On February 18, you can — oops, so much for service journalism. Anyway, the Van Alen Institute just opened the exhibition showcasing the finalists of their Civic Exchange competition — the program of which was to develop an information kiosk for Lower Manhattan — and the winner, Antenna. Single images of the finalists are available here. The on-line presentation is a bit thin (and boy, MESH needs to lay off the watercolor filter in Photoshop). Details in the write-up in this week’s Architect’s Newspaper (NB: print version only) include this about the winning entry: the info screen is organized around a tabletop map metaphor, segregating uses into distinct layers. The information a given user researches is simultaneously projected on a larger LED screen which, one expects, depicts general information when not in use. For emergencies, the LED changes to orange, and the map will display essential information. It is also partially solar powered (for general duty and emergencies). Hopefully the skewed feet of the base relate to major axes of distant landmarks. Other elements are a little disappointing — the inclusion of a canopy seems to be an afterthought. Others have complained about the interface design of other projects (particularly that of the MTA vending machine), though I don’t share those opinions. The challenge now, though, is not to quibble over design details, but to acquire funding. The competition was privately funded, and no agency has thrown in support. So if you see Kevin Rampe shoveling money at the West Street tunnel or for the 130 Liberty Street deconstruction, ask him for some spare change.
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Practice, practice, practice.
On February 18, you can — oops, so much for service journalism. Anyway, the Van Alen Institute just opened the exhibition showcasing the finalists of their Civic Exchange competition — the program of which was to develop an information kiosk for Lower Manhattan — and the winner, Antenna. Single images of the finalists are available here. The on-line presentation is a bit thin (and boy, MESH needs to lay off the watercolor filter in Photoshop). Details in the write-up in this week’s Architect’s Newspaper (NB: print version only) include this about the winning entry: the info screen is organized around a tabletop map metaphor, segregating uses into distinct layers. The information a given user researches is simultaneously projected on a larger LED screen which, one expects, depicts general information when not in use. For emergencies, the LED changes to orange, and the map will display essential information. It is also partially solar powered (for general duty and emergencies). Hopefully the skewed feet of the base relate to major axes of distant landmarks. Other elements are a little disappointing — the inclusion of a canopy seems to be an afterthought. Others have complained about the interface design of other projects (particularly that of the MTA vending machine), though I don’t share those opinions. The challenge now, though, is not to quibble over design details, but to acquire funding. The competition was privately funded, and no agency has thrown in support. So if you see Kevin Rampe shoveling money at the West Street tunnel or for the 130 Liberty Street deconstruction, ask him for some spare change.