Lux Park - and website update

Lux Park is a joint design by atelier a+d, Tom Mulica, and Mark Stoner. Entered into the Holding Patterns competition, we were awarded an honorable mention by the City of Seattle's Design Council.

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The project's intent was to provide a place of summer refuge for Seattle's vitamin d deficient masses. Lux Park is perpetual summer in a bubble... a transportable design that can move from site to site, providing Seattle citizens with a much needed dose of sunshine and heat.

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I've just updated the website to include the project... check it out here.

DeCarbonize Chicago

Chicago is looking to decrease its carbon consumption by 30% (by 2030) and Smith Gill is leading the charge... They've developed 8 key strategies; Buildings, Urban Matrix, Smart Infrastructure, Mobility, Water, Energy, Waste, and Community Engagement. At the crux of their plan is the retrofitting of existing buildings, rather than the construction of new ones.

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I'm excited to read more details about their plans...

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Via Inhabitat

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An Interesting Drawbridge

This bridge (the Slauerhoffbrug) is located in Leeuwarden, Netherlands and is seriously cool... Unlike most drawbridges which open at the center, pivoting at the street level (or even others that have only one operable piece pivoting at the street level), this bridge is lifted up and over the street using a cantilever system. I'm not sure who did the bridge, but its asymmetrical design is not something I've seen before, but I like it!
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Via Jalopnik

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Build Your Own Light Lane

This is an interesting concept... create your own nighttime bike lane, when none is available. The idea is that you could still ride on the street, but that cars would see and respect your bike lane. Who knows, they might even think its real?! At the very least, the lasers would help to illuminate the riders so that they are more easily visible.
via Gizmodo

Goodbye Michael Reese

I haven't lived in Chicago for 6 years now (wow, I can't believe its been that long already), so I'm not up on all the latest news... But, I was reading Lynn Becker's blog today and noticed that Michael Reese Hospital is on the verge of being razed. The hospital has been sold over and over again, and now is sitting nearly desolate on one of the projected sites for the Olympic Village. Obviously, its not a done deal that Chicago will get the Olympics, but either way, it looks like Michael Reese will be gone. Going to school at Illinois Tech just down the block (and being slightly accident prone), I spent more time at this hospital than I'd like to admit. And I used to go running past the hospital all the time... If you looked closely, you could see the past glory of the structures, just like so many other buildings in the area. Its sad to see another piece of Bronzeville's history being torn down.

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More photos at Lee Bey

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Will the Dutch be able to Save New Orleans?

This is an old story, so please bear with me...

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The Dutch have mastered water management as much, or really more, than virtually any other culture on the planet. So, its not surprising that they offered their expertise to the city of New Orleans, following the catastrophe that was Hurricane Katrina. Of course, the brilliant minds at the Army Corps of Engineers basically ignored their suggestions... so it is really spectacular that the APA was recently able to get many Dutch engineers, planners, and architects back to New Orleans for Dutch Dialogs II, a water management symposium. Rather than fight the water, the Dutch are looking for ways to live with it... ideas such as lowering a golf course so that it becomes a pond during flood times.

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Katrina and the state of New Orleans was sadly ignored by the presidential candidates this year, and is largely ignored by the rest of the country. But lucky for us all, the Dutch aren't ignoring the city... Hopefully bureaucracy will be smart enough to listen.

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Italy and India

An interesting pictoral comparison of Italy and India by Urban Typhoon Workshop Koliwada.

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Via Airoots Eirut

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Takes Your Breath Away

And not in a good way.

These images clearly show the divide between the wealthy and poor inhabitants of some of South America's largest cities (Sao Paulo and Caracas respectively). Sadly, slums like this exist all across the globe, hovering on the outskirts of our rich cities. It certainly makes you think about how we as architects can effectively help change lives in these cities.

Sao Paulo

Caracas

Via Blog Like You Give A Damn / DD

2A + P

Sistema Abierto (Open System)

Africa Center

I discovered this Italian design firm through Eternally Cool... 2a+p's work covers a wide range of disciplines (most notably architecture and urban planning), but they give the same kinds of treatment to all types of design projects, large or small. They seem to be of what I would call the Rem school of thought, where many of their projects take their form from the extrusion of the diagram (but I won't hold it against them!). In fact, I'm quite drawn to some of their graphic and diagrammatic work...