W4 BLOG


WEEK4


1.     W4- China is building the world’s first migratory ‘Bird Airport’
Modern architecture can have a negative impact upon wildlife habitats. However,  – McGregor Coxall has created the worlds first migratory ‘bird airport’ in Lingang, China. Originally a landfill but now converted into a wetland sanctuary for migrating birds. It will be a sanctuary for more than 50 million birds who pass through each year on their journey along East Asian-Australian flyway.

 Not only is the wetlands an innovative, interactive space but also one that is environmentally friendly and aware of the wildlife inhabitants. Renewable energy will be used to irrigate the wetlands with recycled waste water and harvested rain.

The designer of the wetlands explains, “The earth’s bird flyways are a wonder of the natural world. The proposed Bird Airport will be a globally significant sanctuary for endangered migratory bird species whilst providing new green lungs for the city of Tianjin.” Also due to this green infrastructure it allows for the wetlands to provide large park spaces and recreational areas for the public. I found designing urban green spaces to provide place of identity, belonging and enrich human and wildlife, which are key components of sustainability





1.     W4- Vivid shines a light on sustainable building revitalisation



http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0013916514551604

This month is the start of vivid, and it got me thinking about how events can create public awareness about sustainability. Vivid Sydney is a festival of light, music, and ideas. High power projections and lights consume lots energy as we know. As I was reading articles about the event I found it interesting how they are actually quite sustainable.
The show consists of 76 light installations and it’s hard to believe the energy consumption is actually much lower than you might expect. In a report done by Origin Energy in 2011, it was found that of the total carbon footprint produced by the festival, only 2% of that was electricity usage. The majority of carbon emissions produced by the event actually come from both domestic and international flights into Sydney carrying artists and musicians participating in the event. This year’s event uses an all grid-connected lighting installations which is powered by a 100 percent GreenPower-accredited renewable energy. The use of GreenPower works hand in hand with Vivid plans, as they are using the purchase of verified carbon offset, LED technologies, promoting public transport, waste minimisation initiatives, electronic ticketing and social inclusion.

I found this quote which supports how vivid is striving to be sustainable "Vivid Sydney is an environmentally responsible event committing to low energy consumption and low carbon emissions. It is an ultimate incorporation of creativity, technology and sustainability. " As many of the works are powered on the all grid system, or by solar power it helps communicate message about energy consumption to the visitors. Furthermore, in 2009, an installation called Cycle allowed visitors to power the artwork by pedaling bikes hooked up to generators. This installation not only got people to moving but also showing them how it can be hard to produce energy and we should be less wasteful with it. Also the vivd lighting for the Sydney Harbour Bridge uses less energy in one night than the bridge’s conventional lighting.

Lot of researches suggest that vivid and personalized interventions influence environmental attitudes and behaviours. Through the of immersive virtual environment technology, people can experience vivid environmental scenarios that are personalized to the individual. Even through vivid is only once a year and not apart of our everyday lives, the ideas and concepts in which it promotes helps the general public gain a better understanding of energy consumption and sustainability in an enjoyable environment. I think Vivid like earth hour is more of a promotional event about the idea of sustainability. 

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