Nice video about a virtual building in Second Life called ‘Alexander Beach’. It was built as a place of gathering for students of the Princeton University. Looking at the forms of the building, very similar to what you can find in the state of the art architecture of the real world (e.g. on WAN), I wonder which universe inspires the other. Today’s architecture constantly pushes the limits of the possible, inventing more and more improbable forms, disequilibrated, liberated from natural laws. On the other hand, Alexander Beach has this organic shape inspired by nature, like in many new buildings. The two extreme influences, sort of ‘virtual anti-gravity’ and ‘earthly organism’, are paradoxically married harmoniously in contemporary architecture.
The purpose of the 2009 World economic forum was to “shape the post-crisis world”. It was obviously an overoptimistic goal, maybe in an attempt to sparkle optimism in a period of deceptiveness.
But how to find solutions to problems such as the economy slow down, spreading illnesses, climate change? This is where creativity techniques can be used effectively, techniques which facilitate the emergence of creative solutions. Everybody agrees that today’s challenges cannot be resolved by tempered actions. They require innovation and radical change. Here are some creative techniques that have been applied during the forum.
The New London Architecture, at the Building centre, is an initiative that seeks to highlight the level of development either planned or currently underway in London. ”Digital Cities, London’s future” was their latest exhibition. It highlights some of the resources and technologies which designers can use in the development of the city and explores areas of debate that arise alongside the opportunities of this new digital world.
The exhibition was packed with fascinating glimpses of the future.
No, seriously, it is interesting to see that more and more online projects replicate, and criticise, the messages delivered on the Internet. Because of its novelty, the Internet has been immunized for quite a long time from parodies. It is disturbing in a way because it’s sometimes hard to distinguish the reality from the joke. It is good, it challenges the perception of the Internet, and reiterate some social criticisms.
