Architectura Curiosa Nova by Georg Andreas Böckler (1664)

Source. A book on theory and application of hydrodynamics for fountains, water-jets, garden fountains and well heads with many designs for free-standing fountains and pleasure gardens.

The Book of Topiary (1904)

Logan's Run

Script
Novel Triology

Farmscrapers

Source. One of the advantages of living in a city is that the urban environment is in many ways more sustainable than suburbia — mass transit provides easy access to different areas without cars or highways, and dense planning efficiently fits more people into less space. But the quintessential architectural unit of the city, the skyscraper, isn’t always the greenest method of building. Enter “farmscrapers,” a new creation by the France and Belgium-based firm Vincent Callebaut Architects.

“Farmscraper” is the term they invented for a plan of six skyscrapers, deemed “Asian Cairns,” created for Shenzhen province in China. The towering structures are divided into ovular, blob-like sections that look like rocks smoothed by years in running water. Each blob plays host to a miniature forest of trees and grass, along with wind turbines and solar cells. Each farmscraper measures 1,300 feet high and has 111 floors, reports New York Daily News.

The farmscrapers are designed to act as self-contained ecosystems: The water created and collected by the planted farms will be recycled for use within the building. The farms will not necessarily produce food to sustain the community, but they will improve the city’s legendarily bad air quality. Each pebble unit will also contain a mixture of office, residential, and recreational space. By mingling efficient density with green design strategies, Callebaut is developing an architectural solution for China’s booming urban expansion. “In this context of hyper growth and accelerated urbanism, the Asian Cairns project fights for the construction of an urban multifunctional, multicultural and ecological pole,” the firm explained on World Architecture News.

Land of Cokaygne (Manuscript and Translation)

Source.

"This poem survives in only one manuscript, a small (less than 6 x 4 inches) collection of various items in different hands and languages (Middle English, French, and Latin).

Probably compiled in Ireland in the early-mid 1300s, the small format suggests a friar's pocket-book as they traveled on foot and needed to pack light. A few of the Middle English items, like Cockaygne and a drinking song making fun of local clerics and tradesmen, were clearly for amusement.

Most of the Middle English content is verse, sermons and lyrics designed for the instruction of the laity. The Land of Cokaygne is not an isolated poem; its fictional and parodic otherworld belongs to a tradition of poems dealing with an imaginary paradise where leisure rules and food is readily available."

The Sea Tree

Source 1

Source 2

Dutch architectural firm Waterstudio has come up with a . . . structure that will apparently allow wildlife to thrive in urban areas.

The Sea Tree is essentially a giant floating park, which can be located in a river close to the bank. It's multiple layers allow various types of wildlife to find suitable habitats, with a large proportion of the structure housed underwater.

According to the Daily Mail, major cities like London or New York could see the introduction of Sea Trees within the next two years. An undisclosed lucrative client is apparently already taking a keen interest.

Masdar City: A Desert Utopia

Source.

Abu Dhabi's Masdar City is intended to support 40,000 residents and 50,000 commuters. It will be car free relying on an individualized sort of public transportation, comparable to riding your private metro car.

Masdar City: A Desert Utopia

Masdar City Model I (4/7)

The 22 billion dollar initiative to build a brand new, zero-emissions city for 50,000 people was planned by the British Firm Foster + Partners.

It is one of the first ecocity projects to receive widespread coverage in the press, and is supported by, among others, the World Wildlife Fund. (Photo: Reuters)

Image 4 of 7

Masdar City: A Desert Utopia

Masdar City City Hall (2/7)

The city, which will accommodate private residences and businesses, is intended to be the world's first zero-carbon, zero-waste city fully powered by renewable energy. (Photo: Reuters)

Image 2 of 7

Masdar City: A Desert Utopia

Masdar City Model II (5/7)

A model of Masdar City is seen at the Masdar exhibit during the Cityscape exhibition in Abu Dhabi in May 2008.

The city will also include a new university, special economic zones, and an Innovation Center. (Photo: Reuters)

Image 5 of 7

Masdar City: A Desert Utopia

Masdar City Model (1/7)

Abu Dhabi's Masdar City is intended to support 40,000 residents and 50,000 commuters. It will be car free relying on an individualized sort of public transportation, comparable to riding your private metro car. (Graphic: Foster+Partners)

Image 1 of 7