passive house

HALO is a social and environmentally conscious home built for students by students. Designed by 25 scholars from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, this curvy passive dwelling is powered by the sun. With big common areas and smaller private spaces, the design is based on the notion that a shared house should have double the amount of communal space than usual

Measuring 645 sq foot, HALO takes its name and shape from the rainbow-like optical phenomenon around the sun. It was designed with small private rooms and large entertaining areas to shift people away from the growing trend of social isolation. The interiors are made from local wood, following Scandinavian tradition, and some of the transforming furniture can be moved around to create more space.

Its curvy roof is made from monocrystalline silicon photovoltaic solar cells on acrylic covered with a high strength polymer. This was mounted on a thin waterproof polycarbonate membrane and shaped into a canopy with indoor and outdoor spaces. HALO took third place at China’s Solar Decathlon 2013 thanks to its outstanding technology and efficient use of resources

Read more: Swedish Students Design Passive Home Powered by the Sun | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building 

Some playground examples

 Playgrounds

Landscaping has always been important to people, even if it was not clearly defined at first or properly worked out exactly how it influences us. But it has definitely shaped us through the different environments that we encountered and grew up in. That is why today more and more thought is given to the world in which children grow up. They are like sponges that gather up all information and influences around them, and by creating the right environment through landscaping means along with the social factors, they may grow up to be upstanding, balanced and beautiful people. And were to apply there principals if not in the most important environment of the early stages of growing up: the playground!

Creating the ideal modern playground does require mainly architectural principals, but the great need is for social, spatial and safety solutions so that the kids are surrounded by positive influences which shape them in their never ending and most important act of play. Of course, it is debatable which playground design passes all there hurdles, but we’ll try to make a competent top ten which shows great architecture as well as children-friendly environments.

No.10 Panther Playground

This realistic wood fortress stands in a beautiful memorial park in old Quakertown. The complex structure shows that wood as a material still holds importance in kids’ everyday play endeavours. With towering view points, mazes and bridges of all shapes and sizes, Panther offers all that a child’s mind can conjure in the world of dragons and princesses.

Panther’s Playground

No.9 St. Kilda Adventure Playground

Australians love their environment and they incorporate it in everything, and this oceanic themed park proves it. The huge expanse makes use of the coastal spot for mazes, ship wrecks and other wooden features that little people just love to explore. Of course, the semiarid area sits in communion with the planned play spaces, thus plants and trees abound.

St. Kilda’s Adventure Playground, Melbourne Australia

No.8 Alexander W. Kemp Playground

A unique space, this play area near Boston shows how combining everything works for the best. The equipment promotes practicing sports for toddlers, treasure hunts for adventure, creativity and social games for a greater interaction and links to nature for a more educational play experience. This park is suited for any child, no matter their fun preferences.

Alexander W. Kemp Playground

No. 7 Boadilla del Monte Playground

Moving on to more complex parks, this one in Spain was designed by professional architects with the sole purpose of inspiring children’s imagination with regards to architecture. The airy space and dramatic shapes will leave any little mind wondering and yearning to create for himself. While providing a thoughtful area for play activities, this playground is bound to be responsible for producing some budding landscape architects!

Boadilla del Monte Playground

No.6 Kellogg Park Eco-Playground

We find an ecological way of going about things in this New Orleans mini park. The main ideas here are nature, ecology and sustainable education methods. With features powered by solar panels and shiny surfaces; while surrounded with green areas to balance it all out ; this playground is a great place for kids with a spark.

Kellogg Park

No.5 Zabeel Technology Park

In the present science age, it is inevitable that a tech themed park would surface at one point or another and what better place than fast rising Dubai. Technology is the name of the game here, where kids have a solar system maze and numerous exhibits curating for eco energy solutions and future science features. Education and play go hand in hand.

No.4 Falkestone Lower Leas Coastal Park

This old-school playground is set in beautiful Kent surrounded by the inspiring and serene English countryside. If the seaside alone wouldn’t thrill your kid to bits, this huge area has sand pits, slides, pirate ships, high walkways and all that a young heart would desire. Landscaping is taken into consideration in many areas of the park, while a zoological zone is also open for visitors. In the summer, children are not short of activities as the park has an extensive programme.

Falkestone Lower Leas Coastal Park

No.3 Imagination Playground in a BOX

Ever thought about letting your kid build his own play area according to his tastes and imagination? Well, Imagination playgrounds have prospected that idea and have come up with a park where children have moveable parts and objects at their disposal to actually build a play zone, just like Lego. It they get bored with it, they can take it down and start from scratch again. These parks tap into a child’s imagination, problem solving skills and may just spark an interest for building and designing.

Imagination Playground in a BOX

No.2 The Fruit and Scent Playground

Got fruit? Parents in Sweden think that stimulating their kids through visual playgrounds makes for an efficient food education basis. That is why this one has every play feature shaped and coloured like a fruit. Be it a banana slide, an orange walkway or a plum mini house, the park offers unique fun with an educational twist. This is a great example of playground landscaping which influences children in a positive way.

The Fruit and Scent Playground

No.1 Teardrop Park

And yes, New-Yorkers take the gong with this detailed and carefully crafted jewel meant to bring out the geographer in your little one. Situated in the city, this playground perfectly combines rocky areas with greenery zones to bring kids secret paths, geological formations to study, sand pits, slides, water areas and just all round natural feeling play features. Your children will feel like they are on a different planet and will make tantrums over leaving.

Tear drop Park

Whether it is a classic park or a modern park, landscaping has always played a big role in the design of playgrounds especially in regard to stimulating imagination, social skills and all around fun activities for children of all ages. And truthfully, could you as an adult resist not goofing around for a bit in some of the above?

how can be a playground designed?

Playground Ideas – Playgrounds for Kids who Need it the Most

At a recent meeting organized by the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects, a speaker pointed out that a graduate in Australia earning $ 38, 000 a year, although faced with the economic pressures of living in the first world, is still in the 1.6% of highest income earners in the world. Designers often forget that much of our focus is designing for this elite percentile. It is not that we don’t want to design for the rest, but often we cannot or do not know how. It is a logistically and economically challenging endeavour, which requires a great deal of commitment and self-belief.


Everyone wants a turn.

Playground Ideas is the brainchild of teacher and builder Marcus Veerman. Playground Ideas is commissioned by villages, centers, and communities around the world to provide well-constructed playgrounds using locally sourced materials and labor with the assistance of his team and volunteers. Much of the world’s children do not have opportunities to play. A Kenyan study showed that Kenyan kids get 17 minutes of play per day compared to the 3 hours that western kids receive. Without play, children do not develop their social and cognitive skills, which prevents potential through life. Many of these kids are in situations where providing food and clean water is a challenge let alone providing the infrastructure for play.

To Marcus it is not just about providing play from recycled materials, it is also about building these playgrounds in a way which is structurally sound and safe for kids.

Playgrounds

The first was a small wooden playground in north central Thailand for a theatre community space built from materials found in the local tiny town like thatch timber, recycled motorbike bearings, scrap steel and rope. The design was workshopped with local kids from surrounding schools and was built for $600.


Children enjoying the perks of an alternative playground.

From this humble beginning the concept has strengthened. The largest project was just completed in Kenya in June and was located in the 3rdlargest slum in Kenya consisting of 2,000 kids. The school director brief was “I don’t want a playground, I want this school to be an entirely playable space.” Space in a slum is precious, but with so many kids we needed a lot of things for the children to play on, otherwise there would be crushes. In the end, there was 8 different nooks created throughout the space and each was filled with custom elements based around the feedback from the community consultation with the principal, teachers, parents and most importantly the children themselves. The photos speak for themselves.

What about kids in your own backyard

One criticism of what is sarcastically called “world vision” design projects is that it seeks to help others while there are many problems designers need to address in their own backyard. I asked Marcus if there were scopes for projects in the west. They have recently been part of a recently completed playground upgrade in Melbourne that has just been finished. The design included some pretty adventurous elements and quite a lot of recycled, interesting stuff, but the end result was sadly a very watered down version likely because of funding and safety fears. During the community consultation some people seemed less concerned about their own children and being creative and more worried about being too “out there” because other parents wouldn’t like it. Maybe it is these sorts of attitudes, which inspires designers like Marcus to work in the third world. There, the idea of facilitating play is accepted gratefully and not seen as another expected amenity.

Realities of funding such a project

The largest barrier to the organization is funding. One way that Playground Ideas funds itself is by offering online resources to other communities wishing to construct a playground. They offer advertising and a mini corporate social responsibility program for playground and landscape architecture companies to get involved. This is a great, affordable way for landscape architecture studios to help out and get some online advertising space. They also operate under a fee-for-service when the scale is large enough to warrant our help on site. These costs help the 25 staff of the organization continue their work at a cost, which is affordable cost for both parties. As you can imagine, playgrounds in the third world does not attract the investment dollars of a large western project.



Fun to be had at the new play park.

Get involved

There are three ways anyone can get involved. Firstly, you can volunteer and spend time on a project, which is as rewarding for the volunteer as much as the child who will use the playground. They are also developing an online database of ideas, which anyone can contribute to. So if you’re looking for a place of karmic goodness to channel your ideas, you may want to look at the website and start thinking about ways your ideas can help others. Finally, you can become a supporter and donate to this not-for-profit organization. Playground Ideas also gives you the option of donating directly to the project itself.

Playground Ideas is a two-way street. Designers are exposed to design situations and communities they do not regularly encounter. It gives us a chance to let go from the reality of long hours at a desk working on parts of a city we may or may not care about. It gives graduates who cannot find work an avenue to use their skills in a forum which has space for their participation. It gives kids and communities the opportunity to play and develop in situations where they otherwise would not have the chance. It most importantly brings smiles to the faces of many kids who otherwise have little reason to smile.

tiny house example

© Kim Jaekyeong

Architects: Studio Archiholic
Location: Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Architect In Charge: Younghan Chung
Design Team: Boram Kim
Area: 93 sqm
Year: 2013
Photographs: Kim Jaekyeong





Structural Engineer : Tisec Eng
Construction: Seungwhan Ryu© Kim Jaekyeong



From the architect. Long ago, in his Building, Dwelling, Thinking; Martin Heidegger used a few buildings to discuss their relationships with dwelling.© Kim Jaekyeong

“These buildings house man. He inhabits them and yet does not dwell in them, when to dwell means merely that we take shelter in them. In today’s housing shortage even this much is reassuring and to the good; residential buildings do indeed provide shelter; today’s houses may even be well planned, easy to keep, attractively cheap, open to air, light, and sun, but do the houses in themselves hold any guarantee that dwelling occurs in them?”Diagram

This project began with the following two questions. Can we really achieve any residentiality in the conventionalized universal space for residence? And as for the program that provides a seventy-year-old female painter with residence and work space, what is dwelling as a small place where to spend the last one’s life© Kim Jaekyeong

This project deals with the first experimental housing that can have another type of universality through new interpretation of area, furniture, and boundary in an existing residential space. The first area of dwelling is defined by furniture. Specifically, the function if furniture defines area, the space where a sofa and TV are placed is defined as the living room and the space where a dining table and kitchen furniture is determined as the kitchen, while the space with a toilet and a wash basin is marked as the bathroom and the space with a bed serves as a bedroom.© Kim Jaekyeong

Breaking out of this set of pre-defined areas, I have made sure that a user can take an active role in defining areas by means of Furniture corridor. Here, the furniture corridor with 600 to 800mm furniture is a device designed for storage with minimum functions, and it accommodates in the residence furniture, hygiene, electricity, facilities, ventilation, cooling and heating systems. The furniture corridor in the 6×6 House ( another experimental housing project ) adds vertical expansion to storage functions to include stairs, pet dog, and landscape. The areas that are adjacent to the device is to be defined by the function of the furniture when it is used with the opening and closing of the sliding door and moving wall installed in the furniture corridor, and when not in use, it serves as a variable area that can be converted to some other area. Second, Boundary in dwelling marks out furniture-defined areas with physical walls to secure traditional privacy and characteristically has a clear division in the outdoor garden between outside and inside.© Kim Jaekyeong

Yet, begun as a strict geometric configuration of the boundary ( the architectural archetype ), the 9 meters by 9 meters is in fact intended to conduce to deconstruction of the boundary between inside and outside through the porous composed solely of the two sizes of 1.8 x1.8m and 1.2 x1.2m. Previously, through a 1.8 x1.8m porous structure applied to the facade of some other project as “POROSCAPE”, we tried ‘transparency through the porous’. For surrounding outdoor environment, as a borrowed landscape merges with the garden of the inner courtyard, the physical exterior wall as a 9×9 geometric delimitation of the area undergoes gradual dissolution, thereby bringing residents in contact with some primitive scene of dwelling in nature. The dissolution of some other inside-outside boundary transpires in the area composed of glass wall between the furniture corridor and inner courtyard. © Kim Jaekyeong

The glass wall keeps in contact with outside phenomena while zigzagging along the inner courtyard. As for the outside garden situated between the inner and outside areas, the boundary between inside and outside blurs, while light comes in through the 1.2 x 1.2m porous installed on the ceiling slab and advances further inside to drape shadows for the invisible border wall, or with rain or snow.

Cities for Park(ing) Day !

I love this one. I have been looking for a long time for this event. How can a parking space transform a public space? It is not a small area although it sounds tiny area( almost 170 square feet).

“Transforming parking space into public space” — that’s the mission of Park(ing) Day and it’s quickly catching on.  Since the movement was founded in 2005, in San Francisco, by Rebar (an interdisciplinary studio working at the intersection of art, design and ecology ) it has gone on to become a worldwide event.  As of 2011, this grassroots day was celebrated in 162 cities, 35 countries, and 6 continents—ultimately creating 975 temporary parks!

Known as Park(ing) Day, this annual event re-imagines the possibilities of public space often thought of solely for cars. In essence, this event celebrates parks and other public spaces in cities across the world, while raising awareness of the need for more pedestrian-friendly spaces in our urban areas.

While I applaud each city for their involvement and vision, below are my top cities that showcase stunning displays of creative thinking.

10.  Washington, DC

Badminton in a parking spot

In 2011, two council members arranged for their spots to be converted to two temporary parks in front of the Wilson Building. With the help of Washington Parks and People these spaces were converted into parks offering relaxation, exercise, and guidance for nutrition led by the DC Department of Health.

9. Nashville, Tennessee

Park(ing) Day 2012 creation by Hawkins Partners

Nashville’s reputation stems beyond music and this year over 30 spaces around the downtown core will be transformed into small parks. Perhaps visitors may encounter music-related parks.  Imagine Park(ing) Day at night in Nashville?

8. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

SMP Architects built recycled-wood trees for their Philadelphia pop-up park

Celebrating its 6-year anniversary, Park(ing) Day in Philadelphia offers an impressive and growing display.  In 2011, over 30 non-profit institutions, community development organizations, academic institutions, and private companies created temporary parks throughout a vast assortment of neighborhoods.  2013 brings additional excitement as over 50 organizations are participating—creating temporary parks, promoting socialization, education, art, and entertainment.

7. Seattle, Washington

Park(ing) Day 2009 by SvR

Park(ing) Day allows Seattleites to temporarily make parking spaces into parks—not that they need a day dedicated for it. The event ultimately raises awareness about advocating for walkable, livable, and healthy cities. Who can argue that?

6.  Los Angeles, California

Park(ing) Day design featuring paper base and lush trees

Angelenos are in year seven of challenging the status quo of streets.  In 2011, amidst a heated debate involving Los Angeles City Hall and Los Angeles urban gardeners, many sought  to incorporate “edible gardens” into their theme.  LA surely doesn’t lack creativity!

5. Montreal, Canada

Enjoying the fruits of their labor

After a successful 2012 endeavor, Montreal has its eyes set on becoming the largest Park(ing) Day event in the world!  In 2013, they seek to convert over 200 parking spaces into parks.  Just envision if those parks became permanent!

4.  New York City, New York

Looks like fun!

The “City that Never Sleeps “is at it again.  This time they’re taking on parking spots and twisting the boundaries.  In 2011, New York City re-imagined 30 parking spots and that number is certain to grow in this year’s event.

3. Dublin, Ireland

Games > Parking

Heralded as one of the biggest Park(ing) Day cities, Dublin is excited to showcase their temporary parks to the world.  Perhaps the participating teams will celebrate another successful year with a round of brews.

2. Adelaide, Australia

A car that supports public space

Australia’s fifth most populous city offers a diverse selection of Park(ing) Day conceptions.  From photo booths and art galleries to edible gardens and gyms it’s bound to have something for all.  The 2013 campaign includes 34 teams and highlights the work of a vast array of groups.

1. San Francisco, California

A balloon inspired Park(ing) Day creation

It’s no surprise that Rebar, the founding art and design collective of Park(ing) Day, who are based in San Francisco claims the top spot.  While the event launched in 2005 featuring a rather primitive temporary park, it has blossomed into a celebration full of creativity and goes beyond park typologies—with San Francisco leading the way!

While re-imagining 170 square feet of public space appears to be insignificant, make no mistake, Park(ing) Day instills inspiration and hope into our cities.  By taking a much-needed break from the rigors of daily life, this event affords the world the opportunity to work collectively towards a common goal—celebrating public space

Top 10 Most Controversial Monuments of the World

Monuments have been an important part of our landscapes for millenia. Some of them have been accepted by their communities almost immediately, while others raised controversies, complaints, or even protests. Sometimes it takes time for a monument to grow into the landscape and to become part of it or even an icon or a landmark. Who knows, maybe the ancient Egyptians complained about the Sphynx or the pyramids — who can now imagine Egypt without those majestic constructions? Other structures don’t pass the test of time and are either universally hated, or removed and forgotten. We are presenting the list of the monuments that raised the most controversy in their time. Find out which are still doubted, and which became well loved

10. Obelisco de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Obelisco de Buenos Aires

Designed by Alberto Prebisch and erected on Plaza de la República in 1936, the Obelisco is now an icon of Buenos Aires, but it wasn’t always so. The residents of the city strongly objected to its “unimaginative and stark appearance”. Their resentment was enhanced by the fact that the monument took the place of a church, which was demolished to give way to the Obelisco and Av. 9 de Julio. During its history, the monument has witnessed political events and protests and was a part of several art projects.

9. Christ of the Pacific, Lima, Peru

Christ of the Pacific, Lima, Peru

The Christ statue modeled after Rio De Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer was commissioned by former Peruvian President Alan García and was controversial from the very beginning. First of all, Lima’s mayor was informed of the construction only days before it started. Secondly, the whole structure was designed and built in Brazil. There were no studies on its potential impact on the area, and many people complained about the cost and the country’s allegiance with the Catholic Church. Still, the monument was built and now stretches 37 meters high above Peru’s capital.

8. Pyramide du Louvre, Paris, France

Pyramide du Louvre

Built in 1989 as a new, modernist entrance to the Louvre Museum, it has since grown into the Parisian landscape. At the time of the monument’s construction, it raised controversy due to the ultra-modern character of the structure placed right in front of the classical palace. The monument’s popularity wasn’t helped by the legend that the Pyramide contains 666 glass panes. There were even accusations that the American architect,  I.M. Pei, destroyed the very heart of Paris. However, people seem to have grown used to this iconic structure.

7. Valley of the Fallen, Spain

Valley of the Fallen

The massive basilica carved in the mountainside by political prisoners was ordered by General Franco to commemorate those who died during the 1930s Spanish Civil War. Years of controversy and protests resulted in an assembly of a commission to establish its future. More than likely, Franco’s body will be removed from the site and the whole monument might be redesigned as a “monument to Democracy”.

Christ the King, Świebodzin, Poland

Reaching 36 meters in height (52.5 meters including its mound), this is officially the tallest statue of Jesus in the world. It rises from a large plain near the Berlin-Warsaw motorway, opposite a large Tesco supermarket. Its grandeur and less-than-glamorous location have made it a subject of ridicule and tasteless jokes. There have also been concerns regarding the safety of the monument. The whole project was finished in 2010, at the cost of 6 million PLN, enirely funded by the local community and the Polonia.

5. African Renaissance Monument, Senegal

African Renaissance Monument

This monument, commissioned by President Abdoulaye Wade and unveiled in 2010, was widely criticized both for its huge cost and for sexism, as well as for the skimpy clothing of the depicted female and the lack of style. The sculpture shows a muscular man, with a baby in his arms, emerging from a volcano, pulling along a half-naked woman. It is the tallest statue in Africa, designed by a Romanian architect and built at the cost of 27 million American dollars by a North Korean company, which also was a matter of controversy.

4. The Angel of the North,  Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England

The Angel of the North

The formerly controversial monument, which became a landmark for North-East England, was raised between 1994 and 1998 on a hill on the southern edge of Low Fell. Most people now feel a connection with this iconic structure; however, during its construction, numerous concerns were raised. It was feared that the giant sculpture would distract drivers, interfere with television reception, and ruin views. The project did no such thing; on the contrary, it became a major tourist attraction and an inspiration for several other sculptures, some of them equally controversial,  including the Angel of the South and the Angel of the West.

3. To the Struggle Against World Terrorism, Bayonne, New Jersey,  USA

To the Struggle Against World Terrorism

This huge statue was given to the United States by Russia in 2006. It was first supposed to be placed in New Jersey City, but the city refused and it ended up in Bayonne. The monument is shaped out of steel and coated in bronze. The 30-meter tower is split in the middle, with a large, stainless steel teardrop hanging in the opening, as a memorial to those who died during terrorist attacks in the U.S. The monument, also known as the Teardrop Memorial, raised massive controversies. First of all, the artist is known for dubious aesthetics. Secondly, he put an outdated list of names of the victims on the base of the sculpture, together with a giant Putin’s face. Finally, some say that the structure resembles part of the female anatomy. To top it all, the monument obscures the beautiful views of Manhattan.

2. The Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

The Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower must be one of the first names that spring to mind when thinking about Paris. Can anyone imagine this city without that towering, iconic structure? However, it wasn’t always like that; the construction of the tower was incredibly controversial and caused a lot of protests among the artists and architects of 19th-century Paris. They raised concerns regarding the feasibility of the structure and complained about the tower destroying the landscape of the city. Some of the opponents accepted the tower once it was built; others continued to hate it for the rest of their lives.

1. The Arch of Neutrality, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

The Arch of Neutrality

This true vanity monument was erected by the Turkmenistan “president for life” Saparmurat Niyazov in celebration of his adoption of neutrality as his official policy. The Arch of Neutrality was a rocket-shaped tower, topped with a gold statue of  Niyazov himself. The statue rotated during the day, so that his face was always in the sun. Built in 1998, at a cost of more than $12 million, the structure was an outrageous monument to the pride and vanity of one person. As ordered by the new president, Berdimuhamedow, the arch was dismantled in 2010 and replaced with a 95-meter-tall “Monument to Neutrality”. The new monument is located in the suburbs. The golden statue is a part of it, but, sadly, it no longer rotates.

What makes a monument controversial? How come some of them become truly a part of a surrounding landscape, while some stick out like a sore thumb?