Social Architecture: Reinventing the Pod

"Architects Without Borders"

For a Feature Article in the June 2007 issue of Cadalyst Magazine, editor Kenneth Wong reached out to me to share ideas about the Open Architecture Network, Technology Trends in Architecture, and the social implications of humanitarian projects in architecture.

I shared my thoughts about my project, The Portable Transient Shelter Pods, a housing solution that was first designed for homeless seafarers in the Philippines. When that engagement fizzled, a non-profit NGO in British Columbia quickly grabbed the opportunity to use this idea for one of their disaster-stricken areas. Then came the Asian Tsunami that found another use for the Pods.

The design of the Pods was developed utilizing Building Information Modeling (BIM) Technology where everything is drawn parametrically. I used the software ArchiCad by Graphisoft, where it allowed me to make design decisions on materials, height limitations, and building connections, in the earliest phase of the project development. This streamlines the architectural phases that originally was driven by 2-dimensional thinking and production.

To read more of the article "Tech Trends ---Architects Without Borders" by Kenneth Wong, simple click on the title of this post above. Or copy + paste this link to your browser's url address box:

http://aec.cadalyst.com/aec/content/contentDetail.jsp?id=429618