Why am I an architetct;

 

...i have written on this subject many times – especially in the earlier years of my blog (here, here and here). As one of my goals is to share how architects think, I’ve worked to be transparent with my own thoughts and my own journey. I hope it has helped someone...https://thinkarchitect.wordpress.com/2015/08/03/why-i-am-an-architect/

buildings is the bulk

Somewhere in the labyrinthine center of Los Angeles sits the sprawling facilities of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. A gorgeous complex, it is a rare bit of public space in the busy streets and closely spaced neighborhoods. But the LACMA is not a respite from LA. On the contrary, the permanent sculptural works on display represent the metropolis precisely.
http://blog.sculpture.org

The Eighth Approximation: Urban Soil Taxonomy in the Anthropocene

https://anthropocenesoil.wordpress.com

to search a Landmark for Astana

 

Zaha Hadid Architects participated in an international competition in Astana, Kazakhstan, to design the facilities for the international exhibition, scheduled for 2017. The theme of the expo aims to raise awareness of energy resources, energy efficiency and environmental protection as well as to seek innovative engineering and architectural solutions to critical global issues. The symbol of EXPO-2017 will be the monument which will outlive the exhibition and will be immediate landmark of Astana.
Source: http://www.evolo.us/architecture/future-energies-exhibition-in-kazakhstan-2017-zaha-hadid-architects/

Like a Human, CNC

 

CNC milling was the obvious choice for fabrication, but the technology is rarely applied to projects of this scale and complexity, juror Marc Fornes said. “This is an exquisite application of the technology, and certainly a precise one,” he said. “Sometimes technology is the proof of concept, but the proof of concept can be dirty or not sorted out.”

Source: www.architectmagazine.com

Galactic Spaces

Anglo-Iraqi designer Zaha Hadid is always good for a surprise. Whereas some of her architectural and design drafts referred to natural shapes or were even said to reflect female lines, one might think that she has taken off from this world and undertaken an odyssey to another cosmos. Some of her pieces are reminiscent of „Alien“, the 1979 science fiction movie with the insidious creature from outer space.

 

Source:  www.stone-ideas.com

 

the geological makeup

 

On July 30 at 6pm, the MIA NY Metro Chapter will host a „Geology in the Natural Stone Industry” event. The event will be held at CCS Stone, Inc. in Moonachie, NJ, and will feature Dr. Matthew Severs, Associate Professor of Geology and Environmental Science at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. Participants will learn about:
* The geological makeup of natural stone and how this affects stone selection
* What attributes ensure the successful performance of stone on various projects
* How specific characteristics of natural stone affect cutting, installation, and maintenance methods

Source: www.marble-institute.com

Vertical Economies

In the past few decades the world economy has seen a global shift of industry and manufacturing eastwards to the emerging markets of China and India purely for economic efficiency but not innovation. The rate at which urban populations are expanding will impact upon how we perceive the strategies of sustaining our cities with regards to supply and demand. The rise of global cargo shipping has seen the ability of local industries to move their production to areas of low labour, tax and land costs. However, the onset of rising labour costs in East Asia, higher transportation costs, a weaker dollar, rising U.S. productivity and cheaper energy are only enhancing the argument for more localised production that is closer to the consumer...
Source: www.evolo.us
 

La sua passione per il marmo

 

A qualcuno il dubbio verrà: «Milano o deserto del Qatar?». Qui e là: Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, 150 anni dopo, a Doha, Golfo Persico. Fatta e finita in due anni, coincidenza vuole come l’originale (1865-1867), per volere, sogno e business di Muhammed Al Emadi, cinquantenne imprenditore del Qatar che ne farà una piazza tra il Foro e l’Agorà, Al Hazm, l’Altipiano: shopping, benessere, cultura, cibo. Dai ristoranti all’asilo, dalle palestre alle librerie alle boutique. Per ora però è «solo» un’opera da Guinness...

http://www.corriere.it/cronache/14_giugno_06/uomo-che-imita-deserto-galleria-vittorio-emanuele-7ac6fa24-ed45-11e3-8271-5284bdbf132d.shtml

http://www.stone-ideas.com/2015/07/17/briefly-noted-69/

to Email a Sculptor

 

Direct mail is often referred to as “junk mail” but if it is used properly it is anything but “junk”. The usage of direct mail has been declining for many years brought on by the recession and a shift towards digital media. There may not be a better time to use direct mail as the competition for space in the mailbox has declined and studies have shown that direct mail can be very effective.
Source: http://blog.sculpture.org
 

Hindu Cosmology

The design project reinterprets the Ksiri Sagara, a story of religious Hindu Cosmology and abstracts its embedded ontological process as a strategy of both formal design and functional solution in rejuvenating the ecological condition of the holy pilgrimage lake of Pushkar, India.
Through the conceptual abstraction of the Hindu cosmological story, the Ksiri Sagara, the project embodies an ontological design methodology as a process to define, solve and synthesise both its formal and functional requirements. Set at the sacred Hindu lake of Pushkar, India, the lake is a place of yearly pilgrimage for Hindus, and home to one of the world largest yearly camel fairs. The design outcome is an open-loop rejuvenating system of the lake, which due to the heavy environmental bearing of local activity, is under constant degradation.

Source: http://www.evolo.us/architecture/a-rejuvenation-of-pushkar-lake/

Wonderful Landscapes

 

Sunny Wieler has a foible for these landscapes. The Irish-born artist originally came from West Cork in Southern Ireland but has since made the sea-side city of Donabate in County Dublin the home for his garden design studio.

Source: http://www.stone-ideas.com/2015/07/12/sunny-wieler-irlands-green-hills-as-an-inspiration-for-private-gardens/
 

Marble belongs to them

Revenues from sustainable products or services are growing up to six times faster than 'normal' equivalents, according to new research from the Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute (IRRCi).

The Institute, which provides data-driven information to investors, analysed 12 companies listed in the S&P 100 that sold and tracked ‘sustainable’ products and services.
The study found between 2010 and 2013, revenues from these portfolios grew by 91% – around six times faster than the rest of the companies’ products.
“It’s a totally false dichotomy to suggest that sustainability somehow comes at the expense of growing a company,” said IRRCi executive director Jon Lukomnik.
”In fact, leading corporations are realizing a substantial and positive impact on revenue from their sustainability products and services.
Source: http://www.edie.net/news

 

stones in the shape of beans to aid blind children...

 

The natural stone branch is currently experiencing a metamorphosis reflected in its trade fairs among other aspects. Nuremberg’s biannual Stone+tec already reacted to the change in 2013 giving itself a new profile: It aims to hold events for Stonemasons from German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Northern Italy).

Source: www.stone-ideas.com

Contemporary Architecture in China

Historical materials, practices, and forms are revived in the next generation of Chinese design.

www.architectmagazine.com

«James Cook RRS» teatre...

This thesis is about the re-design and reuse of the research ship «James Cook RRS». The new proposal addresses hosting an entire troupe in order to promote the Greek culture by touring theatre performances among Mediterranean harbors.

 

The design is studied in three axes. O first axis focuses on the right movement and accommodation of the crew to all areas of the ship and the second on the hospitality and comfortable accommodation of actors. The third axis focuses on the areas of the theatre (main stage and ancillary areas - workshops, dressing rooms, etc. -), targeting the correct functionality and addressing the ship as a place of fun and entertainment of the public.

 

www.greekarchitects.gr

Marble Spaghetti...

 

...the Italian pavilion showed the spaghetti-measuring-device by designer Manuel Barbieri commissioned by Scandola Company. The dimension of the openings allows one to precisely measure ...
Source: www.stone-ideas.com

the Architecture of a Tomato, Life Plant

 

The motto of this Expo (ongoing until October 31st, 2015) is „Feeding the planet, energy for life“. The Tomato is among our most important plants, genetically closely related to the potato, peppers and eggplants.
Source: www.stone-ideas.com

 

Deep Skins

 

The skyscraper is one of the type of architecture which is still under the strong influence of Modern architecture. Generally, a skyscraper is limited to flat floors for efficiency of construction and glass façades for placing premium on expansive vistas of the city below. Therefore, skyscrapers have not changed very much since their introduction unlike other types of architecture, since the height and the transparency of skyscrapers are the absolute standards to determine their values in this era.

Source: www.evolo.us