Saving Appalachia

A coal breaker in Shamokin, PA

An excerpt from "The Visionary Thinking of John Todd" from Metropolis Magazine written by Paul Makovsky:

"On Monday, June 23rd, John Todd, a renowned biologist and pioneer in the field of sustainable design, was awarded the first annual $100,000 Buckminster Fuller Challenge Prize for a bold proposal to transform strip-mined lands in Appalachia into a self-sustaining community. The decision to award Todd, who is currently a research professor at the University of Vermont in Burlington, was unanimous by the Buckminster Fuller Institute’s jury. His proposal outlines a way to restore the one million plus acres of lands in Appalachia that have been devastated by surface coal mining through a process that remediates the soil, reclaims the forests, and develops a new economy based in renewable energies. The plan advances an innovative environmental theory of design that Todd developed, one that is completely in sync with Fuller’s ideology."

So basically, the idea is that they will begin to pump wastewater underground to reinvigorate the dead soil that is really is really nothing but a bunch of hills made of coal waste. They are everywhere there, I've seen them. Then, the soil will start to produce new energy-conscious products such as biodegradable plastics or wood products. They will train the local workers in all the skills so that they can earn a living again. It's absolutely brilliant and so needed in the coal regions of America, which have been pretty much left destitute since the the coal boom ended.

Read the full article and interview:
http://www.metropolismag.com/cda/story.php?artid=3452

Olympic Architecture

Since the time of great empires, architecture has been a way for civilizations to assert their power, flaunt their wealth, and celebrate their genius. China has made a grand statement with the five new buildings it birthed for this 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

The National Stadium by Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron
Photo by Ciaro Cortes IV/Reuters

The National Stadium, nicknamed the bird's nest for its asymmetrical, seemingly stretched steel columns that wrap the building, is a feat in the idea of public access. This building is open celebrates the openness of the walls, right down to the ground, with access on all sides the building. The intricate truss systems make steel look as flimsy as a piece of straw. The translucent plastic allows light to enter during the day, only to become a beacon at night.

The National Aquatics Center by PTW Architects, CSCEC International Design, Arup

The National Aquatics Center is know as the water cube, a contradiction in terms, but a beautiful one. Thousands of steel and ETFE cells are contained by a rectilinear form. Each cell captures heat, which serves to keep the interior at a regulated temperature. Ah, the beauty of modern engineering.

Beijing International Airport Terminal 3 by British architect Norman Foster

China embraces modern constantly moving society with this terminal featuring curved walls, a sloped floor, and curved ceiling that usher crowds through terminals to the main concourse. "This terminal is the world's largest building and would stretch across lower Manhattan" (NYT).

The National Theater by French architect Paul Andreu

Another reference, from nature, the National Theater has been compared to a floating pearl or an egg. It's surrounded by a moat, which cuts it off from the rest of the city and forces those who enter to traverse underground to then reemerge in the building. It's been compared to Tiananmen Square's relationship to the city with its own underpasses. The structure seems to be one with the water that surrounds its, with the mutual reflection between the water and the building envelope.

CCTV Headquarters by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas

I saved the best for last, in my humble opinion. This goes back to the old Lego-inspired architecture for me, but with a beautiful asymmetrical twist that causes the passerby to never see the building the same way twice. It transforms in front of one's eyes at every angle. The diagonal steel structures were originally designed along the entire building, but were taken away in strategic places were the load was less. Like two interconnecting Tetris pieces, the structure hovers 36 stories over a vast plaza at this site of the China's state television network. Koolhaas's intention was for the plaza to be public, but time will tell whether the government will allow it. It's another example of the changing face of the nation.

I got most of my information from a. Aug. 5 article from the New York Times. Check out these links.

For the New York Times article by Nicolai Ouroussoff:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/05/sports/olympics/05nest.html?partner=rssnyt

For a multimedia presentation of the new architecture from the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/08/04/sports/20080804_OLYMPICS_GRAPHIC.html

Bike Philly 2008

It's that time again when cyclists of all shapes and sizes get to take over Philadelphia without the worry of giant SUVs or disgruntled cab drivers. It's fun and it's cheap. It's Sunday, Sept. 14 this year. If you couldn't participate in any other sports event this year, this is the one to do. You can ride all day for $40 (if you preregister now) or for $25 with a student ID. Bring your road bike, your mountain bike, your crappy old steel frame commuter bike from the 70s. It doesn't matter just get out and take advantage of this great day. Check out the Web site:

www.bikephilly2008.com

How many earths does it take?

Would you like to know how many Earths your living habits would destroy if everyone lived like you? This is the best carbon footprint calculator I've found anywhere recently. I leveled out at 2.75, and that totally rocks. I have to give all the credit to the veganism. This quiz also has a ton of links to give you some advice about buying carbon offsets for your plane flights and other tips for living a generally more sustainable lifestyles. Once you see how many Earths you are destroying, you might just feel guilty enough to change your habits.

http://www.myfootprint.org/en/

Calatrava's Chicago Spire

Can humankind create something as beautiful as what nature sprouts from the earth effortlessly everyday? Well, it takes a lot more work, but Santiago Calatrava has more than accomplished the feat in my opinion. The Chicago Spire, under construction as a residential skyscraper standing to a height 2,000 feet, was inspired by the mathematics of nature.

The Fibonacci sequence was discovered by Leonardo of Pisa (1170-1250 C.E.) when he was doing experiments with rabbit reproduction. The sequence beings with 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89 ... The deal is that each number is the sum of the preceding two numbers. The series goes on forever. The ratio approaches, but never reaches an infinite decimal that begins with 1.618, the Golden Mean. The Greeks thought of this as the mathematical key to beauty.

The number is found in the most beautiful rhythmic places in nature, the nautilus shell, the flower, the spiral eddy in clouds or in the water.

So check out the Chicago Spire Web site. It's pretty beautiful as far as Web sites go. Check out the inspiration, the incredible floor plans that adapt to the exterior, the inspiring sketches, and the background of Santiago Calatrava.
http://www.thechicagospire.com/