Metropolis Rising: An Urban Poem

Energy Metropolis presents a comprehensive history of the development of Houston, examining the factors that have facilitated unprecedented growth-and the environmental cost of that development.

The landmark Spindletop strike of made inexpensive high-grade Texas oil the fuel of choice for ships, industry, and the infant automobile industry. Literally overnight, oil wells sprang up around Houston.

In , the opening of the Houston Ship Channel connected the city to the Gulf of Mexico and international trade markets. Oil refineries sprouted up and down the channel, and the petroleum products industry exploded. By the s, Houston also became a leading producer of natural gas, and the economic opportunities and ancillary industries created by the new energy trade led to a population boom. By the end of the twentieth century, Houston had become the fourth largest city in America.

Houston's expansion came at a price, however. Air, water, and land pollution reached hazardous levels as legislators turned a blind eye. Frequent flooding of altered waterways, deforestation, hurricanes, the energy demands of an air-conditioned lifestyle, increased automobile traffic, exponential population growth, and an ever-expanding metropolitan area all escalated the need for massive infrastructure improvements. The experts in Energy Metropolis examine the steps Houston has taken to overcome laissez-faire politics, indiscriminate expansion, and infrastructural overload.

What emerges is a profound analysis of the environmental consequences of large-scale energy production and unchecked growth. This outstanding collection also will enlighten anyone concerned about our environmental future. In a world struggling to deal with global warming, the story of Houston's transformation for better and worse by intensive energy production and consumption could not be more relevant.

Helps us realize that our blinkered rush for energy development has costs that are not at some distance, but are closer to home, next door, right in our backyard. With Urban Hopes , the ratio of built-to-unbuilt projects is skewed towards the former. The volume centers around five urban complexes planned for different cities all over China, three of which have been since completed and are open to the public.

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The central urban space at the Sliced Porosity Block in Chengdu, Both, along with the striking Sliced Porosity Block in Chengdu, were built in the last five years and easily rank among the best new buildings in China. Together, they represent some of the most adventurous and daring architectural projects of the young century. The Linked Hybrid, seen from a distance. These include subterranean geothermal wells used to heat and cool the complexes, recycled water systems, PV roof panels, and more than an ample amount of green lawning.

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Originally coined by the Soviet Constructivists to describe the sociological thrust underpinning their collectivist housing blocks, the phrase has been co-opted by architects ever since. This is clearly reflected in the plan and section of the Sliced Porosity Block.

The complex, in the heart of Chengdu, consists of five irregularly shaped, interconnected towers clustered around a large central square, whose section reveals three distinct plazas. A shopping mall sits directly beneath one of the plazas and can be glimpsed through a shallow glass pond.

Shops are located at the periphery, while offices and apartments loom overhead. Three art installations—one by Holl, another by Ai Wei Wei, and the last by the late Lebbeus Woods—are embedded in the crevices and leftover spaces between the towers.