I found this architectural competition on-line, through the Open Architecture Network (part of Architecture for Humanity), that was so in tune with all the thesis ideas I had that I felt like I had to enter. Only the second competition I've ever entered, and the first one completely on my own.
The idea was to come up with a way to reduce the use of concrete in the context of a low income housing development in Bangalore, India. So up my alley, or so I thought. The problem was that I had so many ideas and then in researching them, I came up with so many more. By the time I finished I must have had at least 6 more Ph.D. thesis ideas.
The ideas were so clear in my head, and so simple. Take everyday products, found in the area, and use them to not only build houses, but create jobs and improve nutrition, all without trampling the environment. And show this on less than 4 sheets of paper, with less than 250 words, and understandable across languages and cultures. Easy peasy.
I was so excited about my first draft - a bunch of pictures of products and their uses and how they are all interconnected - but when I showed it to my sister, she was like, "nice pictures, but what does it all mean?"
Back to the drawing board (which kept crashing unless I wiggled the CPU and graphic card and rebooted, but that's a story for another day).
So I kept refining until I got something somewhat understandable. The idea is to look at building in a larger context where the materials and where they come from and where they go after they are used are just as important as who is using them, are they safe to use, do they create jobs, do they produce energy, do they harm then environment. Can a house provide not only shelter but also produce energy? Can a building material also be a food source? Can a house give back more to the environment than it takes out of it?
Hopefully the judges see what I was trying to get at.
To view all the entries, go to http://openarchitecturenetwork.org/node/9610/entries/oancompetition_entries
The idea was to come up with a way to reduce the use of concrete in the context of a low income housing development in Bangalore, India. So up my alley, or so I thought. The problem was that I had so many ideas and then in researching them, I came up with so many more. By the time I finished I must have had at least 6 more Ph.D. thesis ideas.
The ideas were so clear in my head, and so simple. Take everyday products, found in the area, and use them to not only build houses, but create jobs and improve nutrition, all without trampling the environment. And show this on less than 4 sheets of paper, with less than 250 words, and understandable across languages and cultures. Easy peasy.
I was so excited about my first draft - a bunch of pictures of products and their uses and how they are all interconnected - but when I showed it to my sister, she was like, "nice pictures, but what does it all mean?"
Back to the drawing board (which kept crashing unless I wiggled the CPU and graphic card and rebooted, but that's a story for another day).
So I kept refining until I got something somewhat understandable. The idea is to look at building in a larger context where the materials and where they come from and where they go after they are used are just as important as who is using them, are they safe to use, do they create jobs, do they produce energy, do they harm then environment. Can a house provide not only shelter but also produce energy? Can a building material also be a food source? Can a house give back more to the environment than it takes out of it?
Hopefully the judges see what I was trying to get at.
To view all the entries, go to http://openarchitecturenetwork.org/node/9610/entries/oancompetition_entries
Building an environmentally friendly house is off course great for the environment. A house provide not only shelter but also produce energy.
ReplyDeletenew york new homes
Yes, and if the house produces energy in a way that doesn't create waste and can later be recycled back into the eco-system, it's even better!
Delete