Paju Bookcity: The Next Chapter

"When I first heard of Paju Bookcity," writes Shannon Mattern, "I imagined a bibliophilic paradise of human-scaled buildings with legible facades nestled side-by-side like volumes on a shelf. When I traveled to the real Paju Bookcity, I found an industrial estate created by companies related to all aspects of book manufacturing, sited north of Seoul in the marshes near the Demilitarized Zone. But if Bookcity is not the fairy tale I envisioned, it is a kind of Cinderella story: this is the industrial park remade." Here Mattern explores the ongoing remaking of Bookcity — and book culture — in the digital era.
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JILL DESIMINI

Cartographic Grounds: Projecting the Landscape Imaginary

"As design extends its purview to cartography," writes Jill Desimini, "it is time once again to look closely at maps and plans, to immerse ourselves in their beauty but also to uncover their projective potential. We have an even greater challenge now, as our drawings are required to be interactive, to make sense of big data, and to describe increasingly complex systems." Desimini explores a range of cartographic practices, from a 13th-century view of the British Isles to contemporary data visualization.
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ADELHEID FISCHER

What Falls to Hand

Jugaad, the Indian practice of "doing more with less," has swept the business world. Here Adelheid Fischer explores its potential for design at all scales, from the gadget to the city, and argues that in the coming era of resource scarcity, "jugaad has the potential — maybe our best shot yet — to articulate and frame a global philosophy for sustainable innovation."
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For 15 years, the gold standard remains Sappi McCoy. McCoy boasts a remarkably rich, tactile feel that captures fine details, cool crisp blue tones and provides unparalleled readability and clarity.
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What are you doing this summer? How about studying design history, theory and practice in Italy — the birthplace of Western typographic tradition. You can at the Masters Workshop in Rome May 26-June 9, 2013.
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MFA Design Program >>
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DAVID HEYMANN

My Beautiful City

"No one in Texas thinks of Austin as a real city, and as a city it is in truth a model of nothing. Invented almost from scratch as the capital, its consequent slight grandeur of scale has never been matched by its industry, and so it has had a vague pleasant lithium quietness. ... Then, really in the last ten years, that particular odd disembodied quality became desirable." To start the new year, an essay by David Heymann, on Austin then and now, and a heartbreak of a house commission.
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NAOMI STEAD

Writ Small

For generations children's books have told fanciful stories about the creation of houses and the comforts of domesticity. "When you go looking," writes Naomi Stead, "you realize that there is a huge, even dominant genre in children’s literature: stories about houses, about the choice of a house, the quality of homeliness, and the very concept of home." Stead surveys the scene, from Iggy Peck to Roberto, from The Little House to House by Mouse, and wonders what these books tell us "about the architecture profession and how it is conceived and represented in culture more broadly."
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Campus Design as Critical Practice

How to turn a lackluster midwestern campus into an international cultural destination.
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PARTNER SCHOOL

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The unifying theme of all our activities is design. Through the design of physical spaces, and through the design of policies and technologies that shape how those spaces are used, we aim to sustain and enhance the quality of the human environment at all scales, from the personal to the global. We believe that design and policy interventions should be grounded in a commitment to improving individual human lives, equity and social justice, cultural enrichment and the responsible use of resources through creative problem-solving and project execution.


WEEKLY EMAIL: JANUARY 17, 2013
FEATURED THIS WEEK : SHANNON MATTERN Paju Bookcity: The Next Chapter "When I first heard of Paju Bookcity," writes Shannon Mattern, "I imagined a bibliophilic paradise of human-scaled buildings with legible facades nestled side-by-side like volumes on a shelf. When I traveled to the real Paju Bookcity, I found an industrial estate created by companies related to all aspects of book manufacturing, sited north of Seoul in the marshes near the Demilitarized Zone. But if Bookcity is not the fairy tale I envisioned, it is a kind of Cinderella story: this is the industrial park remade." Here Mattern explores the ongoing remaking of Bookcity — and book culture — in the digital era. READ MORE
JILL DESIMINI Cartographic Grounds: Projecting the Landscape Imaginary "As design extends its purview to cartography," writes Jill Desimini, "it is time once again to look closely at maps and plans, to immerse ourselves in their beauty but also to uncover their projective potential. We have an even greater challenge now, as our drawings are required to be interactive, to make sense of big data, and to describe increasingly complex systems." Desimini explores a range of cartographic practices, from a 13th-century view of the British Isles to contemporary data visualization. READ MORE ADELHEID FISCHER What Falls to Hand Jugaad, the Indian practice of "doing more with less," has swept the business world. Here Adelheid Fischer explores its potential for design at all scales, from the gadget to the city, and argues that in the coming era of resource scarcity, "jugaad has the potential — maybe our best shot yet — to articulate and frame a global philosophy for sustainable innovation." READ MORE NEWS FROM DESIGN OBSERVER GROUP SPONSORS For 15 years, the gold standard remains Sappi McCoy. McCoy boasts a remarkably rich, tactile feel that captures fine details, cool crisp blue tones and provides unparalleled readability and clarity. More about McCoy >> Sappi's paper selector tool >> More about Sappi >> What are you doing this summer? How about studying design history, theory and practice in Italy — the birthplace of Western typographic tradition. You can at the Masters Workshop in Rome May 26-June 9, 2013. Learn More >> MFA Design Program >> SVA Website >> DAVID HEYMANN My Beautiful City "No one in Texas thinks of Austin as a real city, and as a city it is in truth a model of nothing. Invented almost from scratch as the capital, its consequent slight grandeur of scale has never been matched by its industry, and so it has had a vague pleasant lithium quietness. ... Then, really in the last ten years, that particular odd disembodied quality became desirable." To start the new year, an essay by David Heymann, on Austin then and now, and a heartbreak of a house commission. READ MORE NAOMI STEAD Writ Small For generations children's books have told fanciful stories about the creation of houses and the comforts of domesticity. "When you go looking," writes Naomi Stead, "you realize that there is a huge, even dominant genre in children’s literature: stories about houses, about the choice of a house, the quality of homeliness, and the very concept of home." Stead surveys the scene, from Iggy Peck to Roberto, from The Little House to House by Mouse, and wonders what these books tell us "about the architecture profession and how it is conceived and represented in culture more broadly." READ MORE		JOIN PLACES ON FACEBOOK \| TWITTER JOIN DESIGN OBSERVER GROUP ON FACEBOOK \| TWITTER More from Sappi >> Design History, Theory and Practice in Italy Register today >> How Much Can You Be Making? Learn at Coroflot, The Leading Design Career Site. All kids deserve a shot at their American dream >> PLACES ARCHIVE: WINTER 2005 Campus Design as Critical Practice How to turn a lackluster midwestern campus into an international cultural destination. READ MORE PARTNER SCHOOL Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning The unifying theme of all our activities is design. Through the design of physical spaces, and through the design of policies and technologies that shape how those spaces are used, we aim to sustain and enhance the quality of the human environment at all scales, from the personal to the global. We believe that design and policy interventions should be grounded in a commitment to improving individual human lives, equity and social justice, cultural enrichment and the responsible use of resources through creative problem-solving and project execution.
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