From the Blog

Urban gardening for city slickers

Posted on April 23, 2014 //

by MICHAEL KELLY, Independent.ie, February 25, 2013

Photo: Urban Farm Source: www.urbanfarm.ie

Photo: Urban Farm
Source: www.urbanfarm.ie

There is always a tendency to consider food growing as something that always has to happen in a field or large garden – GIYing is, unfortunately, often considered the preserve of country people or farmers. In reality, it’s an equally viable hobby in an urban environment.

In fact, if we are to provide a genuine alternative to the modern food chain, then food growing is something that is going to have to happen in much smaller spaces.

I visited two projects in Dublin recently that really challenge your assumptions about where food can be produced. The first is Kaethe Burt O’Dea’s blink-and-you-miss-it community garden on Sitric Road in Stoneybatter. The second is what you might call a ‘hyper-urban’ food growing space on the roof of the Chocolate Factory on Kings Inn Street, a stone’s throw from O’Connell St.

The Sitric Community Garden is literally a street corner, a sliver of green space at the end of a terrace of two-up/two-down houses.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: blog, cult-blog, cycle-blog, mutual-blog // Tagged: , ,

You won’t believe what passengers are doing on the roof of this Tokyo train station, but it will make you green with envy

Posted on April 23, 2014 //

by Derek Markham, TreeHugger, March 26, 2014

The plot thickens at Tokyo train stations, as passengers grow on the go with these rooftop garden allotments Photo: Soradofarm Source: www.treehugger.com

The plot thickens at Tokyo train stations, as passengers grow on the go with these rooftop garden allotments
Photo: Soradofarm
Source: www.treehugger.com

The plot thickens at Tokyo train stations, as passengers grow on the go with these rooftop garden allotments.

It’s one thing to start and tend a garden if you have plenty of space at home, as well as the time to care for it, and another thing entirely to do so if you spend a good chunk of your day commuting, and lack a place at home for even a tiny garden.

But an ingenious solution is cropping up in Japan, where the East Japan Railway Company has collaborated with a station entertainment company to create a series of rooftop gardens on train stations, where commuters can create their own tiny gardens and tend to them while they wait for their train to arrive.

The Soradofarm project, which currently has five locations, including at Tokyo’s JR Ebisu station, allows people to rent their own garden allotment measuring just 3 square meters (tools, water, and garden equipment, and even seeds are included) to try their hand at growing food, flowers, and more.

The price isn’t cheap, as some of the plots cost 100,440 JPY per year (~$960 USD), but considering that it may be the best option for many of the people who are interested in it, due to space issues, these urban rooftop garden allotments could be a viable way to get some green in their busy lives.

Aside from the possibility of growing even a tiny amount of fresh food for themselves, these innovative urban gardens may be an effective solution for decreasing stress and increasing the amount of time spent out in the fresh air and sunshine, especially in areas where outdoor space is at a premium, and having a place to call your own is hard to come by.

Although there are just five urban rooftop gardens installed at the train stations so far, according to Springwise, East Japan Railways plans to open up more of these garden allotments “on top of or near to each one of its stations” in the future.

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Filed Under: blog, cult-blog, cycle-blog // Tagged: , ,

Inflatable hot tubs coming to NYC roof for ‘epic’ nightlife movie experience

Posted on April 23, 2014 //

by JEN CARLSON, Gothamist, April 22, 2014

People sit in hot tubs at a Hot Tub cinema event on a warehouse roof in Hackney, east London September 6, 2012. Photo: REUTERS / Olivia Harris Source: www.gothamist.com

People sit in hot tubs at a Hot Tub cinema event on a warehouse roof in Hackney, east London September 6, 2012.
Photo: REUTERS / Olivia Harris
Source: www.gothamist.com

Soaking in a rooftop hot tub with a few pals, gazing out over the city’s twinkling skyline, and sipping a few cocktails while you watch a movie—well that does sound delightful. But if we know anything about going out in this city, it’s that things are never going to be like what you think they’re going to be like… unless, were you picturing this?:

Well then, CHEERS!

The people at Hot Tub Cinema are bringing their kiddie pools and some warm water over from the UK next month. On May 8th, they’re partnering up with Crowdtilt for “a unique experience (first in US) you won’t want to miss out on!” For $55 you can purchase a spot in a “hot tub,” and with that you’ll also get an open bar, popcorn, a movie, and according to the press release an “epic/priceless story to share with your friends.” The ones you did not invite to the hot tub party.

There are 14 tubs, which means 14 “Tub Captains” (THEIR THING NOT OURS), and 100 spots total. You can claim your spot here… and please drink responsibly.

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Filed Under: blog, cult-blog // Tagged: ,

Es-Stouh / Les terrasses / The rooftops

Posted on April 10, 2014 //

Film du réalisateur Merzak Allouache présenté en compétition à la 70ème Mostra de Venise (2013). Le film qui raconte cinq histoires fictives se déroulant sur cinq terrasses dans autant de quartiers d’Alger.

Merzak Allouache au sujet des terrasses d’Alger :

« Alger est construite sur des collines. On voit facilement les terrasses qui ont toujours joué un rôle dans cette ville. J’avais envie de travailler sur cette perspective de hauteur pour parler des problèmes de la société algérienne”, explique Merzak Allouache. “Depuis quelques temps les choses se sont aggravées. On n’en est pas arrivé à la situation égyptienne où les gens habitent dans les cimetières mais on squatte les terrasses, il y a des bidonvilles (…) » (Extrait de “Les Terrasses” : l’Algérie vue par Merzak Allouache s’invite sur la lagune, Le Nouvel Observateur, 6 septembre 2013.

« La terrasse dans les villes comme Alger s’est transformée et est devenue un lieu de vie. C’est aussi grouillant que la rue, car il y a un manque de logements donc beaucoup de monde habite sur les terrasses. Je me suis dit que ce serait bien car ce serait en intérieur/extérieur, avec la ville comme toile de fond. » (Propos du réalisateur tirée d’une entrevue réalisée dans le cadre de la 70ième Mostra de Venise.

 

Bande annonce du film “Les terrasses” (Es-Stouh)

 

Entrevue avec le réalisateur
Filed Under: blog, cult-blog, cult-gallery, gallery, gallery-cinema // Tagged: ,

A roof grows on Barclays

Posted on April 10, 2014 //

by ELIOT BROWN, The Wall Street Journal, April 6, 2014

The dome of Barclays Center is going green. Here a rendering of the project, which is still being designed. Image: Shop Architects PC Source: http://online.wsj.com

The dome of Barclays Center is going green. Here a rendering of the project, which is still being designed.
Image: Shop Architects PC
Source: The Wall Street Journal

Brooklyn’s Barclays Center is slated to get a lot greener on the outside and possibly become a quieter neighbor in the process.

Barclays developer Forest City Ratner Cos. is planning to coat the arena’s giant dome with a 130,000-square-foot “green roof” composed of small plants and a soil-like cover, resurrecting an idea that was cut years ago in an effort to contain costs.

Forest City officials said the effort is being driven by the next development phase at the site, known as Atlantic Yards, which calls for 6,400 apartments to be built in 15 towers—three that would surround the arena. By swapping a sprawling white roof with an expanse of greenery, the apartments should become more marketable, the company believes.

“We wanted to do the amenity for the benefits to the community and the residents that this green roof will bring, rather than having that traditional arena roof,” said Linda Chiarelli, an executive vice president at Forest City.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: archi-work, blog, cult-blog // Tagged: , , ,

Terrace for sale, includes condo

Posted on March 25, 2014 //

by JULIE SATOW, The New York Times, March 20, 2014

The developers of 215 Sullivan Street in the Village promote its “lushly landscaped backyard”. Photo: Watson & Company Source: www.nytimes.com

The developers of 215 Sullivan Street in the Village promote its “lushly landscaped backyard”.
Photo: Watson & Company
Source: www.nytimes.com

After a seemingly endless winter, the first hints of spring have teased us with a day or two of temperatures over 60 degrees. That fleeting glimpse of warmth sent many New Yorkers flying out of doors to enjoy the sunshine. For my part, I sipped my morning coffee at home last week and stared wistfully out the window at a neighbor’s balcony.

In our concrete jungle, there is a hefty dollar value attached to having your own garden oasis — even the smallest of shrubberies carries a price tag. And with so many residents suffering from a vitamin D deficiency these days, brokers are promoting listings that can claim specks of green, even if they’re barely large enough to hold a bonsai.

Yet there are some listings for which the warmer weather was made.

Downtown, the average price of a luxury condominium with a terrace is $8.3 million; that compares with just $6 million for those without terraces, according to Vanderbilt Appraisal. And developers are doing whatever they can to take advantage of that pricing edge.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: archi-blog, blog, cult-blog // Tagged: , ,
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