archiTEXTBlog

D) All of the Above

What to blog about today? I just don’t know. I have been thinking about Robert Venturi’ Vanna House and the humorous role it play in symbolic post-modern architecture. I have also been fascinated by the Seattle public Library and the story behind it’s making; the process, the collaboration, and the final result. “Life Between Buildings: Using Public Space” by Jan Gehl has also been filling my spare time. So much to talk about! Which one to go with!?

I guess since I cannot decide, I will look for some common ground between all of the aforementioned. I think that all three can be compressed and synthesized into this: they are all starting points.

While reading about the Vanna house and trying to understand why this piece of architecture is so important to the post-modern movement I was re-directed to other information such as Historical roles of architects (only designing the facade of a building and leaving the rest up to someone else).

While researching the Seattle Public Library I was fascinated by its construction and the role it plays in the community of downtown Seattle. The Library is, in itself a starting point for so many things that go on within it. It is certainly not a typical library, it offers its inhabitants a place to meet, to socialize, to read, to converse, to play, to rest, to ponder, and so much more. By facilitating these experiences, the Library assumes a role of a catalyst for so many social and intellectual activities.

In his book, Jan Gehl breaks down social space into 3 basic categories: Necessary, optional, and social. The Necessary being the things that outdoor space must allow, walking, driving, etc.. Optional being spaces such as parks, seating areas etc. He points out that only through the integration of optional spaces do social activities arise. Optional space is a starting point for social activities such as interacting with others, see and hear others, or even just walking by other people.

Let this be a starting point for you!

here are some links….

Vanna House

Seattle Public Library

The fascinating work of Jan Gehl

-i.i

Avatar…James Cameron you've done it again!

Every since its release on December 18^th, 2009, Avatar has taken off in high momentum.  Avatar has already beat the last record-setting movie, Titanic, by surpassing the 2.05 million dollar mark with many theaters still currently selling out quickly.  Critics are raving about it and so far it’s already been nominated for nine Oscar awards, including best picture of the year, of course.

The storyline is based on a human invasion into a far-away moon that is occupied by the Na’vi, an Aboriginal-like race that is extremely athletic, beautiful and peace-loving.  The human invasion seeks to terminate the Na’vi race in order to gain control and access of their land and the rich minerals that lies beneath the land.

The 3D format of the movie took a little getting used to, but once you get past the first ten or fifteen minutes, you truly feel mesmerized by all the special effects of the movie.  The characters are brought to life in the 3D format; the cinematography and the computer animation make all the characters and scenery amazingly “real” in the movie.  I was personally amazed in how life-like the computer animation was that it made the two and a half hour long movie fly by.  There have, of course, been 3D movies in the past, but James Cameron has perfected the 3D movie format and took it to the next level.  Avatar has basically set the standard for all future 3D movies and the bar has been set high. 

What’s next in your line up James Cameron?  We’re ready.

-KL

Going digital.

Today I’m thinking about architecture and social media, about the virtual tools we use as designers and thinkers to promote, educate, increase awareness, and actually design.  This particular stream of consciousness comes as a result of an invitation I received to speak on a panel tonight at Urban Strategies, a firm here in Toronto, during Social Media Week, exploring these relationships between the way we build cities and the way we use our virtual tools in the context of public engagement and design.

So as I think, as we think, I invite you to think with us, and reflect on these questions.

• How can social media help communities think about design and build the kind of communities they want?  How can these tools help planners and local governments stay in touch with people to make planning more effective and representative?
• What are some of the challenges in a virtual dialogue?
• What contexts work best for employing social media tools?  For example, do you need long-standing institutions like the City and Provincial offices to maintain and interact with a website or employ a blogger?  What is the role for short-term presence of consultancies?
• How do we expand upon our notion of public consultation with social media?  For example, at the outset of engagement projects we create a list of community leaders that we should contact, with the notion that these are trusted public figures who then disseminate information to their networks.  Should this list be expanded to include local bloggers as well?
• How can social media be used to educate and empower communities to strategize to effect change in their community/neighborhood/city?  Is such a role for social media better-suited to activist organizations, or is there a place for consultancies and municipalities to encourage this kind of dialogue?

As those who of you who follow our work closely - both digitally (blog, Facebook, Twitter) and via analog (participate/volunteer with our projects, attend our shows/events, read our literature) - we do not align ourselves with one particular side, as we find (in the work we do, particularly because it’s range of media is so broad) there are pros and cons to both sides. But as these questions are posed, I’m trying hard to reconcile where we fall.  Being ideologically in love with the concept of conversation lends itself to both wanting to capture that digitally (and virally) as well as honoring the quality of the conversation that emerges in a physical space.

Let us know where you weigh in.  Analog or digital, your choice.

-ZE

archiTEXT Film Night - Garbage!

We had our inaugural Film Night last night, the first of a series that will run every 3rd Wednesday of the month until June. For our first screening, we showcased Garbage, a film by Andrew Nisker. It is a documentary on “how the family household has become one of the most ferocious environmental predators of our time.”

The prepping of the film night was both fun and a learning experience. Just learning how to go about booking things through the DX, sending out the invites, timing of the invites and even learning from our mistakes, it was fun and rewarding. We also organized a bake sale with all of the proceeds from the bake sale going towards Doctors with Borders in Haiti.

The film was eye-opening, educational, a little depressing but extremely rewarding with knowledge. The consumption entry I did a few month back, tracking all of my consumption, was only the tip of the iceberg. Yes, I did try to track what I consumed during the day, but that mostly consisted of electricity. I did not track the life cycles of my water consumption, of where the energy came from that I did use, my wet waste, dry waste, where it went. All of that Andrew does track with his friend’s family. They accumulated so much garbage over a course of 3 months, it was incredible. And to think, that was only a single family. How many are there just within GTA? Even, the city workers’ strike back in the summer was a bit of a shocker as to just how much garbage our city throws away. After the strike, all of it just magically went away. Where? As some people in the film put it, it just went away and he didn’t care where it went. For more information on the film, visit the website: www.garbagerevolution.com/.

So, my friends, I challenge you to track your garbage, maybe not for three months but start small, for say, 1 week. How much garbage do you throw away?

Thanks all to those who came out last night. We had so much fun putting the night together. And we’re going to do it all over again on February 17th. We will be screening The Islands Project, a film by Chef Michael Stadtlander. It’s going to be exciting so hope to see you there!

-SL

The iPad....really Apple?..really??

Now that the excitement of Apple’s iPad (such a bad name by-the-way) announcement has begun to calm I’m sure the majority of you are taking the time to actually look into its features and benefits. But just in case you haven’t here’s a quick summary:

1. THERE AREN’T ANY!!

Many critics are simply underwhelmed and dissatisfied with Apple’s latest creation. There is, without a doubt, much disappointment surrounding the iPad; not just with critics but with consumers as well. It’s list of shortcomings is a long one, but here are some:

• No multitasking
• No Adobe Flash (yet)
• No camera or iChat capabilities
• No HDMI port
• Dependence on adapters
• Fairly heavy
• Made of glass

Why not just get a iTouch?! They do the exact same things! And how impractical is the iPad anyway?! Who’s going to want to carry around a 10”x8” glass screen when they have to carry their laptop too?! Talk about unnecessary baggage. Also, let’s not forget about the price beginning at $500…$500 for a gigantic iTouch?! No thanks.

I think I speak for the majority of us when I say, “Really Apple, you can do better!”

-A.L.

Beautiful Losers: Artist or Designer?

Is a designer an artist?

Is an artist a designer?

Is an architect an artist?

Last week, I had the chance to finally watch the documentary film - the Beautiful Losers - which is a thoughtful look into the lives, the art, and the culture of New York’s Beautiful Losers (Shepard Fairey, Ed Templeton, Mike Mills, etc.).  The film was fantastic - their story even more inspiring - and it threw me into a conceptual tailspin for the rest of the week.

I myself - and most other designers - walk this fine line between art and design.  It’s an age old debate, it’s an age old question, and it’s actually not that interesting. Nonetheless, I have found myself dwelling on it for the last seven days, with no good answer, but rather a defiant sense that I am inherently both (which many vehemently disagree with).  As designers, we create - everything we do you can hold, or use, or touch, or interact with.  But the dozens of steps that get that object in your hand, on your site, into your home, is the art, is the explosion of color and style and texture and inner dissatisfaction with the way the existing iteration of that object or building is truly and very simply, art.

Architecture is a great gesture to conceptual art, as most of architecture - even though laden with meaning - is left up for interpretation, it is a seemingly blank canvas filled with incredibly contrived and pointed ideas.

So I’m digging my heels, the defiant child in me is saying, we can be both.

Now, where’s my paintbrush?

-ZE

Just Believe.

It must come first. Without it, there is no point, there is no conviction, and there is no value. If you don’t believe, than what’s the point? Why do something, anything, if you don’t believe?

So what is all the hype about? What is the big deal about believing in something?

Belief will keep you going when everything else is trying to stop you. Belief will guide you when all else confuses you. It will fill the dark room with a bright light. It will cast away misery and replace her with hope. If you don’t believe you can, than you certainly won’t.

So please, Just Believe.

-i.i

Ancient vs Modern Ways

Hola from Mexico!! I am lucky enough to attend a good friend’s wedding in Mexico this week. The weather has been fabulous and the company incomparable. We took a day trip today to the ancient city of Tulum and I thought I would share with you some of my thoughts of the day. Unfortunately, I have no pictures to share at the moment as the computer in the resort does not allow for flashdrive uploads.

Tulum is one of the last Mayan cities built in Mexico, circa 1100 AD. It is built on the coast of the Carribean Sea, about 20 miles away from what is today, Playa del Carmen. There are only 3 entrances into the city, though that is not what amazed me. What does amaze me is how solid their ideas of construction are, without the use of our modern day technologies.

Security
Built into a cliff, the city is protected on three sides by the natural landscape. On its fourth side is the sea. Even that is protected by the natural coral reef that is about 100m from the shoreline. There is only a small break in the reef to allow for boats to safety access the shore.

Materials
Often using what is local to the area, limestone was used as a night time marker. It is naturally reflective and used at night to guide people along pathways. House foundations were built with solid rocks and stones. The mortar was a combination of limestone, tree sap, sand and egg white. Understanding that hurricane winds blew through the region, houses were built at an angle to the sea, to protect itself against the strong winds.

Astronomy
The Mayans developed their own calendar, based on when the sun shone though various areas in their buildings. Summer, fall, winter, spring solistices were determined by the sun and the stars, without any other knowledge. Amazing.

Comparison?
This type of knowledge, the use of the sun and the stars, was not unique to the Mayans. The Incas also applied the same knowledge, as did many other tribes around the world. It makes me sometimes think that for all of our technological advances, I don’t think we are necessarily smarter today than we were 1000 years ago. Yes, we may live longer, we have many more “toys” with which to entertain ourselves with, but at what cost does this come? Coming back to the resort, I see all of the uses of energy being put into the place, uses which I freely admit to enjoying. After the disaster in Haiti, it makes me wonder whether we should just take a step back, slow down a little, rethink how we are building in order to make things last.

So, you might be asking how the resort is then? Check in with my blog in a few days for a resort review: www.urbanspectrum.wordpress.com.

Until then, hasta luegos amigos!

-SL

We're even engaging this little guy.

It’s amazing what a community can do.

With every day that passes, we continue to be humbled by the strength and unity of the community in East Scarborough (the home to our Community. Design. Initiative.)  On the heels of last week’s exciting announcement and subsequent coverage about the partnership of the Storefront with law firm Heenan Blaikie to sponsor the Business Incubator that will be housed in our new building, the project continues to dynamically (and quickly) grow.

Last night, over 70 community members - ranging from the one you see above, to teenagers, to the elders in the community - showed up to evaluate the five models that were designed by the youth at our November charrette, to distill the best of each of the five down into one unified program for the new building.

What was most incredible was the how articulate the youth were in explaining their architectural models to a crowded civic space full of people - and how responsive and thoughtful the community was in being incredibly pragmatic while also dreaming big.  The level of engagement was fascinating, inspiring, butterfly-inducing, brilliant. To see such a diverse range of people evaluating these youth-made models, and giving them so much consideration…was…without sounding like too much of a cliche….incredibly moving.

Our project architect, Paul Dowsett (of the firm Sustainable) will now incubate with the youth design team to create a proposed model that will be ready for the beginning of March.  The youth will then begin their co-op placements in architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture firms to create the plans for the building so construction can begin in Spring 2011.

Humbled and excited….what a great way to be.

-ZE

2010 Olympic Winter Games logo – like it or hate it?

Last week we were discussing the concepts around successful logo designs in class and my professor brought the 2010 Olympic Winter Games logo – the Inukshuk – and how he thought it was not an accurate representation of Canada as the host of the 2010 Olympic Games.

The context around his point was that good design needs to be appropriate and relevant.  The Inukshuk, meaning “in the likeness of a human” in Inuit, was historically used only in the upper territories of Canada by the Inuit to serve as navigational and directional aids, to mark a place of respect or memorial for a beloved person or to indicate migration routes or places where fish could be found.  The piles of rock were formed to create a human likeness and the traditional meaning of the symbol is “someone was here” or “you are on the right path.” 

Designed as a logo for the 2010 Olympics Games, he pointed out that the Inukshuk history doesn’t represent Canada in its entirety since the symbol has only started being used outside of the upper Canadian territories recently and not in the traditional sense.  He argues that Inukshuks are used more-so these days as symbolic pieces of art to honour and remember the Inuit culture instead of having the deep cultural relevance attached.

Personally, I think the Inukshuk design for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games is wonderfully designed.  Canada is such a melting pot of diverse cultures and ethnicities that its fabric is continually changing and it would be difficult to find one symbol that had held relevance to all in this country.  Regardless of the historical use of the symbol, the meaning behind the Inukshuk can be as relevant today in our Olympic athletes as it once was historically - you are on the right path.

Thoughts?

-KL

Team Conan or Team Jay?

I’m sure  most of you - if not all of you - have heard about the recent entertainment scandal involving The Tonight Show hosts Conan O’Brien and Jay Leno. For those who haven’t, here’s a summary:

Around January 10th, the story broke that Jay Leno will be reclaiming his old time slot of 11:35-12:35. There was speculation that NBC exercised a loophole that allowed them to give Conan a portion of his timelsot back without paying Conan a penalty - this was not the case. In fact, NBC was in breach of its contract with Conan by moving the start time of his show. As a result Conan was left with three options:

1) Quit the show and spend the next four years on the beach.

2) Go either to FOX or ABC.

3) Eat crow and take the 12:05-1:05 time slot.

In his Tonight Show’s following the release of this information, Conan made it clear that he wasn’t going to take this lying down, saying he was now available for childrens parties and  was even considering a porn deal (clearly anything is better than staying with NBC). So, negotiations began as Conan wanted out and wasn’t leaving without receiving a substantial consolation prize.

Throughout all of this Leno has kept relatively quiet, and has been getting a lot of heat from the public, other late show hosts and celebrities. Leno and Conan also took a couple jabs at each other in their recent monologues; things were getting ugly.

Today, the news broke that Conan and NBC have finally reached a deal - a $45 million deal to be exact. The deal sees tomorrow night as Conan’s last night to host The Tonight Show, and Leno’s return to the coveted desk as of March 1st.

It was reported that O’Brien was holding out for a deal that would take care of his non-union workers who didn’t have long term agreements with NBC. According to Conan’s manager, he will divert some of his own settlement monies into the staff pool, but will still walk away with $33 million in his pocket.

This disruption of NBC’s late night has reawakened mass interest in the genre. Conan’s ratings have grown by about 50 per cent since his decision to leave, and Jay’s has remained at a low plateau.

Personally, I’m “Team Conan” all the way - he’s actually funny! Generally speaking, he appeals to a younger crowd, and isn’t that the way to go when you’re a major television corporation? I tried watching The Jay Leno Show a couple times and couldn’t get passed the monologue - the jokes just weren’t funny to me.

Will Leno have what it takes to reclaim his seat behind The Tonight Show desk? Or will his now somewhat tarnished reputation hinder ratings for the legendary Tonight Show?

Thoughts?

- A.L.