A Sustainable Voyage on the Plastiki

Can you  imagine sailing from the US to Australia in a boat that was made of plastic bottles, 12500 to be exact.....?  Well, this event is happening now, and you can track the amazing team and their voyage.  The journey that began in San Francisco in March of 2010, and most recently in Samoa,  is on its final leg towards Australia.

In the spirit of other homemade and culturally historical boats, such as the KonTiki, the crew is making a courageous crossing.  The boat is constructed from plastic bottles and recycled/re-purposed materials to help bring awareness of the hazards of castoff plastics and the waste they create.  There is an island of plastic and chemical sludge called the North Pacific Garbage Patch, which is trapped by the North Pacific Gyre, or horse latitudes, and is roughly the size of Texas.  While its exact size is unknown, as it is a moving body of  chemical junk, it is a significant phenomenon resulting from discarded plastic debris.  There are more of these islands forming all over the globe, but this one is considered the largest. 

While Plastiki is not specifically dedicated to the awareness of the Great North Pacific Garbage Patch, it is dedicated to the awareness of plastic bag and bottle usage worldwide.  The goal is to direct attention toward alternative means and methods of living, especially to the mitigation of marine waste.  Partnering with HP and through Adventure Ecology, IWC and a slew of other sponsors, Plastiki's voyage is not only an adventure, but it is a vehicle for education about the need to change our planet and the way we live on it.  Kudos to the crew and amazing team that conceived and acted on a brilliant idea, and a phenomenal cause. 

We became more aware of marine junk after speaking with friends who travel the high seas and colleagues at Heal the Ocean, and Malama Maunalua, where we are actively participating in increasing others' awareness of our suffering oceans. 

 

Photos Courtesy Plastiki. See more amazing photos of their journey on their Flickr site.

Global Award for Sustainable Architecture

While in Paris, John and Gregg had the opportunity to visit Cite de l' Architecture et du Patrimoine, an architecture museum in the Palais de Chailott across the river from the Eiffel tower in Paris, France.  The 8000 meter space consists of a trio of galleries :

     -Galerie des Moulages - displaying casts of French architecture from the 12th to 18th centuries.
    - Galerie des Peintures Murales et des Vitraux (wall paintings and stained-glass windows)- reproducing outstanding works from historic monuments.
    -  Galerie Moderne et Contemporaine - French and international architecture from 1850 to the present, featuring Award Winners of the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture.

The Global Award for Sustainable Architecture honors five living architects a year who are moving towards Sustainability.  Nominations are accepted from all nations.  Their works offer clear insights into the search for a rational contemporary architecture which is:
    - fully in step with the ethical, civil and social concerns of today
    - innovative in the areas of ecology, energy, materials and technology
    - progressive in its search for new standards for both housing and public facilities

A few chosen works among many amazing designs:

2008 Winner
Philippe Samyn/Belgium

M & G Ricerche

Also by Phillippe Samyn 

Milly Film
This building presents curved and vegetated facades that are very private on three sides In contrast, the west facade is entirely glass-walled as if it were one huge partitioned window.

In the forward of Sustainable Design, a book John brought home from his tour of the exhibition,  Thomas Herzog, an award winner in 2009, sums up "sustainability" as a wide range of issues: "choosing and sourcing materials, the amount of energy needed to transport and finish them, building construction processes, their performance rating, the amount of energy to keep them running, maintenance processes, durability, internal flexibility in terms of use, adaptability to new technologies in the supply, disposal and telecommunications sectors, suitability for dismantling and possible re-erection, the conversion and recycling possibilities; but of course in particular, suitability for the use of solar energy for the purposes of heating, cooling, for using daylight, and generating electricity."

2009 Winner

Bijoy Jain, Studio Mumbai - India 

Palmyra House  

Set in a Coconut Plantation an hour out of Bombay, the house is made from Palmyra wood, an abundant resource,  and recycled teak.  The walls disolve into screens.

2010 Winner

Troppo Architects/ Australia

Brammy K

This house resembles our Net Zero Platinum LEED project on Hill Rd, Montecito, CA.

2010
1. Giancarlo Mazzanti - Colombia
2. Junya Ishigami - Japan
3. Snøhetta - Norway
4. Steve Baer - USA
5. Troppo Architects - Australia
         
         
2009
1. Patrick Bouchain and Loïc Julienne - France
2. Thomas Herzog - Germany
3. Bijoy Jain, Studio Mumbai - India
4. Diébédo Francis Kéré - Germany/Burkina Faso
5. Sami Rintala - Norway          
           
2008
1. Fabrizio Caròla – Italy
2. Alejandro Aravena, Elemental – Chile
3. Andrew Freear, Rural Studio – USA
4. Philippe Samyn – Belgium
5. Carin Smuts – South Africa          

2007
1. Stefan Behnisch – Germany
2. Balkrishna Doshi – India
3. Françoise-Hélène Jourda – France
4. Hermann Kaufmann - Austria
5. Wang Shu – China  The Global Award for Sustainable Architecture 2010 was held this year in Paris on May 11th.   Here is a list of all the winners for the past few years.

France Visual Diary: Vaux Le Viscomte

Paris Visual Diary - Tuileries and Notre Dame

Our New Video "Modernism & Glamour - Filmed in Montecito, California"

Please Start the Video Let it play for 10 seconds then start over, it will stream much smoother.

Modernism & Glamour from John Maienza & Gregg Wilson on Vimeo.
This is our new Video "Modernism & Glamour" This video shows the result of our extensive rebuild / renovation of  a mid century, Hollywood Regency Style Estate, originally designed by the famed designer John Elgin Woof who's  career spanned five decades from the  1930's -1970's. Woolf's client list was a virtual who's who of Hollywood. Here's a great link to an interesting article written by Vanity Fair editor at large Matt Tyrnauer "Glamour Begins at Home" written about Woolf, his work and his unique legacy.

See also:
Previous Post : Fashion and Glamour, "Valentino the Last Emperor"

Video Music:
Zero 7 - Song: Polaris
From the Album "Simple Things" released June 12, 2001
No copyright infringement is intended and Music can be purchased here on iTunes.

Art Chicago 2010

The world's leading emerging and established artists will come together April 30- May 3 to participate in an annual international fair of modern art at Art Chicago 2010.  This event will offer curators, collectors, artists and art enthusiasts a comprehensive survey of current and historic work, "from cutting- edge to modern masters in a wide variety of media including: painting, photography, drawings, prints, sculpture, video and special installations."  An opening VIP preview will be held April 29.

Merchandise Mart with projection by Jenny Holzer

Over 140 galleries will be represented at Art Chicago 2010, among them, Zane Bennett Contemporary Art who will host art by over 20 artists including Olivier Mosset (above) and  Pascal (below). 

I love these horses by Deborah Butterfield that will be represented by the Zolla/ Lieberman Gallery. 

A list of all exhibitors here.