Giraffes, telegraphs, and hero of Alexandria
Subtitle: urban design by narration : SMAQ
By: editors: Sabine Müller, Andreas Quednau
Publisher: Ruby Press
Published: 2016
Place of publication: Berlin
Language: eng
Number of pages: 430
ISBN-13: 9783944074139
Subjects: City planning; Environmental aspects; Technological innovations; Philosophy; SMAQ (Firm)
Description: In this book, stories portray the production of our built environment, guided by three characters: Giraffes, Telegraphs, and Hero of Alexandria. Having developed its long neck to reach the leaves of high trees, the giraffe represents the vernacular approach to architecture, in which construction follows forces of nature. The telegraph, in contrast, embodies the modernist paradigm, in which technology reigns supreme and forces nature to adapt. Inspired by Hero of Alexandria, SMAQ subscribe to a third paradigm? using technology to optimize nature and, inversely, nature to assimilate technology. Their design concepts appear as tools ready to engage our contemporary urban environment, free of today's ecological and technological fundamentalism and in favor of experimentation, pleasure, and play.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.