LED: America's A Changin'

Fluorescent bulbs are taking over. Many business are finding that LED bulbs are brighter, last longer, and lower costs. That makes for a win-win-win situation. Why didn't we think of this earlier? It's hard to believe that LED bulbs have been on the rise since about 2003, and people are just starting to realize that they are better and more resourceful. Buildings like the Empire State Building are making the transition to LED bulbs. It makes more sense for everyone, except the bulb companies. GE, Sylvania, and Philips are the three biggest bulb providers in the U.S., and they can be hurting when people start to realize that they can pay the same price for a LED or halogen bulb and make it last 50 to 100 times longer. Even compact fluorescent bulbs have taken the incandescent bulbs over because they use less than one-third of energy. 

Let's look on the brighter side (no pun intended). The United States is finally realizing that we are responsible for so much of the energy used. Germany is the leading country in Green Architecture. Germany has been on top of being resourceful. They will pay the extra money for an architect like Norman Foster to come in and make sure that things are taken care of the green way. It's time for America to realize that it's our turn to make a change. It's been done in so many countries, and we put it on the back burner and focused on war and other things.  We are coming around a bend where we are realizing that it's the little things that make the smaller differences, but we are still yet to discover that in order to save money and our earth, it takes an initial cost such as the Heart Tower by Norman Foster. 

Anyways, it's nice to see some change in our country, and see that we are trying for a better place. 

n.tm 

I (heart) NY: Photos

I (heart) NY, originally uploaded by termeern.

Last night, between the hours of twelve and two, I was in Mt. Baldy taking these very creative pictures. I had some fun, and hopefully you will enjoy looking at them.

Hope: Photos

Hope, originally uploaded by termeern.

I like this. Simply long exposure at night. There will definitely be more of these on the Flickr site soon.

n.tm

A Man Worth Talking To: Rem Koolhaas

So I read this article eariler this week, and I thought nothing but great things about him. For those of you who don't know, Rem Koolhaas is one is the most famous architects of our time. He has built some amazing structures and the thing that I love the most about him, is that he is completely modest, down to earth and is very confident about his words. 

Rem Koolhaas is great. His work is great, and you can see why it is great by the way that he talks about himself and his work. When asked about Star Architects, and how is name is mentioned in this category, he says that his work isn't different from some other work that other smaller architects have produced. His work isn't much different. This is good, but almost too modest... He is great, and I have even more respect for him and his work now. 

Every question that was posed to Rem was answered with great confidence and in full detail. Check it out. 

n.tm

"Phantom Hotel" Back!

Recently, the Ryugyong Hotel in North Korea has been started construction again! This amazing hotel has been vacant for quite sometime now and I am oh so glad that they are starting work on it again. 

This amazing 105-storey building is back under construction after 16 years of being vacant. An Egyptian company recently purchased the building and started working on the top floors of the building. The Egyptian company has dreams for the building such as communication towers on the top of the building; ironically, the North Korean government doesn't allow their citizens cell phones... 

The communist North began constructing this building in 1987 to compete with South Korea as they held the 1988 Summer Olympics. In 1992, the project was put on hold as the economy began to go under. The cost of revamping this building is estimated $2 billion dollars (about 10% of North Korea's annual economic output). 

This building is quite amazing and it really is a shame that it has taken this long for it to be completed. This could be a turning point in the North's economy and a turn in their architectural stance as a country. 

I'm glad this is coming back! 

n.tm

Read more about the "Hotel of Doom"

NEW PHOTOS!!!

Wood In The Desert, originally uploaded by termeern.

Flickr site has been updated! Tons of new great photos! Check them out...


Just click on the picture.


n.tm

Wood Structure

SCI-Arc, originally uploaded by termeern.

I went to SCI-Arc in December, as I always do when I am in the area, to check out what they are doing with their work. It inspires me to be a lot more creative than Wentworth encourages me to be. I saw this structure and couldn't help but be amazed. From my understanding, this was one semester class that constructed this structure.

The thing that I love about this structure is that it is continuous and almost seems as though the wall intersects something that was already there. Also, this structure sits beneath the air conditioning vents and looks as if the concept could possibly how the air moves through the space, and it is built to emphasize the air movement. This structure reminds me of a Zaha Hadid lecture that I went to. She said that fluidity is her main concert for her projects, and I couldn't help but notice that this was so very fluid in every way. Wood is a hard material, yet you can manipulate is to act how you want, and that's exactly what these students did.

Fluid. Manipulatable. Wood. Amazing.

n.tm

Frank Gehry: Trick Me At Least

Frank Gehry: Stumped Yet Again

I read both of these articles and in watching the clips, I wasn't convinced that he had any idea what he was doing in the design process. Frank Gehry is mostly known for his work on the Guggenheim Museum in Spain as well as his Walt Disney Concert Hall here in Los Angeles, but the Serpentine Pavilion in England may be his last work in the country. He states that people know him in the country, but they just don't like him as an architect. 

First of all, Gehry needed to build this for a little more than a dry climate. It rains in England. People don't like to walk in the rain. Cover your structure a little better, or at least have an idea as to where the water will run off. Secondly, stick to what you know works. The self proclaimed concept of "fish" isn't evident in this project whatsoever. Lastly, try to come up with a better concept than the gardens. I understand how you can build to the surroundings, and try to abstract them as a whole, but I would have tried to make it a little more of a priority in the initial phases of design. 

Gehry presents his project as if it were completely foreign to him. It seems as though he picked up some bass wood, threw it on the ground, then said, team, do something with that. Or maybe he was playing with some Jenga with his associates and said, wow guys, that DOES look cool... pass it on to the next guy. 

Just not convincing enough. 

n.tm

4th.

American Flag
Originally uploaded by revtoddf@sbcglobal.net

Happy Fourth of July.

Celebrating the return of my dad from Afghanistan and the Fourth.