Dayn Williams edited, and Dan Swietlik co-edited Carl Erik Rinsch’s futuristic action thriller short film, The Gift, which has won the inaugral Gold Film Craft Lion at the 2010 Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival.

You can read the full story here and watch it here.

The architecture and landscaping is an extension and embodiment of Creede and the very visible spirit that has created it.  The attitude and spirit of the mountain settlers was, and continues to be, unique.  Local architecture reflects the values and sensibilities of its people, and this is particularly visible in places somewhat off the beaten track, where people have had to wrestle with available raw materials to survive and to make their livelihoods.

51% studios are using the same kind of thinking that’s been used for well over 100 years in this valley, using the local site conditions and materials in frank ways that reflect awareness of their inherent attributes.

Green roofs have significant benefits both for the public/community and for the individual building owner. Primary public benefits include controlling stormwater runoff, improving water quality and improving air quality. The most significant benefits of green roofs for building owners are reductions in building operating costs, significantly longer roof life and lower life-cycle costs for the roof, and increased property value.

The green roof serves as a filter to reduce pollutants in the water and also to lower the temperature of the water that is eventually returned to the watershed.

Although a green roof initially costs more than a conventional roof — $10 to $20 per square foot for a green roof versus $5 to $10 per square foot for a conventional roof — they more than make up for that difference over time. Green roofs extend the lifespan of the roof membrane significantly by protecting it from sunlight and temperature variations. As a result, green roofs can conservatively be expected to last two to three times longer than a conventional roof. Experience with green roofs in Germany shows that 40+ and 50+ life spans for green roofs should be expected.

Because of their insulating properties, green roofs reduce the heating and cooling costs for buildings by at least 10 to 15 percent. A Canadian study showed that a 6-inch extensive green roof can reduce heat gains by 95 percent.

On the banks of Willow Creek, green roofs will also improve the aesthetic quality of the buildings, to soften them and integrate with the native prairie landscape, using desert plants which need low or no maintenance.

The steel structure of the indoor arena however quickly becomes expensive if asked to take on a sod roof in addition to snowloading. Structures that carry load through pure tension (hanging) require  a fraction of the material required by bending structures such as beams or trusses and provide an efficient way of carrying an extensive green roof in addition to non-uniform snow loads.

Phase 1, which included remediation, relocation of willows and the outdoor arena, is complete and has affored the community of Creede a safe, beautiful and windfree place to rope and ride.

For upcoming events and news, do also take a look at the MCFA’s newly launched website: www.upperriogrande.org

Others on the shortlist are Donald Insall Associates, Richard Griffiths Architects, Witherford Watson Mann and Wright & Wright.

Lot of Bottle: Our Biennale site was the Farmiloes Courtyard in  Clerkenwell, where water has been a centrally important part of history, from its springs, wells and spas and later also breweries and distilleries. Clerkenwell was the site of London’s first reservoir.  In the 21st century, though, we have little direct knowledge of where our water comes from and often no longer even drink it from the tap.  Water now costs more than soda, milk and gas in the US.  The fetishising of water and its packaging is probably the single greatest threat to human and animal survival across the globe.

To connect thinking about the environment with design and engineering more than 700 1.5l Evian bottles were recycled from family life and with cable ties, plumbing pipes and climbing ropes were the primary materials used to create the bridge, which [following some experiments in bouyancy] successfully supported one tonne — that being the combined weight of the young engineers.

“Whilst the project is just a teaching aide for now, its commonplace building blocks make it cheap to build. If a small-scale model can divert hundreds of plastic bottles away from landfill, there’s no reason a bigger project couldn’t use up even more in the real world, while creating easily assembled emergency bridges, rafts or a makeshift rescue craft.” Lot of Bottle, Spark 3, The Guardian

The floating bridge was a collaboration between Dallington School, 51% studios and Tim Macfarlane of Dewhurst Macfarlane and Partners. Other bridges have been made from cardboard and paper.

Also on World Water Day, we are wishing all the best of luck to David de Rothschild and the crew of the Plastiki, a boat made of 12,000 plastic bottles, which has just begun a round-the-world trip to highlight the problems of waste in our oceans, much of it caused by plastic bottles.

And we couldn’t end without mentioning one of our favourite sites, The Big Picture, which has a put up a stunning set of National Geographic pictures of water [you can also download a free interactive copy of National Geographic’s April issue on water]

Recycle and reduce: The facility embraces green building strategies, paying special attention to promoting the use of natural light. A family of seven suites is crafted from recycled, lightweight and translucent materials with a monolithic resin floor to reflect and amplify the natural light.  No dry wall and little glass is used, and suites made from formaldehyde-free, post-industrial recycled wood fibreboard are soundproofed with recycled jeans.

Suite interiors are individually decorated and furnished, with one wall left predominantly raw and finished in a natural soy based clear sealant. Split battens enable the constant technical upgrade and maintenance whilst keeping cables discreet. Computer aided construction by Showman Fabricators allowed a rapid fit out on site, and produced beautifully clean interiors.

The combination of translucent polycarbonate walls, top lit with dimmable low energy diodes and a mocha coloured resin floor give the overall effect of a calm radiance. Five offline suites, a graphics suite and a new HD finishing suite are the creative heart of the space. All rooms have been the latest versions of Avid and Final Cut and are SD/HD compatible.

Shed Modernism: Biscuitgate happened here …

When Justine Roberts approached us to design a meeting room for Mumsnet Towers, the parameters were simple: it had to provide privacy and yet allow natural light through it and it had to be good value for money. Oh, and it also needed to be lightweight, demountable and sustainable.

51% studios chose polycarbonate panels over glass to provide acoustic insulation, filter the light and give privacy whilst still being light and easy to transport and handle. Panels were cut to size on site and can be recycled after use.

The framing is from sustainable British grown cedar, adapted from a rainscreen profile we have been using in Dungeness, set back-to-back to provide stiffness whilst supporting the panels without any fixings. Cedar is also lightweight, and weathers to a soft silver over time. We achieved the clean floor to ceiling finish with the help of Tripledot’s fine carpenters who scribed the cedar to the undulating planes of the existing warehouse shell.

We love the clever components Item Products makes for packaging and have used on the their heavier duty handles for the sliding door. We exposed the self finished polycarbonate edge so no frame was needed on the leading edge of the sliding door, allowing it to slot effortlessly into the same cedar detail as the other panels.

For photos and videos of Mumsnet 10th Anniversary Party at Google HQ, do have a look at these links on Flickr or Mumsnet

We were briefed to modernize the Whitechapel’s back of house, carrying new identity into these spaces in fresh and playful ways. The desire for soft, organic materials and low embodied energy led to the sourcing of a reclaimed gymnasium floor, re-laid throughout with the original sports markings left intact.

The kitchen allows informal lunches as well as more formal staff meetings and presentations, with ‘ideas shelves’ for improvisory mini exhibitions, with pin boards and new lockers for visiting exhibition staff.

The director’s office is reconfigured to allow extra space for meetings. Large transparent sliding screens replace existing painted timber doors to optimise natural day lighting in all offices, simultaneously enhancing the sense of community between team members.

Original desking is kept, and resurfaced, overhead cabinets are re-used for storage and workstations personalised with individual roll out libraries.

Roof spaces will be insulated with locally sourced materials and relined to provide additional storage which will improve both energy efficiency and comfort levels.