Hi There!!! We are back!!

[EN] Hi There! After some moths of hard work we're back with our brand new studio. It's quite close to were the old one was, bight and energy efficient. We've installed led lights all over the place and electricity is 100% produced from renewable energy sources. We've also signed a cooperation agreement with a new client (we´re very happy with this especial client)  and will soon show you the future works we're working on at the moment. All this, as well as two more projects that will come out before Christmas. Keep in touch!!!

[ES] Hola de nuevo! Después de unos meses de duro trabajo ya tenemos nuevo estudio. Un estudio muy cerca del anterior, luminoso y optimizado energéticamente… toda la iluminación es LED y la energía eléctrica es 100% procedente de energía renovable. También hemos firmado un acuerdo de colaboración con un nuevo cliente (estamos muy contentos de este cliente especial) y en los próximos meses podremos enseñar los trabajos que estamos desarrollando, todo ello junto con dos proyectos mas que verán la luz antes de navidad… Seguimos en contacto!!!

[CA] Hola de nou! Després d'uns mesos de dur treball ja tenim nou estudi. Un estudi molt proper a l'anterior, lluminós i optimitzat energèticament… Tota la il·luminació és LED i l'energia elèctrica és 100% procedent d'energia renovable. També hem signat un acord de col·laboració amb un nou client (estem molt contents d'aquest client especial) i en els propers mesos podrem ensenyar els treballs que estem desenvolupant. Tot això juntament amb dos projectes més que veuran la llum abans de Nadal… Continuem en contacte!!!

Shigeru Ban, Pritzer Prize 2014

[EN] We are more than happy with the news…. Shigeru Ban, one the our most influencial ecodesign masters was named yesterday the winner of this year’s Pritzer Architecture Prize. The Pritzer Architecture Prize is an international award given annually to recognize the contributions to a live architecture. It has often been called the Nobel Prize of architecture.

Shigueru Ban (Tokyo, 1957) is a Japanese architect, famous for his work with recycled paper and recycled cardboard tubes in particular, used to build quickly and efficiently houses for natural disasters victims.

Last August we had the privilege to visit his temporary studio of the Kyoto City University of Arts, where he could talk to his staff about projects, materials, manufacture... it was a real pleasure.

Congratulations Master!!

[ES] Estamos muy contentos con la noticia, Shigeru Ban, uno de nuestros más influyentes maestros en el ecodiseño, ganó anoche el premio Pritzer. El premio Pritzer de Arquitectura es un galardón internacional que se entrega anualmente y que reconoce las contribuciones a una arquitectura viva.

Shigueru Ban (Tokyo, 1957) es un arquitecto Japonés, famoso por su trabajo con papel reciclado y tubos de cartón reciclados, utilizados para construir de forma rápida y albergar de manera eficiente a víctimas de desastres naturales.

El pasado mes de agosto pudimos visitar su estudio temporal de la Kyoto City University of Arts, donde pudimos hablar con su personal acerca de los proyectos, materiales, fabricación... un verdadero placer.

¡¡Felicidades Maestro!!  

[CAT] Estem molt contents amb la notícia, Shigeru Ban, un dels nostres més influents mestres en l’ecodisseny, va guanyar ahir a la nit el premi Pritzer. El premi Pritzer d'Arquitectura és un guardó internacional que es lliura anualment i que reconeix les contribucions a una arquitectura viva.

Shigueru Ban (Tòquio, 1957) és un arquitecte Japonès, famós pel seu treball amb paper reciclat i tubs de cartró reciclats, utilitzats per construir de forma ràpida i albergar de manera eficient a víctimes de desastres naturals.

El passat mes d'agost vam poder visitar el seu estudi temporal de la Kyoto City University of Arts, on vam poder parlar amb el seu personal sobre els projectes, materials, fabricació... un veritable plaer.

Felicitats Maestro!!

NASA Finds 2013 Sustained Long-Term Climate Warming Trend

NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York, which analyzes global surface temperatures on an ongoing basis, released an updated report Tuesday on temperatures around the globe in 2013. The comparison shows how Earth continues to experience temperatures warmer than those measured several decades ago.

The average temperature in 2013 was 58.3 degrees Fahrenheit (14.6 Celsius), which is 1.1 F (0.6 C) warmer than the mid-20th century baseline. The average global temperature has risen about 1.4 degrees F (0.8 C) since 1880, according to the new analysis. Exact rankings for individual years are sensitive to data inputs and analysis methods.

These maps and this graph show NASA's global temperature data and trends as they relate to El Niño years since 1950.

"Long-term trends in surface temperatures are unusual and 2013 adds to the evidence for ongoing climate change," GISS climatologist Gavin Schmidt said. "While one year or one season can be affected by random weather events, this analysis shows the necessity for continued, long-term monitoring."

Scientists emphasize that weather patterns always will cause fluctuations in average temperatures from year to year, but the continued increases in greenhouse gas levels in Earth's atmosphere are driving a long-term rise in global temperatures. Each successive year will not necessarily be warmer than the year before, but with the current level of greenhouse gas emissions, scientists expect each successive decade to be warmer than the previous.

Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that traps heat and plays a major role in controlling changes to Earth's climate. It occurs naturally and also is emitted by the burning of fossil fuels for energy. Driven by increasing man-made emissions, the level of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere presently is higher than at any time in the last 800,000 years.

The carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere was about 285 parts per million in 1880, the first year in the GISS temperature record. By 1960, the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, measured at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, was about 315 parts per million. This measurement peaked last year at more than 400 parts per million.

Image Credit: NASA's Earth Observatory

Finally we can say hello!

Yesterday, January 9th 2014, we launched our brand new website. Thought and designed to communicate clearly our vision of ecological design. We applied our principles in it by using a hosting and storage server that only uses renewable energy for its operation. Hope you like it!

Thanks a lot to D. for helping us!!

Welcome .cat domain... www.marcsanzstudio.cat

Des d'ahir 1 de Gener de 2014 disposem del domini www.marcsanzstudio.cat després de l'aprovació de la fundació .Cat

Since yesterday, January 1st, 2014 we have the domain www.marcsanzstudio.cat after the the foundation. CAT approval.

Desde ayer 1 de Enero de 2014 disponemos del dominio www.marcsanzstudio.cat después de la aprobación de la fundación .CAT

El domini .cat, és un domini genèric com el .com o el .org, però  adreçat específicament a la comunitat lingüística i cultural catalana a Internet.

Cincinnati Public Library shows off amazing example of design before electricity

Before electricity was common, buildings were designed to maximize the benefits of natural light. Sometimes those spaces got pretty spectacular. The Cincinnati Public Library is a great example; the central atrium is surrounded by stacks of books, accessible by spiral staircases.

Completed in 1874 and designed by architect J.W. McLaughlin, the building was considered the “the most magnificent public library in the country”. The heads of Shakespeare, Milton and Franklin stood guard over the Main Entrance.... he building’s feature was it’s third section, with a 4-story atrium (as seen in this photograph) with five levels of cast iron alcoves, which could hold an enormous quantity of books. This Circulation area was the main part of the library. It was topped by a skylight and also had many library workrooms. The entire floor of the library was covered with a checker board marble floor.

 Via: thetreehugger.com

Air-purifying bicycle concept eats pollution, generates oxygen

Bicycles are currently a big part of the clean transportation revolution, and the interest in biking, whether for transportation or health or just for fun, is growing every day (well, maybe less in the winter...).

So we already know they're awesome just as they are, from the old-school to the e-bike, but a new bike concept takes that awesomeness one big step further, by turning a two-wheeler into an air purifier.

The pollution-eating bike, from Bangkok's Lightfog creative studio, is an electric bicycle concept that is said to include not only a handlebar-mounted air filter, but also a "photosynthesis system” that can generate oxygen from a reaction with water and electricity from the lithium-ion battery that powers the bike.

From the mockup, it appears that the air filter is rather small in size, so it's unclear what volume of air could be processed during a single ride, and it's equally unclear just how much oxygen could be produced by one of these bikes. But who knows, perhaps the overall impact of lots of people leaving their cars at home and riding air-purifying bikes could be significant, assuming there were fleets of these bicycles on the streets.

Before you go and rip this bike up in the comments, remember that this is a design concept (though a prototype is said to be in the works), not a sales pitch or endorsement. However, also remember that occasionally it's off-the-wall ideas like this that can end up making an impact in surprising or unexpected ways, sometime down the road.