Environmental sustainability is currently regarded as a critical issue to be addressed in architectural practice. Whilst the issue of sustainability pertains to a wide field of areas ranging from the technical to socio-political, the prevalent approach – evidenced by the numerous energy assessment tools available – appears to define sustainability as a measurable entity, defined narrowly within the parameters of a building’s sustainable technologies. Whilst the understanding and development of these technologies is important in a move towards a sustainable built environment, it seems to overlook the inherent problem which exists today: the social inertia towards environmental sustainability. Furthermore, it may be argued that over-emphasis on a building’s sustainable technologies has the potential to cultivate a mentality that technology will ‘take care of it’, resulting in a loss of responsibility over our own actions.
5.6.09
building ecologies yui + flynn
4.6.09
Reality and the Perceived Future in Architectural Decision Making
Here are my 6 A3 sheets which acted as support material for my submitted essay.
Abstract
This report seeks to investigate the role of reality and the perception of the 'perfect future' (utopia) in Architectural problem solving and decision making. It will evaluate a historical example (Le Corbusier's Ville Radieuse) in this light, which will be measured against the housing tenement blocks that are considered to be the result of Corbusier's proposals.
Finally, it will investigate the recently completed K2 Apartments by DesignInc in order to establish the role of the perceived future and reality in the modern context of architectural decision making. From this it is hoped that some basic lessons can be learnt about the decision making process in an Architectural context.
3.6.09
Is Creativity required in the making of sustainable architecture
What we are suggesting here is that the answer to the topic is open-ended. Everyone is working within his/her own reality. And each individual is creative as long as they are facing the reality because reality imposes external constraints, which then stimulates the creativity.
And to be creative, one has to be prepared, to take in knowledge in their field as much as they can, in order to maximise the probability of creativity.
2.6.09
10.5.09
7.5.09
Adam's Work: Summary for Presentation Lecture
Here is my slide for the presentation lecture.
Adam Markowitz is investigating utopia, and the perception of the 'perfect future', and why Utopian ideals fail to engage with reality in the formulation of their doctrines.
In this vein, he is looking into the impact of Utopian ideals on planned public housing, by first investigating Corb's 'Radiant City', both the causative effects for this theory, and the proposed solutions.
He will then appraise these Utopian concepts in light of the mass tenement blocks that were the offspring of Corb's ideals, in order to investigate how such 'top-down' utopian planning failed to grapple with the 'bottom-up' needs on the ground, and understand why such facilities are considered such social failures.
Finally, he intends to investigate a modern planned public housing facility, K2 Apartments, which is being promoted by the state government as the 'sustainable future' in terms of medium-rise high density housing. He will appraise whether or not this project is dealing with the reality on the ground, or is blinded by top-down utopian ideals.
Assignment - Kelvin & Tracy
Kelvin and Tracy - for presentation
Kelvin and Tracy are exploring the relationship between Reality and Creativity.
They both have agreed on that, apart from the Physical reality of matters, ie. everything we interact with the world with basic senses, there are also Reality that does not exist physically but mentally. They are products created by human beings such as Culture and Economy.
For Creativity, they believe that it is not something out of the thin air. Creativity is heavily rooted to the past experience and inspired by experiments. As a result, one must take in as much knowledge as he can in order to discover the chance for creativity.
To apply creativity to sustainability, one must studies the structure and reason for sustainability and experiment with different tools and model that we address the Real issues of the sustainable real world.
2.5.09
Exercise from last week - Utopia vs Reality in Planned Public Housing Estates
Exercise from last week.
The collage posters are intended to be read in relation to one and other as a series.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/14844956/Collage-1-Le-Corbusier-and-the-Ville-Radieuse
http://www.scribd.com/doc/14844978/Collage-2-Planned-Public-Housing-in-the-postwar-years
http://www.scribd.com/doc/14845024/Collage-3-K2-Apartments-a-modern-approach-to-public-housing
