Week #7_Resiliency and Social Resiliency
Notes
Questions
UNITED NATIONS field trip
1.- Research and define resiliency. What does resilient design mean to you based on what your learned?
Resiliency is the ability to return to the original form and position. For human, it also means the ability to recover from illness and depression. In environmental issue, resiliency is the capacity of resisting damage and recovering quickly. The damage includes pollution, natural disaster. Human activities also causes disturbance.
Resilient design is the design that responds to natural disaster and human impact on the environment. It can deal with the climate changes such as rising sea level, temperature rise and drought of earth. It is normally define architecture design and community design. I think designer should think about how to face to the changing climate and disturbances. Resilient design should base on human’s needs and diversity in the society. It is a way to think about different circumstances and durability.
2.Research the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster that happened in Japan on March 11, 2011. How did the nuclear power station design shape this event? What are some of the systems still affected by the disaster?
On March 11, 2011, a magnitude-9 earthquake shook northeastern Japan, and it caused a savage tsunami. It is the most powerful earthquake happened in Japan. The effects of the great earthquake were felt around the world. The tsunami and the earthquake caused large amount of death. It caused nuclear accident as well. An explosion hit the nuclear plant. The cooling system was damaged. It released radioactive materials. People lived around the plant were evacuated.
In the news it says “Before the explosion, there is Japan’s nuclear agency had said that radioactive caesium and iodine had been detected near the number one reactor. The agency said this could indicate that containers of uranium fuel inside the reactor may have begun melting”.[1]
The earthquake effected ecosystems, water system, electricity, oil, gas and coal, and transportation.
[1] http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-12720219
http://www.livescience.com/39110-japan-2011-earthquake-tsunami-facts.html
TOYO ITO’s POSTSCRIPT, From PROJECT JAPAN, METABOLISTS TALK, 2011
- Take notes on Ito’s realizations about how architects have related to nature up to this point. What caused his change of opinion as a designer?
After the earthquake in Japan, the fishing village is destroyed by tsunami in seconds, but the media uses the word “beyond assumption” to be the excuse for the architectural damage.
- How does he suggest that designers should now engage the natural world? Do you agree?
He suggests that the architecture design should base on the natural environment. Designers should think of the external influences. I agree with him. Most of the designers only think about their aesthetics and the appearance to attract viewers or customers. To make the design more practical and durable, designers should pay attention to “assume” condition.
- How does Ito reflect on “strength” vs. the “fragile state of things?” Note his use of the idioms “a tightrope crisis” and “a house of cards.” What do you think these phrases mean?
He uses the strength of the economy and technology and the fragile things in the earthquake as contrast. Human is not able to control the nature and the outcomes of the disaster. “A tightrope crisis” is used to depict the scenes after the earthquake. The explosion happened in Fukushima nuclear plant caused panic. “A house of cards” shows that the architecture is fragile and there is little achievement of design.
- What do you think of Ito’s idea that, “any proposal for tackling this issue, however visionary, should be an encouragement… with the possibility of a natural disaster always looming.”
I think it is the explanation of what he mentions “assume design conditions”. The proposal of making a design and solving the issue is to assume the change in surrounding environment. For example, a London design studio designed the flowing house to deal with the problem of floods in the future. Design should design for the coming issue not always “reviewing the conditions”.
- How important do you think it is for designers to consider/encourage resiliency among people in their work? Why?
Design is a method to make any simple and normal product be more practical and can respond to human’s need. Human’s life depends on the whole system of the Earth and the changing environment, so design should not have any fixed idea and principle. Designers should design the products has the capability to adapt the natural disaster and climate change to adapt human’s changing life and habits.
- What are three traits you would describe Toyo Ito as having as an architect? How is he someone that designs for changing conditions?
He received the 2013 Pritzker Architecture Prize. As an architect, he is really talented. He cares about humanity and he uses his talent which serves all the people. He is also far-sighted. He designs timeless buildings according to the changing conditions. Pritzker Jury praised him for “infusing his designs with a spiritual dimension and for the poetics that transcend all his works”1. He considers more about future and changes. His designs are perceptual. All of the inspirations come from real life.
wangj075 • March 16, 2016