Part of the Citizen Design Lab, accompanying By the People: Designing a Better America at MOAD. Lectures and presentations curated by Dr. Ariadna Hernandez-Reguant. The Citizen Design Lab’s activities are developed in partnership with ISA-Interface Studio Architects.
Presentation by Joe Meppelink (Metalab Studio)
A founding principal of Metalab, a multi-disciplinary design firm in Houston, Texas, Joe Meppelink pursues resiliency and sustainable technologies. In response to extreme conditions, with a lack of grid power, hurricane force winds, and storm surge flooding, Meppelink and Metalab have invented and deployed a range of tactical and technological responses. These projects range from a containerized, solar-powered, off-grid field office to modular farming and growing systems to elevated hurricane-resistant housing systems. While each of these addresses a critical issue, Meppelink finds that a similar ethos informs other projects (such as public parks and a fleet of river boats) in unexpected ways.