Thesis Travel

Next week I've scheduled time to go to Buffalo, NY and visit some grain elevators there and chat with designers from +FARM Studio who are working for three weeks on fabricating a pavilion along the Buffalo River funded by Rigidized Metals, a company invested in the grain elevators.   

www.http://www.plusfarm.org/2014-tactical-tectonics-workshop/ 

Here are some things I've been producing from industrial building photographers Bernd and Hilla Becher's body of work on grain elevators:

Grain Elevators, Bernd and Hilla Becher

Becher, Bernd, and Hilla Becher. Grain Elevators. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2006. Print.

This is every U.S. grain elevator in Bernd and Hilla Becher's photography book of grain elevators that have a more vertical form than horizontal, all over-layed on top of each other.

This is every U.S. grain elevator in Bernd and Hilla Becher's photography book of grain elevators that have a more horizontal form than vertical, all over-layed on top of each other.

This is a theoretical elevation of the midwest's grain elevators, photographed by the Bechers, showing concentrations in overlays. 

New Project Post

A sketch proposal for Buffalo, NY with the Green Archipelago urban design strategy applied of Ungers and Koolhaas.  This addresses the realities of shrinking cities-cities declining in population and how to maintain urbanity as density decreases.

http://www.lauraschmitzdesign.com/#/buffalo-a-green-archipelago/

Data!!

One of my thesis committee professors just hooked me up with at least a hundred GIS layers of data for the city of Buffalo which I've been trying to track down for months.  It's like Christmas in June!  I've been so psyched all week.  Railroads! Water! Parks! Vacant parcels by year! Time to get map-making!

Remember, Sharing is Caring.  Always share your GIS data!