Green Rooftop Art

Santa Maria Catrina Market employs colour and pattern to describe its function. Its roof is made from Spanish mosaic tiles which relate to the markets cultural context, and whose vivid colours represent the food that market vendors sell. The part I find most important about this structure though is the way that the roof enhances the esthetic of the community. The neighbours views are enhanced by the market's rooftop. This example was shown by Vaike during her lecture on colour, by Jae during our studio input, and I am showing it again here! But I think this example is important and I wanted to post it because I see a strong correlation between this fresh, exciting rooftop/art piece, and the potential for green roofs to achieve the same esthetic in a more sustainable way. In our last lecture the speaker's green roofs were so beautiful that they should be incorporated into future market designs, perhaps growing some of the food the market would sell.

Sensitive, Sustainable Design

It is fantastic to witness how our Studio, Ecology and Design, and Natural and Human Systems projects are informing and building off of one another. Our group's ideas are expanding, and they reflect all that we are learning about sustainability and design. This blog, our projects, and our group meetings strongly reflect this. During our last meeting for the Ecology and Design project to redesign a Winnipeg environment, I was so inspired to see our excitement and engagement. Our decision to redesign Central Park, transforming it into a sustainable and interactive community center, reveals that all we are learning is culminating to influence and better our designs.

On that note, here is an article which outlines the redesign of low income housing units in Cape Town, South Africa. The firm MMA architects has won the Curry Stone Design Prize for its prototype. The architects have used indigenous mud and water building methods which have increased energy efficiency and they have created an "elegant solution for a low-cost, single-family dwelling [that] shows what can be done with simple materials and a sensitive eye to what local people need -- as well as what they bring to the table" (http://www.interiordesign.net/article/CA6601313.html?industryid=48741). In order to further reduce the cost of the dwellings the firm plans to employ volunteer labour from the local people. I think a very significant aspect of this project is the consideration of that which local people need and have to offer. As we move forward into our final projects, I believe it is important to continue to consider everything we are learning about sustainability and design, but also that we are sensitive to our users, and that we allow their input to better our designs.

Colour Your World!

Vaike's recent lecture on colour has increased my own interest in the psychological effects of colour on humans. Her descripitions of the historical significance of colour, of its ties to individual landscapes, and of our own bodies inherent relationship with colour, have made me aware of the relevance of colour in our environments. I now believe that in architecture colour can and should be as important as form, to shape the intention of a space. Bright energetic colours might increase productivity, while calming colours could be used in environments where stress is a factor, such as hospitals. Check out the Bioscleave Fun House designed to help people live longer, healthier lives. This project employs bright, lively colours to give life to a space and the people who inhabit it.

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.

Brooklyn Hip to Sustainable Scene

When I conduct my continual search for designs that succeed and inspire, I have come to develop a certain criteria. In my view, a successful design must embody the spirit, needs, and desires of the user. Through creativity, its form should also communicate its function. The design should innovate in favor of the natural environment and finally, the design should reflect a care for esthetic beauty and detail.

Brooklyn's children's museum expansion designed by Rafael Vinoly Architects, is the latest installment in my search. The museum's expansion opens this fall, and it provides a lovely example of incorporating human factors and sustainable design, without sacrificing esthetic beauty. The museum's whimsical facade creates an inviting entry and reflects its young patrons. Inside the structure, the architects have further integrated their users by employing children's ergonomics to develop handrails and installing porthole windows at different heights, accommodating their various sized clients. The architects have thoughtfully communicated the purpose of the building through its functional, and esthetic details. But perhaps most importantly, they have also made it New York's first LEED Silver Certified museum.

Here is an example of designers who have taken a holistic approach to design. They have succeeded in creating something beautiful, fun, user centered, and sustainable. I hope to do the same!