URBAN-MATTERS

Handbook of Tyranny: highlighting modern day cruelties through infographics By Aimée McLaughlin February 27, 2018

How architecture and design can be used as forms of oppression, with examples as varied as crowd control plans during protests to the fences and walls around the world designed to keep people out.

It’s no secret that we may as well be living in a dystopian George Orwell novel these days. What with President Trump steamrolling ahead with plans to build a wall between the US and Mexico, his enforcement of a travel ban on six Muslim-majority countries including Syria and the fact that one in every 113 people on earth can now call themselves a refugee, the world can often feel like a pretty oppressive place at the moment.

But what role – if any – does design play when set against this backdrop? A new book from Lars Müller Publishers uses infographics to illustrate how architecture and design are used by everyone from governments to terrorist organisations to practice cruelties every single day. Written by architect and designer Theo Deutinger, the book includes chapters on everything from the layout and processes of the slaughterhouses that satisfy our huge appetite for meat, to the number of state-sponsored fences and walls currently in existence or being built around the world.

Here, Deutinger talks about how the book came about, and why the infographic is such a powerful form of expression.

Source: designweek.co.uk

Well, it is true the salaries are not too high (compared to the obligation/responsibilities of the career) but the amounts of jobs depends on the moment in time. Right now after a number of “slow” years everyone is getting jobs because a lot of people left the profession in the last few years because of the recession. The question is: What are your goals and aspirations? If it is money and fame, study something else. If it is spending your days doing something you love (although you also hate depending on the day) without expecting a yacht in the Caymans architecture might be for you.

The Library Hotel  Kasemtham Sornsong and Tirawan Songsawat

Kasemtham Sornsong and Tirawan Songsawat’s vision for The Library was of a hotel that invites one to sit with a book in quiet contemplation while also weaving its own story of natural beauty and unmatched luxury. Set in the heart of Chaweng Beach on Thailand’s island of Koh Samui, the result is a seamless example of how design can tastefully merge with comfort, quality, and the timeless power of nature. Just 26 years old when The Library was launched four years ago, Sornsong realized his dream with the help of partner Tirawan Songsawat. The Library is a testament to the couple’s adoration of the island. Fittingly, each page of the hotel’s story is deeply rooted in their reverence for Samui life and landscape.

Cities Without Ground: A Hong Kong Guidebook by Adam Frampton, Jonathan D Solomon and Clara Wong.

Axonometric maps revealing Hong Kong’s multi-layered elevated walkways, ramps, elevators and infrastructure interchanges. Definitely enbiggen.