After receiving her B.A. from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Tafline led “eco-friendly” camping trips throughout North America. It soon dawned on her that she was instead leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, plastic bottles and Pringles. In fact, wherever she traveled – whether it was Viet Nam or South Africa or England – it became clear how inefficiently the mandate to re-think our consumer culture is reaching the general public.
So she has picked up her mighty pen to bring better exposure to environmental issues. At other times, she waxes philosophical about culture and travel on her personal blog. Tafline was born in Iran and raised in the United States, and is currently based in South Africa. She also blogs for www.greenprophet.com and her work has appeared in Africa Geographic, The Ecologist, Urban Green File, and other publications.
Tafline Laylin
How a White or Green Roof Can Keep Your Building Up to 84% Cooler This Summer
The benefits of white and green roofs are nothing new to us, but a recent study by two top NYC universities has shed light on just how effective these non-traditional roofs can be at lowering building temperatures. Non-reflective dark roofs are known to exacerbate the urban heat island effect and do absolutely nothing to reduce storm water runoff, which is why New York City sewers overflow almost every time it rains. But a recent study released by Columbia University and City University of New York has found that greening NYC rooftops or adding a few coats of white paint can reduce temperatures by as much as 84%! Just think how much that could help you out on your electricity bill this summer.
6 Ways PlaNYC Has Successfully Made New York a Greener Place to Live
This month marked the fifth year anniversary of NYC Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's ambitious PlaNYC sustainability plan, and we're very proud to say that in that short time, New York residents are already experiencing a significantly greener city. If you don't believe us, check out all of the ways the program has successfully improved our quality of life in the official report or if'd you prefer to take the easy route, read on as we showcase six of the projects that we thought made a really important diffference - from the cleanest New York Harbor in more than a century to the restoration of thousands of square miles of formerly contaminated brownfield sites. Hit the jump to learn more.
Morphosis to Design First CornellNYC Tech Building on Roosevelt Island
Thom Mayne of Morphosis Architects just beat out some serious competition as he was awarded the honor to design the first CornellNYC Tech academic building on Roosevelt Island. The six candidates included Diller Scofidio + Renfro of High Line fame; One World Trade Center designers Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), and Steven Holl Architects, however Morphosis pulled ahead and is expected to unveil initial drafts for the first of three net-zero academic buildings by November, 2012.
Pixelated Chlorophyll Tower Absorbs New York City’s CO2 Like a Plant
IAMZ's renders for the Chlorophyll Tower may seem a little dark and apocalyptic but the concept is very much rooted in the field of biomimicry. Taking inspiration from the way that leaves absorb water, CO2, and light in order to make their own energy, this bizarre-looking residential tower absorbs harmful NYC emissions while also producing the energy it needs to remain self-sufficient. The grid-like pods are easily stacked on top of one another along a series of stabilizing columns, making this a flexible design that can shrink or grow as needed.
Tiny World Terrariums is a Step-by-Step Guide to Making Your Own Miniature Green Gardens
If you love terrariums as much as we do, this is going to rock your world: Brooklyn-based Twig Terrariums has just announced that they will be selling a photographic collection of their finest miniature green gardens. Called Tiny World Terrariums, this 120-page book will feature 100 full color images of their unique terrarium designs along with a step-by-step guide to creating tiny themed worlds that even the least green-thumbed person will be able to make and maintain. Twig is celebrating the book's release with a special party at their Gowanus studios on April 13th -- click through our gallery for a quick glimpse of their work and stay tuned for our forthcoming review.
NYC Phone Booths Turned Into Free Mini Libraries by Architect John Locke
When was the last time you used a phone booth? Despite cell phones being as common as clothing, rarely-used metal phones booths still exist throughout New York City, but architect John Locke has created a clever way to give them new life. Locke attached a pumpkin-orange set of shelves to an obsolete phone booth near 96th Street to create a mini, ultra-public library. Made out of plywood milled by Kontraptionist and stocked with books donated by local residents, Dub 002 is the designer's second attempt to create a free book distribution system sans any kind of prescriptive rules. His goal is to reinvent the obsolete phone booth as a new kind of public space.
HWKN’s Spiky-Armed Bright Blue “Wendy” Wins the 2012 MoMA PS1 Young Architects Program
Every year, we anxiously await the announcement of the winner of MoMA PS1 Young Architects Program (YAP) -- the news means that cutting edge summer fun is just around the corner! This year's winning pavilion has just been revealed, and we are thrilled to announce that once again, a local firm has taken the top prize. HWKN created a zany platform and pavilion called Wendy that combines water canons, air cleaning capabilities, and a massively cool, spiky-armed design. During its tenure at the courtyard, this incredible project will remove emissions equivalent to taking 260 cars off the road and will no doubt make the 13th Warm-Up music series one of the best yet.
Crazy Subterranean Portal Under Central Park Records NYC’s Biggest Historical Moments
Syracuse University graduate Jeff Kamuda's "Excavating Wilderness" design concept explores the tension that exists between the built environment and wilderness through a wild subterranean space beneath Central Park. The mile-long space extends from the Grand Army Plaza at 59th Street to the American Museum of Natural History at 77th Street and features three main parts that rely on the sun and underground exposed rock to illuminate key moments in New York City's history.
Striking Weekend House Modeled After a Japanese Kimono Overlooks the Berkshire Hills
We've seen a lot of awesome Japanese architecture on Inhabitat, but we've never seen a kimono-styled home in our own state before. Until now. Architect David Jay Weiner was commissioned to build a small weekend home overlooking the Berkshire Hills for a Japanese client who wanted a quiet retreat from New York's busy city life. The light-filled home consists of a single sweeping volume that appears to fold in on itself and features an enviable interior that is chic and understated. Step in for more details of this beautiful, minimalist home in Rensselaer County.
Brooklyn’s New Nitehawk Cinema Revives Speakeasy Days with a Dazzling LED Facade
Not only does Brooklyn have a swanky new first run movie theater, but the Nitehawk Cinema is also a mixed-use development with an incredible LED facade. Complete with residential apartments that each have access to outdoor spaces and a street-level bar and cafe reminiscent of speakeasy days, the new theater complex also features Caliper Studio's undulating zinc and glass LED facade, which is making Williamsburg sparkle in more ways than one.
25,000 Ping Pong Balls Line the Walls of Daniel Arsham’s Tiny Brooklyn Apartment
What do you do with 25,000 ping pong balls that have lost their bounce? As part of an accelerated design experiment, Snarkitecture partner Daniel Arsham decided to use them as wallpaper for a tiny Brooklyn apartment! While not overly bright or colorful, the up-cycled balls create mesmerizing patterns for an inspiring 90 square foot living space. And here's the amazing part: it cost less than $100 per square foot of wall space to complete this incredible minimalist apartment, and it took only two months to put together.
Angular Glass Winter Garden at SUNY New Paltz Is Inspired by Nearby Mountain Ridge
A rock-climber's paradise, the Shawagunk Ridge, visible from the State University of New York in New Paltz, forms such an intrinsic part of the school's student life that ikon.5 architects incorporated its shape into the new campus commons. Prefabricated using natural and recyclable materials such as glass and steel, the inviting winter garden extension acts as the University's new gateway, and livens up what has long been a neglected space. It is also oriented to harvest plenty of natural daylight and warmth, and features a heat recovery system.
NYC Gay Couples Wed Beneath Delicate Recycled Cardboard Pop-Up Chapel in Central Park
After waiting up to 22 years for New York City to recognize their right to be married, several same-sex couples sanctified their love beneath these poignant recycled pop-up chapels. Winner of a ten day Architizer design competition sponsored in part by The Knot, Z-A Studio's design called the "Kiss" is made out of two stacked honeycomb cardboard parts that have to lean on each other for support (just like couples do!). The chapels were erected in Central Park on July 30, 2011, where 24 same sex couples gathered to say their vows.
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