Green ArchiTEXT

Ecological Urbanism – A Discussion

First in a series of blogposts on the topic of 'Ecological Urbanism', edited by Mohsen Mostafavi with Gareth Doherty, published by Lars Mueller Publishers.

Statement 1: The largest wave of urban growth in history is happening now. Since 2007, for the first time, the majority of the world’s population has been living in urban instead than rural areas (UN-Habitat, 2007). Rapid city growth is often uncontrolled and risky.

According to Roy (2009) by 2025 more than 90% of the new urbanites will locate in developing countries (UNFPA, 2007), which are already characterised by explosive growth of population, low stages of economic development and poor state of environment (Pugh, 2000).

Statement 2: The former leads to a massive use of the available resources and the necessity to address scarcity. In fact, cities cover only 2% of the earth’s surface, yet consume 75% of all resources and produce 75% of all waste (UNFPA, 2007).

Megalopoleis have captured much of the public attention, but most of the new growth will occur in smaller towns and cities, which have fewer resources to respond to the magnitude of change.

Statement 3: The former two lead to environment exploitation and consequent disasters, especially around urban areas. Urban sprawl fragments land cover, reducing ecosystem functions and increasing the probability of natural and man-made hazards.

The conundrum is thus the following: can we achieve fast urban growth and development without destroying the Earth?

via urbantick.blogspot.com

The Living City Design Competition Debuts

The international living Building institute, in partnership with the national Trust for Historic Preservation, invites the world’s most talented and daring designers, planners, artists and animators to create a new global vision: a breathtaking, compelling model for the future of civilization. Unleash the power of your imagination to envision a city capable of thriving through the centuries – one that will heal the land and prove that the human species can in fact live, in the words of E.O. Wilson, as ‘part and parcel with creation’.

We have inherited and reproduced a built environment based on the catastrophically flawed premise of unlimited resources and infinite room for expansion. our infrastructure isolates us from the ecosystems we inhabit; what James Howard kunstler has described as a “Geography of nowhere” blinds us to the specificity of place.

if we are to respond effectively to the environmental crisis we now face, we must begin by radically reimagining our neighborhoods, towns, villages and cities. READ MORE >>

via ilbi.org

The Sustainability Imperative

By David A. Lubin and Daniel C. Esty

Most executives know that how they respond to the challenge of sustainability will profoundly affect the competitiveness—and perhaps even the survival—of their organizations. Yet most are flailing around, launching a hodgepodge of initiatives without any overarching vision or plan. That’s not because they don’t see sustainability as a strategic issue. Rather, it’s because they think they’re facing an unprecedented journey for which there is no road map.

But there is a road map. Our research into the forces that have shaped the competitive landscape in recent decades reveals that “business megatrends” have features and trajectories in common. Sustainability is an emerging megatrend, and thus its course is to some extent predictable. Understanding how firms won in prior megatrends can help executives craft the strategies and systems they’ll need to gain advantage in this one. READ MORE >>

via hbr.org

Adaptive Layering

Over the centuries unique cultures have emerged from adaptations to extreme or unique conditions. The project Adaptive Layering is aimed to allow Sahelian cultures to survive the threat of climate change, desertification, westernization/globalization, and population growth. Adaptive Layering allows the culture to adapt in a manner appropriate to preserving many of its basic ideologies.

The Sahel is the ecoclimatic and biogeographic zone of transition between the Sahara desert in the North and the Sudanian savannas in the south. It stretches across the north of the African continent between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea. READ MORE >>

...

The body of work designed by Deborah Richards, author of the project, supports a possible future where the cycles and systems that support people and their physical environments are continuous; where architecture and planning can develop overtime alongside changing inputs; and where new relationships between people are catalyzed through interactive software, materials and architecture.

via www.arkinet.com

Greening in Technicolour

Last fall, Hamburg’s office for urban development and environment (bsu) awarded the design of its sprawling new building to Sauerbruch Hutton, which won the competition with a vibrant proposal: a 13-storey high-rise and seven “houses,” elegantly linked via a glazed “access road” that zigzags its way from one end of the complex. Besides providing office space for 1,400 employees, the ground level will be lined with shops, restaurants and cafés, accessible to the public. But what really stands out is the structure’s envelope, comprising bold bands of candy-coloured ceramic that wrap around the its soft corners.

The polychromatic cladding has become Sauerbruch Hutton’s signature. The bold statement “allows us to work more classically with different elements of the facade,” says Juan Lucas Young, a partner at the Berlin firm since 1999. While the colours represent more of an aesthetic choice – turning the notion of the stodgy, bureaucratic office tower on its head – as a whole, the beautiful membranes perform various functions, from providing thermal and acoustic insulation to mapping out internal spaces through changes in the hue.

The multicoloured palette also signifies the firm’s growing reputation for pushing the envelope when it comes to green design. When it is completed in 2013, bsu will incorporate dozens of eco-features, from enhanced thermal insulation and cross-ventilation to geo­thermal and solar systems. With these combined efficiencies, the firm expects the project to consume a mere 70 kilowatt hours per square metre – approximately one-third of what a similar complex without green strategies would us

via azuremagazine.com

Self-Sufficient Eco House Reuses 95% of Existing Building Materials

By Jorge Chapa

Let’s say that you found yourself in a possession of a lovely site with an old and dilapidated house. What is the green thing to do? Well, the Riddel Architecture team of David Gole and Emma Scragg decided to take the old house, dismantle it, and create an entirely new one with the materials from the replaced house. Spotted on Dexigner, the resulting Hill End Ecohouse reuses almost 95% of the existing building materials and features photovoltaic and solar-thermal arrays, a rainwater recycling system and smart climate-oriented design. READ MORE >>

via inhabitat.com

Flavorpill: Brad Pitt and the Trouble with Vernacular Architecture

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, the designs of the Make It Right (MIR) houses in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward continue to transform the city and influence post-disaster vernacular in America. They also continue to stir discussion, and plenty of critique, from a broad spectrum of architects – certainly from preservationists, who complain the MIR designs are not New Orleans enough, and even from a few sustainability advocates who question whether these unique designs truly offer a cohesive sense of community, even whether they are replicable elsewhere.

In flavorpill, Kelsey Keith observes:

And though modern design enthusiasts (of which, generally, I am one) have been quick to praise the project — which is building ‘em lean, mean, and green, after all — design professionals with ties to New Orleans are hesitant. The Times quotes James Dart, a New Orleans-born, New York-based architect who describes the houses as “alien, sometimes even insulting,” adding, “the biggest problem is that they are not grounded in the history of New Orleans architecture.” Local broker Jennifer Pearl chimes in: “Brad has the very best intentions. However, had he come here with houses that looked like what had been here before, he probably could have had four times, five times as many houses up by now.

Still, it’s worth noting that the architects commissioned to deliver these single-family and duplex designs participated in a series of community charrettes with residents and potential homeowners to understand their needs and wants for this massive rebuilding effort. The Make It Right Foundation also provided guidance, asking that all designs reflect traditional New Orleans typologies; that homes are green, affordable, and storm resistant, and built using materials inspired by Cradle to Cradle thinking. “And finally, they were asked to design homes that were aesthetically-advanced.”

In Updates to a Classic, MIR summarizes the design intent at the core of this project:

The thirteen architects who contributed to single family home designs all hewed to the traditional New Orleans shotgun house format - simple, narrow and fashioned to fit the long skinny lots in the Lower 9th Ward. They also all include porches - a feature highly valued in the neighborhood that places a premium on sociability and connectedness to the community. All of the homes have more complex floor plans, solar panels, rain water collectors and other green features.

Twenty-five houses are now in place, many of them occupied by new homeowners, with another 25 under construction and the remaining 100 scheduled to break ground before the end of this year. No matter what happens next with Make It Right, a statement has been made: a statement of change, of passive survivability, of looking forward from a place rich in history.

Changing the World One Block at a Time

By Jay Walljasper

The neighborhood is the basic building block of human society, and successful efforts to make the world a better place often start right there.

This might strike you as archaic, a throwback to the time when men wore fedoras and everyone walked to church on Sunday mornings. Yet the age of globalization actually makes neighborhoods more important than ever. After spending all day connecting with Facebook friends in Madrid, Manila and Maquoketa, even the most zealous virtual globetrotters are eager for face-to-face contact in a real place, like a local coffee shop, pub or park.

Neighborhoods - whether in cities, suburbs or small towns - are the level of social organization at which people interact most regularly and naturally, providing a ready-made forum for tackling serious issues. Even if the neighbors abhor our political views or artistic tastes, we nonetheless share a bond. When a crisis occurs (a rash of burglaries) or opportunities arise (plans to revitalize the park), these are the people who stand beside us to make improvements for the future. READ MORE >>

via www.planetizen.com