In the United States and beyond, denim is an international wardrobe staple. Nowadays it’s nearly impossible to identify an article of clothing embraced more fully than jeans.  In the 19^th century, jeans began as work-wear for hard labor in mines, factories and fields. Since then, the denim industry has matured into a huge business, bringing in around $14.3 billion in sales in 2012, according to The NPD Group. A study conducted by revealed that the average American owns seven pairs of jeans and nine other denim items. Worn by cowgirls and supermodels alike, jeans have become a tactile, wearable symbol of the American west and the American dream.

#5 from Soft Feel. Photo by Aidan Flaherty.

At the center of the denim market lies Los Angeles—the Denim Capital of the world. Hollywood films such as Rebel Without A Cause and The Wild One established James Dean and Marlon Brando as raw denim poster boys and transformed the worker’s trouser into a trademark of the rebel and a growing youth subculture. Today Los Angeles produces 75 percent of the world’s premium denim jeans and is home to numerous premium denim lines including AG, Citizens of Humanity, Paige Denim, and .

James Dean. Photo from the set of “Giant.”

The environmental repercussions of the denim business are significant as well. Conventional denim production employs low-efficiency, energy consumptive processes. A pair of jeans’ life cycle includes: cotton production, fabric production, garment manufacturing, transportation and distribution, consumer use, and waste.  On average, fabricating a single pair of jeans requires 2,500 gallons of water, harmful chemicals and vast amounts of energy.  A study conducted by Levi Strauss & Co. found that a single pair of jeans emits 32.3 kilograms of CO₂; equating to around 71 pounds of CO₂ emissions.  To illustrate further, this is roughly the same as driving an average vehicle around the United States for 78 miles. Figures associated with the environmental impact of jean production are staggering and have inspired a movement to pursue cleaner, greener denim production.

Aerial shot of denim and dyeing facilities polluting China’s Pearl River.

Levi Strauss & Co. places a great emphasis on embracing “” while individuals such as Brad Allen Mowry, with companies and organizations such as and , are educating the public on the world of denim production. Cathy Pack, an architect based in 91Ó°ĘÓ’s Los Angeles office, believes architecture can develop these efforts even further.

Inside a denim laundry – finishing process. 

Cathy’s work explores the symbolic and technical connections between architecture and clothing and seeks to identify strategies that apply sustainable design to the world of fashion and clothing production. She believes that sustainable architecture can help elevate and expose one of Los Angeles’ least understood and least-valued industries—fashion. To gain a clearer understanding of how denim is produced here in Los Angeles, Cathy met and interviewed industry professionals including Sheila Foreman, owner of the commercial denim processing facility Garment Industrial Laundry. Cathy’s research stems from a desire to develop eco-efficient denim processing practices and facilities that reduce water consumption, energy consumption, cotton waste and wastewater.

Jeans are slipped onto inflatable rubber legs and sprayed with potassium permanganate to produce a fading effect.

Architecture has the potential to increase the transparency of established consumer systems and reveal the weaknesses of current practices. Cathy sees an excellent opportunity to use public space and spaces of commerce as staging sites for consumer education. She’s proposing the design of a new factory that employs sustainable denim manufacturing practices and provides public display and educational facilities. Ultimately such a scheme offers consumers a unique vantage point onto the denim industry and brings them closer to the products they’re consuming. Aside from consumer education, the introduction of such an architectural response has significant economic implications. Showcasing a city’s speciality, in this case Los Angeles’ denim expertise, through architecture initiates a dialogue that strengthens a city’s economy, helping it evolve into a global metropolis. These types of spatial relationships establish new and exciting opportunities that spark innovation, draw intellectual and economic investment and help solidify a city’s identity.

Whiskers template – whiskers are wrinkled lines added at the groin make the hips appear narrower.

Cathy first presented her research at the “Learning from Los Angeles PechaKucha Night” at the HubLA. Co-hosted by 91Ó°ĘÓ and the LAForum, the event gave designers, planners and urbanists the opportunity to share their impressions of Los Angeles. Topics included the city’s culinary scene, residential architecture, public space, urban history and design collaboration.

Diagram of Denim Factory by Cathy Pack. Cotton is grown on the roof and thrown down a chute where a wind-turbine-powered cotton gin separates the fibers from the seed. It is spun and dyed, the wastewater treated and used to water the cotton. After being woven and cut, it gets sent to the sewing floor, and from there, processed and shipped out.

Cathy will present her research on Green Fashion at the (USGBC-LA) Green Gala on December 12, 2013.

Aidan Flaherty (aidan.flaherty@aecom.com) is a marketing specialist for 91Ó°ĘÓ’s Buildings + Places business in the Americas.

Cathy Pack, AIA, LEED AP BD+C (cathy.pack@aecom.com) is a senior associate with 91Ó°ĘÓ’s Architecture + Interiors practice.

The post LA: Denim City appeared first on Blog.

The exhibit is comprised of numerous models, renderings, blueprints and drawings that explore buildings, master plans, parks, and transportation proposals that had the potential to radically reorder Los Angeles.  The collection shares alternative realities that are presumably better or worse than Los Angeles today — in many cases, the City is fortunate that many of the projects never came to fruition. Perhaps most importantly, the exhibit urges its audience to become active participants in considering how Los Angeles’ civic future can be shaped from these unrealized projects of the not-so-distant past. For better or worse, the visionary works shown had a great potential to influence and reshape Los Angeles, but were undermined by institutions, agencies, economics and infrastructure. Had even one of these projects been completed, the character of Los Angeles might be strikingly different.

One of the city’s biggest character flaws stems from Los Angeles’ struggles to establish a consistent attitude towards its private and public land. For a city that boasts some of the most experimental and exciting residential architecture in the world, its public space is, for the most part, disappointing. The Barnsdall Art Park, Griffith Park, Elysian Park, Runyon Canyon, and Grand Park are superlative examples of pockets of unique and well-used public space.  However, for a city of its size, Los Angeles’ metropolitan area is the 13^th largest in the world, and with such an idyllic environment, having an average of only 35 rainy days annually, there is a dearth of connectivity between public realms.  It’s also worth noting that nearly all the aforementioned successfully public spaces devote a significant percentage of their mass to parking and, in many cases, are not adequately serviced by public transportation.

By educating its audience on plans developed by urban visionaries of the past, Never Built: Los Angeles gently offers alternatives to such harsh realities.  A perfect example is the Olmstead Brothers and Bartholomew Parks, Playgrounds, and Beaches for the Los Angeles Region — an “alternative blueprint” for Los Angeles. Olmstead and Bartholomew foresaw a city without proper access to open public space, debilitated and decentralized by speculative development.  After a series of exhaustive studies, Olmstead and Bartholomew recommended that the City of Los Angeles seriously reconsider the detrimental effects of a lack of properly planned public space. In an effort to address the reordering of public and private space, this 1930 report recommended the inclusion of 71,000 acres of small parks — all within a half-mile walking distance from every residence — and 92,000 acres of larger parks throughout the region. Within their plan they diagrammed 95 parks with a 440-mile chain of “pleasureway parks” and suggested that the coastline from Malibu to Long Beach be placed in a public trust and remain undeveloped.

The plan faced opposition from all sides and never made it past the drawing board. As a result, much of Los Angeles remains underserved by openly accessible green space. It’s possible to posit that had the City heeded the advice of Olmstead and Bartholomew, it might be a more environmentally conscious, egalitarian, civic-minded city than it is currently.

The exhibition inspires an open dialogue that affords the city’s largest stakeholders — its residents — the opportunity to voice their opinions. This is speculation at its best. The Never Built: Los Angeles collection of “almosts” raises important planning and public policy concerns regarding the economic, social and physical development of Los Angeles. In order to meet the needs of today’s residents without foreclosing on future opportunities, designers, developers, and private and public sector entities must balance various goals. Never Built: Los Angeles demonstrates the critical role of design and planning to the City’s long-term economic and environmental health and the City’s millions of residents.

The site of the exhibition itself is a reflection of the ever-changing needs and requirements of urban planning in Los Angeles. The A+D Museum, also known as the Architecture and Design Museum, is located on Museum Row on Wilshire Boulevard, almost immediately across the street from the Los Angeles County Museum (LACMA).  Through exhibitions, panels, interdisciplinary projects and educational programming, the A+D Museum is a platform for showcasing significant design projects and programs directly influencing the urban environment. In order to make room for the City’s ever-expanding rail transit lines, the A+D Museum will be relocating. Slated for completion in 2020, the first phase of the Purple Line Westside Subway Extension expansion plan will provide new stations along Wilshire at La Brea and Fairfax Avenues and La Cienega Avenue and serve the various institutions along Museum Mile. This transportation plan will help unlock the city’s east to west axis, decongesting roadways and offering residents better public transportation alternatives. As a result, the A+D museum must find a new home — an entirely fitting fate for an institution that supports such visionary urban programming.

With the support of numerous sponsors including the Platinum Sponsor, 91Ó°ĘÓ, Never Built: Los Angeles ran from July-October 2013. The exhibit is one of the A+D Museum’s most successful exhibitions to date.

Aidan Flaherty (aidan.flaherty@aecom.com) is a marketing specialist for 91Ó°ĘÓ’s Buildings + Places business in the Americas.

The post Never Built: LA appeared first on Blog.

The exhibit is comprised of numerous models, renderings, blueprints and drawings that explore buildings, master plans, parks, and transportation proposals that had the potential to radically reorder Los Angeles.  The collection shares alternative realities that are presumably better or worse than Los Angeles today — in many cases, the City is fortunate that many of the projects never came to fruition. Perhaps most importantly, the exhibit urges its audience to become active participants in considering how Los Angeles’ civic future can be shaped from these unrealized projects of the not-so-distant past. For better or worse, the visionary works shown had a great potential to influence and reshape Los Angeles, but were undermined by institutions, agencies, economics and infrastructure. Had even one of these projects been completed, the character of Los Angeles might be strikingly different.

One of the city’s biggest character flaws stems from Los Angeles’ struggles to establish a consistent attitude towards its private and public land. For a city that boasts some of the most experimental and exciting residential architecture in the world, its public space is, for the most part, disappointing. The Barnsdall Art Park, Griffith Park, Elysian Park, Runyon Canyon, and Grand Park are superlative examples of pockets of unique and well-used public space.  However, for a city of its size, Los Angeles’ metropolitan area is the 13^th largest in the world, and with such an idyllic environment, having an average of only 35 rainy days annually, there is a dearth of connectivity between public realms.  It’s also worth noting that nearly all the aforementioned successfully public spaces devote a significant percentage of their mass to parking and, in many cases, are not adequately serviced by public transportation.

By educating its audience on plans developed by urban visionaries of the past, Never Built: Los Angeles gently offers alternatives to such harsh realities.  A perfect example is the Olmstead Brothers and Bartholomew Parks, Playgrounds, and Beaches for the Los Angeles Region — an “alternative blueprint” for Los Angeles. Olmstead and Bartholomew foresaw a city without proper access to open public space, debilitated and decentralized by speculative development.  After a series of exhaustive studies, Olmstead and Bartholomew recommended that the City of Los Angeles seriously reconsider the detrimental effects of a lack of properly planned public space. In an effort to address the reordering of public and private space, this 1930 report recommended the inclusion of 71,000 acres of small parks — all within a half-mile walking distance from every residence — and 92,000 acres of larger parks throughout the region. Within their plan they diagrammed 95 parks with a 440-mile chain of “pleasureway parks” and suggested that the coastline from Malibu to Long Beach be placed in a public trust and remain undeveloped.

The plan faced opposition from all sides and never made it past the drawing board. As a result, much of Los Angeles remains underserved by openly accessible green space. It’s possible to posit that had the City heeded the advice of Olmstead and Bartholomew, it might be a more environmentally conscious, egalitarian, civic-minded city than it is currently.

The exhibition inspires an open dialogue that affords the city’s largest stakeholders — its residents — the opportunity to voice their opinions. This is speculation at its best. The Never Built: Los Angeles collection of “almosts” raises important planning and public policy concerns regarding the economic, social and physical development of Los Angeles. In order to meet the needs of today’s residents without foreclosing on future opportunities, designers, developers, and private and public sector entities must balance various goals. Never Built: Los Angeles demonstrates the critical role of design and planning to the City’s long-term economic and environmental health and the City’s millions of residents.

The site of the exhibition itself is a reflection of the ever-changing needs and requirements of urban planning in Los Angeles. The A+D Museum, also known as the Architecture and Design Museum, is located on Museum Row on Wilshire Boulevard, almost immediately across the street from the Los Angeles County Museum (LACMA).  Through exhibitions, panels, interdisciplinary projects and educational programming, the A+D Museum is a platform for showcasing significant design projects and programs directly influencing the urban environment. In order to make room for the City’s ever-expanding rail transit lines, the A+D Museum will be relocating. Slated for completion in 2020, the first phase of the Purple Line Westside Subway Extension expansion plan will provide new stations along Wilshire at La Brea and Fairfax Avenues and La Cienega Avenue and serve the various institutions along Museum Mile. This transportation plan will help unlock the city’s east to west axis, decongesting roadways and offering residents better public transportation alternatives. As a result, the A+D museum must find a new home — an entirely fitting fate for an institution that supports such visionary urban programming.

With the support of numerous sponsors including the Platinum Sponsor, 91Ó°ĘÓ, Never Built: Los Angeles ran from July-October 2013. The exhibit is one of the A+D Museum’s most successful exhibitions to date.

Aidan Flaherty (aidan.flaherty@aecom.com) is a marketing specialist for 91Ó°ĘÓ’s Buildings + Places business in the Americas.

The post Never Built: LA appeared first on Blog.