PVC: are we sure its the way to go

So if PVC is made up of 57% salt (chlorine) and 43% ethylene (natural gas) doesn’t that mean that there are a bunch of disgusting toxins that are created when the two of them are combined. When these two chemicals are combined is the only product PVC or what are the other products and what sort of damage are they doing to the environment. Is it really worth making this material or is it actually really harmful to the environment.
I notice now that PVC seems to be popping up and being used in almost everything, from fences to doors and windows to phones, dishwashers and furniture. I am guessing that there must have been some pretty extensive studies done on the affects of creating PVC in order for people to start using it in the creation of everyday item known to man. Apparently it is very energy efficient to make and to use. My concern is then that in a few years we will figure out after we have done some more extensive research that in fact there is some very negative disease causing chemical that is being created in the process of creating the PVC. At this point everyone will have come into contact with PVC at some point in their life and have some unknown disease eating away at their insides. Do we have all of the answers associated with Poly Vinyl Chloride?

Poly Vinyl Chloride Products

~Trevor

JELD-WEN's Brasada Ranch

JELD-WEN is strongly involved in the green building design of windows and doors. Apparently they strive to have all of their manufactured products certified LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). One of the projects that was mentioned during the JELD-WEN tour was Brasada Ranch, a resort located just outside of Bend, Oregon.
Brasada Ranch is a central Oregon equestrian and golf community. It is the first resort to receive LEED Gold. In fact each of the main five buildings that compose the headquarters, have received this honour. These include: the community barn, the bed-and-breakfast, the post office/general store, the recreation center, and the clubhouse. The community barn was the first new construction resort to receive the honour, which was in 2007. The community recreation center is topped with solar rooftop thermal system that supplements the heat for the pool, faucets and showers within the locker rooms. The ranch is plugged into the power grid but also uses hydroelectric and wind resources for power. The five main buildings use a lake bottom version of geothermal. The bottom of a lake keeps a very even temperature according to Rich Carr, the chief architect in the design. Apparently by using this technique you can reduce energy costs by up to 60%. The lake on the 18th hole of the resorts golf course is the lake they use to generate their energy. This lake also doubles as an irrigation and storm water management system.
The barn was created using reclaimed pieces of wood, which were taken from an old lumber mill located 15 miles away. Artifacts that have been found in the surrounding area have been resurrected and used on the mantle pieces of the fireplaces. According to Rich Carr who is the owner of Cottle Carr Yaw Architects: “From a design standpoint, these materials [provide] an instant patina that contrasts nicely with contemporary features such as skylights and board form concrete”. Lava rock is also used in the creation of the barn.
Many of the resources used in the creation of the site were local therefore the transport costs were relatively low. According to Jenny Sullivan, a journalist for Builder online, “The buildings incorporate low-VOC adhesives, paints, carpeting, and composite wood products; 100 percent recycled, reinforced vinyl and cellulose-fiber roof shingles; waterless urinals and dual-flush toilets; and dedicated recycling centers. Efforts to minimize construction waste diverted as much as 75 percent of jobsite refuse from local landfill.”
I think that Carr and his team of architects are definitely onto something. It seems as though they have covered almost every conceivable aspect of how to create a green building. I know that there are more/different aspects that could have been incorporated within the design but many aspects were thought of and taken care of in the creation of this series of buildings. On top of being so environmentally friendly these buildings are very attractive.

JELD-WEN

Brasada Ranch

~Trevor G

JELD WEN PRESENTATION

Last Thursday we visited Jeld Wen's sales show room and I was impressed at the level of environmental consciousness they had within their company. I think that in terms of technology they have a sound group of researchers who are constantly testing new innovations and designs to make their products more efficient. PVC is their flagship and it was cool to note that all the waste is reused. Jae had mentioned that doors and windows are the most biggest expenditure of a building so it's only fair that they be well designed to limit the transfer of heat to cold, and be produced and made of environmentally safe materials. Also I should add that the products are sourced locally and distributed locally as well which is good to reduce the footprint materials usually cost in order to save some dollars. It's a hard switch off which is why I am sure it's hard for some people to give up mega businesses like WALMART because they save money but behind all of that people should educate themselves that in order to save money that waste is being produced for you to save money. So that why it was so refreshing to hear a company being so upfront about their plans. They do make quality products which is why I am sure that their products are probably pretty expensive. But just like most green products they are meant to last and be made of quality and not quantity and be healthy for the planet. Eventually when the market becomes more saturated with companies with the environment as a priority the cost should be more competitive.

LINK: href="http://jeld-wen.ca/eng/main.html">

--CHRIS.C_

GREEN PARTY PLATFORM

Although the election is already over, since then I have been curious about the Green Party's platform so I did some investigation.
Basically their general goals are to focus on decentralized renewable energy and less on huge projects that take a lot of resources to make and energy to continue to work. They also note that being strong as a whole, but this is nothing new and most platforms are the same saying we should stand united.
An interesting part is a strong stance with arts and culture. 75% of Canadians believe that arts and culture are important in the quality of our lives and 85% of Canadian believe that the government should support arts and culture.
Here is a summary of their reasons why:

A savvy economic development strategy recognizes that a healthy environment for Arts and Culture:

* Attracts and retains knowledge industry workers and immigrants
* Increases a sense of well-being among it’s citizens
* Generates “clean” industries
* Provides genuine and consistent returns on investment
* Proliferates small enterprises
* Promotes a stronger sense of community; artists live in all of our communities; they are not corporations with international headquarters elsewhere
* Increases people’s pride in the place where they live
* Energizes people and builds and breeds more creativity, which spills over into every domain of our lives
* Supports the tourism industry
* Enhances all levels of education

Personally I support their support in the arts and culture because I came from fine arts and I know how art has shaped my life. I do think it's important and from the many murals around the city it does give a sense of pride and shows how multicultural our city is. I have heard before that Winnipeg is a city that has miles of talent but not the market to support the monetary exchange of art so most artists within the city get noticed else where. The reason I came to architecture was because I was scared I would be unable to find a job that would support a family. It's not impossible by any means to be an artist but I need to be able to provide for myself and others. It's good to know that someone out there cares for artists and what they do. I hope that importance of the arts and culture doesn't get cut out of the budget because it's a great teaching tool and a way for artists to survive.
check it out for yourself!
href="http://http://www.greenparty.ca/en/policy/artsandculture">

--CHRIS_C>

Just Walk Away

The "ultimate property", according to some designers, has been unveiled. Its a walking house that they say will provide a perfect solution to beating the floods.

"The property has been built on six hydraulic legs and was designed by art collective N55 in Copenhagen, Denmark, who worked in conjunction with engineers in Massachusetts, U.S". Now I do find this to be a tad bit weird, as I'd probably live in a trailer home than this strange contraption, however, this structure brings something new to the table. It is solar and wind powered and has 'legs' that can walk through all terrains.

Helen Robinson of the Wysing Arts Centre makes a good point in saying that '...this is far more than a caravan. It's all about sustainable living - it can sustain a life for many years. It may seem radical but it could be a solution to land use in the near future.'

- Jassa

Green Industry

Its nice to hear that their are large corporations out there that work to better the environment rather than purely for economic wealth. LG for instance is investing $168 million in converting a plasma display plant into a solar panel plant. "What better use for a decommissioned factory that once made energy-sucking plasma display screens than making energy-generating solar photovoltaic panels. Talk about an awesome 180".
I realize that LG isn't doing this for charity reasons, especially considering that the global solar industry market is valued at over $10 billion, but at least this is an investment that can help the environment conserve its resources by utilizing this renewable power generation system.

-Jassa

Lights: a crucial ingredient for a good nightclub

Nightclubs are an awesome place to meet new people, relieve stress and let it all hang loose. A nightclub needs several ingredients to become a popular spot. First of all, there needs to be a great location that has easy access. Second there needs to be a style of music that reflects the people they want to attract. In other words there has to be one genre of music otherwise people won’t come. This is because someone who likes rock generally won’t want to listen to hip-hop and visa versa. The third thing that you need to have at a nightclub is a lot of liquor with good service behind the bars. Good service brings people back. The last thing you need to have at a nightclub is a great light system. They add the drama that all nightclubs need.
The professional nightclubs use laser and LED lighting packages to add the dramatic lighting effects needed in a club. The light show effects add an unforgettable edge to the place, which keeps its customers coming back. Some of the packages also include fog machines, which also add to the entire affect. Some of the lighting systems move at a random movement but the more high tech ones can move with the rhythm of the music. There is another option that goes with the nightclub lighting systems. This is the “512 DMX control system”. This system offers entire control over the entire clubs lights. It is a computer software program, which allows for complete control over the lighting design and effects. It also allows for the option of when the lights move. There are an amazing amount of different systems that are available.


~Trevor

Lighting

This week the guest speaker was Dr. Malory-Hill. She spoke on Architectural Light and its impact on humans. There was an abundance of information, which I found to be extremely valuable. I had no idea that there were so many different types of lights that being used today. I also found out that almost all light was restricted to only sunlight and flame up until 18th century. This is another example of how technology is progressing along at an amazing rate and only gaining speed. There have been an astronomical amount of different types of lights produced in the last 3 centuries. These include: Edison’s light bulb, halogens, new balance, fluorescent, high intensity discharge and LED.
Apparently Edison didn’t even have the idea for a light bulb but he purchased the patent for it from a Canadian. No one remembers this Canadian’s name and yet everyone associates the light bulb with Edison. I guess maybe the Canadian should have experimented with his idea for a couple more years instead of selling the patent. He probably made a buck for the patent and he lost his space in history. Apparently all Edison did was add a carbon or platinum filament to make the patented light bulb work. The worst part for the Canadian is that his light bulb, which was fiddled with by Edison, is still being used today even though it is probably the least efficient source of light. Only 10 % of the energy emission from this bulb is light, while the other 90% is emitted in heat.
The halogens are supposed to be a lot more efficient and last a lot longer. They are supposed to last at least 5 years and yet the ones that I use at home last a maximum of 6 months.
The large High Intensity Discharge lights are used only in large areas such as gymnasiums, hockey rinks, banquet halls, stadiums, large department stores and streetlights. At first I didn’t understand why this was and then Dr. Mallory-Hill showed us that it takes forever to turn on and even longer for it to turn on after it is turned off. When she showed us this using the one bulb she had, it dawned on me as to why street lights look as though they are burnt out and then an hour later they are on again. I always thought it was very strange that the maintenance crew of our city worked so fast on changing the lights of our cities streetlights and yet were so slow in getting anything else done. The other thing I could never understand is why the city workers would fix the light in the middle of the night. Now I understand that its not fast city workers at all but a very slow light. When something gets messed up within the light it turns off and takes up to an hour to turn back on because it has to completely cool down before it can heat up again.
So LED lights last up to 80 years and are the most energy efficient lights. Why is it then that hardly anyone uses these lights other than for Christmas lights? I fathom the fact that it is a very low emission of light but there are ways you can use that. You can use the LED’s in a large quantity and get a bright light. The other way you could use it to your advantage is for setting the mood, either for an intimate dinner or at the club or any other places that you want a dimmer light.
The store, which I work at just recently, went through a changeover meaning that we have a new owner. He has decided that he wants to redo the entire floor plan of the building in order to make more retail space. He has also decided to exchange the fluorescent lights we currently have in place to a T8 halogen. Apparently they are energy efficient as well. I asked him why he wouldn’t just put in LED lights since they are the most energy efficient and would save him even more money per year than these T8’s. He didn’t have an answer really so I think he might be looking into changing his idea of the lights.

~Trev

Something fun for the drug addict inside all of us...

-CHRISc-

DATELINE CFL spot

Interesting video on CFL disposal. Some other videos on youtube of the same thing seemed biased and basically spreading fear about CFLs. It is interesting because I was never informed about the potential hazard of these types of lights. I'm not quite sure how big of a risk they are to have. The videos all seemed very biased and none of them spoke about the benefits of a more efficient product. Also interesting of what happens to them when they burn out. Is this also a poorly designed product in terms of sustainability? LEDs SEEM like the best choice as soon as the price drops! This is another video of slander against CFLs from CSPAN.



-CHRISC-

LED INFO

I scoped out a site with person named Pablo Päster who wrote an article about LED lights. The article itself is really informative and compares incandescent, CFLs and of course LEDs against each other based on efficiency and cost.

Here is the meat of it, once again this is written by Pablo Paster!

...A 7W LED can be compared to a 10W CFL, which also emits 500 lumens. The closest incandescent bulb that I could find was a 460-lumen or 40W bulb. The next thing is to compare the efficacy of the bulbs. This is done using the measure of lumens per watt, or light emitted per electricity input. The incandescent bulb has an efficacy of 12 lumens/watt while the CFL has an efficacy of 50 lumens/watt, only to be outdone by the LED at 71 lumens/watt. So it's clear that LEDs are by far more efficient than incandescent bulbs. But does this justify forgoing CFLs in favor of LEDs? At over $50 per bulb, the high upfront cost will give everyone pause. But is the long lifetime or the high efficiency worth the cost?

A 10W CFL, available online for $6.90, has an expected median lifetime of 10,000 hours. While this is about 10 times longer than the life expectancy of an incandescent bulb, it is only one-fifth the expected life of the LED. So LEDs have the potential of cutting down on ladder time by a factor of 50 over incandescent bulbs! At about 25 cents apiece, the incandescent has by far the lowest upfront cost, which is why many people still use them. If we normalize the cost of all the bulbs over a 50,000-hour period, the incandescent bulbs cost $12.50, while CFL bulbs cost $34.50, and the LED bulb costs $59.95. But, as you may already know, the upfront cost of a bulb is by far the cheapest part. It's the electricity required to operate the bulb that adds up.

Over a period of 50,000 hours, a 40W incandescent bulb will use 2,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh). At 15 cents per kWh, this will put $300 in the pocket of your local utility, bringing the total cost of the incandescent bulb, over 50,000 hours, up to $312.50. The CFL bulb only uses 500kWh over the same time period, or $75, totaling $109.50. Finally, the LED bulb will use 350kWh for $52.50, with a total cost of $112.45. So, in this example, the LED light does cost a few dollars more but the difference is negligible. Think of the time you will save by not running to the store to buy bulbs and climbing the ladder to change them.

As for their disposal, LED lights, unlike CFLs, contain no mercury and many of them are compliant with the European Union's Reduction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive. Like CFLs they do contain electronic circuits, which are hard to separate back into individual materials for recycling. But with a life span of 50,000 hours, the relative amount of waste created will be quite minimal...."

http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2008/05/05/ask_pablo_leds/index.html

-CHRIS_C-

THROUGH THE EYES OF THE SKIN

The presentation by Dr. Mallory-Hill today was very informative. Although she never really touched on any particular ways of lighting in practical applications. Learning about the history of light and it's impact on human behavior and our culture was interesting. I was most interested in how light is influential in human productivity and general wellness. Recently I was interested in finding out if light therapy is beneficial to the emotional state of a human. I think we can all agree that natural light is the most beneficial from a historical stand point humans have always relied on sunlight to live, work and socialize in. And from last week a tool to heal. It was in this nature that our eyes evolved and why we generally have a predisposition to nature. Something else I thought was interesting was hearing the environmental impact of the production of light and light products. Also not to mention that light is classified as a pollution and has the ability to change delicate ecosystems. I can just picture the Waverly auto mall right now pumping enormous amounts of light all through the night with a sad attempt of a mash near by and the plants changing on a molecular level.

The presentation on digital daylighting was very interesting as well. I found it hard to keep up with some of the concepts and the little time left only allowed him to speak so much of his research. But the work he showed us of the renderings were fascinating and I can really understand that thinking ahead of time is a great idea to keep in mind for the future. I mean multitude of forms that could be created to accommodate the surrounding spaces were interesting alone. I thought that his research was very well thought out and being able to incorporate hard numbers gave him a better understanding of his parameters. The different forms from the renderings were really interesting from the way they carved through the space and created strange dimensions within the building. I guess the main idea was to track and use light in a controlled way to be used in a practical situation which is something I'm sure some of us will have to deal with later on in our careers. Once again it was really neat to see what sort of real world applications their are out there waiting for us.



-CHRIS C.

Colours- part 2

Light Therapy: therapeutic exposure to full-spectrum artificial light that simulates sunlight

I had heard, long before Vaike Ruus' class, that light and colour had a tremendous impact on those who suffered from seasonal depression, however I didn't fully understand the psychology behind it until just recently. Our mind and body both thrive on the Sun's light, which by the way we take for granted all too much. Through its rising and setting our body clocks function, even when this sequence is off by a little bit, as after a flight, we suffer (jet lag in this case). After this class it became apparent to me that we had in many ways forgotten what our ancestors had already known, that light and colour have a deeper purpose, beyond all that we can only see.

- Jassa

iPhone rocks!

One great way to go green is to practice conservation, or as I like to call it, "avoidance." In other words, avoid using gas by missing traffic, avoid using excess electricity by turning your lights off remotely, avoid waste by buying used goods. One little tool has a growing ability to help you ditch the need for the little-bit-mores that we want to cut out: the iPhone.

Not only is it the best lookin phone out there (I think so atleast) but there are actually a wide range of applications available for the iPhone which can aid one in saving energy. These 'apps' range from gas and energy to time and money.

There's 'GasHog', CarCare,and 'GreenMeter' which can Monitor a car’s fuel efficiency.'SmartLinc' and 'Home Manageables' are programs which can actually monitor and control your home’s energy use through remote access. These are only a few examples of the technological use of the iPhone that can help us to keep our lives 'green'.

- Jassa

The Sunbathing Cure

During Vaike Ruus’ presentation I learned that during the 1930’s “sunbathing” was largely accepted as a healer for different illnesses. I cannot fathom why then, despite all of the research that has shown this method to be successful, society has not reverted back to the simplistic method of treatment. If sunbathing does in fact work then why are not all doctors prescribing it to their patients? I would assume that sunbathing would be the cheapest treatment considering the suns rays are free, and yet this type of treatment is no longer used as a widespread treatment. Perhaps there are other treatments that target the specific illness more closely. Then again, perhaps it is just that doctors want to get paid and they wont receive as much money if they tell the patient that all they need for therapy is to lie out in the sun. Whatever the reason is I think that if the therapy works then it should continue to be used because it is more cost efficient and it limits the amount of chemicals being pushed into the human body.

~Trevor G

Four Virtues

During Vaike Ruus’ presentation this week she was speaking about a theoretical Heliotherapeutic Spa that would cure people of their illness with the use of colour and light from the sun. During this presentation she mentioned the idea of receiving a greater strength out of an illness. I also believe that out of Illness can come a greater strength; an inner strength. I believe that when a person gets sick and it is not known if they will ever recover many thoughts pass through their mind. The most prominent thought, which must stay in their mind, is how they are going to recover from their illness.
Through the duration of an illness, a person learns many virtues. The greatest virtues, which they learn, are: strength, trust, patience and perseverance.
The strength they learn to hold is used to carry the burden of their illness as well as to remain stoic for loved ones. These people learn to portray a calm and positive demeanor to others even when in their mind their world is falling apart.
They learn to trust others in more ways because in some cases when they are ill they are no longer able to do everything they were once able to.
The patience that is learned is important in being able to wait for what seems like an eternity while the medication or other alternatives of healing takes its time to act on the illness.
Perseverance is figured to be one of the most important virtues learned while being ill. Perseverance is needed to be able to tolerate the pain and continue with the treatments even when they do not seem to work in any way. It is also needed to keep a positive attitude and a straight mind.
When the patient learns all of these virtues then they tend to be better off, whether the illness is cured or not, the patient is at peace


~Trevor G

Peter Tielmann's Way

I think Peter Tielmann was onto something when he moved to Winnipeg from Germany and created EQ3 after only 2 years of living here. Obviously it shows as his company is thriving throughout North America and now moving into international venues as well. He moved to a place, which he wanted to live, and found a job in that was related to his field of study in design. For two years, as he worked, he evaluated the market and found a niche which was not being filled by what was being provided throughout the market. This niche was a furniture alternative for young living; upscale designs without the higher costs. Tielmann has inspired me to strive for excellence and to do EXACTLY what I want to do in every aspect. Taking his way of doing things I am not going to take the first job opportunity that comes up. I am going to move to a city that I enjoy living in first and only then accept an offer. Once I am working in the field in which I desire then I will examine the market and decide if there is any niche that is in desperate need to be filled. I will then turn my attention and efforts to filling that niche.

~Trevor

Reflection on EQ3 presentation

The presentation we viewed at the EQ3 factory was very informative. It gave us insight as to how different aspects of product design are made as well as rough estimates in the time it takes to create a single product. Six months seems as though it would be an eternity for one piece of furniture, the same can be said for three months in the case of the accessory products. The presenters told us that there were a couple things that went into each designed product; the inspiration time, the range analysis, the sample building and the actual design production were some of these.
I think the inspiration time would be the most interesting and informative process of the four. I believe this because this is the time you, the designer, are traveling and visiting different shows in different cities across the world. This is also the time when your mind as the designer is able to use its most creative side in thinking up the style of the product and questioning yourself as to how you are going to make it a reality. The range analysis would also be informative but in a different aspect. It would give you an insight as to what the customer buys therefore what works and what doesn’t. It would not however be nearly as exhilarating as the inspiration part of the process. I think sample building would also be a creative process to see if the design actually works in reality and to make the changes needed to create the reality if it does not work based entirely on the design. I think that the most time consuming and repetitive process would be the actual production. I believe this internal process, since the majority of the creation is based outside the local area, would feel like an eternity for it to come to an end.
The presentation was also very informative about the beginnings of EQ3. I learned a lot about the history and the reasoning behind EQ3. I had thought that it was just another furniture chain that had risen from the states to take over more of the Canadian market. I had no idea that the actual beginnings of the company were here in Winnipeg. Granted the ideas were by no means local and were that of a German man who had only been in Canada for two years, the actual foundation plant was dug in Winnipeg in 1999.
The German man, Peter Tielmann’s beliefs must have been right. There was room in the market for something that was less expensive than some of the high end specialty shops but higher end then IKEA. He wanted the same quality for a smaller price tag. He wanted to create a furniture company that fit into the “Young Living” niche of the Canadian furniture market. His ideas have definitely paid off. He already, in nine years had twenty stores across North America and two internationally. The company is still growing. This shows that as he says, “EQ3 is not simply some dream. We have become a daily reality for thousands around the world.”

EQ3 site

~Trevor G

Nature vs. Machine

Where does society begin and nature end? In our world, especially today, there is a very thin line which (may) separate(s) the two. Linda Nash, author of "The Agency of Nature or the Nature of Agency?" brings up this very point, in this age of factory farms and genetic engineering, how might we consider the ways all of those themes come together in cultural understandings of nature? We are nature, nature is us, though we have evolved to use alternative means by which we increase productivity and (improve) quality of life, we do nonetheless depend in one way or another on the earth. In this way it is difficult to define boundaries and separate 'us' from 'them' (nature), as we require nature in our incorporation of 'man-made' machines in the greater context.

- Jassa

Sustainable Furniture

Our EQ3 trip inspired me to look more into furniture and think about whether or not there were furniture companies out there who were concerned with sustainability. In my search I came across "BlueGreen & Co.", an organization which took pride in producing good looking, sustainable, modern furniture. Based in Fife, Scotland, they create their goods from waste materials in the form of unwanted furniture, which would otherwise be destined for landfills. This "Vagabond" dresser (image on right) for instance won an award at a design festival. Each drawer is hand-crafted from different reclaimed woods, including brown oak, sycamore, walnut, birch plywood, chipboard, and pine. The drawer knobs are all found objects as well. [visit bluegreenandco.com for more info]

- Jassa

BOTTLED WATER BATTLE - Free Press

London Ontario and Waterloo all share a ban on plastic bottled water and hopefully soon Toronto, Vancouver, Hamilton and Winnipeg will be joining them. The deal is bottled water is not sold where fresh tap water is readily available. Tap water being completely fine and regulated by water treatment plant, 1/3 of Canadians use their main source of water from plastic bottled water. Even in our own campus, at the SOMA cafe and the Manitoba Students union, are starting a trend that will follow mainstream success in all of Winnipeg. The mayor is on board across the city in arenas, cafeterias and vending machines. 1/4 of all the bottled water sold in Canada is recycled tap water which is not as fresh as treated water and soon a 300 million dollar upgrade on the system regulating our water. Across America the same movement is happening major cities like San Francisco and Seattle. The city will vote and slowly they will be a change in the production and distribution of bottled water.
Unfortunately the vote on the ban at city hall this past Friday was rejected.
CHRIS C.

TOUR OF EQ3

As a group we toured EQ3 this Thursday. The presentation was very informative about what the production team at EQ3 goes through in order to see a design go into production. As for the tour of the facilities of mostly storage and workspace, the design studio itself was a cool workspace. The interior of low cut shaped walls to thick glass rooms and beaded doors made it seem like a creative space to be creative in.
The actual process of making your design seems straight forward similar to our process in within our studio. The initial sketch periods are instrumental to the entire process to put an idea down and work it out. Changes are made in each step and as I've found being in studio most things need changing as you go along, trial and error.
It was also interesting hearing about the jobs that are out there. I already get a better view of a designer and their passion to make things.

CHRIS C.

Colours around the World

When Vaike Ruus was giving the lecture on the meaning of colours I was reminded of the way in which colours play a significant role in cultures and religions around the world. 'White' for instance is representative of the principles of purity, this view is shared with the majority of the world. In Buddhism, and consequently in predominantly Buddhist countries, the "pure light" is that which represents Nirvana, the highest achievement, which on the spectrum (white) contains All colours. In much of the Western world and also in Christianity, white is used to represent purity and righteousness, aspects which relate closely to the perceptions of Buddhists as well. The way these colours are seen by adherents of different faiths are influenced by the cultures in which they are born into and thus it becomes clear that there are indeed similarities in the way the world (of colour) is seen or perceived.

- Jassa

Reflection on September 25th 2008: Jellyfish

When the thought of a “Jellyfish” house was mentioned I was very confused and I wasn’t sure if I heard right. When I became aware that I had heard right I became very intrigued, skeptical yet intrigued. After I had viewed a picture of the actual prototype design I decided that I had to look into the design more and see exactly what the building was all about.
I came across the ARCHITECTURAL RECORD website which had an article which was speaking about the concept. I found out that the envelope of the Jellyfish House was designed by a San Francisco based architecture firm called IwamotoScott Architecture. This envelope of a building is not just a enclosure but an “active, smart technology engaged in the remediation “ of the surrounding environment. This structures technology is embedded within creating a piece of architecture which is simultaneously structural and ambient.
This prototype is an amazing concept however the technology does not exist as of yet. According to “OPEN HOUSE” we will be capable of such technologies within the next 50 years.
The proposed site for this amazing house is on Treasure Island which an artificial landmass within the San Francisco Bay. As of right now the site is home to a decommissioned military base. The architects are trying to find a way where they can keep the entire island intact and trying to disturb the absolute minimum natural resources as possible.
This house is composed of everything which surrounds it including water. In this sense there truly is no void space surrounding the building as the environment around it is actually incorporated within. One example of the home incorporating the environment is the outer skin. This skin is created using a parametric mesh. This mesh will be able to capture, filter and store rain water for use within the home. While the house is filtering the water it will glow changing shades of blue.
I hope that we figure out the technology in less time than 50 years because I would like to see the construction as well as the sustainability of the home. If it takes 50 years to figure out the technology I wont be around to see if the home is able to sustain even 20 years on the earth with the changing environmental conditions.
http://archrecord.construction.com/residential/unbuilt/archives/2007/07_jellyfishhouse/default.asp

~Trevor

Reflection on September 25th 2008: Colouring the Cultural Buildiings

When I heard that different cultures paint their buildings with different types of colours I thought about and agreed that this would seem pretty obvious because all types of cultures have different ideas of aesthetics. I did not expect the extremity of the difference among the colours. The majority of Nordic architecture is coloured in pale colours while the majority of Mexican architecture is coloured in vibrant and very vivid pronounced colours. In the Mexican architecture, a lot of primary colours are also used. After I thought about this for a while I was wondering what the theme colour for Winnipeg would be. I’m pretty sure there is none or if there is it would be as bland as it gets. A lot of Winnipeg’s architecture has become very boring. The architecture here was once very ornate and interesting as it was the “Chicago of the North” but since that time the majority of our architectural colours have declined in interest. I’m not saying that all of our architecture is painted with boring colours, but a majority of it is. No one building really stands out by itself anymore. This is especially the case with the housing projects as most of the houses are created in the same style as well as colours these days.

~Trevor