INTERVIEW: Genslers Chris Chan on the Sustainable Shanghai Tower, Asias Tallest Skyscraper In 2008 Gensler broke ground on the sustainable Shanghai Tower in the Pudong district of Shanghai, China. The tower is currently in construction and it’s one of three supertall buildings in Pudong, including the Jin Mao Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center. The elegant structure spirals up to the sky, and once it is completed in 2014 it will become the second tallest tower in the world — only second to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. The 632 meter tall structure is a testament to both modern architecture and the potential of engineering, and it also sets a precedent for sustainable super structures. The tower will take the form of nine cylindrical buildings stacked atop each other, enclosed by layers of glass, and hosting public space for visitors including atriums, gardens, cafes, restaurants, retail space, a hotel, and 360-degree views of the city. This interview is brought to you by Autodesk – Removing the barriers to better business. These tools are constantly evolving.
Laurence Kemball-Cook's innovation: the Pavegen | Environment | The Observer Lawrence Kemball-Cook. Photograph: Antonio Olmos "I just knew this idea had legs," says Laurence Kemball-Cook, ignoring the puns that come with the invention of an "energy-harvesting paving system" and explaining his confident leap, at just 24, from Loughborough University graduate and industrial design engineer to one of the most feted young innovators in the UK. Kemball-Cook's Pavegen system is about to shift our perceptions of renewable energy. When you or I step on one of these paving stones, 5% of the energy we create is used to light up its central LED light, and the rest is stored in a battery (for up to three days) and can be used for any low-power application. So as the public walk, their footsteps are harvested, and they don't necessarily even realise it's happening. Currently, the invention is in the final rounds of testing, not least because these paving stones will need to withstand up to eight million footsteps in their lifetime.
Green Building Councils from around the globe celebrate World Green Building Week | 2012-09-20 | Floor Covering The green building community is celebrating World Green Building Week with events around the globe that shine a spotlight on the key role of buildings in conserving resources, saving money and creating jobs while providing healthier places to live, learn, work and play. Organized by the World Green Building Council, the week has united 90 nations representing more than 20,000 organizations as they hold conferences, tours, educational events and gatherings that celebrate this year's theme, "Green Buildings for Great Communities." World Green Building Week highlights the role of green buildings in creating greener and healthier neighborhoods, communities and cities, and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is leading efforts nationally through events promoting green, resilient buildings and highlighting those who benefit most, our children. USGBC's World Green Building Week activities include: For more information on World Green Building Week, visit worldgbc.org.
We Are Now One Year Away From Global Riots, Complex Systems Theorists Say What’s the number one reason we riot? The plausible, justifiable motivations of trampled-upon humanfolk to fight back are many—poverty, oppression, disenfranchisement, etc—but the big one is more primal than any of the above. It’s hunger, plain and simple. If there’s a single factor that reliably sparks social unrest, it’s food becoming too scarce or too expensive. In a 2011 paper, researchers at the Complex Systems Institute unveiled a model that accurately explained why the waves of unrest that swept the world in 2008 and 2011 crashed when they did. The MIT Technology Review explains how CSI’s model works: “The evidence comes from two sources. Pretty simple. But how accurate is the model? Today, the food price index is hovering around 213, where it has stayed for months—just beyond the tip of the identified threshold. “Recent droughts in the mid-western United States threaten to cause global catastrophe,” Yaneer Bar-Yam, one of the authors of the report, recently told Al Jazeera.
The Architecture of Australian Housing - Unconventional Wisdom After a decade of an almost uninterrupted rise, the Australian housing market is finally easing. Recent media and market commentators, especially from abroad, are suggesting the housing market in Australia is nearing a collapse which will have dire consequences for the banking sector and the broader economy. At Donnelly Wealth Management it is in our DNA to ensure all facts are considered when making a call that have implications on where we might allocate capital for our clients. The status of the Australian housing market is no exception. Although it is an asset class that most people tend have a significant exposure towards, often both in terms of capital allocated and in terms of local knowledge, it is an asset class where few have a broad yet still detailed overview of the underlying fundamental drivers which are critical to determine the risk-reward profile of the asset class. In this paper we seek to provide such overview. Hostage of a Commodity Super-Cycle Localized Strains Capital
Modern Architecture « iamkoream The best architectural designs don’t need to look overcomplicated, they just need to be effective. This sleek pair of 17-story office buildings in Seoul by South Korean firm BCHO architects is a perfect example. The architects took inspiration from an old Korean birch tree trunk, organic and sculpted as if molded by flowing water. The design allows the structures to efficiently utilize the irregular site conditions, which are composed of vaguely acute angles. With a heavy amount of pedestrian activity in the area, a space was intentionally placed between the buildings to minimize above-ground disruptions. A Roly Poly-Looking Hotel That Will Protect You From A Noah-Sized Flood All images courtesy of Remistudio via Daily Mail With all the 2012 doomsday predictions continually swirling around, it’s safe to say that if the world were to end in a natural disaster of Noah proportions, we may not all be quite as doomed as we originally thought, thanks in part to the Ark Hotel. Designed by Russian firm Remistudio, the floating shell-shaped hotel was conceived as a “self-contained haven” to withstand rising flood levels and even tidal waves. Add To Collection Save this image to a collection The floating biosphere offers guests security, with a mixture of structural supports that evenly distribute weight and which proves invulnerable to earthquakes. Designed with the assistance of the International Union of Architects’ program Architecture For Disaster Relief, Remistudio’s Alexander Remizov has expanded upon the project, saying: “For architecture, there are two major concerns. [via Daily Mail]
Gigantic Energy-Generating Waterfall Skyscraper Could Power the 2016 Rio Olympics This renewable energy generating tower located on the coast of Rio is one of the first buildings we’ve seen designed for the 2016 Rio Olympics, and boy, is it crazy! (In case you didn't notice, it's also a waterfall.) The Solar City Tower is designed by Zurich-based RAFAA Architecture & Design, and features a large solar system to generate power during the day and a pumped water storage system to generate power at night. RAFAA's goal is that a symbolic tower such as this can serve as a starting point for a global green movement and help make the 2016 Olympic Games more sustainable. The self-sustaining tower for the 2016 Olympic Games is designed to create renewable energy for use in the Olympic Village as well as the city of Rio. A large solar power plant generates energy during the day. Access to the eco tower is gained through an urban plaza and amphitheater 60 meters above sea level, which can be used for social gatherings. + RAFAA Architecture & Designs Via Ecofriend