Business

A series of images of shop and business fronts from around the world, including Hong Kong, Jakarta and Seoul.

 

TOKYOLO

Arriving in Tokyo amid the darkness and rain brought by a typhoon is about as close to being in Blade Runner as you can get. With a population of 35 million and seemingly boundless urban construction, Tokyo operates more like a medium-sized country than a city.  I've separated into groups some of the unusual and beautiful things that have been created by a city of this size.

A city the scale of Tokyo demands a series of colossal infrastructural and commercial systems to keep running. These organs such as the Tsukiji fish market, the container terminals at the port or the quadruple-decker highways create unintended yet magnificent urban phenomena.

In addition to the horizontal density of the street, made up from sign posts, adverts, telephone cables and sidewalk furniture, Tokyo is a city that can be readily experienced vertically. Most apartments have accessible fire escapes that give unique views. Many of the towers and skyscrapers host observatories and viewing platforms. However, perhaps the best way to experience the density of Tokyo is by chartered helicopter.

The eccentricities of Tokyo leads to some extremes. This ranges from the ever-improving art of a sushi restaurant to places like the Robot Restaurant where the show culminates in a neon striped tank battling a panda riding a cow.

MAP 3 - Asia Trip

I'm off on another trip, this time around East Asia. For this trip, I've created my 3rd map series, this time rarefying the various cities and locations I will visit, creating a condensed 3-dimensional view that basically rips off eBoy. I'll try and post images etc. at regular intervals, hope you enjoy

Redefining the Ski Alpine Empire of Switzerland

Environmental design excerpt. From ELEVEN.

Long Section Detail. From ELEVEN.

What will ski resorts look like in a future where it doesn’t snow? As the climate warms up, the character of snow is being transformed from a natural phenomenon to a manufactured commodity.  The Swiss ski industry has responded to the loss of snowfall by retreating to the upper reaches of the Alps. Whilst guaranteeing long ski seasons, the additional infrastructure required to sustain this remote touristic enterprise creates significant burdens.

The Old Bern Snow Mountain Paradise compounds the urban and alpine landscapes, redefining the ski empire of Switzerland in a warmer world where snow is scarce. Draped over the centre of the city, the Snow Mountain creates a unique skiing experience for both tourists and the inhabitants of Bern. The Mountain is not a solution to the problems facing the entire ski alpine empire, nor is it a replacement for what has been lost. It proposes a new way of building both cities and ski resorts. Through the use of environmental technologies and spatial interventions, the city becomes an ideal place for an artificial snow dependent ski resort to thrive.

Not only can the skiing experience be radically altered by this proposal, the experience of the city is also redefined. The environmental benefits of using snow to provide thermal comfort for inhabitants of the city are vast. The light and spatial qualities within the Snow Mountain are a spectacle that transforms the city over which it is placed and the seasons are accentuated and heightened by the proposal.

The Alpine Urban Compound. Bern Old Town.

Zermatt ski landscape. From thesis.

Vulnerable ski resort locations in Switzerland. From thesis.

Canton of Bern ski resort map. From thesis.

Detail of plan of the Old Bern Snow Mountain paradise. From thesis.

Hydro infrastructure. From thesis.

Ice tower construction strategy. From thesis.

Snow making strategy. From Thesis.

Old Bern Snow Mountain Paradise. Plan Detail.

Old Bern Snow Mountain Paradise. Plan detail.

Old Bern Snow Mountain Paradise. Section Detail.

On the South Face of the Mountain: The Mini-Matterhorn Ski World

Mountain Poster

Old Bern Snow Mountain Paradise. Topographical plan.