POWER REVOLUTION, ENERGY'S FINAL FRONTIER.

"Home Is where your Laptop Is" . The mantra of the Z generation of young, urban creatives (Yuccies: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuccie) will thrive only under one vital predicament: sufficient ENERGY warranty. In an era where the planet is suffering by the over-use of fossil fuels and the rigidity to fully convert to renewable resources - under the constant threat of continuous wars over the control of coil, gas and oil- even drilling to other planets came as a law in countries of the western world ex. USA (in a state of panic fearing earth deposits deficiency in the near future). Cars, computers, heating, housing will go through major changes in their very DNA, in their actual MAKING and that means they won't be even listed under their usual categories. (ex. Cars will not be considered as Vehicles but as part of the Internet of Things. Houses and other MADE constructions and products, will be delivered with a Passport of Materials, used in the making process of responsible design).

Batteries as an important technology, about to re-born- will also overcome important transformations and become the essential TOOL for survival and creative dynamics. In a quick search the meta-Lithium developments on the actual material, guarantee impressive results-despite the fact its biodegradability being questioned, as an issue and a challenge. With the big mobile/PC/electronics companies already working extensively on the area- it seems that the Battery of the Future, functioning on light beam detectors and air reaction- will make its first appearance probably until 2030.
Until then have a quick glimpse in those enlightening sites bellow:

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/beyond-the-hype-what-s-the-future-of-batteries/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11475219/What-is-the-future-of-battery-technology.html

https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/batteries-%E2%80%93-guide-future

http://www.techrepublic.com/article/the-future-of-electric-cars-why-the-battery-race-will-define-it-and-musk-is-a-genius/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/thelabbench/2015/04/30/ensuring-tesla-doesnt-crowd-out-the-batteries-of-the-future/#1cef40be402a

http://www.triplepundit.com/2015/08/biodegradable-batteries-real/

https://waste-management-world.com/a/1-the-lithium-battery-recycling-challenge

www.360inspiration.nl

Happy reading and thinking?-))
A4D-D4A

ESCAPE as a Living Strategy*: an architecture crash course 4All, featuring ARCH POINTS.

(*As a reference to Discretion as Survival Strategy inscription in the Umberto Riva – Proposition for a Bolt Hole  installation at STANZE exhibition, XXI Triennale, Milan 2016.)  

Image above: Summer house in Ilia prefecture , West Peloponnese . Architects: Betty Tsaousi (YAW ARCHITECTURE, btsaousi@gmail.com ) and Despina Sotiriou. Escape signifies the return to a comfortable rurality or a remote, extreme countryside(?). Itinerary no1 (stop no4 ) throughout Athens City, (the core of the commercial center): “Athens City Center: a transitional point. From investors’ high end expectations to working class rematch.” ARCH POINTS  architectural tours, 14th of May 2016. 

A three-day  event, ARCH POINTS is a series of 5 guided tours in the city of Athens, showcasing its architecture and the young professional architects living and working, within the Greek capital ravaged by the economic crisis. ESCAPE is the focal point-theme, triggering the creative ideas, plans, constructions and finished products of seventeen studios- proposing an entire re-invention  and re-mediation of the architectural discipline, also essential for the sector’s survival. At the same time, the guided  tours in the multilayered city of Athens-full of old and new wonders or/and “sins” in terms of architectural planning- reveal many unknown aspects of the heart of the town, through a contemporary approach to the Athenian urban  landscape.  

A4D-D4A followed three of the five itineraries , dedicated to different issues , revolving around the notion of Escape and the city today. A.The Athens City - the Commercial Center Transformation of Real Estate, b.the Evolution of the Athenian Apartment block and the c.Relativity to the Sea frontier- exposed  three routes respectively, where one discovers the participants architects’ offices situated on each of them –but also natural and architectural milestones, defining the city’s (new) character.

See bellow, from top to bottom: 
Athens China Town- The upper-middle class lofts in the old Silk Factory working class quarters (Metaxourgeio)- 1950’s residential apartments in Heraklitou str, Kolonaki- Graffiti (“ I am tortured (gr.:"βασανίζομαι“)  near Athens Stock market.- The wild flora of the National Garden , next to the Parliament, near the ancient Ilissos river stream. 

The business of architecture evokes many new challenges, given the circumstances of the economic and environmental crisis. In times like this, the architect becomes a restorer and renovator, more than a strict builder or maker, crossing the platforms of other fields in applied arts and techniques. Extroversy , flexibility , escape from immobility, decentralization of services, co-operability, adaptation of art narratives and intelligent technology (supported by the architects toolkit) : those are the attributes of the new architect in the city of Athens, exploring  a wide range of solutions in order to attain professional sustainability. The cheerful disposition of all the architects presenting projects on ESCAPE by ARCH POINTS was overwhelming – nevertheless here follow some of the highlights  in the three itineraries mentioned earlier. 

From top to bottom: 

Vasileios Ntovros, Pittaki str. quarters light installation, "Imagine the City"-        

4k architects, Escape mapping game-

Diofantou6, outdoor sunshade constructions- VM Architects, Hidden Landscapes (3D printouts, spooled out algorithmically generated diagrams of intangible spaces). 

www.ntovrosvasileios.gr 

http://cargocollective.com/imaginethecity/Syn-oikia (photo)

www.tesserakappa.gr 

diofantou6.tumblr.com 

www.vmarchitects.gr 

You can also visit: 

www.neararchitecture.com 

www.theathensproject.wordpress.com 

www.micromega.gr 

www.cadu.gr 

www.a-u-d-o.com 

www.thanassismanis.com 

www.harisbiskos.com 

ARCH POINTS official website: www.archpoints.gr 

Special thanks to: the architects-guides of the tours, Eleni Patatouka, Anastasia Koutoumanou, Aggeliki Latani and Fanis Kafantaris and the Press officer of ARCH POINTS (all mighty) Christina  Zafeirouli. We are so looking forward for next year's edition ARCH POINTS 2017!

Warm regards;-)) 

A4D-D4A   

Remediation, innovation, (digital) awakening: WEB SUMMIT 2016.

Image above from:
https://blog.websummit.net/introducing-web-summit-schools/

In times that Europe is tested heavily and try with mostly saturated mechanisms to re-invent its production, services and industrial sectors- the pulse of our Digital Blue planet beats in historical Lisbon next November 2016- facilitating growth, (thus means new business opportunities and job openings)- in unprecedented areas. WEB SUMMIT will take place between the 7th and the 10th of 2016 in Lisbon, Portugal and already it guarantees numerous, exciting manifestos from the inventors and the entrepreneurs, practicing an activity on the digital platform.
Some of the events are about to shift n' shake a whole system of factors and generate a new environment, therefore a new set of values and habits for the user-consumer-citizen.
There follows a handful of the many fascinating headlines of the presentations, bound to shake vividly the foundations of the economic and social infrastructure, in fields like programming-coding, IT, design, healthcare, security, finances, society, media and more:
...
"Turn consumers into active contributors".
"The 360° VR selfie is the future".
"Privacy policies should really be called ownership policies".
"In the future, you'll be able to view an image of your skeleton & the disease states around it".
"Build services that offer magic".
"In 20 years we'll be carrying around these wonderful little computers where you can pay anybody, anywhere in the world, using Bitcoin.
....

A4D-D4A missed last year's WEB SUMMIT in Dublin but we will try to access the WEB SUMMIT Lisbon premises, in order to re-address mainly some of the tantalizing issues, our design blog is primarily interested in (among many others):
1. New Technologies, Design and Disability (focusing especially on partially-sighted citizens).
2. Easy Distant learning solutions and public educational activities in the meta-Digital era.
3. Copyright, intellectual property in creative on-line services.
4. Networked residences.

WEB SUMMIT is worthy of every possible attention, defines novel dimensions and signals hope, in a cloudy socio-economic landscape that remains barren and solution-free.

For detailed info on features, attendees and latest press releases, please visit: https://websummit.net/summits/design-summit

Set your eyes on November 2016;-))
A4D-D4A