An Architecture of Decency November 21, 2007

The beautiful work of the Rural Studio was featured on Public Radio's Speaking of Faith last week, they called it "An Architecture of Decency". Along with the program, the companion website is really worth checking out. It has photographs, slideshows, videos, uncut interviews, blogs from the production crew and host, as well as a very cool interactive map showing where all of the Rural Studio projects are located. They've really done a great job of capturing the tremendous spirit behind the Rural Studio.

"The mission of the Rural Studio is to enable each participating student to cross the threshold of misconceived opinions to create/design/build and to allow students to put their educational values to work as citizens of a community. The Rural Studio seeks solutions to the needs of the community within the community's own context, not from outside it. Abstract ideas based upon knowledge and study are transformed into workable solutions forged by real human contact, personal realization, and a gained appreciation for the culture."

Link to "An Architecture of Decency"
Link to the Rural Studio's website

 

Urban Interventions November 09, 2007

The web is abuzz in light of photos released last week that claim to capture the identity of infamous graffiti artist Banksy (click here to get the scoop). Probably the world's most well known street artist, Banksy's socially conscious and site specific graffiti has made him a darling of the international art world. But while his work easily fetches thousands of dollars at auction, his true identity has remained shrouded in secrecy, until now... or maybe not. One theory is that Banksy simply designs a piece with stencils and employs a coterie of volunteers to hit the streets and "install" the artwork.

As long as we're on the topic, we'd like to share the work of a street artist who has chosen to work with a friendlier alternative to aerosol cans and stencils. "Eco-minded street artist Edina Tokodi is putting a new spin on green guerrilla tactics in the trendy art enclave of Williamsburg, Brooklyn." She has dubbed her work "living-graffiti" and invites the passerby to touch and interact with the mossy animals cropping up on the streets of New York. Click here for photos and more via Inhabitat.

 

When LEED isn't enough November 02, 2007

From Environmental Building News:
"As the world's first LEED Platinum building, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Philip Merrill Environmental Center is loaded with green features: photovoltaic panels, rainwater harvesting, composting toilets, and bamboo flooring, to mention just a few. However, moving the organization's staff of around 100 into the new building meant that many employees who had been able to walk to work in the older downtown facility now have to drive roughly ten miles to get there...the additional energy use from more employees driving to work may well exceed the energy savings realized by the green building."

"That's right - for an average office building in the United States, calculations done by Environmental Building News show that commuting by office workers accounts for 30% more energy than the building itself uses. For an average new office building built to code, transportation accounts for more than twice as much energy use as building operation."

This is rather scary, and the whole article is worth a read. The basic message is that locating buildings in an urban, interconnected context is energy efficient.

The complete article:
Environmental Building News, vol.16 , issue 9 (Sept. 2007)