-- asked what bugged him most. “Ninety-nine percent of all cars,” he said. “Ninety-nine percent of all sneakers. Ninety-nine percent of all cellphones. Ninety-nine percent of all door handles.” — New York Times
Steering pedestrians away from neglected areas only prolongs their “ghetto” status, denying the attention needed to fill storefronts with businesses and populate streets with enough people to counteract crime. Making it visible to outsiders, on the other hand, can call attention to a neighborhood’s potential and allow it to move away from stagnation and blight. — americancity.org
Downtown Toronto is filled with architectural masterpieces, designed by the likes of Calatrava, Gehry, Liebskind and Alsop. A new app developed at Ryerson University will allow tourists, Torontonians and architecture fans to delve into the design, function and history of many of downtown Toronto’s most significant buildings. — ryerson.ca
Archinect member applet sounded offended by Sherin’s focus on passive technologies writing "The information you are writing is so main stream and only shows you are just discovering things known to first year architecture and design students". Yet, as Amy Leedham, correctly pointed out "While the passive strategies here sound obvious and simple, most people are not using them, hence the need to remind people."
Sherin Wing, brought the research for the newest installment of the COUNTOURS feature, wherein she looks at New, Energy-Efficient Technologies, in which she explores passive technologies such as the solar shading CRATE system, developed by a team consisting of... View full entry
It is no design flaw: encapsulated within the walls and ceiling panels is a gel that solidifies at night and melts with the warmth of the day. Known as a phase change material (PCM), the gel will help reduce the amount of energy needed to cool office space in the building - scheduled to house the molecular engineering department when completed this month - by a whopping 98 per cent. — newscientist.com
Salon2 has shared with us their completed 400m2 architectural installation on the façade of Yapı Kredi Bank Culture Building at Galatasaray Square in İstanbul. The first stage in the Augmented Structures project with the Augmented Structures v1.1: Acoustic Formations... View full entry
What can you accomplish in 360 hours?
The Chinese sustainable building company, Broad Group, has yet attempted another impossible feat, building a 30-story tall hotel prototype in 360 hours, after building a 15-story building in a week earlier in 2011.
— youtube.com
The Düsseldorf International Airport recently completed construction on one of the largest solar arrays in Germany. The 8,400 panel, 2 megawatt photovoltaic array spans the space of six soccer fields, and it was finished in time to start feeding power to the grid before the clock strikes 2012. — Inhabitat
Have you visited Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater? Not all of us have, but there's a new app available that gives you the next best thing. planet architecture, a production company that has been publishing videos and interactive tours for many years, has just added Fallingwater to their... View full entry
Charles and Ray Eames, designers of the classic Eames lounge chair and major contributors to 20th century architecture and furniture designs, also dabbled in the mediums of film and animation. The Information Machine, sponsored by IBM, attempted to explain how and why the computer revolution was occurring and how it benefited regular people who, at that time, may not have ever even seen one in person. — gizmodo.com
Last quarter a group of Cal Poly Pomona architecture and structural engineering students with professors Axel Schimitzberger and Dr. Mikhail Gershfeld conducted a multi disciplinary studio to design prototype tsunami evacuation facilities. The purpose of the studio was to design a temporary... View full entry
"We like to test things in-situ in order to understand their real performance rather than rely on manufacturers' claims," explained James Russill, EST's technical development manager — BBC News
The UK based Energy Saving Trust (EST), has completed a study which measured the performance of more than 4,250 LED light fittings installed at 35 sites. The LED lights were all installed in social housing and based on the findings, EST suggests the "new technology" can deliver... View full entry
Blueseed says U.S. immigration law is choking the flow of “bold and creative” entrepreneurs into Silicon Valley. So it’s building a floating IT fortress where entrepreneurs can be bold and creative right next to Silicon Valley without actually setting foot on U.S. soil. — wired.com
This 1959 film, "Community Growth, Crisis and Challenge," warns citizens, developers, and city officials of the dangers of urban sprawl. This historical artifact, co-sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the Urban Land Institute ULI) provides alternative approaches to land development. The film was produced by the NAHB. — ULI
The Urban Land Institute is clebrating their 75th birthday this year. To join in the celebration, enjoy this classic film warning of the perils of urban sprawl sponsered by them and the National Association of Home Builders. You can see their other videos on YouTube by going... View full entry
MIT Media Lab researchers have created a new imaging system that can acquire visual data at a rate of one trillion frames per second. That's fast enough to produce a slow-motion video of light traveling through objects.
