surplus to the rescue

while devastating in scope, a great opportunity - even necessity - exists to put concept to action. below is a terrific diagram from SEED, a group of researchers from clemson university, illustrating the surplus of shipping containers found throughout the caribbean.



their research is very graphic, informative, visual, and clean. great examples of innovative thinking. great opportunities available.

living building challenge

i cruise archdaily as i sit in my living room enjoying the festive atmosphere. the smells and sounds of family gathered for the holidays.

completely unrelated, i've been participating in a project through our university [uwm] and the urban ecology center - a local organization that seeks to instill the values of respecting mother earth to urban communities in milwaukee. they're experimenting with a the idea of a satellite branch and i've been heading up a design team - partnered with the other design school [miad] in milwaukee.

the goal was to collaborate and synthesize a new design for our client on the edge of the glacial valley. we aimed to meet the "living building" challenge. this desire pushes pragmatic and fiduciary design into realms not yet achieved. we are operating in a dense urban environment. our design was to be three stories. more later....



this project caught my eye. it's a new facility for manitoba hydro by kpmb architects. below is a quote explaining the project. i couldn't help but marvel at the diagrams and the similarities in design intent [though with a much larger budget]



"manitoba hydro is the major energy utility in the province of manitoba, the fourth largest energy utility in canada and offers some of the lowest electricity rates in the world. owned by the provincial government, nearly all of its electricity comes from self-renewing water power. Its new headquarters tower, manitoba hydro place, is the first of the next generation of sustainable buildings integrating time-tested environmental concepts in conjunction with advanced technologies to achieve a “living building” that dynamically responds to the local climate... manitoba hydro place sets a precedent for the seamless integration of architectural excellence and climate responsive, energy efficient and sustainable design while enhancing and improving the quality and comfort of the human experience and the civility of urban life."



check the link for more info...

BIG strip

a project that all over the blogosphere...

bjarke ingels group [ big ] is a copenhagen based architectural firm. a big place. 85 architects, designers, thinkers doing some amazing work.
their site is a little wild. they only showcase a few highlight projects - this one not up yet. but their firm philosophy is written quite eloquently explaining their desire to harmonize between the two diametric oppositions [historically] in architecture: "investing in the overlap between radical and reality."

big was awarded first prize in the open international design competition for kazakhstan’s new national library in astana. big beat out 19 other entrants which included the ranks of lord norman foster and zaha hadid.

vernacular structures [yurts] are employed as formal inspiration. the result is a combination of elemental architectural concepts [universal archetypes]; circle, rotunda and arch merged, with the addition of the yurt, into an overlapping, flowing moebius strip.

the project amalgamates computer generated design, sustainability and high architectural thought into an absolutely composed and articulate form.

these are some of the best diagrams i've seen yet. wow. clear, elegant, graphic. beautiful, informative, inspiring...

their rendering is something to be awestruck by as well. [see above too]

check out these links for more info, pictures, etc.

archdaily

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