Evergreen:
Link to article:
Insane story of how a factory making the grease proof popcorn microwave bags you remember from your childhood managed to contaminate vast swathes of Wisconsin with forever chemicals β€” for all practical purposes for all eternity. For popcorn bags. And that is just the opening story. There are tens of thousands of these toxic factories and military bases and airports etc. around the world. https://hell.twtr.plus/media/43c60274243fc90d5e00bbb16d002e9e109195f75ab5049f302f843a0a321296.file https://hell.twtr.plus/media/2f0fdbcef889ca832f66757ab23b87cb3f77e3fcf1678235b65f5b024f409ddf.file
This is great work. In every study of this kind, in any country, in any era, the public has consistently been vastly in favor of classical or traditional architecture. This preference goes beyond race sex education income age ability politics or intelligence.
Almost nothing built in Tokyo before 1923 survived the earthquakes and wars, but the front of this legendary stationary and art supplies store in Jimbocho, built in 1922, is still in excellent condition. Apart from the bronze bust, the decorations and brick work are all in mass produced factory made terracotta. https://hell.twtr.plus/media/209556c34212b33876824b57771b5e954b32abbfc28b47b47a44730af961d524.file https://hell.twtr.plus/media/c0d59b9c2c483b62e8deef210461910b483efc3852eb186d2908ef646121955c.file https://hell.twtr.plus/media/48ca3066ebb54ceb116426858998c4e932888f55701aa5bd16e694f71090aeef.file
RT @CharlestonArchi@twitter.com: "So are you building for the quarterly earnings report and the landfill, or are you building for your grandchildren and your community?" THAT is the question everyone building a building, or reviewing a proposal for one, should ask. https://hell.twtr.plus/media/537cae5a3527b66e4108b435d6fae94643824538d13a2d8412aecc0e188b397e.file https://hell.twtr.plus/media/ca470c022e79db50199c51586f9a6681b29fff5c3658730d7570246126f74eca.file https://hell.twtr.plus/media/124135eb5fce5486e1f5eca33718aa8003d794e2107913c22319de67c636017f.file https://hell.twtr.plus/media/ea57316976f2558b5b22a77b5f26bfc3b631fd059da9097da2cdd9a902c69e40.file
Joking aside, if the govt. took a few random parking lots in Gangnam-gu, Seocho-gu, and Yongsan-gu (posh areas in Seoul) and put up a tower block with only 260mΒ² apartments and offered them for free to families with more than five children we might have a winner.
And just note: am definitely not ripping on asphalt shingles or anything. They have their uses and can be the perfect choice for some buildings and I enjoy that I can even do it myself (mid level DIY project). This account is not an asphalt shingle fan account, but definitely an asphalt shingle respecting account.
We can effectively answer the question of whether terracotta is an impossibly expensive material in modern buildings today by looking at clay roof tiles, which use very similar techniques and materials in manufacturing and of similar labor intensity (within a degree of course, don't shoot me if your specific personal experience was off by a little more). In Japan terracotta is traditionally manufactured in Gifu Prefecture, and kawara (roof tiles) are manufactured just to the south of Gifu, in Aichi Prefecture (Nagoya!). Kawara and terracotta is also similar in that up to 80% of the pieces are uniform, 20% are variations (ridge or eave tiles etc.) and there is a lively market in larger custom pieces, heraldic signs, etc. Kawara is 2-3 times as expensive as the cheapest alternative, asphalt shingles. But again kawara can be manufactured 100% by renewable energy and materials, at any scale from tiny local one man operation to huge automated factories. Asphalt shingles, not so much. The cost savings of using kawara (or terracotta) is in the long run. After 25 years it is on par with many other materials and after 50 it is as cheap as any other material and at 100 years it outperforms all other materials from a cost perspective. It is also relatively easy to maintain if slightly damaged, like asphalt shingles, and unlike metal roofs. Kawara or terracotta roofs maintain value or resell better due to its aesthetic values. Worldwide, a house with a history adds 1-5% to its price, and a beautiful house will add 7-15% in value. In this sense, an aesthetic investment in cladding or roofing will give huge dividends for the building as a whole. You can also dismantle kawara and rebuild it somewhere else, which is nearly impossible with metal roofs or asphalt shingles. We can expect that beautiful terracotta would be of the same cost situation. So are you building for the quarterly earnings report and the landfill, or are you building for your grandchildren and your community? https://hell.twtr.plus/media/537cae5a3527b66e4108b435d6fae94643824538d13a2d8412aecc0e188b397e.file https://hell.twtr.plus/media/ca470c022e79db50199c51586f9a6681b29fff5c3658730d7570246126f74eca.file https://hell.twtr.plus/media/124135eb5fce5486e1f5eca33718aa8003d794e2107913c22319de67c636017f.file https://hell.twtr.plus/media/ea57316976f2558b5b22a77b5f26bfc3b631fd059da9097da2cdd9a902c69e40.file
Not pretty but the terracotta cladding of the 2024 Athlete's Village in Saint-Ouen-Sur-Seine, France, makes it look a lot nicer. Social housing included. https://hell.twtr.plus/media/ffeb75a0ae31f45528b18b2aabde01a1af3335c4b92aa2060bd85fcc89b02d91.file