Frente al diario quehacer arquitectónico, el libro Arquitectura alternativa sostenible surge desde una búsqueda para aprovechar al máximo los recursos naturales y energéticos, sobre todo cuando los profesionales del área experimentan y aplican criterios espaciales, estructurales y tecnológicos poco convencionales acordes con el contexto, desde tres pilares fundamentales: sinergia, adaptabilidad y sostenibilidad. Así también, asumiendo siempre...

La Comunidad Afro descendiente del Consejo Comunitario de Chansara esta asentada en un Eco territorio en el municipio de Santa Bárbara de Iscuande Nariño. Hace parte de los asentantmeintos de Aldeas y Aldehuelas que se dan a borde de rio en el Pacifico Colombiano. Dentro de este contexto se hace una propuesta de diseñar un Hábitat Bioclimático, Sostenible y Sustentable : UNA ECOALDEA teniendo en cuenta la tradición, la cultura y el territorio...

Three aspects of the design that are traditionally studied, have been taken: the concept of function associated with that of necessity, the concept of form associated also with the production and the concept of communication and semantics associated with the symbol and the aesthetics. These three concepts have been, crossed with the three R's of ecology, that is to say: reduce, reuse and recycle.

XXL-XS represents the emerging discipline of ecological design by assembling a wide range of innovators with diverse interests. Geo-engineering, synthetic biology, construction site co-robotics, low-energy fabrication, up-cycling waste, minimally invasive design, living materials, and molecular self-assembly are just a few of the important advances explored in the book. At one extreme are massive public works, at the other, micro to nano-sized interventions...

Supertight is an exploration of high-density urban life and reducing the footprint of cites through adaptations in design and behavior. Tightness is a positive urban quality, examined through the observations of designers, with a focus on the cities of Asia. The rapidly growing large cities of Asia are critical to understanding our future footprint. Asian cities provide insights into new ways of being densely urbanised. The by-product of this unprecedented...

A new perspective on developing shared joy in urban spaces. Our divided society is quickly reaching crisis level. We are no longer able to sustain social and economic prosperity nor ensure democracy. Fuelling this crisis is a growing sense of social isolation caused by the divisive nature of social media and the decline of infrastructure that used to bring communities together. But there is hope for rebuilding our collaborative society, and...

The cities of the world stand at a crossroads. Amidst radical social, economic, and technological transformations, will the city become a driving force of creativity, diversity, and sustainability, or will it be a mechanism of inequality, despair, and environmental decay? At this critical moment, where do the stakes lie and what are the agents of change? From the time of its birth, the city has been held together by the commons. The book includes...

Imminent Commons: Commoning Cities presents questions and answers concerning the current state and near future of cities of the world through the lens of public initiatives, projects, and urban narratives. Cities are searching for new possibilities that will help them survive and thrive within new systems of municipal governance. The strategies of cities with regard to rapid urbanization, scarcity of public resources, and privatization of commons...

"Music", as Johan Wolfgang von Goethe wrote "is liquid architecture and architecture is frozen music", and just as music can elevate the soul, so can architecture. Is it possible to design a house that would nourish and promote the development of the inhabitants' well-being and mindfulness? The architect-priests of ancient Egypt not only believed buildings should embody our social values and individual tastes but strived for them to have their own...

From June 19-22, 2013, OCAD University's Faculty of Design presented Urban Ecologies 2013, a conference that examined the impact of emerging categories of research and practice that are shaping the future of design in our cities: visualizing information, thinking systems, regenerating cities, building health, and creating community. This publication updates and expands the content first presented at the conference, and features content by Teddy Cruz,...