October 28, 2010

LAUP students participated in International Student Design Workshop

plan10

Take a look at the special foto report from the Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning Program. From September 24 - October 1, the students took part in the PLAN 10 Academy in Cologne where they worked with students from the RWTH Aachen and the Hochschule RheinMain in Wiesbaden on a design project for the "Kölner Wälle". We thank Thomas Knüvener and Johannes Böttger for organizing the workshop and working with the students.

It was a very special experience for everyone involved.

You can watch the complete Slideshow on our Facebook Page... or download the PDF-Version (ca. 6MB).

October 21, 2010

FITS Europe announces new Logo!

identity

Cut… and thank you!
Along with our new program director Olaf Brodersen, the FITS Europe is also getting a new logo. The most striking difference between the old and the new version is their statement. Responsible for the new look is AIB’s in-house communication designer Fabian Zöller. Let’s hear about his design process and his inspiration:

Fabian, what was your reaction when you came to know about designing a new FITS logo?
When Olaf decided to have the old logo redesigned, I was thrilled! The old one is okay, but it was just that: Old. It did not stand the test of time and it just existed in a non-scalable pixel version. So it was only usable for the web but completely useless for high-quality prints.

Did you have already something in mind when you started your work on the new logo?During my research and sketching process I reviewed a lot of film- and movie-related logos, and there are tons of them out there. Most of the existing logos in the film industry show either abstract versions of a film reel or a film stripe, and I have to admit that my first ideas also went in this direction.

Anyway, I wanted the new FITS logo to be significant and stand out in the crowd. The logo should be good looking in smaller and bigger proportions and I wanted to use a reduced color scheme, or perhaps just black and white.

What was your inspiration for the final version of the logo?
When it comes to logo design I rely on “KISS: Keep it simple & stupid”, so I focused on one thing that gets along with the history of motion picture from the very beginning: the camera.

The new logo is inspired by the picture you have when you look through a camera’s view-finder. It is minimal and puts the various disciplines of Cinematography, Editing, Directing and Production clearly into one signet. The same applies for the FITS Europe which offers students an extraordinary opportunity to study the art of Film production in a European setting.

What about the typography, why did you choose this one?
The name of the school, positioned to the right of the logomark, has a clear, characteristic and minimal typography in capitals with slightly rounded corners as often used for film and video, for instance in subtitling.

In addition to the typography I wanted to keep the basic colors of the new logo to black and white: On the one hand as a challenging alternative to the common full-color graphic overflow in some logos and on the other hand to pay homage to the era of black-and-white movies.

Did you try out many ways to visualize your ideas?
All in all I suggested four completely different logo looks to Olaf to show him in what different directions the new one could go. Luckily, after he reviewed my layouts and we discussed the designs we agreed to pick this one, which is also my favorite!    

In the end the overall look of the new logo is perfect for the FITS Europe. The signet is very pretty to look at… both on black and on white background and it doesn’t really require an explanation: It’s about film making!

As the “father” of the new logo: Can we expect further changes to the FITS Europe visual identity?
Of course you can! Right now we are working on an improved version of the FITS Europe website which will go live in a few days. So stay tuned for more updates and news on the FITS Europe via the AIB website!

(The complete logo design process can be viewed here!)

October 18, 2010

Steel & Coal – NEP students touring the Ruhr Area

ruhr

Image source & copyright: Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord


Written by Tamara Bruketta

Participant New Europe Program 2010

Waking up at 7 in the morning for school usually does not sound very appealing; however this Wednesday was an exception for the kids of the New Europe program. The program’s 4th excursion was an adventure to the historic Ruhr Area, Western Germany’s old coal manufacturing district.

Our first activity was a scenic bike tour through the Landscape park of Duisburg. Formally known as “Coalville” this landmark of Germany’s history has been undergoing changes of epic proportions in the past decade. While this used to be a site for the Steel mill of Duisburg it was shut down due to a lack of demand for the product being manufactured. So what to do with a giant piece of wasteland in the middle of a city? Well create a new multi functional theme park of course! That is exactly what the city decided to do, taking all of the pieces of the steel mill and creating functional rides and activities for the inhabitants and visitors of Duisburg.

While we rode our bikes through this monument to change we were surrounded by a nature engulfed steel mill that had been drizzled with bits and pieces of modern thrills such as a skate park, a movie theater, and even a scuba diving tank!

Next on the itinerary was a two hour bike ride through the city of Duisburg where we not only got a work out, but also got to see a bit of the city and enjoy lunch! Following lunch we made our way to the Zollverein Coking Plant which was closed in 1993 and entered into the UNESCO World Heritage to remain be recognized as a part of German history forever. The plant, we learned, was in function for approximately 32 years and is used today as a site for various exhibitions and activities for the locals. We received a guided tour of the plant exploring all of its old functions as well as the new additions such as a pool and Ferris wheel.

In all it was a long day, but definitely a good day. It was amazing to see how much an area can really take a negative situation and turn it around for all involved to create something that celebrates the past while still embracing the future. We learned so much about the heritage of Western Germany and the Ruhr area and even got a bit of insight into issues that we, in most countries, still struggle with today.

Powerplant Niederaussem and City of Aachen

powerplant

Image source & copyright: Stadt Bergheim

Written by Michaela Lentz
Participant LMU Engineering Program 2010

Our last Engineering Field trip was to the Power Plant Niederaußem and the city of Aachen. The power plant is a lignite-fired power station. The Rhineland region is full of lignite mining. First we stopped at “Hambacher Loch” which is a large mining area and from the viewpoint we are able to see the vast mine. Then we took a tour of the power plant where they turn the mined lignite into energy. Unfortunately the power plant was not up and running because of scheduled maintenance, but our tour guide showed us throughout the entire plant. It was neat to see the whole process of how they turn lignite into energy and see all the big equipment that make that transformation possible.

After the power plant we went to the city of Aachen. Aachen was a very cute town, but one of the most fascinating parts of Aachen was the Cathedral. The Cathedral is so large and has beautiful Romanesque style architecture. The Aachen Cathedral is most famous for the four “Great Relics” which are the Cloak of the Blessed Virgin, the swaddling-clothes of the infant Jesus, the loin-cloth worn by Jesus on the cross, and the cloth where St. John the Baptist’s head lay after his beheading.

Overall the excursion was very fun! We got to see an operating power plant and then we got to stroll about a beautiful city.

October 6, 2010

LAUP Weekly Photo Report – Part 3 & 4

laup3

Another two eventful weeks have passed in the Texas A&M Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning Program 2010. Today's slide show will give you impressions of what the group did in class and out in the field... Have fun watching it!

 Photo Report from Bonn - Part 3 & 4

October 4, 2010

4th Company Challenge Run

fila

The 4th Company Challenge Run on September 16th, 2010 took place in the Rheinaue. The AIB also participated in this event: Nine highly motivated and well trained AIB employees went to complete a 5,7km track across the Rheinaue park. The head of team was Ture, who already handled the registration of the team and who could, as a marathon runner, set a sportive example for the rest of us. A part of the registration fees as well as some separate donations were used as charitable gifts. Altogether, 12.672€ were given to the Mukoviszidose e.V. and the Care Deutschland-Luxembourg e.V.

On a meadow in the Rheinaue, the City of Bonn had arranged a stage and tents which housed some of the participating companies. Since 4pm, a program with moderation and music was organized for the runners. When we arrived at 5.45pm, the meadow was already full of runners.

Even though the weather wasn't that kind to us (it was rainy and windy), we didn't freeze. Thanks to a collective Warm-Up half an hour before the start, our muscles were perfectly prepared for the run. We already started sweating before the start of the run!

At 6.30pm, we heard the kick off signal and more than 6.000 peoples, young and old, men and women, started to move at the same time. Some of them were dressed in special outfits, with screaming colors, jingling waist belts and funny slogans on their shirts, to draw more attention to their company and to win the prize for the best outfit afterwards. The AIB didn't think that big: First of all, we wanted to act as a group and manage the 5,7km without any unforeseen occurrences... And even without special effects, our beloved white AIB shirts still stood out in the crowd.

For the most time, we run on flat roads, but there were also two aclivities which were a real challenge. You can't imagine how high the hills in the Rheinaue can be after 20 minutes running!

However – we did it without short cuts or extra breaks. Our goal to finish the track under 30 minutes as a group was met – it only took us 27minutes and 10 seconds to make our way to the finish line through the masses of people. Before we went back home, we stopped for a drink at one of the tents. Exhausted and with red heads, but also satisfied with our success, we came back to the AIB and hoped to wake up the next morning without any muscles aching!

In all, the run was a complete success! Everything went smoothly and resulted in good spirits for the whole team. To be a part of that gigantic crowd of runners was a great experience for us. It also was a nice change of the daily office life. Next Summer, we hope to involve more students and their host-families in this great running event so that we can all represent our AIB together. Perhaps we will also win the prize for the best outfit then! :-)    

For pictures and videos head over to the Company Challenge Run website or take a look at our Facebook page!

October 1, 2010

Civil Engineering Giant

giant

Written by Andrew Dominguez
Participant LMU Engineering Program 2010

After an early morning Physics class and short lunch break, it was time for our next excursion; this time it was to Frankfurt to learn about a giant in the industry of civil engineering called HOCHTIEF. Once we arrived, we were greeted with a most welcome platter of cookies, but more importantly coffee! HOCHTIEF put on a thirty minute presentation on how one of their recently constructed buildings utilized green technologies for heating and cooling. They designed a most impressive system to utilize only natural elements like sun light and temperature of the soil surrounding the building. HOCHTIEF was able to not only save 20 million Euro in an upfront construction cost, but all of the cost heating and cooling such a large building requires in the long run as well.

Next we were off to see the inner workings of the building that we just heard about. We walked about 10 minutes down the road and there it was. We wondered around the building, climbed up and down from the atrium, crossed an internal bridge and peered into the visible environmentally friendly systems, for most of them are behind the walls or in inaccessible parts of the building. As we came across each of the systems discussed before we were told more in-depth of how they work.

After this, we got the chance to bear witness to the construction of a 185 meter tall building called T-185. It was inspiring and a bit overwhelming to see the sheer amount of materials that it takes to create such a building. While it is not the biggest building in the world, Germany, nor Frankfurt, it still was impressive to see such a colossal undertaking. As we arrived we had a short presentation on the history of the construction and a short background of the steps up to where it is at right now. Then we strapped on our steel toe yellow construction boots and took a construction elevator to the top. It was a beautiful sight as it looked out over much of Frankfurt, but a more impressive sight was all of rebar, cement and wood inside the building that was arranged in what looks like a precise mess. After a little while exploring and taking pictures it was back to Bonn and another school day.

Cheers!