'Souped Up' Green Architecture

Tags:: Design; Architecture; Technology; Culture

In a new exhibition at A+D Los Angeles, five architects—who at one time or another have worked at Jones, Partners: Architecture (J,P:A)—each created architectural propositions that use “technology in expressive ways, as a means of engaging the environment,” says J,P:A Principal Wes Jones. Inspired by the Rat Fink era of hotrodding, SOUPERgreen celebrates rather than hides technology, putting it out there for everyone to see. Jones likens the approach to mounting solar panels on a structure in the same way a flaring exhaust pipe defiantly juts out from a hotrod. “Souped up” architecture indeed. “We want the issues to be more apparent, more engaging, more fun, more visually impressive, so that you’re connected with those issues in a more direct or significant way,” says Jones. What follows is a look at these forward-thinking designs, including "appendages" cantilevered from skyscrapers, a self-sustaining urban farm scaled for a single-family residence, and a freeway system that launches cars to and fro.

— Carren Jao

The five architects espouse what they call “boss” architecture (“boss” being a synonym for cool as popularized in the hotrod era).

Photo by: Carren Jao

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