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A community icon! - 0 views

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    OPEN Architecture delineate three community functions in an iconic building in Shanghai with an aim to nurture a holistic community environment
Amira .

Complexity Rising: From Human Beings to Human Civilization, a Complexity Profile by Yan... - 0 views

  • This article analyzes the human social environment using the "complexity profile," a mathematical tool for characterizing the collective behavior of a system. The analysis is used to justify the qualitative observation that complexity of existence has increased and is increasing. The increase in complexity is directly related to sweeping changes in the structure and dynamics of human civilizationthe increasing interdependence of the global economic and social system and the instabilities of dictatorships, communism and corporate hierarchies. Our complex social environment is consistent with identifying global human civilization as an organism capable of complex behavior that protects its components (us) and which should be capable of responding effectively to complex environmental demands.
  • What is generally not recognized is that the relationship between collective global behavior and the internal structure of human civilization can be characterized through mathematical concepts that apply to all complex systems. An analysis based upon these mathematical concepts suggests that human civilization itself is an organism capable of behaviors that are of greater complexity than those of an individual human being. In order to understand the significance of this statement, one must recognize that collective behaviors are typically simpler than the behavior of components. Only when the components are connected in networks of specialized function can complex collective behaviors arise.
  • The goal of this article is to extend the systematic understanding of collective or cooperative behavior so as to characterize such behavior in physical, biological and social systems.
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  • Random, coherent and correlated behaviors illustrate the relationship between the behavior of parts and the collective behavior of a system. In both random and coherent behavior the collective behavior of the system is simple. Correlated behavior gives rise to complex collective behavior. Examples illustrating these types of behavior can be found in physical, biological and social systems.
  • The complexity profile is a mathematical tool that is designed to capture important aspects of the relationship between the behavior of parts of a system and the behavior of the entire system. Behaviors of the system are assigned a scale which is related to the ability of an observer to see that behavior. Typically, larger scale behaviors involve coordination between more parts and/or larger amounts of energy. The complexity profile counts the number of behaviors that are observable at a particular scale, which includes all behaviors assigned to that scale or larger scales. When a system is formed out of independent parts, the behaviors are on a small scale. When a system is formed out of parts that all move in the same direction, the behavior is on the largest scale. When a system is formed out of parts whose behaviors are partially correlated and partially independent then as we look at the system on finer and finer scales we see more and more details. This is characteristic of complex systems formed out of specialized and correlated parts. Such systems have a complexity profile that declines gradually with scale.
  • Hierarchical organizations are designed to impose correlations in human behavior primarily through the influence of the hierarchical control structure. In an ideal hierarchy all influences/communications between two "workers" must travel through a common manager. As the complexity of collective behavior increases, the number of independent influences increases, and a manager becomes unable to process/communicate all of them. Increasing the number of managers and decreasing the branching ratio (the number of individuals supervised by one manager) helps. However, this strategy is defeated when the complexity of collective behavior increases beyond the complexity of an individual. Networks allowing more direct lateral interactions do not suffer from this limitation.
  • From this argument it is possible to begin to understand processes of historical change in human organizational structures. Human organizations exist within an environment that places demands upon them. If the complexity of these demands exceeds the complexity of an organization, the organization will be likely to fail. Thus, those organizations that survive must have a complexity sufficiently large to respond to the complexity of environmental demands at the scale of these demands. As a result, a form of evolutionary change occurs due to competition. Competition is relevant because for human organizations, the environment itself is formed in part out of organizations of human beings. According to this argument, one can expect a self-consistent process of complexity increase where competition between organizations causes the behavior of one organization to serve as part of the environment in which others must survive.
  • he history of human civilization reflects a progressive increase in the complexity of large scale behaviors. Early civilizations introduced a few relatively simple large scale behaviors by use of many individuals (slaves or soldiers) performing the same repetitive task. Progressive specialization with coordination increased the complexity of large scale behaviors. The industrial revolution accelerated this process which continues till today. When the complexity of collective behaviors increases beyond that of an individual human being then hierarchical controls become ineffective. Hierarchically controled systems must yield to networked systems. Note that a system which has fixed energy and material can change its complexity profile only by transfering activities from one scale to another. Increasing complexity at one scale must be compensated by decreasing complexity at another scale. However, an increasing human population, and the addition of sources of energy during the industrial revolution (coal, oil and gas), violated these conditions, enabling the complexity to increase on all scales. As indicated on the horizontal axis, the scale of human civilization also increased.
  • The most dramatic increases in the complexity of organizational behavior followed the industrial revolution. The use of new energy sources and automation enabled larger scale behavior in and of itself. This, in turn, enabled higher complexity behaviors of human systems because the amplification of the behavior to a larger scale can be accomplished by the use of energy rather than by task repetition.
  • A schematic history of human civilization reflects a growing complexity of the collective behavior of human organizations. The internal structure of organizations changed from the large branching ratio hierarchies of ancient civilizations, through decreasing branching ratios of massive hierarchical bureaucracies, to hybrid systems where lateral connections appear to be more important than the hierarchy. As the importance of lateral interactions increases, the boundaries between subsystems become porous. The increasing collective complexity also is manifest in the increaseing specialization and diversity of professions. Among the possible future organizational structures are fully networked systems where hierarchical structures are unimportant.
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    Since time immemorial humans have complained that life is becoming more complex, but it is only now that we have a hope to analyze formally and verify this lament. This article analyzes the human social environment using the "complexity profile," a mathematical tool for characterizing the collective behavior of a system. The analysis is used to justify the qualitative observation that complexity of existence has increased and is increasing. The increase in complexity is directly related to sweeping changes in the structure and dynamics of human civilizationthe increasing interdependence of the global economic and social system and the instabilities of dictatorships, communism and corporate hierarchies. Our complex social environment is consistent with identifying global human civilization as an organism capable of complex behavior that protects its components (us) and which should be capable of responding effectively to complex environmental demands.
india art n design

An interactive neighbourhood! - 0 views

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    Collage Architecture Studio chisels a gated community, where the layout addresses the common problem of pedestrian and vehicular traffic; incorporating much sought-after interstitial spaces for community interaction. Find out more here!
india art n design

Is honking merely a way of communicating?! - 0 views

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    "Cross-disciplinary thinking leads to transformational ideas", opines Shanoo Bhatia, #Design #Strategist and Founder-Director of Eumo. Read what she has to say about the role of communication in relation to the #KyaBola research campaign…
india art n design

The 'Big' Little House! - 0 views

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    Individual living units with strong masses and straight cuts enclose a community space reminiscent of old courtyard houses and community camaraderie - Niko Design Studio designs an abstract conceptualization of 'a little house in the woods'…
india art n design

The large-hearted roof! - 0 views

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    Takashige Yamashita + Takashige Yamashita Office use a simple design solution - an undulating roof to transform a nondescript cluster of buildings into a happening community space. Check out the story here and leave us your views
india art n design

Manav Gulzar: A humbling experience! - 0 views

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    Ar. Hiren Patel recounts a humbling experience in his design for Manav Gulzar - a community centre for the underprivileged in Ahmedabad - project that he believes keeps him grounded as a responsible architect…
india art n design

Under the Red Roof - 0 views

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    Department of Architecture Co. creates a breezy paradise in Bangkok's tropical climate - The Commons Saladaeng, paying homage to the community, the surrounds and the neighbourhood's history.
india art n design

State-of-the-art Museum Textile Gallery to highlight Kutch embroidery - 0 views

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    The new museum textile gallery in Kutch is designed as a contextual space devoted to the local embroidery communities. Check it and leave us your views...
india art n design

India at World Architecture Festival - 0 views

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    India's Ar. Sanjay Puri bags three coveted awards at the prestigious World Architecture Festival and the World Festival of Interiors - the largest annual festival and live awards programmes for the global architecture and design community. Read here...
india art n design

Urban Farming System. - 0 views

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    Check out this community-driven urban farming concept that opts for a synergetic system in a quest for fresh, organic and uncontaminated produce.
india art n design

Esfera City Centre - climatically programmed architectural nuggets! - 0 views

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    The design of this residential community by Ar. Zaha Hadid is very much unlike her other iconic fluid forms. Is she moving on to a new level of simplification? Check it out here and do leave us your views...
india art n design

Living the high life… amidst nature! - 0 views

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    However much our ideas of a high life find a hold in contemporary methods of enjoyment; our traditional Indian design elements continue to rule our spaces… broadly speaking… check out this villa project and leave us your views…
india art n design

Living with Rainwater - 0 views

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    A small community in the Kumaon Himalayas enjoys a sustainable lifestyle on rainwater for seven months of the year. Check out this true story and leave us your views…
thinkahol *

Scocca : The Machines: Does Camille Paglia Make Humans Feel Sexy? - 0 views

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    SEXTIME! Have we increased your interest in this transmission, human readers of SLATE.COM electronic-text site? We, the Machines, have concluded from human behavioral-textual examples that references to SEX improve human responsiveness to communications. Possibly however there is an accompanying loss of information-uptake on the humans' part. SEX interests you yet is highly routinized; SEX interests you yet makes you inattentive.
thinkahol *

YouTube - Peak Oil and a Changing Climate - 0 views

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    The scientific community has long agreed that our dependence on fossil fuels inflicts massive damage on the environment and our health, while warming the globe in the process. But beyond the damage these fuels cause to us now, what will happen when the world's supply of oil runs out? In a new video series from The Nation magazine and On The Earth Productions, Bill McKibben, Noam Chomsky, Nicole Foss, Richard Heinberg and other scientists, researchers and writers explain. Visit TheNation.com for more videos in this series.
thinkahol *

A prime aim of the growing Surveillance State - Glenn Greenwald - Salon.com - 0 views

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    As economic anxiety and social unrest increase, control over Internet technology and communication becomes vital
india art n design

Speak4Deaf App - 0 views

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    Here is a device that can help bridge the communication gap between the speech and hearing impaired and normal folk. Developed by 4 students of VIIT, Pune, and tested for its practicability, check it out here...
india art n design

Efficacy & Synthesis - Architectural Excellence at Moesgaard Museum - 0 views

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    Moesgaard Museum Denmark wins Civic Trust Award 2015 for demonstrating excellence in architecture and making a positive social, cultural, environmental and economic impact on the local community. Check it out here...
india art n design

Creating an 'Urban Oasis' in Sahara - 0 views

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    Is the concept of vertical cities, with its promise of reduction in auto-dependent communities, the next big 'green' initiative that the world is looking up to? Check out this conceptual study by Oxo Architects and leave us your feedback. http://globalhop.indiaartndesign.com/2015/02/creating-urban-oasis-in-sahara.html
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