10-15-2013
World Architecture Day 2013
Following the successful launch of World Architecture Day last year in London, the event made its New York debut this year in early October. Among the activities were a series of workshops hosted by a variety of firms including Richard Meier & Partners, Michael Graves & Associates, Grimshaw, and our own FXFOWLE. We invited three of our staff members to attend the workshops and share their thoughts, which we have recorded below.
MyPhuong Chung, AIA, LEED
Waterfronts Today, hosted by HKS
Most global, growing cities were born on the water. Historically, harbors were the center of transport and shipping; the economic engine of a young city that would grow to become a metropolis. As economies change and uses and values shift, cities are trying to reconnect their citizens to the water: balancing public access, housing, recreational use, as well as preserving the history of industrial use. And now, the latest challenge is rising water and storm surges. At the workshop hosted by HKS, a global urban design firm, we discussed several case studies of waterfront design, from New York City to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam. Water management strategies and conditions varied from city to city, but the ultimate questions remain the same. This panel begged the question, what do we want for the future of our cities, and how can waterfront design help us achieve it?
Nicolas Ryan, AIA, LEED
Biomimicry and Four Projects, hosted by HOK
The workshop provided a rare insight into biomimicry as a design philosophy currently pursued by HOK. The idea that buildings and urban development are part and parcel of the earth's ecosystems and impact those ecosystems is not new. What is new is HOK's ambitious attempt to understand the "Genius of Biome" – the core biological and underlying principles behind human life – and apply those principles to architectural and urban design. The desire to go beyond analogy or symbolical references and work off something more fundamental was evident in several projects discussed by Ken Drucker. Projects from Korea to Brazil, emphasized the performance of the building enclosure and other building systems, and the inspiration drawn from forms, configurations or principles found in nature for building concepts, urban, transportation and green infrastructures. Products of a design process called FIT or "Fully integrated Thinking" that incorporates and responds to many variables. Holistically, the projects exhibited a strong, even poetic character and led to a stimulating discussion among participants of how climate and biology can influence design.
Stephen Kim, AIA, LEED
High Performance Facades
Begining with a quick office tour, this workshop comprised of five short presentations, covering everything from real-world technical issues, such as curtain wall embed adjustments and operable vent hardware, to innovative and advanced ideas, such as next-generation energy analysis tools and Electroactive Dynamic Daylighting System (EDDS) developed by CASE (Center for Architecture Science and Ecology) in conjunction with SOM. Dow Corning, who also participated, presented their latest technologies in building insulation materials as well. Overall, it was sneak preview of latest in high performance facades and what we can expect to see in near future. One of the most exciting thing was that instead of relying on other industry to create and develop these innovative concepts, SOM and CASE collaborate to initiate and exploit these ideas in real-world application.
MyPhuong Chung, AIA, LEED
Waterfronts Today, hosted by HKS
Most global, growing cities were born on the water. Historically, harbors were the center of transport and shipping; the economic engine of a young city that would grow to become a metropolis. As economies change and uses and values shift, cities are trying to reconnect their citizens to the water: balancing public access, housing, recreational use, as well as preserving the history of industrial use. And now, the latest challenge is rising water and storm surges. At the workshop hosted by HKS, a global urban design firm, we discussed several case studies of waterfront design, from New York City to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam. Water management strategies and conditions varied from city to city, but the ultimate questions remain the same. This panel begged the question, what do we want for the future of our cities, and how can waterfront design help us achieve it?
Nicolas Ryan, AIA, LEED
Biomimicry and Four Projects, hosted by HOK
The workshop provided a rare insight into biomimicry as a design philosophy currently pursued by HOK. The idea that buildings and urban development are part and parcel of the earth's ecosystems and impact those ecosystems is not new. What is new is HOK's ambitious attempt to understand the "Genius of Biome" – the core biological and underlying principles behind human life – and apply those principles to architectural and urban design. The desire to go beyond analogy or symbolical references and work off something more fundamental was evident in several projects discussed by Ken Drucker. Projects from Korea to Brazil, emphasized the performance of the building enclosure and other building systems, and the inspiration drawn from forms, configurations or principles found in nature for building concepts, urban, transportation and green infrastructures. Products of a design process called FIT or "Fully integrated Thinking" that incorporates and responds to many variables. Holistically, the projects exhibited a strong, even poetic character and led to a stimulating discussion among participants of how climate and biology can influence design.
Stephen Kim, AIA, LEED
High Performance Facades
Begining with a quick office tour, this workshop comprised of five short presentations, covering everything from real-world technical issues, such as curtain wall embed adjustments and operable vent hardware, to innovative and advanced ideas, such as next-generation energy analysis tools and Electroactive Dynamic Daylighting System (EDDS) developed by CASE (Center for Architecture Science and Ecology) in conjunction with SOM. Dow Corning, who also participated, presented their latest technologies in building insulation materials as well. Overall, it was sneak preview of latest in high performance facades and what we can expect to see in near future. One of the most exciting thing was that instead of relying on other industry to create and develop these innovative concepts, SOM and CASE collaborate to initiate and exploit these ideas in real-world application.