:

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 =)


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p.s. sharing is usually out of interest not Blind praise.
This is neither sacred nor political.

Showing posts with label architecture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label architecture. Show all posts

Monday, April 20

Dreamland: Architectural Experiments Since the 1970s

Rem Koolhaas's watercolor Plan of Dreamland (1977), a recent acquisition, is the point of departure for this presentation of selections from the Architecture and Design collection. The 1970s saw an explosion of architectural thought and experimentation-with the city, and New York especially, becoming a screen for the projection of architectural fantasies and utopias. The installation includes documentation of the real projects that resulted from these innovative ideas and experiments, including such traditional building types as single-family houses and skyscrapers. Also featured are works by Raimund Abraham, Peter Eisenman, Steven Holl, Hans Hollein, and other well-known contemporary architects. Finally, the display presents a number of new acquisitions, including works by Paulo Mendes da Rocha, Diller + Scofidio, and Simon Ungers.

Saturday, April 18

Architectural Damascene rose

Dramatic discovery centre leads way for Syrian educational programme

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.”

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=10714

Peter Z

Peter Zumthor of Switzerland becomes the 2009 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate

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….

Although most of his work is in Switzerland, he has designed projects in Germany, Austria, The Netherlands, England, Spain, Norway, Finland and the United States. His most famous work is in Vals, Switzerland — the Thermal Baths, which has been referred to by the press as “his masterpiece.” Most recently critics have praised his Field Chapel to Saint Nikolaus von der Flüe near Cologne, Germany. The jury singled out not only those buildings, but also the Kolumba Museum in Cologne, calling the latter “a startling contemporary work, but also one that is completely at ease with its many layers of history.”

Friday, March 27

'killing machines'

Architects are creating toxic 'killing machines'

Sustainability expert William McDonough warns of over-focusing on carbon neutrality

Architects are creating “killing machines” by not considering the toxicity of the materials used in buildings, America’s leading sustainability expert William McDonough said this week.

Speaking to BD on Tuesday at the ParkCity conference in London, organised by Cabe and Natural England, architect and author McDonough said the emphasis on reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions was skewing the sustainable agenda.

“I’m amazed there’s so much focus on carbon, yet [architects are still] using toxic materials,” he said. “It’s a nightmare — you’re effectively delivering a killing machine. We have to put as much focus on materials as on energy.”

His practice, William McDonough & Partners, has worked on UK projects including the unbuilt National Science Museum in Swindon, and a conceptual design for a new town in Rugby.

And he featured in Vanity Fair’s 2008 power-ranking top 100, alongside figures such as Vladimir Putin and Rupert Murdoch.

His comments were hailed by some British experts but greeted with caution by the UK Green Building Council.

Michael Pawlyn, who worked on the Eden Project while at Grimshaw and is now principal at Exploration Architecture, said: “There is a danger we could get too carbon-focused. We need to move to a closed-loop model, and that’s not necessarily the lowest carbon model. It’s a daunting challenge, it sounds major alarm bells with the coatings industry — paint and PVC are almost inevitably going to end up as pollution.”

Technical director of BRE Global Alan Yates agreed. “Carbon neutrality has come to the fore because of government initiatives and protocols from the EU,” he said. “You need to take account of the other issues, and toxicity should be an integral part of that.”

David Strong, chief executive of sustainability consultancy Inbuilt and the former managing director of BRE Environment, said the comments echoed what he had been saying for a decade.

“It’s great someone as high profile as Bill McDonough has raised this issue, but this is about more than about just carbon and materials,” he said. “Buildings can be zero-carbon but fraught with other problems. It’s the law of unintended consequences — if the air quality in a school is so bad, because it’s so airtight, that all the kids are falling asleep, that’s not a sustainable outcome.”

But the UK Green Building Council warned the importance of cutting carbon could not be underestimated.

A spokesman said: “Climate change is the priority. We should be very wary of taking our eye off the zero-carbon ball — it’s a global climate emergency.”

The UKGBC has also dismissed calls by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors last week for the government to revise its target to make all new homes zero-carbon by 2016.

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=426&storycode=3137110&c=2

Friday, March 20

2009 Open Architecture Challenge: Classroom

Teachers and students know what makes a classroom work. We're inviting you to design the classroom of the future together.

According to the World Bank, educating all children worldwide will require the construction of 10 million new classrooms in more than 100 countries by 2015. At the same time, millions of existing classrooms are in serious need of repair and refurbishment.

Let's get started.

We are inviting you, teachers, students, architects and designers, to work together to design the classroom of the future for a school of your choosing. Your design should address the unique challenges your school faces in trying to provide smart, safe and sustainable learning spaces. Students and teachers, here's your chance to tell the world what you need to make your classroom more effective. Architects and designers, you'll work one-on-one with students to translate those needs into better classroom design.

  • Share your design expertise and inspire school students to re-imagine their classroom
  • Help students learn about the built environment using a companion design curriculum
  • Become an advocate for better classroom design in your community

Jurors currently includes Dave Eggers, Michelle Kaufmann, Hilary Cottam, Kigge Hvid and others. More will be added over the course of the registration period.

If your design wins, your school will receive up to $50,000 in funding for classroom construction and upgrading. You will receive a grant of $5,000 to help them do it.

http://www.openarchitecturenetwork.org/competitions/challenge/2009