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Articles

“Blue-Green Algae Threatens Manatees”

(Originally Published by Blackle Magazine)

Excerpt: 

Despite being lovingly referred to as the “sea cow”, manatees are actually the aquatic relatives of elephants. Like them, manatees are herbivores, subsisting primarily on marine and freshwater plants.
One of the ways in which they contribute to the balance of their ecosystem is by cutting and spreading the seeds of sea-grasses to promote optimal growth, much like birds and squirrels cultivate plants through seed distribution on land.


Along with vast portions of sea-grass, manatees eat seaweeds. Specifically, algae – and lots of it. This consumption is fine when ingesting the green, stringy algae commonly found on the surface of pond water.
However, in Florida’s coastal waters, where approximately 5,000 manatees reside, there have been outbreaks of toxic algae known as blue-green algae. Toxic algae occur from excess nitrogen and phosphorous, which fertilize the water. This is often the result of poorly managed sewage and agricultural runoff, which contains—among other substances—pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and animal waste.


Unlike other algae, blue-green algae have a paint-like texture and appearance, often turning waters a discerning shade of mildew green. These algae are extremely dangerous to humans and surrounding wildlife upon contact. Once you consider that manatees, who love algae, weigh an average of 1,500 to 1,800 pounds and the fact that they consume, on average, a tenth of their weight per day, the problem becomes clear.


In addition to posing public health hazards – or rather because of this – algae blooms damage the economy as well, with current outbreaks critically hurting the tourist and hospitality business through the loss of leisurely activities, like canoeing, swimming, and fishing.
 

“Architectural Oddities Fill Urban Gaps”

(Originally Published by Blackle Magazine)

Excerpt: 

Eradicating urban cavities across the likes of New York City and Helsinki, Live Between Buildings are slender apartments set to be installed within the nooks and crannies of cramped cityscapes.

Their 5-foot width and tactful design allow the apartments to rest snuggly within areas that are otherwise difficult to use. The proposal for these apartments was initiated by the International Design Competition, NEW VISION OF THE LOFT 2, organized by FAKRO in collaboration with the magazine A10 European Architecture.

 

Live Between Buildings won the competition, and was designed by a Danish team of architects, including Ole Robin Storjohann and Mateusz Mastalski.

 

The apartments have the benefit of being low-impact and, with nearly any shape at their disposal, present a unique opportunity to maximize space utilization without becoming a visual or spatial obstruction to cities—as their scant facade leaves the integrity of existing buildings intact.

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