Archinect - News

Is vertical farming the future of agriculture?

2018-07-11T14:36:00-04:00

The astronomical capital costs associated with starting a large hydroponic farm (compared to field and greenhouse farming), its reliance on investor capital and yet-to-be-developed technology, and challenges around energy efficiency and environmental impact make vertical farming anything but a sure bet. And even if vertical farms do scale, there’s no clear sense of whether brand-loyal consumers, en masse, will make the switch from field-grown produce to foods grown indoors.

A look at the benefits and costs to vertical farming taking into account new technologies, the architecture and economics of production, and consumer demand. In these indoor spaces food is being grown hydroponically, meaning without soil and using artificial LED lighting. As new innovations emerge disrupting the agriculture industry, the impact of indoor farming remains open ended.

LED lighting used for an indoor farming operation. Image: Agritecture.

Love Brutalism so much, you wanna eat it? Now you can.

2018-02-28T14:42:00-05:00

Some treats should really go into an art gallery instead of your mouth. Like these Brutalist-inspired delights by Danish designer and goldsmith Kia Utzon-Frank, which look like they've been chipped from the side of a concrete skyscraper.

If cold concrete surfaces AND sweet treats happen to be your kinda thang, then this is for you: London-based Danish designer/goldsmith Kia Utzon-Frank has developed her native country's flødeboller desserts in a béton brut look and now also offers masterclasses on how to make them, commissioned by the Barbican.

Kia Utzon-Frank's flødebollers in front of the Barbican's iconic hand-chiseled concrete facade. Photo: Louise Samuelsen

More of a marble/granite person? Utzon-Frank has got you covered as well.

Photo: Lea Anouchinsky

Check out her Instagram for more of the goodness and also learn about other designers and architects that have turned pastry chefs here.

The mutual attraction of architecture and pastries; 4 architects turned pastry chefs

2018-01-23T15:07:00-05:00

Ms. Yee, who oversees pastry for all the restaurants in the Resurgens Hospitality Group, used to be an architect, and she designs desserts the way she once did building interiors: meticulously sketching every element, testing many prototypes. And these days she has plenty of company: Many of the country’s top pastry chefs have practiced or studied architecture.

As we have shown in Archinect's ongoing series Working Out of the Box, architects have a background and skillset that can be applied in many ways outside of traditional architecture practice. For example, these prominent pastry chefs all started off as architects and switched to designing cakes instead. Each chef has translated the intent of an architect into food design in unique ways, from 3D printed cake molds to creating pastries from sketches and blueprints.

Check out some of the their delicious designs below:

Dinara Kasko began as a Ukrainian architect:

Berry-almond tart with a surface constructed from a mold made by a 3D printer by Dinara Kasko. Image: Dinara Kasko.

Jennifer Yee has a degree in interior architecture:

Lemon Fleur éclair by Jennifer Yee. Image: Jennifer Yee.

Jansen Chan studied architecture at UC Berkeley:

Nectarine Orchata and Lemon Balm Broth by Jansen Chan. Image: Antoinette Bruno.

Baruch Ellsworth studied architecture at a California community college:

Choco...

Unfolding dumpling design with Architecture Research Office

2016-02-05T15:09:00-05:00

'The dumpling maker has a structural problem,' says Jason Kim, a project manager at ARO. 'The skin has to be thin enough where you have the right ratio of meat to skin, but strong enough to hold together.'

"How do the principles of architecture and design apply to dumplings?" Sporkful has a quick chat with dumpling fanatics Architecture Research Office about how particular design concepts can structurally improve the Lunar New Year food staple. Maybe you'll learn a trick or two on how to eat the seemingly gravity-defying soup dumpling, too.

If you don't want to listen to the whole episode — although you should still give it a listen because, hello, dumplings — ARO's interview starts around 13:25.

More about food and architecture on Archinect:

Need another last-minute holiday idea? Build your own Gingerbread Village with these architectural drawings

2015-12-23T14:57:00-05:00

If last-minute is your signature style for the holiday season, here's a crafty idea from a fellow designer that you can use to impress your guests or as a fun family-friendly activity. Robert Christo is a Brooklyn-based architect who enjoys building gingerbread houses with his family during this time of year. He decided to take the well-loved pastime a step further and draw some IKEA-like architectural drawings for a Gingerbread Village. With some frosting, a good amount of gingerbread, and whatever sweet edibles you need, use Christo's handy instructions as a guide to assemble your own festive town, including homes, shops, village green, a schoolhouse, and sledding hill. (Hopefully you won't need an Allen wrench in the process.)

Update: Robert Christo shared a few more drawings he sketched.

To zoom in on the drawings, click here.

If you still have some gift shopping to do, check out Archinect's holiday gift guides:

The 2015 holiday gift-giving guide for architects

Archinect's 2015 holid...

News cycle: August's noteworthy bicycle news

2015-08-19T14:59:00-04:00

Germany might still be a car-obsessed country, but it's starting to build an Autobahn for bikes.

From the U.S. to Germany, urban planners and major corporations are starting to purposefully design for bicycles instead of individually operated cars. In Munich, a proposed network of two-lane bike paths would radiate out from the city center to the surrounding suburbs, creating 400 miles of cyclist-only access. Meanwhile, according to WebUrbanist, international fast-food chain McDonald's has created an unfolding bicycle-oriented food transport container known as "McBike," which allows a bicyclist to visit the drive-through lane and comfortably transport a beverage and hot food home. The program was launched in Copenhagen, and may soon make its way to a Mickey Dee's near you.