Technology

006 / Modular Buildings

By Khaled Abou Alfa • Published June 2019

Commentary

I.M. Pei Dies

I.M. Pei (Ieoh Ming Pei) was clearly a man who found his Ikigai and pursued it for 102 years. The architect passed away on the 17th of May, 2019 having certainly left his mark on the world of architecture and by extension the world.

YouTube has a plethora of interviews and documentaries from the last decade. I found this RIBA interview from 2010 to be a great introduction to his oeuvre (only 10 minutes in length). The interview was conducted by that David Adjaye.

Flying Cars

We were promised flying cars. We’re now on the precipice of getting our wish and they look nothing like what we originally imagined. The two main contenders in this arena are Blackfly and Lilium. While the Blackfly is further along in its development, the newly revealed Lilium offers a more Apple-inspired elegance.

Modular Buildings

BSB (Broad Sustainable Building) made waves around 2011 for the construction of a 30 floor buildings in a matter of 15 days. Unfortunately the end result was more function than form. Enter Danny Foster & Architecture, with the AC Hotel New York NoMad for Marriott. The aim is to erect it in 90 days and when complete (end of the year) it will be the tallest modular hotel in the world. More importantly it looks like a place you’d want to visit and stay in.

Tools of the Trade

Iris

Issue 006 TOTT

Both part of a growing suite of products aimed at the analogue inclined Architect and Engineer. The Sketchmark offers a range of useful outputs to make any notebook prettier. Although an objet d’art for your desk, the Iris is decidedly less versatile.

The rest of this chapter can be found in the Built Environment Compendium Vol.01. Buy the book.