200 Eleventh Ave

Anyone who has spent time in Asia has no doubt encountered the car elevator, due to the lack of available space many buildings have car parks that operate like giant sandwich vending machines, or in some cases send the cars up to higher levels to be parked. The Hyundai department store in the town I lived in operated one of these. The building had a rotating circle outside the entrance to the parking elevator that would allow the valets to turn the car around after getting it on and off its shelf.

Well the idea has officially come to North America, for the super wealthy at least. 200 Eleventh Ave NYC is a new 19 story tower designed by architect Annabelle Selldorf with stainless-steel facades that rise above a cast gunmetal-glazed Terra-cotta base.

To use the 'Sky Garage' tenants pull in through the street level gate and then into the car sized elevator. Using an electronic coding system the elevator then takes the tenant and their car up to the appropriate floor so that they can pull into their own garage. No longer will Mr Jones have to cart all his groceries up in the elevator or get the concierge to help him, he can simply unload his groceries straight from the trunk into his own apartment.

The building includes 16 units in multiple configurations including; simplexes, terraces, duplexes, and a couple different penthouse configurations. As illustrated by the photos the units are as swanky as an apartment with in apt garages should be, and they come with the price tag to boot. A cool $14million will give your car a garage that other cars will be jealous of.
Interestingly this development has shot up in the area adjoining the High Line, along with a number of other developments.

Building Security Without the Pervy

Yuri Ivanov of the Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories has come up with a comprehensive building monitoring and tracking system that may actually be less invasive of peoples privacy then current CCTV systems. He and his college Christopher Wren outfitted their office with 215 detectors placed at 2 meter intervals. These detectors capture less information in terms of raw data, but they are actually able to generate much more data then a conventional CCTV system. To understand how this is possible one only needs to think of the way that these sensors work.. a motion sensor picks up and relays if and when a person goes by, by having the sensors spaced closely together they are able to track a persons movements through the office. A CCTV on the other hand captures images of the areas they surveil regardless of whether anyone is there or not. Wren explained the difference as such;

"It's not going to catch you picking your nose. You can only tell that some person went by," Wren explains, "maybe this is better than living under thousands of cameras."

The system basically knows that you are in the building but you could be walking around naked and it wouldn't be able to tell. In order to make sense of all the data that these motion sensors capture the pair developed a software package that we have only seen before in Harry Potter of all places, they developed their own version of the marauders map. People on the display show up as bright spots of light with a comet tail that fades away behind them. Giving viewers the ability to both see where they are and what their trajectories are. The program also allows them to compile this movement data over extended periods of time and look for anomalies and patters.

The implications for security and traffic data collection are exciting. The pair was able to analyse data from a fire drill to discover that two out of three of the fire exits went virtually unused. The congregation habits of people and how long they stay at work also have implications for making air conditioning and heating systems more efficient. The system seems like an excellent trade off for better security without compromising personal privacy.

Toronto Waterfront Viaduct

Sweeping elevated highways and expressways are reminders of the modernist era with its dreams of speedy transportation from area to area on elevated right of ways. Le Corbusier and the modern movement glorified automobiles and gave them their own monumental structures upon which to travel so as not to be encumbered by the minor cross streets and other obstacles below. The modernist movement and Le Corbusier himself have in the years following been criticized for their legacy and these elevated freeways and expressways have gone from being glorious examples of the industrial prowess of man to giant eye sores and physiological barriers pretty much universally disliked by all and expensive to maintain. Toronto and Montreal both have extensive elevated systems and both are experiencing major structural issues. In Toronto there has been much debate over what to do about the Gardiner Expressway as many feel that it is a barrier to the successful redevelopment of the waterfront and no longer able to meet the demands placed upon it in terms of carrying capacity. There have been many proposals to deal with the issue of the Gardiner, however, due to both the prohibitive price tags and the question of what to do with existing traffic while these proposals are carried out has stalled the process.

Jose Gutierrez of Seneca College has come up with a new idea the Toronto Waterfront Viaduct, first the idea of a 6km long cable stayed bridge seems ridiculous, however on further consideration it has some advantages that outweigh other proposals; its aesthetic appeal, the freeing up of land currently occupied by the expressway, and lack of interference with the existing expressway while under construction. Its 1.65 billion dollar price tag is also comparable with other proposals for the expressway.

“I thought about utilizing the existing Lakeshore rail corridor, and merging the Expressway and the rail tracks into one major transportation corridor,” Gutierrez says. “The cable-stayed idea came from the need to provide as few obstacles as possible for train movement and street level traffic (either pedestrian, bicycles, transit or car traffic).” source

Gutierrez's proposal has simply the basic plan for the elevated viaduct and also add ons that could be used to either increase the diversity of uses for the viaduct or even offset the cost of building it. I find the proposal very exciting and it has the potential to integrate well into other projects such as the union station redevelopment and assorted waterfront projects.

Click here to see his proposal in depth.

Links
http://spacing.ca/wire/?page_id=1244
http://www.toviaduct.com/

Elevated Parkways

In New York City an organisation called "Friends of the High Line" are in the process of converting a previously abandoned freight viaduct that runs along the lower west side of Manhattan from a 'lost space' to a new elevated park reserved for pedestrians. The idea is not new, there is currently another elevated park in Paris called The Promenade Plantée. The project is designed to increase the available parkland in the city by turning what some have considered a blight into a unique advantage, looking through some past entries about this online it is clear that there was much debate and a serious push to have the whole structure removed. Link I for one am happy that the friends of the high line have been successful in getting the go ahead to convert the structure to an urban promenade. Unique parks and the maintenance of structures of historical significance is a big plus to me. It is also interesting to see how structures like this begin to make us relate to the city in further levels, most are only used to considering a city from the ground level, sure we have subways and underground structures, and sky walks in some urban areas but most don't really consider them when thinking of the strata of an area. Subways are underground and you don't really see anything so its easy to have no awareness of the city that you pass through on your way between your usual stations and sky walks tend to insulate us from the city by being too much like the interior of the buildings they connect. Elevated walkways like the Promenade and the future high line allow us to experience the city from above while still being in contact with its sights and smells, I have a feeling that once completed this project will become a valued part of the neighbourhoods it connects.
The High line has a specific vision;

The Vision

Friends of the High Line believes the historic High Line rail structure offers New Yorkers the opportunity to create a one-of-a-kind recreational amenity: a grand, public promenade that can be enjoyed by all residents and visitors in New York City. When the High Line is converted to public open space, you will be able to rise up from the streets and step into a place apart, tranquil and green. You will see the Hudson River, the Manhattan skyline, and secret gardens inside city blocks as you've never seen them before. You will move between Penn Station and the Hudson River Park, from the convention center to the Gansevoort Market Historic District, without meeting a car or truck. The High Line will be a promenade—a linear public place where you will see and be seen. You will sense New York's industrial past in the rivets and girders. You will perceive the future unrolling before you in an artfully designed environment of unprecedented innovation. It will be yours—public in the truest sense of the word. Public dollars helped build it in the 1930s. Public legislation empowers us to make it a place anyone can visit. It will be proof New York City no longer casts aside its priceless transportation infrastructure but instead creates bold new uses for these monuments to human power and ambition. source

There is a great collection of pictures of the high line in its current state here

There are three other projects in the works for structures like these; the Bloomingdale Trail in Chicago and on old Reading Viaduct elevated rail in the Callowhill section of Philadelphia Pennsylvania

Link List
http://www.thehighline.org/

http://www.citynoise.org/article/6957

http://www.promenade-plantee.org/

The Threat of Aristocratization

The Onion has this great little article that may help put gentrification into perspective for those of us 'elites' who don't understand what all the fuss is about when people say that gentrification is a problem. Personally I think that gentrification is pretty good... BUT only if there is an concerted effort for the maintenance of affordable housing within the neighbourhood. Either way be sure to check out this Onion Article it made me laugh and I think it will make you laugh too.

Rapid Transit Sytems

Transportation systems are an important city network, an efficient rapid transit system will make a city much more livable by giving its citizens a way to move around without having to rely on their cars. In the world there are currently one hundred and sixty-two rapid transit systems, with more then 8,000 km (4,900 miles) of track and 7,000 stations.

I have been fortunate enough to travel on a number of these systems and experience the joys and horrors that can come with them, from the super clean and efficient lines of Fukoka, to what we English teachers termed the ‘refugee line’ in Seoul. Rapid transit systems are one of the most important circulatory systems in the urban area and come in many different configurations and capacities.

Before we take a look at a selection of the different rapid transit systems around the world lets first define what makes up a rapid transit system;

Rapid transit is a term that is used to describe transit systems that are rail-based and used within urban areas to transport people.

The term also can include more specific systems, such as metro or heavy rail systems, in which the transit system also must meet the following criteria: an urban, electric mass transit railway system completely independent from other traffic with high capacity and service frequency. Rapid transit systems are either elevated, on ground or underground. In most systems the central business district CBD portion of the system is underground, and the outside of center parts of the system vary.

Systems that are termed as subway and underground are usually used on systems that are based solely or primarily underground. The word subway can apply to the entire system, or only to those parts that are actually underground, the most common term used internationally is metro. Rapid transit systems that are above street level may be called "elevated" systems in the US (often shortened to El or L, as Chicago's system is popularly referred to). In the UK, elevated systems are generally classified as light railways such as the Docklands Light Railway in east London, although not all British light railways are elevated.

Subway systems and subway maps give an interesting perspective on the city. While many subway maps are altered and do not follow the geographic contours of the city, they do trace out the major circulatory routes as they spread out from the central city and form a mental perspective in their passengers minds of what the city looks like. It is also interesting to note how the patterns of the sytems change depending on the surrounding geography of the city, can you tell if it is a coastal city just by looking at the map.

Selected Transit Systems;
Beijing

Lines: 5 Daily Trips: 3.51 million

Home Page: http://www.bjsubway.com/cns/index.html

Boston

Lines: 5 Daily Trips: 598,200
Home Page: http://www.mbta.com/

Brussels

Lines: 3 Daily Trips: 700,000
Home Page: http://www.mivb.be/index.htm?guest_user=guest_en

Bucharest

Lines: 4 Daily Trips: 750,000
Home Page: http://www.metrorex.ro/

Buenos Aries

Lines: 5 Daily Trips: N/A
Home Page: http://www.metrovias.com.ar/

Glasgow

Lines: 1 Daily Trips: 36,055
Home Page: http://www.spt.co.uk/Subway/index.html

Milano

Lines: 3 Daily Trips: N/A
Home Page: http://www.atm-mi.it/ATM/eng

Montreal

Lines: 4 Daily Trips: 835,000
Home Page: http://www.stm.info/English/a-somm.htm

Moscow

Lines: 12 Daily Trips: 6.8 million
Home Page: http://www.mosmetro.ru/

Osaka

Lines: 8 Daily Trips: 2.3 million
Home Page: http://www.kotsu.city.osaka.jp/foreign/english/index.html

Prague

Lines: 3 Daily Trips: 1.4 million
Home Page: http://www.dp-praha.cz/index.php?q=en

Seoul

Lines: 10 Daily Trips: 8 million
Home Page: http://www.smrt.co.kr/english_smrt/index.jsp

Shanghai

Lines: 8 Daily Trips: 2.18 million
Home Page: http://www.shtmetro.com/

Stockholm

Lines: 7 Daily Trips: 1.07 million
Home Page: http://www.sl.se/Templates/SubStart.aspx?id=1906

Taipai

Lines: 8 Daily Trips: 1,211 million
Home Page: http://www.trtc.com.tw/e/

Tokyo

Lines: 14 Daily Trips: 7.8 million
Home Page: http://www.kotsu.metro.tokyo.jp/english/index.html

Toronto

Lines: 4 Daily Trips: 1.2 million
Home Page: http://www.toronto.ca/ttc/

Washington DC

Lines: 5 Daily Trips: 702,171
Home Page: http://www.wmata.com/

The Comprehensive Wiki List

World Rapid Transit Systems

France's Big Bridge

The Millau bridge in France currently holds the record for the worlds tallest road bridge. At a towering 343m (1,125ft) at its highest point, it is definitely not for anyone afraid of heights. The bridge crosses the River Tarn and the valley of the same name and has been termed by some as "one of the most breathtaking ever built." source

The bridge was designed by architect Norman Foster who wanted it to have the "delicacy of a butterfly"... "A work of man must fuse with nature. The pillars had to look almost organic, like they had grown from the earth," the world-renowned British architect said in an interview with regional daily newspaper Midi Libre.

The Bridge was constructed by French construction group Eiffage - that built the Eiffel Tower. The bridge was built to relieve the traffic bottlenecks that frequently occurred in the french town of Millau by connecting the two portions of route A-75 which is a major artery to the Mediterranean.

The bridge is also impressive for its embedded electronics, the structure contains 30 km of high-current electrical cables, 10 km of low-current cables, 20 km of fibre optics, and a total of 357 telephone jacks to allow maintenance workers to speak with the command center and with each other while doing work on the bridge.

The structure also has some is state of the art safety infrastructure. There are sensors embedded in the pylons, deck, masts and stays. These sensors can detect the smallest movements in the structure and keep track of the both the structures resistance to, and degradation that occurs naturally overtime. The sensors are able to detect movements down to the micrometre, and are designed to take as many as 100 readings a second. In high wind conditions the structure is designed to constantly monitor the viaduct and its reactions. There are also, two piezoelectric sensors intended to gather traffic data, such as: the weight of vehicles, average speed, and density of traffic flow. The system is intelligent enough to categorise its traffic into fourteen different types of vehicle.

The construction of the bridge was done with a number of segments prefabricated. The pylons were poured and constructed, and a couple of intermediate temporary pylons were also put up, then prefabricated deck pieces were pulled across the piers using satellite-guided hydraulic rams that moved the deck 600 mm every 4 minutes. The masts were then pushed out over the new deck, that was erected on top of the pylons, connected to the deck and the temporary pylons removed.

The construction of the bridge faced some opposition from international and local groups; including the WWF, France Nature Environment, the national federation of motorway users, and Environmental Action. Opponents argued that the bridge would never break even, even with the toll, they also argued that the bypass would negatively affect the town and its economy, and that the toll would cause motorists to bypass the bridge.

Some of these predictions have turned out to be very untrue, the town has approved more then 100 building permits in the 18 months following the viaduct's construction, three of which are for new hotels, and the town has experienced and economic boom termed "the viaduct effect" and two other neighboring industrial zones have also seen economic expansion that is attributed to the bridge and reduction in travel times.

Either way this Viaduct is a truly impressive structure and the pictures confirm it.

Super Green Buildings, Urban Farming

As you will no doubt learn the more you navigate around this site, I am a big fan of simcity. While other coworkers and friends of mine can spend hours talking about assorted Mages, Elves, cloaks, daggers and other gaming fun, I prefer the inherent simplicity of essentially being a supreme dictator over my own mini continent and the assorted cities and towns I have built there. Often times in this game real world buildings and landmarks are modeled and added into the game by a dedicated group of players that is still going strong five years after the release of the current incarnation and in spite of a newer addition, but I digress, a couple of months ago a dedicated modeler came up with a collection of 'sky farms' to be used in the game and I thought, what a cool idea, it would be great to do this in real life. Now it appears that other architects and engineers are working on projects of this type.

In the not so distant future it is predicted that as much as 80% of the worlds population will live in urban areas, and by 2050 the population of the world will increase by as many as 3 billion people. Three billion people require a fair bit of food and current farming practices are unlikely to be able to provide the needed supply. Dr Dickson Despommier suggests Vertical Farms, which are at first a radical idea more suited to science fiction, but after consideration is not all that radical at all. After all we have been growing vegetables under green houses for a long time.

Dr. Dickson Despommier’s Vertical Farm website is a clearing house for vertical farm designs and he outlines his vision for what urban farming can and should be What is new is the urgent need to scale up this technology to accommodate another 3 billion people. An entirely new approach to indoor farming must be invented, employing cutting edge technologies. The Vertical Farm must be efficient (cheap to construct and safe to operate).

Vertical farms, many stories high, will be situated in the heart of the world's urban centers. If successfully implemented, they offer the promise of urban renewal, sustainable production of a safe and varied food supply (year-round crop production), and the eventual repair of ecosystems that have been sacrificed for horizontal farming.

Dr Despommier goes on to outline multiple advantages to this new vision for farming; things like year round crop production (great for Canada), elimination of herbicides and pesticides, and a reduction in agricultural run off as most vertical farm systems have waste water reclamation systems built in. Not to mention a number of other great points.

Adding a grocery store to the ground floor could eliminate shipping costs for all produce and enable these stores to sell produce that is truly fresh, they wouldn't even have to pick the vegetables prematurely to make them transportable.

The site even has a proposal for Toronto...

Epic Storm Drains

I have to admit I am a bit of a sucker for the monumental, and in this case I was truely blown away by the scale of the city of tokyo's Storm Water System. The photo's make it look like something right out of final fantasy.

The system was designed by the Japan Institute of Wastewater Engineering Technology (JIWET), in order to handle the yearly typhoons and rainstorms that hit Tokyo and the Japanese Islands on a regular basis. The storm water system is comprised of approximately 64 kilometers of tunnels linking concrete containment silos, which are 65meters deep and runs off a number of 14000 horsepower turbines which can pump 200 tons of water a second.

Like many other parts of Asia 82% of the ward area is served by combined sewage systems in which wastewater and storm water are channeled through the same sewer line. This results in a number of issues, not least of which is the smell, but also that during times of heavy rainfall some waste water is mixed in with the rain water and is washed directly into local rivers and out to sea.

Either way the system is of truely epic proportions and can be enjoyed not only for its capcity and complexity but its visual impact.

JIWET homepage;

http://www.jiwet.or.jp/english/