Architecture For Humanity – Auckland Chapter

The University of Auckland National Institute of Creative Arts and Industries School of Architecture and Planning presents Nathaniel Corum in Expert Series.
To find more information on Pacific Rim Studio go to http://openarchitecturenetwork.org/projects/pac_rim_studio.

Expert Series are seminars and workshops intended to provide a venue for academics, specialists and guests
at the School of Architecture and Planning to speak to students on topical issues. This lecture is free and open to the public.

SAUSALITO, Calif.–At 9:30 a.m. PDT Saturday, precisely on time, the Plastiki, a “boat made of 12,000 plastic bottles” and the brainchild of banking heir David de Rothschild, set sail from a berth here in this town just north of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Plastiki is not just the world’s first boat made buoyant by discarded soda bottles. It’s also a statement about the world’s garbage problem, and the fact that most plastic bottles are thrown away rather than recycled.

The intent is to sail the boat 11,000 nautical miles from Sausalito to Sydney, Australia. It is carrying about 1,000 liters of water, meaning the crew will have to stop from time to time to resupply. But they have fishing rods onboard, so at least some of their food, in theory, will come from the sea.

Among the inspirations for the project, in addition to bring attention to the way humans are treating our environment, is the Kon-Tiki expedition, Thor Heyerdahl’s 1947 trip across the Pacific in a boat that was a reproduction of an Inca raft.

In keeping with tradition, the Plastiki will pay even more homage to Heyerdahl. Among the six crew members is Olav Heyerdahl, Thor’s grandson.

Here, the Plastiki is seen as it has just sailed underneath the Golden Gate Bridge and heads for the Pacific. Its journey has just begun.

Photo by Daniel Terdiman/CNET

Update: The Auckland Chapter of AfH, in partnership with PechaKucha Auckland, is now hosting a mini-PechaKucha before the movie. Doors open at 6:30pm and We will finish around 9pm. Limited door sales – please be on time for this enormously popular event or purchase yours online now to secure your seat.

Don’t forget if you buy 3 tickets, you get the 4th one for free.

“Right and wrong is not that hard. It’s just what you choose to do.” — Willie Nelson, One Peace at a Time

One Peace at a Time is an inspiring feature documentary following director Turk Pipkin’s search for solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems. The film includes the insights of Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Physicist Steven Chu, (Barack Obama’s Secretary of Energy), Dr. Helene Gayle (CEO of CARE, International), American legend Willie Nelson and many others.

Architecture for Humanity – Auckland Chapter is hosting a special screening of ‘One Peace at a Time’ to help raise funds and support the communities in Haiti. So please show your support and help spread the word!

WHERE: Fisher & Paykel Auditorium Building, University of Auckland

WHEN: 6:30pm – Thursday 25th February 2010

TICKETS ON SALE NOW: http://www.iticketexpress.co.nz/events/2010/feb/one-peace-at-a-time-haiti-fundraiser/

Tickets are $10 each. Limited seating.

We’ve had some 104 kids aged between 8 – 12 years and teachers participate in the creative workshop in the Union Fish & Co building last week. For the first 30 minutes of the workshop we talked a bit about the organisation’s background and the traveling exhibition, eventually moving on to ultra short lessons on architecture adapted from Curriki. We then got the group into groups of 3-4 students and got them to either replicate or extend their favourite finalist project from the traveling exhibition. If time constraint weren’t enough, each group was given one piece of bubbly cardboard, one A2 sheet of cardboard and an unlimited supply of ex-Jasmax business cards. Oh and a pair of scissors – that’s right, no tape, glue, knife, ruler or any other usual model making tools. We were blown away by the energy and enthusiasm the future architects brought on the day, not to mention the range of ideas they were able to show via a model in just 30 minutes:  a transformer, a classroom on stilts (for flood prone regions), a classroom on base isolators (for EQ prone regions), a double-height classroom which has ladder for access from one side but a rock-climbing wall on the other side… Do check out these beauties by clicking on the photo below.

Schools represented: Kristin School, St Mary’s, Northcross and Mulberry Grove (who flew in on the day from Great Barrier Island to attend this workshop! Many thanks to GBI community board for sponsoring their trip).

Models on display after the creative workshop