MOMA's Prefab Part Two: The Cellophane House

The Cellophane House takes the house of glass to a new level. Keiran Timberlake, a Philadelphia firm, explored material in a new way by proposing that the only layer between you and the world outside be a few pieces of plastic as this as plastic wrap. Moving through this house was interesting and strange. I would find myself forgetting which floor I was on until I looked outside because the few materials used and repeated interior spaces all looked identical. I think I might have to color code the floors with LEDs if I lived in it. This was by far the most ambitious house in the bunch. It's four floors with two bedrooms, two baths, a generous kitchen and a balcony on every floor. The aluminum beam detail caught my eye, as did the system of solar panels and the peaks into the structure one gets because of the way it's constructed. It boasts the ability to be completely off the grid and endlessly customizable.

Here's a quote from the MOMA site:
"Cellophane House encompasses the architects’ beliefs in a holistic approach to design: allowing architecture to grow out of its opportunities and constraints. It is a material moment of equilibrium that surrenders itself to any and all entropic forces that may come its way."






Home Delivery: Fabricating the Modern Dwelling

MOMA's Prefab Part One: SYSTEM3

I was finally able to make it up to the Museum of Modern Art's architecture exhibition, "Home Delivery: Fabricating the Modern Dwelling." This is going to be part one of five parts since I got to take so many photos of the exhibition. This was the favorite of my friend Jenny and I of all the houses there. SYSTEM3 was designed by Austrian architects Oskar Leo Kaufmann and Albert Rüf, who have spent year creating inexpensive, prefabricated homes. It was designed to fit into a shipping container for easy truck shipment. If you don't believe it, check out the installation video from MOMA. It's pretty spectacular. I especially loved the detail of the stair footprint that runs along the front wall. And a gorgeous detail, which you can see in the bottom photo, is the perforated windows that are lined with steel. The chair and table set as well as the bed was wonderfully simple. This is the most space we all need, I think. I can't wait to live in a shipping container if it looks like this.

Here's a quote about the house form MOMA:
"The design of flat floor and roof plates was conceived to accommodate vertical stacking, pivoting, and the vertical loads associated with larger structures. The project for MoMA represents the minimal configuration, but the architects also imagine a potential maximum configuration of thirty units stacked and arranged to create a ten-story, 11,000-square-foot office tower."

Check out MOMA's Home Delivery site.

Cameron Speaks

One of the most influential people in the world of architecture and design today has to be Cameron Sinclair, who founded Architecture for Humanity to respond to the need of good design during humanitarian crises around the world. His philosophy about design, his philosophy about life, is truly inspiring.

I was lucky enough to participate in a design charrette at my university in which 100 of us from all different disciplines teamed together to create buildings that served people in need from Philadelphia and the Gulf Coast to regions abroad from Brazil to Bhutan. It is one of those experiences that I will always remember as shaping my design philosophy at an early stage of my learning.

Cameron spoke recently at the Metropolis Conference at the Contemporary Furniture Fair for a day dedicated to "Make Good and Prosper." Cameron has big ideas and the knowledge and pure gumption to pull them off, and yet his humility and down-to-earth attitude keep him out of the limelight on his way to becoming the Al Gore of the architectural world. He easily could, he's just that passionate about it.

So check out his talk. It's worth a hard listen. It might just change your life.

Cameron Sinclair at Metropolis Conference

The solution to the financial crisis? Green job creation and infrastructure

What do we do when the economy is plummeting and unemployment rate begins to climb? You do what we Americans do best. ... invent. Invent new ways of thinking about economics, technology, and the way we live.

I don't think it's a secret anymore that the sustainable revolution in America has begun. The best thing we can do for our national security, our economy, our health, and our planet is to embrace it in every aspect of our lives. Creating a green infrastructure and, therefore, green jobs is the best way to recover from these uncertain times.

As a followup to my last political entry, here are some of the plans to green our jobs and infrastructure:

Obama's plans for creating green jobs:

• Invest In A Clean Energy Economy And Create 5 Million New Green Jobs: Obama and Biden will invest $150 billion over 10 years to advance the next generation of biofuels and fuel infrastructure, accelerate the commercialization of plug-in hybrids, promote development of commercial scale renewable energy, invest in low emissions coal plants, and begin transition to a new digital electricity grid. The plan will also invest in America's highly-skilled manufacturing workforce and manufacturing centers to ensure that American workers have the skills and tools they need to pioneer the first wave of green technologies that will be in high demand throughout the world.
• Create New Job Training Programs for Clean Technologies: The Obama-Biden plan will increase funding for federal workforce training programs and direct these programs to incorporate green technologies training, such as advanced manufacturing and weatherization training, into their efforts to help Americans find and retain stable, high-paying jobs. Obama and Biden will also create an energy-focused youth jobs program to invest in disconnected and disadvantaged youth.
• Boost the Renewable Energy Sector and Create New Jobs: The Obama-Biden plan will create new federal policies, and expand existing ones, that have been proven to create new American jobs. Obama and Biden will create a federal Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) that will require 25 percent of American electricity be derived from renewable sources by 2025, which has the potential to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs on its own. Obama and Biden will also extend the Production Tax Credit, a credit used successfully by American farmers and investors to increase renewable energy production and create new local jobs.

Erik Sofge of Popular Mechanics spent a year analyzing this country's aging and failing infrastructure. In his article, Green Tech Plans Hide Obama-McCain Disparity on Infrastructure, he analyzes the plans (and sometimes the lack of a plan) of Obama and McCain to use green technologies to repair the electrical grid; and bridges and roadways; and the dams and levees. As he notes in the article, they have yet to debate he issue. Hopefully, for the sake of places like New Orleans and Galveston, they will soon.

"So while the Obama campaign has devoted more policy papers and overall campaign energy to the issue of infrastructure, the real debate over the future of America—not the people, or the politics, but the physical nation itself—has barely started."

The politics of pollution

(ABC News Photos Illustration)

It's that time again - the time every four years as the smell of falling leaves enters our nostrils - when pundits froth at the mouth and actors try to prove they watch the news, too. It's presidential election time! I don't think it's a secret that Democrat Barack Obama, though not flawless on the environment for sure, is much more supportive of environmental issues than Republican rival John McCain.

The Sierra Club has released its list of Good Guys and Bad Guys for the 2008 election. Their criteria was based on who was bringing new solutions to the table and who was happy to keep things the way they are now in the hands of Bush.

Good Guys:

• Barack Obama: Transforming Energy
• Former Governor Jeanne Shaheen (New Hampshire)
• Representative Mark Udall (Colorado)
• Congressman Tom Udall (New Mexico)

Bad Guys:

• The Straight Talk About John McCain, Energy and the Environment
• Senator John Sununu (New Hampshire)
• Bob Schaffer (Colorado)
• Congressman Steve Pearce (New Mexico)

Obama vs. McCain Major Points:

Obama's environmental strengths:
-Provides relief for families struggling to pay their energy bills.
-Increases the efficiency of our cars.
-Invests $150 billion over the next ten years in alternative sources of energy.
-Requires 25% of U.S. electricity to come from renewable sources by 2025.
-Sets National Building Efficiency Goals. -Attacks global warming.
-Rejects drilling as the answer to our energy woes.

However, for the record, I'm not into nuclear energy in any way, shape, or form until we have a safe way to dispose to nuclear waste. That doesn't seem to bother Obama, which bothers me quite a bit, and was one of the reasons I supported Edwards in the primary. However, I'm glad Edwards didn't win because look where he is now.

McCain's environmental weaknesses:
-He Has Voted to Give Billions in Taxdollars to Big Oil - and Wants to Give them Billions More -He Has Voted Against Clean, Alternative Energy -His Energy Plan: Gimmicks, Not Solutions
-Gas Tax Holiday. -Offshore Oil Drilling. -He repeats the lie that offshore drilling is environmentally safe. -His Global Warming Plan is Outdated and Favors Special Interests.
-He Has At Least 23 Big Oil Lobbyists in Important Positions in His Campaign.

Farnsworth House Floods

This one is a heart breaker. The Farnsworth House, Mies van der Rohe's Modern masterpiece, flooded recently when the Fox River in Plano, Ill., rose 18 inches above the house floor. The waters have now receded, but the house needs a lot of restoration. The double whammy of hurricanes of Ike and Lowell pummeled the Midwest and caused major flooding. The house will be closed to visitors for the rest of 2008, according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation Web site. This is not the first flood to hurt this house, and it won't be the last if climate change has its way.



If you would like to help restore the house to its true glory, donate as little as $25 for the cause.

For photos and video from the cleanup effort, check out the National Trust for Historic Preservation

To donate, visit Landmarks Illinois

What your clothes say ...

So, there are a lot of very sustainable clothing companies out there, and I will for sure cover one from time to time. However, this one stands out in my mind more than many of the others because they seem to hit every aspect of being a green clothing company. Mission Playground is consistent from material, to manufacturing, to distribution, to message. I love the T-shirts because they're smart, artful, and completely on point, just like the one pictured above that depicts trees and buildings intertwining in a yin yang with the label "intelligent design." There's nothing sexier than a hip, smart T-shirt - and I'm not referring to the one that says "Welcome to the gun show." Now, the prices aren't dirt cheap, but I think $27 isn't bad for an organic cotton T-shirt that you know didn't use abusive labor practices for its creation.

Here's a little write-up from the company describing what they're all about:

"Mission Playground is a conscious, eco-friendly lifestyle clothing company for men, women and children with an objective to raise awareness for the environment. The earth is our playground; our mission is to preserve it. This philosophy underlies our operations, from design to production to distribution. Through progressive design, globally mindful art and production practices, we are constantly mindful of the impact we have and want to share that with you. This means using sustainable materials whenever and wherever possible.

Since our beginning in 2003, we have taken a different approach, using art and apparel as the messenger and starting a revolution that many have followed.

At Mission Playground, we are constantly looking to improve our sustainability. By using the most sustainable and organic fibers, certified manufacturing and being mindful of distribution, we are able to bring a message of authenticity and integrity to the market."

Check out the Web site and pick up a T-shirt or two.

www.missionplayground.com