the historical city are Henning Larsen Architects, Martha Schwartz Partners and engineers Buro Happold who will work together to create the dramatic Massar Children’s Discovery Centre and public park in the heart of Damascus.
The Massar project’s ambition is to create better educational opportunities for young people. The centre will comprise various scientific thematic exhibitions for children aged 5-15. The discovery centre – designed by Henning Larsen Architects - is located on a 170,000 sq m river bed site. It is located centrally in walking distance from Damascus’ historic city centre with the Umayyad Mosque and university, national opera and national museum in close proximity.
Louis Becker, Design Director of Henning Larsen Architects, said: “The discovery centre’s form is inspired by the unique Damascus rose. The shape provides shade and natural ventilation in the building. Its centre forms a large communal space. This is where the children will meet, share their knowledge and develop new ideas together. The idea of the project is to create a park which features a quilt of activities interwoven with the discovery centre. The visitors will be led through several intimate spatial experiences addressing all the senses. Water will be current theme – both as activity and as a visualisation of sustainable measures and educational media.”
Martha Schwartz Partners Ltd will provide the public realm and landscape design for the project. Based on the site of the old international fairground, the public realm acts as a ‘culture corridor’, connecting the public space of the Discovery Centre with nearby cultural venues. Lorraine Landels, Senior Principal at Martha Schwartz Partners, said: “This is a landmark project as the park and the discovery centre will be the focus for a new Syrian educational programme, and one that will help us develop our portfolio as we work in the unique cultural climate of Damascus”.
Tom Hay, Buro Happold’s project leader said “This project is unique in that it gives the children of Syria the means to view the world around them through Syria’s incomparable cultural heritage. This is a milestone that will empower the children of Syria, and the Buro Happold Massar team feels proud and privileged to take part in this process.”
Peter Z
Peter Zumthor of Switzerland becomes the 2009 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate
Posted on 13 April 2009 by aline chahine
from The Pritzker Architecture Prize
” Los Angeles, CA—Peter Zumthor of Switzerland has been chosen as the 2009 Laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize. The formal ceremony for what has come to be known throughout the world as architecture’s highest honor will be held on May 29 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. At that time, a $100,000 grant and a bronze medallion will be bestowed on the 65-year old architect….
Friday, April 17
Democratic Design: IKEA
Sent to you by wou via Google Reader:
"The aesthetic form is there for all. And not just for the museum!" |
Things you can do from here:
- Subscribe to Dexigner Design Portal using Google Reader
- Get started using Google Reader to easily keep up with all your favorite sites
Provide leadership
There are eight main ways in which local authority leadership can really influence climate change and sustainability outcomes:
- policymaker– interpreting national policy and guidance and formulating policy at the local scale to deliver climate change objectives and the sustainable community strategy. Key policies include the local area agreement, the local development framework and the core strategy plus a significant masterplanning role through area action plans and supplementary planning documents
- planning authority – the negotiating and consent-giving roles of local authorities in the planning process can have a big influence on both new build and refurbishment
- building control authority, setting, overseeing and signing off the standards for new development
- social landlord – local authorities may have control over a vast stock of existing housing and a considerable amount of new build and refurbishment
- client for new public buildings – including town halls, schools, leisure centres and community centres with opportunities to provide benchmarks of good practice in their design and management
- asset manager for existing buildings and open spaces, with opportunities for sustainable refurbishment and maintenance that reduces emissions and increases adaptability to a changing climate
- leader in local strategic partnerships in delivering effective services and resource management and working with private and public partners to provide a solid base for sustainable communities and local economies
- advisor to communities on how to live, work and play more sustainably, reducing their ecological footprint and building their resilience to a changing climate.
You can find out more about leading on energy, waste, water, transport, green infrastructure and public space on this website
TPAC
MVRDV architects: taipei performing arts center international competition here is dutch firm MVRDV architects proposal for the TPAC - taipei performing art center international competition. their design received an honorable mention. with their design the three theaters are covered by a blanket proposed to be made of sprayed insulated concrete (with substantial sustainable potential) and covered with PU polished painting, giving it a subtle glance. the inside of the blanket is covered with mirrors creating a reflective environment for the audience. the blanket is punctured with glass windows that form a line pattern that is derived from a traditional taiwanese piece of textile. this pattern illuminates the foyer during the day. |