OPPORTUNITY
T H E R E D A LT E R N AT I V E em e c pm i o o pw c r e r o r a cm c i e y t n y t
T H E R E D A LT E R N AT I V E URBAN STRATEGY
MARCH STAGE TWO
Isla Melville and Ian McNeill
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CONTENTS TERMINOLOGY FORMAL ACTIVITIES MANGO MATERIALS THE HUB WASTE TO ENERGY WASTE PAPER RECYCLING UNIVERSITY OF WARSAW INFORMAL ACTIVITIES KUNSTHAUS TACHELES WEWORK LABS INDUSTRY CITY DISTILLERY THE CITY FOUNDRY MICRO-ENTERPRISE FOLLY FOR A FLYOVER BY JOOST MAKE LONDON GREENPOINT MANUFACTURING INDIE CAPITALISM OCCUPY DESIGN
OPPORTUNITY
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TERMINOLOGY PRODUCTIVE SPACE
Human to Human, Mutual Exchange
HUMAN NEEDS Unemployment Breaking down of social boundaries HUMAN ACTION Historic Struggle Fight for social cause ENVIRONMENTAL NEED Synergies Responsibility Environmental Awareness Catalyst for Change INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY Industrial ecology is a broad, systemic and cross-industrial approach, it studies industrial systems as ecosystems which encompass a network of processes and flows, includes industry’s wider links to society INDUSTRIAL SYMBIOSIS
One of the most important concepts of industrial ecology is that, like the biological system, it rejects the concept of waste. Dictionaries define waste as useless or worthless material. In nature, however, nothing is eternally discarded; in various ways all materials are reused, generally with great efficiency. Hence materials and products that are obsolete should be termed ‘residues’ rather than ‘wastes’, and it should be recognized that wastes are merely residues that our economy has not yet learned to use efficiently.
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FORMAL ACTIVITIES
MANGO MATERIALS www.mangomaterials.com
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Mango Materials is a new start-up with a first-class team of engineers, scientists, entrepreneurs and inovatorsproducing biodegradable plastics from waste biogas (methane) that are economically competitive with conventional oil-based plastics.
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Mango Materials was incorporated in 2010 and received their first round of funding in 2011. We are excited to announce that we were chosen as the grand prize winner of $630,000 for the Postcode Lottery Green Challenge Business Plan Competition. The Mango Materials team received the prize in New York City on September 23rd at a dinner that was a part of the Clinton Global Initiative. Although we would love to hear from potential future customers, at the moment Mango Materials produces solely research quantities and does not sell any material samples. Mango Materials produces biodegradable plastics from waste biogas (methane) that are economically competitive with conventional oil-based plastics.
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THE HUB KINGS CROSS, LONDON ZEROZERO ARCHITECTS http://kingscross.the-hub.net
“...their work in the field of regeneration is characterized by an emphasis on creating micro-economies through supporting small-scale businesses and nonmonetary forms of exchange such as swap shops. This strategic work is combined with architectural design that creates the spatial conditions necessary for social networks to thrive, typically through making threshold and indeterminate spaces that encourage informal exchanges.” (Spatial agency) “Hub Kings Cross is a co-working space for social entrepreneurs based in London. Come and be part of our inspiring community of social enterprises, environmental companies and sustainable businesses. The HUB is about the power of innovation through collaboration. We believe there is no shortage of good ideas to solve the issues of our time. But there is an acute lack of collaboration and support structures to help make them happen. The HUB was founded to address this need. HUB King’s Cross is part of this global network of spaces and that combine the best of a trusted community, innovation lab, business incubator and the comforts of home. Spaces with all the tools and trimmings needed to grow and develop innovative ventures for the world. But above all, spaces for meaningful encounters, exchange and inspiration, full of diverse people doing amazing things. The idea has been spreading like wildfire and resulted in the emergence of a global movement. To date, there are 25+ open HUBs and many more in the making, from London to San Francisco, Johannesburg, Melbourne and Sao Paulo. Our ambition is to add to a global network of connected communities that enable collaborative ventures for a better world. At any HUB people from every profession, background and culture are being united by one thing: the imagination and drive to pursue enterprising ideas for the world. These are the people who see and do things differently and have entrepreneurial passion to create sustainable impact.
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WASTE TO ENRGY PROJECTS, POLAND GREENET FINLAND, NORDIC CLEANTECH ALLIANCE www.eig.org
In order to comply with new national and European environmental standards on waste disposal, a number of Polish cities and regions have in the current programming period (2007-2013) commenced project preparation for the construction of waste incinerators. There are currently several waste to energy projects scheduled for the next few years. With several foreign investors interested in bringing these projects to fruition. Location: Warsaw Investor: Zusok Plant capacity: increase of 200 000 (tons/year) assessed Project: Current waste handling capacity about 110 000 tons/a of which around 46 000 tons can be incinerated. Part of the incoming municipal waste is composted. Schedule: 2011-2014 Location: Invvestor: Plant capacity: Project: Schedule:
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Lodz Lodz 250000 (tons/year) Waste incineration plant in Lodz area. Waste from Lodz, Pabianice, Zgierz, Ozorkow, Aleksandrow, Lask, Konstantynow, (totally about 1 mln inhabitants), new plant, report on the impact on the environment done by Socotec Polska Sp.z o.o, public research to be done by December 16, 2010. 2010-2013
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WASTE PAPER RECYCLING recycle.net www.recycle.net/Paper/waste/
Shredded waste office paper is a recyclable commodity that is ultimately sold on for profit. Most smaller and even some large mobile shredding firms deliver their shredded paper to waste paper merchants, who then bale the paper and ship it to a paper mill. The waste paper merchant pays for the paper on a per ton rate, creating another income stream for the shredding firm. When the shredding firm has a considerable volume of paper being processed it can become economically sound to purchase a baler and deal direct with the paper mill. Shredding firms may operate up to three or four trucks sourcing material, before making it viable to Bale their own paper, so in the early stages of the companies’ life the best strategy is to focus on sales to win more customers, rather than diverting time and money to set up and operate a baling operation.
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UNIVERSITY OF WARSAW - FACULTY OF CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING wbis.sggw.pl/en/scientific-researches/laboratories/water-centre/ The long-term influence of the Project will be exercised mainly through educating scientific personnel for economy, science and education on the highest level, in the fields most crucial for the development of the country and marking the innovation of Polish enterprises. Improving the educational process will elevate it to the level reflecting the needs of the modern and developed knowledge-based society. Water in the system of the Water Park flows in a closed circuit thanks to a system of pumps feeding water from the ultimate reservoir to the initial station, which is constituted by a ground object built in gabion and landmass construction. The quality of water is maintained mainly through a natural reed bed treatment plant which is a part of the water system. The mentioned structure is unique in the country. It will be used in the educational process and to popularise general knowledge to illustrate water circulation in nature and to teach about the principles of designing and executing hydro-technical undertakings. The Water Park, which is unique both in Poland and Europe, will supplement the educational process carried out in high and elementary schools. Creating specialised, well-equipped educational and research laboratories will allow not only to improve the quality of education but also to increase the volume and quality of research conducted in the Faculty, which will result in an increase in the number of patents and protection rights obtained by the University. The building also includes rooms where exhibitions will be located, popularising the topics of water and sanitary engineering.
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INFORMAL ACTIVITIES
KUNSTHAUS TACHELES | INSTITUTION www.kunsthaus-tacheles.de
The Kunsthaus Tacheles (Art House Tacheles), was an art centre in Berlin, Germany, a large (9000 square meter) building and sculpture park on Oranienburger Straße in the district known as Mitte. Huge, colourful graffiti-style murals are painted on the exterior walls, and modern art sculptures are featured inside. The building houses an artists collective which is threatened with eviction. Originally called “Friedrichsstadtpassagen”, it was built as a department store in the Jewish quarter (Scheunenviertel) of Berlin, next to the synagogue. Serving as a Nazi prison for a short while, it was later partially demolished. After the Berlin Wall had come down, it was taken over by artists, who called it Tacheles, Yiddish for “straight talking.” The building contained studios and workshops, a nightclub, and a cinema. Outside, the garden featured an open air exhibition of metal sculptures as well as galleries and studios for sculptors and painters. A part of the garden still remains open to the public. Presence online On September 4, 2012, the remaining 40-60 artists left peacefully, after pressure from the owner - after 22 years. The Metallwerkstatt is still existing and fighting against eviction. Several artists and programmers created a Tacheles 3D online art gallery, to open up new rooms for the Tacheles artists, and to continue the spirit of Tacheles online. The association Artprotacheles aims at expanding the idea of Tacheles through Mobile Atelier Projects and has already realised the first one in Berlin Friedrichshain.
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WEWORK LABS, NEW YORK SAN FRANCISCO weworklabs.com
WeWork Labs was founded in 2011 with a focus on helping early stage tech startups in New York City. Now with offices in San Francisco and New York, WeWork Labs has over 300 current members and a great alumni network around the country. Every company in WeWork Labs has been hand selected by our team as a good candidate for the community and have the option to work in a private office or in the open area at a dedicated desk. Our residents not only get access to a great space to work and a fun, smart community but their membership fees also include: Super fast internet and wifi Support from our partners Free access to all of our events and investor office hours Coffee, beer and other goodies Access to healthcare Conference rooms
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INDUSTRY CITY DISTILLERY www.drinkicd.com/
Industry City Distillery is one of several start-ups that have had the opportunity to utilize the affordable and manageable space offered in Industry City, and to combine the creative forces of several individuals to come up with a product that truly defines craftsmanship, chemistry and collaboration. In October, a group led by the Historic Districts Council, an organization that provides educational events for preservation minded people, headed to the 6,000-square-foot distillery to learn a little history, make connections, share ideas and raise a glass in celebration of New York City and its heritage. We got a special tour that included cups of tea on arrival, a look at the interesting collection of hard hats and other safety gear worn in the space, and a peek at the truly beautiful antique printing press that is used to produce the labels and other printed materials for ICD and their partner organizations. D I Y: Industry City Distillery takes the “Do It Yourself” mentality to a level that many of us strive towards. They have built a distillery from reused and re-purposed materials, carefully designing and building everything from scratch; walking through their space will definitely have you conjuring images of Rube Goldberg contraptions and Young Frankenstein. So, why have they decided to create more work for themselves? Their combined knowledge and skill sets makes them capable of creating everything, including their machinery and yeast, by hand. This, in turn, is often more cost efficient and allows them to fully test and improve each step of the distillation process. Their ability to carefully manipulate the taste and quality of their vodka is unlike many other distilleries, and the end product is ultimately of a higher calibre. Building the equipment themselves has allowed the distillery to observe, learn and control the yeast (a strain first isolated on sugar beets) to discover what works and what does not work when it comes to the taste of “No. 2” vodka.
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THE CITY FOUNDRY www.thecityfoundry.com
The City Foundry is a research and design group focused on improving small-scale manufacturing processes through the blending of science and art. The Foundry relies on both financial and barter exchange of goods for materials. OUR TO DO LIST: Secure and outfit a 6000 SQFT manufacturing facility Create a highly advanced distillation process Develop a small alcohol fuelled turbine engine Find and purchase a derelict power station
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POST-INDUSTRIAL MICRO ENTERPRISE www.fastcodesign.com In a small garage in Cedar Park, Texas outside of Austin, there is the start of a new company that reflects an emerging trend in small business. Russell Andersen is using the post-industrial refuse of America’s computer-aided manufacturing revolution to create a new type of micro enterprise-one that is built around aging high-tech tools and very niche markets enabled by Internet-based social networks and GAAP accounting. Now, in his garage, Andersen designs and fabricates a range of these specialty gears based on his extensive personal experience and he then sells them directly around the world via several of these social network sites, like mtbr.com dedicated to this type of mountain biking and recently through his own site, AndersenMachine.com. He is using a fully-depreciated, 20-plus-year-old CNC (computer-numeric-controlled) milling machine he sourced from Craigslist for less than one-tenth of its cost new, and he’s running it with equally antiquated computer hardware and software. With that minimalist equipment, he builds very specific custom bike components that he sells around the world to a very unique customer. An emerging trend in mountain biking is to build bikes with 29-inch wheels (called 29ers) instead of the more prevalent 26-inch wheels. Riders began to discover that the front gears (chain rings) designed for the smaller wheels were not as suitable on the bigger wheels. They needed smaller chain rings which were hard to fit on the crank sets designed for 26 bikes. But this market is so small most manufacturers simply do not make them, so passionate riders got together in bike shops and social networks to discuss this dilemma, creating a convergence of need, demand, and opportunity. Being small and dynamic, he can quickly design or modify a chain ring and he gets direct feedback from his customers. Because he is machining each one, there is no need for special tooling. Effectively, each one is built like a prototype: very precise, very high quality; and about twice as expensive as conventional chain rings although well worth it to those who seek them out. There are other examples of micro enterprises finding specialty markets via dedicated social networks. There are folks making specialty sports car racing parts, specialty camera accessories, and specialty Jeep parts and more to small niche markets of enthusiasts that all have common and specific needs. There have also been folks setting up little job shops in their garage, bidding on machine projects via other sites. Some of these folks are refugees of America’s industries who are turning to these micromarkets as a means of sustenance.
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FOLLY FOR A FLYOVER www.follyforaflyover.co.uk
On 24th June, a building will appear in the gap between the east and westbound traffic of the A12. Transforming the cavernous undercroft where the motorway crosses the Lea Navigation Canal, Folly for a Flyover will host a six week programme of waterside cinema, performance and play.
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Hand-built with local, reclaimed and donated materials, the Folly draws influence from the surrounding red-brick buildings of Hackney Wick, posing as an imaginary piece of the area’s past, a building trapped under the motorway.
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By day the folly will host a cafĂŠ, workshops and events and boat trips exploring the surrounding waterways. At night there will be screenings ranging from animation classics to early and experimental cinema with live scores, light shows and performances. Like a giant construction-kit, the folly will be built over the period of a month by a team of volunteers. Having served one purpose it will be disassembled at the end of the summer, and the components will find new uses across the local area.
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BY JOOST wwwbyjoost.com
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Dutch-born Joost (pronounced “Yoast”) Bakker is a discipline-crossing creative and visionary. A fifth-generation tulip farmer, he has created celebrated installations that fuse nature with a raw, industrial sensibility, encouraging discussion about sustainable design practices in the process. Known for his large-scale public works and vertical gardens; his work is created using “the stuff other people throw out”.
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Built by Joost is the construction arm of By Joost. The company offers sustainable design and buildings for commercial applications and sustainable building methods to all facets of the residential market. Built by Joost uses the Productive Building SystemTM developed by Joost Bakker; Joost’s unique method of using straw bale insulation set into a recyclable steel frame. Built by Joost challenges traditional construction methods and materials. Joost has initiated the development and production of formaldehyde free plywood and charcoal embedded Magnesium Oxide (MgO) Board. These significant advances in what are widely used materials are revolutionising the construction industry.
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MAKE LONDON, LONDON http://makelondon.wordpress.com/about/ MAKELondon looks at manufacturing and craft in urban spaces. The messy business of making material ‘stuff’ is often-neglected in the excitement for the new and supposedly virtual digital economy. In global cities like London, the material economy of manufacturing is conventionally seen to be in terminal decline, to be supplanted by the work of business services and the creative or knowledge sectors. MAKELondon engages with debates about the role of manufacturing and craft in the city and documents the continuing relevance of making things, even in a thoroughly ‘post-industrial’ city. It analyses the urban built spaces and location requirements for new forms of small-scale material production. MAKELondon is written and produced by Karl Baker, a recent graduate of the Cities Programme at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Karl wrote his dissertation on the opportunities of ‘industry-led’ urban regeneration, analysing a site in Islington London to reveal the potential and the challenges of small-scale industry in London. A New Zealander now living in London, Karl also works on urban transport and eco-cities.
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GREENPOINT MANUFACTURING AND DESIGN CENTRE, NEW YORK http://www.gmdconline.org/ The Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Centre (GMDC) is the premier nonprofit industrial developer in New York City. Since its inception in 1992, GMDC has rehabilitated six North Brooklyn manufacturing buildings for occupancy by small manufacturing enterprises, artisans and artists. Currently GMDC owns and manages four of these properties, which together represent more than half a million square feet of space. These buildings are occupied by more than 100 businesses that together employ more than 500 people. The Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Centre creates and sustains viable manufacturing sectors in urban neighbourhoods through planning, developing, and managing real estate and offering other related services. Here’s how we do it: - We acquire, rehab, and manage derelict industrial properties. - We serve as a financial intermediary. - We act as advocates by building coalitions and fostering collaboration among stakeholders. - We create and influence policy and the allocation of resources related to manufacturing and/or industrial development. - We build the field and promote our model by publishing, presenting at conferences, and providing technical assistance to other communities. New York City needs industrial real estate that provides small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises with affordable, flexible production space. GMDC, in addition to managing, maintaining, and improving its properties, actively looks for still more opportunities to uncover under-utilised buildings. Crafting public/private financing, engaging staff in building design and reconstruction, and marketing newly renovated spaces to small businesses, manufacturers, and craftsman are all ways GMDC can influence how unused properties will be reinvented and push its mixed-use agenda. GMDC seeks to position itself as a national model that could be replicated. Keeping light manufacturing and artisans in American cities is paramount to the preservation of buoyant mixed-use communities such as Greenpoint. As long as visionary designers, committed manufacturers, and active small businesses look to grow and thrive in New York City, GMDC will strive to help them realize their ambitions.
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INDIE CAPITALISM www.fastcodesign.com Bruce Nussbaum over at fastcodesign.com has been blogging lately on creativity and what he coins is a new trend: Indie Capitalism. You won’t learn about it in business school, hear about it from Wall Street, or see it in Palo Alto. But if you spend time in Bushwick, Brooklyn, or on Rivington Street in Manhattan, you just might detect the outlines of an emerging “indie” capitalism. This new form of capitalism is not just about conventional startups and technology and venture capitalists. If you add up all the trends under way today, I believe we are beginning to see the start of something original, and perhaps wonderful. It may prove to be the economic and social antidote to the failed financial capitalism and crony capitalism that no longer delivers economic value in terms of jobs, income, and taxes to the people of this country. It’s too early to define the exact shape of this latest iteration of capitalism, but what indie capitalism appears to have is a distinct sensibility. Let’s take a look at a few key features. The four traits of the Indie Capitalism are:
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- It is local, not global, and openly cares about the community and jobs. - It is not transaction, but socially, based. - It is a maker system of economics based on creating new value, not trading old value. - Materials and products are embedded with heightened meaning.
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When I look at these four traits of indie capitalism, three foundational building blocks can be extracted: Relationships – Between people, cultures, the world and its raw materials. Emotional Import – People have histories and they live in contexts that can sometimes dehumanize. People need to feel! Value – This is often tied into the emotional level of experience. When products or services uniquely meet needs, and they’re shared in the context of relationships, they have value. This goes beyond technological value. Things have value because of the story they tell.
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OCCUPY DESIGN - DESIGN PRACTICE FOR THE COMMON GOOD? www.occupydesign.org.uk
Does design practice today work for the common good? Are our cultural institutions serving the interests of common people and the planet? While capitalism imposes harsh austerity on the public – it is also increasing profits for elites, the 1%. This dynamic is a threat to democracy and our collective futures, are these dangers are camouflaged by a design industry that fails to take the crises we face seriously enough? Noel Douglas will show current work from the Occupy movement in both the UK and abroad, highlighting how graphic designers has a vital role in current protest and the imagining of a new society. While Tzortzis Rallis will go discuss his work for ‘Occupied Times’ The newspaper of the Occupy London, which has since grown into a journal in its own right. Other members of Occupy Design UK will be in attendance to promote what promises to be a lively discussion.
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