CONGRATS TO S.BAN!

CONGRATS TO S.BAN!

Blog Post #4 by Hannah Pauling (April 2014)

Shigeru Ban, an interesting man in it of himself (read the biography on pritzkerprize.com), has designed and constructed so many different structures throughout his lifetime.. The catch? They are all made out of paper.

Shigeru Ban Architects

Some say that paper is not "sustainable" because trees are a dying resource, but I beg to differ. Trees are renewable, we only need to plant more of them and wah-lah!

While Ban's paper tube pavilions and churches seem most intriguing to any person, I ask you to take a look at his temporary and somewhat permanent housing structures throughout the globe. These touch on the concepts of both traditionally sustainable and socially sustainable architecture.

Emergency Shelter

http://www.pritzkerprize.com/

Log House (Turkey)

http://www.pritzkerprize.com/

Log House (India)

http://www.pritzkerprize.com/

Inside Log House (Japan)

http://www.pritzkerprize.com/

Log House (Kobe, Japan)

http://www.pritzkerprize.com/

Social Sustainability, for those who don't know, is architecture evident in firms like this one: MASS Design Group (Boston)

massdesigngroup.org

Ban's paper partition systems seem a tad ominous, considering the lack of sound barrier.. Then again, people like to be able to hear each other, especially in socially-inclined cultures. (i.e. NOT the U.S. or most of Asia)

The Japan Pavilion in Hannover, Germany is slightly more complex to the naked eye than some of his other works. However, it is still a fairly basic pattern, considering the material and shape of the structure.

Japan Pavilion (Germany)

http://www.pritzkerprize.com/

The 2010 temporary structure at the Centre Pompidou-Metz in France, however, is quite an accomplishment in concept and actuality.

Centre Pompidou-Metz (France)

http://www.pritzkerprize.com/

Congratulations to Shigeru Ban, a man who is well-deserving of the 2014 Pritzker Prize!

Blog Like You Give A Damn (1)

Blog Like You Give A Damn

Blog Post #2 by Hannah Pauling (April 2014)

After returning from my study abroad trip in Italy early, due to illness, I found myself fairly lost back at Cal Poly SLO. I took a Museum Display Design class (see my blog called HAM'D) and rediscovered why I love design so much: Enthusiastic Sustainability Ideas!

During that Spring Quarter, as I struggled through my illness, I also struggled through what it truly means to be happy. A professor of mine, I'll call him by his initials, ML, paved the path back to architectural design by giving me hope for the future and my eventual thesis, but also by encouraging me to read the book "Design Like You Give A Damn" (1).

If you haven't read this book, you must! It is mostly graphics, for those un-inclined to reading, and tells the story of Architecture for Humanity, a group I now volunteer with regularly in the DC metro area. Unlike Habitat for Humanity (another wonderful company), the architecture is designed solely by architects or architecturally inclined people, rather than more construction-focussed people. The projects still get built, but bring a bit more style to what could otherwise end up quite cookie-cutter.

I am now reading the second book in the "Design Like You Give A Damn" series.

Photo Credit: Architecture for Humanity

Hope for People...

Hope for People --- Freedom to be Artistic

Blog Post #1 by Hannah Pauling (April 2014)

In order to achieve the balance principals of the ancient Asian-Indians (Tia Chi), one must first learn how to breathe properly. Next comes form. Ultimate architecture balance is achieved in curves, like the Gateway to the West --- otherwise known as the Saint Louis Arch. Last, but not least, the magnetic electricity of opposites makes for sparks of creative genius. But architecture isn't everything.

What happened to nature? Trees in the fall-time. Lakes reflecting your facial image more often than mirrors...

Photo by: Hannah Pauling

And biking paths through the countryside.

Photo by: Hannah Pauling

Inspiration for most modern (and older) architecture comes from something other than the building industry itself. It comes from the human body, animals, plants, and mother earth herself.