Infrastructure

Generally speaking infrastructure refers to all the stuff that we use every day but never think about: water from the tap; the road to work; the ferry across the harbour, the footbridge we cross when we walk to lunch; the blackberry messages sent into invisible lines of communication. Infrastructure is made manifest when we take the Mid-level Escalator; the energy harnessed when we take a shower, we turn on a light, take the subway. Infrastructure also includes larger things that make the global economy go round: airports, energy facilities, schools, hospitals and transit rail links, sea ports.

An unexpected consequence of the huge amount of infrastructure spending to come over the next few years is that it will continue the symbiotic convergence of economic and social systems between America, Asia and Europe.


Challenge: Poorly conceived urban infrastructure investments today will have negative environmental, economic, and social impacts in the future.


Strategy :To place sustainable development, infrastructure, and the environment at the forefront of our poverty reduction efforts.


Response: Putting sustainable infrastructure at the forefront by promoting infrastructure investment, improving water and sanitation, focusing on clean and renewable energy, driving sustainable transport forward, unleashing the power of the carbon market, and supporting private sector operations and public-private funding.

Facadism

                                 Facadism in Brussels

Facadism is the practice of keeping façade of deconstructed building. The main purpose of Facadism is to preserve urban historic property for future generation and people can own more chances to recognize the context of specific city history. It also releases land of property uses to fulfill contemporary architecture function. The main supporter of facadism is the city government who care traditional value. Currently, this strategy is popular and occurred at several cities such as Rotterdam, Moscow, Paris, Detroit, New York, and Boston. It normally creates an amazing view of city, enhancing the diverse experience of urban environment.

                                Facadism in Detroit

Moreover, the façade details are very fragile. It is very easy to be broken in the demolishing and reconstructing process. How to protect it in these processes is a huge challenge for architects. However, facadism also receives so many criticisms. Some architects thought when new building is designed poorly and intensively, we should keep the historical building not only the facade. Facadism also introduces an idea for contrast between new building and old building. For example, in New York, Hearst Tower uses traditional facade for base under curtain wall skyscraper. This strategy preserve original context for urban elevation and provide higher floor ratio rate of land use.

                                 Facadism in New York: Hearst Tower

Resources: Wikipedia


Yang Yu Huang