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Buildings consume 30% of energy globally. To conserve our planet and bring back some stability, humans are the only ones who can use tools specific to us to slow down if not reverse the damage. Alice Kimm circling this makes a good point that there is no running away from this situation. Each year we get closer to the point of no return but the world is still too busy with territorial wars and petty squabbling.
The human race has dug this hole for itself, no doubt about it. In addition to this, we have pandemics, unstable governments, soaring prices, and extreme poverty to battle. In the current climatic conditions and environmental decay, with forest fires, droughts, and dangerously high temperatures, there is a serious concern if humanity could even survive the millennium. “I know that we architects are an idealistic and thus aggravating bunch but we are also cynical and realistic and that is a good thing because we accept the condition that we find our world in today and we choose to work with it.” – Alice Kimm, Ted Talk 2015 Occulus in Pantheon_©John Morton Responsibilities of Architecture Finding places or architecture that elicits strong emotions in us is not easy, sometimes it happens by accident but most of the time these structures are created by architects using specialized skill sets centered on the concept of space performance. She puts it simply by saying “Architecture is a space that we inhabit that helps us communicate”. She is almost poetic in her appreciation for it and there is a reverent quality to her words.
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Something that particularly stands out in this TED talk is the way Alice Kimm talks about architecture. For some it may be structures like the Pantheon, which are historical architectural marvels, or the Bird’s Nest Olympic stadium in Beijing, a massive civic monument showing the strength and intensity of people, but for others, it may just be a neighborhood park or a riverfront plaza or small pockets within the city that evoke special emotions for them. One of the most subjective questions that differs from person to person is what one perceives as architecture. Alice Kimm_©TEDxTalks What is Architecture
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Their firm incorporates developing technologies to realize a sustainable and artful output that is marked by spatial fluidity, quality of light, and cultural impact. To add to her already studded belt, she is also the co-founder of John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects (JFAK), a renowned LA-based firm known for its design of innovative and catalytic environments. Alice Kimm is a 1999 Fulbright scholar, an associate professor at USC, and a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). What is architecture ? How can it help in solving the problems of today? What can architecture give us as individuals and communities? These are some of the questions answered by Alice Kimm in her 2015 TED Talk – What architecture can do for you (if you take the time to ask).