Five Points To Green er Cities

Five Points To Greener Cities

05 04 2010 . Damascus . The Syrian British Org

as mentioned by Mr. Peter Ross . "a Solution"

. Define with Honest Definitions the problems!

. Protect The Parts/ Areas of Certain value/s

. Penetrate The Protected green

. Provide multi-centers "that do the job"

. Connect The centers and you'll have a "Green Network" 

+ Design For Positive Change +‏

+ Design For Positive Change +‏


Competition copied of http://www.na.sappi.com/ideasthatmatterNA/index.html

A decade ago, we launched Ideas that Matter, the industry’s only grant program aimed at helping designers contribute their talents to the charitable activities that they care about most. Sappi believes that the creative ideas of designers can have an impact beyond the aesthetic and that those ideas can be a powerful force for social good. To date, Ideas that Matter has awarded $10 million worldwide in grants supporting causes that range from youth centers and health care awareness to wildlife protection. Working together with our customers, we aim to make a difference.   


Who may apply
Ideas that Matter is open to individual designers, design firms, agencies, in-house corporate design departments, design instructors, and individual design students and design student groups.

What kinds of projects may be submitted
All communication projects that support the needs of the nonprofit and meet the conditions and requirements of the program will be considered. At least a portion of the project should be printed. Additional elements may include a variety of communication mediums such as outdoor signage, t-shirts, banner advertising, print advertising, websites, html campaigns, or other media. What budget items may be submitted
Grant awards, ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 per project, may be used for implementation and out-of-pocket costs, including photography, illustration, paper, printing, mailing and related expenses. Your grant cannot be applied toward the designer’s time, hardware or overhead elements, such as computers or rent.

Selection process
Applications are reviewed by an independent committee comprised of leaders in the design industry. Evaluation of project concepts and design will be based on creativity, potential effectiveness and practical plan for implementation. All requested information and materials can be submitted on the official entry forms or reformatted in a separate presentation. If your entry is reformatted, please make sure to include all information in the order in which it is requested. The decisions of the judges are final.

Conditions & restrictions

• All grant monies must be used within six months of receipt.
• No charity may cite Sappi or Ideas that Matter as a supplier of a grant without prior written permission from Sappi.
• Sappi employees and family members and agencies conducting business with the company are ineligible.
• Grant recipients who find they are unable to execute the chosen program may enlist the help of the non-profit organization to complete it.
• Submitted concepts not awarded a grant will remain the intellectual property of the applicant. However, Sappi reserves the right to keep and show any of the concepts unless the applicant requests otherwise in writing.
• Sappi reserves the right to reproduce and promote the funded campaigns as case histories.
• Grants are not paid out as a lump sum, but as they are implemented. As expenses are incurred, either the designer or the nonprofit should submit a request for payment on official letterhead, along with the invoice(s).
• Applicants who want their materials returned must include a written request with their submitted proposal.

Publication rights
Sappi reserves the right to publish and promote the completed work made possible by the Ideas that Matter grant. Grant recipients may also be asked to participate in Sappi educational seminars and conferences, or to share their programs with others in the graphic arts community. Sappi reserves the right to reproduce any design submissions, along with pertinent case histories, in materials produced to promote and support the Ideas that Matter program.

Application needs
Your application must include the following:

• Mission statement of the benefiting non-profit organization
• Written description of the proposed project, including a list of elements within it
• Brief description of the project’s objectives
• Visual presentation of your proposed idea
• Project timeline and proposed budget
• Summary information about the applicant
• Resume of applicant
• Samples of applicant’s previous work

Where to send entries
Send your completed application form and requested supplementary materials to:

Ideas that Matter
Sappi Fine Paper North America
89 Cumberland Street
Westbrook, Maine 04092

Deadlines
Application deadline is July 16, 2010. Grants will be announced in September 2010. Ideas must be fully implemented within six months of receiving awards. For more information
For more information, call 800-882-4332.

http://www.na.sappi.com/ideasthatmatterNA/index.html
http://www.na.sappi.com/ideasthatmatterNA/learn.html#who
http://www.twitter.com/ideasthatmatter

2010 Pritzker Architecture Prize

2010 Pritzker Architecture Prize
March 29 marked the announcement of the 2010 Pritzker Architecture Prize recipients. Awarded yearly to "a living architect whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision and commitment, which has produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built environment through the art of architecture," the prize is considered to be the highest award in the architectural profession. 



This year, the partners of the Japanese firm SANAA, Ryue Nishizawa and Kazuyo Sejima, were honored with a shared prize. The official ceremony is scheduled for May 17.
Kazuo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa were praised for their "simultaneously delicate and powerful, precise and fluid" works, built in Japan, the US, and across Europe. Among them are the O-Museum in Nagano (Japan), the New Museum of Contemporary Art (NY), and the De Kunstlinie Theater and Cultural Center (the Netherlands).


Recent Pritzker honorees include Switzerland's Peter Zumthor (2009), Jean Nouvel (France, 2008; see his Institute du Monde Arabe in the ArchNet Digital Library); Richard Rogers (UK, 2007); and Paulo Mendes da Rocha (Brazil, 2006).


More information on the Pritzker Prize, including the press kits, can be found at www.pritzkerprize.com.




Article sources:
Pritzker Prize Media Kit, http://www.pritzkerprize.com/laureates/2010/textmediakit.html (accessed March 30, 2010).
Photograph of the de Kunstlinie Theater and Cultural Center, Almere, Netherlands, 2007. Photo by Hisao Suzuki, courtesy of SANAA.  


Contributed by Ophelia Celine






http://www.archnet.org/news/view.jsp?news_id=18621 

Hammam Days 22 > 24

Local Competitions

"Creatives" as change agents, FAQ

Since the vision of this site is ‘crowdsourcing places for creatives’, it may be beneficial to further clarify what the word ‘creatives’ means, as it relates to this site.


What is this site’s definition of creatives?
It’s stated in detail here, but it is essentially the cultural creatives, creative class and the renaissance generation (rengens), all of which have their own self-titled books. In a nutshell, it includes anyone willing to invest in making a difference (cultural creatives) and/or anyone in the creative industries (creative class), acknowledging we live in a period of (ie tremendous opportunity for change)(rengens).


Are the creatives a demographic?
No. It’s a psychographic. It often gets associated with demographics simply because some demographics tend to share many of the same psychographics as creatives. There is no demographic that is excluded, but the perception is often just the opposite. The most compelling evidence that demographics are not excluded is the fundamental commitment to attainability/affordability and diversity.


What are the psychographic characteristics?
The words associated with creatives as far as this site is concerned: Risk taking, original, diverse, attainable, independent, unique, authentic, imaginative, inventive, innovative, yet resourceful, practical and problem-solving. It’s about doing and implementing, in other words, creating, rather than just conceptualizing. In other words, creatives are change agents.


Why the creatives distinction at all?
Because change is hard, and you can’t do it without change agents leading the way. Not everyone can lead, but following or supporting doesn’t mean you’re excluded either. Supporting is a collective form of leadership, and its extraordinary effectiveness is witnessed by crowdsourcing. You need both.


http://sustainablecitiescollective.com/Home/29776?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Sustainable+Cities+Collective+(all+posts)&utm_content=Twitter  

Say NO – UNiTE

Say NO – UNiTE
Say NO – UNiTE to End Violence against Women

Say NO – UNiTE to End Violence against Women is a global call for action,
launched in November 2009, on ending violence against women and girls. It is presented by UNIFEM as a contribution to advance the objectives of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s campaign UNiTE
to End Violence against Women through social mobilization.
UNIFEM Goodwill Ambassador Nicole Kidman is the Spokesperson of Say NO.

Based on country data available, up to 70 per cent of women experience physical or sexual
violence from men in their lifetime. It happens everywhere – at home and at work, on the streetsand in schools, during peacetime and in conflict.

Violence against women and girls has far- reaching consequences, harming families and

communities, stunting human development, and undermining economic growth.
Everyone has a role to play in combating this global pandemic; the time to act together is NOW.

Say NO aims to trigger and highlight actions by individuals, governments and civil society partners. Actions can range from reaching out to students at schools, to volunteering at local shelters,
advocating for legislation or donating funds towards programmes that protect women and girls
from violence.

Every action will be counted to showcase the global groundswell of engagement that exists on the issue.

The initial target is to reach 100,000 actions by March 2010 and 1 million actions in one year.

Say NO builds upon the momentum generated during its first phase when
5,066,549 people signed on to a global call to make ending violence against women a top priority worldwide.

Heads of States and Ministers from 69 Governments and more than 600 Parliamentarians

have added their names to Say NO since then.
Working through traditional as well as online networks and social media,

Say NO engages participants from all walks of life.

A range of web-based and other tools available on saynotoviolence.org supports partners in their advocacy efforts, highlight stheir work to a global audience and inspires others.

In line with the Secretary-General’s campaign framework that calls for an increase in funding for the multi-lateral UN Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence against Women, Say NO encourages donations for the UN Trust Fund, which supports local and national programmes catalyzing change on the ground.

Say NO - UNiTE to End Violence against Women is an expanding global coalition of individuals, organizations, governments and the private sector to realize a vision that is ambitious, but must never be impossible – a future that is free from violence against women and girls.

Let us count you in – take action to end violence against women now.

http://saynotoviolence.org/about-say-no 

I Am Not a Feminist

I Am Not a Feminist

Posted by DJ Nelson on February 18th, 2009

Why is it that when women say anything that indicates that they have a brain and wish to be treated accordingly they have to add “I’m not a feminist but…
I realize some may find my question a bit hypocritical because I’ve been known to say that I don’t call myself a feminist, however that’s because I rarely label myself as anything. 


I don’t want to be placed in a box, but if you want to call me a feminist I won’t be offended. I don’t feel the need to preclude my statements with “I’m not a feminist” as if it’s some ugly, dirty, sinful word.


If not wanting to be considered a second class citizen makes me a feminist fine!


If being disgusted by the sexualizing and objectification of girls and women makes me a feminist great!



If being able to speak my mind when others are being treated unfairly makes me a feminist excellent!


I think there’s a big misconception that in order to call yourself a feminist you have to believe in every single thing that others who call themselves feminists believe in. This myth is perpetuated by leadership in certain organizations who appear to believe that they own claim to the word feminist 


“if you aren’t down with all of our causes then get out our club!”.


Perhaps there is a patent or trademark that I am not aware of, but if I want to support certain movements and not others I don’t really see a problem with that. Things get accomplished when we work together, not when we try to divide ourselves based on some invisible scale of superiority.


In short, I’m all about women’s empowerment. Whether that means women feel empowered to be mothers, wives, CEO’s, sports stars, or bread bakers; I don’t care, as long as women know that they have a choice, and their choices are valid. I don’t care what your life choices are, as long as you respect that since you have choices, others should too. 
(Ladies, we’ve got to work on that!)


If that makes me a feminist then I don’t mind. If I don’t meet the feminist criteria, that’s fine too. But I’m too busy working towards a cause then to get caught up in semantics. 






http://www.alldivamedia.com/blog/2009/02/18/i-am-not-a-feminist/#F 

Center for Sustainable Technology - Mario Cucinella

Center for Sustainable Technology - Mario Cucinella

The Sustainable Technology Center (Center for Sustainable Energy Technologies - CSET) in Ningbo, China is building the first zero-emissions in that country and is an original design inspired by Mario Cucinella Architects in appearance by light screens east.

With an area of 1,300 square meters the 5 story building has an area for visitors, research laboratories and a special section for master's courses. The building is divided vertically in a very natural environment, using a wide field and a nearby stream.

The volume increase is fully visible skin covered by a double glass patterns that evoke some buildings in the area. With a very dynamic and twisted, this center was designed with a high efficiency bioclimatic design, with proper guidance and with a large opening in the sky thought as a generator of light and ventilation which are distributed to all floors of the building uniformly.

It also includes alternative systems for power generation, and photovoltaic cells for power, an internal system of gray water recycling and geothermal energy which is present to heat and cool the interior floor pavement.

Recall that China, with about a figure close to 1,300 million people, is a country that supplies coal as the main source of energy, which in turn mean tons and tons of annual emissions released into the atmosphere.  The CSET is designed to reduce coal use in saving approximately 449 tons and 1081.8 tons of carbon emissions in 25 years.

The spaces within the building have been configured to support a number and ventilation strategies, as a demonstration of alternatives to conventional systems. Has also been designed to meet the daily and seasonal variations in the climate of Ningbo, to minimize the need for heating in winter and cooling in summer, promoting natural ventilation in spring and autumn when environmental conditions permit. The building is well insulated therefore incorporates internal thermal capacity floors and walls, ventilation and a glass facade to the south. During the summer when it is both warm and humid, it is necessary to de-humidify and cool the air supply, and power for this is provided by the photovoltaic system.

The photovoltaic system will be used to provide artificial lighting and small power office equipment such as computers, fax machines, etc. During the period of maximum sunlight will be enough energy generated from the photovoltaic system to run other teams, like the elevator and mechanical ventilation and chilled water systems. If extra power is not used, is stored in batteries or transferred to the nearby sports center.

http://www.arquitecturacritica.com.ar/2009/09/centro-de-tecnologia-sustentable-mario.html 

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.arquitecturacritica.com.ar%2F2009%2F09%2Fcentro-de-tecnologia-sustentable-mario.html  

Dwelling in Beauty

Casa no Geres, designed by Porto-based Correia/Ragazzi Aquitectos, has received its fair share of international awards and exposure, but we cannot help but show it off one more time. This is the first project by Gracia Correia and her new Italian partner, Roberto Ragazzi. It is a bold statement that hides nothing.

This is also a house that is easy to love from certain perspectives and from others; it looks quite unsuitable for its surroundings. From some angles, the house seems like an accident, some kind of a mishap with transportation containers and building materials. One part of the building is buried inside the hill while another sticks out over the river. It appears about to teeter off the hill at any moment, just waiting to land in its final resting place in the river.

The owners, Mica and Eduardo Pinto Ferreira, have been Correia's clients for more than a decade, and gave her carte blanche to create their dream house on the 5,000 square-meter site by the Cevado river - as long as no trees were cut and the 60 square-meter house (maximum allowed footprint for the site) was made of concrete. The house is located in Peneda-Geras National Park, along the Spanish border in northern Portugal, so the environment and its inviolability were crucial and the rules strict.

But looking out from the inside, the awesome beauty of the home becomes apparent. The simplicity of the structure, the openness of the views and the calm balance of the elements seems to speak the same language as the bleak surroundings. Nature has a way of being beautiful even when it is not, and this house knows that secret.

The warmth and proper scale of the building become even clearer when the illuminated house is viewed at night. It may look like it landed from some other planet, but it appears to be right at home now. - Tuija Seipell

Enjoy the rest of coolhunter :)

http://www.thecoolhunter.net/architecture?utm_medium=email&utm_source=Newsletters&utm_content=114347303&utm_campaign=USACoolHunterNewsletter17Feb+_+ukjto&utm_term=kids 

TED Crops > Stefan Sagmeister

TEDTalks : Stefan Sagmeister: 

Things I have learned in my life so far - (2008) (video)
To learn more about this speaker, find other TEDTalks, and subscribe to this Podcast series, visit www.TED.com   Feedback: tedtalks@ted.com

HELPING HAITI RESTRUCTURE

ARCHITECTURE COMPETITION



Posted by Monica Guala - 02.09.2010

CompetingArchitecture.com are dedicated to promoting architectural competition.
We believe that architectural competitions provide clients with a wide variety of design solutions for their problems while allowing architects to manifest their ideas with freedom. We also seek to provide a forum for the discussion and dissemination of new and creative ideas, thereby exposing people who would not have considered hiring an architect to a verity of architectural solutions.

www.CompetingArchitecture.com is holding a competition to help the people of Haiti who have lost their homes. We would like you to design a temporary structure that can be built for under $400 and assembled with basic construction skills. The structure should be able to protect 4 adults from the elements, support itself on unknown and possibly uneven terrain, provide secure storage, and provide privacy. Please design your structures out of readily available materials; also include a plan for adaptive reuse. How can your structure turn into something that will be useful in the future as its inhabitants start to rebuild their lives? This completion is for designs only the construction and distribution of these structures are not part of the scope.

Maggiori Informazioni: 

http://www.competingarchitecture.com/Competitions.html 

http://www.abitare.it/competitions/helping-haiti-restructure/ 

ARC Competition

Invitation to participate in : International Architectural Competition 2010

“Architectural Research Center”

MAG LAB (Syria-Spain) in collaboration with Ebdaat Magazine (Architectural Creations) - ALFA 301 (Spain) And Stardust* (Spain-Italy-Brazil-USA) is Organizing the 2010 International Architectural Competition.

The competition invites architects, engineers, designers and artists to continue investigating new ideas and concepts for the 2010 International Architectural Competition.

The competition calls for innovative designs which take into consideration the historical and social context, the existing urban fabric, the human scale, and the environment.

This competition of ideas will aim to give the students, architects, engineers, artists and designers enough freedom to address the challenges in the most creative and innovative way.

All the information and details are available in the competition official website :       

www.arcompetition.org

for more information please contact us through :contact@arcompetition.org

On behalf of MAG-LAB, Alfa 301 and Stardust*, we would like to thank you for your

interesting in the Architectural Research Competition.

We are looking forward to receiving your entry.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask    

contact@arcompetition.org

دعوة  للمشاركة في المسابقة المعمارية العالمية 2010  

مركز الأبحاث المعمارية

المعماري “سوريا- إسبانيا ”بالتعاون مع مجلة إبداعات هندسية مختبر ماغ - MAGLAB

اسبانيا- إيطاليا  .الولايات المتحدة الاميريكية- البرازيل   STARDUST*و

اسبانيا ALFA301 استديو و

يعلن عن تنظيم مسابقة دولية للعمارة لعام 2010 بعنوان

" مركز الأبحاث المعمارية "

المسابقة تدعو المعماريين المهندسين والمصممين للبحث عن أفكار جديدة ومفاهيم للمسابقة الدولية للعمارة 2010.

تدعو المسابقة بشكل عام للتصاميم الإبداعية التي تاخذ بالاعتبار المحيط التاريخي والاجتماعي، النسيج الحضري الموجود ،والمقياس الإنساني، والبيئة للموقع المختار.

مفهوم المسابقة يهدف إلى إعطاء طلاب العمارة والمصممين والمهندسين الحرية الكافية لمخاطبة التحديات بطرق أكثر إبداعية وتجدد وذلك بتقديم فقط الفكرة ورسومات توضيحية بطرق إعلان معمارية مع استخدم برامج الديجيتال الممكنة.

Designing for the Greater Good

Designing for the Greater Good: The Best in Cause-Related Marketing and Nonprofit Design


This first-ever book of its kind, Designing for the Greater Good, features hundreds of illustrated examples of the best nonprofit and cause-related design worldwide, plus 24 inspiring case studies and insights into great nonprofit branding campaigns.

A comprehensive resource for designers, creative professionals, marketers, corporate communications departments and nonprofit leaders, this book showcases work from a variety of sectors including Family and Community, Animal Causes, Health, Human Rights, Environmental Awareness, Spirituality, and the Arts.

The 24 case studies feature interviews with the designers for such campaigns as the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, The Hurricane Katrina Poster Project and Get London Reading.

Materials presented in Designing for the Greater Good include: cause-specific campaigns and case studies; logos and branding for nonprofits; websites, posters, brochures, advertising, and marketing materials for cause-related events and nonprofits; packaging; invitations for fundraisers and events


http://www.dexigner.com/graphic/news-g20052.html 

YLVP 2 0 1 0

SI Young Leaders Visitors Program 2010 Connecting Leaders for Positive Change The Swedish Institute Young Leaders Visitors Program (YLVP) is an intercultural leadership program that focuses on social media as a tool for positive change. The program invites young opinion-makers from Sweden and selected countries in the MENA region who are actively working for social change in their respective contexts. This year the program will have an extensive focus on social entrepreneurship and applications from Yemen will also be considered.


The YLVP promotes exchange of knowledge and creativity and helps strengthen young opinion-makers leadership and ability to work actively for social change on issues related to democracy and human rights.

The Swedish institute is now reaching out to young determined visionaries who are covering social developments and working for a positive change in the following countries; Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen and Sweden. 

Application deadline is February 28th 2010. Application forms can be obtained by following the link below:


http://www.si.se/English/Navigation/Scholarships-and-exchanges/Lead...

Application instructions and more information about the program can be found at: 
www.si.se/ylvp 

Enquiries should be addressed to ylvp@si.se