Its a Bird, Its a Plane, No its an Office Building??

Architecture through out the course of time has seen some serious changes in styles, building techniques, and even scale. Coming into the 21st century, architecture is evolving at incredible rates, due to the advancement of computers and software programs. Architects have really started to push the limits, and in return have created some outrageous buildings. One of the most notable architects that has pushed design is Frank Gehry, with his chaotic organizations of titanium, and his buildings could only be designed with computer aid. Now there is a new architecture firm in town, and they have started to use technology in a different manner. James Law Cybertecture International Ltd., a firm based in Hong Kong, has created a new language and this is called cybertecture, which is the idea of blending technology into our rigid building structures, giving them the chance to evolve with its inhabitants. In order to do this, the firm looks to blend tangible materials (concrete, steel, and glass) with intangible materials (technology, multimedia, intelligence, and interactivity). This new principal is demonstrated in their newest creation The Cybertecture Egg, which is under construction in Mumbai, India. The concept is planet earth working as an ecosystem that allows life to evolve. The egg uses cybertecture allowing the building to evolve providing its inhabitants the most optimal work space (did I mention this amazing structure is an office building). The building is meant to look like a planet that has been stretched and skewed, which gives the building its egg shape.
The complex shape allows the building to reduce surface area by 10 to 20 percent, which cuts down the buildings solar gain. The Egg's unique structure relies on the complicated skin, which allows the building's floors to span up to 30 meters with no interior supports. The most important element of cybertecture design is going to be how the building's built in systems allow the building to morph over time, using technology to provide interaction and evolution. The Egg is a completely unique building for its complicated shape and structure, which gives us a glimpse of 21st century architecture. Its not a bird, nor a plane it is cybertecture, a term that may soon become an element in future buildings to come.

Salad Design

Summer is here, and there is no better time for back yard barbecues with family and friends. The grill is covered with hotdogs and hamburgers, but now what about the salad. Try this deliciously simple Caprese salad. To prepare and serve takes about twenty minutes, so its quick and really easy. There are four main ingredients mixed into the salad: grape tomatoes (1 container), fresh basil (5 leaves), mozzarella slices (10 slices), and shallots (2) (all ingredients can be arbitrary it all depends on your taste).To cut up the tomatoes just simply cut them in half, which will give the salad character by not making it to mushy, but to also allow the juices to mix in with the salad. The basil should be cut up into strips and also is mixed into the bowl. Finally dice up some Shallots for flavor. Mix the tomatoes, shallots, and basil in a bowl and top off with olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette, salt, and pepper. After the ingredients are mixed, put in the fridge to chill. On separate plates put the slices of mozzarella and a little bit of olive oil, when the mixture is cold scoop out and serve on a plate, and to top it off add a little bit of fresh basil. There you have it a simple salad by design to accompany any backyard barbeque.

Designer Bags for Your Groceries

Paper or Plastic? The question that everyone receives at the end of the check out line at your local grocery store. Many people have started to give a different answer. "I brought my own". The truth is plastic bags are one of the largest contributors to waste in our landfills, and there is anywhere between 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags produced each year. Many think that the plastic bags are recycled, but the truth is only 1% actually make it through the process. So where do the bags go? Plastic bags end up in our land fills and pollute our planet. A study done in 1975 by the U.S. Academy of Natural Sciences verified that 8 million pounds of plastic has been dumped into our oceans, which has had a huge impact on wildlife and natural ecosystems. So many people have been taking action to eliminate their consumption of plastic bags. Their answer is canvas, or sustainable bags that are reusable. This new idea, has created a market for for reusable bags, in which some specialty brands have appeared. One company, Baggu, has created a line of nylon bags, which appear to be more stylish than your normal grocery bag. They target on foot shoppers in urban areas, along with suburban shoppers, with their universal light weight design. Each bag costs about 8 dollars, and they are offered in an array of vibrant colors. Now why spend 8 dollars on a colorful bag, if the boring ones are free? There are a couple reasons. First many retailers and grocery stores offer a 10 cent refunds for using your own bags, which will pay back for the bag in a couple months. Another reason is by not using plastic bags, the average person will save 6 bags a week. This number may not sound extreme, but if one out of every five Americans used a sustainable bag they would save 1,330,560,000,000 plastic bags in their lifetime. One person might not make a drastic impact, but together we can make our planet a cleaner, and more eco-friendly place, one bag at a time.

To learn more about Baggu
Vist at: http://baggubag.com/index.html

The New Face of Hybrid

With global warming and gas prices on the rise, the auto industry has begun to take action through the production of hybrid cars. The concept is simple; the less oil the car uses the more eco-friendly the car. Typically, hybrid cars are designed to display their green disposition with dumb founded smiles, and even radioactive green colors. Well Fisker has decided to create a car that looks at eco-friendly from a more aggressive standpoint. With the launch of the new Karma, Fisker has created one of the first, true hybrid sports car. The idea is simple, many Americans do not drive over 50 miles on their daily commute, and the Karma addresses this statement by providing an electric engine that can cover up to 50 miles. This engine would therefore allow many individuals to go about their day with 0 emissions. The car is a plug in hybrid, meaning that in order to get full charge, one has to plug in the car every night. For longer commutes there is also a smaller gas engine that works like a normal engine, but also charges the battery. The Karma also uses solar panels that are built into the roof to help power the climate control and charge the battery. The Karma demonstrates true sports car power and style, with a 0 to 60 acceleration of 6 seconds, top track speed of 125 mph, dramatic curves, crisp edges, and an aggressive stance. The Karma competes in the luxury market, and is priced at $80,000. The Fisker Karma has started to take hybrid more aggressively showing us how hybrid can lead the new revolution. Its time to think of hybrid in terms of performance rather than eco friendly, and the Karma has been one of the pioneers of this new hybrid era.

Green Media

Going green has become a gimmick in which everyone has jumped on the bandwagon. Now the television has gone green with a new network devoted to bringing the public green news. Planet Green, takes a look at the color green and makes it the new pink by demonstrating green in a more trendy way. Personally, I think it is great to see people trying to make their statement about living better and a more conscious lifestyle, but it also bugs me when a mission statement is poorly followed. After doing some research about Planet Green, I have seen some awesome demonstrations of going green, and I have also seen very pathetic attempts. Their market is trying to appeal to the younger generations, using celebrities to create the stir. For example, one of their new series called Battle Ground Earth has Ludacris battling Tommy Lee Jones on who can be "greener". The mission is for two artists to raise awareness about our environment and promote a green lifestyle. The concept is strong, but it will be interesting to see how well it holds up. There are other parts of Planet Green, which are not so motivational, for example: Who's Greener: Paris Hilton, or an Umbrella? I wonder how inspirational this article has been in the public eye. The other downside is that Planet Green only operates on select channels, which limits a huge population from viewing the new station. It will be interesting to see the impact of Planet Green on American's lifestyles, but any way to promote a green lifestyle is a positive effort. I am just hoping that Planet Green stays true to its name, and does not stray to far off the green trail.


To visit: Planetgreen.com

Flying in fashion

Lets face it, air travel has become the most UN-luxurious form of travel possible, but many of us cannot live without it. With airlines charging you 15 dollars to check one bag, having to wait in long security lines, and, oh yeah, they took away your one free meal, they have taken away any feeling of importance! Well my friends it is time to take matter into your own hands! The idea is simple, "picnic on the plane" of course the food is expensive, but there is no way out of paying it! When I was at O'Hare airport in Chicago, I noticed this little stand, called CIBO express. The little market carried gourmet food items including: fancy chocolates, fresh fruit, sandwiches, unique chip brands, high end water, and world sweets. Instead of purchasing the mass items on the plane for a light lunch, I bought a couple of items from this gourmet stand. I had a tomato mozzarella wrap, bagel chips, and to top it off a mini Toberlone bar. The key is to also take advantage of your one free drink. So when the beverage cart passed by, I pulled out my items, and had myself a nice little picnic that I knew I would enjoy. Not only was it enjoyable, but it also passes some time on the plane, and makes you feel just as good as anyone up in first class (except for the cramped legroom and the children screaming behind you). So take the power back when it comes to dining on the plane, and don't be nickeled and dimed out of a good meal!

Green Tip of the Week

A normal tree could take 50 to 100 years to reach full adulthood, therefore we have been cutting down forests to reach the demand of our paper supplies, furniture, construction, and even our hard wood flooring. Although replanting the forests is one step, another green design technique would be to invest in bamboo wood flooring. Bamboo is a plant that is extremely abundant, and grows at incredible rates, taking only days to sprout 3 feet. With this in mind, many consider bamboo to be a renewable source for its ability to rapidly grow. Bamboo floors are just as strong as many hard wood floors, plus they add a unique element to your home that gives an older room a new look. If you are thinking about remodeling, or just changing your floors, look into the bamboo solution? This concludes my first Green Tip of the Week.

Olympics contribute to Chicago

The 2008 Beijing Olympics are just about to take place, but there has been a huge interest in which city will be hosting the 2016 Summer Olympics. The candidate cities consist of Madrid, Rio, Tokyo, and Chicago (my favorite). These cities over the last year have been flaunting their positive attributes demonstrating why they deserve to host the games. Chicago is a prime candidate due to its provided stadiums, strong infrastructure, great public transportation systems, Central location in the US, and of course its beauty and architecture.
The plan calls for four organized clusters housing different events. A new Olympic Stadium will be set up in Washington Park, that would hold the opening and closing ceremonies. The stadium is projected to house 80,000 viewers during the Olympics, and after the games the stadium will be down scaled to a 5,000 seat amphitheater. The Olympics Sports Complex is another proposal to host tennis, BMX, volleyball, and Track Cycling. Another great attribute about Chicago is its already existing venues. The proposal takes advantage of Solider Field, McCormick Place, UIC Pavilion, United Center, Allstate Arena, and finally Lake Michigan. To house all of the Olympians a plan is drawn out for an Olympic Village, which will be built right on the lake shore, and after the Olympics the Village will convert to mixed-income housing. Everything I have mentioned is being built to fulfill the requirements to host the Olympics, but there are also some other perks that come with being a bidding city. The greatest example is the under construction Spire. The Chicago Spire, designed by Santiago Calatrava, will become the third largest building in the world standing at 2,000 feet tall. The tower is proposed to be completed in 2012 (right before the Olympics) and will host 150 floors all designated to residential. The tower is meant to stand as an Icon for Chicago, and demonstrate Chicago's strength in building technology through its spiral structure. Even Buckingham fountain is getting a 25 million dollar make over, that is proposed to be completed by April 1st, when the Olympic board comes back to Chicago. Chicago is a beautiful city that has a world renowned reputation, and the 2016 Olympics will only demonstrate its Beauty, Organization, and Strength.

Olympics' Direct Effect on Architecture

Every four years athletes from across the world come together to compete in the summer Olympics. The Olympics is where athletes give it all they got to show their strength, endurance, and courage as they sprint, swim, flip, dive, and even score to come out on top. The Olympics has the ability to bring the world together for this grand event, and in conjunction has the ability to bring together leading architects. In preparation for the 2008 summer Olympics in Beijing, there have been drastic design statements demonstrated in the newly constructed stadiums. World-renowned architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron, in collaboration with China Architecture Design Institute, designed the new National Stadium. Many have nicknamed the stadium the “Bird’s Nest” due to its resemblance of sticks and twigs woven together. The “sticks and twigs” actually are an exterior structural element, which than translate into a canopy at the top. The stadium uses different height elevations, which give the structure a dynamic, sweeping feel.
The interior bowl will be able to house 91,000 spectators allowing the audience to become the field’s surrounding architecture. The swim stadium took on a very different architectural style, which promotes green design. The National Aquatics Center, or “Water Cube”, was designed by Zheng Fang to house the swimming portions of the Olympics. The Water Cube uses a special energy, efficient membrane, in a translucent cell structure. The membrane is made out of a material called ETFE, which is known for its high- energy radiation resistance. After its completion it has become the first building to use ETFE in China, and also the largest ETFE clad structure in the world. The membrane allows more light and heat penetration than traditional glass, which results in an estimated 30% reduction in energy costs. These two stadiums are not only housing the Olympics in Beijing, but they are also ground breaking in the architectural realm. They really make an effort in exploring building technologies, and opening the imagination. Tomorrow I will go more in depth about the Olympics effect on a city’s architecture, by using my hometown, Chicago, as an example. Chicago is up for nomination to host the 2016 Summer Olympics, and the architectural planning has already begun.

Tropicana, Shaking it Up

Every morning millions of Americans wake up, go into their fridge, and pull out the container of Orange Juice for their morning drink. One morning I followed this same routine, and found that something was different! What stood before me was this sleek and curvy container, and labeled on the side Tropicana Orange Juice. I was stunned seeing this sculpted object carrying the very same juice I drink every morning. When first analyzing the design, I thought it resembled the newer laundry detergent bottles, but then after further studying its shape, the container resembled a pitcher. The design replaces the older screw on cap with a new and easier flip open top. when picked up the container has a more ergonomic feel, and many have commented on how the bottle feels lighter and easier to hold. Pouring also has improved due to the new containers weight distribution (40/60*) allowing the container to not get too heavy at the top when pouring. This new Tropicana container does have an eye catching appearance that stands out from its competitors on the shelf. There are some draw backs to the design, for one I believe that the redesigned package has allowed tropicana to reduce some of its orange juice contents, and also the flip open top does not hold up well for the extreme shaker (as I have discovered the top opens and spills orange juice all over the floor when not held tight). The new tropicana container design may not be the most ground breaking news, but in the world of design it is great to see Orange Juice companies shaking it up and taking design seriously. It is the little things that we may take for granted of, but in the end this new Tropicana bottle effects millions of people every morning when one goes to get their start of the day glass of Orange Juice.

*estimated percentages

Iphone 3G dates Iphone?

I have been an Iphone enthusiast since the initial press release of apple's newest gadget. I was caught up in all the buzz, made sure I was going to be one of the first to have it, and (shamelessly saying) was willing to spend 600 bucks for it. This was a year ago, which does not sound that ancient, but in the digital world one year represents a decade. Now, everyone has heard, Apple has launched the only phone to "beat" the Iphone, and that is the Iphone 3G. I am too an owner of the new Iphone although, I happened to stumble upon one without having to purchase a new phone (to keep it simple, my Dad wanted the new Iphone but he was not eligible for an upgrade and I was). I have had the phone for about 4 days now, and I have to say Apple has done it again, the phone carries over the easy to use interface with a hi-tech core demonstrated in the first Iphone. The phone is even sleeker than its predecessor with crisper edges and a plastic back that is offered in black or white. The Iphone 3G now operates on ATT's faster 3G network offering better signal, and much faster downloads. One other key difference is its more sophisticated navigation system, which tracks and moves with your phone every step of the way. The most important upgrade is the new Application Store added to the Iphone, which allows software developers to work with the Iphone technology to provide different applications for the phone. For example many new games take advantage of the accelerometer in the iphone to allow you to tilt the screen to play, and many applications use the navigation system to find close restaurants or entertainment venues. The Application Store is really what is the main driver of keeping the Iphone on top of its game. Now the biggest question, is the Iphone 3G that much better than the original Iphone? My answer is NO. If I did not have that situation, I would not have gone out and bought the new Iphone, and here is why. All older Iphones where given the upgrade to the 2.0 software, which gives them the opportunity to download the applications using the Application Store, and also the newer upgrades to some of the existing applications. Therefore the main driver behind the Iphone 3G's success is offered also on the older phone. As for the faster network, I find myself shutting it off most the time because it eats away at my battery life, causing me to run out of juice midday. Although the new phone is only $199 (8GB) $299 (16GB), I really do not feel like it is worth the hassle to sign up for a new plan, considering the old Iphone is given all of the new software updates as the current phone. On a final note, YES the Iphone has made huge cutting-edge advancements in the cell phone industry and stands above the rest, but NO the Iphone 3G does not yet date the Iphone. So save your money current Iphone users, because in a year Apple will be at it again, and my guess is the next Iphone will be one for the record books (not like the older ones were not).

Relay for Life

Yesterday I had the opportunity to be involved in The Relay for Life. The reason I have decided to put this blog post up is because of the way the relay for life is designed. The Relay for Life is ran for the American Cancer Society to raise funds for research to find the cure. The reason why i support The Relay is for its ability to create an interactive environment, where people walk around a track for 12 hours out of their day, to demonstrate the strength of battling cancer. Tents are then pitched in the center of the track, in which people create fun environments for their teams including: food, chairs, games, laughs, and an overall good time. The best part about the event is that it raises money! Last night we raised about 146,000 dollars, where the Lake County area has almost raised 1 million dollars this year for cancer research. The event is designed well for its ability to make charity fun, and overall that is what makes The Relay for Life so successful.

New Challenger Arrival

In the auto industry many American Companies (Dodge, Chevy, and Ford) have been trying to recapture the charm of their past vehicles that were in production. Today I spotted the brand new 08/09 Dodge Challenger. The car is beautiful, and very nicely sculpted, with very smooth curves and a more muscular body. The front demonstrates inset headlights, which connect to the grill, giving the car one uniform opening, and a similar language is demonstrated with the back taillights. Although it is a completely modern car with an SRT8 engine, it posses a nostalgic feel. The Challenger hit the mark by launching before its main rival the Chevy Camero, which has been projected to come to dealerships for the last couple of years. We will see how the Challenger does in this niche market of reinventing the American muscle cars, but with fuel prices rising and "green" lifestyle being a little more fashionable than orange, we will have to see how the Challenger will do. Its a hit or miss not only for the Challenger, but also for the other cars in the American muscle relaunch. Either, many adults will want to relive their past, or America will bury American Muscle cars once again, which many American companies cannot afford.