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Copenhagen Parts for your bicycle

admin — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 08:25:06 +0000

About half of all car journeys in urban areas are shorter than 5km and for such short distances a bicycle is, in most cases, the fastest means of transport. Bicycles need far less space than cars, they are quiet and – taking manufacturing into account – their CO2 emissions are very low. Copenhagen is one of the most bicycle friendly cities and Copenhagen Parts recently launched the Bike Porter, which makes it easy to get your stuff around town.

To achieve a reduction of 40% of CO2 emissions by 2020 a country such as Germany will have to reduce its emissions from transport by 15 million tonnes per annum. Technical innovations and higher energy efficiency will help to achieve these goals. If, however, 5% of all car journeys were done by public transport and 30% of all car journeys shorter than 5km were done by bicycle, 3 to 4 million tonnes of CO2 could be saved each year.

Well, yes – I would use the bicycle, but how do I get what I need for work to the office and my shopping home?

Copenhagen Parts offers a solution: the Bike Porter – an integrated handlebar and basket.

Old-school basket weave is fine if that’s your thing, but what real choice is there if you care about how your bike looks, and your style is more urban than country cottage? What if you ride a stylish single-speed but you also want to carry bags and groceries?

The Bike Porter combines cool aesthetics with functionality without corrupting the clean, simple lines of your bicycle.

By integrating the basket into the handlebar, the Bike Porter offers a stylish transport option which works as part of your bike as well as introducing an evolution in style.

The Bike Porter is easy to fit and secure. It stands out through its quality, simplicity and style. The product is made from heat-treated alloy tubing and rod, making it lightweight and robust. It is designed to attach to the stem easily, installed just like any normal handlebar and it can be attached to any bicycle using a two part stem.

For more details see the website – http://copenhagenparts.com

The product was designed by Good Morning Technology, Copenhagen – www.gmtn.dk

In London the Bike Porter is available at www.tokyofixedgear.com

Good architecture for the fringes

admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:08:37 +0000

Most of us now live in urban or semi urban areas. For decades the fringes of our cities have been sprawling out into industrial estates characterised by functional, often cheap and ‘one way’ architecture. The transportation of goods and the use of cars have been the key denominators in the development of these areas: accessibility and functionality define a transitory aesthetic. Brightly coloured and illuminated petrol stations are a key element.

In Europe oil consumption peaked in 2005. There is a strong push towards renewable energy and this will also affect petrol stations. They will have to develop into charging stations for vehicles powered by gas, electricity and fuel cells and become part of an energy supply system based on smart grids.

Since 1999 the Munich based practice Haack + Höpfner Architekten und Stadtplaner BDA have been working with Allguth, a regional company running petrol stations. The project started as a competition with the brief to find an innovative way of construction which allowed for business growth in the short as well as the long term. The design had to support the brand values and avoid the aesthetic of the ubiquitous industrial shed architecture on fringes of our cities.

The architects proposed a contruction system which is open for future developments and can be adapted to different building sites and local business demands. The system should be based on standards which allow for economic and material efficiencies as well as future growth. At the same time the design should have a positive effect on the visibility of the brand and the company.

Haack + Höpfner . Architekten und Stadtplaner BDA won the competition and their design integrates the use of natural light and natural ventilation, modular layouts, energy efficient building automation, standardised construction elements, change of use and re-use of the building as well as recycling and sorting of (so called waste) materials. Another key aspect was the integration of the buildings into the urban environment allowing for plants and green spaces.

The modularity of the system and the high standards of design allow for appreciation by the users, low maintenance costs, easy upgrading and longevity. The introduction of renewable energies will demand more flexible and adaptable quiet design solutions like this.

Designing sustainability in Copenhagen

admin — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:22:25 +0000

thequietriot.com participates at the Peoples Climate Summit – the Civil Society’s Conference parallel with the United Nations Climate Change Conference Dec 07 – Dec 18 in Copenhagen

On the 16^th December YourClimate.TV, in collaboration with thequietriot.com, runs a workshop with the theme Designing Sustainability in the afternoon. The workshop will be evaluated and critiqued by a public audience as well as Michael Braungart, the founder of the Cradle to Cradle movement in a talk show in the evening.

The results of the workshop can be followed on www.yourclimate.tv and thequietriot.com will present excerpts on its website after the event.

YourClimate.TV facilitates and broadcasts workshops and dialogues every day during the conference. Workshops involve politicians, businesses, researchers and NGO’s, as solutions to climate change can only be found by including all sectors of society.

The collaborative workshops, interviews with key stakeholders and reports from other initiatives and venues in Copenhagen will result in a “How to” kit to empower our viewers.

The YourClimate.TV studio is located in the centre of ClimateForum09-venue at DGI Byen and the studio will be the place where events, workshop, (debates, dialogue and collaborative encounters) will be distributed and broadcast using live on-line streaming and big screens.

The daily themes:

8 Dec Let´s collaborate!

9 Dec Future organizations

10 Dec Sustainable cities

11 Dec Our inner climate

12 Dec Agriculture

13 Dec The developing world

14 Dec Transportation

15 Dec Value-based financial systems

16 Dec Designing sustainability.

17 Dec The next generation.

18 Dec What´s next?

Changes may occur in the program.

Regeneration of a slum and co-creation

admin — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:45:38 +0000

Regeneration of a slum and co-creation

Traditionally slum upgrading projects across the world have involved the demolition of entire neighbourhoods followed by the construction of repetitive social housing blocks or relocation of the communities to places far away from their source of income. Whilst housing improved in the short term, the social consequences have been negative. Urban Nouveau, an architecture and town planning practice based in Stockholm, have taken a different approach on a recent project in India.

Urban Nouveau were invited to develop a strategy for incremental housing for inner-city slums. The pilot project began in Netaji Nagar, a slice of a large inner-city slum called Yerawada, located in Pune, 180 km East of Bombay.

Rather than telling the people in the communities what they had to do or simply clearing the slum, Urban Nouveau chose a participatory design approach, went into the communities and developed a solution in collaboration with the slum dwellers. Understanding the social context allowed the team and the community to develop appropriate solutions

Houses in these urban villages can either be Kacchas or Puccas. Kacchas are temporary structures built of tin metal sheets or bad brickwork and/ or other improvised materials. The roof is often leaking, there is no natural lighting and ventilation, they get very hot, rats can get inside and there is no toilet or water. A typical Kaccha is around 12 sqm with 4-10 people in the household. Puccas are made of reinforced concrete and brick. These normally have a shower, occasionally a toilet and kitchen.

Learning from existing typologies and working with the community, three house prototypes have been developed for the families to choose from. A major aim is to provide structures that can be adapted to individual needs while allowing future incrementation.

House type A is a traditional two storey house over-structured enabling vertical extension. In this way, the family can extend their house upwards in the future without running the risk of structural hazard.

House type B is a three story structure on stilts where the ground floor void can be used as a shop, laundry space, a place for keeping animals or for parking an auto rickshaw. This empty space can also be incremented as a room in the future.

House type C is also a three story structure with a void in between the ground and the second floor. This void can be used as a veranda or as an outdoor room. Like the previous prototypes the void can be turned into a room in the future.

The project is financed through grants and micro credits. People are asked to put down a 10% deposit for a house. If they cannot afford the deposit, they can work it off. This allows them to learn construction skills and to find new employment opportunities. The inhabitants bring their own materials such as tiles and paints and they can develop their community with pride and purpose.