Integrated Design in Contemporary Architecture: A Panel & Book Launch at Urban Center

Integrated Design in Contemporary Architecture

James Garrison, Garrison Architects
Billie Faircloth and Roderick Bates, KieranTimberlake Associates
Federico Negro, SHoP
Olaf Schmidt, Steven Holl Architects
Introduced and moderated by Kiel Moe

Tuesday, November 11
7:00 p.m.
The Urban Center
457 Madison Avenue

“Integrated Design” characterizes what architects do when they incorporate the energy, site, climatic, formal, construction, programmatic, regulatory, economic, and social aspects of a project as primary protagonists from the beginning of design, working on the premise that energy, construction, and formal strategies should be interlocked. This panel discussion will present four buildings that exemplify this strategy: ShoP Architect’s 290 Mulberry in New York; the Sidwell Friends School in Washington D.C. by KieranTimberlake Associates; The Swiss Residence in Washington D.C. by Steven Holl Architects in collaboration with Ruessli Architekten; and Garrison Architects’ United States Border Patrol Station in Murrieta, California. Introducing the discussion will be Kiel Moe, author of the new book, Integrated Design in Contemporary Architecture, recently published by Princeton Architectural Press.

The book argues that the result of integrated design is better building design and performance through direct engagement with these multiple, often complex, contexts that condition contemporary architecture. Integrated design further lends itself to collaborative structures of practice in contrast to the model of the singular architect. In this book there is an explicit recognition that any building is a product of the social and technical contingencies that presuppose it.

Kiel Moe received his B.Arch from University of Cincinnati, his M.Arch from University of Virginia, and a M.DesS from Harvard University Graduate School of Design Advanced Studies Program. He has taught at Syracuse University and the University of Illinois, Chicago, and is currently Assistant Professor at Northeastern University. Moe has worked for WW, Doug Garofalo, Hargreaves Associates, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, among other offices. He has a design/build practice for small, research-driven projects and contracts for other architects on the design of integrated material and energy systems for larger projects.

Tickets are free and are distributed first-come, first-served. You may reserve a ticket by e-mailing rsvp@archleague.org. AIA and New York State continuing education credits are available.

This program is organized by Urban Center Books and co-sponsored by the Architectural League.

Amazing and Confortable Bra's

Funny Facial hair styles

Funny Facial hair styles

Funny But Amazing Wall Painting

The wall painting is one of the most hard thing to do, but some guy has creativity mind who does this all perfectly.

The fish tank that's so big it can hold FOUR whale sharks

It certainly beats watching a lonely goldfish swimming round its tiny bowl.

This is one of the world's biggest fish tanks - so big that it's even been named the Kuroshio Sea.

Located in the Churaumi Aquarium in Okinawa, Japan, the enormous tank is some ten metres deep, 35 metres wide and 27 metres long.



A giant whale shark behind the world's largest acrylic panel at Churaumi Aquarium in Okinawa

It holds a staggering 7,500 tonnes of water - roughly equal to three Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Eighty species live in the Kuroshio Sea tank, including yellow-fin tuna, bonito (a type of large mackerel) and manta rays.

But the daddy of them all is the world's biggest fish, the whale shark - which can grow to be 12 metres long and needs a quarter of a tonne of food every week.

Only three aquariums in the world have tanks large enough to house these giant creatures.



Viewers observe a giant manta ray


The four whale sharks at Churaumi move around comfortably - swimming diagonally past each other and feeding with their long tails touching the plethora of colourful corals at the bottom of the tank.

Rather than hand-pick fish from around the world and force them to mix in unfamiliar waters, the emphasis in the Kuroshio Sea tank is placed on local sea life.

All the species housed here can be found thriving around Okinawa - and even the water itself is pumped in from 300 metres offshore.

It is no surprise, then, that this titanic space requires an equally large observation panel.



The Kuroshio Sea: The world's largest fish tank in Okinawa, Japan has a focus on local sea life

The world's largest aquarium window, it measures a staggering 8.2 metres by 22.5 metres and is more than 60cm thick - this is necessary to stop the tank from collapsing under the huge water pressure placed on the glass.

It was constructed from seven acrylic-resin sheets, which were stuck together using a strong glue with a secret formula.

The appearance is dazzling and the window is so clear that each year millions of visitors can believe, for a moment, that they have stepped into a magical underwater world.

Mustang Made From 5,000 Beer Cans

Jack Kirby created a Ford Mustang with 5,000 beer cans in order to have a go of winning a real Ford Mustang. That’s an awesome piece of art!

World Tallest SnowMan

The town of Bethel, Maine, has beaten a nine-year record for the world's largest snowman - or more specifically - snow person.

The previous record was held by .... the town of Bethel Maine.

The 122ft and one inch creation, with eyelashes made from skis and painted red tyres for her lips, has been named after the state's senior Senator Olympia Snowe.

In a novel effort to recycle Christmas trees, the snowwoman's arms are two entire pine trees and she wears a six-foot snowflake pendant and a giant red hat.

She takes the crown of tallest snowperson from the previous incumbent, Angus, King of the mountain who brought the record to the US from Japan.