Last week I spoke about the idea that we need to be reusing and recycling items in construction as much as possible. In response one of our readers, Maciek Weyberg sent me a link to www.freecycle.org. This is an online mechanism for trading unwanted items. I was surprised to see this organisation has over 7.5million members. Although Freecycle works more on a domestic scale there is no reason why this couldn't be upscaled to the construction industry. Social networks are engaging larger groups of people over greater distances. This is  affecting both the way business is done but also the environments best suited for working within whether they be physical or virtual.  What other impacts will social media have on the built environment?

This film which can be personalised and spread via Facebook is a powerful marketing tool but the growth of virtual social and work spaces also questions the way we interact with one another and how this impacts on the spaces we build. Will public libraries with their inefficient storage of data exist in the future? What is the difference between a library and an art gallery? Where does the virtual office end and the social network begin? Technology is blurring the clear definition of space which architects were previously used to designing. Our Kinematic Apartment project began to tackle these questions with a flexible environment designed to accommodate the needs of living and working within one single space.

http://thewildernessdowntown.com/

Design4D are currently designing an art gallery space where moving furniture will require us to have numerous power points. We are always looking for ways to translate the flexibility we are used to at the office into other environments thereby maximising a space's potential value. This new product by Mainline enables one to position power sockets along a track as and when required. I wonder if this could be developed to incorporate cable trunking which could then be recessed into the wall...

http://www.mainlinepower.co.uk/