ryan marques blogaroo

stephen luoni

ryanmarques — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:31:17 +0000

I thought that the two articles by Stephen Luoni about the plan for revitalizing the small town of Eustis, Florida was interesting in that it consciously integrates natural systems (such as lakes) that are commonly seen as having no real function with design. His assertion that the ‘performative logic’ of infrastructure is utilitarian to the public is something that I had never considered, but definitely agree with. Although certain infrastructures may be useful, they are not always inherently good, which is what a utilitarian view would suggest. The idea of having a linear park connecting scattered development is an interesting example of bending cultural perceptions (ie: what is a park?), while also still designing to please and aid the public. I thought that the most interesting aspect of the master plan was the floating infrastructure proposed in the second article. This is a much more extreme example of questioning cultural perceptions in an innovative, positive and more sustainable way.

What if our children only lived until the age of 10?

ryanmarques — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:02:08 +0000

I find the notion that many architects foresee their buildings lasting only 10 years rather sad. To me this outlook is indicative of our high speed, profit based, immediate-consumption obsessed culture. We are consumed by the idea of getting newer, better, more expensive products, so it is no surprise that the same thing is happening with our buildings. Our computers, cell phones, and laptops are constantly being upstaged by newer models and being replaced, and so are our buildings. The problem is that although it is wasteful to replace old technology with new technology (with a Brave New World immediacy), it is infinitely more unsustainable to do the same thing with buildings. For all the energy and material that goes into the design and construction of a building (even the simplest rectangular Walmart), having it only being used for 10 years is an incredible waste. With the ability to still function if they were not abandoned or demolished, these buildings become the murder victims of our culture.

environmental sustainability in the post-industrial landscape

ryanmarques — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:15:02 +0000

This was by far the most interesting article we have read this year. Although lengthy, it was void of the jargon in so many of the other articles, and therefore much easier to read.

Its discussion about place based design (and especially Walmart) got me thinking. If one took a picture from the parking lot of every Walmart in the world and lay them out in a grid, the photographs would all be indistinguishable other than subtle differences. Globalization is depressing, it removes many culturally rich aspects from our landscapes, ideas, media, food, and countless other entities. The article’s outline of the CNU was quite interesting to me, as I had never heard of the organization before. Knowing that organizations dedicated to less auto based societies, alternative financing models, and sustainability exist and are making an impact is comforting in the unsustainable post-industrial era of strip-malls and suburbs.

On a side note, I thought the comparison between Frank Gehry and Walmart was hilarious, but I can also see the truth within it. In looking at his buildings, they do not really take into account local context, but have become a brand contributing to the status of the city or organization that owns it.

biomimicry

ryanmarques — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:12:49 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n77BfxnVlyc

This is a video of biomimicry advocate Janine Benyus delivering her “12 Sustainable Design Ideas from Nature” speech at TED. I’m not sure if biomimicry is the solution to all of our ecological problems, but it definitely has the potential to solve some of them. In class we touched on the problem of biomimicry sometimes imitating the form of nature without the function. Although imitating form may provide us with beautiful design, it ignores the inherent perfection of nature. William McDonough uses the example of a tree: “Imagine this design assignment: design something that makes oxygen, sequesters carbon, fixes nitrogen, distills water, uses solar energy as fuel, makes complex sugars and food, creates micro-climates, changes colors with the seasons, and self replicates.” Simply put, nature has billions of years of ‘research and development’ (ie. evolution).

Why not imitate systems which are life sustaining and life creating rather than creating ones which destroy life? It’s simple logic.

postmodern period

ryanmarques — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:40:05 +0000

“we are trapped inside the belly of this horrible machine, and the machine is bleeding to death”

-godspeed you! black emperor

thursday’s lecture on the modernism/post-modernism schools of thought got me thinking about one of my all time favorite bands, godspeed you! black emperor (GY!BE) they are typically categorized in the musical genre known as post-rock, but completely embody the nihilism/cynicism, and questioning of cultural values and ideals characterized by the post-modern period.

i think it is important to draw comparisons between different media that embody the same ideas, and truly find it interesting how ideological parallels can be drawn between two things as different as music and architecture.

take for example some characteristics of postmodern architecture: questioning boring modernist buildings (and therefore cultural ideals and values), less delineation of structural forms, less focus on the ideal, and focus on subjectivity (ie: “death of the author”)

now take the music of post-modern band GY!BE. direct parallels can be drawn: the music does not follow conventional structural patterns (verse:chorus:verse:chorus) at all, yet it still retains an overall atmosphere. this questions bland musical values that are so often followed. songs are rather pieces, containing movements of different tones rather than the entire song having one predetermined feeling. the music embraces the “death of subject” concept, allowing each individual listener to have a completely different interpretation of meaning.

http://www.brainwashed.com/godspeed/

http://www.brainwashed.com/godspeed/music.html

that’s my two cents.

Class Two September 24 2009

ryanmarques — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 17:51:18 +0000

In our second Ecology and Design Class we discussed and saw examples of how architecture and design can be successfully integrated with nature (ie: ecology). It was insightful to see real examples of the extent of consideration that designers must have in choosing what materials to use, as well as how to use them. One of the most interesting aspects of the class was the video on Italian architect Carlo Scarpa. His attention and sensitivity to how design interacts with ecological aspects such as mountains, the sun, and water is astonishing. Before the class i had never heard of Scarpa, but it has sparked an interest that I will certainly pursue.

Ryan Marques Class 1 Blog

ryanmarques — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 20:23:57 +0000

2 days ago we had our first Ecology and Design class. Not knowing what exactly to expect, I was surprised to find that attendance will be taken not by the traditional method of raising hands, but through photography. I am really anticipating seeing the end result of our ‘facial topography’ by the end of the year, although I’m sure it will be depressing to see the bags under our eyes growing as the year goes on. The most interesting part of the class was most definitely the video clip of Danish architect Bjarke Ingels. Ingels’ speech was not only interesting, but inspiring as well. Showing that eco-friendly, innovative, sustainable, and beautiful design can be carried out successfully is refreshing in a time where so often clients go for the cheapest and easiest way.