the energy roof

Just in case The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnasus didn’t give you your fix in old/new contrasts and rips in space/time, Coop Himmelb(l)au of Vienna has proposed an eco-generator roof for a gap in infrastructure in Perguia, Italy. Says Dezeen:

COOP HIMMELB(L)AU developed the design of the roof with the goal to generate energy for the city. While the orientation of the west wing is optimized in relation to solar radiation, the east wing captures wind. The roof consists of three layers: the energy generating top layer, the structural layer in the middle and a layer on the bottom as a combination of laminated glazing and translucent pneumatic cushions. The top layer includes transparent photovoltaic cells to generate electricity and shade the sun. The orientation of the individual cells is generated and optimized by a computer driven scripting program. Furthermore five wind turbines that are placed inside the structural layer are generating additional energy. Both the roof and the underground passage are energy self-sufficient.

Amazing. I love the reflectiveness of the structure, and how it appears to be springing open between the pre-existing buildings…

And yes, that is the second time I’ve referenced the new Terry Gilliam movie on this blog… I spent a lot of time waiting for it to come out and all and all wasn’t disappointed either.

we are training your body to open (part 1)

on the relational aspect, this is very important.

thanks.

Weather Permitting

Funny how just yesterday I was telling Monica at Yestermorrow that I should design/building a rain catchment garden as an art installation/practicum project end of summer or end of fall, funds permitting…

And then today I stumbled on this:

Weathers Permitting by William O’brien Jr from ArchDaily on Vimeo.

Yeah, ArchDaily tells me that William O’Brian Jr.’s summer installation at PS1 entitled “Weathers Permitting, constructs an elevated boardwalk with a topology which collects water, which varies or evaporates depending on the current weather at the location.”

And of course, it’s super gorgeous, though not exactly what I had in mind for my project specifically. Here is the computer render, but you should really click on that video above for the full effect.

More on this as it develops…

Otis College Graphic Design Project

I heart Otis. They are one of the first schools in the country to have an MFA program in public art which I, for one, have my eye on pretty heavily. And now this:




What is “this” you say? According to the briefing at Design Ignites Change it is an exploration in what might happen if we run out of clean white paper someday. How would we still be able to clearly project information in print?

“This project proposes a new graphic design approach. We would reuse and redefine a new graphic language where blank paper would be replaced by these materials which are bombarded with millions of colors, layouts, images, sizes, finishes and content. Through this project I hope to heavily cut down the usage of paper.”

Awesome. Also, Lauren Mackler just got hired in the same graphic design department. Clearly they make good decisions!

Permaculture Relief Corps Haiti?

For those of you who have more time than money these days, are design/garden oriented, and otherwise compelled:
You should really read this article and perhaps email here to be put on a list of people interested in helping Haiti out via permaculture methods in the wake of the earthquake tragedy.
Just sayin.

on a personal note

hey folks… I am up in Vermont right now taking more classes at Yestermorrow Design/Build School. I have a lot of time on my hands this weekend, so hopefully I’ll show you some more glossy pictures of beautiful things in the world while I’ve got the time and the computer access. Time on my hands is not something I’m used to having. I might just read all six books I brought with me, but I kind of doubt it.
I just finished a class on how to build a skin on frame canoe. I could certainly post those photos tomorrow, no sweat. It was easier than I thought it would be (unlike timberframing, which was harder than I thought it would be) and I can tell you if I find the time and resources, building my own canoe is definitely on to my to do list.
For the typical work week I’ll be work trading my labor for classes. I’ve already done a lot of painting and plastering walls. Then next weekend I’ll be in a class with Scott Kellogg of Toolbox for Sustainable City Living fame who will be co-teaching with Keith Morris, who I also happen to adore. The class will focus problems of density coupled with cures of permaculture. Something like that. I’m pretty stoked.
I might arrive back in Providence a day late, nothing too sure yet, and from there going down to New Orleans.
What will I be doing in New Orleans? People keep asking me this and I find myself shying away from the answer. A lot. How about that? Ok Ok. I’ll be putting in 32 hours a week rebuilding with LowerNine.org as part of my curriculum in a Community Design/Build senior project. I’ll have a Tulane assistant professor/Rose Architectural Fellow whose focus has been to prove low income housing is most affordable when made green. Awesome. She and I are going to meet up and discuss how design can envision the rebuild appropriately based on concerns of the Lower Ninth Ward community. I’ll be making a lot of actual and potential renders of the neighborhood, and also probably helping out on a community organic garden, youth empowerment programs, and sustainable economic development initiatives. Then I’ll also I’ll be volunteering at the Community Printshop four hours a week, and meeting up with Meg Turner to render historic buildings, constructions sites, the act of observing, and then turning them into prints. I kinda can’t believe it is happening, but then I checked today and some of my boxes have already arrived. This is really happening.
Ok Ok. Back to the pictures and theory… I’ve added a bunch of links to stuff and folks I’ll be working with in NOLA on the sidebar. There’s a lot of awesome stuff on that sidebar in my humble opinion, so you should probably check it out.
xo.
Li

community design/build and print project in new orleans

sorry I haven’t posted in forever forever. a short list of reasons why:
-I’ve been wrapping up the semester
-my computer broke
-I am packing up and getting ready to move
-a lot of my time has been channeled into this project:

The short of it is, I’m wintering in New Orleans to help with the rebuild, do a senior design project, help out with a community print shop, and render the city in screen print… that is, if I manage to raise a small amount more money to go. If you click on the link above you can make a small donation, and in turn, depending on the size of the donation you will receive some of my print work. At the lowest level of $2 you will at least get a screen printed postcard. Not so bad, eh?

For $12, you get this:

which is my 5th print ever. 9×11, top and bottom layer gold. hot pink paper (the photo warps this). mardi gras beads, fleur de lys, shot gun shacks, hammers, and masks. Only 11 available…

Thanks so much for the consideration. And I will get back to posting soon. Promise.
xo.
Li

rehabbing lightness

Renovation for a neoclassical building in Hamburg was inspired by the new Terry Gilliam movie – well, not really – but seriously folks: floating boats make me dreamy, as does the contrast of the old vs. new architecture I see seamlessly bound here. Taking the surreal approach, the Haus im Haus project sought to captivate the underutilized interior by filling it with five new levels in the main hall. The stairs look buoyant, the steel is both reflective and responsive to the preexisting structure, and the inhabitants will feel less vertigo with less expanse in the middle of their workplace. From ArchDaily:

The new structure is composed of layers and planes, where lightness, immateriality and reflection contrast the solid, elaborate walls of the existing building. A variety of fascinating spatial solutions emerge within both the new structure and in relation to the existing building. The light, free-floating character of the new extension is complemented and accentuated by an LED lighting system that was jointly developed by the architects and Nimbus Design. Although not part of the original architectural competition entry, the lighting system was later seen to offer extraordinary potential for special lighting effects.

Extraordinarily beautiful, revoking the need to destroy historical foundations to accommodate density, BEHNISCH ARCHITEKTEN succeeds in creating a dreamworld full of magical splendor. What else should be wrapped in the marble of an ancient monument? I am beside myself.

(photo’s by Hans Jürgen Landes)
more here.

Of course, one wonders if the budget for this project was endless…

fun stairs

How to make more people use the stairs:

quote:

”Take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator and feel better” is something we often hear or read in the Sunday papers. Few people actually follow that advice. Can we get more people to take the stairs over the escalator by making it fun to do? See the results here

From TheFunTheory.com

archs of community

Mapungubwe Interpretation Centre by Peter Rich Architects won the very prestigious World Building of the Year award at the World Architecture Festival. Celebrated in Barcelona last night, the building is designed as a museum for prehistoric artifacts in South Africa. It is a monument to community architecture; as acknowledged by the Festival’s press release:

The project is underpinned by a strong social programme, using the skills and labour of local people and involving them in the design and construction process. Judges praised the project for its roughness and hand-crafted intelligence. They also admired the way in which it handled issues of sustainability and its relationship to the landscape.

Here are the photos:

from Dezeen.

It is reminiscent of the Querini Stampalia by Carlo Scarpa with all those brick arches and light:

Scarpa also employed (though a very specific set) local craftsman to shape everything that went into the buildings; which gives your eye so many gorgeous items to catch. Never gaining the title of architect since he lacked the schooling, his buildings have a tremendous appeal. Employing individualized craftsmanship might just be what the renovations of the mill buildings below are missing….