Tata Motors, the folks that brought the $2500 Tata Nano to India, are applying their compact designs and petite price-tags to architecture. Tata Housing Development Company is developing affordable apartments between 213 and 465 square feet starting at $7800. The apartment community will include amenities such as a hospital, school, rainwater harvesting, vermiculture, landscaped gardens, playgrounds, a jogging track, and a market place. Located in a suburb of Boisar, this complex embodies community, affordability, and green development.Wow!

  ‘In 1970 Gordon B Holcombe a pioneer in the design and construction of buildings utilizing coated fabrics predicted that,’ “Before the year 2000 the house you live in may come in a can of liquid and a roll of fabric-and be inflated like a balloon. And by the end of this decade, everything from your drinking water and the pools your children swim in and acre-size farms will be protected by air-supported domes.” Speciality Fabrics Review August 2008

As part of the Art on the Edge Festival which was held at the Progress Energy Performing Arts Center in Raleigh this past weekend, the Architects of Air put up a 10,000 sq ft installation called Levity III which brought to reality all the possibilities imagined by Mr. Holcombe more than 35 years ago. This was truly one of the highlights of my summer as I was inspired by the captivating color scape and the energy that playfully moved within. It was great to see the potential of material through imaginative architecture. Now my vision of an inflatable ‘Nap Pod’ seems a bit more feasible.

Well, at least they’re popping up in print form. And if you can’t travel the world to see them in person, maybe this is the next best thing. And make it even more fun by referencing the Tallest Buildings website we mentioned in an earlier post!

Anton Radevsky is responsible for the engineering of the pop-ups themselves. He also designed pop-ups for the The History of Architecture Pop-Up book (currently out of print). David Sokol is the writer, contributing interesting facts and history about each of these innovative buildings which, in many ways, shaped the direction of architecture and technology after they were built.

This book isn’t easy to find quite yet. You can purchase right from Rizzoli, the publisher, or you can pre-order from Amazon.

(via coolhunting)

Sunday, July 20, 2008, a show opened at the Museum of Modern Art that looks to be both interesting and thorough about the challenges architects have faced selling the idea of prefabricated houses. The show encompasses a timeline, beginning in the 1800’s with factory-produced buildings. It then spans the next 200 years, showing how the idea of prefabricated housing returned with each new architectural movement and yet, has continuously struggled to find solid footing.

The show not only encompasses historical stories, plans and pictures, but an array of models, including a walk-in model in the exhibition space. The finale is 5 fully built homes on the 54th street lot of MoMa. The pictures look completely surreal, with these 5 homes right in the middle of the skyscrapers of Manhattan.

Check out the MoMa site for a complete journal of the show, including pictures and a video of the installation process: www.momahomedelivery.org

The NY Times also has a good review of the show, including a slide show.

Just spent a few days in Portland, Oregon, and had a great time, but “coveting” is not a pleasant experience, I have to say. Anyway, Portland in July is so beautiful it’s kinda sick. The sun is bright, the air is clean, the breeze is perfect and everything is in full bloom. It’s like walking through a very convincing sales brochure designed to keep you there forever (with no hint of the less than perfect weather of fall/winter/spring).

CITY OF NEIGHBORHOODS: Portland is fairly condensed with it’s famous and smart urban planning. Outside of the downtown area is a whole host of connected neighborhoods, and each of these has a specific feeling and it’s own little commercial district. It’s actually easier to walk or bike than to drive, which makes the streets very active on a human level.

Portlander’s love their gardens in the summer!

LOCAL FRESH FOOD (and coffee!!) CULTURE: You wanna see some people freak out over food? Talk to a Portlander about coffee, or watch them all glaze over when talking about berries in the summer. Chef-owned unique restaurants are everywhere throughout downtown and mixed through the neighborhoods. Almost all of them pride themselves on using local fresh ingredients and tailoring the menu to what’s in season. And the Saturday Farmer’s Market is packed with people! You can even get authentic southern Chicken and Biscuits from fellow Raleighite, Walter Alexander at his Pine State Biscuits stand.

Saturday Farmer’s Market in Portland

TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS: Wow. I’m not a big city girl and figuring out a bus system or mass transit can be a little intimidating to me. Not so in Portland. The city grid itself is very easy to understand and on top of that, there is a great (and free) streetcar system downtown, a light rail system, and a bus system which are all used by the whole population. Cycling is hugely encouraged and supported through bike lanes and paths. There is even a skateboarding/skate route noted throughout downtown. AND they have Zipcar, cars that sit around in convenient places for you to reserve for an hour or longer and then just walk the block or two to where it is, hop in, and get where you wanna go.

Portland Skate Route

Portland Bike Crew watching an anti-Foie Gras protest

PARKS and RECREATION: There are big and small parks all over the city, some celebrate nature and big scenic views, some are restful, or for dogs, or fun for children, or for roses. Whether in the heart of downtown or in larger natural areas within cycling distance of the core, they are all well used. There are also street festivals and markets everywhere all summer long.

Enjoying the rock fountain at Jameson Park

Tanner Springs: quiet urban park with natural grasses and sustainable water features

EMPHASIS ON QUALITY OF LIFE: It’s a different vibe that as an east-coaster, I just find shocking. At least through my rose-colored glasses of a visitor, it seems like in Portland, yer not about “what you do” as much as yer about “what you did last weekend.” The emphasis is different. The competitive feeling is more about what kind of outdoor “gear” you own than your work status.

Green roof in Alberta Arts district

I’ll have a “things to do on your visit” post tomorrow, and then I’ll leave it alone

Known as the Bloomsbury Estates, this building sits at the edge of Boylan Heights in Raleigh. Designed with bizarre Victorian architectural references by Perkins & Will in Chicago, this building certainly needs a more fitting name. Take the poll and give us your opinion. Image by BloomsburyEstates.com

After 107 votes, the results are so far:
Victor Victoria 35%
Lampshade 35%
Boylan Fridge 24%
Other 7% (including 2 who liked Bloomsbury Estates and “Galvanism Mano”)

Late add: “The Adams Family!”

The City of Raleigh currently is updating its Comprehensive Plan for the first time since 1989. Over the next 20 years, the city is expected to grow by 70 percent and reach a population of 700,000. Kids City is one element of the City’s strategy to educate people on the issues and engage them in envisioning Raleigh’s future.

Emma Farquhar sees the future clearly, complete with flying cars, the river all Raleighites long for, and her house in the trees.

Kids have eco-visions too! Check out “The Solar Hotel!”

The Mudcats stadium moves downtown, and all the important people of Raleigh are there enjoying the game.

Industry moves downtown too. Shown here is a Gatorade factory…and right beside it, there’s a chocolate factory. Chocolate and Gatorade…new energy for the downtown core!

You can always count on kids for the big ideas, the creative avenues we all wish for but are afraid to develop. Kids Day 2030 brought a little fun into the idea of planning – and maybe to the future reality of Raleigh.

Brad Pitt’s “Make It Right” project of rebuilding houses in the Lower 9th Ward has gotten a lot of press since December, when he announced it, but this is a bandwagon well worth jumping on, so I’ll add another tribute article to the list.

According to the MIR website, after spending considerable time and effort in New Orleans trying to help and talking with leaders, citizens and victims, “Pitt realized that an opportunity existed to build houses that were not only stronger and healthier, but that had less impact on the environment.” He got a group of experts together and they came up with the Make It Right project, with a goal of constructing 150 homes in the Lower 9th Ward, and emphasis on affordable systems that could be replicated.

The group chose 13 accomplished architects and tasked each of them to design a real-world home solution. All of the designs are to the building codes of the area, designed with various green and sustainable materials and practices, fit within a very tight building budget ($150,000), and have designed in flood precautions. Each house is raised off the gound, they all have some form of escape hatch to the roof, and they all have waterproof safes for valuables.

Billes Architecture, New Orleans: 2 homes to start building in March

“Make It Right” helps Katrina victims in the Lower 9th Ward get a house by providing the difference between their assets and the cost of rebuilding. Each homeowner chooses any of the 13 provided design options. Pitt and Hollywood producer, Steve Bing, together contributed an initial $10mil, and a lot more has been raised since then. According to the website, as of today, they have enough to build 80 of their goal of 150 houses, and the number increases as more people contribute.

The best part is – it’s REAL! According to Metropolis Magazine, they are breaking ground on the first five homes this month.

Graft, LA and Berlin: 1 home to start building in March

See pix of all the home designs, an incredible installation called The Pink Project, information about the Lower 9th Ward, all the details on the MIR project AND how to contribute at the Make It Right website.

There is also a great article in the March issue of Metropolis magazine.

Brio54 is the latest group of residential designers promoting the combo of modern design with green living and affordability. They show 3 impressive plans on their new website, including a home designed for a downward sloping suburban lot, a design for an urban infill lot, and a design for converting a 1960’s ranch. Beautiful pictures and descriptions, along with conservation and health considerations are all on the website. The price is not yet available though…

(first seen on MocoLoco)

These pix are here only to entice you to the site, where you get to see everything bigger and in better relation to each other…

1. Taipei 101, Taipei, 508m (448m not including spire)
2. Petronas Towers , Kuala Lumpur, 452m
3. Sears Tower, Chicago, 442.3m
4. Jin Mao Tower, Shanghai, 420.5m
5. 2 International Finance Ctr, Hong Kong, 415.8m

left: Al Burj, Dubai, proposed 2010, 999.9m
center: Burj Dubai, Dubai, 2009 completion , 807.7m
right: Shanghai World Financial Ctr, Shanghai, 2008 completion, 492m