Volume 3 - November 13th, 2012
How to Improve Architectural Education Steady demand for rentals, but sales tend to take time Construction sector charter ‘has failed to take BEE forward’ Landscape Architecture Spotlight: Parklets
Contents
Vol. 3 - November 13th, 2012
ON THE COVER
BUILDING
3
12 Consulting agency introduces new course in construction adjudication for 2013
How to Improve Architectural Education
12 Construction sector charter ‘has failed to take BEE forward’ 18 Steady demand for rentals, but sales tend to take time 20 Landscape Architecture Spotlight: Parklets ARCHITECTURE 6
LEED Platinum Home Addition in Venice
7
Design Dilemma: How to Design a House that is Easy to Clean
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Ottawa River House // Christopher Simmonds Architect
13 Moscow’s Mercury City Tower claims highest skyscraper title 14 Clean energy costs to hit consumers 16 Vela building solutions leads rollout of SA-grown alternative building technologies PROPERTY 17 Government-building-focused property group to list on JSE LANDSCAPING 19 First Commercial Vertical Farm opens in Singapore 21 Urban Gardens on the Street DECOR 22 Cocoon 1 by Micasa Lab is a Transparent Piece of Bubble Furniture You Can Live In
SPECIAL FEATURE
How to Improve Architectural Education You could argue that architectural education is pretty good the way it is. In fact, it is most likely the best that it has ever been. But it’s not good enough. Just as architects and designers need to deliver more value in the future, the education that supports and gives birth to the future of the profession needs to prove its relevance. There is a changing nature in the work of design. In this context many educators acknowledge that higher education has not kept up with the big changes taking place in the design professions. I have a proposal. At the base, I believe that there should be a fresh approach and that we should question our current habit patterns. We should do things differently. Call this a next-level approach or strategic alignment. To measure the pulse of the potential of this, one only needs to look at what we see in today’s best-of-class professional firms. Innovation lives in these firms. The fascinating thing is that in spite of the naysayers, the design profession is pioneering into new satisfying realities that include unexpected upside scenarios in career satisfaction and monetary remuneration. Here’s a proposal to bring design education forward into a position for increasingly indispensable value.
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SPECIAL FEATURE
How to Improve Architectural Education
1. Obsess with keeping current: Provide a campus program for faculties and staff that updates the latest statistics and metrics about the design profession. For instance, compensation metrics and the business metrics of success. Bring students, faculty, and administration together to share knowledge on the current realities in the professions. Today’s graduates should come to understand the real opportunities and set goals accordingly. Get rid of the stale mythology of a profession that doesn’t exist anymore 2. Teach leadership in addition to design education: Yes, business leadership and communication skills should be taught to every student before graduating. Students should learn that in reality, designers are in the communications business. Without this, the There is a changing nature in the work of design. In this context many educators acknowledge that higher education has not kept up with the big changes taking place in the design professions. 3. Learning by doing: Hands on programs, cooperative education and the like may be difficult, but its value cannot be denied. For when it comes to areas like building on-site supervisory experience, cost analysis, fee and business adjustments to scope changes, and day-to-day project management, the best way to acquire the necessary understanding of how buildings are made is by practicing the art and science rather than studying it. Becoming a successful architect or running a design enterprise is not an endeavor that translate well into lectures and academic analysis. 4. Maximize the design enterprise/continuing-education offerings: By bring practitioners into school both digitally and to campus you can create social and intellectual programs that build bridges between the profession and education. A surprisingly small number of successful practitioners actively teach. It need not be a lost resource. | Page 4
5. Veteran and tenured faculty are in need of renewal: Some schools admit to a percentage of deadwood faculties. It doesn’t have to be this way. An exchange program between schools could be established for veteran and tenured faculty needing some regeneration and new surroundings. Every school can participate in this program, which could have a twelve month to twenty-four month schedule. 6. Teach the current metrics in finance, marketing, professional services and operations: This is the Design + Enterprise model. Make it a part of every project in the studio environment. Imbedded into every studio should be lessons that reveal project management information that firms use now to stay accountable. This includes costs, construction time, design efficiency, square-foot metrics and the likely marketing overhead the project brought with it. Read the rest of the article and conclusion in volume four of Designmind coming November the 20th. http://www.archdaily.com/289789/how-to-improve-architecturaleducation-in-12-steps/
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ARCHITECTURE
LEED Platinum Home Addition in Venice This is the Brooks Residence, and it’s one of the 10 highest LEED-rated homes in California. Located in Venice, California, the craftsman-style home received 109 points and is one of about 20 local homes certified under the LEED for Homes program. It was built by Rick Arreola and designed by Duvivier Architects for principle Isabelle Duvivier, who wanted to modernize the existing home with more space, light, and sustainability. The first floor was opened and expanded to create a larger living and kitchen, as shown in the pictures. At the same time, Duvivier sought to increase natural light and ventilation through carefully placed windows, solar tubes, and skylights. To conserve energy, there’s 2×6 wall framing, insulation per QII guidelines, high-efficiency appliances, and Energy Star lighting (95% LED lights), resulting in a home that’s 52% more efficient than an average new California home. There’s also a 4 kW solar array that produces power for the home. The stairs and bookshelves were built with 2x4s reclaimed from existing walls that were removed, and Duvivier selected high recycled-content products for the exterior siding, bathroom tiles, concrete countertops, insulation, and foundation. To save water, Brooks Residence has two cisterns that collect 800 gallons of rainwater. One cistern is used to water a fruit orchard, while the other is open and used as a fish habitat, as well as a water source for the cut-flower garden. The home’s graywater recycling system pumps water to riparian trees and a banana crescent. Additionally, Brooks has native droughttolerant plants, mostly permeable surfaces, a vegetable garden in the front yard, and a vegetated swale. http://www.jetsongreen.com/2012/07/craftsmanaddition-leed-platinum-brooks-venice.html | Page 6
ARCHITECTURE
Design Dilemma: How to Design a House that is Easy to Clean Are you lucky enough to design a home from the ground up? Here’s something to keep in mind: how easy will that house be to clean? It’s something that few of us bear in mind in the excitement of designing, renovating or building a new home, and yet it’s a factor that will determine the livability and quality of our days like no other. Yes, stainless steel is wonderful, until you find yourself obsessed with wiping away fingerprints every two hours. Dark ebony floors are elegant, until they’re covered with dust, dirt and pet hair. Then they just look grungy. So here are a few things to bear in mind if you’re renovating or rebuilding a home. • Light to mid-range wood floors is the easiest to keep clean. Wood floors have many, many advantages over other materials. Unlike carpet, which can get ratty fast, wood floors only seem to get better looking with age. Unlike tile, there is no grout to get encrusted with dirt. They clean up fast, with a broom and a damp mop. They also don’t easily show dirt and dust, unless you make the mistake of going very light or very dark. So we vote for wooden floors in a light oak finish for their ease in cleaning on a daily basis. The other advantage of wood is that it can last for decades (if not centuries) and be restored relatively easily by refinishing. • Storage changes everything. Consider installing far more storage than you think you’ll need. Look for under-utilized opportunities to create storage behind stairways, underneath seats, and underneath windows and doors. Create multiple smaller storage spaces around your house instead of one large hall closet that is far from where the materials in storage will be used. • Choose furniture with storage. The whole storage issue doesn’t pertain just to the fixed elements of our home. Choose a couch that incorporates a place for blankets or remote controls, a coffee table with generous storage for magazines, books, remotes and board games, as well as tables with storage for silverware and table linens. • Invest in easy-to-clean paints and furniture coverings. Naturally, you will want washable paint surfaces. If you opt for wallpaper, look for easyto-clean products that do not fade easily. When it comes to choosing furniture, you may find leather in darker colors like taupe, gray, chocolate, charcoal or black, easiest to keep clean, especially if you have kids and dogs. • Build a smaller home. Here’s some radical advice: Go small! Smaller homes, particularly when they are well planned, are far easier to keep clean. They take less time to organize, there is less square footage to scrub, and there are fewer objects required to fill these homes. A simple solution to a complex problem. Happy cleaning! http://www.homedesignfind.com/how-to-tips-advice/design-dilemma-how-to-designa-house-that-is-easy-to-clean/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_ca mpaign=Feed%3A+Homedesignfind+%28Home+Design+Find%29 Page 7 |
ARCHITECTURE
Architects: Christopher Simmonds Architect Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Photographs: Double Space Photography Year: 2012
Ottawa River House // Christopher Simmonds Architect | Page 8
To move through this home on the Ottawa River is to enjoy a carefully orchestrated sequence of encounters with its picturesque natural setting. Views and light penetrate the spatial composition throughout its interlocking interior volumes. The starting point for the planning of this house was to identify a place on the site which afforded a view of Parliament Hill, and to locate the principal living spaces there. An elongated entry with a natural cedar planked ceiling brings visitors by way of the southerly courtyard to the very core of the site and the home. The result is a home with stunning views, and which enjoys both an intimate connection with the courtyard and a more expansive connection with the river. Flooring is a combination of white porcelain tile and dark stained, quarter-sawn oak. Cabinets in dark stained ash contrast similarly with the white quartz countertops http://www.archdaily.com/290873/ottawa-river-house-christopher-simmonds-architect/
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ARCHITECTURE
Ottawa River House // Christopher Simmonds Architect
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BUILDING from their companies and work in industry institutions. Young black professionals in the built environment tended to need to work on keeping their relatively smaller companies viable. Mr Campbell said professionals in the engineering profession could not be fast-tracked, as their work affected the health and safety of the public. It took an engineer about 8-10 years to gain enough experience to be considered a professional.
Construction sector charter ‘has failed to take BEE forward’ THE Construction Industry Charter was not doing enough to promote black economic empowerment (BEE), Department of Trade and Industry deputy director-general Sipho Zikode said. Though the charter was gazetted in 2009, black-owned businesses and professionals in the sector continued to face many problems, he said. These included lack of access to finance and big private sector and government contracts. Other challenges included fronting, and late payments from big companies and the government. Late payment had caused the demise of many small companies. Further, professional industry bodies were mainly run by whites. Mr Zikode said a council that had initially been proposed to monitor the charter did not meet and did not have the resources to execute its work. It was the responsibility of the industry to ensure that it functioned properly, he said. Mr Zikode said he did not expect the charter to be replaced when the new black economic empowerment codes of good practice, which would be considered in Parliament soon, were made into law. The immediate past president of the Engineering Council of South Africa, Chris Campbell, acknowledged that construction industry organisations were run mainly by white people. This he said was because older white professionals had the time and financial resources to spend time away | Page 12
There was a shortage of engineering skills in South Africa — there was one engineer or technical specialist per 700720 people versus one per 300 in the Bric countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China). Municipal engineers, manufacturing engineers and artisans were in short supply. http://www.bdlive.co.za/business/industrials/2012/11/06/construction-sector-charter-has-failed-to-take-bee-forwardAbsa: fewer building plans approved
Consulting agency introduces new course in construction adjudication for 2013 Independent, multidisciplinary legal consulting firm MDA Consulting has introduced its Programme in Construction Adjudication, to be launched in February 2013 by the University of Pretoria, in reaction to industry challenges, says associate Niel Coertse. “The construction law field is a dynamic field, with many aspects, such as legal, financial and insurance present in any contract. It is also an underdeveloped field in South Africa, compared with that of the UK. “With this new course we hope to enrich the South African body of knowledge,” he explains. Coertse notes that, with regard to contracts, there is often a gap between the personnel dealing with the technical aspects of a construction project and those dealing with the commercial aspects. “They often do not have an understanding of what the others are doing and it is important to bridge this gap,” he says.
BUILDING “We are seeing some contractors becoming more commercially astute and resorting to employing lawyers and legal advisors to review the contracts and terms before going to tender. “It is important for them to know who they are contracting with and be sure that they will be paid, while it is also important for the employers to know who will be contracting for them and whether the contractors are able to deliver,” he says. He adds that contractors need to educate themselves, not only on the technical aspects of the project, but also on what they are warranting and undertaking through the contracts they sign. With construction adjudication progressively becoming more entrenched as a procedure for resolving construction disputes across the industry, a need has now arisen for legal professionals who advise and/or assist and/or represent parties in adjudications, or who practise as adjudicators themselves to be formally trained in the practice. “Adjudication is not governed by legislation like arbitration is. The courts are leaning towards letting the parties involved choose their dispute resolution procedures, and have recently enforced adjudicator’s decisions,” says Coertse. The eight-month programme is aimed at construction and legal professionals who have experience in the construction industry and who currently advise, assist or represent parties in construction adjudications, who may wish to practise as adjudicators or have an interest in construction law, claims and contracts. http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/consulting-agency-introduces-new-course-in-construction-adjudicationfor-2013-2012-11-02
Niel Coertse.
Moscow’s Mercury City Tower claims highest skyscraper title FThe 339 meters (1,112 feet) tall Mercury City Tower, primarily owned by billionaire Igor Kesaev, is one of the buildings forming the Moscow International Business Center also known as “Moskva-City”. The tower, which is still under going construction, reached its full height making it at present, the tallest skyscraper in Europe, according to organizers of the ceremony and local media. The tower has topped out at 338 metres, 29 metres higher than the Shard, in London, which has held the record just since July. “It shows that, in Russia, we can keep pace with modern architecture according to European standards,” Mercury boss Igor Kesayev said. The first 40 storeys are to house offices, while the top storeys will contain luxury apartments. “The Russians will probably keep the record for a while since they’re building more skyscrapers,” added Matthew Keutenis of the building data analysis company Emporis, which confirmed the tower’s record. http://www.timeslive.co.za/lifestyle/2012/11/02/moscow-s-mercury-city-tower-claims-highest-skyscraper-title Page 13 |
BUILDING
Clean energy costs to hit consumers Electricity consumers will have to dig even deeper into their pockets for the clean energy that Eskom will be buying from independent power producers (IPPs). The tariffs IPPs will receive are nearly five times the 61c/ kWh that Eskom is now charging its customers. One IPP, which did not wish to be named, mentioned it would be paid R2,81/kWh of power sold to the national grid. In its application for a 16% tariff increase for each of the next five years from April 2013, Eskom says it will use 3% of that to fund its purchase of electricity from the IPPs. If approved, it will double the price of electricity consumers now pay to R1,28/kWh by 2018. The contracted tariffs for renewable energy in the new build programme are already double Eskom’s projected price five years from now. In October, the company said it paid existing IPPs an average 77c/kWh, including imports from Mozambique’s Cahora Bassa hydroelectric station. “The renewable energy industry needs to be subsidised for the next 10 years in SA before it can stand firmly on its own,” says Nicolas Rolland, a partner at the Darling Wind Farm in the Western Cape. Begun as a pilot project, the farm has been selling wind-generated power to the City of Cape Town since 2008. Contracted at rates lower than Eskom’s current 61c/kWh, the Darling wind turbines are not generating enough revenue to sustain the project. Rolland says the company will be negotiating with the city to get a price in line with the IPP price. | Page 14
The financial close for the first phase of the energy department’s integrated resource plan, signed by minister Dipuo Peters last week, means the 28 preferred IPPs have been given the go-ahead to start building the infrastructure for 1470MW of energy from renewable sources like sun and wind at an estimated cost of R47bn. The projects are the first of three phases - totalling 3725MW, which the energy department plans to source from IPPs by 2016. When complete, it will take the total amount of renewable energy to 8735MW by 2025. At that level the sector will contribute the equivalent of 30% of the nation’s energy mix, lowering Eskom’s generation contribution to 65% of SA’s total power capacity from the current 95%. Industry players have welcomed the financial close, saying it allows them to begin building their power plants to be able to deliver within the five-year deadline. Building Energy, a company domiciled in Italy, will start construction on its R3,5bn photovoltaic (solar panels) plant within a month of the financial close, says the company’s Africa CEO, Matteo Brambilla. “The plant will be under construction for the next 21 months, after which the power will start flowing,” says Brambilla. When complete, it will provide 81MW for the next 20 years. If paid R2,81/kWh, Building Energy will produce annual revenues of more than R500m. Employing 350 people during construction, the Kathu, Northern Cape, facility is one of many that will create an estimated 50000 jobs during the construction phase of the renewable power plants. Brambilla says 63 people will be required to operate the station after it is finished. http://www.fm.co.za/economy/local/2012/11/09/clean-energycosts-to-hit-consumers
BUILDING
N Korea ‘Hotel of Doom’ to open after delays An enormous pyramid-shaped hotel which has stood half-built for decades in North Korea’s capital is on track to open its doors next year, a luxury international hotel chain said according to reports. Pyongyang’s 105-storey Ryugyong Hotel, a monolithic concrete shell dubbed the “Hotel of Doom” by international media, has been repeatedly delayed and stands as a symbol of the economic problems plaguing the impoverished country. Despite doubts that it would ever be completed, the head of Geneva-based hotel group Kempinsk has said it plans a partial launch next year, South Korean media said. Seoul’s Korea JoongAng Daily quoted Kempinski chief executive Reto Wittwer as saying the group would open the hotel in July or August 2013, offering 150 rooms on the top floors of the building. “It will become a multipurpose complex, with the three lowest floors used for the lobby, restaurants and a shopping
centre, and the rest of the upper floors will be mostly used for offices,” he said. South Korean daily Chosun Ilbo also quoted Wittwer as saying the Kempinski group planned to open the hotel in the first half of next year. Former North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, who died last December, reportedly ordered construction of the hotel in 1987, with skills and capital from a French company. In 2008 the project was named the ‘Worst Building in the History of Mankind’. In September this year, Beijing-based company Koryo Tours, which organises trips to North Korea, was granted a rare glimpse inside the hotel. Photos taken by the company and provided to AFP show a vast glass-covered lobby and atrium with tiers of bare concrete at its base, resembling a multi-storey car park. The visit also revealed that the building features a ninety-fifth-floor viewing platform and plans for a banqueting hall http://www.iol.co.za/travel/n-korea-hotel-of-doom-to-open-afterdelays-1.1417607#.UJvJq2lrYsw Page 15 |
BUILDING One of the biggest current Vela Building Solutions projects in Southern Africa involves the delivery and construction of 1 600 Vela Modular homes for a Government housing project in the South of Angola. The flat-packed insulated, interlocking Modular panels and other components for the contract are being delivered by road from South Africa and assembled on site.
Vela building solutions leads rollout of SA-grown alternative building technologies South African exports of home grown alternative building technologies (ABTs) into Southern Africa are gathering pace across an increasingly wider footprint as the region continues to ride a wave of economic growth and infrastructural development. At the forefront of this process is Gauteng-based Vela Building Solutions which, as part of its strategic African expansion plan, has just established local operations in Mozambique (where annual economic growth is tracking above 7%) and Namibia, says CEO Brent Harris. Vela Building Solutions is the region’s leading provider of innovative, quality, rapid and sustainable Modular, and other, building solutions (as an alternative to bricks and mortar) in the construction of low-cost and affordable housing and associated community infrastructure. “There is no question that ABTs are now a strong, and potentially long-lasting, link in South Africa’s growing export chain into Southern Africa – and even further afield on the continent. Their potential seems virtually unlimited,” says Brent. Examples of current major projects that will require largescale worker and community infrastructure, says Brent, revolve around Mozambique’s Tete coalfields and Pemba offshore natural gas deposits; the expansion of the cobalt and copper mining industry in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); exploitation of newly discovered copper reserves in Zambia; growth of Angola’s oil industry; and more intensive coal production in Botswana. | Page 16
In a different arena of ABTs, Vela last year supplied vast quantities of the cold rolled steel used in the fast-track construction in Maputo, Mozambique, of a village that housed the 6 500 athletes (from 48 countries) who competed in the 10th All Africa Games. After the Games, the village was converted to meet its original purpose – affordable housing for the community in the area. To cope with existing strong demand for ABTs in South Africa, as well as the growth of its markets in the rest of Southern Africa, Vela recently doubled its production capacity by moving to a 7 500 sqm new manufacturing complex in Alrode, Gauteng. http://www.eprop.co.za/news/item/14473-vela-building-solutions-leadsrollout-of-sa-grown-alternative-building-technologies.html
Government-buildingfocused property group to list on JSE The R2.1-billion property group and predominantly government-tenanted black economic-empowerment company, Delta Property Fund, is to list on the JSE. The listing, scheduled for early November, will follow a Nedbank Capital-led capital-raising exercise of R980-million and is aimed at reducing gearing levels and funding future acquisitions. The company has set itself the ambitious objective of owning a property portfolio valued in excess of R7-billion by 2017. Nedbank Corporate Property Finance is providing the bulk of the funding and is working in collaboration with Nedbank Capital – the sponsor of and adviser to Delta for the listing – to bring the fund to market.
PROPERTY “We consider this a high-quality listing and are confident it will be positively received by investors seeking a blue-chip investment in the JSE’s property sector,” says Nedbank Corporate Property Finance regional executive Ken Reynolds. “Delta will make its JSE debut at R8.20 a share. The fund was established by the founding shareholders of Motseng Investment Holdings, which was established in 1998 as a provider of support services to landlords, property funds and property managing agents. In 2002, it expanded into the property sector through a joint venture with property group Mariott Property Services. Delta will be managed by investment manager MPI Asset Management, while the company’s property management will be undertaken by Motseng Property Services – a subsidiary of Motseng Investment Holdings – which has managed Delta’s existing properties to date. Delta CEO Sandile Nomvete asserts that the company’s strategic advantage is its ability to identify and secure government-leased and South African Revenue Service-leased properties and to collect the rentals timeously, and adds that Delta has successfully redevel- oped and refurbished several buildings to tenant requirements, thereby enhancing the property value and yield. “We have achieved long-term lease renewals and marketcomparative escalation rates as tenant requirements and demands are pro- actively met and exceeded,” he says. http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/r21-billion-black-economicempowerment-property-group-poised-to-list-on-johannesburg-stockexchange-2012-10-24
Steady demand for rentals, but sales tend to take time Anyone running a commercial franchise (or a conventional brokerage), primarily handling industrial property in the greater Durban area, has to accept, firstly that there is a serious shortage of land zoned for commercial use; secondly, that, having established connections with those companies that are looking for new premises, it can take time to meet all their criteria; and thirdly, that the rezoning of land in areas identified as suitable can, again, be time-consuming.
Nevertheless, the market is now “ideal” for buyers looking to get in ‘on the ground floor’ while prices are still low and purchases of un-zoned properties will be worth substantially more once the rights are in place. This is according to David Hitch, one of the Rawson Property Group’s more successful commercial franchisees, who is also active in the residential field. His broker, Winston Sjouerman, was Rawson Commercial’s top performer in 2012. “Right now,” said Hitch, “there are relatively few companies looking to buy large industrial spaces or to establish themselves in big new premises. However, we are in touch with several and are working steadily to meet their specifications. We have several agents experienced in handling turnkey and package operations, the advantages of these are that the final price is known right at the outset and ourselves sort out all the details. Hitch said that in general, prices are now well off their 2007 peaks and investors looking for bargain opportunities should be investigating the many good opportunities open to them now, particularly in areas such as Cornubia (a new commercial trade zone near the King Shaka Airport) and Cato Ridge. The challenge, however is to find stable tenants who will commit to long leases. Rental demand, said Hitch, is particularly strong for premises in the 400m2 to 2000m2 bracket - and here, he says, there is now a serious shortage of suitable space. This shortage has caused rents to stabilize over the last two years and annual increases of up to 5% are now generally accepted. In River Horse and Briardene, said Hitch, today’s rents are pitched at around R55 per/m2, in Pinetown they are from R30-R40 per/m2 and in Jacobs and Mobeni from R30-R38 per/m2. “Looking generally at commercial property in Durban”, Hitch repeated, “it is quite clear that now is the right time to buy. With prime at 8,5%, it is possible to find good industrial land in upcoming areas, at anything from R500R2500 per/m2. Within the next five to ten years these prices will, I am confident, seem ludicrously low - because the current big dip in the economy, although the most serious we have experienced since the 1930’s, will not, I am convinced, last forever.” http://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/567/84745.html Page 17 |
LANDSCAPING
First Commercial Vertical Farm opens in Singapore It is projected that by the year 2050, nearly 80% of the earth’s population will reside in urban centers. With fears of overcrowding and land scarcity, the need to evolve our agriculture is one of the primary challenges we face in the 21st century. A solution? Vertical farming. The innovative concept, which was first pioneered by Columbia University professor Dickson Despommier, is a promising solution that many of the world’s most populated cities are starting to consider. As of now, the land-scarce Republic of Singapore is leading the way with the opening of the world’s first commercial vertical farm, featuring 3.65-hectares of stacked vegetables in the northwestern district of Lim Chu Kang. As Channel News Asia reports, the farm is organized by a | Page 18
series of nine-meter tall aluminum towers, suitable of growing up to a half ton of vegetables per year. This is just the beginning, as the farm is expected to double in size by the end of 2013. The project is a huge win for the country, which up until now imported 93% of its vegetables, due to lack of farming space. “The challenge will be to get investors interested. This type of farm needs (relatively) higher capital,” said Dr Ngiam Tong Tau, the chairman of Sky Greens. “This is a new system, so people need to be trained (and) we need to attract people to come here to work.” http://www.archdaily.com/291403/first-commercial-verticalfarm-opens-in-singapore/
LANDSCAPING
Landscape Architecture Spotlight: Parklets, small spots of green lots A growing trend is the concept of “parklets,” small urban micro parks installed off of sidewalks that enhance the streetscape, allow passersby to relax and enjoy the environment around them, and activate the pedestrian scene. Originated in (where else?) San Francisco, these cozy little public green spaces have since spread to other cities such as Philadelphia, Vancouver, and New York. They’ve been approved in pedestrian friendly cities such as Chicago as well as traditionally less walking-enthused cities like Los Angeles, which approved a six-month pilot program in August, not to mention smaller cities in between. A parklet is typically created by blocking off several unused parallel parking spaces on a street and extending a platform off the sidewalk. The platform usually features a seating area and can also incorporate planters, a small lawn, sculptures, fountains, or other urban furnishings that invite people to linger or rest. Typically located in front of a restaurant or boutique, it serves as a way to activate streetlight and engage a greater pedestrian presence in an area that might otherwise be lacking in one. A parklet makes for a great outdoor dining extension of a cafe, or a miniature park. And the results from early studies have been promising— areas where parklets have sprung up do seem to have seen
increased activity, satisfaction, and character. Parklets are a relatively inexpensive and simple way of creating pockets of green space or communal interaction within the city. Parklets are not the end-all solution to carving out green urban spaces, of course, but they can serve as catalysts. If these small gestures are successful, they can lead larger packets of land being turned to small parks or gardens. Imagine an abandoned parking lot reborn as a place for families to stop and relax for a while. Or perhaps the roof of a mid-rise building being converted into a communal garden for local residents. Even unique urban features can be transformed into wonderful ecological facilities, as evidenced by projects like the High Line in New York. The host of benefits of having activated urban green spaces has been long documented—reduced heat island effect, improved storm water management, enhanced local air quality, and increased physical and psychological comfort are but a few. So perhaps this current trend of parklets can help ignite greater appreciation for and effort toward creating more such spaces. A little could very well go quite a long way. http://blog.lpainc.com/lpa-blog/bid/90437/Landscape-Architecture-Spotlight-Parklets-small-spots-of-green-lots Page 19 |
LANDSCAPING
Urban Gardens on the Street We often point out the value of planting and maintaining the city-owned parkways in front of their homes when clients redesign their residential landscape. Aside from the obvious improvement to the curb appeal of your property, it extends the pleasure of your garden space as you look out the window and gives a little something back to your neighborhood as well. Everyone likes an ‘ooh, aaah.’ There are practical considerations, though, and this summer we had a question from a blog reader about her struggles with summer blooming plants in her parkway. In response, here are four tips for parkway plantings from our horticulture gurus, John Evans and Steve Gierke: Successful parkway planters need a raised curb or at minimum, a rail, to keep people and dogs out. Blooming plants won’t thrive if they are getting stepped on or ‘dog-watered’ (as my 5-year-old puts it). Shade can be a huge issue in parkways. Though boxwood and ferns will do fine with low light, plants like Geranium and Hydrangeas need lots of sun to flower significantly. If it is very shady, consider a canopy reduction of up to 15% to allow in more light. Also, consider plants which perform in low light: Begonia, Impatiens, Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’. And, as most annuals prefer full sun consider using foliage plants like Perilla and Coleus to brighten up the space. | Page 20
Moisture and soil fertility: These are also challenging variables. The trees in parkways are starved for both moisture and nutrients due to the trees roots that exist within the space. Try incorporating 1” pine bark fines and 1” of garden compost into the soil. Regular watering is also a must and if that watering can be done along with a watersoluble fertilizer 1x/week all the better. Both Miracle Gro and Peters Blossom Booster are great products. http://hoerrschaudt.com/blog/?p=1986
DECOR
Cocoon 1 by Micasa Lab is a Transparent Piece of Bubble Furniture You Can Live In As the planet becomes increasingly crowded, sometimes all we want is a small space to call our own - and the Cocoon 1 by Micasa Lab is just that. It’s not designed for full-time living, but this tiny bubble dwelling is comfortable enough for hours of reading, cooking or even working. The transparent bubble comes with a variety of modules that give the space a great deal of flexibility. Cocoon 1 measures 180cm in diameter and comes with three basic (and colorful) modules, including the 360 foundation that keeps the ball from rolling away with you in it and two pillow 90 modules that allow for either sleeping or storage. A variety of other modules are available too, as well as some that make it possible to cook meals and power Wi-Fi. Big enough for a person to enjoy comfortably but small enough to fit it a room, the Cocoon 1 can be elevated or even hung from a tree in a net. There can even be a village of Cocoons that carry up to 200 kg in the net. On the ground it can handle loads of up to 250 kg. Designed in Switzerland, the Cocoon 1 is expected to be available for purchase in the fall of 2013 with a retail price of $2990. It’s not cheap, but it is definitely fun. http://inhabitat.com/cocoon-1-by-micasa-lab-is-a-transparent-piece-of-bubblefurniture-you-can-live-in/ Page 21 |
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