Week 20(2023)
Design
Josef Müller-Brockmann
Josef Müller-Brockmann was a critical figure of the Swiss graphic design movement, and author of the keystone book, ‘Grid Systems in Graphic Design’. This past week I came across a lecture by Müller-Brockmann at the Rochester Institute of Technology that gives an interesting insight into his designs.
Sugarcrete
University of East London and architecture firm Grimshaw have collaborated in a new research project to develop a sustainable alternative to concrete with sugar cane pulp. The materials is derived from bagasse, a by-product from the extraction of sugar cane.
The reason behind choosing sugarcane is that it is the larges crop by production volume therefore the raw material from making sugarcrete is abundantly available.
This new material provides appealing properties as a concrete alternative. Sugarcrete is cheaper, four time lighter than bricks and emits 15-20% less carbon. The new material also contains insulating and fire-retardant properties. You can read more behind the research and final product on the Surfaces Reporter’s article here.
Sydney Plaza & Community Building
Daniel Boyd and David Adjaye collaborated to create the Sydney Plaza & Community Building in the city’s CBD. The structure relates to the concept of relationships those between people and between people and places considerations that are central to the Aboriginal culture which the architecture seeks to reference. The Plaza aims to be a place for community-building within the bustling CBD, providing people with a moment for pause.
This pause is present visually, the plaza breaks with the surrounding skyline by posing such a uniquely designed structure among the variety of office buildings it is surrounded by. The monolithic structure, playing with our perception of balance, attracts the stares of pedestrians no matter how fast they may be walking forcing them to pause their focus from their objective to the Plaza no matter how brief.