By Matt Owens
I myself had never blogged before sometime last year. The idea of blogging to me sounded like a bunch of over opinionated people with too much time on their hands ranting about stuff hoping someone else in the world with just as much time on their hands had the same views and would read their ranting’s. I stayed away from blogs all together. Last year that changed, I didn’t just start blogging I was actually involved in creating a blog.
Along with some of my friends from undergrad at UIC we started our own blog. We all still lived in the Chicago area, some of us working for firms others attending graduate school. We were all over the city and had different schedules, very busy schedules, and we did not get together too often. Our main form of communication was through email. As we all know architecture involves a lot of sitting in front of a computer, so this was an effective way of staying connected. We would send out emails with every one copied on it, so we could all see what we was going on. Emails consisted of architecture of course, what we were doing in school, what we were working on in the office, something interesting someone read, a cool new project somewhere in the world. The emails were also about other stuff too, like a new restaurant, a show, music, and where the party was at that weekend. It was cool that we could all still share ideas and keep connected, but it wasn’t cool that my inbox was getting slammed with emails. It started to get confusing, email strings would go on and on, new emails, old email; it was getting difficult to tell who was talking about what. It was suggested we start a blog to get things organized; we could use the blog as a platform to share. We would all have ability to upload material as we please, and be able to comment and discuss things through the blog. We didn’t care if we were the only people to visit the blog we just wanted to clean up our inboxes.
So we set out using BlogSpot, same as what we are using here. It was great; we could do everything we were doing with the emails and more. We had fun, it wasn’t just about architecture, we blogged about music, art, food, entertainment, and anything else. We were even sharing more, anything we found interesting we would post in on the blog. It went strong till the beginning of summer this year. A few more of the group went to grad school including myself and started to have less time for the blog and it was summer, we were at the beach. Sadly there has been maybe half a dozen posts on the blog since this May. I have changed my view on blogging. I was completely ignorant, but have come to see it differently now.
I wanted to share my blog experience with you all for this first post. I want to let you know that this will be cool and that we should have fun with this! I also want to share with you an article I read on a blog last year about rules for an architect’s blog. http://www.lifeofanarchitect.com/rules-for-an-architects-blog/ The article is not very long but if you don’t want to read it at least check out the list of rules for an architect’s blog at the bottom, also check out the little quips about Write, Kahn, and Corbusier on the side too, pretty interesting. Maybe this can be of some help when thinking about what to post in the future.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
An Introduction
By Laura Thomas
Hello All: I'm Laura Thomas and since I'll be doing these blogs for the next year, I decided that I should introduce myself, tell you a little bit about me, work that I have done and where I hope to be in a year if I can manage to survive this semester.
I was born and raised in Jacksonville, IL and due to family influence I became intrigued and familiar with civil and mechanical drawings. Some of my first memories are going with my father to the water plant for hours. To occupy myself I had the city's water distribution plans to look at and graph paper to draw on. Like a normal girl I drew houses, but in floor plan views. My grandfather was a teacher in a diesel school, a welder and a self taught farming engineer, who manipulated farming equipment because according to him, "It should have been built this way in the first place." He had several articles published in farming magazines and some of his design ideas were used throughout the industry. Other childhood influences were playing with Tinker Toys and building houses with Block City scale model construction sets.
I was fortunate enough that my high school had a drafting program. I took every course offered and became an teacher's aide my junior and senior year. I took a year off from school, then went to Lake Land Community College to complete all of the core classes before transferring into the 3 year program at SIUC in 2000. In 2003, I graduated with my BS in Architecture and went searching for a job. This was the beginning to several years of frustration.
I began my career with HARK Group out of Decatur, IL as a part time intern. Projects included Pirates Lagoon Water Theme Park, that never got built and Wabash Crossing, a Hope VI low income housing development. When work got low at the firm I was offered a contract job as an assistant superintendant for CORE Construction out of Morton, IL to help with the completion of the first phase of Wabash Crossing since I was familiar with the project. With the first phase completed, I found work as a office manager and cad tech for a seller / installer of Superior Walls out of Springfield, IL whose product was precast concrete foundation walls for crawl spaces or basements. Leaving there, I accepted a job with HUFF Architectural Group out of Springfield, IL where my focus was on 10 Year Health Life Safety Surveys for schools located all over Illinois. A year later, work got low and I was one of four laid off. A few months later, I started at Architectural Expressions out of Forsyth, IL and was assigned to be part of the Decatur Memorial Hospital project team. Projects included a new cafeteria addition, a cancer care center and lots of interior remodeling work. This was my favorite job but due to several issues, work got low and I was one of seven laid off. With few firms hiring at the time I accepted a contract job with Ferry & Associates out of Springfield, IL doing a new 210 patient bed nursing home facility to be constructed in Peoria, IL. The task was only to take the project up to the construction document phase before handing it over to the architects of record for them to complete the project. Unemployed again I went to a bar. Sitting there with my friends, this guy walks up and starts talking to me. Ended up that he was an electric and automation engineer at Nestle in Jacksonville, IL and was in need of a project manager and cad technician. A few weeks later I was working as part of their engineering department. There I completed a plant relighting project and was part of the team to replace all the equipment on the second floor. I left the wonderful smell of the Coffee-mate creamer factory to come back to SIUC to get my Masters Degree.
As you can tell I have quite a history of places and types of work over the last 8 years. This has been good and bad. Good because I have diversity and a lot of wonderful experiences that many people don't get to have. The bad is that I have never been able to settle down, moving from job to job every year or so takes its toll. It also means that I worked for places that don't count towards IDP so my hours are lacking. I wouldn't be able to become licensed by the deadline restrictions put into law after I received my BS so I had no choice but to come back to get my Masters in Architecture in order to become a licensed architect.
The present has me at SIUC, working as a research assistant for Shannon McDonald. When I graduate, my goal is to obtain a permanent position in a firm out west, preferably in Wyoming, Alaska, Washington or Colorado. My career will focus on the health care industry which is also the focus of my thesis.
Hope this introduction has helped provide some insight into my background and experiences. I've attached a few pictures of some of my project work.
Hello All: I'm Laura Thomas and since I'll be doing these blogs for the next year, I decided that I should introduce myself, tell you a little bit about me, work that I have done and where I hope to be in a year if I can manage to survive this semester.
I was born and raised in Jacksonville, IL and due to family influence I became intrigued and familiar with civil and mechanical drawings. Some of my first memories are going with my father to the water plant for hours. To occupy myself I had the city's water distribution plans to look at and graph paper to draw on. Like a normal girl I drew houses, but in floor plan views. My grandfather was a teacher in a diesel school, a welder and a self taught farming engineer, who manipulated farming equipment because according to him, "It should have been built this way in the first place." He had several articles published in farming magazines and some of his design ideas were used throughout the industry. Other childhood influences were playing with Tinker Toys and building houses with Block City scale model construction sets.
I was fortunate enough that my high school had a drafting program. I took every course offered and became an teacher's aide my junior and senior year. I took a year off from school, then went to Lake Land Community College to complete all of the core classes before transferring into the 3 year program at SIUC in 2000. In 2003, I graduated with my BS in Architecture and went searching for a job. This was the beginning to several years of frustration.
I began my career with HARK Group out of Decatur, IL as a part time intern. Projects included Pirates Lagoon Water Theme Park, that never got built and Wabash Crossing, a Hope VI low income housing development. When work got low at the firm I was offered a contract job as an assistant superintendant for CORE Construction out of Morton, IL to help with the completion of the first phase of Wabash Crossing since I was familiar with the project. With the first phase completed, I found work as a office manager and cad tech for a seller / installer of Superior Walls out of Springfield, IL whose product was precast concrete foundation walls for crawl spaces or basements. Leaving there, I accepted a job with HUFF Architectural Group out of Springfield, IL where my focus was on 10 Year Health Life Safety Surveys for schools located all over Illinois. A year later, work got low and I was one of four laid off. A few months later, I started at Architectural Expressions out of Forsyth, IL and was assigned to be part of the Decatur Memorial Hospital project team. Projects included a new cafeteria addition, a cancer care center and lots of interior remodeling work. This was my favorite job but due to several issues, work got low and I was one of seven laid off. With few firms hiring at the time I accepted a contract job with Ferry & Associates out of Springfield, IL doing a new 210 patient bed nursing home facility to be constructed in Peoria, IL. The task was only to take the project up to the construction document phase before handing it over to the architects of record for them to complete the project. Unemployed again I went to a bar. Sitting there with my friends, this guy walks up and starts talking to me. Ended up that he was an electric and automation engineer at Nestle in Jacksonville, IL and was in need of a project manager and cad technician. A few weeks later I was working as part of their engineering department. There I completed a plant relighting project and was part of the team to replace all the equipment on the second floor. I left the wonderful smell of the Coffee-mate creamer factory to come back to SIUC to get my Masters Degree.
As you can tell I have quite a history of places and types of work over the last 8 years. This has been good and bad. Good because I have diversity and a lot of wonderful experiences that many people don't get to have. The bad is that I have never been able to settle down, moving from job to job every year or so takes its toll. It also means that I worked for places that don't count towards IDP so my hours are lacking. I wouldn't be able to become licensed by the deadline restrictions put into law after I received my BS so I had no choice but to come back to get my Masters in Architecture in order to become a licensed architect.
The present has me at SIUC, working as a research assistant for Shannon McDonald. When I graduate, my goal is to obtain a permanent position in a firm out west, preferably in Wyoming, Alaska, Washington or Colorado. My career will focus on the health care industry which is also the focus of my thesis.
Hope this introduction has helped provide some insight into my background and experiences. I've attached a few pictures of some of my project work.
Thoughts on Hurricane Irene and the evacuation of NYC
By Debra Eilering
As architects and designers, we are responsible for the safety of the occupants that inhabit our finished products, however, how do we prepare for a planned evacuation? Does it differ than planning for an emergency evacuation? What considerations need to be addressed and how do you decide where to go, particularly when the need for life support and/or personal care is necessary?? Where are the generators if the electricity goes out?
NYC Mayor Bloomberg orders nursing home evacuations before Irene hits
(8/26/2011)
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg at a press conference Thursday ordered eight nursing homes and five hospitals in Zone A low-lying areas to evacuate by 8 p.m. Friday in anticipation of hurricane Irene.
“Our first obligation I want to talk about is to protect the most vulnerable New Yorkers—hospital patients, those in nursing homes and homes for aged and also New Yorkers who because of age or infirmity are homebound,” Bloomberg said.
Zone A neighborhoods include Coney Island and Manhattan Beach in Brooklyn; Far Rockaway and Broad Channel in Queens; South Beach, Midland Beach and other low-lying areas on Staten Island; and Battery Park City in Manhattan.
Long Term Living, August 26, 2011
Emergency procedures are in place for most, if not all, public buildings. We are encouraged to practice procedures for flood, fire and etc while at home. Regardless of where we are, it is a tragic part of life when we are displaced. Check out this map of the New York city area and imagine how, as a designer, you could be better equipped to facilitate a planned evacuation: http://crisislanding.appspot.com/?crisis=2011_hurricane_irene_nyc
The preliminary predictions has forced an evacuation plan for 10 different states. How do the requirements differ for each state? Hurricanes bring several threats, high wind, flooding, hail, electrical failure and concurrent risk of electrical shock, salt water intrusion and it's long term effects on fresh water reservoirs and so on. The risk of living on the coast or near the ocean is expected but what happens when the damage from hurricanes moves inland?
Some code related information:
http://www.nfba.org/i4a/headlines/headlinedetails.cfm?id=38&archive=1
http://users.ntua.gr/stpapath/Paper_2.72.pdf
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/high_winds.shtml
http://www.inspectapedia.com/structure/FloodVents.htm
As architects and designers, we are responsible for the safety of the occupants that inhabit our finished products, however, how do we prepare for a planned evacuation? Does it differ than planning for an emergency evacuation? What considerations need to be addressed and how do you decide where to go, particularly when the need for life support and/or personal care is necessary?? Where are the generators if the electricity goes out?
NYC Mayor Bloomberg orders nursing home evacuations before Irene hits
(8/26/2011)
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg at a press conference Thursday ordered eight nursing homes and five hospitals in Zone A low-lying areas to evacuate by 8 p.m. Friday in anticipation of hurricane Irene.
“Our first obligation I want to talk about is to protect the most vulnerable New Yorkers—hospital patients, those in nursing homes and homes for aged and also New Yorkers who because of age or infirmity are homebound,” Bloomberg said.
Zone A neighborhoods include Coney Island and Manhattan Beach in Brooklyn; Far Rockaway and Broad Channel in Queens; South Beach, Midland Beach and other low-lying areas on Staten Island; and Battery Park City in Manhattan.
Long Term Living, August 26, 2011
Emergency procedures are in place for most, if not all, public buildings. We are encouraged to practice procedures for flood, fire and etc while at home. Regardless of where we are, it is a tragic part of life when we are displaced. Check out this map of the New York city area and imagine how, as a designer, you could be better equipped to facilitate a planned evacuation: http://crisislanding.appspot.com/?crisis=2011_hurricane_irene_nyc
The preliminary predictions has forced an evacuation plan for 10 different states. How do the requirements differ for each state? Hurricanes bring several threats, high wind, flooding, hail, electrical failure and concurrent risk of electrical shock, salt water intrusion and it's long term effects on fresh water reservoirs and so on. The risk of living on the coast or near the ocean is expected but what happens when the damage from hurricanes moves inland?
Some code related information:
http://www.nfba.org/i4a/headlines/headlinedetails.cfm?id=38&archive=1
http://users.ntua.gr/stpapath/Paper_2.72.pdf
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/high_winds.shtml
http://www.inspectapedia.com/structure/FloodVents.htm
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
CONSTRUCTED OUT OF WASTE - An Activity Center for a Squatter Settlement
By Bhakti Shah
During my thesis studies, I was going through a magazine about the contemporary sustainability, in which one small scale project was mentioned. It was a design for an activity center for a Nongovernmental organization in Ahmadabad, India. This project was serving for a largest part of squatter settlement and functioning as multipurpose activities. These activities includes an informal school for young children, an afternoon school for older boys, evening education for adults and a center for local elderly. Architectural program includes training facility, workshop for the manufacturing of craft based products. It also includes dormitory, admin unit and meditation unit. Total built up area is 515 sq.m. Project is designed by Vastu Shilpa Foundation which is a very renowned non-profit, non-governmental research organization for research and studies in environmental design in India.
Design concept was to provide an interactive and flexible layout suitable context i.e it place & people as well as participatory building construction, to provide locals with the opportunity for economic gain. It is an attempt to recycle the municipal domestic waste into building materials and to address environmental concerns, economic issues & affordable housing amenities.
The project characterized for it construction and material used. Building components were made out of recycling of domestic waste. It serves the purpose to help reduce waste as pollutant, to create means of economic activity & sense of empowerment, to provide affordability & higher quality building alternatives for the urban poor and it is cheaper & higher quality than conventional materials.
Building construction uses six types of building materials & techniques for construction of its walls : Cement bounded fly ash bricks, molded compressed bricks made by landfill site waste residue, stabilized soil blocks, recycled glass bottles, recycled plastic bottles and vegetables crate wood paneling for internal partition walls. Floors & roofs are constructed with filler slab with glass bottles, plastic bottles and bricks, stone slab, cement bounded particle board with clay tile cover, light conduit pipe trusses with GI sheets and clay tile roofing. Door paneling uses shredded packaging wrapper & coated paper waste as reinforcement substitute for fiber reinforced, plastic (FRP) Vegetable crate wood for door frame, oil tin container & blades for the ventilation louvers in the toilet. Fly ash and waste residue molded tiles with inlaid ceramic industry waste as china mosaic.
Reference:
Pandya Y., The Journal of Indian Architecture - Architecture + Design, vol xxiv. October 2007, 68-71.
During my thesis studies, I was going through a magazine about the contemporary sustainability, in which one small scale project was mentioned. It was a design for an activity center for a Nongovernmental organization in Ahmadabad, India. This project was serving for a largest part of squatter settlement and functioning as multipurpose activities. These activities includes an informal school for young children, an afternoon school for older boys, evening education for adults and a center for local elderly. Architectural program includes training facility, workshop for the manufacturing of craft based products. It also includes dormitory, admin unit and meditation unit. Total built up area is 515 sq.m. Project is designed by Vastu Shilpa Foundation which is a very renowned non-profit, non-governmental research organization for research and studies in environmental design in India. 
Design concept was to provide an interactive and flexible layout suitable context i.e it place & people as well as participatory building construction, to provide locals with the opportunity for economic gain. It is an attempt to recycle the municipal domestic waste into building materials and to address environmental concerns, economic issues & affordable housing amenities.
The project characterized for it construction and material used. Building components were made out of recycling of domestic waste. It serves the purpose to help reduce waste as pollutant, to create means of economic activity & sense of empowerment, to provide affordability & higher quality building alternatives for the urban poor and it is cheaper & higher quality than conventional materials.
Building construction uses six types of building materials & techniques for construction of its walls : Cement bounded fly ash bricks, molded compressed bricks made by landfill site waste residue, stabilized soil blocks, recycled glass bottles, recycled plastic bottles and vegetables crate wood paneling for internal partition walls. Floors & roofs are constructed with filler slab with glass bottles, plastic bottles and bricks, stone slab, cement bounded particle board with clay tile cover, light conduit pipe trusses with GI sheets and clay tile roofing. Door paneling uses shredded packaging wrapper & coated paper waste as reinforcement substitute for fiber reinforced, plastic (FRP) Vegetable crate wood for door frame, oil tin container & blades for the ventilation louvers in the toilet. Fly ash and waste residue molded tiles with inlaid ceramic industry waste as china mosaic.
Reference:
Pandya Y., The Journal of Indian Architecture - Architecture + Design, vol xxiv. October 2007, 68-71.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Nueva Esperanza School / al bordE
By Dustin Stoll
Architects: al bordE arquitectos – David Barragán & Pascual Gangotena
Location: El Cabuyal, Manabí, Ecuador
Collaborators: Xavier Mera, José Antonio Vivanco y Estefanía Jácome
Client: Felipe Gangotena, The Teacher
Contractor: al bordE arquitectos, Pascual Gangotena, volunteers and the community of El Cabuyal
Design Year: 2009
Construction Year: 2009
Project Area: 36 sqm
Most of the schools near the Puerto Cabuyal Community are rectangular shaped concrete structures with barred windows that make it look more like a jail than a school. That is the reason why this project is striving to solve not only immediate problems but to also produce long-term solutions.
It was very important to design the new space according to the principles of an active school. There was also a necessity to have the project closed with the natural environment nearby. The new space must be able to awaken the imagination, creativity, and desire of learning new things within the students, while not creating a feeling of repression.
The local community greatly influenced the design, construction methods, and materials of the new building. Materials include a timber basis above the foundation piles, bamboo walls, wood structure and a roof made of knitted straw scarf or “cade”. The main difference between this new structure and typical indigenous structures is the conceptual thought that has been applied to the design of the new structure.
Source: http://www.archdaily.com/45942/nueva-esperanza-school-al-borde/
Architects: al bordE arquitectos – David Barragán & Pascual Gangotena
Location: El Cabuyal, Manabí, Ecuador
Collaborators: Xavier Mera, José Antonio Vivanco y Estefanía Jácome
Client: Felipe Gangotena, The Teacher
Contractor: al bordE arquitectos, Pascual Gangotena, volunteers and the community of El Cabuyal
Design Year: 2009
Construction Year: 2009
Project Area: 36 sqm
Most of the schools near the Puerto Cabuyal Community are rectangular shaped concrete structures with barred windows that make it look more like a jail than a school. That is the reason why this project is striving to solve not only immediate problems but to also produce long-term solutions.It was very important to design the new space according to the principles of an active school. There was also a necessity to have the project closed with the natural environment nearby. The new space must be able to awaken the imagination, creativity, and desire of learning new things within the students, while not creating a feeling of repression.
The local community greatly influenced the design, construction methods, and materials of the new building. Materials include a timber basis above the foundation piles, bamboo walls, wood structure and a roof made of knitted straw scarf or “cade”. The main difference between this new structure and typical indigenous structures is the conceptual thought that has been applied to the design of the new structure. 
Source: http://www.archdaily.com/45942/nueva-esperanza-school-al-borde/
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Hidden Sacred Place – Nikko Toshogu in Japan –
By Yuko Aoki
Nikko Toshogu is located in Nikko, Tochigi which is approximately one hour and forty minutes by a train or a car north from Tokyo, Japan. Toshogu is stands in a bountiful forest which hides its presence. The history and the architecture of Toshogu are rich and still attract a lot of people from all over the world. Also it is a popular place to visit as a school trip for 6th to 8th grade students because of its historical importance for Japanese people.
The history of Nikko Toshogu started with Ieyasu Tokugawa who ended the Sengoku period, which was the period of war between the fifteenth century and beginning of the seventeenth century. The Edo period started with Ieyasu and was Japan was culturally improved during this period from 1603 to 1868. Ieyasu died when he was seventy five years old in 1616 (Wikipedia).
In Ieyasu’s will, he stated “Enshrine my dead body in Mt. Kuno (His hometown in Shizuoka prefecture) for the first year of the death. (Omission) And built a small shrine in Nikko and enshrine me as the God. I will be the guardian of Japan” (Nikko Tourist Association, 2004). However, Ieyasu had never had visited Toshogu in his life. The reason why he wanted to be buried there was because of a monk’s influence on him. Nikko is believed to be a sacred place (Okawa, 1975). Ieyasu’s last wish came true one year after his death.
The construction of the shrine was expensive. All the detail of the facade was curved and painted by hands. Most of the design has animals and each animal has a meaning. The most famous designs are “sleeping cat” and “three monkeys”. There were several reconstructions and additions to the site leading up to the year 1625, but the shrine people look upon now has changed little since that year (Okawa, 1975).
Now there are a few people who can fix damaged pieces of buildings at Toshogu. It is amazing that visitors still can see the colors and details that they could see 380 years ago.
I have been there once as a school trip. However, I was not aware of the importance of the architecture. I want to re-visit Toshogu and take hours to see all the details.
References:
Edo Architecture:Katsura and Nikko by Naomi Okawa in 1975
http://www.toshogu.jp/shaden/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikk%C5%8D,_Tochigi
http://www.nikko-jp.org/english/toshogu/index.html
Images:
http://www.toshogu.jp/shaden/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikk%C5%8D,_Tochigi
Nikko Toshogu is located in Nikko, Tochigi which is approximately one hour and forty minutes by a train or a car north from Tokyo, Japan. Toshogu is stands in a bountiful forest which hides its presence. The history and the architecture of Toshogu are rich and still attract a lot of people from all over the world. Also it is a popular place to visit as a school trip for 6th to 8th grade students because of its historical importance for Japanese people.The history of Nikko Toshogu started with Ieyasu Tokugawa who ended the Sengoku period, which was the period of war between the fifteenth century and beginning of the seventeenth century. The Edo period started with Ieyasu and was Japan was culturally improved during this period from 1603 to 1868. Ieyasu died when he was seventy five years old in 1616 (Wikipedia).
In Ieyasu’s will, he stated “Enshrine my dead body in Mt. Kuno (His hometown in Shizuoka prefecture) for the first year of the death. (Omission) And built a small shrine in Nikko and enshrine me as the God. I will be the guardian of Japan” (Nikko Tourist Association, 2004). However, Ieyasu had never had visited Toshogu in his life. The reason why he wanted to be buried there was because of a monk’s influence on him. Nikko is believed to be a sacred place (Okawa, 1975). Ieyasu’s last wish came true one year after his death.
The construction of the shrine was expensive. All the detail of the facade was curved and painted by hands. Most of the design has animals and each animal has a meaning. The most famous designs are “sleeping cat” and “three monkeys”. There were several reconstructions and additions to the site leading up to the year 1625, but the shrine people look upon now has changed little since that year (Okawa, 1975).
Now there are a few people who can fix damaged pieces of buildings at Toshogu. It is amazing that visitors still can see the colors and details that they could see 380 years ago.
I have been there once as a school trip. However, I was not aware of the importance of the architecture. I want to re-visit Toshogu and take hours to see all the details.
References: Edo Architecture:Katsura and Nikko by Naomi Okawa in 1975
http://www.toshogu.jp/shaden/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikk%C5%8D,_Tochigi
http://www.nikko-jp.org/english/toshogu/index.html
Images:
http://www.toshogu.jp/shaden/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikk%C5%8D,_Tochigi
Friday, May 20, 2011
UK PAVILLION, CHINA
By Kang-Hsin Fan
Figure1: UK Pavillion, China 2010.
The pavilion was designed to convey the expo’s theme of “Better City, Better Life”. According to the architects, “The UK, with its millions of gardens, thousands of public parks and garden squares, has pioneered the integration of nature into cities as a way of making them healthier places, in which to live and work. The UK pavilion encourages visitors to look again at the role of nature and wonder whether it could be used to solve the current social, economic and environmental challenges of our cities.”
The UK Pavilion, embodied by Thomas Heatherwick's outstanding innovative design, is a six story high object formed from over 60,000 slender transparent rods, which extended from the structure and quivered in the breeze. “During the day, each of the 7.5m long rods acted like fiber-optic filaments, drawing on daylight to illuminate the interior, thereby creating a contemplative awe-inspiring space. At night, light sources at the interior end of each rod allowed the whole structure to glow” (UK Pavilion, 2010). The pavilion sat on a landscape looking like paper that once wrapped the building and that then lay unfolded on the site. It symbolized the UK's gift to China. . According to Professor Stephen Hopper, Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, “Seeds stored in Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank in the UK, and in our partners’ seed banks around the world, have the potential to enable human innovation, adaptation and resilience; helping current and future generations to lead better lives.”
The UK at Expo had two over-riding objectives: to challenge the Chinese people's perception of the UK from an outdated, traditional one to one where they perceive the UK as a modern, creative, innovative and advanced technological nation and to further strengthen Sino-British relationships.
Reference
UK Pavilion. Retrieved April 16, 2011, from http://www.ukshanghaiexpo.com
Figure1: UK Pavillion, China 2010.
The pavilion was designed to convey the expo’s theme of “Better City, Better Life”. According to the architects, “The UK, with its millions of gardens, thousands of public parks and garden squares, has pioneered the integration of nature into cities as a way of making them healthier places, in which to live and work. The UK pavilion encourages visitors to look again at the role of nature and wonder whether it could be used to solve the current social, economic and environmental challenges of our cities.”
The UK Pavilion, embodied by Thomas Heatherwick's outstanding innovative design, is a six story high object formed from over 60,000 slender transparent rods, which extended from the structure and quivered in the breeze. “During the day, each of the 7.5m long rods acted like fiber-optic filaments, drawing on daylight to illuminate the interior, thereby creating a contemplative awe-inspiring space. At night, light sources at the interior end of each rod allowed the whole structure to glow” (UK Pavilion, 2010). The pavilion sat on a landscape looking like paper that once wrapped the building and that then lay unfolded on the site. It symbolized the UK's gift to China. . According to Professor Stephen Hopper, Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, “Seeds stored in Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank in the UK, and in our partners’ seed banks around the world, have the potential to enable human innovation, adaptation and resilience; helping current and future generations to lead better lives.”
The UK at Expo had two over-riding objectives: to challenge the Chinese people's perception of the UK from an outdated, traditional one to one where they perceive the UK as a modern, creative, innovative and advanced technological nation and to further strengthen Sino-British relationships.
Reference
UK Pavilion. Retrieved April 16, 2011, from http://www.ukshanghaiexpo.com
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