Reflections for Last Class

Our last lecture for the semester was given to us by Anna, a professor from the landscape department. Originally from Germany, Anna brought to the class a huge knowledge base of green roof's and a variety of different practices. The green roofs that were shown as examples from Germany were outstanding. Some places looked as if you wouldn't even know you had neighbours because the buildings and its rooftops were completely outfitted with greenery. The main difference in the number of green roof's here in Winnipeg versus Germany was not due to climatic factors, but instead the difference in our laws. In Germany, developers must compensate to add more green space if they are to build something. This is a concept that Winnipeg should definitely start looking into. 

The different layers that are needed to create a green roof and different soil levels to accommodate certain plants were explained to us. We also learned the difference between a Green Roof and a Roof Garden, the latter being accessible to the public and the prior only used for ecological purposes. Some may say green roof's are "tarting up  a building", but I believe green roofs are an excellent way of integrating the built form and nature. The roofs provides us with heating and cooling services and water retention, at the same time putting green landscapes back into the city.

Jae ended the semester with an anecdotal experience in his architecture career involving, 14 cats, a dying woman, and a grow op. My views about design have definitely changed and expanded as a result of Natural and Human Systems. My human-centric thoughts that design is for people first has definitely changed with the realization that architects design for everyone and everything (including cats). I must say overall I really enjoyed the variety of people who lectured in our class. I found the blog to be extremely effective in getting students to explore all the innovative types of designs and technologies out already in development or practice.

Green Walls Patrick Blanc

Our last class lecture on green roof's inspired me to search for other ways of integrating the natural world onto our buildings. It didn't take me long before I came across the work of Patrick Blanc. A botanist and designer, Patrick Blanc has created the most stunning vertical gardens I have ever seen. Inspired by plants that grew on surfaces such as rock and needing little soil, he used the same principles of these plants and applied them to our wall surfaces. His vertical gardens turn the city from an urban jungle to an actual jungle. This is another great example of learning from nature and how we can use observed ecological principles to better the overall quality of life aesthetically and environmentally. An aspect which makes vertical gardens more appealing to me than a green roof is that it isn't hidden up on top of a building. Gardens on walls allows for more direct and interactive design.

Life is Much Better Under the Sea?

Well, it only is for the incredibly rich and probably only for a few weeks. Currently under construction in Dubai is Hydropolis, one of the world's few luxury underwater hotel. The new underwater wonder contains the land tunnel, connecting station and finally the submarine leisure complex. Architect Joachim Hauser is leading the project located 20m below the surface of the Arabian Gulf.  He takes the building of Hydropolis further than just a project, but a passion. His general plan is to create a living space in the sea and also believes the future of architecture and city planning lies within it. By creating this 260 hectare hotel underwater, Hauser believes this will bring attention to the problems marine ecosystems face such as the destruction of coral reef's. 

I'm not exactly sure how sustainable the practice of building and maintaining an underwater hotel is, but it would be an interesting alternative to our land use practices. Underwater architecture could be a possibility for coast settlements to adapt to rising sea levels. A positive aspect I foresee in being completely submerged in water is that we wouldn't have to worry about flooding anymore.

 The subject of underwater architecture is one with little known about it and there are even more aspects about the ocean that are unknown. I definitely have some reservations about the idea of building in marine ecosystems: whether if humans can adapt to being underwater for long periods of time or if expanding our cities into the ocean will only cause more damage to Earth's ecosystems. There has definitely been in a trend for human settlements to wreck havoc on nearby ecosystems. Perhaps Hauser could have chosen a more appropriate gesture to save the coral reefs, I feel that a 260 hectare underwater hotel would do more damage than good to marine life. 

Reflections for November 20 Class

Dr. Mallory Hill was back this week to continue about architecture and our senses. Hearing was the major sense she focused on, giving a very interactive lecture by incorporating music, interviews and other types of sounds. It has been hypothesized that humans are musical creatures. Since the beginning of human culture, we have had some form of music. It is a stimulus which can activate different pleasure centers in our brain and often has an emotional affecst on us. Similar to how we like diversity in our urban landscapes, our brain also seeks for diversity when it comes to sound. We tend to want to dance more to more syncopated beats versus steady beats. Our brains our constantly seeking challenges in the sounds and sights we experience. "Architecture is Frozen Sound" was a quote that really resonated with me. I realized we often use musical terms to speak about architecture. For example, we can say the row of windows creates a sense of rhythm or all the visual elements work to form a composition. All the examples shown of Architecture and Sound were built with not only with aesthetics in mind, but also the function. Music Halls took into account, what type of sound they wanted to achieve, and even factored in the audience as sound absorbers. Architecture also influenced types of music like the Gregorian Chant because the Cathedrals were built so large and reverberant, people had to sing a specific way. 

The second half of the class dealt with Flood Architecture taught by our program head, Ed Epp. Living in Winnipeg makes this lecture one with important context. Flooding is an issue our city desperately struggles with. All the information and examples were provided on the website International Centre for Flood Architecture. Once again Scandinavian Countries such as the Netherlands were far ahead the rest of North America in their innovations in dealing with flooding. Many of the examples shown in the Netherlands had human settlements work with and co exist with nature. They City of Delft brought the water in to became part of the cityscape and the community of Grindgaten X used the floating properties of concrete to keep the community afloat. Although the Centre for Flood Architecture is quite new, I predict this centre and the research it's doing will gain momentum in the years to come, where flooding will be a problem many cities will need to face with climate change.

Ur an 8

The crafty folks at NASA have once again out done themselves. Although they haven't been able to turn water into wine (which I'm sure it's just because they haven't tried) they're pretty close: NASA has the technology to turn pee into drinking water. According to NASA, the new Water Recovery System will be able to support more people in the International Space Station with "water so pure it rivals the cleanest on Earth". The emergence of this technology is so important to the current water crisis. Imagine the possibilities, this machine could hydrate millions who walk miles for a few buckets of water that is often unclean. We already try to recycle as much as possible, why not add pee to the list?

I understand that most people are opposed to drinking urine, but we must admit it seems like a very sustainable idea. In a world quenched for every drop of potable water, shouldn't we be keeping our options open? I mean I'd rather drink purified pee than nothing at all. I'm sure most of the people who live in countries that don't have drinking water wouldn't mind drinking clean, safe water even if it is purified from urine. Anyways, the point isn't about who would drink pee and who wouldn't, but more so that we are currently facing a HUGE water crisis. With a resource so necessary for us to live approaching dangerously low levels, it is imperative we seek new, sometimes unconventional solutions.

Reflections for November 13 Class

This week was another split class. Our first guest speaker was Dr. Ted McLaughlan from the Landscape department. I found this lecture to be so useful for our current studio project of creating a city.  He started off the lecture with an example from the artist David Nash. By creating a wooden boulder, Nash was able to see how water would change the boulder over time. He kept track of this boulder for 35 years!!! This example really illustrated how everything we design is put in a state of flux as soon as it's made. Definitely a thought we need to keep in mind when designing something as large as a city. 

An urgent issue Dr. McLaughlan brought up was the depletion of our fresh water resources. He really put the situation into perspective by showing a diagram of the entire water supply of earth as a large water jug and only one table spoon of it was potable water. It wasn't all doom and gloom though,  we were introduced different methods where nature can be used to do the tasks of water retention and water purification. It seems to me that most of the solutions to the problems we have today can be found in natural ecosystems. The most uplifting story Dr. McLauglan shared with us was the return of pickerel to Sturgeon Creek. Watching the pickerel spawn will definitely be on my list of things "to do" when I have a bit more time... I also enjoyed this lecture because he pointed out something that seemed so obvious that I never realized: the progression of a stream system looks like a growing tree!

Our next speaker was also from the Landscape department. I had seen this (almost) exact lecture last year in Intro to Environmental design, but nonetheless it was a good refresher. The images of former projects he showed us were very beautiful. I was especially drawn to Snow White and the Seven Gardens because of it's cleverness. Our speaker (I missed his name) brought to light the things a garden is/could be: a place of cultivation, a moment in time. All the projects shown were so clean in their design, really demonstrating that anything superfluous should be left out.  

Reflections for November 6 Class

I felt that this week's lecture would have been quite useful last week as it touched on the subject of mapping. But nonetheless, Dr. Jean Trottier provided a very useful lecture on design process. He gave us a quirky analogy of how eating a lobster is similar to design, if you don't understand how the components fit together, it can get pretty messy. He also made a good point that scales are irrelevant, and that the functions of spatial elements can be applied anywhere. It's very important to understand spatial hierarchies and how they relate no matter what discipline of design we may choose. Dr. Trottier went through the steps of development program, site documentation and inventory, and finally analysis. The GIS mapping system was also introduced to us, a program that all designers now use to understand the land on which they build on. It's so important to understand what is going on in the soil and hydrology to prevent disastrous accidents ie. building on places prone to mudslides.  Slopes also are a big part of consideration when building a structure. Using a simple trigonometry equation you can figure out the slope of any site, finally an application of grade 10 math. A strong message Dr. Trottier left with us is that we shouldn't build on the most interesting part of a site, instead we should use it! An observation that seems so logical and simple, but not often practiced.  The example used was the Barnes House, by Patkau Architects. Instead of building on the top of the mountain, the house was designed to work with the slope. The entrance of the house is the lowest point and you worked your way up to the common area where the beautiful view was the climax. This way the view became a very powerful experience, indeed a very successful way to design.

Experiment in the desert

Masdar, a new ambitious city plan funded by an oil rich Abu Dhabi government is currently underway in the UAE. Their goal is to build a city ground up that will house ~47 000 people, have no carbon emissions, no cars, and no waste by 2015. Combining the brightest researchers, scientists and technology they have planned what the sustainable city of the future should be.

The ideas in the initiative a refreshing way to re-create the cityscape. I would love to live in a place with no cars. Just think  the decrease in stress and accidents if no one had to drive. As great as this new Carbon Zero city sounds, we have to remember things work differently in reality. This environmentally utopian city really isn't dealing with our current problems of existing infrastructure. It's ignoring a massive problem our generation needs to face: the millions of people already living in suburbs. 

Masdar initiative has an immense budget to work with. By building everything from scratch with a virtually unlimited budget (so it seems) relieves the designers of a huge restriction. It gives them freedom to implement all the ideas they have. Rarely does this ever happen in reality. Masdar may be environmentally sustainable, but is it sustainable socially and economically? I mean how many countries can build a city ground up when they aren't happy with they existing ones? So many new materials are being used to create this city, are they ALL made from recycled materials? When they say Carbon Zero do they take into consideration all the energy and resources needed to build Masdar in the first place? In a bigger sense this reminds me of the disposable mentality we have today, that when we don't like something or get bored of it we just buy a new one.  Building a city from ground up isn't solving the problems of current infrastructure. By building a walled city where only those who can afford it is gentrification and creating large social divides. The situation to me seems like rich people get to enjoy clean air and the freedom from environmental guilt, while the poor remain in the polluted, decaying cities.  

Land is such a precious resource, the answer is not to use more of it. I think we need to work with what we already have. Instead using more land we should stop building and figure out ways to maximize land with boundaries already set. 

Masdar is a great and interesting experiment. It's also great that people are trying to be new and innovate about the ways we go about building our cities. But I feel (for now) this is all it ever will be, an experiment that includes 47 000 wealthy people. We've already invested so much in our current cities, how can we afford to build new cities? I think Masdar should be taken as an incredible experiment from which we can learn from, but to create all new cities like this seems somewhat unrealistic.

Reflections for October 30 Class

The two guest speakers that came to speak in this week's class brought to the table a wide spectrum of knowledge about the design world. Our first speaker was a hard hitting, to-the-point engineering consultant from Stantec Architects. Through a riveting 100+ slides he walked us through various skills like excel and public engagement that is crucial to our future professions, many of these skills not taught in our current schooling. There was also mention about the triple bottom line, and how to mitigate risks when dealing with the uncertainties of the real world. A six step sure fire procedure to maximize success and minimize risk was shown to us, a procedure that can translate into anything you work at in life. 

The second speaker came to our class with a entire different set of information. Dr. David van Vliet provided several case studies of successful planning projects in different Scandinavian countries. These countries seemed to be far ahead of North America in terms of the amount of thought put into the layout of their cities. There are also exhibitions held throughout different cities to promote good design practices in dealing with city growth, something Winnipeg could definitely learn from.

Both speakers had presented very interesting information to the class, but what really stands out in my mind of this week's class is the delivery of information. The contrast between Mr. Carmine Militano's presentation and Dr. David van Vliet was like day and night. Mr. Militano was much more engaging as a speaker and even though I'm not as interested in the business side of architecture (yet), I felt more interested in what he had to say versus Dr. Vliet. Now I'm not sure if Jae co-ordinated that deliberately, but asides from learning about the business side of design and planning, I learned what a difference the delivery of information can make. If we are to really implement our innovative ideas into the real world, we'll have to acquire the ability to convince businesses, developers, government and the public.  

The High Line

Please click High Line for more information

In a city with such stringent limitations on space emerges a slew of outstanding ideas and innovations. With the ecological parameters we are facing with sustainability, designers need to be more creative than ever. Everyone is stepping up their game, creating landscapes filled with ingenuity, beauty, and sense of place. The High Line in New York is just one of the great examples of designing with immense limitations. If you thought Manhattan's west side was already too full, think again.  Landscape architects Field Operations with architects Diller Scofidio+Renfro have created a new park in this densely populated area 30 ft in the air! By using a railway built in the 1930's that ran 22 blocks above ground, the architects of the High Line created a new public green space while keeping historic roots of the city. Along with the benefits of a new green space comes a boom of economic growth for this area. The 1.5 mile above ground park will become the "Central Park" of the 21st century, with High Line branded restaurants, hotels, and retail sure to crop up around it (Sternbergh, 2007).

Winnipeg, also a place with rich historical roots in our railways should draw upon this example as inspiration to transform our down trodden railways into new public spaces be they parks or whatever. Using the land we already have is a practice that Winnipeg has failed to touch upon (note the increasing sprawl outside our city boundaries). Because we don't have such challenging limitations on space such as a city like New York, there is a tendency to become lazy. But that only means we need to be self motivated and take initiative to be aware of our land usage.

The guidelines and parameters we must meet to get our designs to the proper "green code" shouldn't be seen as a hinderance, but instead as an opportunity for designers to push their creativity to the furthest limits.

Reflections for October 23 Class Jeld-Wen

The salesman who gave us a presentation at the Jeld-Wen showroom was very well spoken and provided an array of different sustainability practices their company uses. After everything was said and done, I must say I don't think I was quite sold. Our guide kept on telling the class they used all recycled materials, but a fellow blogger (Ms. Lindsey Weller) brought up the issue that their recycling went to a limited extent. After the transfer of ownership, they would take no responsibility of disposing the product. Their windows and doors would still most likely end up in landfills, majority of them non-biodegradable. They advertise under the banner of recycled materials when really what they do is not waste any of the raw materials they extract. There was no mention of actually using materials from former plastics or wood from waste materials beyond their own. They also use the quote 'walking softly on the Earth' on their website which I feel is a false statement. Their windows and doors still contain PVC's and their Auralast wood doesn't decay. How is creating a product that will take hundreds or more years to return back the Earth a 'soft' impact?

I do commend them for their initiatives on trying to be as sustainable as possible. Long lasting windows and doors will reduce the amount of waste and perhaps save those who can afford them some money in the long run. I just feel that we need to be smart consumers by analyzing if a company's procedures are as green as they make them out to be.

Giving Back to the Grid

Finally, an incentive for me to go to the gym. I've always had reservations about going. Mainly, because I could never piece together why I needed to spend so much money at a facility that consumes so much energy just so I could burn a bit off. All that energy expended by hundreds of thousands of people at gyms just ends up being lost everyday. The most logical thing to do would be to harness this energy people are PAYING to get rid of. Capturing the energy we burn is a more sustainable way to work out, but also more economically feasible for the gyms who would save on electricity bills. In turn that should slash prices on gym fees for customers too. Personally, I think this would put back some of the fun into a grueling work out. Knowing that I could contribute back into the system would motive myself and I'm sure many health conscious environmentally conscious folks to get active at the gym. Perhaps one day we can have this technology in our homes getting everyone to participate in a bit of physical activity on a regular basis. A reduction in North American obesity and energy consumption, talk about killing two birds with one stone.

The inventor, Lucien Gambaroto also makes a few important points about individuals and their ability to contribute at all levels. We don't have to be inventors or government officials to make changes in our environment. Each and every one of us has the ability to enforce change and we have to take responsibility for the decisions we make. As consumers we can choose to support services who are finding alternative ways to fuel themselves. We can write letters to government, invent our own source of energy, and even something as simple as educating others is contributing on some level. 

Creativity is key when solving any problem and luckily its a resource that is in abundance in the human population. I have a theory that if we have enough brain power and creativity to inflict so much damage to the Earth, there is certainly enough brain power and creativity to fix it.

A New Sound

After the lecture on lighting, I wondered about other electromagnetic waves our bodies are constantly submerged in that we can readily detect. The first one that came to mind was sound. Similar to light, sound is another type of radiation that our senses are able to pick up. It is also a natural by product of when we talk, when two objects come into contact with one another, basically whenever air is disturbed (which is almost all the time). There are very few occasions where I find myself in complete silence, even when I sleep I can still hear the wind and cars passing by. Although sound waves contain much less energy than light waves, we shouldn't ignore the fact that it is still a form of energy that constantly surrounds us. A source of energy that we can potentially harness on a smaller scale. This article from Science Daily explains how turning excess heat into electricity by using sound is an efficient way to recycle waste heat.

To see article, please click Sound 

Energy is all around us and in vast amounts, the only problem is tapping into these sources. Opening our eyes and ears to new solutions often found in the most obvious places is necessary to move forward in our search for usable energy. Diversifying and expanding our energy resources will also result in more stable and resilient energy supplies for future generations to come.

Reflections for Class October 16

Two guest speakers joined us in this week's class. The first was Dr. Shauna Mallory-Hill with her lecture about lighting and its effect on people. Our bodies are constantly submerged in electro magnetic waves and one we can predominantly detect with our senses is light. Because we are constantly submerged in light during our waking hours, its important that we create spaces with proper lighting for the health and well being of people. 

When studying light, we have to understand the dynamic relationship between our eyes and light to create a successful environment. Our eyes have developed in specific ways to help us survive in the natural world. We define objects through visual contrast, are able to accommodate from near to far objects, can conceive depth perception by having eyes located on the front of our head, and are able to come to conclusions of what we see by cognitively linking past experiences with our visual experience. Our eyes have evolved to a high level of sophistication, but they still aren't perfect. We still have trouble adjusting between light to dark, more notably bright to dark (it can take up to 30 min for your eyes to fully adjust). As designers we have to keep our eye weaknesses in mind so we don't create potentially vulnerable situations for pedestrians at night.

 

The most predominant source of light we have been using since our species existence is the sun. Next is fire, candles, gas lamps, and finally the advent of electric lights. We were told the difference between sunlight and daylight. Sunlight is direct light from the sun, usually very strong and undesirable, whereas daylight is indirect light from the sun controlled by architecture. Daylighting is often used when creating structures with lots of natural light because of the reduced effects of glare and the heat of the sun. In moderns times, we are now trying to go back to these earlier notions of using the sun as lighting. Our current artificial lighting needs are consuming massive amounts of energy, creating environmental degradation. At the same time also creating negative health impacts on people, disrupting circadian cycles and the release of melatonin (hormone that helps us sleep). It has only been 150 years since artificial electrical lighting was introduced to society, not allowing enough time for our bodies to make the proper adjustments. Sleeping disorders and other sleep related illnesses have surfaced in the recent years showing the negative impacts of artificial lighting.

Dr. Mallory-Hill also presented to us various lighting bulbs giving us examples of various energy efficiencies. The most interesting one to me was the LED lighting that produced no by product heat and had a life time of 80 years. This new lighting technology could potentially reduce our electric energy consumption drastically if made available to everyday consumers.

The next speaker we had was Daniel J. Petrak a former graduate of this program, also interested in light and more so thermal  modeling. His main focus is on using the aspects of natural light as a means to derive the form. Daniel went through the process of his thesis showing us a program where he could perform a technique called light carving (a term David claims to have coined). On this program he was able to create architectural forms based on where the light would come into contact with the structure. He also showed us a software program where you were able to design structures with various climatic conditions at play. 

 

When designing with sustainability in mind, we must sometimes give up our artistic whim and let the ecological parameters guide our creation of the form. Including these ecological parameters at the start of the design will result in something with a more successful, integrated design.

Sleeping our way to a better future

Ever since entering into the Faculty of Environmental design I have been grappling with meeting deadlines and functioning off little sleep. The question that often pops into my head after a 16 hour school day is WHY? Why do we need to do so much in so little time? This question doesn't only apply to this faculty, but in all different professions, life styles and cultures throughout developed worlds. Just looking in the past 100 hundred years we see such an explosive rate of technological advancements and change. Twenty years ago most people didn't even have a cell phone, now most people don't keep the same phone for more than one year. I'm not suggesting that human development is something that is negative, but perhaps the rate that we are developing at is just too fast. The rest of planet earth is struggling to keep up with our needs and demands. Ground water aquifers are been pumped so fast they can't be replenished, soil erosion is happening at a rate where nutrients in the soil can't restore itself, forests, wetlands aren't given enough time to regenerate leaving many species of animals homeless and vulnerable to extinction. Is it absolutely necessary to have twelve hour plus work days? 

Reflecting on our own North American culture, why are we so keen on having everything as fast as possible and why have we built a consumer culture that only wants to consume more? This 'have it now' mentality resonates throughout a variety of aspects in our culture. From our food sector with fast food restaurants where a full meal is ready under one minute, to electronics where after a year a technology is considered 'outdated'. With all the gizmos, gadgets, toys, and things to do in this day and age, we feel like there's so much that needs to be done and so little time to do it. This way of living isn't good for our health or our mental state. What I would like to really know is does it have to be this way (I'm open to anything)? I've been dabbling with the idea that if everyone got more sleep, it would be better for the environment and the overall health of people in general. When we sleep we use minimal amounts of energy compared to when we are awake. No lights, t.v.s, laptops, Blackberrys, etc. are in use consuming energy. With more sleep, people would feel healthier, more alert, and probably more productive. I understand that the production and flow of goods might be slower if we all slept a bit more and worked less, but the slower rate of production could mean a slower rate of consumption. With happier, healthier workers the quality and life span of products would be higher. 

 

I know this more sleeping solution is unrealistic to many people, but I think we do need to start asking more questions about why the way things are and ask if they can be changed to create a better functioning society? When creating new technologies and products we should keep in mind if the product will take time away from the consumer or will it make their lives easier? And there is a difference between a product that is an unnecessary distraction and products that are designed for the health and well being of people. For example, instead of creating more fast food joints, why not have more locally produced food markets so it's more accessible and affordable to cook you own meals? We shouldn't be afraid to question anything and everything. If more questions are being asked, more answers will be produced. Being complacent is no longer an option for the challenges we must face in the years to come. 

In relation to our last lecture about colour, I cam across another blog which touches on the subject of colour and sleep. The blog describes the different effects different colours have on the body. They also give examples of architecture specifically designed for sleep and napping rooms running at $12 for a 20 min nap.

Reflections for October 9 Class

The insights about colour and their effects on people are an important tool to creating well designed interior spaces. Living in a climate such as Winnipeg where we have to spend so much of our time inside, we need to pay attention to every detail. Creating classrooms with soothing colours would help make a more relaxed learning atmosphere, perhaps lowering the amount of anxiety and stress caused by school. Making a space that people want to occupy is one way to increase productivity. The assignment Vaike assigned on colours helped me better understand how the built environment can affect my mood and thoughts, the only problem with generalizing the reactions of colours is not all of the reactions are universal. When I compared my answers with those of a colleague I found our reactions were completely opposite.

Looking good while helping the world

Multi disciplined designer Rogan Gregory is not only helping people in the world look better, but also starting a new eco ethical way to go about it. A product designer turned fashion designer, his diverse designs range from industrial furniture to edgy avant-garde styles in his Rogan collection to light and casual everyday wear in his Loomstate Collection.

For the purpose of this blog, the clothing line of focus is his third line, called Edun. What is so enticing about this specific line besides that he’s partnered up with Bono? Asides from the fact that the clothes are beautiful, they are also made in an eco-ethical fashion. The goal of Edun is “to bring trade not aid to developing nations”. I guess their motto goes after the old saying “give a man a fish; you have fed him for a day. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime”.  With production sites in Tunisia, Peru, and India they are able to meet demands while being able to give more focus to African sites, specifically Tunisia. Rogan and his partners realize the reality that it’s much easier and more cost efficient to source out of places like China, but have committed to creating sustainability wherever they go. Eventually, they would like to get to the point where the factories are benefiting as much as they are.

It's companies like Edun that are really making a difference. They are people who take the more complicated and most likely more expensive route so that more people are able to benefit. This just goest to show that no matter what discipline you're in, you have choices, but most often the right choices are harder to make into reality. What I think makes Rogan so successful is his ability to understand this paradox between sustainability and our culture. He understands that people aren't readily willing to change their way of life. He knows that people won't buy something that is lacking aesthetically, nor will he make it. By creating products that are eco-ethical, but don't compromise the quality of culture, Rogan is successfully making sustainability into reality. 

It would be beneficial for young companies such as EQ3 to look into eco-ethical ways of manufacturing. As innovators in modern design,  they can not only influence people's decisions in aesthetics but also begin a new wave of more sustainable manufacturing practices.

Reflections for October 2 Class EQ3

The trip to EQ3 was a great glimpse into a potential career path for graduates of this program. I found the insight from former grads to be informative and useful.  One of the many pieces of advice that really stuck out in my mind is about not getting too attached to your designs. When creating products in the real world, more economical solutions will often cause our original designs to change. Compromising is a skill we will need to learn to prepare for the business side of design. This was clearly demonstrated through the miniature chair design competition, where the chair picked was chosen because of the affordability to make it. Marcello's chair design was chic, but at the same time could easily be put into production because the molds already existed. I found the tour part of the factory a bit too quick, but nonetheless interesting to see the process a piece of furniture had to go through to end up in a store.

Building your own wind turbine

Backyard wind turbines would be a great and cheap way to generate power in a city as windy as Winnipeg. By building our own sources to generate energy we can starting giving back to the system not to mention save ourselves a whole lot of cash. Here is the definitive guide to making your own wind turbine for under $150! The astronomer (yes he's probably a genius but he claims its really not that hard) who built the turbine gives you a detailed step by step list of instructions, breaks down all the prices of parts, even showing the prices of generators on eBay. 

Click to find out how to harness energy in your own back yard.

The road to finding alternate energy sources able to sustain our wants and needs is not going to be an easy one. We all need to work hard and be self motivated to think of our own solutions instead of waiting for solutions to be discovered by someone else. Because the more ideas we come up with, the better armed we will be to face the many problems we need to confront.

Reflections for September 25th Class

The first part of the class on colours was definitely a new scope of the built environment I never really thought of. It makes sense that because different colours of light contain different amounts of energy it would definitely have varying physical effects on a person. Exploring the origins of colour was a part of the lecture I really enjoyed. We have every colour imaginable at our disposal today that we really take for granted. It's amazing to see how people actually farmed for colour and many of them were considered rare resources at the time. The second part of the lecture was equally eye opening on the subject matter of energy. Although my grasp of the terminology is still not fully there, I think it is important that we are exposed  to it early on in our learning careers.