by Jeff Serbin | May 6, 2014 | Architectural Planning, Architecture, Blog, Graphics, Uncategorized
Architects depend on presentation to convey their ideas to their clients. Presentations come in many facets, from hand drawn images on paper, computer generated drawings shown on a screen and physical models.
Watercolor of Buckeye Park and Ride
LACMA – Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Peter Zumthor’s Design Model
THE VIRTUAL WORLD
But what we really want is virtual reality to go places that are developed in our minds yet not here. Architects have been creating virtual reality in their sketchbooks and drawings boards for ages but today we are even closer to further immerse ourselves into the worlds we create.
GAMING
Computer gaming has shown us that we can escape into the various worlds. Some games I have seen are fairly detailed and there are examples that are highly fantasy.
HOLOGRAPHIC VIRTUAL REALITY
As movies develop further and video becomes more advanced, people are developing ways to bring a virtual reality into a new dimension. Just check out what the people at AV Solutions have developed to create this holographic virtual world. www.avconcepts.com
DRAWING BY HAND
The artfulness of hand drawn images are becoming a thing of the past. We used to pride ourselves in our office that we still produced water color images of our designs, however there has been a shift to put the pencil down and really focus on what technology can do for us.
Every so often, I see an article in an architectural magazine with a STARCHITECT stating that the art of hand drawings is being lost to the computer, but if you notice they are usually 80+ years old. They never learned the art of the computer. I don’t believe they are wrong, just right for themselves. One must realize that technology is just another tool for the modern architect to convey their designs.
“The computer is wonderful for certain things, but it is hard for your mind and hand to work together unless you continue to draw … they don’t have to be beautiful drawings, just get it down. It is your language, you cannot give it up” Michael Graves
DRAWING BY COMPUTER
If you grew up using DRAWSOMETHING2, imagine how good you would be creating those images once only possible with pen, pencil or brush. You can now “let your fingers do the walking”, (another quote from past time) and create master pieces. I’ve seen some amazing renderings watching my kids play DRAWSOMETHING2.
As the STARCHITECT’S are getting younger and developing their careers during the computer age, I believe we will hear less of the grumbling about the pencil being lost and more about embracing new ways to present our ideas.
To be continued …………………………………….
by Jeff Serbin | Mar 25, 2014 | Architecture, Blog, Planning, Uncategorized
Continued from “Is Vertical Farming Feasible? : (Click for part 1)
Several factors play into the economical feasibility. First you have to look at the building or structure required. As an architect, I am a bit more knowledgeable about that piece of the puzzle. Skyscrapers are one of the most expensive “land” in the world. Some quick math below.
Lets assume that land is worth $1.00/s.f. (conservative number). The owner of a skyscraper can expect to pay more than 200(x) that per s.f. for his building. Add the costs of electricity to pump the water up the vertical rise and keep the plants bathed in artificial sunlight all day. The concept appears to be an inefficient mess. Looking at those numbers, you need one thing to happen, prices of food to increase significantly. Lets not all chant that at the same time.
So if building structures are not economically feasible, what about adaptive reuse? This is the process of reusing an old site or building for purpose other than which it was built or designed for. This is happening right here in Mesa where Apple is reusing a building created by First Solar. For more info, click here. The idea is to purchase a building for cents on the dollar to make it economically viable.
Vertical Farm Adaptive Reuse Example
Recently a vertical farm opened in a suburb of Chicago. It is not as vertical as a high rise, but sits upon 2 floors of an existing structure. It is within an abandoned warehouse of 90,000 s.f. It is called FARMED HERE. It allows this facility to grow plants within an existing structure indoors, away from bugs, diseases, pesticides and weather impacts. It uses an aquaponic system and can operate discharging virtually no water. The water is recirculated and also raises fish. It’s products are sold in some familiar stores such as Whole Foods. This supports many local grocers within the Chicago area.
Vertical Farming Big Ideas
So with the economic crisis that has left so many abandoned buildings and empty malls in its wake, is this a viable solution?
Could this be a support for local farming close to home with minimal transportation costs? With the stats that by the year 2050, nearly 80% of the earth’s population will reside in urban centers have an impact on our farm land?
If we are living within cities, can we bring the farming of food, not feed, with us in a more economical footprint?
So What buildings in Maricopa County, Arizona would be ideal to develop a vertical Farm?
I believe its worth DOODLING about.
by Lara Serbin | Mar 21, 2014 | Architecture, Blog, Collaboration, Uncategorized
A business friend of mine Julie Sullivan with Dominion Real Estate Partners started Tomorrow’s Winners a youth empowerment program 5 years ago. She invited me to tell my story on how I became an architect at this event today at Buckeye High School.
Heith Reade
Heith Reade with BMO Harris Bank spoke first. All the girls loved his organized and confident message. He had a power point and he connected well with the young women.
Lydia Evanson
Next up was Lydia Evanson with LME Creative Human Resources. The cool thing about her presentation is how she invited the students to come up to the stage and do a career shout out. Lydia and Heith are both business friends from the Buckeye Valley Chamber and The Rotary Club of Buckeye.
Lara Serbin
I was the last speaker today. I felt really relaxed with the huge power point behind me. Forget the need for a laser pointer. I just pointed with my arm. I was impressed with the questions they asked at the end. Most of the questions were regarding why I chose architecture and some of the challenges along the way. I had about 10 questions! A record for me. I have the privilege of speaking again to Youngker High School in Buckeye tomorrow.
A special thanks to Julie Sullivan for giving me this great opportunity and Pat Rovey of the Buckeye Women’s Club for saying those nice things about the cook book cover I designed.
Lara Serbin
by Jeff Serbin | Mar 18, 2014 | Architectural Planning, Architecture, Blog, Graphics, Planning, Uncategorized
I came across a competition from Google that caught my eye. Google Doodles is an art form which uses the Google logo and modifies it to signify a holiday or highlight a known person’s birthday or achievements.
Doodle, Professor Doug MacNeil, University of Arizona
The competition theme this year was ……
“If I could invent one thing to make the world a better place …..” Before there was an airplane, there were doodles of cool flying machines. And before there was a submarine, there were doodles of magical underwater sea explorers. Since the beginning of time, ideas big and small, practical and playful, have started out as doodles. And we are ready for more.
By the time you read this, the competition may be over and beside that, you would need to be a young artist (grades K-12). As I was driving my 7th grader to the Luke Air Force Base Show in Glendale, Arizona (how apropo is that – flying machines), we were having a discussion about what invention could make the world a better place.
So my first thought was about living in the desert of Arizona and the lack of water. A growing theme (no pun intended) throughout the Southwest United States. Just this year, we went for 2 months without rain, yet our taps still delivered water and the farmlands still grew. It’s like magic.
Buckeye Canal
Living in the West Valley of Phoenix Metropolitan area, especially amongst the farmland, one thinks about food or feed depending on what mouth it may be going in.
Feed
INTERESTING WATER FACT – I learned this year that Palo Verde Nuclear Plant uses 100% effluent water (yes cleaned toilet water) to cool their reactors, about 20 billion gallons per year or 40-50,000 gallons a minute at full operating power to cool their reactors and create steam. Steam is what generates the energy. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!! For more Nuclear info, click here!
So with all the land that is dedicated to farmland and all the water that is spread out over that land evaporating to the heavens, it made me think of an idea called vertical farming. I saw this idea some while back in a Popular Science and Wired Magazine.
A Very Brief History of Vertical Farming
The term was first coined in a book in 1915 called “vertical farming,” by Gilbert Ellis Bailey. It is still available on Amazon Books, but probably will need to be dusted off once you get it. This book was written after the skyscraper was invented in the middle 1800’s. Just for some historical reference, the Flatiron building, one of the first skyscrapers in New York City was built in 1902. It is 285′ tall and 22 stories.
Flatiron Building in New York City
Many concepts in history have been dreamed up. Even as early as 1909, Life Magazine published a building that cultivated food. In 1922, Le Corbusier’s, one of the great architects of the 20th century, proposed vertical farming. Le Courbusier’s phrase was “Vertical Garden City” which came from a sketch developed in 1937.
The technology precedents that make vertical farming possible can be traced back to horticultural history through the development of greenhouse technology. Hydroponics have also made it possible to grow plants without dirt. The use of hydroponics dates back to 1627. Fore more info, click here.
Even Walmart has a kit one can buy to do you own hydroponics at home.
Walmart Hydroponic Kit for sale on website
Science fiction books also reference these concepts. A recent read “Dust” by Hugh Howey has references to vertical farming within underground silos. The characters inhabited silos after the earth was created un-inhabitable. It has grow lights and water systems like today’s vertical farms.
