Zaha Hadid

Zaha Hadid is by far a massive influence to designers all over the world, she unexpectedly die at the age of 65 from a hearth attack. Not only is she "the first woman architect to achieve notable celebrity," also her divers geograohical commissions mean that she will most probably remain "the best-known woman architect  on the planet for many years."

Her multicultural upbringing meant "she was both a woman in a field dominated by men, and a person of colour in a very white industry." she attended school in Beirut and later on moved to London, where it all started, Hadid always kept the same things in her designs which are : "angular, swooping,structurally complicated - more like exterrestrial colonies that concert halls."Hadid is a big influence to up coming designers including my self. With great fame and responsibility comes big controversies such as the controversy in Qatar..

  This project is currently in progress and is one of 5 stadiums being built for 2026 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. A lot of criticism was given to the initial design but is now stuck in a controversy where the working condition for migrant workers involved in many of the projects of Qatar's World Cup. It is said to have reportedly take over 1,000 workers lives during the construction of the facilities, after a lot of criticism Hadid stated that :“It’s not my duty as an architect to look at it.” all this criticism didn't stop them and despite receiving criticism from government officials, critics and Architects the stadiums are still in construction. 

 Although this problem has come up Hadid and her architects will remain an inspiration to all us designers and is and will be a great influence on women as she surly left an impact on the world with her glorious designs. 

Adaptive reuse of old abandoned buildings

 This weeks title is about my proposal title from an assignment we have this semester which is is the adaptive reuse of old abandoned buildings.I would like to talk about this topics as it is a very controversial topic as in nowadays world industrial areas all over the world are facing a serious problem… which is that of industrial buildings shifting to bigger places and also in different states which means the old smaller buildings are all being left empty. made in such countries as America this is not a problem as places such as Malta. Although the States and other large countries such as Norway, Germany, England and many more… This is something that astonishes me as in Malta we are in dire need of projects like this due to our size and area available on the island. Below i will talk about some projects that where already done and I could explain on how we can benefit highly with projects such as this.  

These industrial buildings don't need to only be actual factories but could also be places such as old unused Parking lots as Proposed in New York City where an old Parking lot has been granted the green light to become a  19 story residential tower having around 170,000 square feet of space  including 56 apartments, a multilevel gym, tenant recreational room, children’s playroom, bike storage, 150 parking spaces for residents and will be topped off with a 23,000 square feet for retail scattered all on the ground floor. With one apartment measuring around a very large space of  2,153 square feet with 6 apartments being duplexes with private terraces. The project started its construction this year and is expected to conclude sometime in 2017. 

Not only does The reuse of the buildings have to be all residential. Back in Germany for example the Hiedelberg Design competition winner in Stadtwerke Hiedelberg, the project is currently a cylindrically shaped storage centre. In the near future this storage centre will be changed into a “dynamic sculpture, city icon, and knowledge hub for sustainable energy…” as stated in the Arch Daily article. its known to have around 20,000 diamond shaped plates made with “thin stainless steel will be hooked to an elastic connection in the meshes of a steel outer network, allowing them t twist up to 90 degrees in the wind.” During the night the structure will be lit internally giving a pleasant scene. The aim of such a project is that visitors can learn about “the challenges of energy transition in the city of heidelberg,” 

Such Projects link together and to my proposal as they all take different landmarks which are all abandoned and people are actually making use of such land. Such projects should be implemented in small islands like Malta. I would like to focus more on the residential side of the project and try to come up with a design which incorporates the historical connection to the building   but also giving it that contemporary vibe. Obviously a project like this wont happen in a fortnight but I think that we should encourage such projects in order to save more of our precious countryside. What these projects have done to its surrounding was that of bringing the committee more together and also giving it a new way of looking at a space. That is the message I would like to send as it saves precious unused space and brings the community more together. 

References:

• Baird-Remba, Rebecca. "Garage To Luxury Apartment Conversion At 152 East 87Th Street Gets A New Rendering - New York YIMBY". New York YIMBY. N.p., 2016. Web. 3 Dec. 2016.

• "ENERGY STORAGE CENTRE » LAVA". L-a-v-a.net. N.p., 2016. Web. 3 Dec. 2016.

• "LAVA Unveils Transformation Of Energy Storage Center Into A City Icon In Germany". ArchDaily. N.p., 2016. Web. 7 Dec. 2016.

Sustainable Agrivoltaic systems

This semester we where given the task to create  shapeshifting Agrivoltaic system. This title basically means pv panels for farms, with the limitations that the system has to be foldable and could gather all rain water as possible. This assignment came to place as last year the course of engineering had attempted this project and the design was very square and boring. the institute taught that it would be a good idea for us to give it a try.... This project is a first as this is a project which is still in its infant stages. With all this comes a lot of pros and cons some of which could have been avoided.

   Such projects need to first of all have a better introduction. Both to us and to the tutor in charge from the institutes side. Another thing  should be that the tutor should be abit more educated about the project and how these things work. Also frequent visits should be happening from the engineering side or atlas a contact of some sort so that we could at least clarify some problems. With these types of systems there are some things that worry me abit and are of abit of a concern. This system is not a normal one such as some greenhouses that are being done in malta which when the lifetime of the panel comes to an end the greenhouse will still be functional and could easily be replaced. On the other hand with our system once the life of the panels has arrived, you will either have to lose the whole thing or refit the panels which I personally don't think it will be a cheap fix. This is another problem.... The cost, these projects are going to cost a fortune to buy and maintain, ok "you will get your money back by time" the tutors stated but lets face it what farmer will be willing to (mess up) his farm to install such a thing for a short time only (around 20 years) for some sustainable system. All that he will gain is the money from the electricity, which will probably not gain him enough to pay for the system, the water is already stored in most farms. I have two big concerns which will also affect the project and which I dont agree on The main tutor from the engineering side said that the Planning authority currently does not accept such project in farms, he told us not to worry ( I think he has a friend in the government or something of the sort), well that worries me a lot as Most probably they will get the go ahead and emend the clause saying its allowed and when a lot of financial and environmental problems will occur they will change it back. Which could be abit too late. Also My second scare is the fact that on the island we do not have the adequate space or equipment to dispose of these units. These can't just be thrown away as they have a type of liquid which is toxic and very bad for the environment consequently costing a fortune to dispose of. So basically the farmer will always be forking out money to do anything to this system. 

   This system isn't all about negative sides and will be beneficial for some commercial farms and also for people who are nowadays buying land to just put panels in them. It also gives a good modern view from roads near farm land, it will help the crops and farmers to have the perfect shelter from the bad elements but at the same time not closing everything up like greenhouses. This will give a breath of fresh air to the systems and gives us more possibilities to invest and make use of out sustainable energy here on the island . We will benefit with such projects to the right investors.