(Ut)opiates: Rethinking Nature

Much of what is currently regarded as ‘green’ is predicated on a pre-modern, even Romantic, notion of nature; with sustainable design often overtly seeking to readdress the balance in nature by countering man's destructive forces. Here, Fabiola López-Durán and Nikki Moore pursue a more nuanced view of sustainability and architecture through a lineage of ideas, embedded within Lamarckian eugenics - the early 20th-century movement that sought the advancement of the human race through the transformation of the environment. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Architecture and Mathematics: Between Hubris and Restraint

The introduction of calculus-based mathematics in the 18th century proved fatal for the relationship of mathematics and architecture. As Antoine Picon, Professor of History of Architecture and Technology at Harvard Graduate School of Design, highlights, when geometry was superseded by calculus it resulted in an ensuing estrangement from architecture, an alienation that has persisted even with the widespread introduction of computation. It is a liaison that Picon characterises as having shifted between hubris and restraint. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tactics for a Transgressive Practice

In the last decade, Internet access and social media have reshaped the possibilities for experimental practice in terms of reach and immediacy. Doina Petrescu and Constantin Petcou of atelier d'architecture autogérée (aaa) describe a project that they initiated for a collective platform in Paris that acts as a catalyst for community engagement in the urban realm and particularly the reappropriation of vacant plots of land in the city.     

Fearscapes: Caracas Postcards from a Violent City

Venezuelan architect, artist and educator Eduardo Kairuz reveals how beneath the stereotypical view of Caracas as the ‘Murder Capital of the World’ lies a history of savage imposition, dating back to its founding in the 16th century and its colonial past and manifested today in the stark social segregation between parts of the city. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

French Rationalism: A Broken Tradition

From the golden era of 1960s Rationalism to the present Inquietude Lucide, Joseph Abram describes the Rationalist tendencies in French architecture. Once dominated by the spectres of Le Corbusier and Auguste Perret, the rational was deeply embedded in French tectonic culture. Despite the current reassertion of the rational, the future, as Abram explains, appears less certain. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Concentration du virus de l'hepatite a sur des membranes de celluloseHepatitis a virus concentration on cellulose membranes

Viral hepatitis type A is the most prevalent waterborne disease in U.S.A. and the number of cases has been increasing in recent years (Melnick et al., 1978). Till now, few works were performed on Hepatitis A Virus (HAV) concentration in water (Hejkal et al., 1982, Elkana et al., 1983). In this paper the filter adsorption-elution method, widely used with other viruses (Wallis and Melnick, 1967; Fields et Metcalf, 1975; Smith and Gerba, 1982), was selected to concentrate HAV from experimentally-contaminated distilled water. Filtration was performed through two cellulose membranes (RAWP 04700 and HAWP 04700 Millipore). Eluate or filtrate viruses were precipitated by polyethylene glycol 6000. HAV is detected by solid phase radioimmunoassay according to a previously described method (Deloince et al., 1982). Figure 1 shows the results of adsorbing HAV at different pH levels. Analysis of variance pointed out that, for the pH levels between 3 and 4, the differences were not significant (P = 0.05). Table 1 shows the effects of pH and number of passages of 3% beef extract or 0.2 M glycin buffer on HAV elution. For both eluents the differences in function of pH levels and number of passages of eluent through the membrane were not significant (variance analysis P = 0.05). On the other hand, the comparison between the two eluents pointed out the higher efficiency of beef extract (t-test, P = 0.001). After this procedure, HAV replication occurred in human hepatocarcinoma cells PLC/PRF/5 (Fig. 2) inoculated according to a previously described method (Crance et al., 1983). As poliovirus (Sobsey et al., 1973), HAV adsorption is the most efficient at acid pH levels. Between pH 4.5 and 5, the remarkable adsorption decrease might be related to the inversion of the HAV electrostatic charges sign, i.e. to the occurrence of an isoelectric point. The HAV elution is different from the poliovirus one, the efficiency of which increased with pH (Wallis et al., 1972) and eluent passage numbers (Farrah et al., 1976). That might suggest that from pH 7.5, both the HAV particles and membranes have negative charges which give enough repulsive forces to allow a good elution efficiency. Improvement of HAV elution efficiency by beef extract is similar to a result obtained with poliovirus by Landry et al. (1978). This effect might be explained by the proteinous material presence in beef extract. HAV replication in cell cultures shows the biological properties preservation after this procedure.     

From Authorship to Ownership: A Historical Perspective

Since the notion of copyright first arose in the Renaissance era, the perception and reality of architects' roles has dramatically altered. Guest-Editor Antoine Picon traces the evolution from lone creative genius to today's ‘star architects’, employing hundreds of designers. Is the concept of authorship still relevant in this new context? Or has the emphasis shifted to ownership, whether of building designs or of the software or templates used to produce them?     

Not Doing/Overdoing: ‘Omission’ and ‘Excess’ – Lacaton & Vassal's Place Léon Aucoc,Bordeaux, and Construire's Le Channel,Scène Nationale de Calais,Calais

Is there any allegiance between the formal and the transgressive? Here architectural author and educator Robin Wilson explores two French projects by Lacaton & Vassal and Construire: the former being as pared back as the latter is exuberant. He investigates how despite the great variance in their aesthetic impact, they share ‘transgressive positions and a questioning approach to architectural production’.     

The Ecological Facades of Patrick Blanc

The urban geographer Matthew Gandy explores the work of French botanist Patrick Blanc, who applies his scientific knowledge and preoccupations to urban design. After his invention of the mur végetal (green wall), a botanical and structural system for greening buildings, in 1988, Blanc's work has gone on to transcend the creation of merely living walls. Through his landscape schemes Blanc has recognised the city's rich potential for verdant metamorphosis, transforming fern- and moss-covered streets and buildings into unlikely ravines or rainforests. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Integrating a performance-based approach into practice: a case study

Organizations in both the public and private sectors are increasingly focusing on performance and results, on outcomes rather than on outputs, or on the ends rather than the means to accomplish their mission(s). In the US, the federal government actually embedded this focus in the Government Performance and Results Act, 1993. Since then, US federal government agencies have been in the process of a major shift in their management procedures. The paper illustrates how the US Coast Guard (USCG) is implementing these procedures. USCG missions are clearly defined in 'legal authorities' by the US Congress. These missions in turn are also responding to external public and industry drivers and trends. The USCG is highly dependent on its logistical assets to support its operational units and accomplish its missions. Therefore, the Civil Engineering Program, which is that part of the organization responsible for the most stable and long-lasting assets, namely constructed assets, has been commissioned to create and implement a far-reaching Shore Facility Capital Asset Management system, including Regional Strategic Plans. The design of this integrated system is part of a Framework for Integrated Decision-Making for the USCG as a whole. It is performance based and results oriented. It includes metrics that will allow the USCG to measure objectively and transparently how it performs against the requirements of its missions and strategic goals. All parts of this integrated system are presented, with emphasis on the suitability metrics that most directly link assets to missions.     

Indoor environment quality contracts in building projects

The scientific literature is replete with examples that indicate that poor indoor conditions at workplaces reduce work performance and increase short-term sick leave. To address good indoor environment quality (IEQ), strategic and practical design decisions are needed in the early phase of the building process to ensure successful implementation. However, current procurement practices are hampered by fragmentation, long subcontract chains and vague performance requirements. A preliminary study is undertaken that focuses on developing a method of contracting that enables the attainment and verification of the desired IEQ. Using a review of international research and practices, existing commissioning methods and contract procedures are identified for their attention to IEQ. A contract procedure is proposed that fosters agreement on indoor environment between building owners and tenants, and which directs a building project to give users the guarantee of indoor condition. To make a pre-lease contract agreement that includes IEQ, the factors having an influence on the IEQ chain must be included in all building contracts such as those of design, purchase, and operation and maintenance. Thus, the requirements of IEQ require their incorporation into every phase of the building project. The main elements in these contracts, in addition to the requirements of IEQ, are those verifying quality, bonuses and sanctions.

La littérature scientifique est riche en exemples qui montrent que la médiocrité des conditions intérieures sur le lieu de travail réduit les performances opérationnelles et augmente les absences de courte durée pour raisons de santé. Pour obtenir un environnement intérieur de bonne qualité (IEQ), il faut, dès le début du processus de construction, prendre des décisions d'ordre stratégique et pratique en vue d'une mise en ?uvre réussie. Or, la fragmentation, les longues chaînes de contrats de sous-traitance et le manque de précision des impératifs de performance sont autant d'obstacles aux pratiques d'approvisionnement actuelles. Une étude préliminaire est entreprise qui porte, pour l'essentiel, sur le développement d'un mode de réalisation permettant de satisfaire et de vérifier la qualité de l'environnement intérieur recherchée. S'appuyant sur une analyse des pratiques et de la recherche au niveau international, l'auteur recense les méthodes de mise en service et les procédures contractuelles existantes en fonction de l'intérêt porté à l'IEQ. Il est proposé une procédure contractuelle qui encourage les accords en matière d'environnement intérieur entre propriétaires de bâtiments et occupants et qui prescrit un projet de construction offrant aux utilisateurs la garantie d'un environnement intérieur satisfaisant. Pour conclure une convention contractuelle, préalablement au bail de location, qui prévoit l'IEQ, il faut inclure les facteurs ayant une influence sur la chaîne IEQ dans tous les contrats de bâtiments, comme la conception, l'approvisionnement, l'exploitation et la maintenance. Les exigences en matière d'IEQ nécessitent donc qu'elles soient intégrées à toutes les phases d'un projet de bâtiment. Les principaux éléments dans ces contrats, outre les exigences d'IEQ, sont ceux qui vérifient la qualité, les primes et les sanctions.     

National Security Sprawl: Washington DC

Battlements and fortifications are most often associated with the historic cities of the Old World. Here, Deborah Natsios gives an account of the physical and virtual transformations that have affected Greater Washington DC since 9/11. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Trompes L'Oeil

Mike Devereux sets out to explode the myth that London is an organic, unplanned city shaped by economic forces, and Paris is, in contrast, a planned city moulded by the state. He describes the many similarities that the two cities share and how planning ideas in fact ‘flowed between the capitals’ during the Haussmann era. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

City in Suspension: New Orleans and the Construction of Ground

Underfoot, obscured from view, ground is the most fundamental material of construction and the urban landscape. As New Orleans has proved, we forget it at our peril. Shaped by the mound, the levee and most recently the pump, the ground of the Crescent City was neglected and overlooked even in areas of new development. Felipe Correa describes how, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the thorough re-evaluation of the city's ground is a prerequisite to urban reorganisation. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Laboratory apparatus for evaluation of sorption capacity of solids

The design of laboratory apparatus for the evaluation of the sorption capacity of solid sorbents is described in detail. The apparatus, which is easy to set up in any laboratory, consists of three basic elements: a standard mixtures generator, utilizing permeation through a PTFE membrane, a sorbent trap of controlled temperature and a flameionization detector. The apparatus enables investigation of the effect of various parameters (concentration, flow rate, temperature, co-adsorption, etc.) on sorption capacity, as measured by breakthrough parameters (breakthrough volume and time), as well as studies of the fundamental parameters of the remaining steps (sample storage, desorption and final determination) of the analysis.     

Collaborative knowledge work environments

How can the physical design of the workplace enhance collaborations without compromising an individual's productivity? The body of research on the links between physical space and collaboration in knowledge work settings is reviewed. Collaboration is viewed as a system of behaviours that includes both social and solitary work. The social aspects of collaboration are discussed in terms of three dimensions: awareness, brief interaction and collaboration (working together). Current knowledge on the links between space and the social as well as individual aspects of collaborative work is reviewed. The central conflict of collaboration is considered: how to design effectively to provide a balance between the need to interact and the need to work effectively by oneself. The body of literature shows that features and attributes of space can be manipulated to increase awareness, interaction and collaboration. However, doing so frequently has negative impacts on individual work as a result of increases in noise distractions and interruptions to on-going work. The effects are most harmful for individual tasks requiring complex and focused mental work. The negative effects are compounded by a workplace that increasingly suffers from cognitive overload brought on by time stress, increased workload and multitasking.     

Les dépôts morainiques holocènes de la zone axiale pyrénéenne: approche déterministe de leur instabilitéà Verdun sur Ariège, (Pyrénées centrales, France)

This paper reports a study of the historic instability of the till deposits in an area of the central Pyrenees between France and Spain upslope of the town of Verdun. The object of the work was to create a model based on the geomorphological and geological mapping of landslides and a geotechnical survey of the instability of the whole of the mountainous slopes of the Domanial Verdun area. The detailed mapping allows the historic landslides to be distinguished from the more recent/active movements which involve volumes of 100,000 to 400,000?m³ of material. In addition, it was possible to assess the areal percentage of the actively slipping zones (5%) compared to the historic slide zones (12%) and the stable areas (78%). Following the European classification, two types of slides were identified in the Verdun study area: (1) historic rotational slides and (2) active translational slides located in the Verdun area at between 1000 and 1250?m altitude. The stability was calculated using the classic "method of slices", subdividing the slipped zone into vertical slices along a suitable cross section. The so-called factor of safety (F) was determined by dividing the moments of resisting forces (M_R) by the moments of driving forces (M_D). The state of limiting equilibrium has a "factor of safety" of 1. The physical parameters of the till deposits of Verdun were established as: unit weight γ=24.9?kN/m³ (calculated using the percentage of gneissic blocks contained in the tills) and porosity n=0.24. The results of 15 triaxial tests in a gravelly sand matrix were plotted in a Lambe diagram following a linear regression model [x=(σ₁+σ₃)/2 and y=(σ₁–σ₃)/2 with sin?φ′ =tan?θ]. From this the friction angle φ′=33°±3 and c′=45±5?kPa were established. The factor of safety calculated for the moraine deposits in the historic slides was 1.44 without water (Hw=0). With a height of water of 7?m, representing 85% of the till thickness, this was reduced to F=1. To achieve a factor of safety of 1.3, the maximum water level within the till should not exceed 2.5?m, representing 65% of the till thickness. Similarly, the factor of safety was calculated for the active slides of another area (shown as section 4 in Fig.?3 in the paper). Using slice number 9 from the middle of the slide, the factor of safety was 1.08 when the height of the water was taken as 90% of the till thickness. This high calculated factor of safety for the height of water is consistent with the slow movement of the actual slides. However, a lower internal cohesion of the till deposits or the presence of a weathered zone would decrease the factor of safety from 1 to 0.8. It is also possible that other parameters, such as the regional seismic activity, could have been sufficient to initiate movement (F<1) during the last 50?years. It is of note that the map of seismic activity shows that more than a 100 earthquakes with magnitudes greater than 3 have occurred in the central Pyrenees since 1660. The paper emphasises the importance of high-quality mapping which identifies and classifies areas of historic and recent instability. From this, a single geotechnical model to calculate the stability can be established. The level of the water is shown to be the critical parameter and of more significance than the variations in the effective friction angle, which itself is more important than variations in the effective cohesion. With this information it is possible to determine those areas where some form of stabilisation and/or drainage of the till deposits is necessary.     

Basking in a World of Your Own Making

As the credit crunch bites in, are pockets of young architects reviving a battle against commodified materialism? Neil Spiller describes how he has experienced this close to home with his own class of 2009 at the Bartlett which has reactivated its own brand of Surrealist cybernetic research, inspired by Dalí. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

拉图雷特修道院与影响其设计过程的三个先例

拉图雷特修道院是勒·柯布西耶设计生涯乃至现代建筑史上的一个经典。国内此前对此作品的关注往往聚焦于该建筑空间和形式的强烈现代感上。那么,对于修道院这种传统类型而言,柯布西耶在设计这座建筑的时候是创造了一个新的建筑类型还是沿袭了既有的类型?柯布西耶有没有受到其他先例的启发?如果有,这些先例对设计过程产生了怎样的影响?笔者试图通过收集和整理柯布西耶在设计拉图雷特修道院之时以及他早年游学过程的史料,来从设计分析的角度诠释拉图雷特修道院的设计与探索。     

Confronting the Contemporary: Stefano Boeri

Diego Caramma describes Stefano Boeri's pervasive influence on architectural thought in recent years as editor of Domus, exhibition curator and founder of the Multiplicity urban research platform. As he explains, Boeri's significance lies in his ability to confront contemporary conditions for architecture rather than just the dissemination of current trends and ideas. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.