Twin Towers of Light in NYC

I can't let such an important anniversary as 10 years after the attack on NYC's Twin Towers on 9 September 2001 go by without a comment.


And, despite all the horror, tragedy and destruction that it caused, it's good to see Americans rebuilding themselves and that part of their city.  So, here's an amazing and moving display that's been lighting up the New York skyline for the last 2 nights.


Called the World Trade Center Twin Towers Tribute In Light, the light beams are made up of 88 light bulbs that are 7,000 watts each, which when illuminated are visible up to 60 miles away. 


They echo the original buildings and do a lot more; helping us all get past the terrible memories we have.




Francesco ...

Living in Tiny Little Spaces

I’ve blogged a few times about the tiny apartments in which some people live.

But, apartments are only one type of small space that people live in _  happily, proudly and economically.

If you’re interested in seeing what increased density housing really means for living spaces then why not check out and follow the Tiny House Blog?

There’s some fascinating things there about the way to live in less space.  Apart from all the other benefits, it certainly makes things a lot simpler (and cheaper).  


Like this tiny 47 square meter (505 sq ft) apartment in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter that Marta Barceló, her husband and son live in.

See you in a small apartment soon.

Francesco …

Even More Tiny Apartments in Spain

I’ve blogged a few times before about small apartments.  And, here’s some more from Spain.

In Barcelona, there’s a 24 squre metre (250 square foot) pigeon loft that Christian Schallert has converted into a one room apartment with all the usual comforts by hiding them behind wooden panels and clever (and disappearing) furniture. For instance his bed can also be a couch and a bench.

It all means that the apartment is surprisingly versatile and uncluttered.

Have a look as this video tour of his apartment.

It’s amazing and impressive.  And, it shows (once again) just how small the spaces are that people can live in.

Francesco …

Sustainable Strata Buildings are Growing Like Tulips

The whole world is focused on reducing energy use and making buildings sustainable.

So, there’s more and more proposals for green buildings ranging from simple to wild.  But, what I’m interested in the residential ones so, here’s another one from Netherlands called Zuidkas.

It’s commissioned by the Government Buildings Agency in the Netherlands, Architectenbureau Paul de Ruiter‘s design is centered around a rooftop-based ecosystem that will sustain and enrich the structure’s offices, homes, school, and restaurants in addition to a park, a biogas electrical plant and retail facilities.

Energy consumption is one of the key issues taken into consideration in the design. The residential units are designed to accommodate energy spikes during the morning and evenings, while the office spaces take advantage of steady rates through the middle of the day. The goal is to maintain energy efficiency throughout the building at different times during the day, providing the most efficient energy use while reducing waste.

The building will be encased in a glass shell that is designed to act as a buffer against elements of heat and cold. Additionally, plant waste from the greenhouse and toilet water from the building will be collected and sent to an on-site co-fermentation plant to be converted into biogas that will heat the tap water and parts of the structure.

It’s another example of what can (and should) be done in residential strata.

So, see you in a green(er) strata building soon.

Francesco …

Another NYC Timelapse

Why do so many photographers and cinematographers focus their lenses on NYC? 

I suppose that’s because despite everything else there is that’s great about it, NYC is one of the biggest and most spectacular metropolis around with many, many huge buildings, even more people and water surrounding it.

Whatever the reason here’s another beautiful time lapse video of New York City by James Ogle.

Enjoy.

new york city. from James Ogle on Vimeo.





Francesco …

Buildings that Reflect what Happens Inside

Sometimes even the best designed buildings are a bit boring.  But what if the outside of  buildings revealed what was going on inside? I got the idea from this photo of the carpark of the Kansas City Public Library that's partially concealed by the a wall of giant book spines.  It's a striking feature of Kansas CIty's downtown, running along the library carpark on 10th Street.  The book spines are 25 feet high and 9 feet wide and show 22 titles suggested by library members. It's pretty cool. What if the outside of other buildings reflected what went on inside like - Office buildings that look like computers, filing cabinets, and stationery Banks that look like vaults, banknotes and coins Restaurants that look like stacks of plates, glasses, napkins and cutlery Mechanics workshops that look like car parts Francesco ...

What Strata Buildings Can You Imagine?

Too often we are bound by the limits imposed by the laws of nature, government regulations, cost restrictions, social morays or just our limited imagination.

But what if you could any kind of strata building you liked?  What would you imagine them to be like?

Well, Belgian photographer Filip Dujardin ( Filip Dujardin) has created an imaginative photographic series of architectural “fictions,” including these thoroughly convincing but nonexistent buildings.

I like them.  What about you?

Francesco …

Go ... and Get Urbanised

The design of cities is a serious business for planners.  And, it make a difference to everyone who lives and works in them.

So, it's always interesting when someone popularises the issues and makes them accessible to us.

Urbanized is a new documentary by Gary Hustwit currently in production about the design of cities. 

Urbanized looks at the issues and strategies behind urban design, featuring some of the world’s foremost architects, planners, policymakers, builders, and thinkers. Gary's been traveling around the world interviewing people and filming specific urban design projects that represent the issues facing cities today. 

And, Gary has set up a Kickstarter project to help raise funds to complete the film.

Check it out and watch out for the finished documentary.

Francesco …

What Makes Cities (and Buildings) Liveable?

I was reading the Australian Government’s discussion paper Our Cities and was intrigued by their identification of the things that make a city liveable.

They say that that “liveability” is “the way the urban environment supports the quality of life and wellbeing” including “mental and physical health, happiness and life satisfaction plus supportive social community relationships”. 

And according to the Australian Government the key factors for cities are –

• Balancing infill and green-field development
• Facilitating the supply of appropriate housing
• Supportive affordable living
• Improving transport options and reducing our dependence on private vehicles
• Improving the quality of the public domain
• Improving public health outcomes
• Redressing spatially concentrated social disadvantage

You can read more about these issues (and the Government’s approach to them) in the discussion paper.

On a different dimension the Economist Intelligence Unit runs the world cities Liveability Index every year and ranks cities on 30 qualitative and quantitative factors across five broad categories –

• stability
• healthcare
• culture and environment
• education
• infrastructure

Each factor in a city is rated as acceptable, tolerable, uncomfortable, undesirable or intolerable. 

You can read more about these factors in their summary report.

But what are the factors that make a strata building liveable?  Are they the same, similar or different?  And, if not the same should they reflect the same themes?

I’m not sure but am certainly ready to start a debate.  So, my strata building liveability factors are as follows. 

Location - The building location suit a variety of occupiers’ needs – with access to work, transport, living, health, education and entertainment needs.

Built form - The configuration and construction of the building provides for safe, comfortable, private and useful separate accommodation and matching shared spaces.

Maintenance – The building is in good order and maintenance is ubiquitous (in that it happens without people noticing except in unusual circumstances).

Expenses - The steady state operational costs should match the socio-economic mix and capacities of owners and occupiers.

Disputes – Whenever conflicts arise they are resolved quickly in fair and transparent ways.

Commerciality - Buying, selling and leasing in the building is trouble free.

Adaptation - Longer term maintenance and building upgrades are regularly considered and (if agreed) promptly implemented.

Socialisation – Occupiers have opportunities to interact with each other on different matters.

There may be others too.  But, I think that if you could rate your building over 3 stars (out of 5) on all these it would be a pretty good place.

What do you think? What makes your building liveable (or not)?

Francesco …

Making Human Stratas

Strata buildings involve layering living spaces above and below each other.

Rising up into the air, with each space supporting and protecting the other, to create a structure that no one owner could achieve on their own.

Well here’s a traditional Spansih Castell photographed by Mike Randolph.

They’re tall towers made entirely of people (aka castellers) at a festival in Tarragona, Spain and are truly impressive feats of teamwork, strength, and bravery.

And yes, Castells do occasionally topple back to earth.  So, they’re a lot like regular strata buildings.

You can learn more about Castells at Kuriositas.

Any volunteers for a Sydney Castell?

Francesco ...

Detroit: A City under the Radar

Detroit is a city that has suffered badly from the end of its motor vehicle manufacturing heydays in the 60’s, 70s and 80s.

But it’s still a huge city (the 11th largest in the USA by population with 910,921 people 910,921) and an important metropolis.

In  Views of Detroit Danish students experiment with using film as a tool for urban planning. Much of the film takes place in the grand abandoned buildings and overgrown greenspaces that dot the city. Interviews with residents offer insight on life in the troubled city as well as some novel and hopeful solutions, including the Loveland Project, a non-profit which invites you to purchase a square inch of Detroit for a dollar.

The film uses a strongly subjective narrative, with no aim to point out answers to the challenges Detroit is currently facing. However we hope our methodology can inspire planners to include new perspectives from everyday life in their work: creating future cities.

VIEWS OF DETROIT - exploring film in urban planning (Full Movie) from [PÅ::NU] on Vimeo.

Francesco  …

NYC Timelapse Video

I love big cities for many reasons.

The buildings, the scale, the noises, the variety of people and the many many things that are always going on.

Well, New York is one of the biggest and most busy.

So, here's NYC compressed in a timelapse video.

NYC - Mindrelic Timelapse from Mindrelic on Vimeo.

It's created by Josh Owens and the music is by Dredg.

Enjoy!

Francesco ...

Tall Tales in Strata Living

Living at the top of the strata title world is exciting but tough.

In Dubai, they've developed the tallest apartment building in the world.  Called Burj Khalifa it's the tallest man-made structure ever built at 828 metres in height.

Construction began in September 2004, the exterior was completed in October 2009 and the building officially opened on 4 January 2010.  It's part of the new 2 square kilometre development called Downtown Dubai near Dubai's main business district.  That's a large-scale, mixed-use development that would include 30,000 homes, nine hotels such as The Address Downtown Dubai, 3 hectares of parkland, at least 19 residential towers, the Dubai Mall, and the 12-hectare man-made Burj Khalifa Lake.

The building includes the Armani Residences which sold for over US$37,500 per m².

That's amazing living at the top of the world (height and prestige).

But the project finished just as the global financial crisis of 2007–2010 started, and with vast overbuilding in the United Arab Emirates, led to high vacancies and foreclosures.   So, rents in the Burj Khalifa dropped more than 40% and 825 of the 900 apartments in the tower around 825 were empty for more than a year.

I'm sure it's fantastic to live there but it all comes at a price.

See you in your apartment in the clouds.

Francesco ...

More Street Art … Graphics hits the Wall

Colourful isn't it?  But that's not what today's post is all about.


Rather, today graffiti meets digital video art and hits the wall.


It's called Graphic Violence by Corridor Digital.  And, it's clever and amusing.

Enjoy!

Francesco ...

Street Art is No Bull

I’ve been busy posting about serious stuff for a while now … so it’s time for some street art.  And this time it’s a bit unusual.

You’ve heard of or seen the giant sculpture of a bull on New York’s Wall Street near the NY Stock Exchange.  It’s the symbol of the capital markets … everything that’s good (and bad) about them.

But here’s that bull in a crocheted cover … all pink and cute looking.  That bull’s gorgeous !  And it’s cold in New York at the moment.

It’s the work of street artist Agata Olek and the bull’s outfit lasted two hours before being removed by the authorities.

See you in your crocheted poncho next winter.

Francesco ….

Kids Crash the Strata Party

Like it or not kids are part of strata and we need to make sure they are provided for (like every other strata stakeholder group).

We often only think about kids in strata schemes as problems to be managed by their parents to make sure that they don’t disturb others' peace and quiet and so that they are safe on the common property from typical dangers like hurting themselves on play equipment, drowning in pools or getting run over by cars.

But there are more sinister and unexpected dangers for small children that are much harder to manage.

One of them is small children falling out of windows through flyscreens.

During 2010 more than 16 NSW children were rushed to hospital after falling out of apartment windows.  In some cases the injuries these children suffered have been life threatening and/or caused permanent injuries.  And, the children range in age from 18 months to 10 years.

So, how does it happen?

Well often apartment windows are above or near cots, beds and other low furniture that children can climb on when not supervised.  And when the window is left open it suddenly becomes a risk area.  But, because flyscreens look more secure to children than they are and because young children do not perceive risks the way adults do, they lean against the flyscreens and/or rely on the screens for support or stability.  So, when the screens give way they fall through the window.

From almost any height this is a serious fall when you're a kid.

So a few people and organisations are raising awareness of the problem ... well done guys!

Cathy Sherry, UNSW Law Lecturer has given presentations on the topic to raise awareness of the legal risks to strata schemes, committees and managers when these risks are not managed and injuries occur.

Westmead Hospital is working to raise awareness of the problem for parents and others in charge of small children to help minimise the risk since they often have to treat the injured children.

And, NSW Health Department has launched a windows and balconies falls prevention advertising campaign too.

And, industry peak bodies like ISTM and NCTI are behind measures to improve things.

What can be done to reduce or eliminate the risk ?

1.  Keep windows locked shut where children can access them unsupervised. 

2.  Install window limiting devices that prevent windows from opening wider than a child’s head so a child cannot get or fall through it.

3.  Make sure childrens’ beds and cots are not located below windows.

4.  Keep low furniture and/or things that can be climbed on away from windows or in rooms with unsupervised small children.

I know it’s not going to be easy to do things inside lots to make strata schemes safer for small kids … but c’mon this problem has to be worth the extra effort.  After all these kids are truly innocent victims.

So, let’s spread the word about the dangers in apartments for small children and how they can be eliminated by installing locks and window limiters.

Francesco … 

Historic Home becomes High Rise

It’s the perennial Sydney metropolitan development debate and it goes something like this …

• We all agree that existing low density areas should be redeveloped into high density living to stop urban sprawl and better use existing social infrastructure
• So, houses in areas near railway stations, other transport nodes, schools, hospitals, etc should be demolished for apartments
• But when a developer finds a large house and tries there’s a good reason why it should not happen like – it’s historic, it’s the only one of it’s kind left in the area, there’s a beautiful tree there that everyone likes, I remember it from my childhood, where will the boy and girl scouts meet, etc, etc.

So, redevelopment has to go somewhere else.

It happens all the time as this recent Burwood example shows.

Tilba is a 1900’s Burwood mansion that is to be demolished to build a 3 storey apartment block with 24 units and 38 basement car parking spaces. Tibla is on a 1650-square-metre block, was restored by its previous owners and sold in November 2009 for a record $2.8 million.  But it’s also on Liverpool Road, which is a busy major arterial road.

And, that’s an area that is zoned for for medium density housing. 

Since Tilba was not on the council's heritage list, last minute intervention by the Planning Minister delayed things.  But when the Heritage Council ruled that the house house did not have state heritage significance and the development complied with all planning laws, it was approved by a majority vote at a council meeting.

Residents claim Tibla should have been protected for its historical value, but the most recent comprehensive heritage study undertaken by Burwood Council was in 1986 and Tilba was not included.  It’s been suggested Burwood Council, like many cash-strapped councils, had neglected their local heritage lists leaving thousands of dwellings unprotected.

But we can’t preserve every historic house and redevelop Sydney, we have to make sacrifices where the location and/or property does not warrant it and otherwise we need to create a new heritage with high quality development to replace high quality older buildings.  After all, its not just old buildings that have architectural and will have heritage value (think of the Opera House).

So, see you at the next historic house demolition party.

Francesco …

From Beer Kegs to Strata Apartments

Just a few blocks from Central Station in Sydney once stood a great symbol of Australia.

It was the Carlton & United Breweries main brewery site.  Occupying a whole block of 5.8 hectares, with buildings over 10 storeys and fronting the mighty Paramatta Road.  I can only image how many millions of gallons of beer left that place and found homes in hearty and healthy Australians.

But things have changed (and are virtually reversed).

Instead young Australians are now finding homes on the site as it is redeveloped into a new symbol of Australia's high density living spaces in an inner urban village.

Frasers Property Australia has been developing Central Park Sydney on the site for a few years now.  But just a few days ago the next stage of the $2 billion development has been approved.  The new approved buildings add 319 one and two bedroom units to the 600 apartments already approved and they expect completion in early 2013.  The new buildings will include elevated neighbourhood gardens, green walls and use solar energy. Plus the development will have its own water recycling and blackwater treatment plant.

And (interestingly despite recent gloom and doom predictions for property) the managing director of Frasers Property Australia, Dr Stanley Quek, said he has “every confidence in the Sydney market” and “there's a great shortage of apartments, there's pressure on rental properties and pressure for people who want to live in the city,".

So maybe we can share a beer or two on the balcony of your new Central Park apartment in a few years.

Francesco …