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.

All I Want for Christmas is a KitHAUS!

Imagine retreating to a studio oasis. A place where your drafting board would face windows, windows that would allow your view to extend over a setting of your choice. Where glass doors could be slid open to allow a fresh breeze. An environment where clear glass walls could open you up to the landscape, but also where wooden blinds could be closed to insulate you from the noise of the outside world. Instead of the stale, warm air, and the incessant chatter of your current studio environment, this place would be under your control, it would be of your own design.

The prefab units KitHaus by Design Within Reach create these kind of environments. The 'houses' can be situated on any landscape, as a studio or as a guest house. Their footprint is small and they are built using green design principles. When purchasing a Kithaus you have the opportunity to DIY by choosing from an array of material esthetics. While a price tag of $29 500 to $44 900 limits our opportunity to test the KitHAUS, I like the way Design within Reach has made a structure which can be integrated into several environments. Also I like the way the prefab units incorporate the landscape into their interior environments. KitHAUS makes the inside of the structure more about the outside environment then about its own interior composition. The fluidity between the interior and exterior environments in this little Haus make it an appealing space, and one that is different from traditional built structures. This difference creates a space in the KitHaus which seems separate from the work place. The differentiated environment creates a space I would like to work in, and they are just so cute!

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.

Sustainable the New Postmodern?

In conclusion to a recent class, Jae shared his vision for the future of design. He stated that while previous stages of design included modernism and postmodernism, the next phase of design would be 'sustainable'. Jae warned us that as designers we would have to negotiate, and possibly even abandon our esthetic and creative desires in favor of sustainability. To really become sustainable, Jae insisted that we must relinquished some control of our designs to sustainable materials.

These insights enlightened me and made me aware that I struggle with these issues. In particular, when I designed my garment for our last studio project my greatest challenge was to let go of my desire to create a beautiful esthetic, and to instead allow ecological fabrics and the garment's function to dictate its form. Jae's comments inspired me to remove some of my own esthetic taste and become more sustainable. Since reflecting on these ideas, I have also become more aware of how my own preferences can limit my design choices.

As we move forward into a new era of sustainable design our greatest challenge will be to rethink our notions of beauty, or the artistic whims that Jae described. However, once we negotiate the use of sustainable materials and our own vision as designers, we will be free to create exciting new esthetics.

An example of this forward thinking design comes from 5468796 who in their redesign of EQ3 have:

"identified a large surplus of glass water bottles from restaurants in [Vancouver] as a material resource that typically ends up in the landfill. Instead, the bottles will be used to clad the existing facade to create a visually engaging and environmentally friendly feature - filtering daylight and protecting interior furnishings. The project’s innovation lies in its ability to combine opportunities for branding, community involvement and a new, greener direction for EQ3." (http://www.5468796.ca/)

Here the firm has merged its creative vision with sustainability. 5468796's innovation creates an interesting, fresh, and beautiful environment, exemplifying the sustainable phase design is moving towards. -Katie

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!