[[Arte] Le mystère des rivières volantes d'Amazonie](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bBugJg31F4

Découvertes il y a une vingtaine d’années, les immenses masses de vapeur d’eau qui survolent l’Amazonie, baptisées "rivières volantes", fascinent les chercheurs. Leur devenir pourrait être intimement lié à l’évolution du climat.
_
Poumon vert de la planète avec ses centaines de milliards d’arbres interconnectés, la forêt amazonienne est aussi, on le sait moins, un "océan vert" : depuis les racines des arbres jusqu’à la canopée, elle concentre la plus grande réserve d'eau douce de la Terre. Car la région sud-américaine est survolée par de gigantesques flux de vapeur d’eau, surnommées "rivières volantes", qui suscitent depuis une vingtaine d’années la curiosité des chercheurs. Inventeur du terme, le scientifique brésilien Antonio Donato Nobre a consacré sa carrière à étudier leur mécanisme, et à élucider le rôle complexe joué par la forêt dans le climat mondial. Deux grandes questions orientent ses recherches : pourquoi ne trouve-t-on pas de déserts sur le continent sud-américain, une exception à ces latitudes ? Et pourquoi les vents venus de l'hémisphère Nord parviennent-ils à traverser l'Équateur, qui sur le reste du globe agit comme un mur infranchissable ? Pour y répondre, le professeur Nobre s'est intéressé à la théorie récente de la "pompe biotique", selon laquelle les forêts, en créant une pression atmosphérique faible, déplacent l'air humide à l'intérieur des terres et aident à générer des précipitations. Autant de découvertes qui obligent à réécrire quelques chapitres des manuels scientifiques…
_
Énigmes géographiques
_
De la jungle amazonienne aux forêts boréales d’Europe du Nord, et jusqu’aux plus grands laboratoires et centres de recherche, ce film soulève de passionnantes énigmes géographiques pour révéler le fonctionnement de ces mystérieuses "rivières volantes" d’Amazonie, dont l'influence pourrait s’avérer majeure sur le climat mondial. Un argument supplémentaire pour préserver d’urgence cette région exceptionnelle, menacée par la déforestation.
_
Documentaire de Pascal Cuissot (France, 2021, 54mn)
Disponible jusqu'au 11/01/2023

#rivieres #arbres #foret #amazonie #climat #pluies #secheresse #changementClimatique #rechauffementClimatique #agriculture #alimentation #deforestation #siberie #carbone #co2 #h2o #giec #cop27 #ecologie #decroissance #bois #ikea #symbiose #champignons #meteo #vents #eau #deserts #aridite #penurie #migration #AmeriqueDuSud #CordillereDesAndes #Bresil #SaoPaulo #Arte #science #russie #foretsprimaires #equateur #climatisation #pompeBiotique #soja #PascalCuissot

Gensler releases plans for winged Flight Test Museum in California

Architecture firm Gensler has released plans for the new Flight Test Museum in Antelope Valley north of Los Angeles.

The design combines the dimensions of an airport hangar with the shape of the Nighthawk aircraft, an American stealth plane first built in the 1980s.

"The reimagination of the Flight Test Museum coincides with the rise of commercial space exploration and the 75th anniversary of the breaking of the sound barrier," said the studio in a release.

The 60,000-square-foot (5,570-square-metre) "hangar" will have a metallic angular roof that slopes down to create a pavilion over the glass entryway.

The Test Flight Museum designed by Gensler will be on the site of the current museum

"We expanded the roof area by creating large undulating, stretched planes of metallic perforated metal, giving rise to distinctive wing-like shapes that shimmer and offer striking silhouettes against the surrounding desert landscape," Peter Wang, principal and design director on the project for Gensler, told Dezeen.

A primary hangar will be surrounded by a second-storey viewing platform so that visitors can see the displays from above.

[

Read:

Killa Design's Museum of the Future opens in Dubai

](https://www.dezeen.com/2022/02/22/museum-of-the-future-killa-design-dubai/)

Plans include a welcome lounge, gallery space, classrooms, library, and gift shop, as well as a bar dedicated to Florence Lowe "Pancho" Barnes, the aviator who founded the first movie stunt pilots' union.

Sited in the desert where some of the first jet and space flight technologies were tested, the finished museum will hold more than 80 historic aircraft, with room for other larger aircraft in the planned outdoor exhibition spaces.

Initial construction on the project has begun, with completion slated for 2024.

Gensler is one of the world's largest architecture firms, with almost 50 offices globally. Following the death of its founder Art Gensler last year, Dezeen highlighted eight key projects from the company.

Other architecture projects that take influences from hangars include the MEETT exhibition centre by OMA, as well as Italian office Piuarch's transformation of an old aircraft hangar into Gucci's headquarters in Milan.

Renderings are courtesy of Gensler.

The post Gensler releases plans for winged Flight Test Museum in California appeared first on Dezeen.

#all #architecture #cultural #news #deserts #california #usa #museums #aircraft #culturalbuildings #gensler #militarydesign

The Ranch Mine designs Arizona desert home informed by surrounding boulders

The organisation of this home in Arizona's Sonoran Desert was inspired by a rock formation that architecture firm The Ranch Mine noticed during a site visit early in the design process.

The project is located on an arid site north of Scottsdale. Phoenix-based firm The Ranch Mine drew influence from the site's rocky topography while designing the house, lending it the nickname Boulders.

The Ranch Mine designed Boulders in Arizona's Sonoran Desert

"When studying the site before starting the design of the house, The Ranch Mine came across three very large boulders, stacked in a way that created a protected and shaded area, a respite from the desert sun for the local fauna," said the architects.

"Simple, functional and at the same time powerful in form, this outcrop became the inspiration for the house," they added.

The main living spaces are housed in a cantilevered volume between two bedroom wings

Each of the home's two bedrooms is located in a separate volume at either end of the 2,400-square-foot (223 square metres) residence. These support a long cantilevered roof that forms the main living area, which includes the kitchen and dining room.

"The large, cantilevered roof features openings that provide extra diffused light into the patio area while allowing hot air to rise and escape through," said The Ranch Mine.

Inside, a neutral palette includes concrete floors and wooden ceilings

The longitudinal living space is lit by clerestory windows above the kitchen on one side, and by full-height sliding glass doors on the other.

The doors open out to a swimming pool, which is located in the open space formed by the L-shaped configuration of the home.

[

Read:

Mid-century Phoenix home receives updates and expanded living space

](https://www.dezeen.com/2022/02/27/brandaw-residence-renovation-phoenix-180-degrees-design-build-cbtwo-architects/)

"The bedroom wings are rotated at 90 degrees from each other, creating and L-shaped plan that forms a courtyard for outdoor living and defines two distinct views," said The Ranch Mine.

"The short view looks at Lone Mountain, about 1,000 feet away to the base of the mountain across the desert terrain," they added. "The long view looks towards the mountains a few miles to the northwest, in the small town of Cave Creek."

An L-shaped swimming pool is located outside

The architects also included a yoga room and outdoor shower with easy access to the pool. The curved walls of this volume contrast the lines of the rest of the rectilinear home.

The interiors have a neutral palette of grey tones, with concrete flooring running throughout and wooden ceilings that add some depth to the space.

The design of the house was influenced by a rock formation found on the site

The Ranch Mine was founded in 2010 by husband-and-wife duo Cavin and Claire Costello. The firm recently completed a board-formed home for a ceramicist, and a backyard guest house that is entered via a large pivoting glass door.

Other desert homes in the US include a residence in Utah made with weathering steel and concrete blocks, and a detached guest suite that can serve as an accessory dwelling unit for a family that relocated to rural Texas from Tennessee.

The photography is byRoehner + Ryan.

---

Project credits:

Builder: Boxwell Homes

The post The Ranch Mine designs Arizona desert home informed by surrounding boulders appeared first on Dezeen.

#all #architecture #residential #arizona #deserts #usa #houses #americanhouses #theranchmine

ASU students design and build Orange 1 breezy outdoor classroom

A group of students from Arizona State University has completed an outdoor classroom pavilion as part of a design-build studio programme.

The project was completed in the spring 2021 semester, as part of Arizona State University's (ASU) larger initiative to build outdoor classrooms to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

The pavilion by ASU students is named Orange 1

The course, named Orange Build, is led by ASU teachers Felipe Mesa of Plan:b Arquitectos and Catherine Spellman.

"Orange Build Studio received the opportunity to design and oversee the construction of a shade structure and classroom located in the Polytechnic Campus, adjacent to a community garden and a small classroom building used by ASU Sustainable Practices," the team explained.

It has a square plan formed from nine equal modules

Since this is the group's first such structure, the pavilion is named Orange 1.

It has a square plan made of nine equal modules totalling 1,300 square feet (120 square metres).

ASU students designed and built the project

"In our Design-Build Studio, we understood improvisation as the erratic and collaborative process that a group of two professors, thirty-three students, and a diverse team of consultants carried out to make the Orange 1 project a reality," said the team.

"This small-format building, located on the university campus, will function as an outdoor classroom for educational and leisure activities during Covid-19 and beyond," they added

[

Read:

Theaster Gates unveils Black Chapel as 2022 Serpentine Pavilion

](https://www.dezeen.com/2022/02/03/theaster-gates-serpentine-pavilion-2022-black-chapel/)

Slatted steel fins make up the structure, which provides shade while still allowing plenty of air to flow through the structure and reduce the odds of disease transmission.

"The resulting project is a permeable building, resistant and adapted to the climatic conditions of the desert, and open to multiple uses," said the team.

Pyramidal roofs top the modules

Each of the modules measures 12 feet (3.6 metres) across and is topped with a pyramidal roof. These shapes accommodate industrial ceiling fans, which help keep the space cool in Arizona's desert climate.

"The project developed from a horizontal space into a space with rhythmic variations in height," the team explained.

The pavilion serves as an outdoor classroom, created in response to coronavirus restrictions

Beyond its role as an outdoor classroom during the pandemic, the team envisions the structure as a potential venue for events, photoshoots, weddings or other activities.

Other recently revealed pavilions around the world include this year's Serpentine Pavilion – a wooden chapel designed by Theaster Gates and Adjaye Associates for London.

In Canada, the annual Winter Stations competition just unveiled the finalists in its competition to design pavilions on the shores of Lake Ontario.

The photography is byMatt Winquist.

---

Project credits:

University: Arizona State University. Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. The Design School.

Course: Design-Build Studio (Orange Build), ADE422/622

Professors: Felipe Mesa, Catherine Spellman

Project sponsor: Edmundo Soltero, ASU Assistant Vice President and Campus Architect

Structural engineering: David Grapsas

Electrical engineering: Affiliated Engineers

General contracting: CORE Construction

Architectural licensure: Michael Groves

Project management: ASU Facilities Development Management/Capital Programs Management Group

Students: Mhamad Ali Alaaeddine, Carlee Allen, Nicholas Becerra, Yasmin Ben Abdelkader, Rigoberto Berber-Arias, Ian Clouse, Tyree Dalgai, Alan Estrada, Cristina Garibay, Connor Glass, Rafael Gonzalez, Brandon Grenda, Jacob Jones, Ryan Mackay, Rita Momika, Joshua Odwyer, Justin Palmer, Solana Pearson, Alexis Santana, Annie Torgersen, Megan Van Horn, Mariel Vogliotti, Mckenzi Wilson, Yiming XU, Sarah Zagoury, Tirrel Dandrige, Christopher Fernandez, Tiffany Hartono, Smriti Jain, Vaishali Kalra, Yanela Nunez, Vishaka Tuljapurkar

The post ASU students design and build Orange 1 breezy outdoor classroom appeared first on Dezeen.

#pavilions #all #architecture #education #steel #arizona #deserts #studentprojects #coronavirus #planbarquitectos

Imbue Design completes glass-and-steel home in Utah desert landscape

Salt Lake City architecture studio Imbue Design has built a house outside Zion National Park in Utah with sweeping views of one of the USA's most renowned landscapes.

The Watchman Cabin was completed collaboratively with a nature-loving client who was "captivated" by the area's natural surroundings after visiting. Located in Springdale, the site is near the entrance to the Zion National Park, which is famed for its dramatic rock formations and rugged scenery.

Imbue Design built the house outside Zion National Park

"All around the Watchman Cabin's site rise massive stone megaliths that are the handiwork of water and wind and 150 million years of deposition," explained Imbue Design.

"The client requested that Imbue empathetically design a retreat that would harmonise with its unique environment, capture the essence of the place, and resonate with his deliberate nature," the studio added.

The cabin sits against the Utah landscape

The home is sited at the foot of a hill and divided into three volumes that encompass 1,900 square feet (177 square metres).

These include a garage, a main residence, and a standalone guesthouse with its own kitchen and a small living room.

Floor-to-ceiling glazing faces the dramatic views

Each room is connected by covered, but unenclosed walkways.

"All three are threaded together by a CMU [concrete masonry unit – also known as breezeblocks] retaining wall and organised about a central connecting courtyard for gathering," said Imbue Design.

Weathering steel wraps around openings

Within the shared terrace that separates the main residence from the guesthouse, the architects included amenities such as an outdoor fireplace and a soaking tub.

"Where the retaining wall is the cabin's spine, the courtyard is the project’s heart," said Imbue Design.

[

Read:

Daab Design clads French cabin with scorched pine wood

](https://www.dezeen.com/2022/01/02/pine-nut-cabane-daab-design-cabin-france/)

Inside, the facades facing Zion's rock formations are glazed from floor to ceiling, offering expansive views of the landscape, while more private areas were clad in weathering steel.

This earthy tone, as well as the masonry's reddish shade, were inspired by the colour of the soil in the area.

Interior spaces offer views of the landscape

"The weathered steel skin provides privacy and protection from the harsh desert climate, while glass volumes in public spaces act as eyes taking in every magnificent vista," said the architects.

The interiors were completed in a restrained, grey palette that is contrasted by the underside of the overhanging roof, which was finished in wood and visible throughout the home.

The cabins give their nature-loving owner immediate access to the landscape

Utah is famed for its remote, dramatic landscapes and desert climate.

Other properties in the Western US state include a home by Klima Architecture in the mountains and a low-slung gabled retreat by Studio Upwall Architects.

The photography is byMiranda Kimberlin.

---

Project credits:

**

**Contractor: Fahrenkamp

Engineer: Epic Engineering

Geotech: AGEC

The post Imbue Design completes glass-and-steel home in Utah desert landscape appeared first on Dezeen.

#residential #all #architecture #usa #glass #deserts #weatheringsteel #houses #utah #americanhouses #cabins

BPAS Architects envisions rain-collecting skyscrapers to "reverse desertification"

BPAS Architects imagines building huge water-harvesting skyscrapers for humanity to survive in the desert, one of the 15 finalist projects for Dezeen's Redesign the World competition powered by Twinmotion.

Titled A New World: The Desert Faction, the project imagines a future where the Sahara Desert has expanded significantly and humans have been forced to build larger and larger communities in the hot, arid environment.

In BPAS Architects' vision, technology works in tandem with the desert environment, with energy harvested via solar panels. Water is scarce, and the faction's skyscrapers collect rainwater before it evaporates, pumping it through underground tunnels to surrounding farming areas and communities.

The water transforms the desert into a fertile landscape where crops grow, and communities flourish, eventually reversing desertification.

BPAS Architects imagines that the desert-living communities would form one of several "factions" around the world, where humanity has been forced to adapt to harsh environmental conditions.

Read more about BPAS Architects' proposal below.

---

A New World: The Desert Faction

BPAS Architects, Cape Town, South Africa

Finalist

"Not so far in the future, the human race has run its course of destruction on earth, surpassing life as we know it.

"All over the world, extreme natural phenomena have occurred, making it almost impossible for humans to live without adaptation.

"The Sahara Desert has expanded tenfold and reaches over 70 degrees during the day; the constant volcanic eruptions from the Ring of Fire in the Pacific Ocean have destroyed thousands of homes and habitats; the ocean now covers over 80 per cent of the world due to rising sea levels, and the ice caps have reached temperatures not even polar bears can survive.

"As a result, extreme natural disasters reign terror on the remaining population: droughts, tropical storms, wildfires, etc., bringing with them human problems such as soil infertility, water scarcity and famine, far greater than ever seen before.

[

Read:

Mando Xie proposes green floating cities to enable "human civilization to continue" on the ocean

](https://www.dezeen.com/2021/11/05/titan-ark-2100-mando-xie-redesign-the-world-finalist/)

"These issues call on urgent redesign and adaptation to ensure the survival of communities across the globe.

"Using the extreme phenomena all over the world as resources, new human ecosystems are created. These are called factions and are vital for the survival of the earth.

"The main factions are Desert, Pelagic, Volcanic, Wind and Polar. Each faction works in tandem with what that part of the earth provides, creating new forms of technology that are dependent on the longevity of that natural resource, ensuring a harmonious relationship with the earth rather than its exploitation.

"The faction considered here is the Desert Faction, living in the vast wastelands of nothingness. People have fled the deteriorating and unsafe cities and set up communities elsewhere in the expanding deserts.

"The earth's surface has become so hot in this post-apocalyptic scenario that any rain that may come evaporates hundreds of metres before it touches the ground. As a result, the water harvesting skyscraper is designed.

"The new-world skyscraper reaches a height of 1000m to collect the rain before it evaporates. Once the water is collected, it runs safely through the skyscraper to underground storage.

[

Read:

Pawel Rymsza proposes domed cities with algae lakes "to make big reductions in atmospheric carbon"

](https://www.dezeen.com/2021/11/01/carbon-neutral-rings-pawel-rymsza-redesign-the-world-finalist/)

"From here, the water can either be pumped using the energy from the solar panels to the surrounding farming areas; for water, sanitation and hygiene; or the overflow water in the store runs along the underground tunnels, connecting other sporadic communities that have not received rain.

"By bringing the water down to the surface, the vast landscapes of the desert have been transformed into fertile, life-giving soil. Crops are planted, forests begin to regrow, and the surrounding communities flourish.

"Using solar panels and heat technology, the natural energy is absorbed and transformed into energy for everyday use.

"By harvesting rainwater and bringing it back to the earth's surface, communities contribute significantly to revitalizing the natural ecosystems through reverse desertification."

---

Redesign the World

Redesign the World is the ultimate design competition, which called for new ideas to rethink planet Earth to ensure that it remains habitable long into the future.

Launched in partnership with Epic Games, the contest asked entrants to visualise their concepts using architectural visualisation software Twinmotion.

The contest received over 100 entries from more than 30 different countries around the world.

These were assessed by a judging panel comprising White Arkitekter CEO Alexandra Hagen, structural engineer Hanif Kara, speculative architect Liam Young, Twinmotion product marketing manager Belinda Ercan and Dezeen founder and editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs, which selected 15 proposals as finalists to be published on Dezeen.

We are unveiling one finalist a day throughout our Dezeen 15 festival, culminating in the winner being announced on 19 November.

The winner will receive the top prize of £5,000. There are also prizes of £2,500 for second place, £1,000 for third place and £500 each for the remaining finalists.

Find out more about Redesign the World ›

See all the finalists revealed so far ›

The post BPAS Architects envisions rain-collecting skyscrapers to "reverse desertification" appeared first on Dezeen.

#redesigntheworldfinalists #redesigntheworld #all #architecture #videos #design #deserts #skyscrapers #twinmotion

Concrete home by HK Associates looks onto the Arizona desert

American practice HK Associates has completed a geometric concrete home on a desert site at the base of the Catalina Mountains in Tucson, Arizona.

Deep cuts in the cuboid form of Ventana House create a series of shaded terraces and covered balconies for the home, which the local practice has designed to be a "window onto the desert".

HK Associates designed the home with a covered entryway

"The two-storey dwelling rises from its mountainside setting like a geological outcropping, a rugged exterior form shaped from within by openings that afford panoramic views," described the practice.

A cut in the southwest corner of the home's ground floor creates a covered entryway. This leads into a double-height, skylit gallery space crossed by a small bridge above and containing a perforated steel staircase that allows light to filter through.

A large living space overlooks rocky terrain

The less-exposed ground floor contains a garage, media room and gym alongside a guest bedroom and bathroom. An external staircase along the eastern edge of the home provides direct access up to a first-floor terrace.

On this upper level, the home has been opened-up to create a large living, kitchen and dining space between two external terraces, contrasted by a more private block to the east containing two en-suite bedrooms and a study.

Minimal interiors are found in the kitchen

Throughout the home, large windows and glazed sliding doors frame views out onto the desert site, with larger openings set in deep recesses to prevent glare and overheating from the harsh sun.

"The spatial dialogue between interior volume and exterior form unfolds in a cinematic montage that complements the picture-window views," said the practice.

Referencing the silhouettes of the surrounding mountainous, the living areas sit beneath a sloped alder wood ceiling that subtly focuses the space towards the south-facing terrace. A large skylight along one edge illuminates the centre of the plan.

"The ceiling becomes an organising datum, mapping activities and interactions below: dining, cooking, conversing and relaxing," the practice continued.

The house features several glazed sliding doors

The interiors have been minimally detailed, with white wall surfaces and concealed built-in storage areas intended to create a "subtle backdrop" to the desert views.

"The interior of the home reveals itself as a series of discretely carved volumes proportioned in relationship to exterior apertures," said the practice.

A discrete fire pit cuts through the terrace

In the entrance lobby, these white surfaces are contrasted by warm wooden panelling that covers the wall and ceiling, as well as creating a small bench.

Other projects recently completed in the Arizona desert include a courtyard home with white stucco walls by architecture studio The Ranch Mine.

The photography is byEma Peter.

The post Concrete home by HK Associates looks onto the Arizona desert appeared first on Dezeen.

#residential #all #architecture #usa #arizona #deserts #houses #americanhouses #concretehouses

A Plant That ‘Cannot Die’ Reveals Its Genetic Secrets

#flowersandplants #geneticsandheredity #evolutionbiology #namibia #angola #deserts #research #naturecommunicationsjournal #yourfeedscience #science #news

Where the Grass is Greener, Except When It’s ‘Nonfunctional Turf’

#conservationofresources #grass #water #deserts #shortages #marsplanet #coloradoriver #hooverdam #lakemead #lasvegasnev #mojavedesertcalif #westernstatesus #yourfeedscience #science #news