Welcome to the Y.our E.nvironment O.f the W.eek!
We’re sharing inspiring and influential project solutions to increase the presence of design in our practice as we have the responsibility of shaping environments in the world for ourselves and the future.
Today's YEOW is multimedia! Check out the audio of the story on NPR here. Gentrification May Actually Be Boon To Longtime Residents Bobby Foster Jr. can often be found reading the paper on a wooden bench outside Murry's grocery store on the corner of Sixth and H streets northeast in Washington, D.C. "The sun shines over here this time of day," says Foster, a retired cook. "It's always good when the sun shines" Murry's has been an anchor in this neighborhood for decades - during the crack wars of the 1980s and the urban blight that followed, when most other businesses packed up and left. Foster has been somewhat of an anchor, too. He's lived here for 54 years. But now, this neighborhood and hundreds like it across the country are changing. Every other shop is a new restaurant, high-end salon or bar. The neighborhood is gentrifying.
A 1988 riot in Tompkins Square Park in New York's East Village helped bring back the concept of gentrification to the fore in the U.S.
That's been a dirty word for 30 years, since the middle and upper classes began returning to many urban cores across the U.S. It brings up images of neighbors forced out of their homes. But a series of new studies are showing that gentrifying neighborhoods may be a boon to longtime residents as well - and that those residents may not be moving out after all. Even Foster is conflicted by the change he sees happening around him. "Some things are good; some things are bad," he says. "But sometimes the good outweighs the bad." Gentrification burst into the social consciousness on Aug. 6, 1988, with the Tompkins Square Park riot in New York City's East Village. Residents carried signs saying "Gentrification is class war." Police carried batons. The bloody battle that ensued left more than 100 people injured. The protesters' fury centered on the idea that the poor would be made homeless so the rich could live in their neighborhoods, destroying whatever character they may have had.
A lifetime resident of the H Street Northeast area, Cherry Tilghman says some of the changes here, like a new Giant Grocery store, have improved the neighborhood.
Lance freeman, the director of the Urban Planning program at Columbia University, says that's what he believed was happening, too. He launched a study, first in Harlem and then nationally, calculating how many people were pushed out of their homes when wealthy people moved in. "My intuition would be that people were being displaced," Freeman explains, "so they're going to be moving more quickly. I was really aiming to quantify how much displacement was occurring." Except that's not what he found. "To my surprise," Freeman says, "it seemed to suggest that people in neighborhoods classified as gentrifying were moving less frequently." Freeman's work found that low-income residents were no more likely to move out of their homes when a neighborhood gentrifies than when it doesn't. He says higher costs can push out renters, especially those who are elderly, disabled or without rent-stabilized apartments. But he also found that a lot of renters actually stay - especially if new parks, safter streets and better schools are paired with a job opportunity right down the block. That squares with a recent study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. "We're finding that the financial health of original residents in gentrifying neighborhoods seems to be increasing, as compared to original residents in nongentrifying, low-priced neighborhoods," says Daniel Hartley, a research economist with the bank. He looked at the credit scores of original residents and found that they went up - regardless of whether they rented or owned - compared with residents who stayed in nongentrifying neighborhoods. "There may be these kinds of side benefits to gentrification that we've been less focused on, that can actually help the original residents of the neighborhood," he says. As for Bobby Foster, he says he's staying. He and his family own their home. Some days, he says, he's very concerned about what will happen to the beauty salon across the street from his bench. Its owners often do elderly people's hair for free. "They are beautiful people," he says. "they've been here as long as I've known this place." But he says he also likes the new people too. He wasn't sure he would, but he says he likes that they sweep their stoops just like his grandma did. "The people are still good," he says with a smile. Two months ago, city officials announced that new retail apartment complex is coming to the corner of Sixth and H streets northeast. Murry's will be closing, and a Whole Foods will take its place. Foster says he just hopes Whole Foods will put a bench out front.
The first library of Muyinga, part of a future inclusive school for deaf children, in locally sourced compressed earth blocks, built with a participatory approach.
Our work in Africa started within the framework of OpenStructures.net. BC was asked to scale the "Open structures" model to an architectural level. A construction process involving end-users and second-hand economies was conceived. Product life cycles, water resource cycles en energy cycles were connected to this construction process. This OpenStructures architectural model was called Case Study (CS) 1: Katanga, Congo. It was theoretical, and fully research-based. 5 years later, the library of Muyinga in Burundi nears completion.
Project Description: Library for the community of Muyinga Location: Muyinga (BU) Client: ODEDIM Architect: BC architects Local material consultancy: BC studies Community participation and organisation: BC studies and ODEDIM Muyinga Cooperation: ODEDIM Muyinga NGO, Satimo vzw, Sint-Lucas Architecture University, Sarolta Hüttl, Sebastiaan De Beir, Hanne Eckelmans Financial support: Satimo vzw, Rotary Aalst, Zonta Brugge, Province of West-Flanders Budget: €40 000 Surface: 140m2 Concept: 2012 Status: completed
Vernacular inspirations
A thorough study of vernacular architectural practices in Burundi was the basis of the design of the building. Two months of fieldwork in the region and surrounding provinces gave us insight in the local materials, techniques and building typologies. These findings were applied, updated, reinterpreted and framed within the local know-how and traditions of Muyinga.
The library is organised along a longitudinal covered circulation space. This "hallway porch" is a space often encountered within the Burundian traditional housing as it provides a shelter from heavy rains and harsh sun. Life happens mostly in this hallway porch; encounters, resting, conversation, waiting - it is a truly social space, constitutive for community relations.
This hallway porch is deliberately oversized to become the extent of the library. Transparent doors between the columns create the interaction between inside space and porch. Fully opened, these doors make the library open up towards the adjacent square with breathtaking views over Burundi's "milles collines" (1000 hills).
On the longitudinal end, the hallway porch flows onto the street, where blinders control access. These blinders are an important architectural element of the street facade, showing clearly when the library is open or closed. On the other end, the hallway porch will continue as the main circulation and access space for the future school.
A very important element in Burundian (and, generally, African) architecture is the very present demarcation of property lines. It is a tradition that goes back to tribal practices of compounding family settlements. For the library of Muyinga, the compound wall was considered in a co-design process with the community and the local NGO. The wall facilitates the terracing of the slope as a retaining wall in dry stone technique, low on the squares and playground of the school side, high on the street side. Thus, the view towards the valley is uncompromised, while safety from the street side is guaranteed.
The general form of the library is the result of a structural logic, derived on one hand from the material choice (compressed earth blocks masonry and baked clay roof tiles). The locally produced roof tiles were considerably more heavy than imported corrugated iron sheets. This inspired the structural system of closely spaced columns at 1m30 intervals, which also act as buttresses for the high walls of the library. This rhythmic repetition of columns is a recognisable feature of the building, on the outside as well as on the inside.
The roof has a slope of 35% with an overhang to protect the unbaked CEB blocks, and contributes to the architecture of the library.
Climatic considerations inspired the volume and facade: a high interior with continuous cross-ventilation helps to guide the humid and hot air away. Hence, the facade is perforated according to the rhythm of the compressed earth blocks (CEB) masonry, giving the library its luminous sight in the evening.
The double room height at the street side gave the possibility to create a special space for the smallest of the library readers. This children's space consist of a wooden sitting corner on the ground floor, which might facilitate cosy class readings. It is topped by an enormous hammock of sisal rope as a mezzanine, in which the children can dream away with the books that they are reading.
The future school will continue to swing intelligently through the landscape of the site, creating playgrounds and courtyards to accomodate existing slopes and trees. In the meanwhile, the library will work as an autonomous building with a finished design.
Local materials research
The challenge of limited resources for this project became an opportunity. We managed to respect a short supply-chain of building materials and labour force, supporting local economy, and installing pride in the construction of a library with the poor people's material: earth.
Earth analysis: "field tests and laboratory tests" - Raw earth as building material is more fragile than other conventional building materials. Some analyse is thus important to do. Some easy tests can be made on field to have a first idea of its quality. Some other tests have to be made in the laboratory to have a beter understanding of the material and improve its performance.
CEB: "from mother nature" - After an extensive material research in relation with the context, it was decided to use compressed earth bricks (CEB) as the main material for the construction of the building. We were lucky enough to find 2 CEB machines intactly under 15 years of dust. The Terstaram machines produce earth blocks of 29x14x9cm that are very similar to the bricks we know in the North, apart from the fact that they are not baked. Four people are constantly producing stones, up to 1100 stones/day.
Eucalyptus "wood; the strongest, the reddest" - The load bearing beams that are supporting the roof are made of eucalyptus wood, which is sustainably harvested in Muramba. Eucalyptus wood renders soil acid and therefor blocks other vegetation to grow. Thus, a clear forest management vision is needed to control the use of it in the Burundian hills. When rightly managed, Eucalyptus is the best solution to span spaces and use as construction wood, due to its high strengths and fast growing.
Tiles: "local quality product" - The roof and floor tiles are made in a local atelier in the surroundings of Muyinga. The tiles are made of baked Nyamaso valley clay. After baking, their color renders beautifully vague pink, in the same range of colors as the bricks. Each roof surface in the library design consists of around 1400 tiles. This roof replaces imported currogated iron sheets, and revalues local materials as a key design element for public roof infrastructure.
Internal Earth plaster: "simple but sensitive" - Clay from the valley of Nyamaso, 3 km from the construction site, was used for its pure and non-expansive qualities. After some minimal testing with bricks, a mix was chosen and applied on the interior of the library. The earth plaster is resistent to indoor normal use for a public function, and has turned out nicely.
Bamboo: "Weaving lamp fixtures" - Local bamboo is not of construction quality, but can nicely be used for special interior design functions, or light filters. In a joint workshop with Burundians and Belgians, some weaving techniques were explored, and in the end, used for the lamp fixtures inside the library.
Sisal rope: "from plant to hammock" - Net-making from Sisal plant fibres is one of the small micro-economies that bloomed in this project. It took a lot of effort to find the only elder around Muyinga that masters the Sisal rope weaving technique. He harvested the local sisal plant on site, and started weaving. In the pilote project, he educated 4 other workers, who now also master this technique, and use it as a skill to gain their livelihood. The resulting hammock serves as a children’s space to play, relax and read, on a mezzanine level above the library space.
Concrete "when it’s the only way out" - For this pilot project, we didn't want to take any risks for structural issues. A lightweight concrete skeleton structure is inside the CEB columns, in a way that both materials (CEB and concrete) are mechanichally seperated. The CEB hollow columns were used as a "lost" formwork for the concrete works. It is our aim, given our experience with Phase 1, to eliminiate the structural use of concrete for future buildings.
On October 9, 2005, the final phase of the santiago calatrava-designed (the city of arts and science) in Valencia, opened to the public. The 'el palau de les arts Reina Sofia' (the opera house and performing center) finished off the cultural site which is also home to: l’àgora (a covered plaza) which hosts a variety of events; el museu de les ciènces príncipe felipe (prince philip science museum); el pont de l’assut de l’or (a suspension bridge); l’hemisfèric (planetarium); l’oceanogràfic (open-air oceanographic park); and l’umbracle (a landscaped walkway that acts as a sculpture garden).
Now, 8 years after its inauguration, Calatrava is under some heat from his home city who is suing him for the building’s rapid deterioration. it has been reported that pieces of the ‘white elephant’ have been crumbling off of its façade as a result of high winds, thus forcing officials to cancel performances and restrict public access to the €100 million complex until further notice. a technical report has been issued to evaluate the opera house’s current state to determine a further course of action.
This is the latest in a series of controversy that Calatrava’s designs have sparked in the last decade or so. He is perhaps even more renown for surpassing any budget and creating buildings with technical shortcomings than for his bombastic style of architecture.
Vancouver, British Columbia, has banished the doorknob, possibly sending it the way of the dodo in the process.
The grab-and-turn, humble round hardware will not be allowed in any new construction, commercial or residential, in the city beginning in March. Its replacement: the lever.
Existing doorknobs are not affected by the building code change, which the city approved in September.
Out: Vancouver has banned doorknobs in new construction as of March.
The change also applies to faucet handles.
Why? Proponents say that twisting a doorknob is difficult for the aged and people with disabilities.
Trending Now?
And the Vancouver Sun suggests that the doorknob's days may be numbered elsewhere. The newspaper notes that Vancouver is the only city in Canada with its own building code—and that that code has proved nationally influential in the past.
Ahead of the mandate, change is already afoot. Vancouver has reportedly removed the Art Deco knobs from its 70-year-old City Hall, replacing them with gold-colored levers, Bloomberg Businessweek reports.
In: Handles are considered easier for aging and disabled people to use.
The doorknob—a device first patented in the U.S. in 1878 by Osbourn Dorsey—is just one potential casualty in the push to serve aging and disabled markets, Bloomberg notes.
Which means that there's gold in designing for that silver-haired population, potentially affecting everything from microwaves to sidewalks to dishes, experts say.
Designing for Aging
In the U.S. alone, the first of the Baby Boomers reached 65 (what used to be known as "retirement age") in 2011. Now, about 8,000 Americans a day will be turning 65 for the next 18 years, according toAARP.
The Arthritis Foundation, meanwhile, calls arthritis the leading cause of disability in the United States, affecting one in five adults and 300,000 children.
The doorknob's demise has been met with mixed reviews in Vancouver, with some homeowners grumbling about nanny states and government micromanagement.
The shift is a big deal to those, like Finnish architect Juhani Pallasmaa, who consider the door handle "the handshake of the building."
But the city's former chief building inspector doesn't agree.
"Technology changes. Things change. We live with that," Will Johnston told the Vancouver Sun. "When I look at what we are proposing, it is simply good design.
"It allows for homes to be built that can be used more easily for everybody."
The world’s largest gingerbread house doesn't just look sweet – it has a heart of gold.
The community of Bryan, Texas joined together to break the
Guinness World Record for the largest gingerbread house and raise money for a
local trauma center.
“Everybody got excited that we were trying to do this,” said
Bill Horton, general manager of Texas A&M Traditions Club, who spearheaded
the project. “90% of all of the product
was donated … from lumber to electrical supplies to eggs, brown sugar, powdered
sugar, nutmeg and ginger.”
Guinness World Records verified that the 39,201.8 cubic-foot confectionery structure on the Traditions Club grounds set a new record on Nov.
30. It is 60 feet by 42 feet and its
tallest point rises 20.11 feet.
Club members, bakers and volunteers constructed the home
with nearly 3,000 pounds of brown sugar, 7,200 eggs, 7,200 pounds of flour and
1,800 pounds of butter – for a whopping 36 million calories.
Visiting the house costs $2 for children and $3 for adults
but several people have made generous donations.
Horton thought of the project in September 2012 while
watching a Food Network special on gingerbread houses. Their club initially set a target date for
that November but soon realized that it would take a lot more work and
postponed for a year.
Before construction began, employees at the St. Joseph
Health System mentioned to Horton that they were raising money for a new trauma
and emergency care center. That’s when
the project found its true purpose.
But they needed to stick to one rule in particular if they
planned to dethrone the previous record holder, a 36,600 cubic feet home built inside
the Mall of America in Minnesota.
“One of the criteria was that it had to be edible,” Horton
said. “We had a little bit of proof that the structure was edible because it
was covered with bees. I reached down and picked up a piece and started chewing
it.”
A video of construction can be found here: NBC Article
Washington D.C. is getting old. To other countries, our nation's capital might seem like a spring chicken, but it's actually aging rapidly—a fact proven by the scaffolding that's draped around some of its most important monuments this year.
Smithsonian Mag's Jimmy Stamp points us in the fascinating direction of the unique art of scaffolding, which has flowered in DC thanks to several factors. For one thing, tourism is important in this town—making the Capitol building or the Washington Monument look halfway decent in your iPhone selfie is actually important to a city where visitors are an essential part of the economy. Then there's the issue of keeping up appearances, which is actually more important than it might seem. After all, these building serve as political symbols—and a symbol of power wrapped in protective scaffolding conflicts with that image (despite how appropriate it might seem, considering).
Take the facade of the Supreme Court, for example. The Architect of the Capitol—the office in charge of DC restoration and building work—recently completed a huge, 10-year modernization project that included work on the facade. To hide the scaffold, they hung a massive photographic replica of the building from the outside edge:
SEXPAND
It might look fake from this angle, but standing in front of it, it's actually fairly believable. Inside, a steel framework let workers clean and restore its columns:
The Supreme Court is now back to its old 3D self. But nearby, another monument recently shrouded itself in protective netting, too: The Washington Monument, which has undergone more extreme work over the past two decades; first, in the 1990s, when a full restoration took place, and now, to repair damage sustained in the 2011 earthquake (remember that?!).
Its distinctive scaffolding was actually a project unto itself: architect Michael Graves was commissioned to design a structure that would make the best of the two-year restoration, in 1998.
SEXPAND
Image: Alex Wong/Getty.
Graves' design used strips of opaque netting to mimic the actual stonework beneath it, and an extensive lighting rig to make it pop. It's actually been a popular addition—in July, an architecture critic argued that it should be permanent in a controversial Washington Post op-ed.
Here's the scaffolding being replaced this year to make space for workers to carry out a new, $5 million project to repair the structural damage from the quake:
SEXPAND
Images: Mark Wilson/Getty.
Directly across the Mall, another iconic building is donning a veil to match the Monument: The dome of the 150-year-old Capitol building.
SEXPAND
This month, the AOC started a project to repair more than 1,000 cracks in the dome—an undertaking that will last for two years. It'll be encased in complex set of scaffolds, but at night, a lighting system will make the dome into a glowing beacon—rather than trying to conceal the work site. Here's a shot of the extensive rust damage:
SEXPAND
This actually isn't the first time the Capitol has been renovated.
Though the dome looks like it must be made out of the same stone as the rest of the building, it's made from cast iron—so it's especially sensitive to rust and water damage. In 1959, workers used pneumatic hammers to remove paint from its surface and replace it with protective chemicals and brand-new coat. Here's what it looked like without its white paint:
SEXPAND
Later, in the 1990s, workers removed 180,000 pounds of lead paint from the interior of the dome. And so as not to interrupt operations, they devised a tent-like canopy that would catch any paint chips and still allow visitors to see the dome's beautiful fresco:
We tend to think of Washington D.C. as a city dedicated to architectural preservation, not production—it's cool to think that by attempting to maintain tradition, the architects behind these projects are actually inventing something new. [Smithsonian Mag]
Where we're going, we don't need bike lanes. In most cities, cycling infrastructure isn't much more than a few dotted lines on the road. But that's not how it is in the Netherlands, one of the world's most cycle-friendly nations. Dutch cities have dedicated lanes that separate cars and bikes, making cycling an activity for the young and old, male and female, no longer just the adventurous few.
One of the newest examples of this is the elegant circular bridge in Eindhoven, located in southern Holland.Called the Hovernring, it lets cyclists completely avoid vehicular traffic and cross the busy A2 highway with minimal fuss. It also makes for better road flow, according to Gerhard Nijenhuis, an employee at IPV Delft, the firm that designed it.
"This way you avoid congestion, because the other traffic doesn't wait for the cyclists to pass" he says.
The Hovenring is 236 feet in diameter and is suspended off the ground using a 230-foot central pylon and 24 thick cables. It opened in the summer of 2012 and at the cost of about $16 million dollars, it isn't cheap. But it is already a well-known landmark. The city argues that it is the sort of project that helps broaden cycling's appeal. "If you give cyclists ways to go long distances, then you pull people out of their cars, and stimulate cycling," Nijenhuis says.
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