February, 12 2013 • 08:00

How a California physicist becomes a professional origami master aiming to save lives. To discover how traditional art can bring all this together fallow this inspiring talk given on TED.           “The secret to productivity in so many fields — and in origami — is letting dead people do your work for you.” Robert Lang The inspiring research done by Robert Lang is led by this striking yet ordinary revelation.  By applying mathematics to the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, known as Origami, Lang shows us how to fold elegant modern origami once thought impossible, transforming an art form into an instrument  applicable in space exploration and medicine. A two-foot-tall allosaurus skeleton,  the next largest of space-bound telescope lenses, and the tiniest life saver origami ever folded, are only a few of his unlimited creations.  Each piece is folded out from a folding map generated by a software, developed by Lang himself, capable of manipulating thousands of mathematical calculations that as Lang says  “combine a creature with a square”. Architecture and Design have had several examples of origami inspired projects before but the existence of software capable of transforming  anything, even the broadest imaginations could come up with, could have amazing potentials in our traditional everyday life which has seen incredible changes in the last decades regarding  the value of space and its relation with function.

January, 19 2013 • 09:00

  The Richardson Apartments are a SRO (single-room occupancy building) project providing residential beautiful living spaces and social services to adults coming out of or at risk for homelessness. The complex is part of the redevelopment of  San Francisco’s Hayes Valley neighborhood, seriously damaged during the 1989 earthquake. The  five-story building, presenting 120 living units, is characterized by a landscaped courtyard, a green roof, window sunshades, solar hot water heating, solar panels, intelligent lighting controls, and low-VOC paints. It’s striking ultra modern design and sustainable features, makes of this low-income housing building a great  example of how high quality living spaces can make a difference, providing a stepping stone to future stability for residents.     The courtyard _ Richardson Apartments by David Baker + Partners _ Photo by: Bruce Damonte   The clinic _ Richardson Apartments by David Baker + Partners _ Photo by: Bruce Damonte   The entrance and lobby _ Richardson Apartments by David Baker + Partners _ Photo by: Bruce Damonte   The resident lounge _ Richardson Apartments by David Baker + Partners _ Photo by: Bruce Damonte   Detail of the sunshades_ Richardson Apartments by David Baker + Partners _ Photo by: Bruce Damonte   The green roof_ Richardson Apartments by David Baker + Partners _ Photo by: Bruce Damonte   Residents pay 30% of their income as rent, and can benefit from an onsite medical clinic, therefore resulting in a dramatic cut of the city’s medical services cost per year -  total residents used $2.4 million in city and medical services in the year before moving in -. The Richardson’s Apartment aren’t an isolated case. Several other low-income housing projects have been realized or are in the process of developing in San Francisco and New York, giving great hope to one of the greatest human issues that’s still far from been solved. Designed by David Baker + Partners Architects with guidance by the Build It Green GreenPoint Rated and Green Communities checklists.   View of San Francisco’s Hayes Valley neighborhood _ Richardson Apartments by David Baker + Partners _ Photo by: Bruce Damonte   Want to read more about it? Visit : www.dbarchitect.com                

January, 5 2013 • 10:00

“[Skin is] the first line of defense for the body. … Our building skins should be more similar to human skin.”  Doris Kim Sung Inspired by biology, Doris Kim Sung explores architecture as an extension of the body. Challenging the notion that buildings ought to be static and climate-controlled she has developed thermo-bimetals smart materials that act as human skin, capable of dynamically response and adapt to their environment through self-ventilation. Discover how by watching this inspiring talk given on TED!     The thermo-bimetal material has been turned into a striking art installation, "Bloom", exhibited in Silver Lake, Los Angeles starting from November 2011. The 20 feet tall installation is made with 14,000 completely unique pieces of thermo-bimetal, a smart material made of two thin sheets of metals, each with different expansion rates, laminated together.        The particular thermal characteristics of the metal sheets make of this dynamic and responsive sculpture a beautiful art installation but most of all shows us the amazing implications that it could have for  architecture as a whole, especially when it comes to energy saving issues.