Architecture

@tim the whole mockup is around 200kg. First of all, the differences will not be very big compared to the weight of the whole construction. Additionally the installation is on top of a building (to have good solar exposure...), there is no crane or anything to hold it up. But we can take the insulation out and measure it. It would just be much simpler to work with the sensors and some calculation.

Yes there are tools developed in this field, I can orient you towards Hussam Al-waer's publications, he was my lecturer guest in my Sustainable Development module. Regards Amar

Definitely that should be the approach and as stated, these measures are good for a start. But to 'Teach' good practices of Urban Design or making of good public spaces, one must be equipped to pass on these Pointers to the students in a much elaborate manner. Generally, we tend to stop and feel its sufficient to categorize the study at a broader level, and rest is left at the discretion of the students to manipulate or self understand what should be next, what possibly might be the sub-divisions of these headings, eg. When we talk about factors, what are these diversities in a context one keeps talking about? Culture, anthropology, linguistics and all such disciplines that cater to the intangibles, are neither a part of the curriculum of our studies nor are the students properly guided about. Its left on the discretion of the students to perceive and analyse and then translate to design without setting a strong base of theoretical background about any. This is something very crucial in the making of good designers and that's where 'thought and principles of schools' matter. Imagine an Urban Design student being taught and guided by an economist or a linguistics master or an anthropologist or a geographer or a civil engineer or a management professor for that matter. The students will start looking at these spaces in a very different way. But actually all these are tried to fed into the student's from the perspective of a designer only. I am not advocating that other disciplines should come together and overtake this discipline of Space Making, but rather trying to bring to your notice that how much we have become biased and even our way of commuting has become so guided by our pre-thoughts. It good to stream down and solve a problem, but teaching isn't a problem solving exercise. Its making of good problem solvers. Specially when someone is going to have the rights to deal with the making of such spaces which will cater to all those people who are not just from our field of study, we must understand that learning and teaching about them and their fields become utmost important. Human life is not something which is made to do just mapping exercises. The only point i am trying to make is that for teaching about making of public spaces, one should not just look from the point of view of a designer, but also should allow people from other fields to help students understand the layers of complexities existing in our day to day life, and making of such spaces does affect all of these complexities of life of those for whom we are going to design.

Hi.Your quiry is relevant and to the point.I had coordinated no.of rural projects related to handicrafts,handlooms in various districts in India mainly in M.P,Assam,UP,Chattisgarh etc.with the support and actively associated with Fashion/Textiles/Product Designers from a premier institute of India.I can explore now also such kind of Projects with you and your team in course of time.This need elaborate discussion.Regards.T.K.Home email-tk_home@rediffmail.com Mob:09818313263.

In Spain, the number of residential units now belonging to the banks is such that in a recent report, their estimation is that they will not be sold until 2020. This means no need to build new ones............ The government is trying to impulse rehabilitation of existing buildings but has paralyzed at the same time the civil work sector. Uncertain future here in Spain

@R Thomas: Thank you very much for the link. Lukily I found this book in our library, and it is really helpful. Thank you again :) @N Sala, Thank you so much for the link. I have read many of your papers related to Fractals, and getting reply and reference directly from you is very special for me. Thank you sir.

Https://twitter.com/alivearch

You are welcome Mónica. Yes, I work in a consultancy firm based in Boca del Río called Low Carbon Architecture. We focus on energy efficiency in buildings an renewable energy integration. We have worked for INFONAVIT, CONUEE and SENER amongst others. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need further information regarding this matter. Best regards!

Hi Shashank, thank you for your response. Do you perhaps have any such technology-mediated architecture theory or studio experiences to share?

I agree with Leman ... the cordination between parties is very important...

Thank you Shashank Charkadeo ... time and architecture are both dynamic... I agree

Thank you Hugo. The therapy s called EMDR, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. This method is really about getting movement between brain hemispheres. I like the term "Flossing" in regards to the process. Though this method for treating psychological disorders is "new" I believe Moshe Feldenkrais (a physicist who developed a body work technique 1940'3-60's), found that if a paralyzed person can move their eyes, they have a chance of regaining complete neurological functioning. Anxiety Disorders are physical, though classified as psychological. When I first starting looking at PTSD, EMDR, and yoga were the two"cures" listed by the US Surgeon General (along with some cognitive therapy). Eye movement is very interesting to me, both in the way language is developed (Script: Left-right, Top-bottom , etc..) and in looking at how design can create a visual impetus to direct the focus, is probably why certain structures are "naturally" appealing or soothing. As a Westerner looking at the East, I feel that identifying if writing and reading is reversed or perpendicular to my own process is a vital platform for obtaining any understanding of the culture.

I will check it out. My colleagues and I at K-State are just launching a pilot study related to therapeutic effect of nature access for children on the spectrum. We won't have results until this fall, however.

Hello Marcel, Thank you for your lovely feedback! We are constantly refining our method and program and is nice to hear a knowledgeable opinion. We also feel the method and program are well considered and we are about to embark on a test of a large set of architects and buildings, and prepare to publish our research in a book.

This is a good documentary about the Bauhaus in English: http://m.imdb.com/title/tt0278340/

Nallaval air-tightness is the biggest problem with facade and envelopes you might like to read our article on air-tightness http://www.solideagroup.eu/buildings-dont-need-to-breathe-only-people-do

Thanks, I haven't thought of EPCOT before. I'll go check its design peculiarities now. As for POW works, I don't know whether Sachsenhausen was erected by POW hands - but Kottbus was. This one was a second camp (first being in Crossen on the Oder), where POW labor was used, as before that., the prevailing German doctrine was just keeping them out of eyesight and preventing revolts, real or suspected, by heavy observation.

Sure thing, shelter houses, like Ban builds out of paper and tents, etc., were one of my first ideas. They even come with a more permanent version, like Frei Otto's tents, his Stuttgart institute, or Munich stadium, or Montreal Expo pavilion - yet there is only a typological/technological match, not even a location that to share...

Great!

Sustainable Architecture means "A man made environment which needs minimum external input to exist and operate." "It generates from within the solutions to its needs." How can we have such environment? The terms inner and Outer are required to be defined in terms of physical/geographical domain.

Urban design should work as a tool to propitiate equity among a given population. The case studies of Bogota and Medellin, Colombia show that evidently moments of stress and disassociation present in urban areas are usually opportunities for new approaches and create added value. Appropriation of these spaces throughout time are positive learning of democratic urban areas. Other examples are the construction of public schools, libraries in the outskirts of the city in low income housing areas...improvement of quality of life. "Globalization" in itself would mean inclusiveness of areas for a broader usage and again meaning social equity.

If you are interesting for a formal systematic approach please have a look to "Rigorous component-based system design using the BIP framework", 2011 http://www-verimag.imag.fr/~sifakis/RecentPublications/2011/ieee-software.pdf I suggest to study Figure 2 in order to better understand how the architecture constraints are gradually integrated to a system's architecture and how it is possible to subsequently evaluate performance/QoS.

CAD, requires knowlege of geometry and its underlaying mathematics which is not proportional to human perception. Build methods are not always so visible through viewing a completed model alone hence modelling is an aquired skill which can only be developed through experience.