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Έμπειροι και καλά ενημερωμένοι ειδικοί ανέλυσαν πολλές πτυχές της προβληματικής κατάστασης που, κάποια στιγμή, θα οδηγούσε αναπόφευκτα στην καταστροφή. Όμως, καταστροφές σαν και τούτη όπως και η παθογένεια της διοίκησης έχουν βαθιές ρίζες στη σύγχρονη Ελληνική ιδιαιτερότητα … που δύσκολα την αντιλαμβάνονται όσοι ζουν σ’ αυτό τον τόπο με πολύ ελάχιστες εξαιρέσεις μερικών φωνών «βοώντων εν τη ερήμω»…. Γιατί τα τέσσερα, από τα πάμπολλα, γνωρίσματα της στα οποία εστιάζω παρακάτω είναι βαθιά εγγεγραμμένα στο ασυνείδητο των κατοίκων, είναι ο τρόπος που ζουν και λειτουργούν ώστε δεν τα αντιλαμβάνονται ακόμα κι όταν στέκονται πάνω στα αποκαΐδια.

Γνώρισμα πρώτο: η προτεραιότητα του ιδιωτικού έναντι του συλλογικού, του ‘κοινού’. Ζούμε σε μια χώρα ιδιωτών, εξ ορισμού εκείνων που ασχολούνται με ιδιωτικές υποθέσεις προς ίδιον όφελος, απ’ όπου απουσιάζουν τραγικά ή έχουν παραιτηθεί από οποιαδήποτε προσπάθεια, οι πολίτες, εξ ορισμού εκείνοι που ασχολούνται με συλλογικές υποθέσεις (της πόλης) για το κοινό καλό. Αυτονόητα, η προστασία των ‘κοινών’ καθίσταται ανέφικτη γιατί απουσιάζουν οι μέτοχοι τους….

Γνώρισμα δεύτερο: η απαξίωση του φυσικού, του αυθεντικού, του γηγενούς και η αποθέωση του τεχνητού, του αλλότριου, του εισαγόμενου. Το πρώτο παραμελείται έως καταστρέφεται, το δεύτερο προστατεύεται, αναπαράγεται και επιδεικνύεται ενώ θα έπρεπε να ισχύει το αντίθετο… Σύμβολα της ‘ανάπτυξης’ στις πόλεις και κυρίως στην ύπαιθρο που οικοδομείται εγκληματικά και βάναυσα είναι η πισίνα, το γκαζόν, ο εισαγόμενος φοίνικας και το τεράστιο 4Χ4. Έχει προχωρήσει τόσο πολύ αυτή η νοοτροπία και έχει επιτελεσθεί τόσο βαθιά πολιτισμική αλλοίωση που ο χωρικός λέει με καμάρι στον επισκέπτη «πήγαινε να φας σ’ εκείνο το εστιατόριο …. έχει και πισίνα»! Ούτε καν του περνά από το μυαλό ότι ο επισκέπτης έχει δει πισίνες κι ότι επισκέπτεται την ύπαιθρο για να δει τη φυσική ομορφιά της … Αλλά η Ελλάδα, από το κύμα μέχρι τη βουνοκορφή, επιδεικνύει έναν απαράμιλλο συνδυασμό βορειο-Ευρωπαϊκού (ή βορειο-Αμερικανικού, όπως αγαπάτε) γκαζόν με τροπικό/Αφρικανικό φοίνικα …. Τον Θεοφράστειο, τον ενδημικό και μοναδικό, φοίνικα της Κρήτης … τον καίει …. Στα ‘αγροτουριστικά’ καταλύματα και στα ‘αγροκτήματα’ (διάβαζε εξοχικά κέντρα), που έχουν επιδοτηθεί από την Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση (για την ενίσχυση της υπαίθρου), χρησιμοποιούνται εισαγόμενα υλικά κατασκευής, εξοπλισμός και φυτά που για την ποικιλότητα των τελευταίων κρατά ακόμα μια πρωτιά η χώρα …. Έτσι, επιδοτείται η υιοθέτηση εισαγόμενων αξιών …

Γνώρισμα τρίτο: η καθολική απουσία νοοτροπίας συντήρησης κυρίως των κοινών πραγμάτων, πρόληψης και πρόνοιας για το μέλλον. Πλατείες, δρόμοι, πεζοδρόμια, δημόσια κτήρια και έργα φτιάχνονται και εγκαταλείπονται. Μετά από χρόνια φαντάζουν ρακένδυτοι επαίτες μπροστά στα διατηρημένα ιδιωτικά έργα κάθε είδους. Οι φυσικοί πόροι – γη, νερό, έδαφος, ενέργεια – σπαταλούνται ως εάν είναι ανεξάντλητοι και δωρεάν, ως εάν δεν θα υπάρξουν μελλοντικές, άγνωστες ακόμα, ανάγκες που θα πρέπει να εξυπηρετήσουν. Αλλά κι εκεί όπου υπάρχει σπανιότητα πόρων, πάλι κυριαρχεί η κατασπατάληση τους, που συχνά ευνοείται από παροχή εύκολου χρήματος, … ΔΕΝ προσέχουμε ακόμα κι όταν ΔΕΝ έχουμε ….

Γνώρισμα τέταρτο: οι προστατευόμενες περιοχές, θεμελιώδη παγκόσμια ‘κοινά’, αλλά και όλες οι περιοχές φυσικού κάλλους, παραμένουν απροστάτευτες από τον καθ’ ύλη αρμόδιο προστάτη τους, το κράτος. Αντίθετα, ο προστάτης είτε άμεσα, με ειδική νομοθεσία, είτε έμμεσα, κλείνοντας τα μάτια σε κάθε φύσης παρεκτροπές και παραβάσεις νομοθεσίας, ευνοεί τη χρήση τους από ιδιώτες για δραστηριότητες που κάλλιστα μπορούν να αναπτυχθούν και σε ένα τεχνητό ή τεχνητά ‘φυσικό’ περιβάλλον. Οι φυσικές περιοχές προσφέρουν δωρεάν εντυπωσιακό ‘σκηνικό’ σε ακριβοπληρωμένες χρήσεις και δραστηριότητες που αμφίβολο είναι αν αποφέρουν ανάλογα έσοδα στον κρατικό κορβανά … Μέσα από τέτοια βιώματα, ο Έλληνας θεωρεί αυτονόητο ότι μπορεί να πατά οπουδήποτε σε μια ευαίσθητη περιοχή (άσχετα αν καταστρέφει πόρους που πήρε εκατομμύρια χρόνια να φτιαχτούν), να διανυκτερεύει μέσα σε προστατευόμενες περιοχές και φυσικά, αν έχει την οικονομική δυνατότητα, να κτίζει από καλύβες μέχρι πολυτελείς βίλλες …. Μπορεί να πληρώσει 5 και 10 Ευρώ για να νοικιάσει όχημα ψυχαγωγίας, να πιεί καφέ ή να φάει (στο εστιατόριο που είναι μέσα στην προστατευόμενη περιοχή φυσικά) αλλά θα αρνηθεί, και θα επικαλεστεί αναφαίρετα δικαιώματα του, αν του ζητηθεί να συμβάλλει με 50 λεπτά για εισιτήριο εισόδου σε προστατευόμενη περιοχή ….

Με τέτοια κυρίαρχα γνωρίσματα της σύγχρονης Ελληνικής ιδιαιτερότητας, γνωρίσματα βαθιάς και ύπουλης κρίσης αξιών, είναι πραγματικά τυχαίο το ότι δεν έχει ακόμα αφανιστεί, αν κι έχει βαριά λαβωθεί, ο ανυπολόγιστος φυσικός και πολιτιστικός πλούτος αυτού του τόπου. Και ενόσω διατηρούνται, προσφέρουν πολύτιμο προσάναμμα, και κυρίως πρόσχημα, για πολλές φωτιές ακόμα …… Μόνη οδός διαφυγής από αυτή την κρίση δεν είναι άλλη παρά η παιδεία, τόσο η επίσημη όσο, κυρίως, και η βιωματική. Κι αυτό μεγαλώνει ακόμα περισσότερο τις ευθύνες όλων μας να πολεμήσουμε τη συνήθεια της αθλιότητας και να ανασύρουμε από την αχρηστία τη συλλογικότητα. Γιατί πόσο ακόμα θα μπορούμε να τραγουδούμε όταν θα καίγεται το σπίτι μας;

* Η Ελένη Καπετανάκη-Μπριασούλη είναι καθηγήτρια στο τμήμα Γεωγραφίας, του Πανεπιστημίου Αιγαίου

e.briassouli@aegean.gr

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electric

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Ενδιαφέρον...

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Μια υπενθύμιση από την Ανγκέλα...

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Αντί να καλούμε 11888 βάζουμε πρόθεμα το 210 και στο τέλος 00, δηλ.210 1188800 και χρεωνόμαστε αστικό! Το ίδιο ισχύει και για τα υπόλοιπα πενταψήφια τηλέφωνα, όπως είναι το 11880, 11850, 14944, 14744, κτλ.

Ουσιαστικά αυτό που κάνουμε είναι: 210 + υπηρεσία + 00

Οι πενταψήφιοι αριθμοί έγιναν για να υπερχρεωνόμαστε!

Yeah baby, yeah!

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Έλεγε ιστορίες στους θαμώνες για την εξορία που τον έστειλε η χούντα. 'Αυτοεξορισμένος' κι αυτός στη Σουηδία. Δεν ήταν κι άσχημα τελικά. Έλεγε και ξανάλεγε την ιστορία για τα κορόιδα τους σουηδούς που του αγοράσανε αμάξι επειδή είχε κάνε δήλωση πως το δικό του κάηκε. Κρατική ασφάλεια, κοινωνικό κράτος εκεί. Ένα πλαστό χαρτί απώλειας και να σου ο λαζός με το καινούριο volvo.

Mε το volvo ήρθε στην Ελλάδα το 1976 και με την ιδιότητα του αντιστασιακού, αυτοεξόριστου, κατατρεγμένου αντιφρονούντα, κι αμέσως έπιασε δουλειά. Ένας κολλητός του δούλευε στη νομαρχία. τμήμα πολεοδομίας. Κάτι μαγειρέψανε με ένα οικόπεδο, κάτι άδειες πλαστογραφήσανε και με μια αντιπαροχή βρέθηκε με δυο τρία διαμερίσματα στην κατοχή του. Νοίκιασε τα τρία σε φοιτητές της σχολής που άνοιξε στην πόλη και κάαααθονταν. Τώρα είχε χρόνο να σώσει τους συμπολίτες του από την κατάρα της αντιπαροχής που τσιμέντωσε τα πάντα.

Στις αρχές του 1980 το... σχέδιο των κυβερνώντων πήγαινε καλά. Μαζέψανε όλο τον πληθυσμό στις πόλεις, τον ένα πάνω στον άλλο. Φθηνά εργατικά χέρια. Το Σπύρο τον συνάντησα τότε πάλι στην Αθήνα. Δεν κρατούσε πια 'δεξιές' εφημερίδες αλλά κάτι αφίσες με τον πράσινο ήλιο. Μόλις είχε κερδίσει τις εκλογές ο μεσιέ με το ζιβάγκο και η χώρα έμπαινε στη νέα εποχή. Ο Σπύρος ήταν πια πρόεδρος πολιτιστικού συλλόγου στα Πατήσια, αλλά και παράγοντας σε ποδοσφαιρική ομάδα. Έδωσε το volvo και πήρε μια 318, Μπεμβέ με καθίσματα από δερματίνη, χαμηλωμένη. Τα λεφτά έρχονταν μόνα τους από τότε που οργανώθηκε στο κόμμα.

Τον χώσανε οι κολλητοί σε κάτι επιτροπές, και ρούφαγε το μερίδιό του από τα πακέτα που έρχονταν από την Ευρώπη. Ο "μεγάλος", ο Ανδρέας, δεν γούσταρε την Ευρώπη, αλλά μια χαρά τα πήγε μαζί τους τελικά. Το σύνθημα "ΕΟΚ και ΝΑΤΟ, το ίδιο συνδικάτο" ήταν καλή ατάκα για τα αντανακλαστικά του λαού, αλλά μέχρι εκεί. Ο Ανδρέας ήταν όσο Ευρωπαίος ήταν κι ο Κωνσταντίνος. Όσο ο λαός στην Ελλάδα είχε χούντα, αυτοί και οι κουστωδία τους ήταν 'εξορία'. όχι. όχι Μακρόνησο. πιο δύσκολη, στην ξενιτειά. Παρίσια, Στοκχόλμες, Τορόντα, Μανχάταν. όπου υπήρχαν αμερικάνικες και αγγλικές πρεσβείες, ακριβώς δίπλα κάνανε τα σπίτια τους.

Ο Ανδρέας λοιπόν έφερε λεφτά από την Ευρώπη με το σύνθημα 'αλλαγή'. Πακέτα Ντελόρ. Λεφτά, πολλά λεφτά. Από αυτά τα λεφτά ο Σπύρος ζούσε καλά. Συνδικαλίζονταν στα πράσινα στέκια μαζεύοντας ψήφους για το κόμμα. Με το πακέτο μάλμπορο να εξέχει απ την κωλότσεπη, τα κλειδιά της μπέμπας σε ρόλο κομπολογιού, το μαλλί μπούκλα μπριγιαντομένο, έτρεχε από σύναξη σε σύναξη πρασινίζοντας τον τόπο. Τα βράδια συνήθως άφηνε στο σπίτι την κυρά, και πήγαινε να 'σηκώσει' το το κοινωνικό του προφίλ με κολλητούς από κάτι υπουργεία.

Παραλιακή, σκυλάδικο, πρώτο τραπέζι, άσπρη κάλτσα, καφέ λουστρίνι εισαγωγής. ΛεΠά, Χριστοδουλόπουλος, ουίσκι και σαμπάνια μαζί, πιάτα και γαρύφαλλα, γκόμενες να κωλοτρίβονται στις γραβάτες, τσιφτετέλια στην πίστα με το χέρι στον αέρα να μοστράρει το μακρύ νύχι του μικρού δακτύλου με το δαχτυλίδι. Παχύς χρυσός με πράσινη πέτρα πάνω. Ξημερώματα για πατσά στη Συγγρού, δίπλα στις πουτάνες.

Αρχές δεκαετίας του 1990. Ο γιος του Σπύρου μεγάλωσε και ήταν πια στο Λύκειο. Από το Γυμνάσιο όμως ήταν 'ενεργός' πολίτης. Πρόεδρος του 15μελούς που 'κατέβαινε' στις σχολικές εκλογές με το κόμμα. Το κόμμα ήταν παντού. Όχι στα νηπιαγωγεία ακόμα, αλλά από το γυμνάσιο μπορούσες να διαλέξεις το κοπάδι σου. Ο γιος ήταν άξιο τέκνο του Σπύρου. Είχε μάθει τα κόλπα πως να βγάζει λεφτά από τις μίζες στις εκδρομές στήνοντας την κατάσταση ανάμεσα στους λεωφορτζήδες και τους καθηγητές. Όλοι κάτι βάζανε στην τσεπούλα κι όλοι μια χαρά.

Ο γιος είχε εξαντλήσει το όριο των απουσιών αλλά κανένα πρόβλημα, όλα με λίγο λάδωμα από τον μπαμπά κυλάνε καλύτερα. Ο διευθυντής του σχολείου άλλωστε είχε βλέψεις για προϊστάμενος δευτεροβάθμιας και χρειαζόταν πλάτες στο κόμμα. Ο Σπύρος είχε καημό ο γιος του να πάει στο Κολέγιο Αθηνών αλλά δεν του κάτσε. Ήταν σημαντικό να είσαι συμμαθητής με τον γόνο του εφοπλιστή, του εφημεριδά και του μεγαλέμπορου. αργότερα οι μπίζνες με ποιους θα γίνονταν άλλωστε. με άγνωστους; Με τους συμμαθητές φυσικά! Αλλά κι έτσι όλα τακτοποιήθηκαν.

Στις αρχές του 1990 ο γιος του Σπύρου αφού πήγε δυο χρόνια διακοπές στην Αμερική και γύρισε με πτυχίο μάρκετινγκ. Έμαθε απ' έξω όλα τα καφέ του Γιέιλ και τις μαζορέτες των αδελφάτων, αλλά τα αγγλικούλια του ήταν επιπέδου Ελεμέντρι, ίδια μ αυτά του Καραμανλή του νεωτέρου που κι αυτός στο Αμέρικα έφαγε τα νιάτα του σπουδάζοντας .πρωθυπουργός.

Γύρισε στην Ελλάδα λοιπόν πτυχιούχος κι άνοιξε με κάτι μαγειρεμένες επιδοτήσεις διαφημιστική εταιρία, ξήγα του μπαμπά. Το μαγαζί πήγε καλά από την αρχή καθώς έπαιρνε 'αβέρτα' δημόσια έργα. Τουριστική προβολή Νομού τάδε 150.000, οργάνωση εκθέσεως Υπ. Τουρισμού 900.000, έντυπα Περιφέρειας 1.200.000, κονκάρδες για το Δήμο 500.000 . . και πάει λέγοντας.

Πουλούσε και μίντια στα κανάλια που γέμισαν τον τόπο. ελεύθερη τηλεόραση γαρ. Είχε κάνει κολλητούς μερικούς Νομάρχες και Δημάρχους και έπαιρνε τη δουλειά. Με διαγωνισμό πάντα. Διαφανέστατα. Ήξερε καλά πως αν δεν χώσεις μαύρα, δεν θα πάρεις τη δουλειά. Έτσι, ένας δούλευε, δέκα πληρώνονταν. Ένας έσκαβε (κι αυτός με stage επιδοτήσεις) και δέκα κονομάγανε. Η πιο κερδοφόρα δουλειά στην Ελλάδα έγινε ο αέρας.

Χρυσοπληρωμένοι αεριτζήδες, πετυχημένοι και κονομημένοι. Έτσι κι ο γιος του Σπύρου. Άλλαξε το φοιτητικό κόκκινο celica με το μπουρί από πίσω και πήρε μια καγιέν μαύρη. Την τούρμπο με φιμέ τζάμια επίσης. Αριθμός κυκλοφορίας ΑΜΡ-7777. Ήθελε να τον καταλαβαίνουν όλοι και ένας κολλητός στο συγκοινωνιών του έδωσε το νούμερο. Δεν ήθελε όμως να φαίνεται στην εφορία, γι αυτό και το καγιέν το 'έβαλε' στην οφ-σορ του που είχε έδρα την Κύπρο. Εταιρικό το αμάξι, όπως και η γκαρσονιέρα που αγόρασε για γαμηστρώνα στο Κολωνάκι κοντά στου Σημίτη για να τον χαιρετάνε οι μπάτσοι της φρουράς.

Στις γκόμενες που ξεμονάχιαζε εκεί έλεγε πως ήταν σύμβουλος του ΥΠ.ΠΟ, έτσι για φιγούρα. Ψέματα βεβαίως, δεν ήταν σύμβουλος, πελάτη τον είχε.
Ο μπαρμπα Σπύρος ήταν περήφανος για το βλαστάρι του. Είχε βγει στη σύνταξη από τα πενήντα του "δουλεύοντας" το ΤΕΒΕ με πλαστά παραστατικά εργασίας από τη Σουηδία, αλλά έβγαζε χοντρά φράγκα από τότε που το κόμμα τον έβαλε σύμβουλο στο κρατικό κανάλι. Πολλά λεφτά! Και δεν πατούσε και το πόδι του εκεί. Από τη Μύκονο τηλεφωνικώς οι πολύτιμες συμβουλές του μέσα από την πισίνα ή το τζακούζι που ’φερε απ΄ τη Σουηδία να του θυμίζει την ξενιτιά.

Έφερε και μια σάουνα αλλά την πήγε στο άλλο εξοχικό στην Αράχοβα. Από τη Μύκονο ερχόταν στην Αθήνα μόνο για τα συμβούλια με Υπουργούς, για να ζεσταθεί το κονέ. Έτσι κι αλλιώς με το σκάφος μια ώρα ήταν η Γλυφάδα από τη Μύκονο και τρως και καμιά αστακομακαρονάδα στο διάμεσο να διαπιστευτεί το στάτους. Και τα σκυλάδικα κοντά, λίγο άλλαξαν από το ηρωικό 80. Το κόλπο του χρηματιστηρίου τους άφησε πόλλλλλλλά κέρδη.

Ήταν μέσα στις κομπίνες που φούσκωναν ανύπαρκτες εταιρίες πιο γρήγορα κι από φαρίνα γιώτης. Όταν δόθηκε το σύνθημα, τα φράγκα μεταφέρθηκαν στην Ελβετία με τσουβάλια και είναι εκεί για τα γεράματα. Ο μπάρμπα Σπύρος έμαθε πως ο καλύτερος φίλος του στο πατρικό του δίπλα αυτοκτόνησε από την απόγνωση. Έχασε τα πάντα. ο Σημίτη που είχε ψηφίσει τον είχε διαβεβαιώσει πως το χρηματιστήριο θα τον κάνει πλούσιο και εκσυγχρονισμένο. Ο Σπύρος έστειλε στεφάνι μια που δεν μπόρεσε να πάει στην κηδεία, είχε επιτροπή.

Στα μέσα του 2000 μπήκε πατέρας και γιος στο μεγαλύτερο φαγοπότι όλων των εποχών. Αρμέγανε από παντού, ήταν πια κολλητοί με τους πάντες και διαχειρίζονταν μίζες και λάδια. Σι Φορ Άι, Αντίρια, Ολυμπιακά Έργα, κατασκευές. ότι μπορεί και δεν μπορεί να φανταστεί κανείς. Η Ολυμπιακή φλόγα έφερε πολύ χρήμα. Ο Σπύρος έχει ακόμα τη δάδα της φλόγας, την μετέφερε κι αυτός για 50 μέτρα. αλλά οι φωτογραφίες βγήκαν 'καμένες' επειδή γυάλισε στον ήλιο το ολόχρυσο ρόλεξ και το δαχτυλίδι με την πράσινη πέτρα στο μικρό δάχτυλο με το μακρύ νύχι.

Κάπου σ' αυτή την εποχή έχασα τα ίχνη του Σπύρου και του γιου του. Είχα κι εγώ τα δικά μου προβλήματα επιβίωσης. Έμαθα πως αγόρασαν σπίτια στο Σαν Φραντζίσκο και στο Λονδίνο για τις δύσκολες ώρες. Μάλλον είχαν την πληροφορία πως η Ελλάδα θα γίνει επικίνδυνος τόπος για την κάστα τους και έφυγαν νωρίς. Όπως οι καλοί κλέφτες, μια καλή μπάζα κι εξαφανιζόλ.

Οι κολλητοί τους όμως είναι ακόμα εδώ, άπληστοι, αδίστακτοι, ψεύτες απέναντι σε εκατομμύρια φτωχών πια Ελλήνων. Στις αρχές του 2010 ο τελευταίος της δυναστείας Παπανδρέου αποφάσισε να ποντάρει σε λάθος άλογο, και να κερδίσει τις εκλογές πέφτοντας στην παγίδα που έστησε ο ελληνικός λαός. Σπύρος και γιος ΑΕ ίσως τη γλιτώσουνε. Ίσως αποφύγουν αυτό που δεν απέφυγαν οι Λουδοβίκοι του παρελθόντος.

Στην Ελλάδα μπορεί το 95% να κοιμάται νανουρισμένο από το σκυλάδικο, τους πληρωμένους τελάληδες της δημοσιογραφίας, και τη χαζομάρα του μεσημεριού, αλλά το 5% είναι γνήσιο τέκνο του Λεωνίδα, του Θεμιστοκλή και του Αλεξάνδρου. Πιο γνήσιο δεν γίνεται.

Καλή σου τύχη Σπύρο. Χαιρετίσματα στο γιο και στην κυρά.

ΚΑΤΑΠΛΗΚΤΙΚΟ!
Η ιστορία της Ελλάδας από το 1970 και μετά χωρίς γεγονότα.
Μόνο την ιστορία.

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Τριλογία video comic Ελληνικής παραγωγής.

Οι συντελεστές:
Creative direction: Christos Lefakis, Yannis Konstantinidis
Direction/ Story: Marilena Vatseri, Manos Gerogiannis, Christos Lefakis, Yannis Konstantinidis
Animation: Marilena Vatseri, Manos Gerogiannis, Christos Lefakis, Yannis Konstantinidis
Lead design: George Xanthos (aka Weirdink)
Additional design: Manolis Mavris
Sound design: Christos Lefakis
Voiceover: Ross Douglas
Production Team: Aristotelis Michailidis, Marianna Papachristodoulou

Facebook: [www.facebook.com]

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Πρέπει να το δείτε. Έχουμε γίνει πάρα πολλοί και δεν καταλαβαίνουμε τις αλήθειες των αριθμών και των γεγονότων.

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Εκπληκτικό ντοκιμαντέρ αποκάλυψη από τον Στέλιο Κούλογλου. Συνολική διάρκεια 1,5 ώρα (90 λεπτά) που όμως είναι εντελώς μα εντελώς διαφωτιστικά για το πως έχουν λειτουργήσει μέχρι σήμερα οι Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες της Αμερικής. Ένα θέμα που με όλα αυτά που γίνονται αυτές τις μέρες στην χώρα μας, μας αφορά άμεσα.

Note @ English readers: I think that you will be able to watch the video playlist since it is in English for the most part.

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More: [www.shirtsmyway.com]

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I laughed a lot at this one.

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κάτι μου θυμίζει αυτό.... :)

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Article applies only to Greek legislation thus is only in Greek.

Καλά νέα για το σύστημα των Πολεοδομιών και του τρόπου που γίνονται οι αδειοδοτήσεις για οικοδομικά έργα. Πρόκειται για νομοσχέδιο που προβλέπει αλλαγές όπως:

- κατάργηση του συντελεστή δόμησης
- αυθημερόν έκδοση για μικρά κτίρια (- μόνο κατοικίες και γραφεία στις Πολεοδομίες

Περιμένω με αγωνία το ΦΕΚ που θα τα αλλάζει όλα αυτά για να δούμε σε λεπτομέρεια πως θα διαμορφωθεί το τοπίο.

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A machine that "prints" 3d objects using sand as the primary solid (will use moon dust in the future). Worth a look since it makes us forget about the plastics of the 3D printers. and has no dimension limitations.

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SunEdison announced yesterday that it will be opening up the largest solar plant in Italy later this year. The American company is building the plant in Rovigo (near Venice) on an area as massive as 120 soccer fields and when it is complete, it will cover 9.15 million square feet and be able to produce 72 megawatts of power. According to SunEdison, the plant will be able to meet the electricity needs of 17,000 households and will prevent 41,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere.

The plant will cost between 200.000.000 and 250.000.000 Euros and is set to be fully operational by the end of the year. In a statement for SunEdison, general manager for Italy, Liborio Francesco Nanni said, “The photovoltaic park in Rovigo province is a milestone in the development and establishment of solar energy in Italy.”

When the Rovigo solar plant is complete, it will overtake the current biggest plant in Europe which is located in Spain. The second biggest is in Germany.

Via YahooGreen

And the Greeks are still sleeping. It is not looking good. :(

Posted via web from architect, rethymno, crete

edited by Maria Giulia Zunino / photos by Tim Street-Porter / Esto

Frank Gehry and I had been friends since 1975 when Frank was still not very well known on the international scene and I was exploring new ideas for the 1976 Venice Biennale. But Frank had already started to make a name for himself among the less orthodox Californian architects with the house for his artist friend Ron Davis, with his houses in Malibu and Venice, California and with the Santa Monica Place. Franco Raggi

Frank O Gehry What are we gonna talk about?
Franco Raggi I don’t know …your house, your work?
FOG Yes, we have a lot of new work, you should come by the office.
FR I will, but as usual you have not sent me your material for publication … I have been waiting for it for three years …
FOG I have a short memory …
FR Or you are afraid that you won’t get it back, as with the drawings for the [1982] Venice Biennale?
FOG They sent them onto San Francisco a year later … I was really disappointed, you know. And Venice was nothing special …
FR What was wrong there? Was it the place? Was it the exhibition itself? Or was it the way the architects were chosen?
FOG There wasn’t time to do anything properly. I went there expecting Italy to be fun. That everybody would be, you know… When I think of Italians, I think of “vino” and a good time. That’s what I was hoping for. But it was very cold and nobody was talking. Well, there were too many people, like a catalogue of… I felt that it was impersonal. Whenever anybody comes here from Italy, we always take them to dinner. The same people that have been out here, yet nothing, nothing. That was very strange. I was very disappointed. Portoghesi was nasty to me. And my drawings were confiscated, remember? I had to stay… They did not make arrangements for a hotel for me. So I made arrangements through some friends here. Then when I got there, Portoghesi said that he thought that I was staying at the Cipriani, like a rich American trying to be exclusive. That wasn’t the case at all.
FR And what about the exhibition?

FOG I was asked to be in it, I was invited to participate well in advance. So then I asked what I should do and they said that I would be told. And then I kept asking and calling; but I got no answers. I met Portoghesi months later in New York and I asked him: “What am I supposed to do? When is it supposed to be ready?” “Don’t worry”, he sais, “you will get a letter.” And then I got a letter from Venice, which said: “In a week we need your drawings.” There was just one weekend to do everything.
I am not lucky with exhibitions …Last year I was invited to Documenta by Aldo Rossi. And they did not put us into the catalogue – the catalogue of Documenta in Kassel (Germany). They exhibited it but did not add me to the catalogue! Why did they invite us?
FR …maybe because architecture is not art?
FOG Good question. That’s why I don’t send any material. FR No, you don’t send the material because you are lazy. Three years has gone by…
FOG I didn’t send it?
FR No, nothing…
FOG (laughs)
FR Looking at your house it seems to me that you are interested in building complex forms with rough, common materials.
FOG It was probably my fault. My loathing for new materials comes for an interest in saving money, and projects that become cheaper and cheaper and cheaper. The model for that in art is Jasper Johns’ paintings with cans and bottles or the way Donald Judd used ionized metal. It has to do with the idea that it is not the material of things that is beautiful as much as the way they are used. You can make exciting spaces with any kind of material at all. So why not use cheaper materials?
FR You use cheap materials in a country that is very rich. Is there a reason for this?
FOG You say that the country is rich, but every client that I have has always a very tight project. I think it comes from my own feelings about that too. I come from a very liberal, political left background. Interested in the masses. I think that rich people can take care of themselves. And since most of my work has been by commercial developers, cost-saving is very important. I grew up with that attitude. I have saved money for most of the people I have worked for. I am much more interested in a kind of client that has money but also shows an intellectual interest in my work.
FR What do you mean by a liberal, left-wing background?
FOG I was raised in Canada, I am Jewish. My family is from Europe, Poland. The border changed quite often, sometimes it was Poland, sometimes Russia. Whatever. Our family were all working class, so I was always aware of unions and struggles. I have an affinity towards liberal politics. Maybe even Marxist at one time in my life. But somehow it evolved. Today I am not as personally involved. I still have those links.
FR How does this background connect to your architecture?

FOG I think that it colours my architecture. I went to graduate school in Harvard in city planning, because I felt that dealing with rich people was not such an important issue. City planning and large scale design seemed to me more important from a social point of view …
Here in the sitting room, children are making a terribly noise and mess, why don’t we move upstairs?
FR Are we supposed to stay here in the closet? Among the dresses?
FOG Here is better, you can’t hear any sounds. Let’s continue.
FR What do you think now about your Marxist background? How did it influence your work?
FOG Having been brought up with those tendencies, one has to make choices in life based on those ideals.
FR Do you think that architecture comes from political experience?
FOG I was very involved politically in college. I was involved in demonstrations against nuclear war, against the killing of the Rosenbergs, the spies … Not so much against Vietnam, but against McCarthy. That’s when I went into city planning, but then I found that I didn’t like it. It relates too much to statistical research. I didn’t see any future for planning. I became more and more interested in projects that I can really complete. My own scale.
FR Do you think planning is possible in other countries, and only not here?
FOG You can see examples of good planning in this country. But rarely. Individuals, like Edmund Bacon in Philadelphia, can make an enormous impact. But only one or two people have the ability to really do something. But even their work has been delayed. The capitalist system and the industrialization are so powerful.
FR You don’t think that capitalism and planning go together?
FOG Planning implies something for everyone. It is not compatible with capitalism. The only thing that capitalism has done to this country that is interesting was when the nation became more affluent in the 1960s: it started to help poor people, the blacks started to get out of their ghettos, get educated and achieve business success.
FR Do you think this is now a reaction to the situation?
FOG Yes I do. We have denigrated our ideals. Relating to capitalism, I feel that there is a real decline in ideals, social benefits and experiences. The capitalist leaders have sunk to a very low level.
FR How do you connect to California? Do you live here by chance?

FOG Yes, by chance. Before we lived in Toronto, Canada. My father became ill. The doctors thought he had to leave. So we moved here when I was 17 years old. We were very poor when we came here. I went to night school. … It took a long time to be integrated into the community. It was difficult when you don’t have a lot of money. It was like a candy store, but you can’t have the candy. But slowly I prevailed and studied architecture.
FR So this environment in your opinion has had an influence on the kind of architecture that you do? FOG I think it is circumstantial. Circumstantially the environment matters … the kind of opportunities to build here… building things quickly, cheaply. The whole attitude. It has been a “frontier”… I don’t know how long we can still call it a “frontier” in terms of the USA. I don’t think it is as much now anymore that it used to be. It was the beginning of a new world. In terms of America, it moved towards the West. Now the wave has gone backwards East or to Texas.
FR Do you feel Texas is a new frontier?
FOG When I go to Houston or Dallas, it feels like LA when I first came here. The place feels new. Whereas here it is sort of “mezzo-mezzo”. You can drive for hours and everything is old, at least 30years old. But when I arrived here in 1947, San Fernando Valley was empty. A lot of cracker boxes, little tiny stick houses, had been put up. I think that is where my own fascination for stick houses comes from.
FR Do you like unfinished architecture?
FOG In a painterly sense.
FR Do you have a very strong relationship with art and painters?
FOG I don’t think it is as strong as anybody implies, though maybe there is some truth to my relation with art. Obviously I am interested in painting, sculpture, in contemporary art. And I started in art before I went into architecture. It is true I found a lot of support from artists in my early architectural days. In a way there wasn’t an architectural community here that was interesting. The university I went to was not very interesting. The architects practising in LA were not interesting, except for a few of them. Schindler had died. Neutra was not very interesting for me… Lloyd Wright was here, but it was hard to make connections. There wasn’t any debate

[lang_en]FR You did not have any masters?
FOG No. Of course I was interested, I had models.
FR If you had to admit to somebody who was a major influence on you, who would that person be?
FOG I found a lot of support from artists, they came to see my buildings. The local artists: Ed Moses Gain Chapman, Mike Lasher later. I have a relationship with him, we went sailing together.
FR Were these all people from California?
FOG Yeah. John Chamberlain used to come here a lot. We used to spend a lot of time together. Claes Oldenburg. I knew Stella and Lichtenstein. Allen Jones mainly. It was a supportive group. They would look at my work. The architects were not interested. And I liked their work. So we shared things. You could see their influence on my work. But I feel sometimes that those architects, who come to see my work or talk to the press about my relation to art, try to place me somewhere which is outside of architecture – somewhere is different from architecture. But I don’t share this opinion about my own work. What I am doing is very traditional. I am not an artist, but an architect. I think good architecture can stand up to anything. It doesn’t have to be called something else. I think that is a mistake in this particular time, to try to use words relating architecture to art. The implications of art are different. In the end of the day, I think that art and architecture are the same, but with different boundaries.
FR Has being in Los Angeles influenced your work or attitude?

FOG One takes in an experience within one region and it becomes part of you. Then you spit it out in some way and it is obvious that all those things are part of it, but this happens unconsciously. Well, consciously sometimes I think I am inspired by cinema. I personally don’t go to movies very much. I have seen a few films. Maybe once a year. So I never go. I have a lot of friends in the film industry. I have friends, they are actors, directors.
FR What kind of relationship do you have with the past? I am sure you don’t see yourself as post-modern.
FOG Let me joke here. When I went to university here, the architectural training in the 40s and 1950s was just coming out of the Beaux Arts. Even Berkley was still training its people in the Beaux Arts system. My university was just moving away from that model. We rejected history. We studied Fletcher history. We spent one hour a week on history. Then, after university, I worked for a while and after that I went to Europe in 1960s. And when I arrived in Europe, I was very angry about my training. Because I realized how rich the history of architecture was.
FR You thought you had missed out on something?
FOG When I saw the cathedral, I was furious with my teachers that they treated that thing in a certain way…
FR In this kind of edge or frontier, you had to forget the past…
FOG Yeah, but it had more to do with the problems of architectural training coming out of the Beaux Arts. I blame everything I grew up with (laughs).
FR Like Tom Wolfe.
FOG I agree with Tom Wolfe. When I went to Harvard, I saw some of the ideas… I did not understand why I did not like them, but… Architecture has always been involved with history. It certainly is part of our experience. In the end, most architects go to Europe. I went to Italy in 1961. I visited Florence and spent a week in Rome and Sienna, Verona, I saw Piero della Francesca. I spent a couple of weeks looking at his work… The year I spent in Europe I lived and worked in Paris. It was so enlightening, I couldn’t believe it. I think that I can say that I am not a historian. I can’t remember names and I am not a Palladio-freak. Most of my colleagues are very much involved with him. But I am not.
FR What do you think about Baroque?
FOG I don’t know, I spent a lot of time looking at it.
FR How did you feel about it? Because Baroque was very much on the edge.
FOG That is true. I haven’t studied all those things. But the feeling looking at them was great. I was much more moved with paintings than with architecture. And when I went back over the last three years, I went back to those places which I saw 20 years ago. Carpaccio in the Accademia [in Venice]…

FR Do you prefer order or disorder?
FOG I think that’s a misunderstanding of my work. I am very orderly. I think that one signature is like one scene on stage. It is not a cultural, or an on-purpose look. My work looks like me. A little bit messy.
FR There is something that seems like right after a hurricane.
FOG I have a sense of order. I do have a great sense of order. It is a personal sense of order. In other words, when I approach a design project, I always know what not to do. And I know when it feels right. It has to do with not being too critical. I have an interest in the awkward. It means if something is connected perfectly like in Richard Meier’s work, I choose to make it a little disconnected.
FR Which is much more difficult.
FOG I take a lot of time to study this act, which I don’t think many people do.
FR But you don’t think it comes from the roughness of the applied technique. It could come about randomly?
FOG You can relate it to the words design and non-design. You take Italian design and it is very precise, exaggerated and pretty. But that’s not the tradition. The great works in Italy are the opposite. They are strong because they are not pretty, because there is more depth to them.
FR Detail is not important?
FOG It is important, but it is important not to let the detail become the issue. The material and the texture and the space, the feeling… in other words, what is important is the feeling and impression one gets, when looking at a building. But the individual details add up to a whole chain. But when the details become the issue, then it is overdone.
FR Does this also mean that your architecture has more to do with fragmentation than with continuity?
FOG Continuity always applies. Fragmentation is when you cut a piece of this and a piece of that. I am not trying to do this. Maybe it is the way it looks, but I am thinking of it while I am doing it differently and much more as a whole.
FR Do you feel that the world is going to be filled with artefacts?
FOG I accept the times I live in. Here as everywhere. I would have preferred to live in the past. I am as interested in going backwards as anybody else. That could have been much more comfortable. I could easily have been corrupted by post-modernism. It is so easy and so comfortable. I look at it as weakness. To go back is to give up. In order to survive, we have to move forward, find a cure for cancer, a cure for disease and work out how to live on this planet.
FR What gives you the idea that things go forward? Are you excited by something, like electronics, or…?

FOG Mostly by medical science. With the possibilities they have. The brain. A better understanding how the brain works is phenomenal. I am not interested in electronics, or gadgets. I am much more interested in natural things, in trees, the birds and the bees, in flowers, the sky, natural phenomena. I am much more interested in beauty, pleasure, family, and all that stuff. These are the greatest values. But I accept that we have to go forward. I try to relate to the time that I am in. I think that my work, as I look back on it, has been a comment on my surroundings, my region, the people I know, the political conditions. I think I would do a very different work in a totalitarian society rather than in a democratic one. There is a difference in the work related to its location in California. There is a different sensibility here than in New York. You can sense a difference in light, in quality of light. Like in this house.
FR This house, where we are now, seems to me a provocative reflection on the concept of context.
FOG I have a rationalization for contextual relations. So I understand that my understanding of context is different than that of the others. A lot of my work grows out of anger with the world around me. Frustration with what is happening.
FR Do you read a lot?
FOG I read a lot of political work. Not so much about architecture. Architecture I read more in the past.
FR Are you fascinated by Japan? By the East?
FOG I have been there for an hour. I think California is more related to Japan than the East. There are more Japanese living here. As you live here, you become more aware of Japanese culture. Just look at Frank Lloyd Wright. Even though he is more a role model for Western architects than Eastern ones. […] I think the architects in California grew out of Lloyd Wright, as an alternative to Europeans like Le Corbusier. I never saw Le Corbusier in California. It was only when I went to Harvard that I saw him, and then in Europe of course… Gordon Drake, do you know that name? Mark related to Lloyd Wright. You should come to the office and see the model of the house I did in 1959. So I grew out of this period.
FR Do you prefer to start a work from the inside? Post-modern buildings start from the outside.
FOG This kind of architecture that I grew out of is interior architecture, even though it relates to the landscape.
FR You make furniture, was that only by chance?
FOG Traditionally, it is also important to design furniture. So I started doing that too. I didn’t like what was available. It was too pretty.
FR Everyone has very old-fashioned houses and furniture.
FOG You are talking about the general public. But I am talking about what do I do. With this furniture I connected with the general public. I didn’t try, I did it and they loved it. But then it scared me, so I stopped. Because I wasn’t a confident architect inside. And I didn’t want to become a furniture designer.
FR It was an identity problem.

FOG Yes. I wanted to be an architect, not an artist, not a furniture designer. Now I am happy and I can do everything. I am safe now.
FR In this California area, I love projects on a small scale, but then in the States there are these big glass boxes …
FOG The question is if my work is based on the material I use and the way I make it? It is a good question. And sometimes I question myself. There is definitely an understanding of the cheaper material and the textures. If I were to paint the outside of my house, the corrugate, it would lose some of its character. I am now doing work that is painted. We’ll see in the next few years.
FR Do you feel unsafe?
FOG I feel safe, but inevitably you question yourself. With this house, it was a question of chance. And I didn’t have anybody around me. I have heard that kind of criticism. There is this kind of dismissal of my work, that I am stating: “He just put a house around a house. Compared to the lofty ideas of him…” I am interested in that as I find it quite funny.
FR Cheap has also some quality.

FOG Cheap materials have also worries, different worries. They use them differently. When someone puts it together, it says “poor”, when I put it together it says “my way.”
FR Are you stimulated about people putting things together?
FOG Yes, sure, I have… But, you can take one material, like chain links, and ask why somebody makes use of it. It is a political issue. The chain link has all the connotations to me that it has to anybody else: very bad. I built, say, ten buildings before I got interested in chain links. And at least eight out of the ten, once finished, they put a chain link on it. If this culture is so deeply into chain links, I must find a way to use it. You can’t beat it, it is the cheapest way of making enclosures. One person uses it intentionally, and a lot of people are upset by it. That is interesting. But it is also pathetic, because it implies that there is a lot of insensitivity around towards what is going on. We all do it. I am in that case am very holistic. But that is where I get in trouble. If you put a chain link around your house, but you don’t like it, because… I just built the same. So let’s make out of the fact that we have to use chain link. Doing it I am being a legalistic in the sense that I am judgemental of those people and the culture. And no, I don’t like to do it, it is in my character to be that way. I can’t help it. It would be nice if I had not that anger…
The biggest fear is nuclear war. Nuclear war is the insanity of mankind. The world is insane. Reality, what really happens, is much funnier and much more humorous and irrational than anything that anybody could concoct. Anything you or I would try to do to shock is not even that big to reality. That’s what interests me in Venturi’s work. He gets very close to saying that in his work. I think he and I have a similar anger about culture. Clients don’t like that. You loose clients and you can’t expect them to hire you, if you have those ideas. So there is always a contradiction. That contradiction in my life is very strong. I have a hard time. One day I will become completely schizophrenic. I want to do big work, but I don’t want to do it, I don’t want to deal with the anger. Anything you or I would try to do to shock is not even that big to reality. That’s what interests me in Venturi’s work. He gets very close to saying that in his work. I think he and I have a similar anger about culture. Clients don’t like that. You loose clients and you can’t expect them to hire you. Sometimes I have a hard time. I want to do big work, but I don’t want to do it, I don’t want to deal with the anger. One day I will become completely schizophrenic.

Franco Raggi (Italy, 1945) is an architect. He was editor of “Casabella” and director of “MODO”, between 1975 and 1989, and he collaborated on themed exhibitions of various editions of the Milan Triennale and the Venice Biennale. In 1980 he opened an architecture and design studio in Milan with Daniela Puppa and Alberto Meda. He is working in the fields of architecture, design (products for Fontana Arte, Cappellini, Poltronova, Luceplan, Barovier & Toso, Artemide, Zeus-Noto), and is interested in writing and drawing. He teaches Interior Architecture at the ISIA in Florence. His ON-OFF lamp, designed with Alberto Meda and Denis Santachiara is part of the MOMA collection in New York.

Frank Gehry (Canada, 1929) is an architect. He lives in Santa Monica, USA. He established his own Santa Monica office in 1962, and set up Gehry Partners, in 2002. He won the Pritzker Prize in 1989 and the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Biennale in 2008.

www.foga.com

Tag: architettura

Posted on 03.10.2010 at 9:00 AM and is filed under Highlights.

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women + X = multply X

Quite true...

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Modernism Art Piece now available in cake.

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Designed by French practice mX architecture this recently completed house is located on the north-west edge of Hatzirado village on the Cyclades’ island of Tinos.

The house is planned to operate as a home for hosting friends and family.

The natural sloping landscape of the site has been sculpted in to three ‘plateaus’ descending in height.

The house contains a living and dining room with an open plan kitchen and three bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms.

The walls of the house are constructed of locally sourced natural stone using traditional masonry construction techniques providing support to the raw-faced in-situ concrete roof.

Architects: mXarchitecture
Address: Hatzirados, Tinos 84 200 Greece
Client: Private
Site area: 210m²
Building area: 110m²
Cost: € 200 000
Photographs: Elias Handelis

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Modernism at its best, this simple shelving system is made up of white wood boxes with black-highlighted slits and front surfaces. These elemental color choices highlight different functions show off the sleek twist to this practical do-it-yourself furniture design.

The basic building blocks of this crafty storage unit series called Konnex is a set of three different boxes – each the same in shape but scaled up and down in size. Even with just three there are many layout options. With more, well, the possibilities are pretty much endless.

Shown here is the as-advertised base unit consisting of six modules (two of each size), but once you get the idea you could create anything you want … pyramids, towers, steps and so forth to fit any nook and cranny you have in your home.

And that is just thinking in two dimensions. What would happen if you started adding slots so you could build the system out from the wall as well, or use them to turn corners or even span the ceiling? The only catch: one could wish these were designed to pack flat, making them more mobile and save shipping space (and cost) but perhaps the next-generation variants will be … it just seems strange to have storage-system boxes that require, well, another box in which to store and ship them.

Nice shelf system... customizable, modular, mobile... ;)

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This is a Hindu celebration about color. Enjoy the colours and feel the joy!

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Great Hitler parody about the Greek - German controversy on the economic state of Greece. Greek only.

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Zurich photographer Bruno Helbling has sent us his photos of a house on a hillside in Switzerland by Swiss office Felber Szélpal Architekten.

Called House Szélpal, the two-storey building is located in Riedholz.

A band of windows wraps round the upper floor of the concrete residence.

The information below is from the architects:

The narrow form of the property together with its descending topography has amazing architectural consequences on the house itself.

The result is an elongated cube with two floors on the basis of an S-shape in section.

Because the plot is inclined lengthwise, the interior corresponds with the spaces outside on opposite ends of the building depending on the floor.

The entrance on the ground floor is on a level with the site to the east front, whereas the garden can be reached to the west from the terrace above.

A marvellous view on the entire alpine panorama can be caught on the upper floor, a quality which brings a hierarchy in between above and below.

Beside the entrance and the carport, the ground floor consists of other serving rooms like the office, the utility rooms and the cellar. All the main rooms for living are situated above, they are almost entirely oriented towards the view.

The monolithic concrete body has an elegant attitude, it appears clear and hard outside, while it is soft and warm inside.

By its internal insulation, the construction can be adapted to changing needs of the family in a simple and economical manner also later on.

The statics can easily be recognized outside, a long strip of a ribbon window relates the house to the panoramic view.

The building is inserted into the site without effecting much earthworks. Surrounding plants, flowers and trees create a powerful contrast between figure and nature.

Architects felber szélpal architekten ag, Solothurn
Location Riedholz, Switzerland

Project Type Single family house
Total Surface 400 m2

Interior Space 270 m2
Photographer Bruno Helbling, Zurich

Construction Company Galli AG, Surface and Civil Construction
Structural Engineer BSB+Partners, Engineers and Planners
Furniture Theo Jakob AG

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© Kurt Hoerbst

Architects: Anna Heringer & Eike Roswag
Location: Rudrapur, Dinajpur district, Bangladesh
Structural Engineering: Ziegert
 Roswag
 Seiler
 Architekten 
Ingenieure
 Bürogemeinschaft
Construction: Dipshikha / METI
 (Modern 
Education
 and
 Trainig
 Institute)
 with
 local 
labourers
 and
 own
 training 
workshop
Footprint Area: 275 sqm
Floor Area: 325 sqm
Project Year: 2007
Photographs: Kurt Hoerbst

Bangladesh is a fertile alluvial land in the Gulf of Bengal and the land with the highest population density in the world. On average nearly 1000 people live in every square kilometre and over 80% of the population live in rural areas. Much of the vernacular built tradition uses earth and bamboo as a building material, however, construction techniques are error-prone and many buildings lack foundations and damp proof coursing. Such buildings require regular mainte- nance, are often prone to damage and last on average only 10 years.

site plan

It is particularly important to improve the quality of living in the rural areas in order to counteract the continuing popula- tion migration to the cities. The primary potential for developing building in the rural areas is the low cost of labour and locally available resources such as earth and bamboo.

The project’s main strategy is to communicate and develop knowledge and skills within the local population so that they can make the best possible use of their available resources. Historic building techniques are developed and improved and the skills passed on to local tradesmen transforming in the process the image of the building techniques.

© Kurt Hoerbst

METI aims to promote individual abilities and interests taking into account the different learning speeds of the schoolchil- dren and trainees in a free and open form of learning. It offers an alternative to the typical frontal approach to lessons. The architecture of the new school reflects this principle and provides different kinds of spaces and uses to support this approach to teaching and learning.

On the ground floor with its thick earth walls, three classrooms are located each with their own access opening to an organically shaped system of ‘caves’ to the rear of the classroom. The soft interiors of theses spaces are for touching, for nestling up against, for retreating into for exploration or concentration, on one’s own or in a group.

The upper floor is by contrast light and open, the openings in its bamboo walls offering sweeping views across the sur- roundings, its large interior providing space for movement. The view expands across the treetops and the village pond. Light and shadows from the bamboo strips play across the earth floor and contrast with the colourful materials of the saris on the ceiling.

section sketch

The building rests on a 50cm deep brick masonry foundation rendered with a facing cement plaster. Bricks are the most common product of Bangladesh’s building manufacturing industry. Bangladesh has almost no natural reserves of stone and as an alternative the clayey alluvial sand is fired in open circular kilns into bricks. These are used for building or are broken down for use as an aggregrate for concrete or as ballast chippings. Imported coal is used to fire the kilns.

Aside from the foundation, the damp proof course was the other most fundamental addition to local earthen building skills. The damp proof course is a double layer of locally available PE-film. The ground floor is realised as load-bearing walls using a technique similar to cob walling. A straw-earth mixture with a low straw content was manufactured with the help of cows and water buffalo and then heaped on top of the foundation wall to a height of 65cm per layer. Excess material extending beyond the width of the wall is trimmed off using sharp spades after a few days. After a drying period of about a week the next layer of cob can be applied. In the third and fourth layers the door and window lintels and jambs were integrated as well as a ring beam made of thick bamboo canes as a wall plate for the ceiling.

© Kurt Hoerbst

The ceiling of the ground floor is a triple layer of bamboo canes with the central layer arranged perpendicular to the layers above and beneath to provide lateral stabilisation and a connection between the supporting beams. A layer of planking made of split bamboo canes was laid on the central layer and filled with the earthen mixture analogue to the technique often used in the ceilings of European timber-frame constructions.

The upper storey is a frame construction of four-layer bamboo beams and vertical and diagonal members arranged at right angles to the building. The end of the frames at the short ends of the building and the stair also serve to stiffen the building. These are connected via additional structural members with the upper and lower sides of the main beams and equipped with additional windbracing on the upper surface of the frame. A series of bamboo rafters at half the interval of the frame construction beneath provide support for the corrugated iron roof construction and are covered with timber panelling and adjusted in height to provide sufficient run-off.

The exterior surface of the earth walls remains visible and the window jambs are rendered with a lime plaster. The framework constructon of the green façade to the rear is made of bamboo canes seated in footings made of old well pipe and with split horizontal timbers as latticework. The interior surfaces are plastered with a clay paster and painted with a lime-based paint. The ‘cave’s are made of a straw-earth daub applied to a supporting structure of bamboo canes and plastered with a red earth plaster. The upper storey façades are clad with window frames covered with bamboo strips and coupling elements hung onto the columns of the frame construction. A fifth layer of cob walling provides a parapet around the upper storey forming a bench run- ning around the perimeter of the building and anchoring the upper storey frame construction and roof against wind from beneath. A textile ceiling is hung beneath the roof is lit from behind in the evening. The cavity behind the textiles ventilates the roof space.

elevations sketch

The masonry foundation was constructed by a company from the regional capital Dinajpur around 20km from Rudrapur. The earth building works and bamboo construction was undertaken by local labourers. The building techniques were implemented and developed on the job together with architects and tradesmen from Germany and Austria. 25 local tradesmen from the vicinity were trained during the building works creating new jobs and providing professional “help for self-help”.

School handmade showcases the potential of good planning and design, from the arrangement of the building on the site to the realisation of aspects in detail. Furthermore it demonstrates the possibilities of building with earth and bamboo using simple methods as the continua- tion of a local rural building tradition and can serve as an example for future building developments in the area.

A stable foundation and a damp proof course are the primary technical prerequisites for building with earth, making the buildings last longer and reducing maintenance requirements. For smaller room spans, the newly developed bamboo ceiling construction can be made entirely out of local materials using handmade jute rope and bamboo dowelling.

METI enables children and young people in the region to take classes up to the age of 14 and provides workshops for trade-oriented professions. The idea is to provide the rural population with access to good, holistically-oriented educa- tion. The children and young people are encouraged to develop into responsible, motivated and creative personalities and to use their skills to improve and develop their immediate rural environment. Reading, writing and arithmetic as well as languages are offered in a free environment and through open forms of learning. Meditation, dance and creative writ- ing are part of everyday learning at the METI School as are discussions, learning as part of a group and self-critical and social behaviour.

© Kurt Hoerbst

Dipshikha is an NGO dedicated to supporting development in the particularly poor regions of northern Bangladesh and has been active in this area for nearly 25 years. Paul Tigga, director of Dipshikha explains that the aim is to open up pos- sibilities in the villages to make people aware of the potential at home in an attempt to strengthen the region and reduce outward migration to the cities.

Shanti e.V. has been the German partner for Dipshikha since its foundation and supports the financing, planning and implementation of development and educational work. A central aspect of their work is the implementation of integrated village development programmes for education, health, strengthening the position of women in society, nutrition, agricul- ture and trade skills. Shanti also provides support in emergency situations and exchange and volunteer programmes.

The PMK has supported METI for many years and was a partner for the school building together with Shanti and Dip- shikha.

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Wally--a company that makes stunning modern yachts--and the French fashion house Hermes have teamed up to design a new boat: The appropriately named WHY, a full-blown solar-powered island.

Just unveiled at the Abu Dhabi Yacht Show (of course), the WHY is 190 feet long and a whopping 125 feet wide--making it a dream for any billionaire who can't find enough space off land for his phalanx of Cristal-swigging bikini babes. In all, the boat has the square footage of a mansion--some 34,000 square feet. As Wally's president, Luca Bassani Antivari, explained it to The Guardian:

Everybody's dream is to live on an island, in complete freedom, without constraint, with the independence that only self sufficiency can provide. A piece of land with a beautiful villa partly fulfils this aspiration because it is static. A yacht offers the freedom to move, but does not have the space of a property. WHY has it all.

Right you are! I'll take seven then, for each of the world's oceans.

The boat is meant to cater to 12 guests, with "master space", "guest space" and "common space." There's even an 82-foot pool and a 114-foot "beach" on the back. Supposedly, the massive fuel requirements of pushing the boat to a top speed of 14 knots will be offset by 9,700 square feet of photovoltaics on the roof. The $160 million pricetag is such a bargain.

[The Guardian via Space Invading]

Eat that you financial crisis.

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Category: center-stringer stairs / glass stairs

Tags: Architectural Stairs, Curved Stairs

March 4, 2010

Philip Watts Design in Nottingham, England specialise in no compromise avant-garde staircases. This one features a helical rolled beam that has structurally bonded glass treads and rises within a glass shaft. Domestic client in London

To all those that tell me that staircases cant be like this.... TAKE THAT

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OK Go - This Too Shall Pass - RGM version

Exceptional video!
I don't care how long it took them.
I am glad they were unemployed enough to actually take care of it.

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We're pleased to announce the addition of Athens, Greece to the 3D Buildings layer in Google Earth. No trip to virtual Athens would be complete without a visit to the Parthenon. The architecture of the Parthenon is fascinating; all of its lines exhibit subtle curvature (the columns, for example, are slightly convex) in order to avoid the optical illusion of concavity resulting from parallel lines viewed at a distance. While you're on the Acropolis, duck over to the Herodeion Theater, where for almost two thousand years music and theater performances have been held -- check out its schedule during the Athens Festival.

With the 2010 Winter Olympics in progress, naturally the site of the revival of the modern Olympics comes to mind. The 1896 Summer Olympics were held here; also, check out the Athens Olympic Stadium and sports complex constructed for the 2004 Summer Olympics. If your tastes run more towards archaeology, there's the Archaeological Museum, where you can see the Antikythera Mechanism among many other artifacts. Count on a geek to be interested in ancient mechanical computers...
Enjoy!

Posted by Allison Floyd, Software Engineer

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How would you like this type of sink? Do you think it is a viable solution for a home?
What worries you most when you look at it?

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Download now or listen on posterous Emigre - Touch me deep inside.mp3 (1433 KB)

  
Download now or listen on posterous Sunny Μπαλτζή & Second Skin - Game of life.mp3 (1446 KB)

  
Download now or listen on posterous Γιώργος Αλκαίος & Friends - OPA.mp3 (1409 KB)

  
Download now or listen on posterous Γιώργος Καραδήμος - Πολεμάω.mp3 (1398 KB)

  
Download now or listen on posterous Μάνος Πυροβολάκης - Κιβωτός του Νώε.mp3 (1343 KB)

  
Download now or listen on posterous Μέλισσες - Κινέζος.mp3 (1368 KB)

  
Download now or listen on posterous Χρήστος Χατζηνάσιος - Illusion.mp3 (1395 KB)

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Σας εστάλη από petsagouris μέσω του Google Αναγνώστη:

Terremoto en Chile (en actualización) μέσω Plataforma Arquitectura από τον/την συγγραφέα David Basulto [tricky] στις 27/2/2010

Concepción (AP Photo)

Estimados,

Alrededor de las 3:30AM hubo un terremoto grado 8.5 (según algunas fuentes 9).

Iré actualizando con punteos contandoles que ha pasado del punto de vista de arquitectura y construcción.

(disculpas por la ortografía, posteo desde el teléfono)

En twitter hemos reporteado durante la mañana: twitter.com/parq

La norma estuvo a la altura, pero la calidad de la construcción causo problemas:

Maipú: edificios de vivienda bajos colapsados (no cayeron)

Concepción: cayo edificio de 15 pisos, nuevo. Gran incendio en la U de Conce, donde hay mucho patrimonio movimiento moderno, no sabemos si fueron afectados. Puente entre Conce y San Pedro cayo.

Cupula iglesia - Foto por Mirko Salfate

Santiago: Museo Bellas Artes y MAC (1910) seriamente afectados. Mausoleos del cementerio general cayeron. Cayo cúpula Iglesia Divina Providencia. En Las Condes colapso una losa y aplasto 50 autos.

Cayo el mercado de Talcahuano.

A punto de caer colegio Salesianos de Talca.

Aeropuerto Pudahuel: daños en la cubierta.

Serios daños cubierta Casino Monticello (construcción nueva, 2009)

muchos daños en obras de infraestructura reciente

ruta 5 sur cortada en varios puntos, o sea Chile dividido. ojo con la planificación a escala de territorio.

Cayo hospital en Puerto Saavedra (Temuco hacia el interior)

maremoto se llevó la Municipalidad de isla Juan Fernandez.

Cayo muro carcel de Chillan, reos escaparon (200-250)

(quizás lo de arriba suena muy terrible, pero al menos en Santiago hay tranquilidad, transporte publico funcionando, metro cerrado)

BArrio Brasil (patrimonial, Santiago) muy afectado.

Voy saliendo al centro de Santiago y barrios de edificios, seguiremos actualizando con mas imágenes.

THE BIG PICTURE [bit.ly] (via @emiliomarin)

fotos de la iglesia la merced en rancagua

Subí algunas fotos del MAC y del edificio de la U San Sebastian en Bellavista. Al primero se le cayo parte de la fachada, al segundo se le cayeron placas de la cubierta.

“17:06 Patricia Poblete, Ministra de Vivienda: Hay al menos 500 mil viviendas que tienen daños severos (…) El catastro verdadero se va a demorar entre 15 a 20 días”" (via @latercera)

(dejen datos en los comentarios o vía twitter @parq)

Foto desde el espacio de Concepción [twitpic.com] – por astronauta estación espacial,  (via @emiliomarin)

gonzalezcarcey: Derrumbe en Las Condes #terremotochile [twitpic.com]

Fotos propias:

Imágenes via The Big Picture – Boston.com:

Talca (AP Photo/Roberto Candia)

Concepción (AP Photo)

Santiago (AP Photo/Carlos Espinoza)

Talca (AP Photo/Sebastian Martinez)

Carretera (MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP/Getty Images)

Santiago (REUTERS/Marco Fredes)

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Playing with scale. Always an interesting occupation because it sometimes works, some other ones it doesn't.
I guess this photo is one of the times it has worked and pretty brilliantly i would say :)

Please feel free to leave a comment.

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