biomimi

I was rather shocked by the new building proposal by MVRDV to be built in Seoul, Korea.

They are a well known architecture firm from the Netherlands and I usually like their work because they do some fun buildings… I think there a tower rendering with a pig in the middle…supposedly there’s a farm in the middle of the building.

So MVRDV claims that the cluster in the middle is a “cloud”.. hmm but it seems too coincidental.

Maybe if they were actually from NYC they would have understood the resemblance. If they had seen, like I’ve seen this very wall standing burnt to the ground. The very same wall I had stood behind as a kid. Or if they’d smelled the smell of burning corpses, metal, rubber, and paper. If they could see the store displays barely a thing out of place but dressed in gray ashes of the dead. Then maybe they would understand why so many people were upset by this proposal.

I do acknowledge that the architects apologized for the similarity, but they are not planning on editing the design. Maybe they knew it would be controversial (both offensive and optimistic as an attempt to use the cloud as recreation center) but I don’t think they expected some many people to be that offended and maybe they didn’t really understand the politics and emotions this stirs up.

This is a cool video time lapse of the construction of our house. It’s from the beginning of construction til today, so the houses isn’t finished yet. I’ll post the finished later.

Empowerhouse: Construction Timelapse June-July 2011 from Empowerhouse Collaborative on Vimeo.

Hi friends,

So some of you have heard me talk about the architecture competition I am currently working on. It’s called the Solar Decathlon, basically 20 universities from around the world each design and build a ~1,000 sqft eco-friendly house and display it at the same at Washington DC on the National Mall on Sept 23rd- Oct 2nd 2011. Come walk through the house and I’ll probably be there giving the tours so let me know!

Also Aug 22nd we will be done with the house and you can get a sneak preview in Hoboken, NJ before we transport it. I’ll let you guys know where soon.

SolarD Teams

The red one is our team, Empowerhouse. It’s a collaboration between The New School and Stevens Institute. The design actually changed a lot since we made that model. The below rendering is more accurate although not the final version.

Empowerhouse Main Entrance North

I’ve been part of the project for pretty much the whole 2 years. I’ve worked on the community  site and material research, the architecture design, and handling the sponsors. I might help with the physical construction later on.

Empowerhouse Floorplan Axon

I don’t know if this image makes sense to you guys, but basically you come in from the entry way  (top left of image). The bedroom is on the right and the bathroom is on the left. Then you enter a taller/larger space, which has the kitchen on the left and living room on the right. There is a staircase in the living room that leads to the roof.

Construction

Currently the house is in construction and we have the foundation, floors, walls, and roof up. They are putting some interior sheathing on as we speak.

Constructing the foundation

Adding the floor panels

Putting up the walls

Interior walls

Installing the roof joists

The stairs and interior sheathing

That’s where we are now. I took some videos touring the house while in construction. Will post them up soon.

Remember.. Save the date!

Aug 22nd- Send off Party: Seek preview of house in Hoboken, NJ before it gets sent to Washington DC. Exact location TBA.

Sept 23rd-Oct 2nd- Solar Decathlon: all houses open for public tours. National Mall, Washington DC.

RSS (subscribe) below to hear updates. You’ll need to be in the specific entry to subscribe, not just on the main blog page… it’s weird. I know.

I’m not a fan of those cookie cutter houses we call McMansions… but this one literally is a Mcdonald’s Mansion. This old landmark mansion was converted into the world’s popular fast food chain. Located in New Hyde Park in Long Island, NY.

I can’t decide if this is a pitiful statement of our nation, or just plain amusing.

There’s your Big Mac ads and behind was where you place orders.

Grand staircase and entrance.

Circular glass Sun room/dining area. My favorite part.

That same Sunroom from outside.

Thanks. More strange architecture to come!