Update 4/30/2025: No longer happening at the Park Church in Denver, but thank you to all those that pitched in or contributed to this endeavor.
My wife, Emily Moore, has started this GoFundMe campaign to help our lovely Venezuelan friends (who have recently migrated to Denver) earn money, meet people, stay warm, etc. Please take a look and help out if you are able.
These structures provide dwellings for landless dwellers. They are in response to the accelerated erosion along wet areas and mimic traditional homes of the Bengal delta. Khudi Bari translates to tiny house.
Designed to be affordable building systems, easy to transport and assemble. These homes measure approx. 350 sq ft and can accommodate 4+ people. The structural system is scaffolding tubes/fittings with lumber crosspieces for panels (adding to the stiffness). Clear corrugated polycarbonate sheets cover the roof/walls - making it waterproof.
I could imagine these with insulated panels, solar and water collection systems and wood stoves as quick off-grid dwellings in rural, mt or urban settings. More here.
Impressive European youth having a go at sustainability and creative thinking. They’ve made many informative videos. More here.
Design Philosophy: Architects have an important role to play in creating spaces that have the power to elevate, dignify and provide a better quality of life. The context, people and cultural heritage of a place are the building blocks we employ in order to come up with culturally relevant designs, that are at home in their local context but reimagined for the 21 century. Our work is built on a foundation of extensive research that uncovers ways in which we can go beyond the client’s brief and amplify the impact of a project. We have found that by working within our constraints and challenges allows us to be able to create more meaningful, sustainable architecture. We believe that as architects and designers, it is our duty to find ways to bridge societal divides, be they cultural, economic or political. This mindset has resulted in the ability to develop meaningful and impactful ways to shape positive evolution of present narratives.
Polish illustrator Pawel Jonca depicts what is hopefully a perfect metaphor for the current conflict. Jonca writes, "You can get the digital poster here, by paying ANY amount to support Ukraine."
I feel like the world is getting behind this.
Excerpt from the NYTimes:
Switzerland, a favorite destination for Russian oligarchs and their money, announced on Monday that it would freeze Russian financial assets in the country, setting aside a deeply rooted tradition of neutrality to join the European Union and a growing number of nations seeking to penalize Russia for the invasion of Ukraine.
After a meeting with the Swiss Federal Council, Switzerland’s president, Ignazio Cassis, said that the country would immediately freeze the assets of Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin, Prime Minister Mikhail V. Mishustin and Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov, as well as all 367 individuals sanctioned last week by the European Union.
Help however you can. Here are two relief organizations:
This bold site-specific art installation makes a strong statement being in Russia at the moment. Also, feels like it’s part of a fairy tale. More here.
I love this incredibly practical idea and below is a modified summary of what they do.
powerHYDE is a carbon negative, self-financing home for the homeless.
Each home produces 4X the amount of energy it needs. A cluster of 75 homes (a community) is a mini power plant generating 1 MW (MegaWatt) collectively selling the surplus energy to neighboring industries - generating additional income for the inhabitants as well as powering communal facilities.
This potentially solves: 1. the enormous demand for housing (40 million rural homes in India) 2. the increasing need for sustainable energy (300%) 3. a sustainable financial model. Read more.
Whether it is ideas, money, time, talents, space or countless other things, ultimately, giving away some of what you find important will likely come back to you and others in positive ways.
The Boulder County fires over the past 2 days have yielded unimaginable loss for so many but the acts of generosity coming out of this tragic event remind me of how good people are when they rise to the occasion. I feel inspired by the stories of teens donating clothes, babysitting services, and pet care; business providing goods & services; and people offering up rooms in their homes and whole houses while they’re out of town.
Here are some ways you can help.
At 26 years old, having never tried a legal case, Weddington successfully argued ROE vs WADE in front of the US Supreme Court in 1973. Read more here.
In the late 80’s, while in college, I was fortunate enough to hear her lecture about how she became involved in the case and it’s aftermath. This picture (taken around that time) is how I remember her.
After Ai Weiwei’s father's poetry in the late 50’s distressed the Chinese government, he and his family were sent to a labor camp when Ai was one - where they would spend the next 16 years surviving brutal conditions. Only after Mao's death in 1976, would his family returned to Beijing where he helped form his first arts collective.
Between 1981-1993, Ai studied English and Art in the US. When he returned to China, he was an outspoken critic of the corrupt government. His work often incorporates themes of global refugee crisis, government surveillance, political prisoners and freedom of speech. His ideas and actions have led him to be arrested and harshly detained multiple times by the Chinese authorities.
When asked if he is ever scared for his life (for his actions), he responded, he is more scared of doing nothing.
See an elegant interview he gives here with Trevor Noah.
14,000 salvaged Refugee life vests wrap the columns of Berlin’s Konzerthaus (Concert House)
Slat is the inspiring young Dutch inventor, entrepreneur, founder/CEO of The Ocean Cleanup; a Dutch foundation which develops advanced systems to rid the world’s oceans of plastics.
