iK GREEN | GREEN TECHS DON'T REALLY WORK

We do want to look after our planet, that (as many people have said) is sick.
We have invented new words and slogans: green economy, green to gold, green building...
It seems to me that green strategies are an opportunity for business more than a real way to "save" our planet. It is great if business and marketing are able to take care of the earth. We could create a healthier planet and a richer society. But in general "there is no free meal". If someone gets something, someone else might lose something.
What I'm afraid is that climate change will soon become a propaganda and an opportunity just to gain more profit. Who is gonna pay for it? (read next post).

Let's listen to Prof. Lovelock, the scientist who developed Gaia theory. He says: "we can't save the planet...Renewable energy technology is a mixture of ideology and business. It doesn't really work."

Please watch the videos at bbc

READ MORE>>

iK | SLEEPING INSIDE A CAPSULE

We are facing a worldwide downturn but travelling is a pleasure that many people don't want to renounce.

(via dasparkhotel)

Do you want some alternatives to Ritz Hotel? Sleep in a old jail (Slovenia), or inside a crane (Netherlands) or inside a capsule (Tokyo) or, even better, inside structures used for the sewage system (Austria). What is interesting for architects and engineers is that the columnist of La Repubblica (second biggest newspaper in Italy) included Gehry's and Hadid's hotels among these unconventional "amenities".

(via Capsule Inn)

Anyway, sleeping inside a capsule in Tokyo would cost around 40 €.
Inside the harbour crane, 319 €. (link)

Not that cheap. In case you still prefer Ritz Hotel, remember that you can wear denim only for breakfast.

READ MORE>>

iK NEWS | WHERE IS THE BEST FACULTY OF ARCHITECTURE?

This is the most typical question students ask themselves. Is there an answer? Maybe.

In the last year, iaakuza has got a certain number of emails asking suggestions and info about courses and faculties. We have always tried to be impartial and honest. In some cases we didn't know the answer.

The number of schools of architecture has rapidly flourished in the last 5-10 years and i think not all of them are as good as they say. And this is obvious.

How can we avoid mistakes in choosing the "right" place to study?

We can make a checklist:

1 - Don't confuse what the city represents to your imagination and what the school offers. In other words, a city could a good and bad place at the same time. Touristic doesn't mean creative. Education program could become an opportunity for people who just want to have a sabbatical year in a nice city.
2 - DON'T TRUST big names if the faculty doesn't publish the employment percentage. If there is no data about that... If there is, it should be more than 80%.
3 - Check the courses. Every course must have a brief description and the name of the tutors and their profile. Otherwise...
4 - The language test. I know that passing IELTS or TOEFL could be a boring step but, trust me, it is necessary. It means that the school is serious about that. Bad communication among students and professors could be the beginning of a big mess.

-------

An entire page of the last number of Casabella, a prestigious architectural magazine, was bought by the Barcelona Institute of Architecture - BIArch to promote its course in Architecture. I was so curious that i immediately checked its website.

Here the link: http://www.biarch.eu/web/guest/resources

READ MORE>>

iK News | Innovation. Then what?

New research says that copying ideas is more valuable than creating something new. In fact, 97% of innovation value goes to imitators. But can people and businesses get over the stigma associated with being "unoriginal"--and embrace imitation as a business advantage? This is a question that Harvard Business Review asks to its readers.

Will "training & development" become 'harvesting'? Is Japan a good example?

"If you take the leading player in many sectors, you’ll be surprised to see that it’s not the pioneer but the able and creative imitator. Think McDonald’s, which imitated a system pioneered by White Castle; think Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, which all borrowed from the efforts of Diners Club to introduce the plastic card to a then-skeptical audience of consumers and merchants. Think Wal-Mart" (via HBR)

READ MORE>>

iK Future | Living facade in Seoul

(joinings - via LivingLight)

I'm facade engineer at Arup, as you might know by reading my profile. Arup is one of biggest consulting groups and it collaborates with many great architects.

Neverthless, I have to admit that Living Light, a small pavillion in Seoul, is one of the most intriguing projects I've seen in the last few years.
"Living Light is a building facade of the future that displays air quality and public interest in the environment. It is a permanent outdoor pavilion in Peace Park, across from World Cup Stadium in Seoul, Korea."

(Living facade - via Archi-Records)

The architects direct the Living Architecture Lab at Columbia University and run a design practice called The Living

The River Glow project (designed by the same firm) is even more amazing.

READ MORE>>