Shinymarble

Dongtan, a city near Shanghai is on the way to being green. .
come, explore. . .

Dongtan

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Wiki

Is anything else possible?
Do we have to live and work within ugly architecture? Let’s not

We are called to be architects of the future, not its victims.
R. Buckminster Fuller

It is possible to build in such a way that the sun comes in a lot during the winter and not during the summer. It is called Passive Solar Building and what you need is to face your building toward the south. The way Soleri does it is he builds an apse which is a quarter sphere. The lower winter sun shines right in and the high summer sun stays out, the shade a cool place to be.

There are many techniques:
Green Building

Makes a great home or office:
Earthships
Earthships is an amazing place to visit and do an apprenticeship, internship or get a job. There is a small community of people building. They do some prefab, so construction at the site is faster.
These places use and reuse all of their water. It is categorized into gray water and black water. They grow a garden inside and outside the house, and make cisterns re-using bottles.

A designer is an emerging synthesis of artist, inventor, mechanic,
objective economist and evolutionary strategist.
R. Buckminster Fuller

When I am working on a problem, I never think about beauty but when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.
R. Buckminster Fuller

Let architects sing of aesthetics that bring Rich clients in hordes to their knees; Just give me a home, in a great circle dome Where stresses and strains are at ease.
R. Buckminster Fuller

Sweet.

Ecopolis Architects

especially:

Pattern Design

The Myth of Arcosanti: Arcosanti in the News

A Green Utopia Grows in the Arizona Desert
By Andrea Sachs
The Washington Post

(don’t forget to read the part about the Rubix cube party)

Arriving at Arcosanti, an experimental eco-city in central Arizona, I was acutely aware of my non-greenness. I had spent the morning expelling carbon on my flight to Phoenix. My rental car was messy with empty soda bottles, a few plastic bags and a banana peel that I didn’t plan to mulch. A piece of paper with directions had accidentally escaped through the car window, floating off toward a patch of spiky cactus. With this kind of résumé, would Mother Earth’s minions still let me inside?
“Hey, come join us,” a guy in a dress, belt and outsize personality beckoned. “Have a beer.”
The Californian graphic artist was one of up to 80 residents living and working at Arcosanti, a pilot utopian community that champions sustainable living. After a long day of working on passive solar power, gardening and bread-baking, the group was tossing back a few. And for me, after a long day of carbon emissions and gas-guzzling, a mixer with outré environmentalists was much appreciated.
“Put your empties on the rebar before you leave,” advised one of the revelers. I slid my glass bottle onto a sharp piece of metal. See, I was already contributing to the environment.

Arcosanti was started in the 1970s by Italian architect Paolo Soleri, a spitfire who seeks an alternative to a car-dominant, hyper-consumerist society. With his so-called urban laboratory, Soleri, 88, hopes to eliminate the automobile, promote frugality and create a functional metro center run on the Earth’s resources: food from organic gardens, power from the sun, air conditioning from the shade, building materials from the natural surroundings. Though still a work in progress, Arcosanti in theory offers residents the same amenities as, say, a Manhattanite: housing, commerce, culture and dining.

For the visitor, staying at Arcosanti is an opportunity to soak up the Sierra Club ideology within a “Blade Runner” fantasy. While more-mainstream eco-resorts feature energy-saving light bulbs, organic meals and save-the-sea-turtle outings, Arcosanti goes deeper. It aims to change behavior through workshops, tours, conversations, hikes and happy hour with a man with gender-bending style.

In honor of Earth Day, I recently flew to Phoenix, then rented a car for the 65-mile drive to Arcosanti - yes, drive. Ironically, the only way to reach the eco-city is by car.

Arcosanti was founded on the lofty concepts of “arcology,” an elision of “architecture” and “ecology” that was coined by Soleri and reimagined by many science-fiction writers. The movement envisions superstructures that provide commercial and residential space for the masses, but with minimal environmental impact. They are beehives made for people.
From Interstate 17, Arcosanti is invisible; as I neared the parking lot, its grand design became apparent: a hodgepodge of earth-hued concrete buildings with large circular windows, bowing apses and artful detailing. It resembled a World War III bunker for a rich dilettante.

The property sits on 15 cactus-strewn acres, a small wedge of the 860 acres owned by the nonprofit Cosanti Foundation, which also leases an adjacent 3,200 acres from the state. (The foundation raises funds through sales of Soleri’s artwork, workshops and other endeavors.) Despite its compactness, Arcosanti contains all the necessities of village life: a cafe, a bakery, an art gallery, apartments and dorms for residents and guests, gardens and greenhouses, a foundry, woodwork and ceramic studios, an amphitheater and a swimming pool, which overlooks a static tide of sand and rocks.
The residents I encountered were an interesting mix of workshoppers attending a weeks-long program that teaches arcology and other eco- and arty topics; interns who practice their trade in those specialties; and full-timers, who in many cases become long-termers.

Some have lobbed the word “commune” at Arcosanti; “tight-knit community” is a better description. Minutes after settling into my simple room with unobstructed desert views, I was invited to a party the next night. The theme was Rubik’s Cube: Wear three of the cube’s colors, and by the end of the night, you should be a solid. Clever - or Arcosantis Gone Wild. (I missed the fête but heard that the clothes started flying after midnight.)

Resident Anna Greenberg, a 23-year-old from Washington who works in the foundry and the bakery, led our tour, a colorful guide in purple overalls, pink Crocs and a silver stud above her lip. At each building, she stopped to point out the innovative constructions and features. The heat from the foundry, for example, warms the apartments above. Evaporation from a moat encircling the amphitheater stage cools concertgoers.
“This is not the perfect arcology, but it’s a place to experiment,” Greenberg said, admitting that the city is still on the grid, must order food from outside sources and is only about 5 percent complete. “It is designed to human size; Phoenix is designed to car size.”
How true: For the next 48 hours, I wouldn’t even start up my rental.

Before you park the car, a field trip is advised. During his younger days, Soleri studied under Frank Lloyd Wright, attending the acclaimed architect’s school at Taliesin West. After a series of scampish behaviors, he was kicked out, but not before Wright’s ideas on organic architecture took purchase.
During a tour of Taliesin West, about an hour south of Arcosanti in the Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale, our tour guide led us through Wright’s home and office. “He got his ideas from nature,” she said. “Nature was his religion, with a capital N.”
Some of Wright’s main themes, which reappear in Arcosanti, are the use of site-specific materials and multifunctional elements: A pool of water works for swimming, extinguishing fires and cooling the air.
Despite his preference for a natural setting, Soleri spends part of his time at Cosanti, his gallery, studio and home in nearby Paradise Valley. (He spends the rest of the week in an apartment at Arcosanti.) Built in the 1950s and recognized as an Arizona Historic Site, the 5-acre property does its own sprawling, with seven surreal structures that include the apprentice quarters, supposedly Steven Spielberg’s inspiration for the Ewoks’ habitat in “Return of the Jedi.”
Cosanti is also a giant exhibit hall for Soleri’s signature ceramic and bronze bells, which hang from every imaginable surface. When the early evening wind swept through, the noise was more fairy tinkle than Philip Glass.

Since Arcosanti is a working city, not a top-service resort, visitors are left to their own devices for amusement. The most obvious distractions are the hourlong tour (did that), the bakery (ate my treat) and the gallery (browsed the bells and even rang some). The cafe serves three meals a day and on occasion exhibits works by residents (coveted the coffee table made of a metal Marlboro sign). After that, it was up to me - though I was taking suggestions.

One came from Clifford Hersted, the resident anthropologist and best petroglyph spotter around. During his 15 years at Arcosanti, he has found hundreds of these artifacts scrawled on nearby rock faces and has identified stone walls built by prehistoric Indians around A.D. 1300.
We set off on foot on a hot Sunday morning, with Cliff dressed head to toe in desert hues. Our group included Colleen of Michigan, who made bells; Alessandro, an Italian photographer; and Peter, a Wisconsin chef who the previous night had allowed me to play sous-chef. (If you want to help out, just speak up; the residents are grateful for an extra hand.) Like ducklings in an ill-formed row, we followed Cliff, who carried a big stick to shoo rattlesnakes.
Cliff hypothesized that Indians once hunted pronghorn antelope here. Stacked boulders zigzagging up the mesa, he explained, were placed by the Sinagua to channel the animals into the “kill zone.” (The antelopes can run as fast as 60 mph, but they don’t jump.)
“It took a lot of labor to build these walls,” he said. “It would take a lot of Arcosanti workshoppers.”
Earlier, Cliff had told us that it takes a while to train your eye to differentiate man-made constructions from natural ones. Even on alert, I completely missed the petroglyphs at my right elbow: figures of hunters with some meat on their bones, and antelopes that showed no fear of becoming dinner.
“I don’t know if they charmed them or drugged them,” he said. “But their tails are down, so they aren’t stressed. This is real storytelling.”
After our trek back, it was time to do what I had not done in two days: drive.
Before setting off for Phoenix, I attached a small Soleri bell to my rearview mirror. The bronze ornament chimed sweetly all the way back to the highway, but then started to swing dangerously toward my head. At that point, I had to take it down and tuck it away.

end

Arcosanti History

Biomimicry

With 3.8 billion years of research and development on its side, nature has already solved problems that human designers and engineers still struggle with. In this inspiring talk, Janine Benyus provides fascinating examples of biomimicry — the way humans mimic nature in the products we build and the systems we implement. And because the champion adapters in the natural world are, by definition, those that can survive without destroying the environment that sustains them, biomimicry can contribute to the long-term health of our planet. -TED

Grebes Mating

Green Energy Resources:

Green Mountain
Be Green
Green Mountain Energy

Sustainable Waves
Sustainable Waves
specializes in sustainable energy solutions for the entertainment industry.

Article from the New York Times:

about Arcosanti

How can we wean ourselves into a better way to move?

Brazil had a federal mandate: We are going to make the switch. They went into a 5 year recession.
sugar ethanol

Zenn Car Zero emmission no noise:
Zenn

Xtracycle
SUB

for families
Peapod

for those of you with $$$bank
Tesla

Motorcycle engine with a roof for two
Smart

Honda
Civic
Insight

Toyata
Hybrids

Watercar
Daniel Dingle’s Project

Here are Ford’s latest designs.
What do you think?
Ford’s Fuel Cells

This building will have giant wind turbines between the floors.

Dynamic Architecture
(pause the video to let it load)

This building is scheduled to be built in Moscow, the biggest building in the world:Crystal Island

What a beautiful building. Talk about green design.
Sustainable Development

Australia is going green: Sydney 2030

The Gaviotas Project in Columbia was started by Paolo Lugari because he knew that one day the population would rise so high that People would have live in the eastern wet desert region. He found was to sustain this community. He went to the University in Bogota to ask the students there to help him with his research. He found a tree which would grow there and has since planted 6 Million of these pine trees. The trees have brought birds which in turn have brought the rest of the forest within the seeds in their feces. Lugari and the people of Gaviotas have found that tapping the trees also bring resource to the community, something to sell in the marketplace. “Tapped like maple syrup, the natural resin is used in paints, cosmetics, perfumes, and medicines in lieu of petroleum-based substances. When distilled in Gaviotas’ pollution-free factory, its byproduct is marketable turpentine.” from Mother Jones

Wiki

At Arcosanti, they say: If we all took a trip, the Ozone Layer would be gone.
How can we continue to fly, sustainably?

1. fly less
2. fly green:

Green Flight

Offset my flight:
Uniglobe

Green My Flight

Offset and Calculate your Carbon:
Flight Center

Article
Travelocity

Clean Travel
Green Transportation

Terrapass

Ken Yeang is a new visionary on the forefront:

Ken Yeang

Wow. What a difference. Is it earth day or is green design really starting take take a hold?
The time is now.

China is addressing the subject and building green.

The roof has solar panels and rainwater collection tanks. But it’s a serene spot, with seating areas in a garden of grass, trees and shrubs — grown on a shallow bed of volcanic ash that is lighter and less water-dependent than traditional soil.

“When this building went up, the neighborhood lost green space. So we’re returning that bit of green with this roof garden. Moreover, the garden helps insulate the building,” Yang says.

Yang is proud that the entire structure cost less than the average government building in Beijing.

NPR:China’s Challenges

Architecture Lab

Green Design is action towards a sustainable planet.

A Crucial Video (the most terrifying video you’ll ever see)

We can Act through:

Consumer change
Education
Green design
Leeds
Eco-friendly products
Consuming less
Riding the bicycle
Permaculture
Walking
Turning off the lights (thanks a watt!)

World View of Global Warming and How Cities Can Save the Earth

April 22-26, San Francisco, CA

Ecocity World Summit 2008

The International Ecocity Conference Series brings together the key innovators, decision makers, technologists, businesses and organizations shaping the conversation around ecological and sustainable city, town and village design, planning and development. We intend to put these issues on the economic and environmental agenda for 2008 and beyond.

of the body. A clean flight.

Epic Expo
Epic is a sustainable living expo held in Vancouver every spring.

Find out how to green your life!

ideal bite can help in the meantime!

These are some of the resources I found there:
Green Office Supplies
Green Printing in Vancouver and Richmond, BC
Organic Coffee Fair Trade, Saanichton, BC
Canada’s Seafood Guide

Green Design runs through all of our systems, designs and chioces.
see Planet108.

Epic is a part of the larger Globe Foundation
Epic Sustainable Living Expo

Epic on Facebook

Model Community?
This one is pushing the envelope. This ‘Green Building’ uses biomass for fuel, and reclaims wasterwater on site. The website offers a lot: about the design. This is an Arcology, folks, in Victoria. Arcology, a termed coined by Italian architect Paolo Soleri, fuses the words Architecture and Ecology. The concepts of Arcolgy are: simplification, complexification, duration, miniturization, high-density, and multi-use buildings. Basically, everything you need in a walkable distance, within a closed system (or as closed as you can get these days). What helps to close this system, is the use of what is often called Permaculture: permanent agriculture, being used here in the form of biomass, wastewater reclaimation, wind and solar. Permaculture takes as much of the energy offered by the environment (sun, wind, water, methane), and seeks to keep that energy on site, creating a richer, and richer environment.
In Dockside Green, there is residential and office space, shops, a fitness center, artist live-work space, and a (kayak) dock. This is high end, as it is conveniently placed in an urban center, where land is expensive. For a much more affordable option, consider Arcosanti, Paolo’s Urban Laboratory, a city of 6,000 in the making.
One question remains: does Dockside offer rooftop access as Arcosanti does? There, every rooftop is accessible as a garden, a unique place above the city, or a way to get from one part of the city to another. If every rooftop were green. . . imagine the world.

docksidegreen.com

Article

These are some friends of mine from Arcosanti, Paolo Soleri’s Urban Labroatory.

They have internships for May and June as well as Volunteer days, and one and two day intensives.

ampersandproject.org

Common River is a pending Non-profit working with a community in Ethiopia, called Aleta Wondo in the region called Sidama. Check out their slideshow. (I finished updating their website yesterday). This organization is working to create a model community. They are not looking to ‘aid’ Aleto Wondo, but rather to look at what is happening in the region that is working, and allow others to learn from it. The 52 page slideshow is a look into how they are doing that. from the site: “Tsegaye was able to reclaim his property in Aleta Wondo from the government and has donated it to the program. He has 20 acres on the edge of town and a hotel in the downtown, ready to build centers of learning for children, women and adults. Tsegaye’s parents were founders of Aleta Wondo, and hence he was able to continue his parent’s legacy, a humanitarian dream to develop their community that began back in the 1940s. There is a tremendous amount of goodwill from the community to have one of their sons return. “

A letter we received:

To Fellow Eco-Design & Sustainable Architecture Aficionados:

This is a message from a member of the Eco-design + Sustainable Architecture Group whose goal is to spread the news about their independent media: Their new web site www.worldarchitecture.org aims to give voice to the voiceless, create an international community of architects, provide equal chance for contemporary architecture from all countries to be represented worldwide!

Since March 1, World Architecture Community was introduced to the public. The World Architecture Community, launched on March 1, with 200 honorary members including Hans Hollein, Mario Botta, and Fumihiko Maki. We are the first interactive database created to provide opportunity for all local practices to become internationally recognized. Unique features of this portal enable all members to contribute in the making of the future of architectural thought by submitting, discussing, editing, rating, sharing their work.

All members will be able to submit links, articles, projects (even unrealized or projects under construction can be submitted) to this completely free international portal. Contributions from all members will have equitable chances to be represented, promoted, reviewed and criticized at this international arena.

Best,

Ophelia Fletcher

LINK:
worldarchitecture.org

Wishing you a Happy Earth Month!
Esperanza

ShinyMarble is having it’s birth-day. This is day 1.

Here is a few links to get started:

www.arcosanti.org
http://www.arcosanti.org/media/publication/hyperBuilding.html
This Poster is a reproduction of the presentation panel seen on the Arcosanti Tour. The panel was originally commissioned for a Japanese consortium on future urban architecture.

xtracycle.com

in Vancouver BC

Urban Agriculture is a new and growing field that is not completely defined yet even by those closest to it. It concerns itself with all manner of subjects from rooftop gardens, to composting toilets, to air pollution and community development. It encompasses mental and physical health, entertainment,
building codes, rats, fruit trees, herbs, recipes and much more.

-city farmer
cityfarmer.org

Jacob’s Well Video

85 Year Old City Farmer

Parks board says: bugs not drugs
“The ladybugs were at the City Farmer garden with other environmentally friendly methods to illustrate a new city bylaw banning the application of pesticides. Dessureault said pests and weeds can be prevented without using harmful chemicals. She said the parks board, city and Vancouver Coastal Health are encouraging residents to ‘get their yards off drugs.’” April 9, 2006