Thirst For Change

Abstract Latin America finds itself at a crossroads, facing a tightening grip from a seemingly paradoxical situation: a growing scarcity of water amidst regions prone to both droughts and floods. This foundational story explores the current and future drought conditions gripping the continent, highlighting the environmental, social, and economic challenges at play. Introduction Understanding the … Read more

Torrents of change

Introduction: Shorter & Sharper Events Imagine the persistent drumming of rain against your window. Not the comforting tapping of a spring shower, but a relentless torrent that seems to prolong for days. This isn’t science fiction, but a glimpse into the potential future of many Latin American cities. A staggering 40% of the region is … Read more

Rising Waters

The year is 2100. Latin America is sinking. Due to global warming the polar icecaps have almost melted completely. In addition the increased temperature has caused the global water mass to expand by almost 1%. As a consequence sea levels are rising at unprecedented levels globally. The coastline in South America is hard-hit by these … Read more

Subterranean Eden: Martian Harvest Halls

“An innovative way for agriculture on Mars, pushing boundaries of space exploration ensuring future interplanetary habitation.” Mars—the Red Planet—is getting closer. According to the experts, human settlements on Mars might be visible in ten years, allowing for more space exploration. Keeping that in mind, this semester’s goal is to create a 300-person Mars colony. The … Read more

Bionook

This blog describes and showcases the second-term research and prototyping for Bionook. Research Topic: Investigating the Synergistic Potential Between Additive Manufacturing Methods and Engineered Timber in Reshaping Urban Design Paradigms. This research delves into precisely integrating sawdust and orange peels as industrial by-product additives for Soil Additive Manufacturing and locally sourced Engineered Timber, synergizing them … Read more

ARBOREALITY | Advancing sustainable urban development through mass timber and vernacular root

Keywords: Mass timber city, Sustainable forest management, smart cities, Vernacular, Local species wood ABSTRACT: The capital city of Nepal- Kathmandu, like many urban cities globally, is undergoing uncontrolled urban expansion, neglecting its natural-based construction heritage, particularly timber. This research advocates for a paradigm shift towards mass timber, particularly multispecies Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT), to address environmental … Read more

Proximity Food: Metabolic Building Systems – Energy

In the face of the climate crisis, the role of energy systems in building design has come under increasingly scrutiny. Buildings are not only significant energy consumers but also major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. As we grapple with rising global temperatures and rising urbanization, the focus on creating energy efficient buildings which rely on clean, … Read more

Proximity Food: Metabolic Building Systems – Water

Plot 2 – Proximity Food combines food production & residencies.  Greenhouses split residential buildings, providing residents with access to growing spaces to be used for food self-sufficiency throughout the year. The industrial level includes a variety of food industries – including hydroponic farming, food R&D labs and urban food forests. Water is a crucial part of … Read more

‘ATTRACT•DEVELOP•KEEP’

Tackling the Internet of People through Fortifying & Diversifying the economy in Viladecans, Spain Introduction Viladecans is a dynamic and thriving municipality with a rich history, diverse economy, and vibrant community life. Its strategic location, economic opportunities, and quality of life make it an attractive place to live, work, and visit in the Barcelona metropolitan … Read more

Places to stay

Viladecans greeted us with an unexpected tranquility. We arrived to the city on the commuter train from Barcelona, opposing the flow of morning commuters. The station was empty. A single street, lined with abandoned plots and industrial sheds led us up the hill into the town. A few hundred metres later the scene couldn’t be … Read more

UpGreen by Eva Papaspyrou

Plant generation web application. Flora compositions for landscape architecture

About Upgreen is an innovative web application designed to revolutionize biodiversity-centered design in both architectural practice and everyday life. Developed by Eva Papaspyrou, Upgreen serves as a comprehensive tool for managing plant data and optimizing green spaces at various scales. Whether you’re a professional in the field or an environmentally conscious individual, Upgreen offers a … Read more

Aquamines

Inhabiting Ice Cavities under the Martian Surface Introduction – The Idea For the first settlers on Mars, we have envisioned a colony of Aqua-Miners with the primary task of harvesting water as a resource from the ice beneath Mars’ surface, storing it and recycling it for sustainable use. Our approach to this problem has been … Read more

OBSOLESCENCIA EN LA ZONA MÁS MODERNA DE LA CIUDAD DE MÉXICO

Santa Fe, Ciudad de México, es un micromundo de transformación urbana que encapsula siglos de historia y evolución. Inicialmente habitada por comunidades indígenas agrícolas, Santa Fe experimentó cambios profundos con la llegada de los españoles, quienes impulsaron la explotación minera. Esto transformó radicalmente su paisaje y economía, convirtiendolo en un importante centro de extracción y … Read more

Barrio Modelo

Repensando el modelo de Vivienda de Interés Social Mexicano con un enfoque en la sostenibilidad urbana El desarrollo urbano en México de los últimos 50 años ha seguido un modelo territorial extensivo, caracterizado por una baja densidad habitacional y una configuración urbana discontinua. Este patrón ha extendido las urbanizaciones considerablemente, incrementando el consumo de suelo … Read more

Rethinking Urban Vocabulary

The seminar involved analyzing texts to extract and interpret a key term, then creatively visualizing this concept through the blending of urban textures and landscapes, crafting surreal cityscapes that reflect the nuanced meanings of these terms. The texts explored the themes of: Urban Resilience Definition: The capacity of urban areas to adapt to crises, focusing … Read more

Drop by Drop – Simulate erosion

Introduction Fascinated by the formation of landscapes through geological processes, I wanted to develop an interactive tool that simulates the effects of erosion on a virtual terrain. The goal was to both illustrate how erosion works and to create an experimental playground for designing one’s own landscape forms. The development utilized VUE, ThreeJS, and Rhino.Compute. … Read more

Espacios vacantes en la Ciudad Próxima

A partir del avance tecnológico y las nuevas formas de movilidad, la ciudad se encuentra disponibilizando espacios que quedarán vacantes en el corto, mediano y largo plazo. Ejemplos de estos son las estaciones de servicio, cajeros automáticos, garajes comerciales, shopping malls, kioscos de diarios y revistas, entre otros. Con este contexto, el interrogante que surge … Read more

Theories of the Urban_II

Questioning the rhetoric. The brief In the epoch of the Anthropocene, characterized by humanity’s profound impact on the Earth’s geology and ecosystems, the discourse surrounding resilience to climate change has become increasingly prominent. As societies grapple with the consequences of human-induced environmental transformations, there is a growing recognition of the need to question and analyze … Read more