THG In The Know

THG Blog Has a New Home

2011-01-27T21:43:00.000-08:00

If you're wondering where we've been, posting-wise, we're over at the brand new THG blog.
Check us out at thg.com.au/news/blog/ where we will be posting regularly.
Hope to see you there!

White with(out) one: Starbucks redesigns their logo

2011-01-05T22:35:00.000-08:00

So Starbucks has a new logo – minus the name and the word ‘coffee’ – and I seem to be experiencing a bit of déjà vu (anyone sick of hearing about the Gap debacle?)

The interesting thing here is that the public, through the advent of social media, now think they have a right to influence the logos of their favourite products. This clearly demonstrates the fundamental shift of control away from the marketers and into the hands of the audience. But can too much power corrupt? I think that if a brand mark has a sound strategy behind it, is it merely a fear of change that makes some die-hard brand fans react negatively (or is the strategy not so sound if it doesn’t resonate with customers)? Realistically, taking the ‘Starbucks’ off the logo is not going to affect the drinking experience of those already ambassadors for the Starbucks brand. The danger will come from the company trying to stick their hands in too many pies, and as a result not to anything too well.

I recently attended ICOGRADA’s Design Week in Brisbane and listened to Blair Enns talk about the benefits of specialisation. Enns advocates deep specialisation, which results in less capacity to compare your offering to that of your competitors. If you are the best provider of coffee, and only coffee, clients will come to you for their coffee. But if you do coffee, biscuits, spoons and envelopes all reasonably well, consumers can choose to go to a specialist spoon supplier, or someone else who offers the same quality of spoons – you’ve just opened up your market to a much wider range of competitors.

Personally, I had the impression that Starbucks coffee was expensive and not all that good – if you’re a coffee purist (which I am not, I must admit – I prefer a good hot chocolate!). As such, I am almost inclined to think that the removal of the ‘Starbucks’ might work in their favour. They’ve already got a passionate existing customer base, the market is pretty saturated so they are unlikely to be attracting hoards of new customers just based on their brand, and if they are trying to diversify into new products, a bit of ambiguity might actually help remove the initial ‘Starbucks’ stigma.

Check out what Starbucks have to say.

The Right to Shop: Retailers vs Consumers

2011-01-04T21:03:00.000-08:00

This year, I did all my Christmas shopping online.
And I’m clearly not the exception to the rule, if the recent backlash over the big boys’ attempts to impose GST on internet purchases is anything to go by.

Retailers are up in arms about online shoppers escaping GST on purchases, saying that local retailers are at a disadvantage because online purchases are not subject to GST – making it more affordable for shoppers to buy from overseas. Currently, products purchased on international websites having a value of less of $1,000 are not subject to GST when arriving in Australia. The big boys are asserting that an increase in online shopping will result in job losses in Australia, despite the fact that, according to Nielsen, 85% of Australians plan to spend less than 10% of their monthly spend on online shopping (http://hk.nielsen.com/documents/Q12010OnlineShoppingTrendsReport.pdf) .

For me personally, the reason I shop online is not because of the potential to save a few bucks on gifts for the people I love, but for the convenience of having my purchases delivered to my door, often at no additional cost. There’s no road rage over trying to find a parking space, no slow-walker rage over people who seem to think Dec 24th is a time to browse, and there’s no check-out rage from lining up for 39 minutes to buy a pair of shoes, only to get home and find two different shoes in the box (this actually happened to my mum at the DJ’s boxing day sale).

Regardless of the considerable savings to be had online, the 10% GST is missing the point. 10% on most items is a nominal charge, one that most customers would be happy to pay if they could be assured of good customer service, convenience and accessibility. I’d pay 50% more if I could find a salesperson that wasn’t 15 years old, bored and with no knowledge of the products they sell. According to The Australian, “online shopping has little if anything to do with tax evasion and a lot more to do with the Aussie dollar reaching parity with the US dollar, and an increasingly tech-savvy and cost-conscious consumer” (http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/opinion/push-for-internet-tax-off-the-mark/story-e6frg9if-1225981960650).

Like me, most consumers are not driven only by price when heading to cyber space – it’s an issue of value.

The real issue here is that retailers have created a monster. Continuous discounting, the ‘result’ of slow sales activity, has seen retailers advertise sale after sale in the lead up to Christmas. Consumers are not silly. Why would they buy at full price, when everywhere you look there are signs screaming '50% off!' Retailers have created a rod for their own back, with consumers now being so used to looking for a bargain that if there isn't one readily available, they will just head online for considerable savings and convenience.

Essentially, consumer buyer behaviour research suggests the issue is one of perception equalling reality. If consumers have a perception that the price of their favourite brand is actually the sale price (determined by repeated sales at the discounted price, where the consumer comes to associate the discounted price as the actual price), then when prices return to normal, the consumer does not experience the same level of value for money that they once did and may decide not to buy.

Retailers would do far better to understand this customer buying behaviour, particularly the influence of the web and social media and it’s affect on the way we live. The retail environment is changing not because of a 10% charge, but because people now have 24 hour access to their favourite brands, and with much lower barriers to entry on the web there is more variety to be had than trawling the mall. This is in part due to increasing retail rents, according to the ABC’s Unleashed blog: “Australia has some of the highest retail rents in the developed world with a recent survey revealing that Australian CBD rents rivalled those in leading international centres. Sydney CBD retail rents, for example, were second only to New York, with Brisbane and Melbourne CBD rents higher than cities like Milan, Rome, LA and Chicago” (http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/42688.html). With PayPal predicting online sales to grow from $28.9 billion last year to $36.8bn in 2013, this would suggest that a change in retail models is in order. Additionally, according to Neilson Wire, we now have the ability to get impartial reviews of products, which is influencing consumers in pushing the ‘buy now’ button. They found in their March 2010 report that “one of the great benefits of online shopping is the ability read others’ reviews of a product, be they experts or simply fellow shoppers. These opinions are most important when it comes to purchasing consumer electronics: 57 percent of online respondents consider reviews prior to buying. Reviews on cars (45%) and software (37%) rounded out the top three most important online influences when making a purchase.”

It seems that one of the major arguments of the retail consortium is the jobs that will be lost overseas if online purchasing is allowed to continue without a GST. What about all of the jobs that could be created in IT, distribution etc. that could come from investing in embracing the online shift, instead of fighting fate? And where are the big retailers sourcing their stock from? I would bet that the majority of it does not come from the small, local manufacturer.

Ultimately, there is a shift away from corporations towards consumers, which is the basic premise of web 2.0. The power is no longer in the hands of the biggest players, with the web actually creating the level playing field for those smart enough to know how to compete. Marketers are still trying to work out how to leverage off this new beast, but with connecting online now a way of life, it’s inevitable that retail will have to catch up to this trend.

Colours of the Web

2010-12-09T20:15:00.000-08:00

Work starts on CBD Howard Smith Wharf redevelopment

2010-12-09T20:11:00.000-08:00

Work has started on the redevelopment of one of Brisbane's last remaining pieces of untouched riverfront land.

Most of the 3.5 hectare site is expected to be made into public space at the end of the $17 million project that will transform the disused wharf into a park. It had been a concrete wasteland since it was last used in the 1980s.

Lord Mayor Campbell Newman said $4.1 million would be spent on a "super park", including planting 220 mature trees, 4200 square metres of turf and 2200 square metres of garden beds. Barbeques, picnic tables, and a children's playground will be installed and visitors will be able to access a grassy hill with views of the river and a rock climbing platform.

An air-conditioned glass elevator is to be built to provide easy access from the top of the cliffs.
Councillor Newman said $8.5 million would be used to restore and maintain the heritage wharf and buildings, which were last used in the 1980s by the water police.

“We are returning the Howard Smith Wharves back to the people of Brisbane as part of my vision to create a city of attractive parks, with at least 80 per cent of the site to remain open public space.”

He said timber would be used where possible during the remaining restoration works to match the heritage values of the site.

About 10 per cent of the site has been allocated for retail development, which could include a boutique hotel.

Council backed down from its original development plans when residents, led by Labor Councillor David Hinchliffe, threatened action in the Planning and Environment Court.

But in August the council rezoned the area to allow construction to go ahead, albeit with amended plans that include more open space and limiting the height of the hotel to the level of the clifftop.

BCC has approved another West End high-rise

2010-12-09T20:03:00.000-08:00

Brisbane City Council is expected to continue its defiance of a state order to lower density in Brisbane's West End, by approving another 12-storey development in the area.
It will be the second such development to gain approval from council since Planning Minister Stirling Hinchliffe scaled back building heights in the area, known as Precinct Seven of the South Brisbane Riverside Neighbourhood Plan, from 12 storeys to seven in August.

The first development is the subject of a court appeal by the West End Community Association. The second, the Water's Edge development in Duncan Street, West End, could attract the same attention.

Mr Hinchliffe rejected higher density in some areas of West End after he found there was not enough community infrastructure to support the extra people.

Local councillor Helen Abrahams has slammed council for continuing with plans to increase density after the minister's ruling, mirroring his concerns about the lack of social infrastructure.
Development Assessment chairman Amanda Cooper said the Water's Edge included 514 residential units and 2002 sq m of retail space and is the second stage of an earlier project of eight storeys.

Its eight-storey component was supported by Premier Anna Bligh at the time.
Cr Cooper said the development had been scaled back from 14 storeys to 12 and council considered it appropriate for the area.

"The site's proximity to the City, public transport, schools and other social infrastructure make it ideal for redevelopment.

"It's disused industrial sites like these that hold the key to accommodating growth in Brisbane while protecting the valuable tin and timber areas."

Cr Cooper said council was obligated to find 156,000 new dwellings under the State Government's South East Queensland Regional Plan.

"We understand that we have a responsibility to provide for growth, and we believe the best way to do that is to put higher density living into old industrial areas close to the City," Cr Cooper said.

"That way we can protect the leafy tin and timber suburbs and lifestyle Brisbane residents have come to love.

MVVA wins Gateway Arch Competition

2010-12-09T19:29:00.000-08:00

The multi-disciplinary team lead by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates have been selected to proceed to the planning stage of the Gateway Arch Competition in St. Louis, Missouri. The jury chose the MVVA Team over four others competing to enliven the area around the Gateway Arch and connect it to downtown St. Louis, the Mississippi River and the Illinois bank.

The MVVA Team’s design concept narrative describes their vision for the redesigned park: “Responding to the Memorial’s monumental scale is the central challenge of this assignment. Given the site’s sheer immensity, sectional complexity, and competing scales—all in a parcel surrounded by a crushing maze of infrastructure—we believe that expanding the site’s scalar and experiential range is crucial to engaging the wide-ranging competition goals. The creation of a new range of more intimate experiences, based primarily in landscape, will be the main engine for the transformation of the Memorial and its relationship with both the city and the river. We imagine a powerfully connective landscape that operates simultaneously in several ways—a landscape that will not only draw visitors from around the world but also serve as a new locus of civic energy in the daily lives of the citizens of St. Louis. The redesigned Memorial will be a centerpiece of civic culture, an engine of regional economic growth, a showcase for sustainable ecological restoration, and a celebration of the national significance of this historic place".

The project will be constructed by Oct. 28, 2015, the 50th anniversary of the completion of the Arch.

LA Warehouse Office is a Shipping Container City

2010-12-09T18:38:00.000-08:00

Pallotta TeamWorks is a charity event production company that runs bike races and other events. In 2002, they had grown out of their existing offices and needed more space, which they found in a large warehouse in the Atwater Village area of Los Angeles. The event company contracted Clive Wilkinson Architects to come up with a solution for creating an inspiring new headquarters inside the warehouse on a tight budget. The result is a shipping container city.

Pallotta TeamWorks found a good deal on the warehouse, but after running the numbers realized they wouldn’t be able to afford keeping the entire space air-conditioned — plus, they were working on a budget to build out the office. Clive Wilkinson Architects, who had come up with other creative solutions for warehouse spaces, conceived the idea to use shipping containers and large tents to create “breathing islands” inside the warehouse. These self-contained air-conditioned islands of activity provide space for each department within the company and gives them each an identity, and it also takes visual cues from the charity events and races the company produces.

Narrow “streets” connect each department together in a mini-city, while a larger container tower (three tall), serves as the “executive tower”. Clive Wilkinson’s design for the Pallotta TeamWorks headquarters received a design award from the AIA in 2002 for creating a lively work environment in a warehouse with reduced energy usage despite a low construction budget.

Artist Builds Incredible Coral Reef from Sunken Statues

2010-12-09T18:29:00.000-08:00

Located off the coast of Cancun, Mexico, artist Jason deCaires Taylor has created an incredible artificial reef of statues he calls the Silent Evolution. A compelling installation that took several months to complete, Silent Evolution embodies a spirit that shifts between sadness and awe, all while reminding us of the intricate relationship between man and nature.

Retro-Futurism: 13 Failed Urban Design Ideas

2010-12-09T17:56:00.000-08:00

Many an architect has dreamed up visionary plans for city centers, but few have actually seen their designs come to fruition in a real live urban setting. And while many such unbuilt concepts are technically viable, others are wacky, fanciful or downright bizarre. These retro urban design ideas for the future, from perfectly symmetrical egalitarian communities to the egotistical demands of a deranged dictator, will probably never become reality – and in many cases, we’re better off that way.

Gillette’s Metropolis

Gillette had a utopian vision for the future which revolved around a waterfall-powered tiered city he dubbed ‘Metropolis’. All residents of this imagined city would have access to the same amenities including rooftop gardens in the perfectly round, precisely divided multi-functional buildings in which they would live, work, play and eat. The design never went anywhere, but it’s notably similar to many very modern 21st-century concepts for sustainable urban centers.

Atomurbia

This concept, published in a 1947 issue of Life magazine, detailed how to atomic bomb-proof America by spreading the population across the land in a geometric grid and relocating all industry into underground structures so that any single bomb would do a minimum of damage. The whole plan would have cost a measly 5 trillion dollars in today’s currency, and the authors – atomic scientists from Chicago – thought it could be pulled off within a decade.

Hotel Attraction

Antoni Gaudi’s architecture defines Barcelona, Spain even today with its fluid curves, reflective surfaces and organic shapes – but it would stick out like a sore thumb in the comparatively staid cityscape of Manhattan. Perhaps that’s what he had in mind for ‘Hotel Attraction’, commissioned in 1908 and also known as the Grand Hotel. The rounded, spaceship-like form would have risen in the exact spot where the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were later built, but the idea was ultimately abandoned. Gaudi’s unrealized design was actually considered as a possibility for the Ground Zero memorial after the attacks of September 11th, 2001.

Ville Contemporaine

The architect known as Le Corbusier was an essential figure in the development of what we now know as modern architecture, and his many theoretical urban design projects aimed to make life better for residents of cramped cities. Displeased with the chaos of big cities, Le Corbusier designed ‘Ville Contemporaine’ as an orderly home to three million people where housing, industry and recreation all occupied distinct areas connected by roads that emphasized the use of personal vehicles for transportation.

Triton City

If not for a certain tell-tale 1960s aesthetic, Buckminster Fuller’s ‘Triton City’ could easily fit among today’s designs for floating eco-friendly cities. The futurist, architect and inventor was ahead of his time as usual when he imagined this tetrahedronal metropolis for Tokyo Bay, a seastead for up to 6,000 residents. Fuller wrote about the possibility of desalinating and recirculating seawater “in many useful and non-polluting ways” and using materials from obsolete buildings on land, which were hardly popular ideas at the time.

Future New York, “The City of Skyscrapers”

By 1925, many of New York City’s skyscrapers were already present, but futurists of the time envisioned not only a great deal more but a sort of aerial civilization complete with elevated train platforms and perhaps a rather unsafe number of aircraft flying around all at once.

New York City’s Dream Airport

This concept for “New York City’s Dream Airport” featured an astonishingly large – and some say ugly – runway platform. But for all of the prime real estate that this monstrosity would have devoured, it seems as if it could only handle a handful of planes at a time with absolutely zero margin of error, sending errant planes straight into Central Park or the East River.

Slumless, Smokeless Cities

How do you build a city so egalitarian that slums are eliminated entirely, and nobody ever has to breathe in pollution? Sir Ebenezer Howard, the father of the garden city movement, believed that a careful layout with six satellite garden cities connected via canals to a densely populated central city would do the trick. Thoughtfully, the design included specially designated spaces for “Eplileptic Farms”, “Homes for Waifs”, “Homes for Inebriates” and an insane asylum.

Boozetown

“Just imagine a resort entirely centered on the culture of alcohol. A boozer’s paradise built expressly to facilitate drinking and the good times that naturally follow. Where the bars, clubs and liquor stores never close.” Mel Johnson’s ‘Boozetown’ was an entirely sincere proposal with street names like “Gin Lane” and “Bourbon Boulevard” that would have begun as a resort town in Middle America and eventually expanded into a full-sized adults-only city with permanent housing and its own suburbs. After many obsessed years of struggling for financing, Johnson gave up on his dream in 1960 and died in a mental hospital in 1962.

Micro House in Tokyo Built On a Single Car Space

2010-12-09T17:43:00.000-08:00

There have been alot of impossibly tiny houses designed and built recently, but this house has literally been built on a plot intended for a single car. Side Architects is a firm that specializes is micro homes, and when a client approached them for the design of a structure on a mini pie-shaped lot next to a busy Tokyo street, they knew exactly what to do. Capitalizing on all available space, every corner of the three-story home is utilized, with south facing floor-to-ceiling windows and a transparent interior moderating the packed dimensions.

The home is the result of the owners’ desire to have custom home in the city of Tokyo. However, given the lofted housing prices permeating throughout the metropolis, they took their limited budget and joined the kyosho jutaku, or micro home trend, that is driving innovative design on the island nation.

Situated on a lot of only 30 square meters shaped like a slice of pizza, the home features a number of smart design initiatives that manage to make the most of the compacted space. The entrance to the home contains a spiral stair case that is able to save room by cutting the corners, thus becoming a triangle; tucked away storage is everywhere, behind walls, curtains and inside corners; and built-in furniture and mini appliances and fixture reduce the overall clutter. The exterior windows are shaded by louvers not only to reduce heat gain and noise, but to provide light and a views throughout the home.

The total cost of the design and construction rang in at half a million US dollars – or what you’d consider in Tokyo to be a 'bargain'.

COP16: Posters Depicting Designers’ Messages of Climate Change

2010-12-09T17:33:00.000-08:00

If a picture is worth a thousand words, there’s a whole lot of talking going on right now at the Eleventh Annual Poster Biennial of Mexico. “Disenyadores por la tierra,” (Designers for the Earth) is an exhibition of poster design down at the COP16 Climate Change Village exploring the theme of the relationship between man and his environment.

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

2010-11-07T15:35:00.000-08:00

Every month, the THG team get together with the team from Buckley Vann and chat about our shared experiences in the planning world. This month, Greg Vann took us through his recent study tours, with the overarching message that we are doing some great things in Brisbane - but good things take time, of which Europe is a prime example.

Greg spoke about the bike culture that exists in Europe, but what many of us aren't aware of is that this culture has taken decades to establish. While the single biggest thing that can be done to improve bike safety is to increase the number of people riding, sometimes we just have to start somewhere and get the ball rolling on initiatives that will eventually see us get to the number of riders seen throughout Europe (see THG's recent newsletter on CityCycle).

Greg's advice to us as fellow planners what that innovation takes time and picking battles is one way to achieve incremental change that adds up to a whole lot of change. Greg's focus has been on pinpointing specific locations or projects that can become demonstration projects for the future.

Essentially, Brisbane has done some good things when it comes to creating a city. The main issue is that our balance of transport is wrong - however that doesn't mean sweeping reforms are the way to go - if we just keep chipping away and there are demonstrated successes of schemes such as CityCycle and improved public transport use, change will be inevitable.

Interestingly, we all seem to be aware that the future of our industry is not going to be in developing land. What will our industry look like in 5 or 10 years time?

Creating Artificial Reefs in Thailand.

2010-10-28T21:40:00.000-07:00

Did you ever have a fish tank and put random objects in the bottom of the tank (such as pirate ships, treasure chests or figurines of scuba divers) for the fish to use as their houses? Thailand is doing the same thing now - only their fish tank is the ocean. The image above shows workers using an earthmover to push an old tank from a ship into the sea off Narathiwat province, southern Thailand in August this year. Twenty five junk tanks were transported from Bangkok and dumped at sea in the Gulf of Thailand to help forming artificial reefs and providing homes for fish.

Sociopolis: A Rurban Housing Project in Spain

2010-10-28T21:19:00.000-07:00

Five years ago, a housing project called 'Sociopolis' - a shared habitat - was proposed for Valencia, Spain. This project was aimed at triggering social interaction between inhabitants, proposing a new type of housing for the family structures of our time, and offering an environment of high quality.

Now it's becoming reality; roads are being build, and trees are being planted.

The main focus is on the social actions that a neighborhood should trigger, in order to create well-being in the city. Looking back in history, the construction site used to be the fertile region of Valencia since the time of the arabs, with clever irrigation systems, orchards and vegetable gardens.

What happens usually when european cities grow, is that nature and agriculture gets pushed aside. Rural and urban become two opposites that are hardly connected. For the arabs however, the vegetable plantations were their gardens, that formed part of the landscape and provide food for each family.

For the architects Vicente Guallart, (and his team) who presented the philosophy of the project at Barcelona Design Week, it was important to bring back the rural into the city; they call it rurban.

City vegetable gardens bring back the culture of the kitchen garden and its values, getting citizens involved again in the production and consumption pattern of today's economy. Eating locally grown food is not only more environmentally-friendly, but also makes you see where your food comes from, and what it takes to grow it.

Apart from creating houses with a view on gardens, Sociopolis is designed for the new way people get into groups to live together. Standard families (two parents and 1 or 2 kids) are now less than 50% of the Spanish families, and people have other needs. 8% of the population has some kind of disability and the new generations are expected to live much longer, which means that houses need to be made accessible, and livable, for all kinds of people, in order to avoid social exclusion.

The first stage of Sociopolis is currently being build; 2,500 homes on 35 ha on the shore of the river Turia in Valencia. The existing vegetable gardens and fertile lands are being protected, an irrigation system is being constructed and the historic country houses that exist on the land are being restored. Sociopolis aims not only to be a housing project, but wants to bring back the rural to the city, create a new kind of landscape and enhance citizen's well-being through a more social and natural environment.

Brisbane CityCycle: Strap on Your Helmets

2010-10-25T18:52:00.000-07:00

The first stage of the Brisbane CityCycle was launched on October 1st and is aimed at reducing traffic congestion and parking pressures in the inner city by replacing cars with bicycles. Once complete, CityCycle will offer up to 2,000 bikes at 150 stations from Newstead to St Lucia at a cost of $10 million, primarily targeted towards inner city commuters.

From a liveability perspective, the idea behind this scheme ticks all the right boxes. Of the seven elements of liveability described by US-based (and now launching in the Asia-Pacific, with THG as a founding member) Partners for Livable Communities, CityCycle particularly focuses on the categories of health and wellness, environment and quality of life. Ben Wilson of Bicycle Queensland said in a recent Brisbane News article that the scheme will “humanise our inner city streets, making them friendlier,” an outcome which can only result in special places to live, work and play.

However, the introduction of the scheme has not been without issues. The push to ‘Europeanise Brisbane’ doesn’t take into account the current lack of infrastructure available to Brisbane bike riders. Our streets are not as wide, flat and pedestrian friendly as ones in European cities, and the animosity between bike riders and drivers is evident in surveys such as a 2009 RACQ Pet Peeves survey, where 10,000 motorists voted cyclists disobeying the road rules as number 3 in a list of top ten frustrating issues on the road. However, this is a ‘chicken and egg’ question. Do we wait until the infrastructure is in place before we introduce schemes such as these or, do we do as the best innovators do, and take action in the hope of encouraging change?

Read the full THG In The Know story here.

Sustainability of the Property Industry

2010-10-19T23:15:00.000-07:00

THG and Ashe Morgan Winthrop dusted off the crystal ball this morning to discuss the future of the property industry.

According to presenters, Richard Katter and Dan Holden, one of the most significant outcomes from the Global Financial Crisis has been the market’s re-pricing of risk. They identified the means by which property market participants can manage this in regard to changing market demands and finance.

Both Dan and Richard spoke about the importance of doing your homework, particularly on the types of dwellings and price points offered to market.
Sustainability of the Industry. In particular, Richard's analysis of average incomes and the affect this has on purchasing power, compared to the price points of stock in the market shows a large disconnect between the price points in demand and the price points being supplied. This trend applies across Brisbane and the Gold Coast. According to Richard, detailed analysis is vital for the future sustainability of our industry.

Check out the chart which demonstrates this disconnect, particularly in the Brisbane market. The red lines show purchaser distribution (demand) and the blue lines are market distribution (supply)and indicate the over supply at the top end of the market.

If you want to know more about what was discussed, contact Richard at richardk@thg.com.au.

"Technology's got nothing to do with it...

2010-10-19T22:24:00.000-07:00

I found a great quote in the latest edition of Property Australia magazine:

Temple Sagrada Familia, Barcelona: "In terms of the power of the idea, the technology's got nothing to do with it because Gaudi dreamed it up before the technology. But in terms of realising the idea, without today's technology it would have been pretty hard to pull off"*.

One of the Directors at THG put this on my desk based on a discussion about new web technologies, but in retyping it, I think the real meaning is in the fact that Gaudi didn't let a lack of technology stop him from dreaming big. Just because there are nay-sayers out there, doesn't mean we can't imagine - and work out the details later. I was at a conference earlier in the year where a presenter said "design it as though you don't have to build it or pay for it" - a concept which certainly frees the mind to think of concepts that are totally outside the box.

*Mark Burry, a professional research fellow at the Victoria University at Wellington, Innovation Professor of Architecture and director of the Spatial Information Architecture Laboratory, the Design Research Institute at RMIT in Melbourne and executive architect and researcher at the Temple Sagrada Familia.

Got Green Space?

2010-10-10T18:44:00.000-07:00

I just found this little gem on the map magazine blog - a website called 'We Patch'. Essentially, it matches up wannabe gardeners with those who have some garden space to share. According to the website, "is an urban gardening project that brings together people looking for gardening space with those who have space to offer. By facilitating local, small-scale agriculture, we aim to strengthen neighborhood communities, foster healthy lifestyles, and promote environmental stewardship." There are plenty of other garden sharing sites popping up such as Yardish, Hyperlocavore, BK Farmyards, Urban Garden Share, Growfriend, and Landshare just to name a few.
This ties strongly back into the concept of liveability. According to the US based Partners for Livable Communities (of which THG is a foundation member of the Australian chapter), liveability is the result of seven categories, of which health and wellness, environment and quality of life feature heavily (alongside equity, economy, education and leadership). This scheme demonstrates a way to build communities, as well as making the best possible use of our space. It turns private space into public space, one of the basic principles of good urban design. According to Good magazine, the aim of these spaces is to "connect the estimated 40 percent of people in the United States without yard space with the 21 million acres of idle, underused space that’s currently being occupied by lawns."
What do you think? Would you get involved in a scheme like this? Would it work in Australia?

The Three D's of Customer Experience

2010-09-23T22:49:00.000-07:00

Did you know that while 80% of companies believe they deliver an exceptional customer experience, only 8% of customers agree with them? I found this fascinating statistic in this article, Three D's of Customer Experience. Apparently, the thing that sets the 8% apart is that:

"They design the right offers and experiences for the right customers.
They deliver these propositions by focusing the entire company on them with an emphasis on cross-functional collaboration.
They develop their capabilities to please customers again and again—by such means as revamping the planning process, training people in how to create new customer propositions, and establishing direct accountability for the customer experience."

For me, the most interesting of the 3 D's is that the entire company has to focus on customer experience through cross-functional collaboration. It's important for companies to realise that customer service is not just the role of the receptionist!

Train Station Architecture From Around the World

2010-08-29T16:01:00.000-07:00

If you were to describe Brisbane's train stations to someone, would words like 'beautiful', 'attractive', 'picturesque', 'breathtaking' or 'exquisite' come to mind? Probably not.

Train stations need not be boring or dreary! On the contrary, many operators of metros, subways or railways want to attract passengers with good station design. This often means a little extra effort and cost for the metro operators, but it seems to pay off when a metro is more than just a means of transport but something the residents can be proud of.

Works of art or sophisticated architecture can be delightful, inspiring and thought-provoking for daily commuters as well as an attraction for visitors. Distinctive colour schemes and works of art help passengers for orientation, especially in countries with a high level of illiteracy. Furthermore, there is evidence that vandalism diminishes in appealing stations because works of art and good designs are widely respected.

Below are some examples of amazing station design:

New York

Dubai

Kaohsiung

Munich

Stockholm

Madrid

Bilbao

Belgium

Moscow

Exactly How Much Space Do Cars Occupy On Our Streets?

2010-08-26T21:35:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered what the streets would look like with no cars? How much space would be available to pedestrians if vehicular traffic was not permitted where they are currently?

In 1975, an Austrian civil engineer named Hermann Knoflacher (a manager of the Institute for the planning of the transports and traffic at Vienna Technical University) developed the 'Walkmobile' which is essentially a wooden frame worn by a pedestrian with the purpose to show exactly how much space is occupied by a motorist.

The Walkmobile is a tool of protest against the record of cars in city that easily allows to visualize the irrationality of the vehicular urban traffic and the fact that it takes up an excessive part of the ground space. The experiment of Knoflacher has been repeated in different big cities in the world, from Austria to Thailand, showing the potential opportunities of the urban areas without cars.

The last picture especially, paints a very interesting picture of how our streets are being used by private motor vehicles. Another interesting note is that this 'protest' was performed 35 years ago.... I would think that the story of vehicular traffic today would be considerably magnifed than the transport climate in 1975.

The next time you are on the freeway in peak hour and stuck in bumper to bumper traffic jams - imagine each car as the Walkmobile and consider what the road would look like...

NY High Line Influencing Other Projects

2010-08-26T20:46:00.000-07:00

New York’s High Line has been a smashing success - so much so that other cities are now trying to emulate it. Los Angeles is working on its own version called the Harry Bridges Boulevard Buffer - a 12 hectare, 9-block wide swath of land in the Port of Wilmington. And while the Buffer doesn’t extend along an abandoned railroad like the High Line, it does have one thing in common with New York’s project: it’s transforming an urban eyesore into a public space.

The park, designed by Sasaki Associates, will stretch 914m and feature a flat lawn along with a walkway 15 feet above. Harry Bridges Boulevard Buffer will also offer fountains, groves an amphitheater, lawns, and multiple pavilions. Multiple pedestrian bridges will ease congestion.

Sustainability will feature prominently, with solar panels, drought-tolerant plants, tree planting, and bioswales all integrated into the park.

Planning For Sea Level Rise: NY

2010-08-26T18:18:00.000-07:00

As rising sea levels become more inescapable every day, some designers are planning for the future and creating concepts for how we might ultimately be forced to live. Turkish architects Sinan Gunay and Mustafa Bulgur, who have accepted our watery fate, say forget trying to hold the seas back, and just build higher. City(e)scape is their proposal for a new landscape built 70 meters above the water and attached to existing skyscrapers, creating a new ground plane.

When sea levels rise, the ground in parts of NYC will be swallowed up, leaving skyscrapers as pillars in the water. City(e)scape proposes to hook into these buildings at a higher level above the sea and create catwalks and a series of cubic structures strung between buildings. New streets would look something like the Highline Park, elevated above the water with vegetation as well as areas for growing food.

Building the new plane high enough would also allow for an increase in the sea levels, while a series of structures and connectors would lead towards the water for sea access. Some of the cubic structures would also be specifically designed for food production and water storage.

'Build a Better Burb' Competition Revitalizes Suburban Areas

2010-08-26T17:52:00.001-07:00

Manhattan may be a densely developed, well-oiled machine, but the neighboring suburbs of this bustling metropolitan paint another picture. These spaces are littered with vacant lots, barren asphalt parking, and other signs of poor urban planning - elements that continue to reap socio-economic havoc in the communities where they are located.

“Build a Better Burb” is a new design competition that sets out to recover 8,300 acres (roughly equal to the area south of 50th Street in Manhattan) in the Long Island boroughs of New York City.

The Build a Better Burb competition seeks to find a bold new design proposal that can retrofit underutilized spaces in suburban downtowns with more effective uses, forms and practices in planning and design. This competition aims to take hold of the pressing challenges these communities are facing and turn them into opportunities for economic productivity, environmental sensitivity, social sustainability, and beautification.

One interesting entry in particular comes from the design team of Tobias Holler, Katelyn Mulry, Sven Peters and Ana Serra. Their submission is called 'LIRR: Long Island Radically Rezoned – A Regenerative Vision for a Living Island'. Their proposal applys closed-loop principles on a macro scale. The resulting plan finds water, energy and waste neutrality, 100% of food is locally-produced, and the overall condition results in a 50/50 balance between nature and man-made.

The structures which sit at the bottom right of the image below, dubbed 'Bucky Domes' represent glass-enclosed high-density hydroponic farms, which will be responsible for producing food for all of Long Island. Wind farms sit offshore, taking advantage of the natural air currents.

Smart cells follow land use logic based on infrastructure - existing LIRR stations will be the focal point on which area subdivisions are made. Densification will occur within the downtown to more effectively utilize the man-made landscape, leaving open space in the surrounding area for agriculture and habitat restoration.

Fossil fuel-free transportation is the goal of the new system. To compliment the eco-efficiency of the existing LIRR, there will be restricted car access zones, eco boulevards with light rail, hybrid buses, and bikeways.

Downtown Hicksville is the model for revitalization, which follows four strategies that will alter vacant spaces and achieve the required suburban density.

New Apartment Complex in Taiwan Could Change the Way We Design Higher Density

2010-08-26T17:20:00.000-07:00

Ever wondered how apartment buildings and unit complexes could incorporate more public green space full of natural light and open air for residents to use without people having to go to a park accross the street?

A firm called BIG has proposed a solution.

BIG has developed a modern, pixelated design for a community tower called Taipei City Wall, which comprises of stacked apartment blocks. BIG arranged the layout of the boxes in a way that maximizes the site area in order to provide more light for each residence and access to green space as well as recreational areas. The result is a residential complex with significant urban density that still retains many of the suburban qualities that some covet, like access to open space and lots of light.

Currently in progress, the Taipei City Wall will make use of an 82,000 sq meter site in Taiwan. The design process for the residential complex envisioned a series of boxes stacked upon one another, leaving gaps between each box to let in light and encourage natural ventilation. BIG first stacked the boxes linearly and vertically, then condensed the tower in an accordion fashion, leaving behind a three-dimensional checkerboard facade.

Each box measures 15 x 15 x 15 meters and overlaps enough for an elevator shaft to connect to the highest floor. Five different types of spaces are available for the residents; a green forest where you can enjoy a spectacular view of the city, a Japanese stone garden for relaxation and immersion, a wooden pool garden where you can go for a swim, a playground for the kids, and finally a rooftop terrace on the 25th floor. The hope for the design is that the ample recreation and green spaces create a place for a local community to grown and develop.

When considering higher density, and the current perceptions which favour private backyards rather than communal park space; this proposal might hold the key to gradually introducing higher density outcomes in Brisbane. Although you share spaces with other residents, there are several different areas and it is for residents only - so it's semi-private. The social benefits associated with communal areas would also create a healthier place to live.

Container Complex Proposed For Leeds Waterfront

2010-08-26T16:54:00.000-07:00

Waterfronts that were once the bustling heart of industrial British cities are now more commonly seen as the hub of hot new property developments. However, initiatives like the 36 Calls Design Competition demonstrate that these property developments have the potential to be iconic projects with some great green credentials. One proposal which was shortlisted was from Aedas, which gives recognition to the industrial past of the waterfront with its ultra-efficient container-inspired modules, whilst injecting some truly modern and sustainable construction features into the complex.

The 36 Calls Design Competition was launched in Leeds in 2009 by The Architects Journal and British developer Citu. The competition brief demanded an iconic commercial space to fill a gap on the river Aire in Leeds, Uk.

Aedas' 'Container Calls' proposal integrates Passivhaus principles in its design while aiming to achieve a minimum BREEAM Excellent rating. The Aedas group explains: “The fabric of the modules is to adopt ‘passivhaus’ principles: high thermal mass, low air leakage and high insulation… The building has the potential to achieve zero carbon with the inclusion of further residual energy and a community combined heat and power plant.”

The proposal is also sustainable in its quest to create a new way for the community to interact within the building. It is designed to grow with the community, as the stackable nature of these container elements allows for change through the addition and subtraction of modules.

Los Angeles Dreams of a New Downtown River Park

2010-08-26T16:28:00.000-07:00

A 100 year-old rail depot resides next to downtown Los Angeles, and next to the rail yard is the famous LA viaduct, a ribbon of concrete and steel cutting thought the heart of the city. A study was just released to re-envision this 20th century monolithic development as a 21st century park complete with a green belt, a transportation corridor, and a recreation area lined with mixed-use developments.

The master plan combines existing rail with man-made wetlands and features a green belt of trails for bikes and pedestrians that is fed by Union Station and connects a ring of mixed-use neighborhoods. Baseball and soccer fields are also incorporated into the plan.

Turning the viaduct into a wetland has the added effect of protecting the lower neighborhoods from the flash flooding that the concrete channel currently hastens. The project’s biggest hurdle is also the heart of the reclamation plan - the Union Pacific Railroad’s Piggyback Rail Yard is not currently for sale, according to the owner. Complex negotiations will have to take place for Union Pacific to relocate a major container yard.

As technology changes and the sourcing of alternative resources and materials (which are more sustainable and environmentally-friendly) becomes the norm, the development of 'brown-field' sites could become more common. Old industrial sites which are becoming redundant are unlocking enormous opportunites and potential that has just never been an option in the past.

New Bicycle Superhighway in London Opened in July

2010-08-26T15:49:00.000-07:00

In places like Amsterdam, the streets are filled with mainly bicyclists and pedestrians, and private vehicles are the minority. This is mainly due to the proximity of destinations to eachother, as well as the cultural attitude towards environmentally-friendly transportation, and also the state of the infrastructure and ease of travel.

So, in cities which appear to favour vehicular transport (public or private) by consuming most of the streets within the urban fabric, the promotion of using alternative modes of transport (bicycles, etc) is somewhat obstructed due to safety concerns and the unfamiliar idea of 'shared streets'.

We have started to see dedicated bicycle lanes in Brisbane - but London have taken this idea and put it on steriods.

As a way to encourage bike commuting and improve safety for bicyclists on the road, London is opening a series of bike superhighways along important commuter routes. The first two Barclays Cycle Superhighways just launched today to mark the beginning of what London Mayor, Boris Johnson, calls a “cycle revolution“. Painted a bold, bright blue, the cycle highways are 1.5 meters wide and they provide a safer space and more efficient routes for cyclists to travel.

London isn’t the only locale pumping up its bike infrastructure. Other cities, like New York and Los Angeles are working on setting up biking networks, widening traffic corridors, and adding more lanes. London’s new bicycle superhighway network has 12 planned routes in all, but the first two are ready as of today.

The new bright blue bike lanes are designed to provide efficient thoroughfares for bikers, and more importantly, provide them with a safe space in which to ride. With 13 cyclist fatalities in 2009 alone, the city of London acted to help ensure the safety of their bikers while fostering a growing community devoted to low-carbon travel.

It may take some time before the cars get used to staying out of the blue lanes, but eventually the city will grow accustomed to them and learn to share the road better. The bike lanes are just one aspect of the London cycling revolution, which includes a city-wide bike hire scheme, a new cycling police unit, 66,000 extra bike parking spaces before 2012, and better strategic planning.

A 3m Wide House? As Long As You Aren't Too Claustrophobic...

2010-08-25T23:35:00.000-07:00

The Showa-cho House in Osaka Japan is an amazingly airy residence despite its miniscule 18m x 3.9m lot. Architect Fujiwara Muro made incredible use of the limited space available by building up and splitting the home in half with a staircase, which acts as both a transition space and delineates the private and public sides of the home without a wall. Plenty of daylight flows in, and a simplified modern interior streamlines the space, adding a tranquil feeling to a home dictated by a ten foot-wide interior dimension.

A Glimpse into the Future of LA

2010-08-25T22:59:00.000-07:00

Cutting-edge architecture firms were approached this year to consider what the sprawling West Coast metropolis of LA will look like in the year 2030. Michael Maltzan Architecture, Gensler and cityLAB-UCLA, have all taken a hard look at their urban environment and unveiled remarkable futuristic plans for a denser and more interconnected city.

Each firm envisions a future where the city is more interconnected, residential areas are denser, work is more flexible and there are more green spaces for recreation. The following are the visions from the three architectural firms.

LA is a large sprawling metropolis, but the city has expanded to its limits and must grow denser and expand vertically rather than expand horizontally. As a way to add density, Maltzan proposes to build a new street level on top of existing buildings, creating a new ground plane, green space and residential areas a couple stories up.

In the future, the boundary lines between home, work, and play will blur, and part of that blurring will affect the urban fabric or work life. New offices must be more open and interactive, providing more opportunities for spur-of-the-moment meetings and encounters along with easy access to green space and other amenities.

A traditional transportation system is not appropriate for LA, which has many different centers. Gensler proposes a GPS-enhanced mobility center that incorporates all modes of transportation (bus, rail, shared cars, bikes, etc) and is accessible via your smart phone. In this system user demand directs the transportation modes, rather than the transportation routes dictating where people can travel.

cityLAB-UCLA suggests that over time single family tract homes will begin building backyard homes on their extra land to make use of the space while providing extra income to their families. This additional residential space can also create a richer and more diverse community.

cityLAB envisions that big box retailers will shift their focus from just selling products to selling experiences. Big box stores will become interactive destinations, and the future of retail work will center on relationships and public service.

LA has a large network of roads as well as a large network of water distribution pipes and channels. cityLAB proposes to connect the two to create dynamic water-based landscapes like mist platforms, solar-encased water tanks, aquatic parking lots, and urban beaches.

Overall, the three firms believe in a much more sustainable, interconnected, and denser city where buildings serve multiple purposes and public transportation is the norm. Density, common spaces, more green space, and multi-purpose office facilities are expected to be the norm. New developments will expand vertically rather than horizontally, and open public spaces will become a top priority.

Particularly interesting to me is the 'blurring of the lines between work, home and play'. I feel that ideally, the line between home and play could be blurred somewhat, but that work should still have an element of separation between the other two.

Vertical Gardens: Patrick Blanc

2010-08-25T22:03:00.000-07:00

Taipei Concert Hall

French botanist Patrick Blanc designs gardens that defy gravity. His vertical gardens (or green walls) are amazing plant art grown on a massive scale. One inside a Portuguese shopping mall is larger than four tennis courts, and there's one in Kuwait that's almost as big. But Blanc's recently completed facade for the Athenaeum hotel in London (shown below) could be his most high-profile project yet. Looming over Green Park, it's an eight-story antigravity forest composed of 12,000 plants.

Blanc uses a kind of techno-trellis as the underlying structure: A plastic-coated aluminum frame is fastened to the wall and covered with synthetic felt into which plant roots can burrow. A custom irrigation system keeps the felt moist with a fertilizer solution modeled after the rainwater that trickles through forest canopies.

Blanc says his creations will always reach upward: "I leave horizontal gardens to others. I only think vertically."

Rue d'Alsace, Paris

Sustainable Roundabout Manages Stormwater and Traffic

2010-08-25T21:24:00.000-07:00

Have you ever thought that the space in the centre of roundabouts could serve a greater purpose than merely managing traffic?

In Uptown Normal, Illinois, Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects completed work on The Circle, a multi-functional, sustainable roundabout that cleanses and re-circulates stormwater into a public fountain, improves traffic circulation at a busy five-street intersection, and provides community green space. The site’s stormwater management system features innovative elements like filtration bogs, ultra violet sanitizers, and a 'structural cell system'.

The Circle plaza sits adjacent to the town’s planned multi-modal transportation center, which will connect residents to bus, train, or bike routes.

Peter Schaudt, partner of Hoerr Schaudt, said: “The heart of Normal’s new downtown is a model of environmental awareness that addresses two key challenges in American urbanism today: responsible use of water and a reduced dependence on automobiles. We will see the need for spaces that combine creative infrastructure with public space increase dramatically in the next decade.”

Excess runoff not captured by this sytem is funneled to a 76,000 gallon underground cistern, created from abandoned underground storm sewer infrastructure. Water in the cistern will be used to irrigate the surrounding street trees.

The new roundabout should reduce traffic accidents. According to Federal Highway Administration, installing roundabouts results in 90 percent reduction in fatalities, 76 percent reduction in injury accidents, 75 percent fewer pedestrian and vehicular conflict points, and reduction in overall pedestrian injury. Hoerr Schmidt says roundabouts also help reduce idling, which in turn helps lower local air pollution.

The new green space offered in the middle of the roundabout also adds valuable community space. The center lawn is somewhat insulated from car noise. “The natural sounds of the flowing water help to mitigate the sounds of ongoing traffic.”

Urban Sprawl in the US: Amazing Aerial Photography

2010-08-25T21:06:00.000-07:00

Christoph Gielen has captured these amazing visuals of the results of urban sprawl in US suburbs.

Japanese Aged Care Designed to Keep You on Your Toes

2010-08-25T20:45:00.000-07:00

When you're old and gray, do you plan to live a nice, comfy life filled with creature comforts like floors that don't make you trip and fall and a bathroom with a door?

Well, too bad.

NY-based architects Arakawa & Gins, whose motto is "We have chosen not to die", say that their bizarre, crayon-colored Reversible Destiny Lofts can help inhabitants stay sharp and young by taking away their stability and keeping them constantly on their toes with unexpected level changes, super-small door openings and bumpy flooring. Sounds perfect for people with fragile bones and bad eyesight, right?

Located in the Mikata area of Tokyo, the abstract lofts look more like a McDonald’s playground than residences meant for elderly adults. Much like the very popular Nintendo DS game “Brain Age,” each crazy-looking unit was designed to stimulate the senses far beyond what a typical older person is used to in their daily lives, keeping them nimble.

Aside from uneven floors and weirdly shaped doors, the apartments feature outlets that need to be pulled down from the ceiling, rainbow-hued walls (that may or may not be perpendicular to the floor), exits that you have to crouch to use, and circular windows.

So how much will it cost to live in these wacky lofts if you want to get an early start to reversing the downhill course of your human life? Well, there are two rental units available for 220,000 and 250,000 yen (about $2,000 and $2,400) per month – a small price to pay for a longer life.

Singapore... Not Just a Stopover Anymore!

2010-08-25T19:20:00.000-07:00

I recently just returned from a week-long trip to Singapore. One thing that is immediately obvious as soon as when you arrive is that they are seeking (and succeeding) to become more than just the 'stop-over on the way' that it has been for so many people. There were so many interesting places to visit while I was there - from the new Marina Sands Sky Park to the historical temples in Chinatown. Below are some of my favourite photos from my trip - keep a look-out for the next THG In The Know Industry Alert - where I will discuss some of my observations about Singapore and their current tourism-driven culture.

Solar-Powered Gate Park in Dubai is Desert Oasis

2010-08-25T18:49:00.000-07:00

This mixed-use development project designed by Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill is composed of six curving towers covered in a solar-powered canopy, with hanging gardens and reflecting pools below which act as thermal sinks. Inspired by the Middle East’s ancient and modern souks, 'Park Gate' will serve as a place to rest, socialize and do business in the heart of Dubai.

Park Gate is set to be a 4.7 million sq ft project that will include offices, retail space and a hotel. Its 6 gently curved towers will be grouped in pairs and covered with a light weight vaulted canopy overhead to provide shade for the interior, reducing the ground temperatures by 10-15 degrees. Solar panels cover the roof of the canopy providing renewable energy for the development and also provide structure for the hanging trellises and gardens. The hanging gardens are watered with a water-efficient gray water misting system and help cool the surrounding air.

Oriented to reduce solar heat gain and to receive optimum natural ventilation in the form of sea breezes, the arched structure will provide a shady and cool respite from the desert sun. Balconies on the interior of the arches look down on the cool gardens and reflecting pools below. The salt-water pools act as a thermal sink, absorbing heat during the day and releasing it back during the night. Drought tolerant vegetation is planted throughout the gardens and indigenous, salt-water-tolerant plants are planted near the pools, which reduces potable water use.

Public Transport Flys Over Traffic Jams in China

2010-08-25T18:29:00.000-07:00

An interesting system was unveiled at the Beijing International High-tech Expo in May, consisting of a 4 to 4.5 meter-high subway car with passenger boarding on the upper level and a hollow shell on the lower level for vehicles to pass through.

The 'Straddling Bus' looks kind of like an above-ground subway - except for the part where regular cars go under the subway cars.

The creator spouts off some impressive statistics for the system: capacity for 1200 to 1400 passengers, reduction in traffic jams by 20% to 30%, and cheap building costs (10% of the cost of a traditional subway). It would definately be an innovative and efficient use of land and infrastructure... but the potential safety aspects will have to be bulletproof by the time a trial run arrives.

Sydney Transforms Waterworks Ruins into Urban Public Park

2010-08-25T18:02:00.000-07:00

Sydney has infused the ruins of a public waterworks with new life by transforming the antiquated infrastructure into a vibrant public park. Designed by TZG Architects and JMD Designs, Paddington Reservoir Gardens is the reincarnation of a defunct reservoir from the 1800’s. Situated a full story below street grade, the park has preserved the original barrel vault roofs and trusses with a subtle weave of new materials and a dynamic design that frames the history of Sydney’s growth into a metropolis.

The original water works was completed in 1878, but it was decommissioned after only 20 years due to low pressure and brackish water. And there it sat (occasionally changing hands until a service station had to abandon the building in 1993 after the roof collapsed), leaving the site derelict but for feral cats and a shadowy graffiti movement who under the cover of night filled the walls of the 1023-square-metre site with stunning frescoes and murals.

Now, with almost $10 million worth of restoration work complete, the old ruins have been tranformed into a stunning Romanesque sunken garden with a lake of contemplation at its centre and a hanging garden canopy around the perimeter and an eastern chamber left empty but for the wall art. This blank canvas 'cultural precinct' will host markets, art and film festivals.

The park collects water from the neighbouring Paddington Town Hall, and from on-site rainwater storage tanks located beneath the walkways and planters. Australia is a leader in water efficiency, so the waterworks’ approach to water preservation is as symbolic as it is functional. The park has a dense layer of subtropical plantings laced with raw materials like wood beams, concrete, iron, and brick. The supporting materials were placed discretely in order to enhance the preserved structures.

This sensitive approach of designing heritage sites can be compared to The High Line in New York - with preserving the integrity of its history, while creating a new useable urban space for people to enjoy and benefit from.

We Have Pre-Fab Housing... Why Not Furniture?

2010-08-25T17:08:00.000-07:00

With pre-fabricated housing offering a tangible solution to affordable housing as well as the increase in demand, more companies are using these principles of 'flat pack design' to accommodate a different range of people and their needs and budget.

Dan Civico has designed a multi-purpose simple flat-pack chair which also could function as an art piece on the wall. Each ChairKIT_ is an artfully-designed graphic panel that transforms into a buildable chair that comes with everything you need for quick construction. The ChairKIT_ is the result of a fun experiment where Civico mixed manufacturing processes with handcrafting techniques to create a stylish set of modern chairs at an affordable price point.

Made from CNC-routed, sustainably-sourced birch plywood with various handcrafted, solid timber inserts (including walnut and oak), Civico’s kit maximizes materials while offering users the chance to construct their own furniture, thus giving them a more unique sense of ownership.

The same idea of 'sense of ownership' can be applied to pre-fab housing. Affordability is obviously one of the most important factors in creating communities for today's market, but the last thing we want is uninspiring, monotonous rows of housing. Variety and choice will be key in finding a balance between affordability and identity.

In terms of pre-fab furniture and housing, if you like Ikea - the future is looking a whole lot more exciting and full of 'Allen keys'!.

Could Walkability Increase the Value of Your House?

2010-08-24T23:16:00.000-07:00

When you think about the value of your home, or how much you would pay for a home, you generally think of terms such as size, quality and supply & demand. But would you consider walkability affecting housing prices?

A service called Walkscore (currently only in the US) could change the way we think about house prices in the future.

Walkscore calculates the walkability of a neighborhood or location. It uses a 100-point scale (0 = car dependent to 100 = most walkable) and measures and reflects the proximity to, and convenience of having destinations such as schools, libraries, parks and coffee shops within walking distance, as well as the value households attach to mixed-use neighborhoods.

Walk Score ranks 2,508 neighborhoods in the largest 40 U.S. cities to help people find a walkable place to live.

Studies have been performed by the creators of Walkscore which suggests that the walkability of cities translates directly into increases in home values. Homes located in more walkable neighborhoods command a price premium over otherwise similar homes in less walkable areas. Houses with the above-average levels of walkability command a premium of about $4,000 to $34,000 over houses with just average levels of walkability in the typical metropolitan
areas studied.

Using an economic technique called hedonic regression, the Walkscore service estimates how much market value homebuyers attach to houses with higher Walk Scores. The creators have looked at data for more than 90,000 recent home sales in 15 different markets around the US. Their statistical approach controlled for key characteristics of individual housing units (their size, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, age and other factors), as well as for the neighborhoods in which they were located (including the neighborhood’s income level, proximity to the urban center and relative accessibility to employment opportunities).

After controlling for all of these other factors that are known to influence housing value, their study showed a positive correlation between walkability and housing prices in 13 of the 15 housing markets that they studied. In the typical market, an additional one point increase in Walk Score was associated with between a $500 and $3,000 increase in home values.

These results show that consumers and housing markets attach a positive value to living within easy walking distance of shopping, services, schools and parks. The property value premium for walkability seems to be higher in more populous urban areas and those with extensive transit, suggesting that the value gains associated with walkability are greatest when people have real alternatives to living without an automobile.

We find this forward-thinking way of assessing house prices particularly significant and valuable; being active members of Partners for Liveable Communities, we endeavour to use our skills and knowledge we gain from such organisations and associated research to create great places for people.

Wave Power: Living on an Island has its perks...

2010-08-24T23:00:00.000-07:00

The World Energy Council just named Australia’s southern shores the world’s most promising site for the development of wave power.

The World Energy Council noted that if we developed just 10% of our country’s viable wave power sites, we could achieve our goal of reducing emissions by 60% of year 2000 levels by 2050. That means that if just 20% of the possible wave power sites in Australia were developed, the whole country could be run entirely by the sea.

Mark Hemer (a physical oceanographer from Australia’s CSIRO Wealth for Oceans National research flagship) did a study with his colleague, David Griffinm, in the AIP’s Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy to completely flesh out the potential of the Australian waves.

Hemmer and Griffen found that Australia’s energy consumption is 130,000 gigawatt-hours/year and that it could be covered with only a small portion of viable wave power areas.

In their study, the team does not push Australia to generate all of their energy from wave power, but they are strong proponents of using this “massive resource” as a way to cover Australia's goal of reducing emissions.

With recent developments and technology in wave energy becoming ever more efficient and powerful - this task might not be so difficult for us to carry out.

Huge Carbon-Neutral Park Proposal for Hong Kong

2010-08-24T22:48:00.000-07:00

Foster + Partners have just unveiled plans for a massive 56-acre urban park on a reclaimed harbor-front site in Hong Kong.

Designed as a carbon-neutral development, West Kowloon Cultural District will seamlessly blend into existing streets while creating large expanses of green space and seventeen new cultural venues. Multi-purpose facilities, public transportation links, energy efficient-design and renewable energy generation will help make the new City Park a prime Hong Kong destination.

The entire district will be raised 3 meters above its current elevation to accommodate for new infrastructure below. Streets, parking, utilities and urban transport lines will mostly be located below to increase the size of the green and public spaces above. The new cultural district will include an impressive array of facilities including the Great Opera House, M+ (a pioneering museum of modern art),concert halls, and a 15,000-seat arena with an expo centre below. It will also feature arts education facilities, apartments, offices, shops, and a 2 kilometer waterfront promenade with brilliant views of the Hong Kong skyline.

Transportation strategies include new metro stations, walking paths and footbridges, ferries across the water, and a fleet of eco minibuses within the district itself.

City Park is being designed to achieve carbon neutral status through highly efficient buildings and low-energy infrastructure. The low-energy design includes district cooling/heating, grey water recycling, energy recovery systems for sewage, recycling, a waste-to-energy plant, and provisions for solar and wind energy generation.

Australia to Drop Compulsory Bicycle Helmet Laws?

2010-08-24T22:01:00.000-07:00

Australia is yet again debating the relative merits of helmets for cycling.

This notion is even more controversial since Australia was the first country to introduce a mandatory bicycle helmet law back in 1991.

Associate Professor Chris Rissel (one of the authors of the 2008 national report Cycling - Getting Australia Moving, which had the sub title of: Barriers, facilitators and interventions to get more Australians physically active through cycling) believes that "What it does is it puts people off cycling and makes people think that cycling's a dangerous activity, even though it's a really healthy thing to do and it increases people's physical activity."

Then there's Professor Frank McDermott (former chair of the Victorian Road Reauma Committee - also known as "the man who spearheaded the original campaign to make bike helmets compulsory.") saying there is no question that if the current laws were overturned, head injuries would rise.

Both experts in their respective fields and both no doubt correct in their observations. Rissel says, "You've got helmets creating a barrier to cycling, particularly spontaneous, short-trip cycling". And McDermott cites studies showing "... head injury frequency was reduced about 50 per cent in those wearing bicycle helmets."

One bike rider interviewed made the comment, "But the more cyclists on the road the safer it is for each cyclist as an individual, and helmets are a barrier to getting more people cycling. More cyclists also means less cars and higher demand for safe cycling infrastructure."

Richard Birdsey vice-president of the bike advocacy group, Bicycle New South Wales see road safety, not helmet laws, is the biggest turn-off for potential cyclists.

Here again we see that often issues are neither black nor white, but rather grey.

Maybe if we focused on improving cycling infrastructure that made riding bikes safer, and a more acceptable form of short distance transport, then the helmet conundrum would simply cease to be an issue.

Rissel wants to see a trial for two years in one city to see if repealing the bicycle helmet legislation increases cycling participation, and/or any change in the volume of head trauma case. The Sydney Morning Herald does note that he still supports helmets for children and those riding longer distances.

The Water Cube is now a water park!

2010-08-24T21:16:00.000-07:00

After the amazing success of the Water Cube in Beijing for the 2008 Summer Olympics, the aquatic center has spent the last year undergoing renovations in order to become an incredible (and massive) indoor water park.

Rather than just let the record-smashing facility sit there unused, the owners have transformed the space into the fantastical Happy Magic Water Park, complete with slides, a lazy river, a wave pool, floating jellyfish and more. Now Beijing's second most visited tourist spot (after the Great Wall) is a hot spot for family activity and the largest water park in Asia.

In a city where the minimum wage is 960 yuan per month ($158.75), at 200 yuan ($33.05) for adults and 160 yuan ($26.45) for children to enter the park, it seems the emphasis is on attracting tourists rather than locals. For this price visitors can gain entrance to the park complex, which also includes shopping arcades, cafes and performance stages, whereas a much more feasible 50/30 yuan remains the entrance fee to the water park alone.

Green Roofed Office in Iceland

2010-08-24T21:07:00.000-07:00

New York-based WORK Architecture Company has unveiled a design for Landsbanki Bank Headquarters that consists of a series of green-roofed steps rising up from a ground-level city park. The striking proposal is designed to visually connect the historic old town of Reykjavik with the newer, more modern scale of the buildings on the edge of town. Courtyards and a narrow floor layout provide occupants with plenty of daylighting and access to the outdoors in Iceland's capital city.

WORK’s facade design for the Landsbanki Bank, which serves as both structure and fenestration, was inspired by the interwoven patterns of Icelandic art. The design proposes a series of programmatic strips that are stacked to create strategic voids and shared elevated gardens. The shared gardens are protected from the cold northern winds by the exterior of the building, and the green roof acts as an extension of the courtyards and the nearby park.

...and you think Brisbane's traffic is bad....

2010-08-24T20:19:00.000-07:00

If you have ever sat in a traffic jam and thought to yourself 'if I got out and walked, I would probably get there quicker!', next time spare a thought for drivers in China heading to Beijing along the Beijing-Tibet expressway.

A 62-mile (100km) traffic standstill on the 'expressway' is now in its ninth day, with individual drivers caught in it for as long as three days.

If ever there were a case for the importance of good urban planning that includes mass transit, this is it.

The cause of the jam (beyond the skyrocketing number of drivers in China) is heavy use of the route by trucks bringing construction supplies into Beijing. The trucks don’t just add to traffic; they also damage the road, necessitating repair crews.

The roadway is also a major artery for transporting produce, coal and other basic supplies into Beijing — meaning that the city’s ill-planned growth could choke off its economy. Drivers stuck in the traffic, according to international reports, are taking it in their stride, but with roadside vendors quadrupling their prices for food and other goods, the prospect of civil unrest looms near.

If the growth of Beijing needs to continue requiring imported material brought along vehicular expressways, perhaps separate routes for industrial traffic should be considered - which could be specially designed for heavy vehicles, eliminating the chance of broken and cracked carriageways.

Additionally, the public transport system should be revisited in relation to its extents and coverage - if people have more options for travel - this kind of situation could be totally avoided.

Help THG Support the City Care 2Can Appeal

2010-08-17T18:44:00.000-07:00

We've just sent out an appeal to our clients and collaborators to help us fill a giant orange wheelie bin in our reception with cans for the City Care 2Can Appeal.

City Care is a not-for-profit Charitable Institution which was founded in 1995 to assist marginalised people in Brisbane and is situated about one block from our Brisbane office on Albert Street.

One of the initiatives of City Care is the 2Can Appeal for the month of August. A donation of 2 cans of food (or monetary contribution) helps raise awareness and vital food supplies for its Community Care and Emergency Assistance programs. All donated food items go towards pre-packed emergency food packs which feed approximately 4,000 people per year. We thought this would be a great way for us to help out our community.

If you would like to donate, either visit the City Care website or drop by our offices with your donation.

Read the email here.

What have you done lately?

2010-08-05T23:25:00.000-07:00

Just found this awesome infographic over at Information is Beautiful.
Really made me think - what sort of a cognitive surplus do we have laying around THG that could be used to create the next wikipedia?
What about at your organisation?

Universal Housing Guidelines - Liveability for All

2010-08-03T23:03:00.000-07:00

Recently, the Government released a document called the 'Universal Housing Guidelines' which detail a set of (at present) voluntary guidelines that aim to have all new homes in Australia designed to satisfactorily accommodate all residents irrespective of their specific requirements by 2020. In short, the aim is to make all homes liveable for all, specifically looking at things like access for disabled and elderly people. The Federal Government states that a liveable home is designed to:
* be easy to enter
* be easy to move around in
* be capable of easy and cost-effective adaptation, and
* be designed to anticipate and respond to the changing needs of home occupants.

Whilst these guidelines are an important step in the right direction, the Australian housing and construction industries are in no way capable of absorbing the related additional costs in the current market. Basic economic law suggest that as price increases, supply should also increase as more participants enter the market attracted by increased profits. Currently, Australia is experiencing inadequate housing supply because the profits on offer are not sufficient to encourage activity in the market. The Government needs to acknowledge this and accept that for our communities to become more sustainable and liveable a balance between all elements of liveability must be achieved; not dissimilar to the triple–bottom-line of sustainability.

Check out the THG website for the full article.

How do you define your city?

2010-07-14T23:29:00.001-07:00

In Melbourne at the recent AGIdeas conference, I was reminded of the launch of Melbourne's recent rebrand recently, a dynamic logo that really represents Melbourne's commitment to design. It got me wondering about what we have here in Brisbane - does our branding really represent what we're all about in Brisvegas?
A lot of scouring the internet later and I found that Brisbane had recently launched a new brand with the tagline 'Australia's New World City' - but not to a lot of fanfare. And I can see why - while the Melbourne branding is elegant, dynamic and representative of what makes Melbourne unique, the Brisbane brand is... safe. It doesn't make any out there statements about who we are or who we would like to be. But maybe that's because we don't know yet?
Following on from this, I recently read on the Map magazine website about the citid project. The project is crowd sourcing logos for cities all around the world, asking people to design a logo that they think best represents their town. The idea is to raise awareness of some of the less well known towns and end up with a logo for every city in the world. It's really interesting to see how people identify with their cities, for example a large number of the logos feature trains - demonstrating an affiliation with public transport. If you could re-do the Brisbane logo, what would you want to say?
(Image source)

Google Map Routes: Public and Private Transportation... and Now Bicycles Get Mapped!

2010-07-01T22:26:00.000-07:00

In the United States, designated bike lanes and a growing bike culture have started to garner mainstream attention. And bicyclists now have a giant ally—Google.

At the 10th Annual American Bike Summit in Washington, D.C. in March 2010, Google announced their maps feature will include bike routes for 150 U.S. cities. The feature includes 15,000 miles of off-street bike trails.

Google made the decision after receiving a petition with more than 50,000 signatures for bike routes to be added to its maps. Google Maps introduced driving directions in 2005, and in 2007 the site added transit routes. Pedestrian navigation followed a year later. Now, it’s the bikers’ turn.

Online tools for mapping bike routes have existed for years, such as RideTheCity.com, which also points out bike shops along your route. But with an organization as enormous as Google collating bike-friendly travel information, two-wheel enthusiasts hope city planners and politicians will take note and improve bicycling conditions across the United States.

The League of American Bicyclists, who sponsored the American Bike Summit, hopes the Google feature will encourage wary would-be cyclists to get on the road, give more seasoned bikers the respect they deserve, and curb unnecessary motorist pollution by highlighting safe routes:

Dark green indicates a dedicated bike-only trail,
Light green indicates a dedicated bike lane along a road
Dashed green indicates roads that are designated as preferred for bicycling but without dedicated lanes

Eventually they will map the bike routes in Australia, but do you think it would be as successful as in the US?

Perhaps monitoring the preference that people have via Google can provide us with accurate data on which modes of transport people use, giving city planners the supporting information they need to justify a particular concept in relation to transportation.

Planning for people is the most important thing in designing communitites - but planning AROUND the existing inhabitants of a community is the key to creating great places.

Old Gasometres Given New Life

2010-07-01T22:00:00.000-07:00

It is a bit like the perfect self-contained hemispherical world of Truman Show, but in real life … and times four. Once constituting the largest gasworks in all of Europe, a series of stunning cylindrical brick structures from the 1800s have found an uncanny new use in modern times as a completely domed-interior town-within-a-city on a spectacular scale.

In their second life, these gasometer buildings have been converted into a giant community of shops, residences, hotels, entertainment, civic, public and garden spaces interconnected by a series of soaring skyways and uncanny underground passages.

Located in Vienna, Austria, these century-old buildings were abandoned shortly after construction as they were no longer needed to hold coal gas – leaving each of the four industrial structures with nearly 1,000,000 square feet (92,900m²) of unused interior space under gigantic roof-spanning skylights above – but it took nearly a hundred years until someone would think to turn them into a town.

The interiors vary from one 230-foot-tall (70m) structure to the next, giving them each a distinctive appearance and functional personality. With over 1500 residents and 70 shops, restaurants, bars and cafes, it is no wonder that urban designers and planners from around the world have studied the unique architectural and cultural phenomena and the virtual online community that has arisen out of this giant connected gasometre city.

Its interesting that the designers wanted to keep the original facade, and only develop the hollow middle of each cylinder. Maintaining the historical memory of what used to be was evidently one of the main objectives of this development.

Even though this concept may seem a bit far fetched, at Newstead in Brisbane, there is the perfect opportunity to mirror this development; creating something iconic and bold for our city.

The old gasometre skeleton which is visible from Breakfast Creek Road has the potential to be transformed into something amazing. The site is currently under development (see below for the current site plan), but there is yet to be any indication of how the steel structure will be used.

It would be fantastic to see the gasometre used for something like mixed use / residential / commercial, but I'm not sure if Brisbane is prepared or ready for such a giant creative leap.

Picnic Table by Day... Homeless Shelter by Night.

2010-06-27T22:34:00.000-07:00

Did you know that charity organisations across Brisbane City estimate there are more than 4,000 homeless people in Brisbane, with about 400 squatting in the CBD alone.

Melbourne architectural firm Sean Godsell Architects has developed the concept for a make-shift homeless shelter which acts as a public picnic table during the day. The rationale behind their design is:

'Each year millions of dollars are spent on urban infrastructure projects in cities around the world. Bus shelters, tram stops, park benches and picnic tables, playgrounds, train and tube stations, waste and recycling bins, bicycle paths and parking are all commissioned and designed to improve our civic amenity and day to day existence. That is unless of course you are unfortunate enough to find yourself living on the streets.

Without exception every piece of urban infrastructure designed across the globe has, as a key part of its brief – ‘make sure that homeless people can’t use it.’ Moulded plastic seats, closely spaced armrests, steel studs on benches all make it impossible to lie down and are deliberate design decisions. Constructed shelters such as bus and tram stops remain brightly lit well after public transport has stopped for the night to deter homeless people from having a few hours sleep under cover.

The Picnic Table House could be an exception. The table top folds down and is supported on the bench seats to make a roof. A woven stainless steel mattress and protective frame is supported between the legs of the table. Survival kits, packed remotely by volunteer workers or emergency relief agencies can be locked into position under the bench seats either side of the mattress. The survival kits would contain separately food, bedding, hot drinks, a light and a first aid kid. Once emptied a survival pack becomes secure stowage while sleeping'.

While I think the concept is great (as there is so much public infrastructure out there, and even more homeless people), the reality of this type of design could be a brick wall. Physical issues such as the cleanliness of the table, seats and floor might take a battering after it provides accommodation throughout the night, the safety of the homeless sleeping out in a park at night is minimal, as well as the possible conflicts that could arise between homeless people to procure and retain picnic tables for the night could all create more trouble than the concept is worth. Not to mention the psychological impacts of such a concept... sleeping under the table might seem a bit degrading.

But are our current shelters and associated services in Brisbane doing enough? Can we, as designers within our cities combat homelessness in a effective, proactive, and safe way? How can we cater to the needs of the homeless to allow and encourage them to rebuild their lives and self-confidence?

New Technology to Help Design More Efficient Cities

2010-06-27T21:26:00.000-07:00

Following one of our previous blog entries about 'reactive design' in cities, a new approach to learning about, and monitoring traffic movement within cities has been developed in Zurich, Switzerland. Software designers have created a program which aims to map the spatial and temporal patterns that characterise the various road users.

ETH researchers Daniel Küttel and Michael Breitenstein teamed up with professors Luc Van Gool and Vittorio Ferrari from the Institute of Image Processing to create a new software program that can learn from watching moving objects, analyzing things like street scenes and figuring out patterns and habits of things like moving vehicles. The new technology allows the computer to recognize things like the movements of normal traffic flow and any changes in that "normal" situation.

The software still needs to find a home in traffic coordination, but the potential is there for everything from analyzing traffic and improving flows in congested areas or after an accident, or running traffic lights to make intersections safer.

Not only would this type of project create solutions to traffic and movement issues, it would allow us to implement interventions to make the city a more efficient and safer place. We can assess pedestrian and vehicular routes and create focal points such as median strips and roundabouts or 'islands' to give identity and place-making qualities to an otherwise grey, urban environment.

Concept of Liveability Gaining Traction Internationally

2010-06-22T18:05:00.000-07:00

THG's resident economist, Richard Katter, sent this around the office today:

This extract from the Wall Street Journal illustrates how, like THG, the French President Nicolas Sarkozy is aware of the importance of liveability.

"French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Monday that the global slump shows gross domestic product is an obsolete way of measuring well-being, and called on countries the world over to adopt recommendations from a report he commissioned by Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz.

The Stiglitz report recommends that economic indicators should stress well-being instead of production, and for non-market activities, such as domestic and charity work, to be taken into account. Indexes should integrate complex realities, such as crime, the environment and the efficiency of the health system, as well as income inequality. The report brings examples, such as traffic jams, to show that more production doesn’t necessarily correspond with greater well-being.
“We’re living in one of those epochs where certitudes have vanished… we have to reinvent, to reconstruct everything,” Sarkozy told a press conference at Sorbonne university. “The central issue is [to pick] the way of development, the model of society, the civilization we want to live in.”

Sarkozy commissioned the report at the start of 2008 from a 22-member commission headed by Stiglitz and including Nobel Prize winner Amartya Sen, as well as the then-head statistician of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, Enrico Giovannini.

In the Guardian (U.K.) on Sunday, ahead of Sarkozy’s remarks, Stiglitz explained:
The big question concerns whether GDP provides a good measure of living standards. In many cases, GDP statistics seem to suggest that the economy is doing far better than most citizens’ own perceptions. Moreover, the focus on GDP creates conflicts: political leaders are told to maximise it, but citizens also demand that attention be paid to enhancing security, reducing air, water, and noise pollution, and so forth – all of which might lower GDP growth. The fact that GDP may be a poor measure of well-being, or even of market activity, has, of course, long been recognized. But changes in society and the economy may have heightened the problems, at the same time that advances in economics and statistical techniques may have provided opportunities to improve our metrics."

It's not only the French who are thinking this way. Another article outlines President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2011 budget which is taking steps towards improving one of the key components of liveability - transport - containing $1 billion in programs and grants.

Interesting facts you pick up from surveyors...

2010-06-17T22:21:00.001-07:00

Mal, THG's resident Survey Manager, sent around this interesting tidbit this morning:
"Sunday, the 21/6/2010 is the date of the Winter Solstice.
This is the shortest day of the year in the southern hemisphere for daylight hours.
For the technically minded this means that the axis of the earth is at its maximum tilt away from the sun."
So now you know.

Where Are Australia's Greenest Cities?

2010-06-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

From Treehugger:

Australia maybe the world's sixth largest country, but over 80% of its 23 million people live within 100 kilometres of the coast. This makes it one of the most urbanised nations in the world.

So the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) set out to investigate which of the country's 20 largest cities is the greenest.

The results are contained within their just released Sustainable Cities Index, which ranks Australia's metropolises "with the aim of encouraging healthy competition, stimulating discussion and suggesting new ways of thinking about how our cities can be sustainable".

The winner for 2010 came as bit of a surprise to most people. At first glance you might have considered it close to the city that came last. 15 performance indicators across three aspects of sustainability were considered and ranked equally. These were:

Environmental Performance indicators

Air Quality, Biodiversity, Ecological Footprint, Green Building and Water.

Resilience indicators

Climate Change, Education, Food Production, Household Repayments and Public Participation
Quality of Life indicators
Density, Employment, Health, Subjective Wellbeing and Transport

Crunching the numbers yielded by such indicators gave a final ranking of:

1. Darwin

Darwin Aerial

2. Sunshine Coast

3. Brisbane

4. Townsville

5. Canberra-Queanbeyan

6. Hobart

7. Melbourne

8. Gold Coast-Tweed

9. Cairns

10. Bendigo

11. Toowoomba

12, Sydney

13. Launceston

14. Adelaide (equal 14th)

14. Ballarat (equal 14th)

15. Albury-WodongaWollongong

16. Wollongong

17. Newcastle

18. Geelong

19. Perth

To understand how this was developed, there is a simple visual

Comparative Table (PDF) or the more detailed Sustainable Cities Index Report (PDF).

Would you have picked the ranking?

Copenhagen Adopts a Mandatory Green Roof Policy

2010-06-17T18:30:00.000-07:00

From Living Roofs:

Copenhagen is the first city in Scandinavia to have a manditory green roof policy. The new policy makes vegetation and soil a mandatory obligation in planning. The policy covers all roofs with less than a 30 degree pitch and also covers refurbishment of older roofs. However such roofs will get some public financial.

The green roof policy is part of a wider ambition the City has to be carbon neutral by the year 2025.

Copenhagen presently has 20,000 square meters (over 215,000 square feet) of flat roofs. It is hoped that as much as 5,000 square meters of new development each year will be covered with vegetation.

Vegetated roofs, or green roofs, provide several benefits for buildings and their surroundings. They can absorb as much as 80% of rainfall, helping to reduce stress on stormwater systems. They help reduce urban temperatures, and they protect roof membranes from the sun’s UV rays and the greatest temperature swings, such that roof membrane life is extended as much as double that of an unprotected membrane.

Solar Powered Windows? Why not.

2010-06-17T18:11:00.001-07:00

Putting solar panels on the roof of your house will evidently help keep your energy bill at a reasonable level (if you want to fork out the expensive initial cost of course), but won't necessarily help any other aspect of your house. If you install a fleet of solar windows, however, you could also have more natural light filtered throughout your house, creating additional environmentally sustainable qualities.

Hua Qin has developed these window panes, which were unveiled at Taipei’s International Optoelectronics Week, which double to block out the elements and create energy for your home. The windows can come in slightly hazy to really hazy opacities – the more opaque the window, the more energy it produces and can replace both home or commercial windows. This means you can cater your window locations on your floor plan to where the most amount of sunlight can be adsorbed - and also where you want to reduce unwelcome views into your house.

This great green invention could open up the door to all kinds of renewable energy production for all kinds of environments. With solar panels, it is neccessary to put aside a surface for solar production that will serve no other purpose other than to produce power. With these solar windows one could generate electricity not on the roof of an electric car, but through the sun roof or the window pane. This solar glass would be perfect for greenhouses, capturing light from panes of glass that already magnify the sun.

The opportunities with solar glass are endless, let’s hope Hua Qin sets to work manufacturing them soon.

Printer Cartidges Recycled into Northern Territory Bike Path

2010-06-17T17:54:00.000-07:00

From Inhabitat:

Australia’s National Park Service recently unveiled a new bike path in the West MacDonnell National Park that includes a bridge made out of recycled printer cartridges. The 17 km bike path connects Alice Springs to Simpsons Gap and hopes to encourage more visitors to the park. In keeping with the government’s commitment to sustainable development, they chose low-maintenance, durable and environmentally friendly materials made from recycled plastic.

The new bike path upgrades cost $330,000 and includes 17 km of bike path and a viewing platform at Ormiston Gorge. The new bridge is made out of recycled plastics made by Repeat Plastics Australia. Replas uses recycled plastics from the domestic and commercial waste streams, specifically recycled printer cartridges.

Parks and Wildlife Minister Karl Hampton said, “Every year more than 120,000 people visit the magnificent West MacDonnell National Park, and by investing in our parks we are able to ensure visitors have a unique experience while we protect our environment… Here at Simpsons Gap repairs and upgrades to the Bike Path Bridge are now complete, leaving us a safer bridge for riders and a great natural aesthetic… In keeping with our government’s commitment to sustainable development, the bridge is made from recycled plastic decking or Replas, saving landfill, trees and ensuring a longer life with less maintenance.”

Shanghai. The Pop-up City.

2010-06-17T17:09:00.000-07:00

Did you visit Shanghai in 20 or more years ago? If so, the city is not how you would remember it. The images below are taken from the same view looking towards the city centre, 20 years apart (1990 - 2010). Its hard to believe its the same city!

The entire city essentially popped up in just 2 decades - you can see that basically no exisitng fabric was maintained; the buildings in the foreground are all different as well as the overhaul of green space in the centre of the top image.

Questions which come to mind... Could Brisbane look like this in 20 years time? Why doesn't it look like that now? Is our current city plan (and associated documentation) facilitating what we envisage Brisbane to become? Do we want our city to look like Shanghai or would we want to retain Brisbane's current physical / cultural condition? Would the generational change in 20 years allow for different design outcomes to be achieved or desired? Are we trying to protect something we don't really need to protect?

Floating Cities: Solution to Incontestable Environmental Concerns?

2010-06-17T15:55:00.000-07:00

Our ability to create urban communities and designs for our cities is currently tangled up in an intricate web of environmental concerns; koala and other habitat retention, important remnant vegetation, the possibility of sea level rise and flooding, as well as steep sloping land with the potential of erosion just to name a few!

Bearing this in mind, should we be looking towards finding alternative solutions to land based development which exclude any potential environmental obstacles? Sounds simple... but how could this happen?

Japanese building company Shimizu Corporation may have found the answer.

Did you know that just over 70% of the Earth's surface is covered in water? Shimizu Corporation has embraced this fact and developed a alternative to developing on land.

From Inhabitat: Shimizu Corporation has unveiled plans for a completely self sufficient floating ecotopia that is covered in vegetation, generates its own power, grows food, manages waste, and provides clean water. This futuristic floating city seeks to provide a solution to many of our environmental problems, like rising sea levels, increasing temperatures and dwindling resources.

Shimizu Corporation has been hard at work coming up with some pretty crazy concepts lately, and Green Float, the Environmental Island is one of them. Designed for the equatorial pacific, presumably near Japan, Green Float is a concept for a series of floating islands with eco skyscraper cities, where people live, work and can easily get to gardens, open space, the beach and even “forests”. Islands are connected together to form modules and a number of modules grouped together form a “country” of roughly 1 million people.

A 1,000m tower in the center of the island acts as both a vertical farm as well as a skyscraper with residential, commercial and office space. The green space, the beach, and the water terminal on the flat plane of the island are all within walking distance. Energy for the islands would be generated from renewable sources like solar, wind, and ocean thermal, and they also propose to collect solar energy from space, presumably from their own crazy idea to install a solar belt on the moon.

So is this the future of city design? If we all want to prepare for a future which is sustainable and sensitive to our existing environment, are these self-sufficient floating cities the answer?

AG Ideas Inspiration - Theo Jansen

2010-05-31T15:30:00.000-07:00

At the recent AG Ideas conference held in Melbourne, I was lucky enough to listen to sculptor Theo Jansen, who creates "new forms of life" from electrical tubing.

These objects, powered by wind, are smart enough to be able to sense when they are about to be swallowed by a wave or if they are heading into soft, unwalkable sand. No high tech computer gadgets or electronics, only bits of electrical tubing and the weather.

The key quote from Theo's presentation? "The walls between art and engineering exist only in our minds"

I guess this just reinforced for me that design is everywhere - physics can become art and vice versa. This also tied in to a conversation we had here at THG about the difference between urban design in Australia and internationally. THG's head Urban Designer, Craig Baynham believes that internationally, space is what drives design whereas in Australia, design is driven by process and box ticking. It's a bit philosophical, but if Theo Jansen's work is anything to go by, it is possible to create a living, breathing creature out of nothing more than a pile of sticks - which means there is hope for us yet.

If you would like to see some examples of Theo's work, check him out on youtube here, here and here.

Favouring Private Transportation: Turning Cities into One Giant Parking Lot.

2010-05-30T22:34:00.000-07:00

Did you know that many U.S. states have approximately 3.5 more parking spaces than cars?

Lindale Plaza, Cedar Rapids, USA.

Lindale Plaza Figure Ground Diagram, Cedar Rapids, USA.

According to a new regional survey from Treehugger, the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin together have 1,260 square kilometers of paved parking lots, or 5% of urban land use. That's about 2.5 parking spaces per car, but that's not even counting street parking, private parkings, and parking structures. If you add all of this together, you get about 3 to 3.5 parkings per car and a higher percentage of urban land use.

Ample parking spaces may seem like a good thing until you consider the negative effects of all that pavement. Previous research has shown that pavement makes cities hotter in the summer, increases run-off, decreases water reaching local aquifers and even warms up rainwater before it reaches streams -- to the detriment of aquatic wildlife.

Jacksonville CBD, USA.

Looking at these examples of cities in the US, you might think our CBDs use land far more efficiently than can be seen in these images, but in fact, Canberra's CBD is just as bad! And when you consider that only 7.9% of people in Canberra use public transport to work or study (ABS, 2006), the substantial amount of parking lots within the CBD is unfortunately warranted. In Sydney, 26.3% of people use public transport to work.

Canberra, ACT.

The concepts of New Urbanism tell us how to make cities that are more fun to live in and that are better for the environment. This would also means fewer parking lots, since more of the places you need to travel to would be close to your home. Future development should seek to revive the city planning of an era when cities were designed around human beings instead of automobiles. If we give surface parking lots back to the people and transform them into urban public spaces - we would not only encourage more people to use public transport to get into the CBD, it would ensure more sustainable cities, as well as a better environment to enjoy while on our lunch breaks!

Liveability in Mackay - 59th annual Urban Local Government Association of Queensland (ULGA) Conference

2010-05-26T23:22:00.000-07:00

THG's Richard Katter is in Mackay this week for the 59th annual Urban Local Government Association of Queensland (ULGA) Conference. He and THG MD, Tim Connolly, are presenting on the components of liveability and how we might make measuring it simpler through a Liveability Index. This is what he had to say:

"Tim our MD and I presented a paper today at the Qld Urban Local Government Conference in the beautiful Mackay, the first time we have discussed our affiliation with American based 'Partners for Livable Communities' in the public domain. We've partnered with some other Queensland based organisations to bring this group here to Australia because we see the issue of liveability as being integral to addressing the issues we have facing our state, not least of all, population growth and how we manage it.

Yesterday at the conference, Euan Moreton of Synergies Economic Consulting, our partner in developing a tool to measure and benchmark liveability, spoke at the conference about liveability as a complex multidimensional concept, identifying the eight key elements that make it up. This tied in nicely with our presentation today where Tim spoke about the key considerations of liveability and I discussed the need to develop an index to measure this complex concept and the possible indicators under each of the eight elements.

The conference was a great opportunity for us to let the civic leaders of our states urban areas know that we, through Partners for Livable Communities, have the tools to enable their community to become more livable in the future".

How would you define liveability in your state, town or neighbourhood? What do you think are the key elements of creating special places to live, work and play? Please comment below, we'd love to hear your thoughts.

If you would like to hear more about liveability, go to the THG website and sign up for our monthly In The Know emails.

TODs: Economical and Social, Can They Be Environmentally Sensitive Too?

2010-05-18T23:32:00.000-07:00

A new proposal which won first prize in the Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facility International Design Ideas Competition has demonstrated that the environmental sustainability of a Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is just as important and critical as social and economic factors in successfully implementing community hubs for transport and activity.

While embracing the Triple Bottom Line (social, economical & environmental) is essential in the pursuit to provide successful, community-based urban design solutions centred around the concept of TODs, ensuring the design of these hubs is sustainable and environmentally sensitive is crucial, yet sometimes overlooked.

From Inhabitat:

“Under the Same Roof” is an exciting new design for the Hong Kong Boundary Crossings Facility that will be located on an artificial island in the Pearl River Delta in Hong Kong. The structure is a multi-story facility connecting bus terminals and roads with a sprawling roof covered in faceted panels that are semi-transparent to let natural daylight in, while an indoor winter garden serves as a meeting place and a spot to rest for weary travelers.

The indoor garden acts to replenish the air with fresh oxygen improving the air quality of the very busy transportation hub. Algae tubes located mounted on the roof utilize sunlight to create even more oxygen. Meanwhile natural ventilation is facilitated through the stack effect and operable panels to release air and exhaust.

Read more at here.

What Makes Good Information Design?

2010-05-18T22:01:00.000-07:00

Finding the balance between graphic representation that is interesting, aswell as informative is always difficult, and sometimes time consuming. This image helps to clarify intent and suggests a criteria to use when developing information graphics. Sometimes the simplest of graphics can successfully demostrate a notion quicker and more accurately than spoken dialogue.

According to Information Is Beautiful:

The key components of a good infographic / data visualisation / piece of information design:

Information needs to be interesting (meaningful & relevant) and have integrity (accuracy, consistency).
Design needs to have form (beauty & structure) and function (it has to work and be easy to use).

In information design, it seems, if you have just two elements, you get something tolerable and cool:

i.e. integrity + form = eye candy
i.e. interestingness + function = experiment

But if you combine three elements without the fourth, things suddenly FAIL:

i.e. interesting subject, solid information, looks great, but is hard to use = useless.
i.e. amazing data, well designed, very easy to read but isn’t that interesting = boring.

Stitching LA Back Together

2010-05-18T21:36:00.000-07:00

From Inhabitat, 2010:

A massive proposal is on the table to create a 800m long urban park above a section of Highway 101 in downtown Los Angeles. Dubbed park 101, the proposal would create a roof and parkland over the 101 which currently cuts a trench through the downtown area and restricts pedestrian access to many important sites in the city.

The master plan also includes development to place some new signature buildings along the park as well as some additional mixed-use development, like retail and residential, to bring more than just business people to the downtown area.

Read more from Inhabitat here.

Anyone for Tightrope Bicycling?

2010-05-18T20:45:00.000-07:00

With the advancement of technology at such a rate, we can begin to ask questions which have previously been regarded as too abstract and unfeasible to even consider. In terms of alternative sources of transport, Kolelinia Lab has asked the quesions:

Why do we drive vehicles that are about 20 times heavier than our bodies?

Why do we build expensive roads with heavy materials?

What if our vehicles are compact enough to carry them with us as a bag?

The lab has developed two concepts based on the same vision of creating a completely new weightless layer for transportation on a higher level. The two concepts are Kolelinia (a chairlift type senario) and Kolelinio (bicycling) which proposes a type of above street level bicycle/pedestrian lane supported by steel wires.

Is it possible to achieve a completely new level of transportation with minimum resources? This idea doesn’t isolate the bike stream from the streets, this only makes the connection for impossible zones between existing bike-lanes. It could be of bridge typology, a longer transportation line or a special designed and independent touristic line.

Would YOU use the Kolelinio or Kolenlinia for transportation?

See http://kolelinia.com/ for more information about this concept.

Mexico's Solution for Affordable Housing

2010-05-18T16:01:00.000-07:00

Mexico City has been growing so rapidly over the second half of the 20th century that it could not respond adequately to the mounting needs for housing and urban space.

For the general population in Mexico, housing is often unaffordable due to of economic conditions, construction costs and lack of financing. Despite these difficulties, companies such as Casas GEO and Constructora Cocoa are working to ensure that affordable options exist (housing priced between $13,000 and $30,000 depending on the number of bedrooms and the location). With construction projects in what is called the "social sector" or "low income" sector of home building in Mexico, these two companies are working to meet market demands.

The problem with low-income housing is that developers can only offer certain design modules which can be achieved under budget. In areas such as Ixtapaluca, Mexico, this means dull, alienating housing which is ultimately de-humanised. While this particular development (see images below) has provided a much needed affordable housing solution for now, work still needs to be done to give the community a 'soul' or an identity, or at least some distinctive qualities within the development so you don't forget which house is yours!

To get more information about Mexico's Affordable Housing, see http://www.flatrock.org.nz/topics/money_politics_law/aerial_photos_of_mexico.htm and http://www.urban-age.net/10_cities/05_mexicoCity/mexicoCity_H+N.html

Reactive Design: Movement Patterns in Cities

2010-05-17T20:59:00.000-07:00

Way-finding and efficiency within cities has always been an integral ingredient in urban design, but with the advancement in technology along with an improved appreciation for vibrancy and artistic expression within urban environments, we have the opportunity to start to explore different approaches for legibility within cities as well as capitalizing on the way public spaces and streets are being used by people and vehicles. Approaches which are more 'reactive' than 'proactive'.

Emphasising how people and vehicles use streets and other public spaces by physically recording movement patterns and tracks can demonstrate the complexity and importance of way-finding and spatial networks, and also create the opportunity to better plan an already established urban environment.

This can be achieved in the form of installation civic art (even though the image to the left of the Rosenthaler Platz intersection in Berlin was created by guerrilla street artists who dropped paint illegally onto the road from bicycles to create this effect) which would provide interest and excitement, or through more modern forms of data collection such as GPS navigation or mobile phone signals.

From analysing the way people or vehicles use a space, more efficient space usage can be developed without changing the way people currently use the space. For example, if King George Square in Brisbane was monitored for a day to see how people use the square, I would think that we would find that the majority of people use the space as a thoroughfare, rather than a urban square. This information could support the idea of a possible redesign to make maximum use of the space, while not adjusting the current movement patterns of people.

Land uses could change, interfaces with mixed-use facades could be more interactive and vibrant, public space could be safer and more inviting, vehicular transport could become more efficient, visitor way-finding within cities would be easier, etc.... all depending on how people use public spaces in cities already.

Could 'reactive urban design and planning' shape our cities into better places?

See more about the Berlin road paint operation at http://landscapeandurbanism.blogspot.com/2010/05/ephemeral-road-paint.html

Density in Delhi - Lessons for Housing in South East Queensland

2010-05-09T20:06:00.001-07:00

Stewart Brand of the Financial Review wrote a fascinating article called Density Integrity.

Did you know that according to the UN, over 1 billion people currently live in slums and this number is predicted to double in the next 25 years. But what can we learn about density from these types of cities?

According Brand, plenty.

Alleyways in squatter cities, for example, are a dense interplay of retail and services - one chair barber shops and three seat bars interspersed with the clothes racks and fruit tables. One proposal is to use these as a model for shopping areas. “Allow the informal sector to take over downtown areas after 6pm,” suggest Jamie Lerner, the former mayor of Curitiba, Brazil. “That will inject life into the city.”

Squatter cities are also unexpectedly green. They have a maximum density - 1 million people a square mile in some areas of Mumbai - and have minimal energy and material use. People get
around by foot, bicycle, rickshaw or the universal shared taxi.

In addition to this, some of the research I have been doing for my PhD on the subject of perceptions of housing density have indicated that, in the US at least, high density living is often inhabited by those in lower income brackets and as such, they can't afford to move away. One of the key factors in improving perceptions of density is that the more transitory the residents, the lower the sense of community. Thus, if residents are essentially 'stuck' in their neighbourhood, they will make as much effort as possible to ensure it is a nice place to live - thus improving the sense of community and therefore their perceptions of density.

While, as Brand says "fast growing cities are far from unmitigated good. They concentrate crime, pollution, disease and injustice as much as business, innovation, education and entertainment", it's interesting to think that density might not be such a dirty word after all.

AGIdeas Design Advantage - Designing for Women

2010-05-03T19:00:00.000-07:00

"Shrink it and pink it" is the typical response to designing for women, according to Agnete Enga from Femme Den.

At the AGIdeas Business Breakfast, held in Melbourne last week, Agnete presented some pretty interesting facts. Women make 80% of all purchase decisions and have a purchasing power that represents a greater opportunity than China and India combined - yet women are considered a niche market. Additionally, in America, women have an income of approx $1 trillion, but a spending power of $2 trillion, which means she is not only spending her own money, but that of the household.

It's an interesting thing to think about in an industry (property) typically dominated by men - but who is really making the decisions? For women, the focus of their buying decisions is not the product itself, but the lifestyle it offers, whereas for men this is the opposite. For example, take the humble barbie. Men purchase a barbeque for the barbeque itself - with all the knobs, buttons and whistles. The result of the barbeque purchase is the associated lifestyle benefits - eating with friends and family and enjoying the outdoors. Women, on the other hand, primarily want the lifestyle benefits and see the barbeque as a way of getting these. It's back to the old benefits vs features argument in marketing.

So, how do we use this information in the property industry? Don't just assume she wants a bigger laundry.

Read more here.

The scariest pricing idea ever...

2010-04-20T21:51:00.000-07:00

Seen over at The Freelancery (found on my Twitter feed - social media strikes again) was an article on a different kind of pricing structure.

As consultants, we struggle with the old hourly rate vs. value add question as well as with how to gather feedback from our clients on how they perceive our work. The folks over at The Freelancery are proposing a pretty radical notion - pay what you think it's worth.

It's a concept that took off in a number of industries, particularly during the GFC. London restaurant Little Bay decided to do away with bills asking customers to pay only what they want for meals in an unorthodox bid to beat the credit crunch. The results were very interesting. Sure there were people who paid less (or nothing at all) but there were plenty who paid a lot more than the standard price of the meal.

While this idea is no doubt a terrifying one, it's also a brilliant one. You say to your clients "I'll do the best possible job that I can and you pay me what you think it is worth" - this way you actually do deliver some great work and if the client sees value in this, will be willing to compensate accordingly.

The Freelancery believe that clients will respond to this idea too. They say "Most will be astonished that you offer the option. It shows you trust them. That you value their judgment."

An interesting idea - what are your thoughts?

Little Green Men

2010-04-11T17:30:00.000-07:00

From the map magazine blog:

"You stare at him. You silently coax him to shed his red coat and don his flashing green attire. He stares back at you and wills you to wait patiently on the footpath. Suddenly your eye catches a flash of green and you continue your journey to the other side of the road. Maya Barkai’s
public-art installation, Walking Men is a photographic journey displaying 99 versions of pedestrian traffic-light symbols from around the world. The international ‘green men’ currently adorn a building site in downtown New York City. Pedestrians who find themselves crossing any streets near 99 Church Street can browse Walking Men from the streets of Zaragoza in Spain, the alleys of Buenos Aries, to Maya’s native Israel. The installation is a part of the Alliance for Downtown New York’s project to ‘dress up’ public areas dampened by the fall of the World Trade Towers."

Cross River Rail - A step in the right direction

2010-04-05T18:30:00.000-07:00

According to THG's Kirsten Fry, Urban Designer, the proposed Cross River Rail plan, released last week, (click for a larger view of the plan and it's proposed catchment areas) is a move in the right direction towards creating a sustainable future for Brisbane, but is it too little, too late?

With South East Queensland’s population expected to all but double in the next 20 years, the only way to reduce congestion in the CBD is through prioritising public transport – bus, rail and ferry. However, projects such as Clem7 are prioritised, sending the community the message that cars are the future of transport in Brisbane – something the experts agree is just not sustainable.

Kirsten has put together a comparison of major rail cities, from New York to Tokyo and compares them to Brisbane here.

GFC HITS QUEENSLAND’S CONSTRUCTION SECTOR HARDEST

2010-03-21T18:24:00.000-07:00

The Australian economy is recovering but Queensland is still hamstrung by its restricted finance sector, according to Brisbane-based Economist, Richard Katter of THG.

“While popular Australian economic indicators are pointing to an economy in recovery, this is not the case for the construction sector, particularly in Queensland” Mr Katter said.

Mr Katter said of the three largest states, Queensland has suffered the largest impact from the Global Financial Crisis’s contraction of the finance sector.

“Construction finance approved as a proportion of Gross State Product - which puts the states on even pegging regardless of their size - has dramatically reduced over the past two years as the GFC took hold.

“This is most pronounced in Queensland with a decrease in construction finance approved over 2007- 2009 of 57 percent, followed by New South Wales at 52 percent; while Victoria’s construction and development sector appears to have weathered the financial storm better, with a 22 percent decrease.

“As a result, we can expect Queensland’s housing affordability crisis to worsen as supply
continues to be unable to keep up with demand.”

Mr Katter pointed to the excessive regulatory pressure under which the finance system is
operating as a primary factor in the large decrease in finance approvals.
“Queensland’s extended planning timelines, excessive infrastructure charges and anti development legislation are also making developing property increasingly difficult,” he said.

Obama appoints Tufte to communicate economic stimulus

2010-03-14T18:10:00.000-07:00

How do you communicate to a nation just where their $787 billion in economic stimulus tax money is going? You could publish a 10,000 page report or you could, like President Obama, appoint one of the world's foremost information graphic designers.

Edward Tufte, author of such books as Beautiful Evidence and Envisioning Information, is a statistician who turns data into a visual representation, making it far easier to communicate and understand. Tufte's response to his appointment was to say "I'm doing this because I like accountability and transparency, and I believe in public service. And it is the complete opposite of everything else I do. Maybe I'll learn something."

This is just another example of how design thinking is adding value to businesses (and government).

Read more at Business Week's Innovation and Design blog.

THG at TEDx

2010-03-07T17:01:00.000-08:00

This week, I was lucky enough to attend the inaugural independent TED event - TEDx Brisbane. If you’ve never heard of TED, it’s a conference about spreading ideas that attracts speakers from Gordon Brown through to Jamie Oliver and they broadcast all their speaker videos here. The event was amazing and inspiring and I am dedicating this post to providing you with a summary of my favourite speakers and the lessons I learned.

Nigel Brennan - Freed Somalian Hostage
“100 days ago, I was freed after 465 days as a hostage in Somalia. I am told this is the longest time period a surviving hostage has ever faced in captivity”. This is how Nigel Brennan’s speech began and the thing that struck me was his use of days as a marker of time - when you are
a hostage, time must pass in the smallest increment of time and months must seem unimaginable.
Nigel, a photo journalist, traveled to Somalia to tell the story about the poverty and war facing the country. He believed that the full story wasn’t being covered in the media and he wanted people to know what was really happening. Traveling with a female Canadian journalist, he was
kidnapped three days into his journey and savagely tortured and beaten until his family were able to negotiate his release. He told the story of how, three months into his ordeal, he and his colleague were able to escape through a shared bathroom window, running to a mosque in hope of safety. He told how this half an hour before his captors found him was the most thrilling and terrifying of his life.
Nigel’s message was not to take anything for granted and as he wrapped up his TED Talk, there was not a dry eye in the house.

Robert Pekin - Founder of Food Connect
“Live like you will die tomorrow, farm like you will live forever” was the key quote from Robert Pekin’s story. As a young, idealistic man, he bought his father’s farm with dreams of turning it into an organic producer. When milk prices started to drop and the farm started to struggle, he contemplated suicide until he happened on the fact that farmers have a suicide rate of at least double the Australian population. He was forced to sell his farm back to the bank, and drove off the land with nothing to his name but an old dodge truck and $90K worth of debt. He fled to the wilderness of Tasmania where he lived, literally, off the land and spent a lot of time in contemplation. He developed an affinity for the Aboriginal people, realising that he had only lived on his farm for 40 years and was so passionate about it, whereas Aboriginal people had been displaced for 40,000 years. It was after his time in the metaphorical and physical wilderness that he started Food Connect, a ‘social business’ which helps local farmers distribute their goods to the public.
Check out the website here.

Deborah Fleming - Founder of Australian Story Deborah’s story is one of doing what you love and believing in what you do. Deborah, an ABC veteran of the 7:30 Report, wanted to tell the stories of the lives of everyday Australians without any of the hyperbole of typical current affairs programs. The only ABC show to be produced completely in Brisbane, Deborah’s favourite program was the story of Wayne Bennett and his severely disabled son.

Chris Sarra - Stronger Smarter Institute Chris Sarra, the son of an Italian father and Aboriginal mother, founded the Stronger Smarter Institute. The goal of the Institute is to encourage Aboriginal children to believe that they can be
academic, smart and achieve at school. Chris remembers from his school days teachers saying to him “You got 75% in this test - must have been an easy test!” While these statements were
said jokingly, they all contributed to the stereotype, that even Chris himself believed, that Aboriginal kids just aren’t academically inclined. It wasn’t until after completing teachers college with great results that Chris realised these stereotypes and how they are affecting children.

Elizabeth Gilbert - Author of Eat, Pray, Love Elizabeth is faced with a situation where her greatest creative achievement in life may be behind her. She made some great points about creativity - why, when you talk about following a creative path, do people want to know why you are taking such a risk? Why does no one ever talk about the psychological risks associated with non-creative paths, like accounting or law? There are inherent emotional risks with being considered ‘creative’, but there is also the risk of NOT doing something that you love.

All in all, the TEDx event was inspiring and a credit to the organisers - can't wait for next year!

Thinking for a living..

2010-02-28T18:34:00.000-08:00

As part of a team who do - literally - think for a living, this was an interesting web find. Thinking for a Living is a collection of fascinating articles by design thinkers. One that stuck in my mind from a branding perspective is this tidbit from Frank Chimero:

"Consistent voice is more important than consistent style. Voice is about what you say. It’s content. Style is about what you’re wearing. It’s aesthetics. The prior informs the latter, not the other way around. Clothes don’t make the man. They don’t make your work either."

As someone who has always been the 'brand police' from a look and feel perspective, this is a different way of looking at things. Do you think a consistent message is more important than visual consistency? Can you have one without the other in a particularly visual world?

Going too far?

2010-02-24T23:03:00.000-08:00

Saw this article in the recent Property Council newsletter and thought it was an interesting one:

"Following ongoing lobbying efforts by the Property Council of Australia on recent amendments to the Building and Other Legislation Amendment Act, often referred to as the ‘Ban the Banners’ policy, Deputy Premier Paul Lucas announced today at our Downtown Breakfast that the Government will amend the legislation to reinstate the right of developers to enforce covenants that are not in conflict with achieving improved environmental outcomes".

Check out our THG Bulletin on this topic when it was first released.

Google's bid for world domination

2010-02-23T19:17:00.000-08:00

Google, like other US companies Wal-Mart and Safeway, Kimberley Clark and Merck, has an abundance of land and roof areas which can be used to collect solar power for use in meeting their energy needs. As such, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in the US have recently granted
Google a license to "operate as a utility", meaning they can generate energy for themselves as well as excess energy that they can then sell on to other customers.

Google is already investing and advocating green energy, saying that "the company is developing its own technology to increase the efficiency of solar thermal energy. The company believes it could also make wind a cheaper source of energy than coal."

According to Giles Parkinson of Business Spectacular, "Google could undercut search engine rivals by providing a suite of services including energy supply".
[source]

Why hello there...

2010-02-23T18:56:00.000-08:00

I'm Claire and I head up THG Marketing and Design (MaD), just one of the knowledge units within THG.

Welcome to the THG 'In The Know' blog. This blog will be where we publish what's inspiring us, what's puzzling us and what's going on in our world. For those of you who already read our In The Know newsletters, that's the sort of thing you will find here - a collection of thoughts, commentary and perhaps a few ramblings.

Please visit often!