It's that time of the year again as the Architectural League of New York prepares to host its big annual Beaux Arts Ball on Friday, September 29. This year's festivities are organized under the 2023 theme of SEA CHANGE, which the League describes as a "call to collective action" to celebrate "circularity, reinvention, and the interdependence of planetary ecosystems and the built environment."
Brooklyn Navy Yard will host the Ball again, featuring an immersive installation by local studio CO Adaptive and lighting design by Joel Fitzpatrick and Ken Farmer. DJ Lina will keep the dancefloor packed and rumps shaking.
Thanks to The Architectural League, Archinect is giving away five tickets to five of our readers!
For a chance to win a ticket, leave a comment below naming your favorite recent architectural project, social movement, or technological innovation that truly represents a sea change, and briefly describe why you chose it. Only your first comment will count. Each winner will receive one ticket. Deadline is Friday, September 22, at 3 PM Eastern Time.
Tickets start at $100. 21+ only. Festive attire. More information can be found here.
5 Comments
A promising recent innovation is the adoption of "Digital twins" for buildings and cities, offering potential for Net Zero Cities. These digital twins enhance sustainability by reducing the carbon footprint of new structures through energy-efficient construction practices and supply chain management to lower embodied carbon. Additionally, they empower coastal cities to enhance resilience and sustainability by simulating and optimizing responses to natural hazards, such as sea level rise and storms, safeguarding lives and property, strengthening infrastructure, and enabling informed decisions in the context of climate change and urbanization. Exciting stuff that is taking off!
Sponge City by Kongjian Yu: Traditional urban development often leads to extensive land cover with impervious surfaces, increasing surface runoff, urban flooding, and water pollution. The Sponge City concept represents a paradigm shift in urban planning. It emphasizes the importance of creating permeable landscapes that can "absorb" rainwater, much like a sponge. By integrating green roofs, porous pavements, wetlands, and other green infrastructure, these cities are designed to capture, store, and purify rainwater, reducing flood risks and increasing urban resilience. As urban areas worldwide grapple with climate change and its implications, the Sponge City approach offers a holistic and sustainable solution to water management challenges, making it a transformative idea in urban design.
SDG Tracker: Measuring progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
SDG Tracker presents data across all available indicators from the database, using official statistics from the UN and other international organizations. This free, open-access information tracks global progress towards the SDGs and allows people worldwide to hold their governments accountable for achieving the agreed goals.
Hope in the progress of recent labor movements that highlight the inequity of compensation between those who produce and the few who ultimately retain most of the fiscal benefits of that work. The consequences of a shift in the imbalance of this dynamic would appear in housing, access, education, quality of life - all concerns of the architectural community.
The recent return to an embrace of natural building materials in tandem with modern technologies. Stone constructions advocated by Amin Taha and the potential for large scale timber structures using cross laminated systems divest us from the reliance on concrete and steel. This expands the potential of high density housing & workspaces, the fabric of our urban environment which is becoming more and more critical. Minimal footprints in combination with the thoughtful use of materials can maximize social benefits and ecological outcomes.
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