Thursday, November 11, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Review: Biocity
Cities are complex dynamic living systems displaying ecological traits and adapting to environmental changes, ingesting human activity and natural resources while expelling waste. The article draws on natural systems such as ant and termite colonies as well as mould possibly being used indirectly to detemine the most effective transport networks.
The Biocity concept has evolved from emergent modelling where biotopes represent different physical aspects of a complex city, based on simple rules governing 12 component systems of biodiversity, built form, culture and education, economy, energy, food, governance, health, pollution, transport, water and waste. It is intended to be used as both an urban design tool and a monitoring tool to highlight cities with the highest resource efficiencies, informing others with examples of improvements.
A research group Biocity Studio is running in partnership with UNSW. For more information refer to the wiki at biocitystudio.com.
Mcgregor, Adrian. 2010. Biocity - Emergent Sustainability. Topos: The international review of landscape architecture and urban design, n 70, pp 70-75
The Biocity concept has evolved from emergent modelling where biotopes represent different physical aspects of a complex city, based on simple rules governing 12 component systems of biodiversity, built form, culture and education, economy, energy, food, governance, health, pollution, transport, water and waste. It is intended to be used as both an urban design tool and a monitoring tool to highlight cities with the highest resource efficiencies, informing others with examples of improvements.
A research group Biocity Studio is running in partnership with UNSW. For more information refer to the wiki at biocitystudio.com.
Mcgregor, Adrian. 2010. Biocity - Emergent Sustainability. Topos: The international review of landscape architecture and urban design, n 70, pp 70-75
Review: Sustainability 3.0
Beatley presents the latest plans, initiatives and successful implementations in the last decade around the world for urban sustainability, although the article mostly focuses on examples from the United States. He suggests that sustainability could be the next innovation age and stresses its importance in urban planning; balancing ecology, economics and equity.
Practices that are relevant to cities are collaborative, systemic and holistic design aimed to achieve access to sustainable public transport and mixed-use development allowing a more compact urban form, vibrant pedestrian spaces to enhance the sense of community and encourage diversity, biophylic connection to natural surroundings through greening, local food production, resource efficiency and zero-waste targets by considering waste outputs as inputs for other systems. Challenges ahead include the scaling up of technologies to a city scale, reaching a broader audience to take personal action and keeping sustainability on the agenda individually and collectively.
Examples where a positive approach to sustainability has been taken are Hammarby at a suburban level in Sweden, the ecocity Dongtan in China and carbon-neutral Masdar City in the United Arab Emirates.
Beatley, Timothy. 2009. Sustainability 3.0 Building tomorrow's earth-friendly communities. Planning, May 1, pp 16-22. http://www.proquest.com/ (accessed 5/10/2010)
Practices that are relevant to cities are collaborative, systemic and holistic design aimed to achieve access to sustainable public transport and mixed-use development allowing a more compact urban form, vibrant pedestrian spaces to enhance the sense of community and encourage diversity, biophylic connection to natural surroundings through greening, local food production, resource efficiency and zero-waste targets by considering waste outputs as inputs for other systems. Challenges ahead include the scaling up of technologies to a city scale, reaching a broader audience to take personal action and keeping sustainability on the agenda individually and collectively.
Examples where a positive approach to sustainability has been taken are Hammarby at a suburban level in Sweden, the ecocity Dongtan in China and carbon-neutral Masdar City in the United Arab Emirates.
Beatley, Timothy. 2009. Sustainability 3.0 Building tomorrow's earth-friendly communities. Planning, May 1, pp 16-22. http://www.proquest.com/ (accessed 5/10/2010)
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Urban Dream: Sustainability
Fly over Sydney, the beautiful city we are lucky to live in, rich with natural assets. Sustainable Sydney 2030 gives a vision and sets objectives but does it go far enough? Can a city ever be sustainable and create a positive impact on not just the environment, but socioeconomically as well? Some believe so and I hope so too. This is my idea of what sustainable Sydney might look like.
As I walk down George Street, from Central to Circular Quay, the city is in transition. Sustainable improvements appear along the way. Buildings adapt to make the most of passive opportunities with shading and setbacks to allow daylight access. Footpaths widen. Cycleways slide into the road from the curb, a tram rattles down the centre. Cars vanish. There is only one lane left going each way for buses. Bright coloured market squares open up near Town Hall, Martin Place and Circular Quay. Vibrant artworks celebrate our cultural differences. More trees line the street encouraging local native species to cohabit this city with us and increase biodiversity while providing evaporative cooling and pleasant shade to the microclimate of the street.
The vista opens up to show the harbour, flanked by the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. Solar sailors line the quay ferrying people to other places on the harbour. Past the Opera House, Farm Cove once more boasts a farm producing vegetables for a garden market. It is a multi-story purpose-designed urban agricultural structure. Wetlands nearby filter the city's effluent.
Dusk approaches and as the sun sets, the city dims, the gardens and buildings lit softly by solar powered night lights.
As I walk down George Street, from Central to Circular Quay, the city is in transition. Sustainable improvements appear along the way. Buildings adapt to make the most of passive opportunities with shading and setbacks to allow daylight access. Footpaths widen. Cycleways slide into the road from the curb, a tram rattles down the centre. Cars vanish. There is only one lane left going each way for buses. Bright coloured market squares open up near Town Hall, Martin Place and Circular Quay. Vibrant artworks celebrate our cultural differences. More trees line the street encouraging local native species to cohabit this city with us and increase biodiversity while providing evaporative cooling and pleasant shade to the microclimate of the street.
The vista opens up to show the harbour, flanked by the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. Solar sailors line the quay ferrying people to other places on the harbour. Past the Opera House, Farm Cove once more boasts a farm producing vegetables for a garden market. It is a multi-story purpose-designed urban agricultural structure. Wetlands nearby filter the city's effluent.
Dusk approaches and as the sun sets, the city dims, the gardens and buildings lit softly by solar powered night lights.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Architectural Aspects
Architect: unknown
(2002)
Architect: Colin James (2004)
(2004)
Architect: James Barnet (1879)
(2010)
Architect: Antoni Gaudà (1906)
(2002)
Architect: Antoni Gaudà (1900-1914)
(2002)
Musée du Louvre, Paris, France (2000)
O'Briens Tower, Cliffs of Moher, Ireland
Architect: Cornelius O'Brien (1835)
(2001)
Architect: unknown (1997)
(2010)
Architect: Peter Poulet and Michael Harvey
(2004)
Architect: Guðjón Samuelsson (1945-1986)
(2001)
(2002)
Architect: unknown (1867)
(2000)
Architect: unknown
(2000)
(2007)
Architect: Jorn Utzon
(2009)
All photographs taken by Natalie Rosenbaum.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Storm Light
The storm came out of the blue. Very heavy rain, gale force gusts, frequent thunder and lightning. I looked around and saw the lighthouse nearby. Luckily the door was unlocked and I made my way up the stairs.
It was warm and dry in the control room even though the rain pelted on the windows. I could see a light out at sea and felt sorry for anyone stuck out in the storm because the swell was at a record high. Lightning flared, shortly followed by a clap of thunder, briefly revealing a fishing boat riding the swell.
Waves surged over the bow as the boat dipped into the trough. As the boat rose again to the peak the flash of a lighthouse could just be seen through the heavy rain. We were being washed towards shore, thankful for the warning, and steering away from the rocks surrounding the headland. The storm abated as we beached with other debris from the storm.
Emergency shelters were being erected for those affected by king tide flooding during the unexpected coastal tempests, surely an indicator of climate change.
It was warm and dry in the control room even though the rain pelted on the windows. I could see a light out at sea and felt sorry for anyone stuck out in the storm because the swell was at a record high. Lightning flared, shortly followed by a clap of thunder, briefly revealing a fishing boat riding the swell.
***
Waves surged over the bow as the boat dipped into the trough. As the boat rose again to the peak the flash of a lighthouse could just be seen through the heavy rain. We were being washed towards shore, thankful for the warning, and steering away from the rocks surrounding the headland. The storm abated as we beached with other debris from the storm.
Emergency shelters were being erected for those affected by king tide flooding during the unexpected coastal tempests, surely an indicator of climate change.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Inspirational Set
Alamo
Pendergraft, Mike. 2003. The Alamo. Webshots http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1099814020010231818J1CftC (accessed 26/7/2010)
Apple Stairs
Apple Store Sydney Grand Opening. 2008. AntBlog701 http://ant.sillydog.org/blog/pic/apple_store_staircase.jpg (accessed 27/7/2010)
Chess
Olive Wood Chess Set - Large. 2010. Games From Everywhere http://www.gamesfromeverywhere.com.au/21-tunisian-chess-set-large.html (accessed 26/7/2010)
Concrete Sink
Terrazo Concrete Vanity Top and Bowls. 2006. Trendir http://www.trendir.com/archives/000702.html (accessed 29/7/2010)
Design Tiles
Designer Art Tiles - set of 9. 2008. eLLeMeNOPea http://www.ellemenopea.com/blog/uploaded_images/Design_tiles_set_9_783401.jpg (accessed 27/7/2010)
Fractal
Mandelbrot Set. 2004. Harvard Mathematics http://www.math.harvard.edu/~jjchen/fracts/index.html
Holiday Table
Photoshop's Five Essential Blend Modes For Photo Editing. Photoshop Essentials http://www.photoshopessentials.com/images/photo-editing/layer-blend-modes/holiday-table.jpg (accessed 27/7/2010)
Hobbiton
-721268.jpg)
Bramer Asian Experience. 2009. Bramerspace
http://www.bramerspace.com/china/uploaded-images/Day-2---Tauranga-(66)-721268.jpg (accessed 26/7/2010)
Irish Setter
Dog Breed Info Center http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/images22/IrishSetterAlaBpuppy7WeeksOld1Tree.jpg (accessed 26/7/2010)
Moonset
Wimmer, Leith. 2008 Moon Setting in the Air and on the Water. PhotoMT.com http://photomt.com/ (accessed 26/7/2010)
Rainbow Jelly
Rainbow Jello. 2008. Do Better. Wordpress http://dobetter.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/rainbow-jellos-sm.jpg (accessed 26/7/2010)
Sheets
Freckles Spot the Dog Full Sheet Set. 2006. The Baby Bedding http://thebabybedding.com/admin/images/spot%20the%20dog%20sheets.jpg (accessed 27/7/2010)
Sunset
Owens, Chris. Lake Hefner Sunset. About.com: Oklahoma City http://okc.about.com/od/imageandphotogalleries/ig/OKC-Storms-and-sunsets/Lake-Hefner-Sunset-Photo.htm (accessed 26/7/2010)
Typeset
Mesker-Garcia, Elaine. 2009. Paperhouse. Wordpress http://houseofpaper.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/typeset-by-cybertoad1.jpg (accessed 27/7/2010)
Yosemite
Aulin, Glan. 2005. Stone Setting. Wikimedia Commons http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Yosemite-Ston-Setting.jpg (accessed 27/7/2010)
Apple Stairs
Chess
Concrete Sink
Design Tiles
Fractal
Holiday Table
Hobbiton
-721268.jpg)
http://www.bramerspace.com/china/uploaded-images/Day-2---Tauranga-(66)-721268.jpg (accessed 26/7/2010)
-721268.jpg){kind=link}
Irish Setter
Moonset
Rainbow Jelly
Sheets
Sunset
Typeset
Yosemite
Concept Ideas
The built environment should be growing and merging more symbiotically with its natural surroundings. Both should be constantly changing and evolving, one to satisfy our curiosity for new things and the other to balance various ecosystem changes. Nature can provide further inspiration to encourage the sustainable design of new developments, through biomimicry and systemic thinking, and suggest improvements for existing buildings and practices that seem to be set in concrete.
Built form, colour choices, material selections and services design can impact on how effectively man-made structures harmonise with the environment around them. Contemporary processes emphasize the need for collaboration and knowledge sharing, such as consideration of embodied resources, supply chain management integrated design, and ecological footprinting. Collectively we are beginning to realise the impacts we make, and have made in the past, but we still have a long way to go before we can say we live in a truly balanced and picturesque world.
Built form, colour choices, material selections and services design can impact on how effectively man-made structures harmonise with the environment around them. Contemporary processes emphasize the need for collaboration and knowledge sharing, such as consideration of embodied resources, supply chain management integrated design, and ecological footprinting. Collectively we are beginning to realise the impacts we make, and have made in the past, but we still have a long way to go before we can say we live in a truly balanced and picturesque world.
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