People for Urban Progress

We just learned of this terrific organization – the People for Urban Progress (or PUP), based out of Indianapolis. PUP is a non-profit organization that promotes and advances public transit, environmental awareness, and urban design.

They deal with projects regarding urban livability, public transportation and recycling; and they have a lot of cool products that are made from recycled materials. The website states:

We stand for project-based urban progress.

We’re an idea incubator, design center, and do-tank.

We began with the idea that the SOLUTION to any urban problem must consider transit, environment, and design in unison. As such, we work with communities and designers to develop innovative and affordable strategies to enhance Indianapolis’ urban quality of life.

In order to do this, we MAKE things. And these small things help fund the big things – the big IDEAS. Our DOME BAG PROJECT is a quintessential example of this way of thinking and working. After we salvaged the roof of the RCA/Hoosier Dome in 2008, we started working with local designers to make products from the fabric. The sale of these products helped us fund the installation of larger public shade structures and pavilions throughout our community… many of which will be installed the summer of 2011.

Check it out!

Recycled Shipping Containers create Livable HIVES

If you have been to Europe, or even New York, you have experienced something of what sustainable urban living can be.

You may have stepped from your hotel to an open-air market, then walked to an outdoor concert, dropping your empty bottle into a recycling bin along the way. Maybe you enjoyed sitting under the shade of a tree, and perhaps you even got to talk to someone you encountered while walking around. You interacted with people because you were on foot, not isolated in your car, and you got fresh air, which is good for you.

Why can’t Houston be more like that?

Why not make a village in Houston out of recycled steel shipping containers? Why not build a whole community out of them?

The HIVE mission is to design and build an affordable, inhabitable work of art as a community. By recycling the humble and strong steel shipping container, nearly 500 of them, we propose to create a beautiful, sustainable, walkable, safe, and secure village for thriving cultural exchange and enterprise.
Inspired by artists, creative professionals and environmentalists, we will work in partnerships with individuals and organizations to experiment and discover the next generation of responsible building and living practices. We plan to offer an increasing variety of tenant uses, including office, studio, retail, restaurant, entertainment, and residential opportunities. There will be gardens and places to play and the chance to come together as a community.

Heidi Vaughan is executive director of HIVE, a non-profit group whose mission is to design and build an affordable, inhabitable work of art as a community. To read the entire story about Houston’s HIVE project, click here.

Parasitic Homes Take Root On Empty Walls

As more people filter into the city, open land to build on will become more and more scarce, and we may have to use every available bit of space we can, including empty bare walls, bridge pylons, and retaining walls. The Prefab Parasite, designed by Australia-based Lara Calder Architects, is such a structure — aiming to turn previously empty vertical surfaces into livable and attractive private space. Mimicking parasitic qualities, the home is designed for durability and adaptability, evident in its construction out of prefabricated panels so that the home can be affixed onto any wall or pylon large and strong enough to hold it.

Each dwelling would be specifically designed for each site. Its basic construction begins as the prefabricated panels are secured onto the wall with a mounting plate. Afterward, the floors and the internal ribs are installed, and finally the paneling is laid on top to provide lateral bracing and tie the building together. The paneling is an eco-solid surface material made of compressed bamboo and recycled paper.

Accessed via a retractable staircase, the dwelling is placed about 3 or 4 meters above the street level. Depending on the needs of the residents, the width could be wide or narrow, but would maintain a cross sectional area of 36 square meters (387 sq ft). Residents walk up to their one-bedroom home, and are first greeted by a home office located on the first landing. Next comes the bedroom, then the living area, the kitchen and dining, and finally on the top terrace is an open air balcony.

Since none of the structure really touches the ground, the footprint of the house consists of the service shaft that connects it to power, sewer and water. Don’t think too hard about the details yet or how it would all work, but do think about the potential of such a concept — especially how it might play into the movie version of your favorite graphic novel. The Parasite Prefab is a fascinating concept for hyper-dense and prefabricated housing, and could be the future of urban living.

Click here for the full articles and photo slideshow.