What happened with this great site

[mx2]

Richard is absolutely correct. For instance the military compound that once was a large base here in Florida was built according to standardized American design and specs, so much so that there are two other (nearly)identical buildings in the U.S. At the time (about 1942...don't laugh, my Europeean friends...it's historic significance is based on it's role in the region, not age) ...American colonial "style" was a design symbol meant to represent American nationalism at its peak (think of the year).

mx2.5

[Landy]

so it is safe to say that we don't need any more fortresses?
why it seems that the whole design boom for museums, shopping malls and exotic villas around the world ignored the architecture of defense (both military and blast resistant structures)?
please name a few contemporary sites to our time that we can all relate to and say, wow that is exceptional?

[Richard Haut]

What is the Green Zone in Baghdad ? A fortified town. The giant US embassy complex in Baghdad is clearly designed as a fortress - and a very expensive fortress.

The strengthened hangars for aircraft are real defensive structures.

Why don't we see and hear more about them ? Because they are still in use.

Sadly defensive design in ordinary buildings may come to our cities very soon. It has little or nothing to do with terrorism - it is a sure way for those in power to make people fearful. The attitude and method of control is, like the perpetual need for defensive structures, medieval.

If your local shopping mall needed blast-protection and defensive design, would you be happy to shop there ?

[Antisthenes]

record high strikes in the greenzone today since the beginning of the illegal invasion.

[Landy]

so, basicaly the architecture of defense is austere because it does not participate in the everyday chaos of the civilian side of architecture in need for secrecy?

...where I am triyng to get at is that maybe the contemporary expression for the architecture of defense either combat or barracks has not hit that point of developement or lagauage that makes it significant. It got stuck back to the renaiscance solution of the fortified city. And it hasn't evolved since. For example the turning point the shopping mall experienced from the arcade or the greek stoa to what is today.

[P.C.]

I see no greater weapon than digital in today's world. Everyone need progress, new jobs and nice houses what better time enforcing the knowleage and skills being superiour tomorrow. New houses, a new world of great gifts but not that much different than yestoday, before we killed the brick.

[csintexas]

I think the military went modern thus excusing the need for decoration.

This is the HQ of the air force base I used to be assigned to:

(now converted to a hotel)

[usarender]

[Richard Haut]

you see Birgco - you're wrong ! This is not a Forum; it is a scene from High Noon (mind you, I don't remember the part were they get "trodden down into the earth by a big egg-o bird").

so back to the subject: for Mr. Nelson the underground architecture (hopefully with waterproof render) of Tellytubby Town is visionary (or as we Brits would say: on the telly).

[birgco]

Richard..........
btw, you need to watch the movie again, the egg-o-bird is in there but you need to look really, really close.

[P.C.]

Birgco --- am I right when I read an arogant joy about destroying a nice fora that existed for many years ?

I just wonder as that is what I read --- some guy who bully his way into destroying what a huge group of people been enjoying for years, is that your greatest pleasure ?

Reson I ask is that I think it must be a sad occupation to act as a bully and offer nothing of what a fora is about , from my point of view this reflect a very rude behaviour , but have you thought about that what you are displaying, is in fact you ; your arogance and bullying towerds others, your joy in life that obviously deal with harassing a fora and it's people , --- well people you proberly see as hippies or crazy left wing architects and maybe you think you has an audiance here, but please tell me how many fools you dheated into "givemeyourmoney.com" and if you fooled anyone into doing that, what did you give in return ?

See if you in return "give" what you display here in this fora, I rather let others describe what you are doing.

Again you are rude, arogant and from the start uses personal attacks instead of answering, ,maybe usarender are right about these points ; see nomatter what you think about some guy or some fora, that don't give you the right to display your real self , when your real self has nothing but this to offer.

[birgco]

P.C.,

Do you think it is bad form to promote a commericial venture on the discussion section of this forum..........?

Well, I think it is. In fact, I believe a non-commericial format is critical for this forum to function as intended, IMHO. I tried to get this point through to a few other folks in plain english, but to no avail.

So my next tact was to be riduculous.... to meet absurdity with absurdity. Did I make a point? ....... Maybe.
But I think it is easy to see if everyone promoted his/her business interests on D.C. the result would most certainly be ridiculous.

Don't you think the vast majority of forum members would rather see commercial self-promotion kept to a minimum? I could be wrong, but the answer is probably yes.

I may not agree with or even comprehend some of the things you say (which of course is ok), but you seem like a sincere person and because of the language difference, I feel an explanation is appropriate.

As far as your point about construction issues, I like to think outside the box too, but on the practical side, if you want to design and build structures today, it's fairly difficult to buck the system with revolutionary ideas/materials (at least in my part of the world). Positive changes happen at a slower pace than most people would like, but as I mentioned once before, we can build structures now that make a positive impact on the environment. They're just not as advanced and cheap as we might hope. And therefore......is it better to work with what we have, or wait until something better/cheaper comes along?

It's important to discuss and dream about the future of revolutionary building designs/techniques/materials, but don't you think the business of self-promotion should be left out of it? And better yet, when we ignore bad forum behavior, aren't we condoning it?

[Antisthenes]

i thought the GREEN zone was there there was only 100% leed Platinum buildings

hmmm

[usarender]

Mr. Bird, there are many people promoting businesses and commercial ventures on these forums, including the adds that so rudely appear in our face in every post, on the right column of each posting. Now, why don't you harass others who are promoting things ? We are all about innovation, the Peer Pioneers, the Ideagoras, the Prosumers, the New Alexandrians, the platforms of participation, the Wiki environment so needed. Can't you seem to realize we are promoting some of the greatest ideas on this site, and nobody gives a heck about actually posting intelligent comments ?

"And therefore......is it better to work with what we have, or wait until something better/cheaper comes along? "

Who is to decide this ? So you are trying to silence the voices of innovation, because you want, in other words, to maintain the standard way of doing things and not admit to the possibility of finding new ways. This is an absurd attitude.

Further, any visionary who proposes dreams could be accused of self promotion. The two are intricately linked, if a visionary must get his ideas across, he will inevitably be accused of self promotion, no matter how well intended he is.

Further, there is so much bad forum behavior around here, including your own Mr. Bird and Company ! Why don't you pick on those guys posting the article on the MIND INSTITUTE ? Or those pro gay posts, for example. Why select one individual and allow a bunch of asses to promote what ever they want without one chirp ?

One not need to look very far to see who the BIG EGG' O bird really is.

So who made you the community policeman Mr. Bird ? Who is to decide what technology, what ideas, was visions are acceptable and which are not? You don't even care to discuss our propositions in an intelligent manner. You would rather bomb any topic I create with un-intelligent bird chips, squaking and foolish comments that make no sense.

In your attempt to save the forum, you are actually creating more trouble by stirring up the greatest posts and minds, and leaving the asses unabated, to post whatever shit they want, without even a squeak.

Truly this forum is 100 % certified green. The platinum plated lead structures must co-exist with bird shitting nests and and egg throwing that have nothing to do with the topics at hand.

[Antisthenes]

well said *claps*