The Year of Biodiversity

The Year of Biodiversity.

by:  Richard Alcon, Editor-In-Chief, richard@myntmagazine.com,  Mynt Magazine

The Chinese declared 2009 to be the year of the Ox, while for the United Nations this was officially the Year of Astronomy.

Each year that passes seems to have it’s own character. Some leave us with a feeling of satisfaction, others are best forgotten. 2009 was a difficult year for many, in particular those facing the continuing effects of the economic downturn.

Even in these uncertain financial times, the market for architecturally important houses is thriving like never before. Last year’s sale of Richard Neutra’s Kaufmann House-by auction at Christie’s New York-confirmed that residences designed by blue-chip architects are being treated more like fine art than generic real estate. For a certain style-conscious demographic, Lloyd Wright, Lautner and Neutra are the new Lichtenstein, Léger and Matisse.

An aesthetic awakening towards the end of the 20^th century brought forth a new breed of home owners that were well versed in design, In the late 90’s we observed a rise in design consciousness, as well as design with reach where you could buy contemporary furniture designed by architects and Target, where you could buy a toothbrush designed by Philippe Starck.

Our assessment was that domestic spaces were nostalgic at best, they were not really responding to what we thought was an emerging market. We had designed a lot of modern apartments and we found that there were many people interested in a modern domestic space, and typically when you hire an architect, you have to go through the laborious building process. We speculated that if we could provide a relatively affordable option to the modern housing market, that we could tap into a market that we felt no one was addressing at the time. We did research and decided to focus specifically on the modular market. Many architects over the last half a century have tried to design homes that they felt would lend themselves to mass production, but not mass customization: Resolution Modern Modular is the solution to cookie-cutter homes that have destroyed the landscape of America’s suburbs, offering affordable housing with unique architectural details.

We will be chastened and begin behaving more wisely. For years, enthusiasts for unfettered capitalism have insisted that the withering away of enterprises and entire industries is a healthy and necessary part of a vibrant, self-correcting economic system; now, more than at any time since Joseph Schumpeter popularized the idea of creative destruction in 1942, we must endure the shocking and awesome pain of that metamorphosis. After decades of talking the talk, now we’re all obliged to walk the walk.

America isn’t going to expire yet.

For the last year we have accepted certain inalienable truths such as the rise in prices, philandering heads of states, you too will get older-like it or not, and when you do, you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Be careful whose advice you buy in 2010- it will be a year of “buying” advice. Be even more patient with whoever supplies it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.

Celebrating 2009! It is said that every silver lining of any crisis is the rejection of the wasteful and unnecessary coupled with the rise of worthy new ideas. 2009 was proof of that. Whether it was in fashion, art, architecture or design, creativity has thrived.

The United Nations declared 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity. It is a celebration of life on earth and of the value of biodiversity for our lives. The world invites you to take action in 2010 to safeguard the variety of life on earth: biodiversity.

Happy New Year to you all.

UN Secretary General Welcome Message for the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity from CBD on Vimeo.

**Richard is a long time friend of mine who graciously agreed to allow me to print this article.  Thank you, Richard.