T3: Timber, Transit & Technology

This innovative concept called T3 or Timber, Transit and Technology are mass timber developments that focuses on the sustainability of building by combining several key factors. Pioneered by a development company in the US, Hines describes their efforts by saying "T3, our building model for positive change, blends the inspiring, natural feel of timber spaces with the exceptional efficiency and cutting-edge technology of our best-in-class buildings".

from: https://www.hines.com/t3

Video can be found here: 

https://youtu.be/Pk7Nub4ddJM?si=mzhabZ3L5ZjnCiLw

Local example:

"The proposed 11-storey, 190,000 square-foot office building (utilizing Hines proprietary mass timber creative office product know as T3 (Timber, Transit and Technology), will be one of the most environmentally friendly, sustainable and wellness-focused developments in Vancouver and the largest & tallest mass timber office building in Western Canada. The Mount Pleasant neighbourhood, one of Vancouver’s most dynamic and creative tech hubs, will further as as an amenity for the office building’s tenants."

https://www.pcurban.ca/project/t3-mount-pleasant/

Do you have a corner stores in your neighborhood?

City Beautiful YT makes the case for adding retail in single-family neighborhoods, changing "the health, traffic, and environment" of an area.

Video of the week: Solar gain

What architecture! Such a beauty of a house.

from the video description "The term ‘Solar Home’ was coined in Chicago in the 1940s. Despite the recent declaration of the term, good practices around orientation and window placement have been around centuries. But, coming off the Great Depression, coupled with the proliferation of glazing and emerging technology such as air-conditioning, architects and the public felt the benefits of passive solar design more acutely. This video visits the Schweikher House, built during the 1930s, to explore its passive solar techniques. It is not a ‘Solar Home,’ per se, but the architect worked closely with George Keck, prior to its construction and it incorporates many of principles that would get codified later on. George Keck pioneered solar research in architecture and created the first ‘Solar Home,’ a project the video explores at the ‘Houses of Tomorrow’ exhibition at the Elmhurst Art Museum. "

Video of the week: Build with wood?

"Building a skyscraper? Forget about steel and concrete, says architect Michael Green, and build it out of ... wood. As he details in this intriguing talk, it's not only possible to build safe wooden structures up to 30 stories tall (and, he hopes, higher), it's necessary."

more info here:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319412134_Mass_timber_-_the_emergence_of_a_modern_construction_material

or:

https://www.archdaily.com/220779/michael-green-presents-the-case-for-tall-wood-buildings?ad_medium=gallery

Getting coffee

 30 people getting a coffee 🇺🇸

vs.

30 people getting a coffee 🇫🇷

(image credit: www.twitter.com/pushtheneedle)

Friday video: What happens if you cut down all of a city's trees?

"Explore what makes trees a vital part of cities, and how urban spaces throughout history have embraced the importance of trees."

"By 2050, it’s estimated that over 65% of the world will be living in cities. We may think of nature as being unconnected to our urban spaces, but trees have always been an essential part of successful cities. Humanity has been uncovering these arboreal benefits since the creation of our first cities thousands of years ago. So what makes trees so important to a city’s survival?"

Renewal - one building at a time

 "Less than a decade ago, Water Valley, Mississippi was a forgotten small town: there were 18 empty storefronts lining its four-block Main Street and plenty of decaying homes for sale. Located only twenty miles from the University of Mississippi and the pricey town of Oxford (also former home to William Faulkner), it was well-placed for revival.

In 2002, Mickey Howley and his wife Ole Miss professor Annette Trefzer bought an $80,000 century-old home and one of those empty storefronts for $60,000. They were early pioneers in the effort to rehabilitate the old 19th Century railroad town- turning their former drugstore into the Bozarts art gallery, but it took the formation of a community to create real change.

“In the last seven years,” explained Howley- now director of the Water Valley Main Street Association - in 2015 to a White House meeting on rural placemaking, “and remember Water Valley is 3,500 people with a four-block long downtown, this team has been instrumental in bringing 88 new jobs to downtown. Adding 26 new businesses. Fixing buildings and I don’t just mean façade jobs, but major renovations in 29 buildings. Adding 14 upper floor apartments. In that new business mix, we’ve added four new restaurants, three art galleries, one grocery store, one doctor’s office, and one brewery.”

Howley calls it “reimagining” structures: a foundry is now a brewery, a service station is now a restaurant, a drugstore is now an art gallery and a department store is now a grocery store/school."

Video of the week - Green Roofs in New York City

"We took a field trip to the largest green roof in New York City. Then we imagined what the city could be like if all of its roof space was green."

Sea level rise

"Sea level rise is already redrawing coastlines around the world. What happens when the coast retreats through a major city? We look at how the world map will change in the year 2100, and what coastal cities can do to defend themselves."

"Cities are vital in the transition to a sustainable economy"

"Our cities are changing. More than ever, cities around the world are taking action to build sustainable economies. With over 1,000 projects planned worth US $52 billion, a tipping point on environmental action is within reach. But to get there, we need to move even faster."



"CDP is a global non-profit with a world leading environmental disclosure platform. We focus investors, companies and cities on taking urgent action to build a truly sustainable economy by measuring and understanding their environmental impact. Nearly 600 cities disclose their work on the environment to CDP, taking the critical first step for meaningful action."

Urban space - with and without cars

from: https://stephenrees.wordpress.com/2017/05/13/smaller-lighter-greener-are-micro-evs-the-future-of-city-transport/

and:
http://i-sustain.com/30-2/

Nature-based solutions

"This new online resource showcases how communities across the country have successfully mitigated the effects of extreme weather by relying on green infrastructure."



"Naturally Resilient Communities is an interactive tool featuring 30 case studies of places that rely on nature-based solutions to protect themselves against climate threats like flooding and coastal erosion."

from: https://www.citylab.com/cityfixer/2017/04/a-guidebook-for-city-planners-on-green-infrastructure/522396



and from: http://nrcsolutions.org/

Fun Friday Links

http://www.placemakers.com/2013/05/09/identifying-the-sabermetrics-of-urbanism/


10 steps
http://buildabetterburb.org/ten-steps-toward-pedestrian-friendly-suburbs/

Zombies
http://vanishingnewyork.blogspot.ca/2016/08/zombie-urbanism.html

The future of cities
"What does “the future of cities” mean? To much of the developing world, it might be as simple as aspiring to having your own toilet, rather than sharing one with over 100 people. To a family in Detroit, it could mean having non-toxic drinking water. For planners and mayors, it’s about a lot of things — sustainability, economy, inclusivity, and resilience.
Most of us can hope we can spend a little less time on our commutes to work and a little more time with our families. For a rich white dude up in a 50th floor penthouse, “the future of cities” might mean zipping around in a flying car while a robot jerks you off and a drone delivers your pizza. For many companies, the future of cities is simply about business and money, presented to us as buzzwords like “smart city” and “the city of tomorrow.”


from: https://medium.com/@oscarboyson/the-future-of-cities-ba4e26c807fe#.3yf4y3ni6

https://pricetags.wordpress.com/2016/07/06/the-true-story-of-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-country-lane/



http://www.citylab.com/cityfixer/2016/12/a-chat-with-the-mayor-of-roundabout-city-usa/511466/

and:



"LEED is everywhere you go—just look around. In your neighborhood, your office building, your local school, your church and beyond, the LEED green building rating system is changing how you live, learn, work and play."