More Big #Canberra News

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/canberra-breakfast/skywhale-and-skywhalepapa-return-to-canberra-s-sky/103112976

Money talks.

My @smh @theage cartoons.

👀

A common misconception, TBF.

An exemplar of the #architectureofhousing; the series of framed courtyards in the student housing complex @unsw. Defined by slender taller NS blocks, EW walkway, lower blocks on north to allow sun into courtyards
Designed by #claredesign when at #architectus

Senior public servants no longer have secure positions, which has undermined their ability to give ‘fearless’ advice.

As @c_s_wallace (@UniCanberra) writes, the question facing the government now is how to make 'frank and fearless advice' the norm again. https://t.co/heSvuP2KWr

Just posted this on the bird site - what is the last straw people need to leave twitter completely? I found my limit. I'm leaving.

For me, paying nazi, misogynistic 'influencers' is too far. I've long been passive on Twitter, but used it to distribute content. I can't do it anymore. The values conflict is too much.

I'd love it if some academics took a stand with me. I'm going to delete my (50K+) follower account on the 13th of August. I'm staying for a month to do a count down and encourage others to #DeleteTwitter.

I don't have a recommendation of where is best to go. Anywhere is better than Twitter and its ocean of hate. Appreciate a boost to build a bit of momentum for this protest attempt

The shifting rhythms of coloured blades to Elizabeth St in Surry Hills; #sydneyapartmentbuilding by #candalepasassociates architects
Excellent scale & street presence, balconies open to north, but shield western sun.
The type of density & quality of design we so need more of!

I have long been a proponent of what I called "dumb buildings" that didn't use much energy (like Passivhaus) and worked like thermal batteries, staying warm or cool in the face of intermittent or variable sources of power. But after reading an Australian study showing how much energy could be saved simply by controlling water heaters and using them as thermal storage, I am beginning to rethink my aversion to smart tech. https://lloydalter.substack.com/p/why-we-should-be-designing-for-intermittency

Sometimes as an architect, you go looking for something on your server & discover some beautiful, but sadly ignored, past scheme.
Here a project from a decade ago for new student housing in & behind a street of terraces houses, punctuated by courtyards.
Low rise, high density

Today, I enjoyed leading an architectural tour that explored 'a century of gentle density in St Kilda and Elwood'.

Because ideas about what is 'good housing' and 'good density' evolve and change over time, I find community forums like this to be consistently educational and rewarding.

The tour was a joint event organised by Port Phillip Bicycle User Group and Jane's Walk. It was 1 of 5 Jane’s Walks events held in Melbourne this 🌧️ 💨 weekend.

Jane’s Walk is a global volunteer-led community movement, created in recognition of the ideas and legacy of Jane Jacobs.

#JanesWalk #GentleDensity #PublicMelbourne

@philipthalis stunning! looks like a collaboration between Archipelago, Lat27 and Bonacci Infrastructure.

the Bullitt Center in Seattle, considered the world's greenest building, opened on Earth Day 10 years ago. What have we learned from it? https://lloydalter.substack.com/p/happy-10th-birthday-and-happy-earth

RT @Tom_Swann: Want to close the cycling gender gap?

Bike lanes.

Build them!
https://t.co/8dmK6asSTt

RT @janrosenow: This is huge: Yesterday the German government confirmed plans to no longer allow stand-alone fossil fuel heating systems to be installed from 01 January 2024.

That’s in all buildings and will come into force in just 8 months.

https://t.co/MuRR2nWxXj

I often talk about the “contract” that we make in city-building with those who embrace urban & downtown living —they trade the backyard and the big TV/media room (and the car dependency) for the vibrant urban life that comes from us providing close-by shops, services, amenities & public realm design.

Don’t break the contract. Otherwise it’s just dense apartments, not a real urban neighbourhood.

#cities #urban #cars #suburbs #downtown

“…all this so-called “evidence” about how policies have worked in other towns simply does not apply to us. No evidence applies to us. Our town exists in a fog of mystery and enigmatic strangeness, and nothing that happens outside city boundaries should have any bearing on how we govern or exist.”

Anything in this article sound familiar? It’s over-the-top, sure, but not as much as you’d like to think. #NIMBY

https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/every-nimbys-speech-at-a-public-hearing

#cities #urbanism

@NessaUndreza lt's the delightful M Pavilion: a temporary structure built in this location each summer for the last 9 years. https://mpavilion.org/design-allzone/

Let’s be REALLY clear: I’m not a “bike advocate.” I’m an experienced, knowledgeable, evidence-driven city-building practicianer, and a relentless champion of smart urban public policy, and better, more successful cities. Over 30+ years I have worked with some of the most innovative cities in the world. THAT’s why I support doing everything we can to make bikes as attractive an option as possible for ordinary transportation in cities.

It’s smart city-building.

#bikes #cars #cities #BikeLanes

@Digital_Archivist @Debnumbers yes, it's a great library space. I find that it's even more impressive is that the library is a renovation of an older, brutalist building. For example, this light well was inserted into the middle of a very deep, very dark building. Design by John Wardle Architects.
https://www.johnwardlearchitects.com/projects/caulfield-library/