JINA Architects I formally started working at JINA Architects on September 1, as an Associate Partner. After a 9 year hiatus, I am back in architecture. Well not quite. It’s urbanism. JINA Architects is a more than a design studio. It’s currently has about 140 staff, a huge growth from having just over 30 a…
Thoughts on Sustainability or How to Grow Vegetables in the City
Community Garden in Bundang, KoreaThe sign reads: No gardening. The land is owned by Korea Land Corporation and will soon be sold and developed, therefore any cultivation is forbidden. No compensation shall be made for any damages to illegally cultivated goods. May 2005. – Korea Land Corporation It is said that what is everybody’s is…
Encounter with an Unexpected Friend
On a recent trip to Vietnam, I came across a printed copy of the Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries (2nd Ed.) first published by the World Bank in 2006. This is quite a significant book in that it provides governments of developing nations a set of tools to help them decide how to allocate…
The World Bank and Web 2.0
From the World Bank Flickr account Given the size, complexity and issues surrounding the World Bank (not to mention its impossible mandate of “Working for a World Free of Poverty”), it does surprise me how well it does things sometimes. Case in point: the World Bank has a Flickr account! It has over 1,400 photos,…
How Buildings Learn: Seattle Public Library
Central Library, Seattle, USA (Rem Koolhaas, OMA) How does a public library cope in a digital age? How does a physical space handle a virtual classification system such as the Dewey Decimal system, and continuously changing needs? In the Seattle Public Library’s Central Library, designed by Rem Koolhaas / OMA, books stacks run in a…
Photo Break: Congrexpo
Lille Grande Palais/Congrexpo, Lille, France (Rem Koolhaas, OMA) Photo taken in 1995, shortly after Lille Grande Palais / Congrexpo in Lille, France was completed. Designed by Rem Koolhaas/OMA.
The Brand Gap
A couple of months ago, a colleague asked me what branding was. I remember fumbling to find the right definition, and said something like, it’s the whole experience or impression you get when you recall the name of a company, organization or a person. It’s something that you can guide but it is ultimately outside…
StrangeSystems v3.0 now on WordPress
After spending the last year on SquareSpace, I am finally switching over to WordPress. Spent the last month or so finessing the templates. Not quite 100% satisfied just yet, but the bulk of the design is done – I can continue tweaking for the rest of my life. Why the switch? I’ve been quite happy…
Cytogether: Cyworld’s Social Action Network
Recently I decided to take a systematically look at online social action sites in Korea, and whenever possible trying to arrange an informal interview with the sites’ manager(s) to gain a little more insight into their operations and also get a better general sense of the landscape for online social action in Korea. How is…
The Velocity of Web
Last week I was one of 5 speakers invited to an in-house all-day training session at Design House, one of the most prominent design/living publishers in Korea. Design House publishes a variety of well-known Korea magazines titles which include "??? ??? ?" (Korean equivalent of Good Housekeeping), "Design", "Mom & Enfant", "Luxury" and most recently…