Journey to the Center of New York: Can Design “Cure” Our Cities?

resource: http://www.archdaily.com/219084/journey-to-the-center-of-new-york-can-design-cure-our-cities/

This article discusses medicalized language in design to force  healthiness in design to revitalize the idea of being green. It introduces urban renewal project in NY City 'High Lane' and 'Delancey Underground'.

High lane success as a public, meeting space where people connect and itself harmonize with urban fitting. 

The Delancey Underground urges us to reclaim these old, “sick” places as “healthy” and valuable, to see their potential as innovative, “curative” public spaces.

Design can persuade us to make choices which are beneficial to our health. But this isn’t about the curative properties of ‘good’ design, it’s more about the negative qualities of apathetic design. If I use, pass through, live or work in a space where the designers were more like apathetic planners, it sends a message that makes me want to put less effort into bettering myself. After all, if the designers didn’t really care about how much enjoyment I would get out of a space, they didn’t care about me. And if they don’t care about me, why should I care about myself? Putting effort into a space, into a city, and drawing attention and focus towards those spaces does the opposite, if designed to dissuade those negative behaviors. If using the stairs is more pleasant than an elevator then I will walk to my office instead. The message conveyed by anonymous designers who will likely never meet me, who still took the time to think about my experience with a space is a message that says I matter and that I am worth caring about. And suddenly, I have a reason to care *for* myself. The curative property comes in caring about a space and the people who use it.

Michael Green presents ‘The Case for Tall Wood Buildings’

resource: http://www.archdaily.com/220779/michael-green-presents-the-case-for-tall-wood-buildings/

Co-author Michael Green explains, “To slow and contain greenhouse gas emissions and find truly sustainable solutions to building, we must look at the fundamentals of the way we build – from the bones of large urban building structures to the details of energy performance. We need to search for the big picture solutions of today’s vast climate, environmental, economic and world housing needs.”

I personally thought this article was very relevantly important to me since as a group research project our group has chosen to discuss about potential of timber as sustainable construction material. The study introduces a new construction model for tall buildings known as ‘Finding the Forest Through the Trees’ (FFTT). This structural solution utilizes mass timber panels – solid panels of wood engineered for strength through laminations of different layers – to achieve a much lighter carbon footprint than the functionally equivalent concrete and steel systems.It’s an interesting concept. The idea is that the trees as they grow, absorb the carbon dioxide. If they’re cut down, the wood will hold the carbon forever, until it decomposes or is burnt. If it’s burnt, it gets released back into the atmosphere, but if it decomposes, most of it goes back into the soil. So essentially, it really does work as a carbon sink, and is actually carbon *negative*, better than carbon neutral. As for mass harvesting of trees, this report is out of BC where they have a strong sustainable forestry industry.

[Ted Talk] The route to a sustainable future by Alex Steffen

resource: https://www.ted.com/talks/alex_steffen_sees_a_sustainable_future

I do agree that people need to live smaller, closer and work harder to provide food, water and shelter for the greater good. Great examples from developing world but democracy is a very poor example of sustainability. But we should be careful and acknowledge the gap between theory and practice. Also I am not highly convinced by the argument that high density leads to higher sustainability. If every person in the world had 1 acre and worked from home then couldn't we all be self sufficient? The uglier solution is to limit population increases. All the resources needed to resolve the major problems on the planet have been available for years, but the will to change political and economic priorities of society have not. As a result, increasing global wealth has been accompanied by increasing global poverty. And even though leaders may have good intentions, their efforts to implement change are constrained by the existing system.  I believe that technology and design are a part of the solution, but the even larger part of the solution is social changes, because social change can happen more rapidly

China Unveils Plans to Build an 8,000-Mile High-Speed Underwater Railway Line to America Read more: China Unveils Plans to Build an 8,000-Mile High-Speed Underwater Railway Line to America | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building

resource: http://inhabitat.com/china-unveils-wacky-idea-to-build-an-8000-mile-high-speed-underwater-railway-line-to-america/

China plans to build an 8,000+ mile railroad (sounds plausible) connecting China, Russia, Canada, and the U.S. that includes a 125 mile undersea tunnel spanning the Bering Strait! The plan was announced in China’s state-run newspaper, the Beijing Times, and apparently Russia is already on-board with the plan. While it would be nice to travel from China to America in two days without setting foot in a single airport, engineers around the globe are skeptical.

I personally find this idea interesting and seeing the potential of new transportation system. I think it would be much better then shipping for passengers. While ships or boats are always useful, I don’t believe it is possible to create a ship that’ll move fast enough to get thousands of passengers across the sea in just 2 days time. Not to mention, the economic and environmental tolls ships have. Granted this project would cost way more money then trying to come up with faster ships, this project’s costs would primarily be on the labour side of things which ultimately means that it would actually benefit our economy rather then hurt it and if they designed the system properly then the affects on the environment wouldn’t really be that bad.

Capture the Rain / H3AR

This is interesting proposal awarded a special mention for 2010 eVolo skyscraper competition. This project comprised of a system of gutters to catch as much rainfall as possible.  The water captured and processed by the building may be used for flushing toilets, feeding washing machines, watering plants, cleaning floors and other domestic applications. Initially, in designing the tower, the students focused on shaping and modelling the surface of the roof to optimize the rainwater collected.  Yet upon working with the roof system, the students developed the skin treatment to make the building transform into a cohesive rain collecting machine.
I think is a very good design concept. I certainly believe such can be a residential building and the water catchment is a very good alternative for water consumption. I just hope the façade concept will capture rain water as the design shows.
Still a great concept and i like the form. However, storing the water in a basin at the bottom of the tower will require a lot of additional energy to pump it back to up for use on higher floors. Retaining it closer to the top (as it looks like may be the case for the water in the catchment on the roof) will allow for gravity to do the work. 

Why LEED Doesn’t Work in Rural Africa and What Will

resource: http://www.archdaily.com/375906/why-leed-doesnt-work-in-rural-africa-and-what-will/

Recently my friend back in Korea who took bachelor degrees of Architectural studies in UNSW together has contacted me. While we were catching up he mentioned he is taking this course to receive LEED certification and tells me it is a big trend all around the world. Hmm..is it? While I had this doubt in my mind I found an interesting article about LEED does not work in some areas and why.

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and has become the most recognized standard for “green” building in over 30 countries worldwide. LEED is a point system that grades buildings throughout design, construction and performance. However, many more of the points are simply irrelevant or financially irresponsible. In some cases, adherence to these credits can actually be detrimental to project success and community prosperity. When considering rural development in Africa, the needs and standards of construction must shift not simply to a new geographical and cultural context, but to one of development needs and capabilities. Energy standards must first recognize the importance of electricity itself a major step forward. What Africans want is to develop. Therefore they need energy that can be produced on an industrial scale. Like clean coal burning, oil production and electricity. I suggest that we should start first by allowing them to achieve this instead of imposing them our environmental propaganda. 

(image showing existing kitchen rennovated with new roof and fuel efficient wood burning stove; Courtesy of Charles Newman of Afritekt)

[Ted Talk] We can recycle plastic by Mike Biddle

resource: https://www.ted.com/talks/mike_biddle

Although I concede that he is taking correct steps towards proper recycling, by sorting by type and grade, and palletizing the material which allows greater latitude for production, he fails to mention the biggest problem with recycling plastic: needing virgin plastic. When plastic is recycled it has become exposed to both macro and micro stresses, for example being stretched or exposed to UV rays. This breaks down some of the molecular bonds within the plastic, and even re-melting and re-forming the material does not allow it to retain all of the characteristics that it once held. You may think that this is not that big of a deal, a plastic bag that's not a s strong only means you double-bag it right? Consider all of the things in your life that you would not like to fail: the PVC pipe that connects to your facet, fittings in your car... The truth is the plastics end up becoming objects with less inherent value, because other additives must be included into the recycled objects in order to make them stronger...