CitySlickr

Biomimicry 3.8–Something BIG is coming…

2011-10-09T17:09:00.001+02:00

A new leap forward from the makers of the #Biomimicry Revolution

The cool guys over at the “Biomimicry Guild” + “Biomimicry Institute” + “AskNature” + “Biomimicry Professional Pathways” have united forces to create Biomimicry 3.8 a new revolution that will integrate and spread Biomimicry through an interconnected network like nature would do. First step is www.biomimicry.net where you can get a glimpse of what is about to come in the following months. So stay tuned for more upcoming news.

And also, for the ones in design disciplines demanding a deep introduction in the matter, look over at the pages in www.fastcompany.com/biomimicry for specific articles created as part of a partnership by FastCompany and Earthsky.org

Landscapes: Volume 2

2011-10-07T13:58:00.001+02:00

An spectacular time-lapse video from Dustin Farrell showing how astonishing #Earth & #Nature can be

Watching in Full Screen and Top Volume highly recommended

And for the ones that have not seen yet the First Volume, here it goes:

Urbanized

2011-10-01T19:14:00.001+02:00

A documentary from the director of Objectified & Helvetica about modern #urban #design

The film World Premiere was held at the Toronto Film Festival and now its screening across many US Cities. There will be a special London screening at 18:30 in Sheikh Zayed Theatre of the London School of Economics on October 21st. With a post-discussion with director Gary Hustwit and cast members Ricky Burdett (LSE Cities/Urban Age), Alejandro Aravena (architect, Elemental).

About the film:

Urbanized is a feature-length documentary about the design of cities, which looks at the issues and strategies behind urban design and features some of the world’s foremost architects, planners, policymakers, builders, and thinkers. Over half the world’s population now lives in an urban area, and 75% will call a city home by 2050. But while some cities are experiencing explosive growth, others are shrinking. The challenges of balancing housing, mobility, public space, civic engagement, economic development, and environmental policy are fast becoming universal concerns. Yet much of the dialogue on these issues is disconnected from the public domain.

Who is allowed to shape our cities, and how do they do it?

Unlike many other fields of design, cities aren’t created by any one specialist or expert. There are many contributors to urban change, including ordinary citizens who can have a great impact improving the cities in which they live. By exploring a diverse range of urban design projects around the world, Urbanizedframes a global discussion on the future of cities.

Urbanized is the third part of Gary Hustwit’s design film trilogy, joining Helvetica andObjectified. Urbanized will premiere at film festivals later this year, followed by cinema screenings worldwide, television broadcasts, and release on DVD and digital formats. Join ourmailing list or follow Gary on Twitter to stay informed of new announcements.

Featuring:

Oscar Niemeyer (ONA) )
Alejandro Aravena (Elemental)
Jon Bird (Open University)
Amanda Burden (NYC Department of Planning)
Ricky Burdett (LSE Urban Age Project)
Candy Chang (Civic Center)
Yung Ho Chang (Atelier FCJZ)
James Corner (Field Operations)
Mark Covington (Georgia Street Community Garden)
Joshua David (Friends of the High Line)
Ellen Dunham-Jones (Georgia Tech)
Kathryn Ewing (SuRic Scofidio (Diller, Scofidio + Renfro)
Michael Sorkin (Sorkin Architects)
Gangolf Stocker (Leben in Stuttgart)n Devel
Enrique Peñalosa (Former Mayor of Bogota)
Edgar Pieterse (African Centre for Cities) opment)

Sir Norman Foster (Foster + Partners)
Grady Gammage Jr. (Gammage & Burnham)
Jan Gehl (Gehl Architects)
Alastair Graham (City of Cape Town)
Robert Hammond (Friends of the High Line)
Jacqueline James (Jonker & Barnes Architects)
Bruce Katz (Brookings Institution)
Tarna Klitzner (Landscape Architect)
Rem Koolhaas (OMA)
Rahul Mehrotra (RMA Architects)
Grover Mouton (Tulane University TRUDC)
Udo Andriof (Stuttgart 21
Sicelo Nkohla (VPUU)
Eduardo Paes (Mayor, Rio de Janeiro)
Sheela Patel (SPARC)

Trailer:

More info: www.urbanizedfilm.com

The Secret Life of Buildings

2011-08-19T04:29:00.002+02:00

A new show that measures the impact of #architecture in human life

We spend 85% of our lives inside but rarely, if ever, consider what impact the design and architecture of these spaces have on us. Yet the design of our living space can connect and silently shape our identity, self-esteem, relationships, chances at school, and even our weight and immune system.

Architecture critic Tom Dyckhoff looks at how architecture affects us at home, work and play, and discovers the secret ways that buildings profoundly affect our behaviour, feelings and identity.

In “The Secret Life of Buildings”, Thomas addresses the point from the real consumer perspective, as inhabitants of a human designed space, and breaks into pieces the nonsense of starchitects with big egos. Tom Dyckhoff challenges the works of architects like Frank O. Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Bjarke Ingels, and Sir Norman Foster, putting them face to face with the people living/working/playing in the place they designed. The 3 episodes are centered around the building use typologies: Home, Work, Leisure, and some very questionable experiments on physical health or psychology are presented to fundament the findings.

It is quite notable that after so many years of stardom in the kingdom of God-like untouchable architects, someone has decided to actually step back, think about it and ask: are we doing things right? is architecture going in the right direction? anything is valid if they say it´s art? The approach is really interesting and appealing, but it is far from balanced and always keeps a biased opinion either in favour or against it. Which I would say it´s not fair & deliberate specially in the case of Lord Norman Foster. After 40 years of practice, successful buildings all over the globe in the hundreds, pure innovation, always smart design, referent alive for generations to come,… and the presenter just maintains an unjustified position of attack in order to grab a juicy headline. And he did, the UK architectural professionals are outraged, because in the end he tried pushing Foster to admit the interiors of Swiss Re HQ (The Gherkin) were a disaster, and just then, the conversation derailed trying to defend they were not.

I have serious doubts about people who life professionally as critics, and personally respect a lot more the ones who choose “To Do” instead of “To Talk”. But someone has to do it, and we cannot be actors and audience at the same time. Everyone has to play their part and Mr. Dyckoff keeps a good track on doing so, broadcasting architecture to the public domain. Creative works are always subject to interpretation and a building is a miracle in itself if you look at the amount of things that can go wrong in the process. Having that in mind, I would also consider that it was just about time that someone would shout loud and stop the irrational iconic race in which we are immersed. There must be something wrong when Victorian Architecture built more than 100 years ago, sometimes functions better than things we just finished, and without need for complicated machines to solve the lack of common sense.

As a conclusion I would say that even with some of the questionable arguments used in the programme, it is worth all the credit for starting the debate and we should thank them for it. The series have great key interviews, good filming, a bit of science, and a cheerful presenter, so I would surely like to see a longer and deeper discussion about this important issue. The programme is purely for entertainment and focused for mainstream audience, so something more rigorous and factual would attract the attention from universities and professional sector.

Image by SimplyTelevision

Beauty flourishes at night

2011-08-14T23:01:00.002+02:00

#architecture #losangeles #LA Light from Colin Rich

No, you are not the center of the Universe!

2011-07-30T18:35:00.001+02:00

Just a short video to remind us of how relative things become, when we look at the bigger picture. (nicely done by the way)

Bionic Innovation

2011-07-18T17:17:00.001+02:00

An air-jelly-fish or a mechanic bird. The future is here, just watch it unfold #biomimicry

On the recent TED Global 2011 – The Stuff of Life (Edinburgh, Scotland. July 11-15, 2011), it was presented the artificial bird by Markus Fisher, and digging a bit more into it, there is an enormous quantity of projects carried out by ‘Festo’ that mimick life and develop technology with inspiration from nature.

Festo is a leading world-wide supplier of automation technology and the performance leader in industrial training and education programs. Through the Bionic Learning Network, they have been researching and developing projects with biomimicry principles since 2006, and you can see them all on their website.

Pepakura & Origami

2011-07-17T23:10:00.001+02:00

“Between the folds” Documentary about the art & science of folding paper in the modern world through an ancient technique.

Widely awarded and acclaimed in film festivals, this movie covers the ancient technique of Origami (paper folding) and Pepakura (papercraft) originating from Japan, and how it is used nowadays by renowned scientists and artists, MIT and NASA included. They do it as a way for representing mathematics, to experiment with geometry and prototyping, or just to express beauty through art. I strongly recommend watching this inspiring and revealing film about a intriguing technique with plenty of potential.

Directed by Vanessa Gould from Green Fuse Films

And for the ones wanting to step further, you can download and experiment with Pepakura Designer, a program for converting 3D objects into paper sculptures. Or take a look at the work of other artists for inspiration, like Richard Sweeney, one of my favourites, or Isaac Salazar and Taras Lesko. Also, there are some good websites around this, like Pleat Farm and huge Flickr Galleries with examples.


Icosahedron by Richard Sweeney	Read Cursive by Isaac Salazar

You can see the Trailer of the movie below and if you like it

, it is available in Amazon

Film extract:

Independent Lens: Between The Folds
Think origami is just paper planes and cranes? Meet a determined group of theoretical scientists and fine artists who have abandoned careers and scoffed at graduate degrees to forge new lives as modern-day paper folders. Together they reinterpret the world in paper, creating a wild mix of sensibilities towards art, science, creativity and meaning.Origami may seem an unlikely medium for understanding and explaining the world. But around the globe, several fine artists and theoretical scientists are abandoning more conventional career paths to forge lives as modern-day paper folders. Through origami, these offbeat and provocative minds are reshaping ideas of creativity and revealing the relationship between art and science. BETWEEN THE FOLDS chronicles 10 of their stories. Featuring interviews with and insights into the practice of these intrepid paper folders, the film opens with three of the world's foremost origami artists: a former sculptor in France who folds caricatures in paper rivaling the figures of Daumier and Picasso; a hyper-realist who walked away from a successful physics career to challenge the physics of a folded square instead; and an artisanal papermaker who folds impressionistic creations from the very same medium he makes from scratch. The film then moves to less conventional artists, exploring concepts of minimalism, deconstruction, process and empiricism. Abstract artists emerge with a greater emphasis on concept, chopping at the fundamental roots of realism, which have long dominated traditional origami. The film also features advanced mathematicians and a remarkable scientist who received a MacArthur Genius Award for his computational origami research. While debates ebb and flow on issues of folding technique, symbolism and purpose, this unique film shows how closely art and science are intertwined. The medium of paper folding—a simple blank, uncut square—emerges as a resounding metaphor for the creative potential for transformation in all of us.

Catalytic Clothing

2011-07-16T23:22:00.003+02:00

#Fashion meets #Science [VIDEO] Public experiment in #ecodesign

This hybrid project from Helen Storey (artist) + Tony Ryan (scientist) develops the concept of purifying the air around us directly with the clothes we wear. It is based on an original idea, and as they state on their website Catalytic Clothing, it´s still work in progress. I hope we can see more of this in the near future and eventually a product we could try/test/buy, but so far the presentation it´s very attractive. It has been crafted nicely with an attention to detail, and leaves you with a hunger for more. I will surely keep an eye on it.

Biomimicry: Nature as a source for Innovation

2011-04-22T18:00:00.003+02:00

Biomimetics, Bionics,… to define life-like creativity engineering or nature inspired human inventions.

Those words are relatively new, as they appeared in the last 50 years and since then, they are having an increasing interest and development in those fields. The term ‘bionic’ was coined by Jack E. Steele in 1958 and ‘biomimicry’ in 1982, and was popularized by scientist and author Janine Benyus in her 1997 book Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature (strongly recommended). Biomimicry is defined in her book as a "new science that studies nature's models and then imitates or takes inspiration from these designs and processes to solve human problems". Well, very clear but no so easy. Nature is hiding big secrets and humans take thousands of years to investigate and apply those special tweaks to human inventions. For example, Leonardo da Vinci created the concept for flying machines about 500 years ago but it wasn’t until 1903 when the Wright Brothers, succeed in creating and flying the first airplane, developed by observations of pigeons in flight.

For me, this is one of the most interesting parts of science, as it leads us to a more sustainable future. In addition we support our basis on ‘products’ that have thousands of years of evolution, and give us proof they are working quite nicely. And also we contribute to a better living consuming less resources and generating less waste.

Here you can find some very interesting talks from TED & the Atmoshphere event by Janine Benyus and also Michael Pawlyn designer of The Eden Project talking about Biomimicry in Architecture. And also, Asknature.org is an essential live source created by The Biomimicry Institute in collaboration with the giant Autodesk for collaboration and documentation of how Nature Intelligence solves some of the problems we are facing today. Enjoy!

Title Image by Ben Bawden

Moving Architecture. Video Projections on Buildings.

2010-10-03T21:50:00.006+02:00

Buildings are leaving behind their characteristics as permanent still volumes and changing into interactive elements. Human perception shifts to perceive them now more like a TV than a squared sleek facade. That gives them the special effect "in motion" that we didn´t have before, opening the possibilities to a broad spectrum of typologies.

It seems large scale video projections are becoming lately very popular as an instrument of marketing and a way of attracting attention in cultural events and art hubs. Here is a video projection from URBANSCREEN, a german company dedicated to the production of this special unique pieces of architecture in motion.

You can see one of the videos about their great creations here:

555 KUBIK | facade projection from urbanscreen on Vimeo.

AutoCAD WS is available! iPhone and iPad included.

2010-09-30T22:12:00.002+02:00

AutoCAD WS is fully available now on www.autocadws.com and they are also releasing compatible applications to be installed on iPhone and iPad to synchronise all information across devices in what was called before Project Butterfly. With this application you can share blueprints, plans,

layouts, drawings,... make annotations on-site and directly show them online to all people collaborating in the project. This is something really useful that will surely make a positive impact on the way we work on-site and how we share live information with others. Technology has finally created a breach to spread like a virus in the construction industry. All innovations are welcome, let´s hope the rest of Autodesk applications also jump into it in the near future and more brands bring a necessary competitivity to shape things up... More info on: AutoCAD WS Blog

"Straddling" bus. New chinese invention to improve traffic congestion

2010-09-30T20:31:00.001+02:00

A new type of bus has been presented to apparently solve the traffic problems found in Beijing, China. "The Straddling bus", "The 3D fast bus", or "The Stereo Bus", as they call it, consists of an elevated carriage which moves above cars driving underneath, and guided by two rails on its sides. The bus stops would be

elevated platforms on the pavement sides at the same height of the carriage. Seems like a mix of the concept of normal buses, subway, and light-rail systems, and incorporates also green energy concepts, as it is powered by electricity and solar energy, achieving zero carbon emissions. It has been proposed by Shenzhen Hashi Future Parking Equipment Co. and it´s not just an innovative idea, as they are already building a prototype to use in Beijing Mentougou District. Reportedly costing only 50 million yuan to build every car in just 1 year and 500 million to make 40 km of the whole system, a 10% of the cost of creating a subway covering the same distance.

You can find more info and a video explainint it on China Hush and Beijing News

Real to Virtual. 3D Scanner. Easy and Free Technology

2010-09-29T04:00:00.002+02:00

We have spent endless times trying to make real all our digital ambitions, designs, projects,... well this is basically the opposite! I have discovered a new way of modelling 3D objects much easier than spending hours playing trial and error with complicated applications. Here is David Laser Scanner. It´s a method of virtualising real life objects into 3D files, that we can later use in our projects, designs or just for helping our creative minds concentrate on better things than create a 3D pet. To make it work you just need a line-laser, a webcam, and a computer with the "David-LaserScanner" application installed.
It has been used by Universities, Museums and Large Corporations,... More info: http://www.david-laserscanner.com/

How much does your building weigh Mr. Foster?

2010-09-26T18:56:00.004+02:00

"How much does your building weigh Mr. Foster?" Here comes the new documentary-film about the life and work of Norman Foster, narrated by Deyan Sudjic, Director of the London Design Museum. It shows through a cinematic approach to how buildings are observed, the quest Mr. Foster followed to become what he is right now, an architecture superstar and above all, a promoter of improving lifestyles through
intelligent design. Produced by 'Art Commissioners' (Elena Ochoa) and screened in the Berlinale and the San Sebastian Film Festival. [ Trailer ] More info : Art Commissioners Mans and Co

Free 3-year license for over 25 Autodesk Products for Students

2010-09-26T18:21:00.002+02:00

Autodesk has just announced their support of the Student Programme until 31st January 2011 and if that wasn´t enough, the extension of the current 1 year available licenses to 3 years. Great news for the architecture, design & construction sectors. Smart moves like these from powerful companies are the key facts that enhance us to continue progressing and deliver better results. Thank you Autodesk!

Bright Ideas for a better life

2010-06-17T22:03:00.002+02:00

[VIDEO] An example is better than a thousand words, so here I bring a good one to illustrate how to put in practice the theories of good architecture. It looks good and works even better.
Squeezed into an over-crowded Hong Kong where space is a luxury, this ultra hip 330 square foot apartment features a futuristic sliding wall system that creates up to 24 different room combinations.

Wireless Electricity: Witricity

2010-06-15T02:31:00.002+02:00

Another hit in technology history I just came across on the same day. Witricity is a revolutionary discovery from a group of MIT Physicists who were able to transfer power over distance, basically they were able to light up a normal bulb over a 2 m. distance gap.

Witricity is the website of the company, which has already made a huge progress and has the biggest companies around the world building a partnership to agree a common standard for it.

Interactive Online Video - The future of videos online

2010-06-15T01:51:00.002+02:00

I just discovered the new invention from a cool Spanish company creating a revolution in the new techonlogies sector. This company is Madpixel, and what they have just launched is the Interactive Online Video, basically a video you can pause at any moment and search interactively through its content. You can click on information about the people that appear in the video, or clothes, objects,... endless joy.

You can see the work they have done for the Principe de Asturias Foundation here in Spanish and also a Demo of a Sex & The City Episode here. And the company website: www.madpixel.es

I think this will become quite common everywhere on the internet and we will be lucky to have youtube videos packed with commercial information, where we can spend endless hours without even realising what the content of the video is about. This is a true success, so I hope the marketing gurus are responsible enough not to ruin our lives with it, and let us watch a video in peace.

Anish Kapoor Exhibition in Guggenheim Museum Bilbao

2010-06-14T22:18:00.003+02:00

Anish Kapoor, one of my most praised sculptors, is on show at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. Now there is just one left to complete my top 3 exhibiting together in Bilbao. Richard Serra is part of the permanent collection, so Antony Gormley should start getting his hands dirty preparing something for the spanish eyes. Well, in the meantime we must be happy to have such a revelation as Kapoor, and some of his creations inside Puppy's Kennel.

Guggenheim Press Release:
" The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao presents a major solo exhibition devoted to the art of Anish Kapoor, one of the most influential sculptors working today. The exhibition, which opened to enormous acclaim at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, in fall 2009, is the first large-scale survey of Kapoor’s work to be seen in Spain.

Anish Kapoor rose to prominence in the early 1908s with his explorations of abstract sculptural forms and the use of volume, scale, color, and materiality. Best known for his explorations into the concept of the void, his sculptures, monumental installations, and outdoor public-art projects have expanded the language of Post-Minimalist art. This show features several series that the artist has developed since 1979 using tactile or highly reflective materials: bright, pure pigment, blood-red wax; painted fiberglass; stone; polished stainless steel; and most recently, cement. While materiality and process are central to Kapoor’s works, he uses both as a means to go beyond the solidness of what you see to experience a perceptual and symbolic depth beyond. “Material somehow always leads onto something immaterial,” the artist states.

The exhibition has been organized in close collaboration with the artist, who envisions each gallery as a single experience devoted to one series (the pigment works, the void works, polished stainless steel works, the entropic cement forms), or one large-scale installation. Diverse in material and form, each presentation demonstrates Kapoor’s interest in the principle of the “auto-generated”—objects that originate without a trace of the artist’s hand, seemingly natural and without preconceived thought. A recent and spectacular installation, Shooting into the Corner (2008–09) presents a canon, triggered by an attendant, that shoots enormous wedges of red wax across the gallery space, transforming the museum into a site of violent explosion and its dramatic accumulations. "

Image by jlori

RIBA EU Winners 2010 Announced

2010-06-04T01:49:00.002+02:00

The prestigious RIBA Regional 2010 Awards have been announced, and lucky us, 2 of the 9 European buildings awarded are in Spain. The first one is "Campus Palmas Altas" in Seville,by 'Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners', a commercial bussines park who has also achieved an AIA-UK award and has been pre-certified LEED Platinum. It was built for Abengoa, one of the leading companies in renewable energies and green technology. The second one is "The city of justice" in Barcelona, by 'David Chipperfield Architects', the new city law courts complex, composed by 9 buildings with around 240,000 sq.m.

More info about the rest of awarded projects here

Architecture Congress: [ + x - ] More for Less

2010-06-03T19:43:00.004+02:00

In a week, Pamplona will celebrate the Congress "Architecture: More for Less.", where starchitects, 4 Pritzker prizes, politicians and other leading personalities will discuss about a more efficient & sustainable society. The speakers include Jacques Herzog, Renzo Piano or David Chipperfield amongst others.

Next week, from 9th to 11th in Pamplona, Spain. Registration
*** Places have been fully booked for the main hall, but they have added additional rooms to follow the congress live through different screens.
More info on: Arquitectura y Sociedad Foundation. Congress + x -

ACE. New York kick-ass hotel for art lovers

2010-05-14T04:41:00.004+02:00

Anyone going to New York? Just check this hotel out before making any decisions... I haven´t been but it looks great and it has all what it needs to be a great place, perfect for having a great experience. It´s something like the backpackers vibe taken to the next level with an extra hint of chic feeling. Just how I like it.
ACE Hotel New York

Antony Gormley. Firmament IV

2010-05-14T03:50:00.004+02:00

Antony Gormley (UK) is just a machine of innovation, creativity and talent. In my opinion one of the best artists alive nowadays. His expression of the human body and the social interaction in our society leaves none indifferent. Words don´t do justice to his work, which can´t just be explained. It has to be seen an experienced live. There is a new exhibition in Sydney, Australia, so if you happen to be around, just drop by and post back your comments, as I would have loved to see it with my own eyes. For the rest of us, the only option is to admire the pictures from the exhibition in Design Boom or take a look at the photos about his creations uploaded from any user on Flickr.

Frank Lloyd Wright Lego Architecture

2010-05-14T00:59:00.003+02:00

LEGO, the world most famous plastic bricks, has a new product line. It consists on a replica of icons in today´s cities. They have divided their 'architecture' line in 3 subsectors: landmarks, architects series, and discovery. Landmarks include constructions like the John Hancock Tower in Chicago by SOM,or the Seattle Space Needle

by John Graham. In the architect´s series, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation made a collaboration with Lego to release a collection of lego sets about buildings from the visionary architect, consisting on a series of 6 buildings, including the 'NYC Guggenheim Museum' and 'The Falling Water House'. It coincided last year with the exhibition 'From Within Outward' about Wright and the 50 anniversary of the building, in the Guggenheim Museum of New York.

More information on Lego Architecture