Timelapse video of the street install of the Urban Barnacle prototype:
1. Modular, stackable, rotating shelves and benches
2. Urban Barnacle unit on light pole
3. Solar unit
4. Modular vending unit
Check out some more details here: https://neighborland.com/ideas/sf-soma-an-urban-barnacle
CITIES WITH FISH FARMS IN THE PARK AND FOG FUNNELS ON THE HILLS?
Photo via van Bergen Kolpa Architecten
I recently attended a lecture at the American Institute of Architects San Francisco space as part of the Architecture and the City Festival. SF-based IwamotoScott Architects and Rotterdam-based van Bergen Kolpa Architecten were on hand to present their conceptual designs. As part of the “Architecture of Conseqence” exhibit currently at the AIA-SF, both teams presented a unique and futuristic vision of how the cities and urban areas of tomorrow could combat resource shortages and population growth while treading lightly on the environment.
Pictured above is VBK’s “Park Supermarket”, which envisions creating everything from fruit orchards to rice paddies and fish ponds (above) in urban and semi-urban parks. Not only could advanced greenhouse and geothermal technologies be used to grow a global variety of food – locally – but citizens would also have an opportunity to engage with the “supermarket”.
IwamotoScott’s “Hydro Net” tackles the problem of water resources and urban infrastructure in a future-San Francisco. Along with tapping groundwater, “Hydro Net” could collect fog and grow algae in tall twisting residential complexes – which would later be used to produce biofuel and hydrogen to fuel flying transport pods!
Check out the exhibit while it’s still up, and for more details, check out my latest article on Inhabitat on these projects.
Aerial rendering of SF (left) and Yerba Buena/Planned TI Development (right) via Skidmore, Owings + Merrill
The SF Board of Supes recently gave the go-ahead to a billion dollar plan to redevelop Treasure Island, a flat and wind-scoured artificial island built from fill in the 1930s. Envisioned as a a “green utopia”, there are serious doubts as to how sustainable a 19,000 inhabitant island community can be, considering it will be built on toxic weapons dumps and accessible mainly by car. Read more in my recent Inhabitat post, with architects renderings.
Check out my latest writeup of this design for a border crossing from Shenzhen to Hong Kong masquerading as a high-tech eco-utopia that would employ biofilters to absorb vehicular pollutants.
Photo via AETER Architects
I was walking on Baker Street today and after yesterday’s rant about better use of sidewalks, pedestrian zones and permeable surfaces, I was surprised to notice that the sidewalk was even wider than I thought. I counted eight pavers from the edge of the buildings to the street. I don’t know for sure, but if I remember correctly, it looked to be about 30 inches per paver – making that a almost TWENTY FOOT WIDE sidewalk! Imagine what a boon for non vehicular traffice and pedestrian public space/street usage this would be if you could do anything but walk (or slog, if it’s raining) on it! Baker is already a pretty wide street with a bike lane too! Of course, there was a requisite expensive, oversized car pulled into “their driveway” – AKA the ENTIRE sidewalk – because they couldn’t fit in their garage. I had to literally climb onto the kerb to get around it (there were two twenty-somethings inside giggling over their iphone who didn’t even see me or a previous pedestrian…gag me). In any case. I was so surprised to see all that unused sidewalk space!
This is a photo of Masonic Avenue, a few blocks away from Baker courtesy of SFCitizen – I didn’t have my phone on me.
I wonder if anyone can tell me what was the motivation behind the wide – but completely underutilized – sidewalks? There is only one “sidewalk cafe” at the corner of MacAllister, a coffee house that usually has a good group sitting outside enjoying the sunshine and their books. Why can’t we have more places to sit and enjoy outdoor space? Seeing all that paved over space – impermeable, heat absorbing, ugly – in a city with such a space premium, is such a shame. Especially for all those poor renters who aren’t privileged enough to enjoy access to a personal yard, deck, patio or garden. There’s hardly any pedestrian traffic on this street, it usually looks fairly clean, and I can’t see any reason not to tear up some of those pavers and try something different. sf I look forward to finding out more soon, and hopefully doing something better with some of those “extra wides”! Hope to engage with Plant*SF soon and meet some folks there. Here’s some examples of their work, but we need WAY more!