Build It

Sound and Its Affect on the Built Environment

I came across a wonderful TED talk by Julian Treasure about the influence of poor sound design on our built environments and how it affects our health, our social interactions and our overall production and wealth.  

I find it very interesting that our focus on making healthier spaces via LEED and other programs is missing (apparently) a crucial piece of design for occupants' health and well-being.  The impacts Treasure demonstrates in his video are astonishing and he uses recorded sound to great effect in demonstrating the problems facing these built environments and the associated costs (both in loss of productivity and costs to remedy).

A great video and, as with all TED talks, very brief.  Please do take a minute to watch.

Update: the video is not appearing on the blog for me, so if you can't see it, here's the link:  http://www.ted.com/talks/julian_treasure_why_architects_need_to_use_their_ears.html

Jared Willis

A Tribute to Japanese Engineering

I think everyone's hearts and prayers go out to Japan this morning after one of the largest earthquakes on record, anywhere.  

One thing that struck me this morning was the low number of reported deaths (so far) particularly in one of the world's most populated cities.  As of 10:00 AM PST this morning, MSNBC is reporting "hundreds" dead which is a very small number considering that the death toll from the recent Haiti earthquake (a full 1.9 magnitude smaller) has been pegged at around 47,000.  The difference is staggering.

So much of this has to be tied to building codes and engineering, and the fact that we're seeing less destruction in Tokyo than one would expect after a massive earthquake like that.  A large reason is that Japanese engineers design buildings with earthquakes in mind and build in the ability for buildings to "sway" and absorb the waves, rather than remain rigid and crack at movement points.  Here's a great video from this morning that illustrates it perfectly:

Imagine the loss of life and property damage if just the three buildings in this video crumbled, much less the hundreds of other skyscrapers in Tokyo.  It really goes to show you what kind of impact the building community can have in preparing for and preventing the worst when a natural disaster occurs.  Something we should keep in mind here in San Francisco.

Good luck and god speed to all those in Japan.

 

Jared Willis

Technology: Future is Now

This is a great video about the speed at which technology is increasing. For Reprographers, this should 

get you thinking about the sheer amount of information out there and how you and your company can 

transition to be information managers instead of printers.