bodies and buildings 5 nyu itp 10 6 2014

BODIES &BUILDINGSNYU ITP LECTURE COURSE FALL 2014

OCTOBER 6, 2013

JEN VAN DER MEER @JENVANDERMEER WWW.JENVANDERMEER.COM

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ASSIGNMENT: Ebola Crisis

What can you learn?

What could be done by a student with ITP skills?

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PLACES TO INTERVENE IN A SYSTEM: 12. Constants, parameters, numbers (subsidies, taxes, standards)

11. The sizes of buffers and other stabilizing stocks, relative to their flows

10. The structure of material stocks and flows (transport networks, population age structures)

9. Length of delays, relative to the rate of system change

8. The strength of negative feedback loops, relative to the impacts they are trying to correct against

7. The gain around driving positive feedback loops

6. The structure of information flows (who does and does not have access to what kinds of information)

5. The rules of the system (such as incentives, punishments, constraints)

4. The power to add, change, evolve, or self-organize system structure

3. The goals of the system

2. The mindset or paradigm out of which the system – its goals, power structure, rules, its culture-arises

1. The power to transcend paradigms

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5. The rules of the system

Incentives

Punishments

Constraints

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Know the rules:

Thou shalt not kill

Treat your neighbor as you would treat yourself

Take care of ourselves, each other, this place

What are the rules at ITP?

How have the rules changed vs. your undergrad?April 13, 2023

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Let’s map out ITP rules

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Rules are HIGH LEVERAGE POINTS

Power over rules is real power

If you want to understand the deepest malfunctions of systems, pay attention to the rules, and who has power over them.

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Let’s change the rules

Now assume you’re not just an ITP student.

You run the WHO.

The UN.

What rules would you change? April 13, 2023

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Sick building syndrome

The power to change the power dynamics – look for where change begins

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Sick building syndrome

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Sick building syndrome

The term "Sick Building Syndrome" was coined by WHO in 1986, when they also estimated that 10-30% of newly built office buildings in the West had indoor air problems. Early Danish and British studies reported symptoms.

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Health of buildings

1. Sick building: high toxic or health threat affecting the majority of building occupants

2. Aggravated Building: above levels of toxic air causing increased problems of lethargy, allergic or asthma problems and above average sick days

3. Average building: within acceptable levels

4. Green building: conducive to good health

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ARCHITECTS SPEAK OUT

Sick building syndrome made a rapid journey from media to courtroom where professional engineers and architects became named defendants and were represented by their respective professional practice insurers.

Proceedings invariably relied on expert witnesses, medical and technical experts along with building managers, contractors and manufacturers of finishes and furnishings, testifying as to cause and effect.

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Sick building syndrome

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Outdoor Sources of Chemical Contaminants

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Outdoor Sources of Chemical Contaminants

Pollutants from motor vehicle exhaust, plumbing vents and building exhausts (bathrooms and kitchens) can enter the building through poorly located air intake vents, windows and other openings.

Combustion byproducts can enter a building from a nearby garage.

Radon, formaldehyde, asbestos, dust and lead paint can enter through poorly located air intake vents and other openings.

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Outdoor Sources of Chemical Contaminants

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Indoor: VOCs: Volatile Organic Compounds

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Indoor: VOCs: Volatile Organic Compounds

VOCs = airborne chemical contaminants originating from either outdoors or indoors, or from biological contaminants such as bacteria, molds, or pollen

Air quality inside worse than air quality outside

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Other sources of Sick Building Syndrome

Biological contaminants

Inadequate ventilation

Electromagnetic radiation (TVs, computers, microwaves w/out grounding)

Psychological factors (work stress)

Poor lighting

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Mapping out buildings and health

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Building code standards

American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers – Standard 62-1989. HVAC systems designed to meet ventilation standards in local building codes.

Remove pollution sources.

Air cleaning.The insurers needed a defense based upon Standards of Professional Practice to meet a court decision that declared—that in a modern, essentially sealed building, the HVAC systems must produce breathing air for suitable human consumption. ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers, currently with over 50,000 international members) undertook the task of codifying its IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) standardApril 13, 2023

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SPEAR IN THE CHEST MOMENT

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What are the rules?

What rules govern this building?

The building where you were born (if you were born in a building)?

Your first school?

Your apartment?

How do people learn about buildings?

How do they care for buildings?

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BODIES > BUILDINGS

BODIES & BUILDINGS

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MIDTERM PREP: What is an OPED?

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OPED: THE LEDE 1) Be timely. Editors want commentaries to be reflective of the real world of news and news cycles.

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OPED: PERSONAL2) Begin personally. Often the best way to get your op-ed published is to show how a larger issue affects a single person.

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OPED: EXPERTISE 3) Think of your expertise. It’s better to leverage your own expertise—as a parent, a lawyer, a pipefitter, an amputee—than to try to solve the world’s socio-economic troubles. That's what politicians and think tanks are for. Pick topics for your op-eds that are closer to home.

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OPED: PURPOSE 4) Have a purpose.

Is the goal of your commentary to enlighten? To get us to go to the polls and vote? To argue against someone else’s view? Have the goal of your op-ed in your mind as you draft it, and go back through during revision to hone your point of view. Thinking of who your audience is—and op-ed pages are usually for general audiences—should help you sort this out.

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OPED: UNIQUE 5) Be unique.

Remember, editors of op-ed pages receive hundreds of submissions a week (and in the case of the New York Times, probably hundreds per day). Your core idea needs to be something unusual. Be controversial, be counter-intuitive, be candid.

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MIDTERM

BODIES & BUILDINGS

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ASSIGNMENT: Prepare a written and spoken argument (2 pages, 5 minutes) clearly outlining your position on the topic of mobile health innovation. Prepare for the midterm: a written and spoken argument (2 pages, 5 minutes) clearly outlining your position on one of two viewpoints:

Topic Options:

a) Propose a way to contain the spread of Ebola virus

b) Propose a way to improve the quality of life for people with chronic conditions

c) Your choice

This is taken from the Op-Ed structure. (From the Op-Ed Project)

Format:

1. Introduce from the context of the current discussion (LEDE)

2. State your thesis argument – what do you believe

3. Provide three relevant examples proving your point (evidence point one, evidence point two, then conclusion)

4. “To be sure” Provide the counterpoint, then argue against the counterpoint.

5. Conclude with a recommended action.