Hard work does pay off. The above image is the competition boards submitted by a team of my third year students for the D3Space.org Housing Tomorrow Competition. This entry by Mark Lo, Tyler Laskowski, Sheena McNeice, Dane Knudson and Nick Belkowski recieved a special mention in the Alternate Typology category. As far as I can tell from the competition’s website, that category didn’t exist, so it seems that the jury created it specifically to recognize the team’s work. In addition, this was an open international competition for both professionals and students, so it is quite an honor to be one of eleven submittals to be recognized.

This team struggled at first to arrive at a consensus and had a dismal review with their first idea, but they pulled together and came up with this idea the following class and I knew right then that they were on to something. Here is their description of the project:

.consume material goods

Within contemporary society, infatuation with material possessions has lead to a lifestyle controlled by the impulsive pursuit of novelty and excitement through the consumption of material goods.  In a consumer culture dependent on media and advertising, these material goods have become a measurement of our subjective well-being as well as a replacement for many experiential aspects of our lives.  This cycle of consumption continues to progressively dominate our lives to such an extreme point that buying the ‘latest and greatest’ no longer adds satisfaction to our lives and we begin to question the purpose of our existence.

.consume experience

Because the act of consuming is an inherent human trait, we turn to the consumption of experience to reclaim the experiential aspect of our lives lost in our previous obsession with the material.  Instead of continuing the endless cycle of material consumption, experience is now the object to be consumed, opening us up to a lifestyle of adventure that is no longer defined by the “stuff” we buy.

.camp URBAN

The proposed Camp Urban is driven by existential experience, embracing the various levels of adventure associated with the tradition of camping; from the RV tourist to the mountaineer extremist.  In its form and materiality, Camp Urban celebrates the city as the natural human habitat in recognition that the vast majority of our planet’s population is, and is projected to be increasingly so, living in urbanity.  Camp urban Chicago would be the first in a global network of these metropolitan destinations, offering a weekend excursion to the 40 hour/week worker or a temporary residence to the urban nomad.

One thing I’d like to point out about the boards is that the image of the building is not a 3D rendering It is a photograph of one of the best models I’ve seen created in school. The model was huge, with its base it was about 6′ tall. Here are some poor images from my cell phone of it (click for larger):

The entire third year studio was the hardest working group of students I have had the pleasure to teach.

Link to the official competition site:  http://d3space.org/competitions/

This is the first post that in a series that marks an exploration and research on what is going to be called “Nano Spaces” instead of “micro spaces”. The term “micro” seems so 70’s. Anyway, the ideas aren’t necessarily new, but where these concepts might be applied is changing.

Nano Housing in your backyard - nytimes

LevelHead: visualising the concept of Nano Space – LevelHead

Does Nano sized = Slums? – BBC

An example of the BBC’s feared future slum – BDonline

   

Nicolai explores the contrast between the investment by China in their cities and our country’s seeming disregard for them as evidenced by the debacle that is New Orleans.  

nytimes

While folks in Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas (and several Caribbean nations) are trying to right themselves and their homes in the wake of hurricanes, the Germans have taken inspiration and in an act of solidarity decided to build upside down.

  Sure, eating is slightly problematic, but changing light bulbs is a bit easier.

Guests, however, are stumped by the bathroom and it has led to some embarrassing moments at dinner parties.

yaaaahoooo!

When all else fails, throw shit