G8 Life

IDEO Morph 38

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 16:35:00 +0000

IDEO Morph 38 is a high-rise residential tower located in stark contrast to its low-rise neighbors in Bangkok, Thailand. The project takes on a symbiotic relationship with the environment.The buildings have a natural aesthetic featuring a massive green facade providing cooling in summer, heat regulating on cooler days, and rain water management during rainy months. The development has been separated into two towers to maximize plot ration, and each building targets to different potential tenants in character.

The two towers are visually interconnected through a folding "Tree Bark" envelope that wraps around from the 32-story rear tower (Ashton) and 10 duplex-story front tower (Skyle). The outer skin is a combination of precast concrete panels, expanded meshes and planters. The functions of the skin varies from being sun shading devices to covering air condensing units. The bark on the west and east side strategically becomes green walls, in accordance to the tropic sun's orientation. the height of this wall is 65m on the front tower and 130m on the rear tower respectively, providing the residences and neighbors with a comfortable visual and natural environment.

Skyle is targeted for singles or young couples with the smallest unit footprint being 23.3 m2. The se duplex units are expressed vertically with variation of balconies and air condensing units. In contrast, Ashton emphasizes on the horizontal and cantilevered spaces which are targeted to families. The unit sizes and types vary from a single bed with a reading room, to duplex units with a private swimming pool and a garden on the 8th floor, and a four bed duplex penthouse at the top level. A 2.4m cantilevered living space projects from each unit on the North side. This is made up of a glazing enclosure on three sides providing the maximum view. Each unit on the south has a semi-outdoor balcony which is flexible in space. The double layer of sliding windows allow for a transition between a conventional balcony to an extended indoor living area.

Green Greenberg Green House

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 03:21:00 +0000

The design for this two-story house emerged from the site constraints, program, and view. the shape and orientation is designed for maximum exposure to the prevailing winds at strategic locations, which facilitate the building's ability to use natural ventilation.

The form of the building gently fits a large program onto the awkwardly shaped site by using the site's unusual form: shifts and movements of the site are used to enhance daylight and natural air flow distribution. Reacting to the physical and natural conditions, the facade becomes a skin that peels away from its surface like the hillside location on which it sits. The house is zoned for passive cooling with a central stair, linking the private and public spaces. The stair leads to the reinvented backyard, relocated to the roof top of the structure, where it is landscaped consisting of edible plants and solar photovoltaic panels.

The green roof enhances the insulation values, the photovoltaic panels will generate electricity, essentially moving the house off the grid. The Green Greenberg Green house is part of the LEED for Homes pilot program, and has obtained LEED Silver certification. It forms a model for merging innovative design with energy strategies that will result in a more efficient and healthier residence.

Maggie's Cancer Caring Center

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 23:35:00 +0000

Maggie's Aberdeen at the Elizabeth Montgomery Building is located at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Foresterhill Hospital, in the UK. The Maggie's Center is not a treatment Center but a place where individuals can meet, connect and receive help and guidance.

Located on the Southern boundary of Foresterhill Hopsital, Maggie's Cancer Center is a free standing Pavilion at the edge of the Westburn Field. Nesting in a row of trees marking the course of the Westburn, the Maggie's Center enjoys views across the field and ample sunlight from the south and west.

The building is conceived as a pavilion in its parkland setting. The soft exterior form envelopes the whole of the center and defines the courtyard garden. The exterior shell creates the framework for the center and sculpts the main spaces, whilst the timber interior of the building creates more intimate rooms and spaces that the Center requires. The center is primarily on one ground floor level with a smaller mezzanine area devoted to the office functions.

Seoul's Invisible Tower

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 05:16:00 +0000

Designers of Seoul's Tower Infinity set out to achieve architectural magic by attempting major high-tech illusion, making a skyscraper disappear.

The developers behind the project recently received construction permits to break ground. Designed by California-based GDS Architects, the observation tower will climb 1,476 feet into the sky, forming a new contemporary gateway to the city. The tower is outfitted with a battery of digital cameras and LED screens that will help it pull off an astonishing vanishing act.

For the architects, "Instead of symbolizing prominence as another of the world's tallest and best towers," they explain, "our solution aims to provide the world's first invisible tower, showcasing innovative Korean technology while encouraging a more global narrative in the process."

Read More at FastCompany

Heat Exchanger Vazecká

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 13 Sep 2013 03:07:00 +0000

As part of a campaign to earn the city of Kosice, Slovakia, a reputation of being the European Capital of Culture, Atrium Architects has transformed a former heat exchanger, located in the heart of the city, into a cultural, public and sports center. Located in the Nad Jazerom residential district, the exchangers functional transformation is reflected in its concept by means of a clean-shaped joist acting as a dynamic boulder. the top of the structure contains an atrium which holds four large trees creating and isolated space from the world around. the rugged facade accentuates the public area. The exchanger has five different interconnected floors based as galleries, each fulfilling a different function.

The Cresta

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Sep 2013 15:54:00 +0000

The Cresta is a 5,300 sq foot single-family residence designed and constructed entirely out of cast in place concrete on a 5,000 sq ft lot in the Lower Hermosa region of La Jolla, CA. The house's three stories, one below and two above grade, are accented by floor to ceiling glass and large open expanses to the outdoors.

Beginning as a solid form, the final products still maintains that form instead through roof planes and vertical walls that create both interior and exterior volumes. Due to the unordinary small property in an area with typical properties three or four times the size every square foot was important. The exterior room was a key element in creating a home that otherwise would have felt small feel larger and more private that it is. While this space creates a void the buildings overall form is kept intact. All four corners remain with walls and roof planes to define the original box of the residence.

Adjacent to the front of the structure a reflecting and swimming pool has been integrated into the overall design of the project for thermal cooling and create the perception of floating. Due to the large expanses of operable glass, the thermal mass of the concrete, sun shading and the insulating effect of the pool the 6.5kw solar array on the roof accomplishes supplying nearly 100% of the homes required power.

FRAC- Contemporary Art Center

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Sep 2013 15:12:00 +0000

The project of the contemporary art center (FRAC) for the region Provence Alpes Cotes d'Azur (PACA) in Marseille, France, was designed by Kengo Kuma & Associates. It was designed to represent the 3D version of the "museum without walls" invented by André Malraux, famous French writer and politician. It is a museum without a museum, a living and moving place, where the art pieces are in constant movement and join the logic of diffusion and interaction with the visitors.

The building stands up as a landmark with a clearly asserted identity. It is composed of two recognizable parts; the main body along the street Vincent Leblanc contains the exhibition spaces and documentation center, and a small tower holds the auditorium and children's workshop, offering an upper terrace on the main boulevard. These two entities are connected by a set of footbridges and are unified by the envelope made by a glass skin, composed of panels with changing opacity. The building explores the theme of the windows and openings on different scales. KKAA wishes to create a particular space of creation and life, which action and effect is bounded to the entire city, as well as the surrounding district and neighborhood.

In Memory Of 911 12 Years Later; Time-Lapse of World Trade Center Progression

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 12 Sep 2013 03:46:00 +0000

This time-lapse captures the progress of One World Trade Center between October 2004 and September 2013. The 1,776 foot tall skyscraper, which is expected to be the tallest in the Western Hemisphere, topped out earlier this year and is slated for completion in 2014.

New National Stadium Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 16:05:00 +0000

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge has announced Tokyo will host the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. The announcement confirms the New National Stadium of Japan by Zaha Hadid Architects will host the athletics events as well as the opening and closing ceremonies of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and paralympic Games.

Zaha Hadid said: "Our many congratulations to the Tokyo 2020 team, the Japan Sport Council, everyone in Tokyo and all across Japan. The public's support has been remarkable and we are very proud to be part of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and paralympic Games. We have put together an excellent team to deliver a magnificent venue on schedule for the 2019 Rugby World Cup and Tokyo Olympic Games the following year."

The New National Stadium, near Shinjuku, Tokyo, includes seating for 80,000 spectators and a retractable roof. Adjustable seating sections will move closer to the field of play for football and rugby matches, and enable the stadium to host many other sporting and cultural events. The design incorporates public programs that will engage with the city and give Tokyo a lasting legacy well beyond the 2020 olympic Games.

Tadao Ando, chairman of the competition selection panel said: "The entry's dynamic and futuristic design embodies the messages Japan would like to convey to the rest of the world." He added: "i believe this stadium will become a shrine for world sport for the next 100 years."

Pulsate

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 08 Sep 2013 16:05:00 +0000

Capitol Designer Studio (CDS) has commissioned Lily Jencks and Nathanael Dorent to create a pop-up installation in Primrose Hill, London, to show people just what's possible using a porcelain tile.

Lily explains that there are two ideas within the installation: "One is about perception- how you perceive distances and shapes; and make sense of space. The other is about how to display an object that's for sale; we wanted the space to be more than just a showroom selling tiles; to rethink the commercial transaction as something more creative."

The first idea was inspired by Op Art and Gestalt psychology. Pulsate creates a sense of reinforced perspective and as a result will draw people into the space. Nathanael says; "We decided to use one system of tiles in one size and four colors. it's just a simple herringbone pattern, but we've applied it in three dimensions, to create something really eye popping." Lily adds: "What's fun about the Sistern is the subtle range or color. To get the really vivid exciting pattern, we go from dark to light to dark in a gradient, like a pulsating wave, which is where the name comes from".

Mark Williams, CDS says: "Pulsate pushes the boundaries of what's possible with tiles. By linking a manufacturer with a designer, they can think freely and explore the possibilities of the tile as a medium, to create anything they like.

NASA Plan's For Another Moon Landing; Attempting to Solve Moon Dust Mystery

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 08 Sep 2013 15:25:00 +0000

There hasn't been a moon landing for decades, but due to an increased international interest in the Moon by other countries and private companies planning future landings in upcoming years on the Moon's surface, NASA wants to collect data while it's still in its pristine, natural state.

The $280 million LADEE robotic research mission aims to solve a quandary from 1968's Surveyor 7 mission, when astronauts saw a strange glow on the moon's horizon before sunrise. Four years later, Apollo 17 Commander Eugene Cernan also caught a glimpse of mysterious lunar "streamers" that were reminiscent of the aurora borealis.

After reaching the moon's orbit in about 30 days, LADEE will stay there for three months, retrieving and analyzing samples from the lunar atmosphere. The data will be beamed back to Earth before the craft self-destructs, crashing into the moon's surface.

Lord & Taylor Comes Back With A New Look

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 07 Sep 2013 23:53:00 +0000

Lord & Taylor's project in Ridge Hill, New York is testimony to the strength and competence of Italian business to support complex markets like the US with top quality structures, services and products.

Reggiani USA, headquartered in New Jersey and operating in the American market for 20 years, was involved in this exciting "New Concept" for Lord & Taylor in 2012. it supplied a custom lighting system integrating high-end LED, metal halide, fluorescent technologies and structurally echoing the triangular pattern of the building's facade. The resulting roughly 2.6 m-sided modular triangular lighting structures can provide accent, diffused, direct and/or indirect lighting.

These large, white or black pendant triangles help push the boundaries in this "pure white" big department store, making Ridge Hill more unique and revolutionary than Lord & Taylor's Fifth Avenue flagship in New York. The lighting designer was afforded the opportunity of providing really effective lighting for the space and the merchandise due to the top quality color rendering and high-efficiency optics, while still managing to comply with the restrictive energy consumption limits now imposed throughout the United States.

The volume of the store's interior space is defined by both the elegant white box (floor and ceilings) and by twister and/or mushroom shaped sculptural columns, providing a strong, stimulating contrast with the sharp corners of the rest of the project's structures. Regiani's luminous triangles become a smart solution to define the lighting design of this innovative project without being monotonous and clichéd.

New York to L.A. in 45 Minutes?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 20 Aug 2013 16:57:00 +0000

Billionaire and entrepreneur Elon Musk, of pay-pal, Tesla motors and SpaceX, envisions a future where we can travel around the world in 6 hours. The vision involves a massive Hyperloop system, similar to the old-school pneumatic tube systems used by banks to suck your deposit to the teller at the drive-through. A massive vacuum tube, mounted either above ground or under water would be combined with a magnetic levitation system, providing a friction free zone with no wind resistance, no chance of collisions, and insanely high speeds.

One company out of Colorado has already been working on the technology. ET3 or Evacuated Tube Transport Technologies has created a new transportation idea that is cheaper and quieter than planes and trains. ET3 capsules weigh 400 pounds, can carry up to 800 pounds and are capable of speeds up to 4,000 mph. With those speeds the capsules can travel from New York City to Los Angeles in just 45 minutes, from Washington D.C. to Beijing in 2 hours and to the other side of Earth in 6 hours. The idea uses magnetic levitation or maglev technology, which is used in some high-speed trains today, removing air in the tubes would eliminate drag and allow for the capsule to travel at a high rate of speed. this technology could be built for 1/10th the cost of high-speed rail or 1/4th the cost of freeway.

Engineers Capture Drinking Water from Humidity With a Billboard in Lima, Peru

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 19 Aug 2013 18:46:00 +0000

The University of Engineering and Technology of Peru and an ad agency called Mayo DraftFCBand created a new water-creating billboard in Lima, Peru to help tackle the serious problem in an area that has long been threatened with water insecurity issues.

The billboard is the first ever to capture air humidity and turn it into potable drinking water. Many residents of Lima, the second largest desert capital in the world, face the harsh reality of being forced to draw polluted water from wells. Peru gets less than two inches of rain a year and has an atmospheric humidity of about 98 percent, one the highest in the world.

According to the UN, about 60% of the world's population will be living in cities within the next 8 years – a human migration that adds more and more strain on cities' sanitation and resources. Un Deputy Chief Jan Eliasson says improving access to water can reduce maternal health issues, child mortality and overall poverty. With the implementation of more billboards like this one, Lima will not only be solving its water scarcity problem but many others that go hand-in-hand with it.

The billboard system uses reverse osmosis, a water purifying process, and then stores the water in tanks that hold 20 liters each. The water is dispensed at the bottom of the structure, which has provided 9,450 liters in three months. As water supplies dwindle amid climate change, growing populations and food insecurity issues, the billboard in Lima is one of a host of many innovative solutions that have been developed.

Lee House

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 16 Aug 2013 18:04:00 +0000

Located in porto Feliz, Brazil, Lee House is organized in a single volume ground-floor site. Every room therefore establishes a strong relationship with the external, opening out to the garden. dies to the warm temperatures of Såo Paulo traditional Vernacular Brazilian architectural elements were used throughout the home.

In the living room, all windows are recessed creating an extension of the external space, with a large veranda. The room then prolongs the pool deck and crosses to the other side of the lot. The front veranda is delimited by a foyer in the facade revealing two wooden boxes divided by the social area. The kitchen opens to the living room, encrusted in one of the boxes that holds the utility areas. The bar opens out to the social area and is contained in the box that holds the bedroom as well.

At the end of the bedroom corridor, which can also be accessed from the outside of the house, there is a spa delimited by external walls and composed by a gym room, a sauna and a small outdoor pool encircled by the deck. the house is clad in white mortar and the internal patio of the spa is encircled by stones. The few materials used by the Lee house and the simple organization of the program create a minimal atmosphere that extends from the outer to the inner areas of the house.

Croft House

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 23 Jul 2013 00:30:00 +0000

Along the South coast of Victoria near Inverloch, Australia the geography turns away from the prevailing wind. Croft House forms a protected garden from which peripheral vision of the sea and sky is permitted by tapered facades.

Architect James Stockwell looks at the core idea of shelter in an exposed environment, designing the shelter to contain all the necessary activities of domestic life in an un-compromised way. The activities are enhanced by participating in the whole, and each yields to the other to a much greater extent. It is shielding, robust and embracing.

It sets out primarily to achieve the expectations of the owners. The structure has been adopted by the local community as a contemporary but contextual solution for its prominent location. it reinforces the language of the rural context of corrugated iron and purposefulness and has been widely embraced.

The small material pallet of grey metal and concrete blends with the muted shale geology. The protective exterior is warmed internally by compressed sand thermal mass walls as a fragment of distant sand dunes. the interior structure and joinery is of Vic ash timber and wet areas in bluestone, all Victorian supplied.

The form of the house distorts mathematical and structural curves to achieve form. The adopted geometry and composition of three sine curves means details are achievable with 2 dimensional radii. Both concave and convex roof surfaces are 2 dimensional planes and constructed from conventional battens and rafters and corrugated metal. Softwood scissors trusses were erected in 2 days on 'in plan' arch ring beams of laminated timber braced by the remnant buttresses. Laminated timber beams most aptly suited the formation of the sine curve form of the building courtyard shape, the natural curve of material ductility.

Casa CorManca

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 22 Jul 2013 21:23:00 +0000

Casa CorManca, located in Mexico City, Mexico was designed by Paul Cremoux. Completed in 2013, the home rests on a 39ft by 42ft plot of land. the monolithic volume is transformed in order to attain luminous indoor spaces. Slate stone at the exterior facades is contrasted with the soft beech wood finish, achieving great definition and special discovery. The construction rises three stories out of the small plot of land looking south to the vertical vegetation garden wall. The main patio was placed on the second level, followed by a small lecture studio.

The designers intent was to transform radically the notion of "open green patio" due to a lack of space to ensure a ground courtyard. Vegetation in this case was not only viewed as a practical temperature-humidity comfort control device, or as a beautiful energetic view, but also as an element that functions as a light curtain, accomplishing the idea of a dramatic plane, where more space is to be found at the back.

House Within a Warehouse

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 22 Jul 2013 20:44:00 +0000

Located in Hawthorn, Australia and designed by Splinter Society, 'House Within a Warehouse' is a new dwelling in an old warehouse shell designed to be a garden oasis. Both architect and client strongly believe in compact urbanism, combined with green spaces and a sustainable approach to living, as part of a happier way of life. The client brief asked for a highly sustainable house, executed in a clean and contemporary way and a 'warehouse feel', minus the cliches of industrial off-the shelf purchases.

The strategy to meet the brief and concept involved creating a layered system of screens and frames that split the site and lift the living spaces of the house, creating views to green spaces and established gardens beyond. The site was a 200m2 landlocked warehouse, built to all boundaries and entered via a new residential development. Its a dense inner urban setting, where the design solution allows the notion of 'interior' to extend beyond the infill, to the periphery of the warehouse walls, inviting the outside in.

The 'interior', a considered reassembly of parts from the existing warehouse, creates an aesthetic of texture and warmth referencing the property's historical context. This new form steps back over three levels of built form, using the existing three storey wall to the south as one of its skins, for functional, aesthetic and sustainable qualities. This stepping form creates four levels of green space, with roofs of spaces below forming gardens for both thermal performance and the inclusion of greenery. Main living spaces are placed on level 1, capturing views, sun and neighboring greenery.

Functionally, the client brief asked for a sustainable, budget conscious house with clear zoning to raise young children and entertain. The result is a house with 3 bedrooms, 2 living spaces and a study, split across three levels. The internal floor area is 195m2, with 100m2 of outdoor built areas. Semi open plan living spaces are contained on the first floor, where they are elevated for views over boundary walls opening onto outdoor spaces, whilst maintaining privacy from neighbors. The zoning and layering of spaces assists in thermal performance, thereby satisfying the clients desire for a low energy house.

Flip House

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 12 Jul 2013 23:57:00 +0000

The designers challenge was to reconect an erratic San Francisco home to its striking landscape, light, and views and transform its confusing program with a new modernist aesthetic. Designers at Fougeron Architecture reinvented its typography, capturing all advantages of its natural and urban site by completely flipping the home's facade and interior spaces.

Like many San Francisco homes, this one poorly integrated its many levels with each other and with its sloping topography and solar orientation. Reversing its reading, designers recast the back of the house as its main facade with a faceted custom-built glass wall. Divided into three vertical panels that push in and out, this dynamic prism begins animating light and spectacular views to the communal living spaces, now placed at the rear. Bedrooms were flipped to the front.

They also rationalized the circulation, replacing disconnected staircases with one rear stair that smoothly links all three levels and the garden below. The street-level entry now leads to a generous foyer that is open to this staircase and to a guest room/den. The open plan of the second floor allows the kitchen and living room space to look down into this den and outward to the striking city, bay, and garden vista beyond.

CH2 Melbourne City Council House

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 12 Jul 2013 05:19:00 +0000

The Council House 2 (CH2) office building designed by DesignInc, was designed in collaboration with the city of Melbourne to be a holistic system with its occupants as participants. The design follows a model that promotes a more interactive role between the city and nature, in which all parties depend on each other.

The City of Melbourne aims to achieve zero emissions for the municipality by 2020. A major contribution to this strategy is the reduction in energy consumption of commercial buildings by 50%. CH2 was piloted in an effort to provide a working example for the local development market. the brief required a building that as far as possible relied on passive energy systems while producing a premium grade building.

It was the first new commercial office building in Australia to meet and exceed the six star rating system administered by the Green Building Council of Australia. Equally important to its environmental features is that it provides 100% fresh air to all occupants with one complete air change every hour. The benefits of superior indoor air quality and conservative estimates on energy costs will see the building pay for all its innovation within five to ten years.

Jade Signature; Herzog and de Meuron

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 00:26:00 +0000

Herzog and de Meuron's has designed a elegant structure combined with both contemporary and modern elements. The 57 story Jade Signature tower will rise in Sunny Isles, Florida. Units will feature ample outdoor terrace space, spanning up to 25 feet, and large windows to frame views of the horizon. Six Sky Villas feature double height living areas and the two Signature penthouses each boast 360-degree views and a large terrace pool.

Deep terraces and living rooms were created to have simultaneous views to the ocean in the east, and to the Intercoastal to the west. Common areas ares designed for the ground level, connected with the beach. Primary elements such as cantilevering floor slabs together with walls projecting from inside-out, create a finely textured expression on the facade.

Wooden Skyscraper; Stockholm

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 24 Jun 2013 23:50:00 +0000

Berg I C.F. Moller Architects proposed a 34-story skyscraper made of wood for HSB Stockholm's architectural competition 2023. In this joint proposal with Dinell Johansson and consultants Tyrens, the team chose to build upwards, with a wooden frame over a concrete core.

The team chose wood because it is one of nature's most innovative building materials: the production has no waste products and it binds CO2. Wood has low weight, but is a very strong load-bearing structure compared to its lightness. Wood is also more fire resistant than both steel and concrete. This is due to 15% of wood mass being water, which will evaporate before the wood actually burns.

In addition, logs get charred which protects the core. Wood secures a good indoor climate, perfect acoustics, helps regulating the inside temperature and can be exposed without being covered with plaster or other costly materials. In this project, the pillars and beams are made of solid wood. inside the apartments, all the walls, ceilings and window frames are made of wood as well and will be visible from the exterior through the large windows. Each apartment will have energy-saving, glass-covered veranda, while the building itself will be powered by solar panels on the roof.

Miami, Global Warming... Is the Denial of Lawmakers Stirring the Pot for Disaster in Paradise?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 24 Jun 2013 23:08:00 +0000

Think Progress reports on Jeff Goodell's Rolling Stone article "Goodbye Miami: By century's end, rising sea levels will turn the nation's urban fantasyland into an American Atlantis. But long before the city is completely underwater, chaos will begin."

Goodell has talked to many of the leading experts on Miami including Harold Wanless, chair of University of Miami's geological sciences department. The reason climate change dooms Miami is a combination of sea level rise, the inevitability of ever more severe storm surges, and its fatal geology and topology, which puts "more than $416 billion in assets at risk to storm-related flooding and sea-level rise."

The latest research "suggest that sea level could rise more than six feet by century's end", notes Goodell, and "Wanless believes that it could continue rising a foot each decade after that." the article addresses the severity of significantly cutting CO2 immediately, for Manmade Carbon Pollution has already put us on track for 69 feet of sea level rise. Aggressive mitigation combined with massive spending is needed to develop completely new adaptive solutions for Miami to have a serious chance of surviving this century intact. Unfortunately some Florida lawmakers cringe at the mention of climate change, denying humans have anything to do with its rapid progression, making it difficult to see any progress in the State.

Read more Here at Thinkprogress.org

Point 92 Tower: Zlg Design

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 22:22:00 +0000

Point 92 is a 19-storey tower with 200,000 sq feet of office space completed in late 2012. The building was named after the size of the site itself, a small site of 0.92 acres. The building is situated on a sloped site, overlooking Damansara Perdana in Selangor, Malaysia. Staying true to the intention of creating an ambiance that includes the context to the inside of the building, visitors will get to experience a breathtaking view of Damansara Perdana as they arrive at the lobby through a slowly rising escalating step way above the drop off.

Despite its small size, the planting of about 500 trees around the site give rise to the feeling of dense vegetation around the main arrival floor. This deck allows visitors to take in the view by providing randomly placed precast concrete benches that encourages respite while wooden lanterns with marine plywood ceilings buttoned tightly against a raw concrete under croft create a soothing canopy. The reception desk with a pandomo recessed and undulating rebated wall greets the visitor and reminds them of the graphics and geometry of the building's facade walls.

The generating feature of the floor plate is a cut-out space which comprises of several levels of voids connected through gardens and meshes of vertical planting. the center support column is braced to either side with different thickness of beams each corresponding to different floor forces framing the vertical space that is the garden. The terrace is specially lit and designed grandly to give viewers from outside a taste of the garden.

Point 92 is also a certified green building by the Green Building index (GBI) of Malaysia. A key green feature is the insitu placed white concrete facade, which comprises of 150mm thick walls with only 38% openings for windows, minimizing heat gain while maintaining optimum natural light in the office spaces.

Rucker Philly; Help rebuild Ralph Brooks Park

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:50:00 +0000

Urban Roots is a non profit organization that is dedicated to revitalizing Philadelphia's communities by enhancing specific urban redevelopment projects, through mentoring youth and fine art. They have teamed up with the City of Philadelphia and a local Non-Profit (I.am.SP) to strengthen Philadelphia's Point Breeze neighborhood by rebuilding the local basketball court and playground to create a hub for community building and renewal. Urban Roots has launched a crowd funding campaign with a goal to raise $315,000.

If you Love Philadelphia, show your support and Donate!! Donate Here