global emergency

In the year 2035, three quarters of the built environment in the U.S. will be either new or renovated. This transformation over the next 30 years represents a historic opportunity for the architecture and building community to reverse the most significant crisis of modern time, climate change.

in response to my last post about al gore speaking at the 2007 aia convention, i wanted to highlight a really great resource that talks about the effects of the building industry on global warming, showcases a wealth of green case studies, and invites you to join them in a campaign for global action.


architecture 2030 really breaks it down for us, stating that "unknowingly, the architecture and building community is responsible for almost half of all u.s. greenhouse gas emissions annually. globally the percentage is even greater.” also, in the u.s., seventy-six percent of all electricity generated by power plants goes to supply the 'building sector.' with so much of our resources going into this one sector, it is essential for architects, landscape architects, planners, designers, engineers, contractors, and builders to take immediate action in their current practice.

action...yes. but how?

architecture 2030 is producing a live webcast for global education and activation. the global emergency teach-in titled "global warming, climate change and the built environment" will air around the world on february 20, 2007. all design schools (architecture, planning, landscape architecture, interior design, environmental studies, industrial design, etc.) are being asked to substitute the teach-in for classes on this day, and professional design firms and governmental entities (planning departments, city officials, etc.) are highly encouraged to join in as well. it is recommended to host the event in a common space with a computer since it is an interactive discussion with opportunities for q&a. i have attached more information below about the teach-in. in the meantime, take time to browse the architecture 2030 website and their recommended resources for more information.

February 20, 2007
Noon-3:30p.m. EST

To register for the teach-in, click here.

PROGRAM SCHEDULE:
Noon - 12:15pm
WELCOMING REMARKS
Susan Szenasy, Editor, Metropolis Magazine

12:15 - 12:45pm
A THREAT TO THE PLANET
Dr. James Hansen, Director, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies

12:45pm - 1:15pm
RESUSCITATING A DYING WORLD (2030 Challenge / 2010 Imperative)
Edward Mazria, AIA, Founder, Architecture 2030

1:15pm - 1:45pm
DOING IS BELIEVING
Chris Luebkeman, Director, Global Foresight and Innovation Initiative, ARUP

1:45pm - 3:30pm
DISCUSSION AND Q&A
Q&A for the Speakers will be moderated by Susan Szenasy: Questions will be taken via the internet and sent in through a web-based interactive system. The most common and provocative questions will be posted on a screen, read by the Moderator and then answered by the Moderator and Panel.

Live broadcast ends at 3:30pm. Web archive will be posted at 3:30pm.

growing beyond green

the american institute of architects (aia) has announced that vice president al gore will be the closing keynote speaker to their 2007 convention and design expo. the event, titled "growing beyond green," will be held in antonio, texas may 3-5, 2007. the aia is excited to have gore speak at their 150 anniversary event:

We are honored to have Vice President Gore, a champion of solutions to combat global warming, speak at our 2007 national convention. We are fortunate to have someone of Mr. Gore’s stature help shine a spotlight to an often overlooked element – the impact that buildings have on the health of the overall environment.

~ christine mcentee, aia ceo and executive vice president

the interesting line up of keynote speakers also includes raymond j cole, chrisna du plessis, william g reed, and david suzuki.

(via inhabitat)

cool stuff around town

bubbles installation at m&a. i stopped by m & a last night while i was in silverlake for greendrinks and got a peak at the new bubbles installation in their courtyard. the interactive installation consists of large air-bag "bubbles" that inflate and deflate in response to visitors, expressing a continuously changing urban architectural experience. the installation is up through the end of january.

first leed platinum residence in u.s.. phil and i recently took a stroll by livinghomes' new project in santa monica which is the first u.s. residence to be awarded the highest rating possible from the u.s. green building council’s (usgbc) new pilot, leed® for homes rating system. designed by ray kappe, the livinghomes model home is a zero energy, zero water, zero waste, zero carbon, zero emissions residence. it's a beautiful architectural statement, although it does seem that they could use some landscape help - lh, call me :). livinghomes is the first company to make leed certified, prefab homes available to consumers nationwide.

sustainable works green living workshops in santa monica. sustainable works, a non-profit environmental education organization sponsored by the city of santa monica, would like to introduce a workshop designed to help families learn about important environmental issues, save valuable resources, lower utility bills, and protect their health. their next two workshop cycles begin monday, october 23rd, and wednesday, october 25th, 7:00 p.m. for more information call anna cummins at sustainable works 310.458-8716 x1

current exhibitions

not necessarily green in nature, these current exhibitions at the moca and lacma explore our perceptions of beauty, environment, and design...

parallel practices in fashion & architecture

This exhibition explores the common visual and intellectual principles that underlie both fashion and architecture. Both disciplines start with the human body and expand on ideas of space and movement, serving as outward expressions of personal, political, and cultural identity. Architects and fashion designers produce environments defined through spatial awareness—the structures they create are based on volume, function, proportion, and material. Presenting the work of international fashion designers and architects, the exhibition examines themes such as shelter, identity, tectonic strategies, creative process, and parallel stylistic tendencies including deconstruction and minimalism.
(via moca)

breaking the mode: contemporary fashion from the permanent collection

Creating clothing, for protection, profession, or spectacle, has undergone dramatic change over the past twenty-five years. A number of designers have introduced subversive elements into the fashion system, examining and deconstructing its entrenched conventions and changing the rules about what is aesthetically pleasing and fashionable. Breaking the Mode: Contemporary Fashion from the Permanent Collection will present designers who found traditional criteria and solutions obsolete – designers who challenged the canons of the body’s fashionable silhouette, revolutionized methods of garment construction, rejected the formulaic use of materials and techniques, and exploited new technology in textile production.
(via lacma)