1

2

3

Brandism What exactly is Brandism? Brandism

is a trend, where architecture and

real estate are increasingly linked to

the creation of a distinct identity

that enhances the perceived value

of an urban district, a residential

development, or in some cases, an

entire city. This perception of

architecture as a commodity is

largely keyed to the realities of

global capitalism, where cities or

even nations are trying to position

themselves favorably in the

worldwide marketplace in order to

attract capital. Branding has been a

trend for decades, particularly in

the fashion industry, but also for

consumer goods in general. We

know that the influence of a brand

goes far beyond the actual

product: the brand becomes a

symbol for a particular lifestyle, an

attitude, and an

identity.

The brand is a symbol that

conveys an aura of meaning,

elevating the status of the

consumer as it is recognized by

others. In many ways, brands

signify perhaps most importantly, a

sense of belonging. Whereas the

idea of the machine permeated

cultural and commercial production

during the Industrial Age (often

referred to as the Machine Age)

and served as a metaphor for

efficiency and standardization, the

brand has become a symbol for

contemporary consumer values

associated with the Information

Age: customization, differentiation,

4

In the twenty-first century, brand

values change ever more rapidly, as

we are experiencing a profound

transition from highly standardized

brands that conveyed the

egalitarian values of the baby

boomers to the mass-customized

brands of a more brand-educated

Generation X that embraces a more

cynical world view. And from Gen

X we progress to Gen Y, those who

grew up entirely brand savvy and

therefore embrace much subtler

local brands. To summarize the

effects of branding, brands no

longer focus on the product but on

the act of building associations with

particular lifestyles, contexts, and

consumers. Brands give products,

services, places, and events an

added symbolic value, which elevates

them above themselves and makes

them more than they are in a

material or functional sense. Brands

synthesize images, identities, and

lifestyles into coherent entities,

while simultaneously codifying

cultural values. Brands can act as

catalysts to raise the value and/or

status of a particular place, a

person, or an event.

The very same progression from

materiality to ephemerality —

from object to subject— can be

witnessed in architecture. Frank

Gehry‘s Guggenheim Museum in

Bilbao is no longer first and

foremost assessed by its primary

function (museum), no longer solely

by its capacity to act as a sign for

the city (Bilbao), but by its ability

to instigate change (economic

growth and urban renewal). The

building compounds use value, sign

exchange value, and

transformational value, converting

the building into a piece of brand

equity. Thus, whereas modern

architecture was evaluated by its

ability to increase production

efficiency and early postmodern

architecture by its potential to

convey symbolic value, current

architecture must be assessed by

its economic potential to raise the

perceived value of its beneficiary, be

it a single client, a corporation, or

a city.

5

Put differently, architecture in an

experience economy has evolved

from an emphasis on ―what it has‖

(the object), and ―what it does‖

(function and program), to ―what

you feel‖ and to ―who you are‖

(experience and identity), which

means that the attention is

removed from the object and placed

on the object‘s effect on the

subject. As we have moved from a

one-size-fits-all economy to a

postfordist mass-customization

society, the attention of

architecture has shifted from a

paradigm characterized by the

relationship of form, function, and

program to a paradigm of

experience and identification

Brandscaping How architects market themselves Starchitects have long been the

coveted designers of big new

buildings—the Museum of Modern

Art extension, the new Salt Lake

City library, and the de Young

Museum in San Francisco—but in

recent months, the names of A-list

designers such as Richard Meier,

Robert A.M. Stern, and Charles

Gwathmey have figured prominently

in advertisements for high-end

residential properties. Daniel

Libeskind, Bernard Tschumi, Frank

Gehry, and Herzog & De Meuron,

who generally design cultural

monuments, are all building luxury

condominiums.

6

Daniel Libeskind

Frederic C. Hamilton Building

Denver Art Museum

Denver, Colorado

Libeskind‘s design consists of geometric,

titanium-clad angles, which reflect the

nearby Rocky Mountain peaks and rock

crystals.

The expansion, the museum‘s first major

addition since the North Building was

completed 35 years ago, nearly doubles its

facilities.

From a developer's point of view,

employing a famous architect is not

only about adding design value, it's

also about adding name recognition.

In that sense, starchitects are

transforming themselves from

individual luminaries to companies

bent on extending brand recognition

throughout the world. The

question, of course, is how much

value a big-name architect actually

adds to a real-estate project, and

how architects became brands in

the first place.

What makes an architect into a

brand? Part of the recognition of a

brand depends on what people who

study such things call its

"personality." Foster & Partners,

whose Web site lists projects

ranging from a congress hall in

Kazakhstan to the Elephant House

of the Copenhagen Zoo, is an

international brand with a definite

personality: Technical Solutions to

Difficult Problems. Foster's chief

rival is the Renzo Piano Building

Workshop. The Piano brand, which

conveys a sense of bespoke elegance,

has been affixed to museums,

airports, and office towers. It's

more like Stylish Solutions to Any

Problem.

7

Blue, a residential tower by

architect Bernard Tschumi, has opened on

New York‘s Lower East Side.Bernard

Tschumi Architects design buildings,

bridges, and plazas that blur the

boundaries between art, society, symbol,

and function. They are responsible for

some of the most staggeringly original and

unforgettable — and sometimes

controversial — edifices and public projects,

both built and imagined, in the modern

world.

Interestingly, neither Foster nor

Piano has a house style; their

designs vary considerably from

project to project. This goes against

the traditional notion that the

work of celebrated architects should

be individual and identifiable. But

style can be a trap, as Richard

Meier, with his persistent white

walls and expanses of glass, found

at the Getty Center, which seems

to me like too much of a good

thing. Michael Graves' Tuscan colors

and simplified Classical forms

likewise sometimes appear

constraining. When I mentioned to

a friend that Graves had recently

built a building in Philadelphia, she

said, "I didn't know that it was a

real Graves; I thought it was a

knockoff." Even Frank Gehry, who

has perhaps the strongest

architectural franchise in the world

today—and recently designed a line

of jewelry for Tiffany & Co.—

sometimes seems hemmed in by his

own success, as he builds yet

another whimsical tour de force.

The Tiffany necklace, by the way,

looks like a very long key chain.

There are other sorts of

architectural brands. Rem Koolhaas,

who seems to have a love-hate

relationship with his own celebrity,

has shrewdly managed his OMA

8

(Office of Metropolitan

Architecture), turning it from a

one-man studio into a brand. He

has established a company ethos—

one cannot really call it a style—in

independent offices in Rotterdam,

New York, and Beijing that have

produced a variety of work, from a

big-box convention center in

Córdoba, Spain, to the crystalline

Seattle Public Library and a

dramatic nonskyscraper skyscraper in

Beijing. The OMA ethos has a lot

to do with cutting-edge problem-

solving, which is perhaps why luxury

condos are so far absent from the

firm's portfolio.

There is nothing wrong with

architects being given the

opportunity to branch out—the

great Vienna Secession architect

Josef Hoffmann created some very

beautiful jewelry—and greater public

awareness of design is a good thing,

but branding may turn out to have

adverse effects. Most architectural

careers are marked by a deliberate

evolution—a slow simmer rather

than a fast boil. The drive to

establish their own unique brands

pushes young architects to

distinguish themselves early—too

early.

Moreover, public recognition of an

architect's particular approach—

Meier's minimalism, Stern's

traditionalism, Santiago Calatrava's

bravura—can serve to stymie the

natural artistic evolution of a

designer's style. Give the public

what it likes and it simply wants

more of the same. Remember New

Coke? And that's not good for

architects who want to explore

rather than merely produce.

Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park

designed by Frank Gehry. Completed in

July 2004, the pavilion is an open stage

which seats upwards of 11,000 people in a

mixture of fixed seats and the lawn as

well as accomodate a full orcherstra on

stage.

9

From Traditional Cultural Landscapes to “Label Regions” Sustainable regional development is

a long-term goal for Alpine

landscapes and habitats in

Switzerland. Areas of high ecological

quality and sufficient socio-cultural

potential, but insufficient economic

power, are looking for long-term

perspectives. The economic options

of structurally weak peripheral

regions could be improved

significantly through ―brandscaping,‖

ie a certification strategy for Label

Regions focusing on sustainability,

thereby ―producing‖ new types of

landscapes. An adequate

implementation strategy should be

based on a reliable indicator system,

which should finally lead to

certification procedures for regional

management. But the

implementation of Label Regions

(with certification) is only feasible

under an innovative development

scenario in which the socioeconomic

and political environment facilitates

such strategies. Labeling intends to

offer regional producers an

advantage in the nature-based

tourism market as well as for other

quality products and services, and

must be effectively promoted by

regional as well as sectoral policies,

thus shaping traditional landscapes

into ―brandscapes.‖

The city of Buchs, Switzerland, sees itself

as a competitive business location. It can

be characterized as an ―intensely used

urban type‖ of region

Parts of the Piemonte, Italy suffer from

ageing population, agricultural decline, etc.

These regions can be described as ―declining

types.‖

10

a label for the state

and the market

Because the Label Region shows

self-commitment throughout the

certification process, it should

receive preferential access to

financial resources—within both

regional policy schemes and other

sectoral policies (such as

agriculture)—and to private flows

of money. This, then, is the

overarching goal of the strategy.

At the same time the label is also

intended to provide advantages in

the market. This can apply to

sustainable tourism, the marketing

of regional, organic food, and

specific local industries such as food

processing, solar technology, and

ecological construction or services in

the health and social sectors

(adolescents, wellness and

regeneration tourism for the

stressed generation, a rapidly

growing market serving elderly

people). The quality mark ‗Label

Region‘ may not always be market-

effective by itself, but may support

existing or newly created local

products. In this manner, the

product brands of single producers

will be combined with the generic

label, mutually reinforcing each

other.

In conclusion, we realize that the

perspectives of structurally weak

peripheral regions could be improved

by a certification strategy for Label

Regions with a broad, goal-oriented

and sustainable Swiss mountain area

policy, provided consistent

marketing of the label is achieved

and combined with successful

product brands.

Hasle in the Entlebuch UNESCO Biosphere

Reserve, Switzerland. The region gives

priority to conservation of natural and

cultural landscapes and stimulates the local

economy by involving the population.

(Photo courtesy of Entlebuch UNESCO

Biosphere Reserve)

11

However, the certification of a

mountain area as a Label Region

will not automatically guarantee

thriving and sustainable

development. Regions will also

depend on potentials in human

resources, such as innovation and

entrepreneurship with strong

product brands. The same is true

for market success: Only if the

consumers of these products realize

the additional value of the new

label will they agree to pay an

adequate price. In this way, added

value can be created out

of valuation. For this reason, the

Alpine landscape will be re-

characterized, or even reinvented.

We call this process ―brandscaping,‖

referring to regional and landscape

development as a result of the

combined value of sustainability-

oriented transfer payments and

certified high-quality branded

products.

BRAND BUILDING

Quality

Quality is a vital ingredient of a

good brand. Remember the ―core

benefits‖ – the things consumers

expect. These must be delivered

well, consistently. The branded

washing machine that leaks, or the

training shoe that often falls apart

when wet will never develop brand

equity.

Research confirms that,

statistically, higher quality brands

achieve a higher market share and

higher profitability that their

inferior competitors.

12

Positioning

Positioning is about the position a

brand occupies in a market in the

minds of consumers. Strong brands

have a clear, often unique position

in the target market.

Positioning can be achieved through

several means, including brand

name, image, service standards,

product guarantees, packaging and

the way in which it is delivered. In

fact, successful positioning usually

requires a combination of these

things.

Repositioning

Repositioning occurs when a brand

tries to change its market position

to reflect a change in consumer‘s

tastes. This is often required when

a brand has become tired, perhaps

because its original market has

matured or has gone into decline.

The repositioning of the Lucozade

brand from a sweet drink for

children to a leading sports drink is

one example. Another would be the

changing styles of entertainers with

above-average longevity such as

Kylie Minogue and Cliff Richard.

Communications

Communications also play a key role

in building a successful brand. We

suggested that brand positioning is

essentially about customer

perceptions – with the objective to

build a clearly defined position in

the minds of the target audience.

All elements of the promotional

mix need to be used to develop and

sustain customer perceptions.

Initially, the challenge is to build

awareness, then to develop the

brand personality and reinforce the

perception.

First-mover advantage

Business strategists often talk

about first-mover advantage. In

terms of brand development, by

―first-mover‖ they mean that it is

possible for the first successful

brand in a market to create a clear

positioning in the minds of target

customers before the competition

enters the market. There is plenty

of evidence to support this.

Think of some leading consumer

product brands like Gillette, Coca

Cola and Sellotape that, in many

ways, defined the markets they

operate in and continue to lead.

13

However, being first into a market

does not necessarily guarantee long-

term success. Competitors – drawn

to the high growth and profit

potential demonstrated by the

―market-mover‖ – will enter the

market and copy the best elements

of the leader‘s brand (a good

example is the way that Body Shop

developed the ―ethical‖ personal

care market but were soon facing

stiff competition from the major

high street cosmetics retailers.

Long-term perspective

This leads onto another important

factor in brand-building: the need

to invest in the brand over the

long-term. Building customer

awareness, communicating the

brand‘s message and creating

customer loyalty takes time. This

means that management must

―invest‖ in a brand, perhaps at the

expense of short-term profitability.

Internal marketing

Finally, management should ensure

that the brand is marketed

―internally‖ as well as externally.

By this we mean that the whole

business should understand the

brand values and positioning. This is

particularly important in service

businesses where a critical part of

the brand value is the type and

quality of service that a customer

receives.

Think of the brands that you value

in the restaurant, hotel and retail

sectors. It is likely that your

favourite brands invest heavily in

staff training so that the face-to-

face contact that you have with

the brand helps secure your loyalty.

It is one of the biggest consumer

electronics and Software Company, best

known for products like Macintosh, iPod

and iphone. Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak,

and Ronald Wayne had together setup

Apple in 1976, to sell their hand-built

computer Apple I. They had offered their

product to HP first but were declined by

them.

14

Guerrilla Marketing

The concept of guerrilla

marketing was invented as an

unconventional system of promitions

that relies on time, energy and

imagination rather than a big

marketing budget.

Typically, guerrilla marketing

campaigns are unexpected and

unconventional, potentially

interactive, and consumers are

targeted in unexpected places. The

tactics often rely on methods that

are of poor taste or include

15

littering/graffiti and businesses or

causes using guerrilla marketing

should consider whether or not this

is the way they want their cause

viewed.

Guerrilla marketing involves unusual

approaches such as intercept

encounters in public places, street

giveaways of products, PR stunts,

or any unconventional marketing

intended to get maximum results

from minimal resources. More

innovative approaches to Guerrilla

marketing now utilize cutting

edge mobile digital technologies to

engage the consumer and create a

memorable brand experience.

Guerrilla Marketing started out a

single volume and has since acted

biblically by being fruitful and

multiplying into a library of 35

books and counting, an Association,

a lush website, an abundance of

video and audio versions, an email

newsletter, a consulting

organization, an internationally-

syndicated column for newspapers,

magazines, and the Internet, and

presentations in enough countries

for us to consider forming our own

Guerrilla United Nations.

The need for guerrilla marketing can

be seen in the light of three facts:

1. Because of big business downsizing,

decentralization, relaxation of

government regulations, affordable

technology, and a revolution in

consciousness, people around the

world are gravitating to small

business in record numbers.

2. Small business failures are also

establishing record numbers and

one of the main reasons for the

16

failures is a failure to understand

marketing.

3. Guerrilla marketing has been

proven in action to work for small

businesses around the world. It

works because it's simple to

understand, easy to implement

and outrageously inexpensive.

Guerrilla marketing is needed

because it gives small businesses a

delightfully unfair advantage:

certainty in an uncertain world,

economy in a high-priced world,

simplicity in a complicated world,

marketing awareness in a clueless

world.

17

URBAN CENTER GENERAL CHARACTER The Urban Center Neighborhood

Context consists of multi-unit

residential and mixed-use

commercial strips and commercial

centers. Multi-unit buildings are

typically Rowhouse, Courtyard

Apartment and Apartment forms.

Commercial buildings are typically

Live-Work, Shopfront, and General

Commercial forms. Multi-unit

residential uses are primarily located

along residential collector, mixed-use

arterial, and local streets.

Commercial uses are primarily

located along main and mixed-use

arterial streets.

STREET, BLOCK AND ACCESS PATTERNS

The Urban Center Neighborhood

Context consists of a regular

pattern of block shapes surrounded

by an orthogonal street grid.

Orthogonal streets provide a regular

pattern of pedestrian and vehicular

connections through this context

and there is a consistent presence

of alleys. Block sizes and shapes are

consistent and include detached

sidewalks, tree lawns, street and

surface parking, and landscaping in

the front setback

18

BUILDING PLACEMENT AND LOCATION

All building typically have consistent

orientation and shallow front

setbacks with parking at the rear

and/or side of the building.

BUILDING HEIGHT

The Urban Center Neighborhood

Context is characterized by

moderate to high building heights to

promote a

dense urban character. Lower scale

structures are typically found in

areas transitioning to a less dense

urban neighborhood.

MOBILITY

There are high levels of pedestrian

and bicycle use with the greatest

access to multi-modal transportation

system.

19

20

DIGITAL WATER PAVILION EXPOAQUA ZARAGOZA 2008

The DWP project It has been designed and built for

the Expo Zaragoza 2008, which

features the theme of water.

During the Expo, it will contain a

tourist office and an information

point for the Digital Mile project.

If the Pavilion is not for living in,

it can certainly be considered a

machine. It contains over three

thousand digitally-operated solenoid

valves, twelve hydraulic pistons,

several dozen oil and water pumps,

a camera-operated control system,

a good deal of controlling software,

and many other components. The

Pavilion is down, in closed

operational mode. The roof is on

the ground, covered by a thin layer

of water. Only two volumes in

glass, containing the Digital Mile

info point and the tourist office,

project upwards. It is a new

medium, and a rather exceptional

one. It is made of thousands of

closely spaced solenoid valves put in

a row along a pipe suspended in the

air. The valves can be opened and

closed, at high frequency, via

computerized controls. This

produces a curtain of falling water

with gaps at specified points - a

pattern of pixels created from air

and water instead of illuminated

points on a screen.

The entire surface becomes a one-

bit-deep digital display continuously

scrolling downwards. Something like

21

an inkjet printer on a huge scale.

So, how to make really fluid,

reconfigurable

architecture? Our building aims to

stand as a possible answer to that

endeavor. Fluid in the literal sense

of the word. But also fluid as a

reconfigurable, responsive building.

The difference between wall and

door can disappear. Facades can

become a continuous medium that

open and close interactively. The

water itself is dynamic: it can

display graphics, patterns and text.

But, most importantly, it can

almost become alive with patterns

that are generated in real time,

replicated from one point to

another and which respond to the

nearby environment. The presence

of people can be sensed by the

DWP and this plays an important

role in the dynamic process,

allowing waves and other distortions

to be generated.

Concept As a pedestrian approaches, for

example, a water wall might open

like the Red Sea for Moses, and

then close again after the

pedestrian has passed through. Or a

circular opening might drop down to

meet a ball thrown at the water

wall – allowing it to pass through

without getting wet. These sorts

of possibilities enable a profound

rethinking of our conceptions of

door openings and entries, and of

windows and fenestration patterns.

There are many other possibilities,

as well. As a pedestrian walks

alongside a water wall (or between

parallel water walls) a panel of

water might accompany her to

provide privacy and cooling. As

natural lighting conditions and views

change, water walls might adjust in

response. And, when the wind

blows too strongly for comfort, a

water wall might automatically shut

down.

22

Many variants on patterns with

wallpaper symmetry can be

produced by scaling or otherwise

parametrically varying the repeating

figures at each iteration in the

vertical direction. This produces the

effect of a pattern continuously

changing as it scrolls down. Yet

another possibility is to use a

random number generator to select

the coordinates, scale coefficients,

and other parameter values for

instances of a motif. This produces

the effect of endless variation. It

can be extended by introducing, as

well, random selection from a

specified vocabulary of motifs –

much like random selection of

tracks on an iPod. Like a piece of

music being performed, a water wall

program unfolds over time. Through

repetition in the vertical dimension

it can have a rhythm – perhaps,

though not necessarily, laying down

a regular beat. There are both

diachronic and synchronic

relationships among graphic motifs –

just as there are such relationships

among musical figures.

Diachronic graphic structures,

analogous to those constructing

musical melody, result from shape

and spatial relationships among

graphic motifs that follow each

other in time. Synchronic

structures, analogous to those

creating musical harmony, result

from shape and spatial relationships

among motifs that are

simultaneously visible on the water

wall surface. Just as music may

have words, water wall programs

may incorporate text and figurative

imagery.The true task of water wall

programmers is to explore the

23

possibilities of a genuinely new,

time-based, graphic and spatial

medium. Water walls are best

used at human scale, in locations

where they can engage and direct

pedestrian motion. They should

not be treated merely as

spectacle, but as largescale

interactive devices.

Moveable roof Moveable roof The steel roof is

elevated on a system of 12

hydraulic pistons. However, for

most criteria it can be designed as

a static structure.

The speed of

elevation is

small enough that inertial forces

could be neglected. However, some

additional stiffness requirements

had to be accounted for in order to

guarantee a uniform movement of

the pistons.Figure shows vertical

settlement estimated in the finite-

element model. Due to the added

stiffening of the walls primarily in

the longitudinal direction,

differential settlement was

significantly reduced. Overall, the

foundation behaves as a rigid

―matchbox‖ structure.Horizontal

displacement under wind loads. The

two boxes have to provide

sufficient strength and stiffness to

act as guides for the elevating roof

structure.

24

The digital water cycle

The cycle of digital water is

composed of three steps:

1) delivering water to the nozzles,

2) displaying or releasing the drops

of water, and 3) draining, collecting

and recycling the water. Each step

of the cycle is highly specialized and

thus requires distinct and varied

technological solutions and

materials. Nevertheless, a guiding

tenet of the design process for the

DWP was to mask rather than

reveal such complexity. a) Delivering

water The water cycle begins in the

basement of the pavilion. Two

underground cisterns collect and

cleanse the water that flows down

continuously from the water walls.

Next, the water is pumped from

glazed box that moves up and down

in sync with the pavilion‘s roof.

The box contains eight pipes,

carefully placed so that they do

not interfere with the structural I

beams of the pavilion. The pipes

terminate at the edge of the roof,

where t hey meet the digitally-

controlled water nozzles. b)

Displaying water The nozzle is the

basic design unit in the second step

of the digital water cycle: display.

Each nozzle releases drops of water

by controlling the appropriate

timing and speed needed to produce

a particular graphic from the

aggregate of falling drops of water.

The number of nozzles per meter

determine the system‘s horizontal

resolution. The DWP features 25

nozzles per meter, totaling 2500

nozzles along its 100 m perimeter.

25

The vertical resolution of the water

wall is determined by the number

of times the valve opens and closes

within a particular period of time.

If the valve opens and closes with

greater frequency, then the

graphics displayed by the water wall

will fall with a greater resolution.

It is much like an inkjet printer

that produces a print of higher

quality, or resolution, by printing a

greater number of dots per inch. c)

Draining, collecting and recycling

water When the drops of water

reach the ground, they must land

on a surface material that drains

down to the underground cisterns.

A lot of water has to be collected

very quickly and effortlessly. hence

the drainage system turns out to

be one of the most intrusive

systems in the pavilion: it shapes

the entirety of the ground floor,

has implications for part of the

basement, and greatly influences

the overall structure. Because every

surface of the DWP could be wet

at any given moment, slipperiness

was another concern. Many

different draining materials were

studied: electrowelded galvanized

steel mesh, composite honeycomb

mesh, draining amorphous sponges,

and allusion, an aluminum sponge-

like material with holes of different

sizes, among others. The

architectural effect is that of a

fractal texture that repeats at

different scales of filled and un-

filled tiles.

26

Nature Boardwalk, Education Pavilion and South Pond Transformation at Lincoln Park Zoo The project transforms a once-

polluted and neglected urban pond

into a native wildlife refuge,

boardwalk, and education pavilion.

Deepening the pond improves its

oxygen content and reduces urban

flooding by increasing its

stormwater storage capacity. The

pond's planted edge provides bio-

filtration of the site's stormwater

run-off. Visitors discover a series of

educational zones along a boardwalk

loop made from recycled plastic.

The improved habitat attracts

wildlife, allowing people to

experience animals in what is

essentially a zoo without cages.

The education pavilion is an outdoor

classroom and meeting place. Its

column-free shell structure is made

of bent wood elements and clad

with fiberglass "pods."

Integrated into the boardwalk

sequence, the pavilion is sited to

frame the pond and skyline beyond.

Double-curved, micro-laminated

beams reveal the wood's inherent

pliability and structural integrity.

Both prefabricated wood elements

and fiberglass pods are light enough

to be lifted by a single person,

reducing construction time and

cost. In addition to hosting

educational activities, the structure

creates engaging public space that

has been adopted for a variety of

community uses. Simultaneously

27

urban and ecological, the project is

a model for future public spaces in

cities.

Nature Boardwalk and Education

Pavilion Architect: Studio Gang

Architects

South Pond Transformation Master

Plan Architect: Shaw Sustainable

Solutions of Illinois, LLC

Project Program Manager and

Project Coordinating Engineer: Shaw

Environmental & Infrastructure Inc.

Landscape Architect: WRD

Environmental

Beautiful Times Eureka Pavilion Mimics the Structure of a Leaf

The astonishing Times Eureka

Pavilion at the Chelsea Flower

Show takes us deep into the

structure of a leaf with

its biomimetic design. The newly

completed pavilion is set amidst a

bounty of flowing plants, and it

takes structural cues from the

intricate growing patterns of

leaves. Marcus Barnett Landscape

Architects created the ―veins‖ out

of sustainably harvested spruce and

inserted plastic ―cells‖ into the

pavilion to bring visitors into the

foliage to experience the textural

composition of plants. Read on for

a closer look at this stunning

project!

28

Working in conjunction with NEX

Architecture, Barnett took a deeply

scientific approach to the project.

Using computer algorithms that

mimic the growth of plants, the

team came up with a structure

based on modular cells.

Like the old ride at

Disneyland Adventure Through Inner

Space where you shrunk in scale to

see the world of the very small the

Times Eureka Pavilion takes us deep

into the structure of a leaf.

Smaller wooded cells or cassettes

are inserted into the spaces,

mimicking the Epidermal

cellular structure of a leaf.

Plastic strips are coiled into round

forms, abstracting the internal

cells. The plastic elements diffuse

daylight as it enters the pavilion,

giving the interior space a sense of

intimacy.

The roof is covered in glass and

rainwater is channeled through the

pavilion's "veins" and diffused

directly into the ground. The

installation will be moved from its

temporary home to the Royal

Botani Gardens at Kew.

29

30

The Ponte Vecchio - the only bridge left standing by the retreating German army as Florence is taken by the 8th Army in August 1944.

During World War II, the Ponte

Vecchio was not destroyed by

Germans during their retreat of

August 4, 1944, unlike all other

bridges in Florence. This was

allegedly because of an express

order by Hitler. Access to Ponte

Vecchio was, however, obstructed

by the destruction of the buildings

at both ends, which have since been

rebuilt using a combination of

original and modern design.

31

Ponte Vecchio Symbol Of The

ART NATURE and PEACE

32

Solar Peace

pavilion Far out! This giant solar peace

sign made of 80 metal oil barrels is

bringing eco art to a groovy new

level. Artist Fred George designed

the sculpture to "sound a global

alarm of our crisis of consumption"

and call attention to our need

for greener energy. In keeping with

that message, each barrel that

makes up the structure also has

a solar panel attached to it. If all

goes according to plan, the peace

sign will be constructed in Madison

Square Park in New York City, and

other similar artpieces will appear

in Shanghai, China and Saarbrücken,

Germany.

The peace sign stands 58 feet high

and isn't just a pretty face

It's actually a sustainable resource

that will be able to feed power

(collected from its 80 solar panels)

into the city's electrical grid.

According to the artist, the load-

bearing construction of the

sculpture consists of a circle made

of steel with one vertical middle

beam and two diagonals beams

running at approximately 45

degrees to the main diameter.At a

time when we have never been

more dependent on oil for our daily

transport, this donation

of energy delivers a message of

environmental responsibility and

social pride," Fred George explains.

33

Primary

Sketches