Adding and removing complexity. An article on the difficulty of building truly green buildings and recent discussions about the healthcare system triggered thoughts about a major transition problem that is occurring over and over again—the problem of a complex hierarchy that demands feeding with extra energy.
Previous posts about the added complexity that digitization brings are pertinent here, but this post is about the general problem of how we respond to limits by adding complexity, and what it might take to remove complexity at the top of the hierarchy without collapse. Green buildings within a growth economy The article that triggered this post was Mehaffy and Salingaros’ article on why green often isn’t and their observation that attempts to build green often results in energy and material-wasting buildings for several reasons. The authors ask, “What’s going on? Top 30 Design Blogs & Resources For Architects. Wish I had such a list when I was a young and impressionable architecture student who couldn't tell a green roof from Astroturf.
Anyhow, things on the larger architecture scene are changing for the better, no doubt fuelled by the exponential growth of green design resources and blogs out there. Though by no means completely complete, if you're keen on getting a steady dose of the latest about design (sustainable or otherwise), or are looking for a job posting, or just need inspiration for your design projects, check out this list of these helpful sites out after the jump. (We invite you to add your favourites as well.)Top Architecture Blogs1. A Daily Dose of Architecture: Written by John Hill, a New York City resident, architecture student and blogger.2. Ecovative Design. Loving the Mother - Earth Homes.