Top Four Architecture and Urbanism Blog Posts for Week of June 10, 2013

Biomimicry in Chicago. Nights on Kettner with BNIM. Rethinking Infrastructure. Gensler on collaboration and BIM. Last chance to attend the first biomimicry global conference.

Reconnecting with nature. Amy Coffman Phillips, cofounder of Biomimicry Chicago, discusses the “Prairie Project” which was created to reconnect Chicagoans with their sense of place and to reconnect with the natural world.

“Through (Re)Connecting with nature and observing our ecological context, we can begin to (Re)Learn the wisdom of our evolutionary elders, those human and non-human species that through trial and error have thrived through adversity and become well-adapted to this place. “ – Amy Coffman Phillips

Via Metropolis Magazine POV

Nights on Kettner. BNIM embraces the arts by supporting and celebrating fine and performing arts in each of the cities where the firm has offices, engaging with local artists to become a part of the fabric of creativity and expression.

In San Diego, BNIM found a location in Little Italy, near Kettner Boulevard, which has allowed the firm to also participate in the monthly Kettner Nights art events where visitors can experience a neighborhood of art and design.

galleries.

Via BNIM Blog

Rethinking infrastructure. The recently published Landscape Urbanism Journal,  Scenario 4: Rethinking Infrastructure, examines the pressing questions of how infrastructure of the next century will be imagined and built.

The journal brings together a group of pieces that take on the design of infrastructure from a number of scales and disciplinary perspectives and highlights how practitioners and theorists are expanding the definition of infrastructure, analyzing its component parts, and proposing new kinds of infrastructure projects.

Via Landscape Urbanism

Collaboration and BIM. Jared Krieger, an architect and leader of Gensler’s design and delivery team, provides five tips on for running a successful Building Information Modeling (BIM) meeting.

1. Practice and prepare.
2. Have one person as a designated “driver
3. Use your team’s time wisely.
4. Use meeting notes to stay focused.
5. Talk about this process early on in a project.

Via Gensleron Lifestyle

7^th Annual Biomimicry Education Summit and 1st Global Conference

There is still time to join the global conversation on how biomimicry will shape innovation and education in the years to come at the Biomimicry Education Summit and Global Conference in Boston on June 21-23. Janine Benyus, scientist, author, and Institute co-founder, will be the keynote speaker.

Via Biomimicry 3.8 Institute

Top Design and Urbanism Blog Posts for Week of June 3, 2013

An Olin restorative landscape. Array on Tech's influence on healthcare. Perfect shot from Stantec. Treehugger gets inspired by nature.

Restorative landscape for Stamford. OLIN Studio looks at the history and restoration of Mill River Park in Stamford, Connecticut, a 14-acre park and river restoration by Army Corps of Engineers and park design by OLIN that took nearly a decade.

The plan aimed to achieve three primary goals: create a park that meets the recreational and civic needs of a diverse population, provide a natural habitat for native flora and fauna to flourish, and offer a vision that is economically viable, maintainable, and implementable in phases over time.

Via OLIN Studio

Technology’s influence on healthcare. Kristen Lambert, interior designer at Array Architects, recounts a panel discussion on technological innovation in healthcare at the Design Considerations for Technological Innovation in Healthcare Design in New York City.

The future of healthcare will be centered less around a hospital, and will become more integrated into daily life with the delivery of healthcare services reflecting the mobility that technology now offers us. “Our role as healthcare architects and designers now is to design clinical environments which support the new ways that people will give and receive care.” –Kristen Lambert

Via Array Architects Blog

Getting the perfect shot. Joe DiGiorgio, senior engineer at Stantec who has been taking photographs for 45 years, chronicles his day of taking the perfect photo at the grand opening of a wastewater treatment plant solids handling facility in Merced, California.

 “Photographers work to get the perfect picture… being there, scouting the right vantage point, and then watching and learning and seeing what matters and what works (and what doesn’t). The same approach serves me well as an engineer and I enjoy the times I can step back from the pure engineering calculations and appreciate the beauty of the bigger picture through these photo assignments.” – Joe DiGiorgio

Via Stantec Blog

Inspired by nature. Lloyd Alter, managing editor of Treehugger, tells you why you don’t want miss out on Biomimicry’s Education Summit and first Global Conference in Boston from June 21-23, 2013.

“We're seeing more examples of biomimicry every day. Over the years, we at TreeHugger have been watching the merging of those two ideas in our culture, as we learn from nature.

Day 1 is about Resilient Cities.

Day 2 is about the future of 3D Printing.

Day 3 will cover Biomimicry as an Emerging Discipline and Economic Development Framework.

Via Treehugger

Social Media

Grappling with viral photo. A picture recently surfaced on Facebook of a Taco Bell employee licking a bunch of tacos. While the circumstances surrounding the public display of taco shell affection are unclear, the photo went viral.  The company responded by saying the tacos were for training purposes and not intended to be served to customers. The employee and the photographer were both fired.

Via Huffington Post

Top Four Architecture and Urbanism Blog Posts for Week of May 27, 2013

Gensler, building for speed. Finding insight outside. School news by HMC. Lake|Flato on reinvigorating a coastline. Video contest for a free conference on biomimicry.

Built for speed. Arlyn Vogelmann, Principal and Director of Gensler Boston’s Consulting and Workplace practices, discusses how the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, the world’s fastest racing car, is similar to Staples’ new Velocity Lab, an e-commerce innovation center located in the tech hub of Kendall Square in Boston.

The Velocity Lab’s singular purpose is to move at the speed of innovation. With its street-level exposure, bold graphics, and startup feel, the Velocity Lab acts a brand beacon, capturing the energy and excitement of the area while leveraging local amenities to attract top talent. An open work environment at the Velocity Lab is punctuated with collaborative meeting spaces and writeable walls throughout, fostering communication among diverse groups and supporting breakthrough ideas.

Via Gensleron Cities

Finding insights outside. Erin Leitch writes that going outside and spending time in nature triggers a cognitive shift that transitions people from distracted and linear know-it-alls to focused and inquisitive systems thinkers.

Dayna Baumeister, cofounder of Biomimicry 3.8, has been bringing clients out into wild places for the last 15 years as part of the bio-inspired design methodology. Check out some ideas from the biomimicry design methodology for planning a team meeting outside.

Via Metropolis Magazine POV

Related: Biomimicry Education Summit and Global Conference

News on school. HMC Architects has published the latest trends in K–12 education, which includes information on how to provide the best learning environments for your students, market trends and how local GO bonds make a difference.

The School News discusses workshops that were created to help schools and building team members understand one another.  A client outreach “Market Survey” was conducted to better comprehend the trends affecting the K–12 market in California.  Lastly, school districts need to be aware of the importance for districts to realize that successful campaigns do not just happen on their own.

Via HMC Architects Blog

Reinvigorating our coastline. Corey Leaman of Lake|Flato discusses her visit to the Texas coastal town of Freeport, a hub for the chemical industry that lacks economic diversity and regionally appropriate architecture.

Leaman asks is “architecture irrelevant without an economy to support it, or can it instead be the instigator that helps promote development in a city?” “What part can architecture play in creating a more diverse economy and building regionally appropriate structures that withstand the increasingly dangerous force of nature?”

Via The Dogrun

Video Contest for Biomimicry Summit and Global Conference

Video contest. If you are interested in attending the Biomimicry Summit and Global Conference in Boston on June 21-23, you have a chance to win a free pass to the event. Simply make a 60-second video that answers the question: What challenge would you like to see biomimicry solve?

The Biomimicry Summit and Global Conference will explore how biomimicry will shape innovation and education, and highlight the new science in community resilience, 3D printing and economic development.

Via Biomimicry 3.8