The architectural design community is faced with a shift in focus from an object-centric model of design creating aesthetic objects in fields to propose, instead, valid and relevant solutions to complex problems within complex systems. In this, traditional boundaries of ownership, ego and control need to be examined as does the flow of, and access to, elements of the design process. The issue is how to adjust an old model of project methodology which is not structured to support a systems-based approach. Based on philosophical foundations which have been developed precisely to address these issues, the SYNCH Research Group (synchRG), Lawrence Technological University, has initiated a project focused on a theoretical organizational system of research which addressed the idea of systems, curatorship, invited experts, open source standards and focused crowd-sourcing as a core operational structure. read more
Is There Anything We CAN’T Do With Carbon Nanotubes?
Cleaning up toxic spills has always been a problem. It’s hard, and it’s expensive, and you have to be thorough. But things might have just got easier: Scientists from the Peking University and Tsinghua University have created a sponge like no other. It is made of carbon nanotubes – regular carbon atoms arranged in a specific cylindrical shape – and can absorb organic pollutants from the surface of water (such as oil and solvents) up to 180x its weight (!) without absorbing water (see video below to see how light it is). And once its full of toxic liquids, the best part is that you can just wring it and start again. Via:TreeHugger read more
In the past, we have seen the likes of Haresh Lalvani and Ron Resch producing ideas that have pushed morphology and geometry into new areas, but there was limited access to high end computing to generate or simulate them. Now with your average laptop able to process great amounts of information, things have changed not only in the way we work, but more importantly, how much we can produce and manage. Enter Daniel Piker, who is producing some incredible studies and simulations of known geometries. Daniel is using Rhino and Grasshopper to do most of these studies. Please take the time to see these amazing animations he has so carefully assembled.
Vertical axis wind turbines are an intriguing technology that most people still know little about. The turbines we are accustomed to use blades to turn a horizontal axis (which is often housed in the little cupola on the top of the turbine’s tall stem). Vertical axis turbines turn a vertical shaft (picture a barber’s pole) to generate power. Helix Wind, a US maker of some very slick looking vertical axis wind turbines, has struck a deal with a West African telecom company to power cell phone towers with wind. This allows the towers to operate autonomously without transmission lines or diesel generators. Via:treehugger read more
“Softlab were asked to produce a site specific installation for SYSTEM:SYSTEM curated by Adam Henry and Christina Vassallo. The show opens Oct. 23. There are over 40 artist, including….Ronnie and Gil from Studio Mode, producing site specific installations of for the show. The building is 3 stories so it will be a layer cake of interesting work! It will definitely be worth checking out.” via softlab
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