Greenhouse Punk

Also called wind towers and wind scoops, windcatchers have been used in North Africa and the Middle East for thousands of years to provide natural ventilation & passive cooling. They fell out of popularity after the introduction of HVAC systems, but are now experiencing a revival because they’re so practical and cost-effective. Here’s how they work:

Not only are they an engineering masterpiece–they’re gorgeous

First music, then voice modifiers... Now this. Perfect.

If it hadn’t been for Cotton-Eyed Joe I’d been married long time ago Where did you come from? Where did you go? Where did you come from, Cotton-Eyed Joe? If it hadn’t been for Cotton-Eyed Joe I’d been married long time ago Where did you come from? Where did you go? Where did you come from, Cotton-Eyed Joe?

“Mom has been texting me for the last twenty minutes. She wants me to come home. It’s a four hour drive, when the roads are clear, and from what I hear everybody is trying to get somewhere right now. There’s no telling if I’d even-”

“Everybody else has left. All the other kids were picked up, the other staff left. They gave me all the keys. I promised to stay and wait for as long as- well. Even if some of the parents show up, I guess some of them won’t, so I’m just waiting. Until.”

[Clears throat.]

“A couple of people came after everybody left. Peter, one of Aidan’s fathers, gave me three hundred dollars for staying. What am I going to do with money? It’s- anyway. I kind of get it. He wanted to give me something.”

[Audio ends]

[Audio starts]

“They’re all between 2 and 4.” Sniff. “They’re so little. Too little to really- maybe if they were older, I’d have to tell them something. But um. I’m just- trying to stay calm and keep them happy and occupied. I think that’s the best thing, right now.”

[Heaving breaths.]

“I normally use this recorder to help me remember stuff. It’s just, uh, habit to talk to it. I don’t know. They’re napping, right now. I’ve got the baby monitor, they know that if they talk into it, I’ll come, so-”

[Sobbing.]

[Audio ends]

[Audio starts]

“Mom keeps texting, so I blocked her. I sent her a text telling her goodbye, first, but. I do. But these kids need me.”

[Sniff.]

“I tried calling their parents again, but I can’t get anybody. It’s just busy signals. I called the firefighter station, 911. I can’t get through to anybody.”

[Shaky breath.]

“I went out into the yard. Um, I think they can play. It’s nice out, and you can’t really see it yet. Little bit of a glimmer, if they ask I’ll just tell them it’s a plane, but it’s nice out and we’ve got hours before-”

[Murmuring child’s voice, indistinguishable.]

[Audio ends]

Expressionist architecture (roughly, 1905-1935) utilized emerging technology and unexpected building blocks to realize organic forms. This meant that structures were inspired largely by the forces of nature (rock formations, sloping mountain sides, seashells…) but were built under modernist principles. Consequently, there was a large focus on unconventional massing; novel materials created shapes that served function as equally as the pursuit of emotional expression. There was nothing subtle about this sort of architecture and the urge to push the boundaries of proper form has afforded us with incredible buildings to admire many years later. Not least of which are Joaquin Vaquero Palacios’ hydroelectric plants.

Though he began to design his famed hydroelectric plants in the 50’s (far after the heyday of expressionism), the links to it are undeniable. He came of age exactly as this movement’s trajectory swelled. Born to a father who was one of the founders of Spain’s Hidroeléctrica del Cantábrico, it wasn’t a far stretch for Vaquero Palacios to lend his imaginative mind to this unlikely branch of engineering, and to take the principals of expressionism along with him. The Proaza plant, for example, opened in 1968. The multi-planar facade resembles the rocky side of a mountain, concrete “glaciers” pierce the landscape. It’s bold and unconventional, and seems to far outshine its singular purpose as a hydroelectric plant. This is what is so beautiful about Vaquero Palacios and his dedication to the seemingly mundane.

It’s easy to question why one would spend a career on the design of these sorts of buildings. Why do they deserve such thoughtful attention? To this, Vaquero Palacios responded: “All our day-to-day activities are saturated so we need to be appeased in some way to survive the tensions which we are subjected to.” It’s simple, he believed in the power of granting attention to the simple things, to the the places and the routines we take for granted. This idea, to bring artistic dignity to every aspect of our lives, is something we work towards as well, and it’s a philosophy we are so happy he had.

The images we have here are of various plants he completed during his over thirty year career.