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affordablecheapvacationaust-blog · 6 years ago

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Prior to going to Australia You Must Read An Australia Travel Manual

Australia is a unique country with a mixture of diversity within the culture, population, climate, geography, and history. It is depending on a multicultural and multiracial concept which is shown in the nation's lifestyle, food, and culture. The population of this city is energetic, stimulated, innovative and outbound looking. In context to be able to land area, it is the sixth largest nation but fairly its population is small. Australia travel guide enables you to aware of all the attractions and facts of Australia that you should visit and know in your trip. This location is perfect and the best option of vacation for all whether you are together with your friends, family members or spouse.

Australia is full of beautiful points of interest that drive you crazy about eagerly coming to Australia in your following trip. Travel guide offers you facts and brief information about this city for your trip. It includes beautiful mountains, reefs, flora and fauna, artistic architectures, calm and cool beaches together with an extremely wonderful atmosphere. Sydney, the Great Barrier Reef, the actual Gold Coast of Queensland and many more places are stunning and wonderful attractions of Australia which you should check out in your trip.

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the Seven Miracles of the World. It is a wonderful natural beauty and the world's largest coral formations reef. It contains a teeming of marine life and you may see a large variety of colorful fishes and other organisms of the diving life. You can enjoy this beautiful place by going under drinking water for one week or more and for this purpose, many companies can perform arrangements for you.

Sydney has large varieties of activities and things to do and enjoy. It includes wildlife, art galleries, Sydney Ie House, Sydney Harbor Bridge, Chinatown and many parks just like Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney Aquarium, Chinese Garden and several museums like Australian Museum, Powerhouse Museum, Garrison Historic, and Military Museum and many more. These beauties and actions are must see in your tour and these make your journey better.

Apart from these activities, Australia has beautiful as well as exotic beaches, nightlife and large shopping places for the visitors The Byron Bay, Manly Beach, Coogee Beach and more are the prime wonderful beaches of Australia. The internet casinos, bars, and clubs are opened for the whole night for you personally all too just enjoy with wines, dance and songs making your trip wonderful.

Sydney, Australia Travel

Sydney is Australia's oldest city and is located along the coastline in the southeastern part of Australia. It is a very lovely city with a lot of attractions and activities.

Sydney will be comfortable to visit at any time of year. Autumns are quite fine with warm days and mild nights. In springtime (September to November) there are chances of rain, but it generally clears quickly. Summers in Sydney are not ideal holiday weather due to frequent heavy rains. The temperature may also rise to over 104°F.

Amongst the main attractions in Questionnaire, the Harbor Bridge is a very popular place. The link is quite huge and is an imposing structure. It hyperlinks the southern and northern shores and joining main Sydney with the business district of North Sydney.

Quarterly report Opera House is Australia's most recognizable icon and it has been built over the sea. The Opera House hosting companies theatre, classical music, ballet, and film, as well as the periodic opera performances. There is also a venue called The Studio, which phases contemporary art events.

Bondi Beach is one of the best-known seashores in the world and is synonymous with Australian beach culture. It does not take closest ocean beach to the city center. It is large and action-packed so it may not be the best place for a silent sunbathe and swim. Surfing is also very common here. Outside is carefully delineated, with surfers using the southern finish of the beach. The beachfront Campbell Parade is each cosmopolitan and highly commercialized, lined with cafés and also shops. Many events take place along in this beach similar to rollerblading and skateboarding. In September, the Festival from the Winds, Australia's largest kite festival, takes place here in outside.

Australia Travel Guides

Australia's chief draw is a natural beauty. The landscape varies from sunny beaches for you to tropical rainforests to the rugged outback of Northern Place. Its cities combine a European gusto for art along with fine dining with a blithe love of sport in addition to nightlife. Visitors expecting to see an opera in Paris one evening and go gold prospecting the next day ought to study topography. It is its sheer enormity that provides Australia -- and its diverse population --a distinct character.

Sydney may resemble a British colonial town at the first impression, but since you approach the harbor, the region boasts a vibrant nightlife, beaches, parklands, skyscrapers, restaurants, and malls. The durable cliffs and stunning Bondi beach are popular haunts. Interestingly, gay venues make up a sizeable chunk associated with Sydney's nightlife. While the Opera House is a key appeal, exploring the hidden coves is a good option, too. The harbor features a myriad of aqua sports including snorkeling, parasailing, aircraft jaunts, water skiing, and motorized paddle boating.

Tourists head to cosmopolitan Melbourne on the banks of the Yarra Water for its discount shopping, fine restaurants, and sporting work schedule. An hour's drive out of Melbourne, Yarra Valley is usually Australia's finest wine-growing region. It is the country's foremost maker of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, plus Merlot. Picnics and jazz shows, fuelled by wines tasting, are key tourist attractions here.

Brisbane, too, is really a progressive city at the center of the South-East Queensland détroit, which runs from the Sunshine Coast to the New South Wales limitations. Known as Bris Vegas (coined when a dilapidated building had been transformed into a glitzy casino), the region is also the arts funds of Queensland, characterized by a myriad of theatres, concert halls, museums and galleries, and museums.

Perth, Western Australia's capital, is well-liked for its sunny climate and immaculate coastline. Sadly, sterile and clean skyscrapers lord over the quaint riverside locality. Note: a trip to Perth is incomplete without a trip to The Berndt Museum of Anthropology, which features contemporary Aboriginal artwork and artifacts.

In Hobart, Australia's second largest town, shopping, nightlife, art galleries, and fine dining are famous, yet rainforests and secluded beaches are within reach. Hundreds of stallholders gather on Saturdays in the Sullivans Cove precinct for the celebrated Salamanca Market, which hawks assorted goodies, including sushi trays, organic vegetables, and statues, and salmon! The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, that displays a Tasmanian Aboriginal display and relics through the state's colonial heritage and Tasmanian colonial art, types an important part of the riverside precinct.

Amongst other tourist choices, Adelaide is a tranquil city characterized by magnificent churches, botanic gardens, cycling paths and fabulous markets; while Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory, is a multicultural community having an exotic mix of Asian, European, and Aboriginal cultures, having a distinctly Australian feel.

#mostaffordablecheapvacationaustralia

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buypropertyeasy · 3 years ago

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Top 10 Architecture Firms in Europe

There are so many renowned architecture firms in Europe. It's a difficult task to narrow them down to 10 but we tried. Here’s our take on the Top 10 Architecture Firms in Europe

1. 3XN/GXN

3XN/GXN Architects, one of the top architectural firms in Europe, earned a reputation for designing structures with real substance, striking aesthetics, and solid theoretical foundations

Although they operate on a global scale, they are proud of their heritage and Scandinavian roots, which are shaped by humanistic principles

This enables them to reinvent tradition while having a firm grasp on some of the most interesting and urgent problems of the twenty-first century

2. Arkitema

Arkitema Architects is a Danish architectural practice with branch offices in Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo, and Malmö

After winning a competition to design an enlargement for Kge Town Hall, five students from the Aarhus School of Architecture established the company Arkitema in 1969

From small additions and renovations to substantial redevelopment, infrastructural, residential, and urban design projects, Arkitema has designed a broad range of architectural projects

3. BIG / Bjarke Ingels Group

BIG is probably one of the most well-known architecture firms in Denmark

BIG is a Copenhagen, New York and London-based company

It consists of architects, designers, urbanists, landscape professionals, interior and product designers, researchers and inventors

4. BDP

BDP, one of the biggest architectural firms in the UK, was established by Sir George Grenfell Baines in Preston in 1961

It adopts an interdisciplinary approach to design and is passionate about the role of design to improve everyday life and enhance communities

In the UK, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and Asia, BDP has 16 studio locations

BDP strengthened its integrated design methodology in 2016 when it partnered with Nippon Koei, the top engineering firm in Japan

5. O.M.A.

The firm has offices in Rotterdam, New York, Hong Kong, Beijing, Doha, Dubai, and Perth

One of the most well-known architectural firms in Europe is O.M.A. for Metropolitan Architecture

They claim to be operating within the traditional boundaries of architecture and urbanism

6. C.F. Møller Architects

One of the top architectural firms in Scandinavia, C.F. C.F. Møller Architects has produced award-winning work for the Nordic region and beyond for 90 years

Due to their intense focus on the social, artistic, and functional worth of architecture, they are consistently recognized and honoured for setting new architectural standards

By encouraging a design strategy that uniquely integrates urban planning, landscape design, architectural design, and design of particular building components, they want to establish new international standards

7. Foster + Partners

Foster + Partners a global studio for architecture, urbanism and design, rooted in sustainability, is one of the largest architecture firms in the world

The company was established in 1967, more than fifty years ago, by Norman Foster

Since then Foster + Partners have built an international practice with a reputation for thoughtful and innovative design, working as a single, ethnically and culturally diverse studio

The studio combines the talents of structural and environmental engineering, urbanism, interior and industrial design, model and video creation, aeronautics, and many other disciplines

8. Grimshaw

Sir Nicholas Grimshaw established Grimshaw in 1980

They operate worldwide with offices in Los Angeles, New York, London, Paris, Dubai, Melbourne, and Sydney

Everything they create, including their structures, master plans, and industrial designs, is the result of an evolutionary process that draws beauty from efficiency, economy, and form

9. MVRDV

MVRDV was established in 1993, and it has since grown to become one of the most renowned architecture firms in the world

MVRDV has a global reach and offers answers to current urban and architectural problems anywhere in the world

Clients, stakeholders, and subject matter experts from a variety of fields are included from the very beginning of the creative process in their highly collaborative, research-based design methodology

10. Nordic — Office of Architecture

With offices in London, Oslo, Copenhagen, Reykjavik, and other major cities, Nordic is one of Norway’s top architectural firms

Nordic is a fun place to work because of its many intriguing initiatives and more than 240 coworkers from over 30 different countries

Their goal is to create a society that is more sustainable through excellent architecture that improves, inspires, and alters the surroundings in which people live

Master planning, urbanism, architectural design, interior, furniture, and product design, visualisation: VR/AR and film, design, and BIM management are all areas that Nordic handles

REFERENCE:

https://www.archivibe.com/the-gateway-for-the-best-architecture-firms-in-europe/

DISCLOSURE:

None of these articles constitutes financial advice. Articles are highly summarised to make it easy for the reader and save your time, so please DYOR further before putting your hard-earned money into any product mentioned.

Please note that the tech industry evolves rapidly and the info in this article is correct at the time of publishing. As Heraclitus said, “Change is the only constant,” so if anything sounds old or off, please holler on the socials or comment here so everyone stays peeled.

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#architecture #architectural design #europe #architecture firms #building construction #buypropertyeasy

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architectnews · 4 years ago

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Scottish Architecture News: Buildings in Scotland

Scottish Building News 2021, Architecture Photos, Property Scotland Images, Architects, Design Links

Scottish Architecture News

New Architecture Developments + Buildings in Scotland – Built Environment + Architects Updates

post updated 22 June 2021

Scottish Buildings News

This page contains a selection of major Scottish Architecture News, with projects arranged chronologically, latest first. Each architecture news item links to an individual project page. We’ve selected what we feel are the key Scottish Building News stories.

The focus is on contemporary Scottish buildings but we do post on changes to major traditional buildings in Scotland.

Scottish Architecture News 2021

Scottish Architecture Designs – chronological list

22 June 2021 Scottish design project makes AJ Architecture Awards shortlist Calton Hill City Observatory Edinburgh design by HarrisonStevens: Calton Hill City Observatory in Scotland’s capital has been nominated for an AJ Architecture Award this week. The design by HarrisonStevens, the Edinburgh-based Landscape Architects and Urban Designers, Calton Hill City Observatory has been nominated in the Landscape and Public Realm category in the annual awards: Edinburgh Building News 2021

9 Jun 2021 Kincardine, Places for Everyone News A community-led design project in a Fife town has been nominated for a Scottish Design Award. Created by HarrisonStevens, the Edinburgh-based Landscape Architects and Urban Designers, the Kincardine, Places for Everyone project has been nominated in the Future Building or Project category in the annual awards: Kincardine, Places for Everyone Project

28 May 2021 Pleasure Scene Exhibition �� The Digital Culture of Contemporary Architectural Drawings

11 June – 25 July 2021 29 Trafalgar Avenue, London, SE15 6NP, England, UK

Pleasure Scene Exhibition

The inaugural exhibition at Trafalgar Avenue marks the culmination of an 18-month collaborative project bringing together nine artists from across the UK to respond to the iconic modernist ruin, St Peter’s Seminary, Scotland.

20 May 2021 European Award for Architectural Heritage Intervention 2021

rankinfraser landscape architecture are shortlisted for The Dunbar Battery in East Lothian. It is one of ten works in category B – Exterior Spaces – judged by the architects, Delphine Péters, Olga Felip and Isabel Aguirre, after evaluating 49 participating proposals.

The Dunbar Battery, Dunbar, Scotland, United Kingdom. rankinfraser landscape architecture photo © rankinfraser landscape architecture

The 5th edition of European Award for Architectural Heritage Intervention, with a success of participation that coincides with the celebration of its 10th anniversary, publishes the names of those shortlisted in the a and b categories.

European Award for Architectural Heritage Intervention 2021

11 May 2021 First Passivhaus Primary School, Perth and Kinross Design: Architype Architects image courtesy of architecture practice North Perth Passivhaus Primary School The school, which will replace both the current North Muirton and Balhousie Primary Schools, is being delivered by Robertson Construction Tayside on behalf of hub East Central with Architype as both Lead Consultant and Passivhaus Designer.

23 Apr 2021

New leisure centre in Ayr

hub South West and contractor, BAM, set to revive Ayr town centre with construction of new leisure facility

Work to develop a new leisure centre in Ayr is progressing following South Ayrshire Council’s appointment of hub South West, the construction and infrastructure-focused partnership which operates alongside local Authorities and private sector enterprises in Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway:

Read the news in full at New leisure centre in Ayr

2 Apr 2021

Trust objects to plan for 82 houses and a ‘visitor centre’ adjacent to The Pineapple, Hill of Airth

Conservation charity the National Trust for Scotland has lodged a formal objection to a planning application lodged by George Russell Construction for a housing development at Mains Farm, Airth, directly adjacent to The Pineapple and the historic Dunmore Estate. Dating to 1761, The A-Listed Pineapple is one of Scotland’s most exotic and celebrated buildings and was constructed by the Earl of Dunmore amid a purpose-designed landscape. The property has been in the Trust’s care since 1973.

The Pineapple, Dunmore Estate: photo © The Dunmore Pineapple, Falkirk. David Robertson 1999, National Trust for Scotland

An unsolicited proposal for a visitor centre along with 22 houses was made public in 2018 and the Trust entered into correspondence with the developer. Contrary to the impression given in the developer’s Design and Access Statement, the Trust did not endorse the proposals and merely requested assurances on the ecological impact on rare species as well as clarification on the purpose of the visitor centre. No such assurances were forthcoming and the developer eventually withdrew the planning application for this initial scheme.

The new application, which is now under consideration by Falkirk Council, almost quadruples the number of proposed houses to 82. The overall scheme causes the Trust great concern for the integrity and setting of the landscape around the Pineapple, as well as the threat to wildlife. It is also the Trust’s view that a development in this location would set a planning precedent that may mean more of the area being re-zoned for development.

The National Trust for Scotland’s Chief Executive, Phil Long said:

“The Pineapple is one of the most significant buildings in Scotland and its unique ambience is dependent on its setting within Dunmore Park with its woodland and abundant wildlife.

“It is clear to us that this development scheme would have a hugely adverse impact on the site, which is designated within the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland. As we have seen all too often, inappropriately-scaled and sited developments have impaired or overwhelmed many important historic and natural landscapes and it’s our obligation to ensure that this does not happen to The Pineapple.”

2 Mar 2021 Radisson Hotel Objection News

From Architect Alan Dunlop:

As the architect and designer of the Radisson SAS, a project that has garnered many architecture and hotel design awards, nationally and internationally. I write to object in the strongest possible terms to these proposals.

photograph : Andrew Lee

Read Professor Alan Dunlop’s objection in full at Radisson Hotel Glasgow

Readers comments welcome – this is one of gm+ad’s major works, the planning submission pushes the glass volume out into the street, and creates a new entrance at the north west corner. Alan Dunlop’s original design gave back space to Argyle Street, encouraging a generous approach to the public realm in the heart of Scotland’s largest city.

26 Feb 2021 Lower Tullochgrue, Aviemore, northern Scotland Design: Brown & Brown Architects photograph © Gillian Hayes Lower Tullochgrue, Aviemore Lower Tullochgrue is the refurbishment and extension of a traditional house in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park. A dilapidated steading has been replaced by a contemporary extension, with a timber and glass upper volume above a stone plinth, with the existing topography of the site maintained at all times.

26 Feb 2021 Strone Cottage, Scottish Highlands Design: Loader Monteith Architects photography : Nigel Rigden and Gillian Hayes Strone Cottage, Scottish Highlands The Strone Cottage is the adaptive restoration and extension of a highland bothy in the Cairngorm Mountains of Scotland.

12 Feb 2021 Upper Parkbrae House, Oyne, Aberdeenshire, North East Scotland Design: Brown & Brown Architects photograph © Nigel Rigden Upper Parkbrae House, Aberdeenshire This contemporary Scottish property design is comprised of a timber and glass box, which is cantilevered above the landscape, and sited on a stone wall which runs both inside and outside of the building.

11 Feb 2021 ER Residence, Glasgow Property

10 Feb 2021 Langside Halls Queen’s Park, Glasgow

5 Feb 2021 Scottish Design Awards 2021 Programme

1 Feb 2021 Kingsborough Gardens, Glasgow

Scottish Architecture News 2020

Summer to Winter news items:

18 Dec 2020 Literature House for Scotland, John Knox House, Edinburgh Winning Architects: Witherford Watson Mann ; Groves-Raines Architects Studios ; Studio MB photograph © Daniel Lomholt-Welch Literature House for Scotland Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust has selected Stirling Prize winning architectural firm Witherford Watson Mann to lead the next phase of development at the Literature House in Edinburgh. They will be working in partnership with Groves-Raines Architects Studios and Edinburgh-based Studio MB.

20 Nov 2020 Cloch Lighthouse in Gourock Design: Benjamin Tindall Architects Cloch Lighthouse in Gourock Guiding light. Dougall Baillie Associates to advise on changes to home at the Cloch Lighthouse. The professional services of a Lanarkshire civil and structural specialist have been enlisted to advise on a significant upgrade to accommodation at one of Scotland’s most picturesque and dramatically-situated lighthouses.

19 Nov 2020 Holiday Inn Pacific Quay Hotel Architects: Mosaic Architecture + Design image courtesy of architects Holiday Inn Pacific Quay Hotel Glasgow Mosaic Architecture + Design, one of Scotland’s most experienced practices, has secured Glasgow City Council planning approval to build an £18m Holiday Inn Pacific Quay hotel on the site of the former Glasgow Garden Festival.

10 Nov 2020 Quarry Studios, Deeside, Cairngorms National Park, Scottish Highlands Design: Moxon Architects photo © Timothy Soar Quarry Studios in Cairngorms Quarry Studios is conceptually anchored in the landscape by two main elements; vertical concrete chimneys acting as a counterpoint to the low profile of the roof and a massive timber wall that intersects each volume.

6 Nov 2020 Laurieston Living Award News Design of Phase 2: architects Anderson Bell Christie image courtesy of architects Laurieston Living Glasgow A local Glasgow housing development has been named the best Affordable Housing Development of the Year in Scotland. Laurieston Living, which is being delivered by Scottish home builder Urban Union, scooped the award at this year’s Scottish Home Awards – seeing off competition from across the country.

5 Nov 2020 Chivas Brothers HQ in Glasgow International design studio Graven, has designed new, award-winning offices for Chivas Brothers, the Scotch whisky business of Pernod Ricard, on Blythswood Square in Glasgow’s city centre: Chivas Brothers Glasgow

29 Oct 2020 Science Centre Glasgow Photos We took some photos of this cluster of interesting buildings in a rare window of good weather: photo © Adrian Welch

photo © Adrian Welch

photo © Adrian Welch Science Centre Glasgow

29 Oct 2020 Canonmills Garden Recognised for Success at the Scottish Homes Awards

Canonmills Garden, Artisan Real Estate’s stylish new homes development in Edinburgh, is in the running for two prestigious accolades in this year’s Scottish Home Awards which takes place on Thursday (October 29):

Canonmills Garden Edinburgh

8 Oct 2020 Langside Halls Queen’s Park, Glasgow

11 Sep 2020 Scottish Design Awards 2020 Winners

11 Sep 2020 The Carpenter’s House, Stenton, East Lothian

10 Sep 2020 Scottish Architecture Conference The programme for the RIAS 2020 convention has been announced. With the Grain will run online from Monday 28 Sept – Friday 2 October: RIAS Convention 2020: With the Grain

7 Sep 2020 Hidden Stories Map: Glasgow Doors Open Day

4 Sep 2020 St Peter’s Seminary Cardross Building

30 July 2020

Planning Application Submitted for New Town Quarter Development

Plans have now been submitted for one of the largest developments to come forward in Edinburgh’s city centre for a generation.

Ediston and Orion Capital Managers have been working together on their shared vision for New Town Quarter, previously known as New Town North, since last year and have carried out what has been one of the largest consultations ever on a city centre development.

New Town Quarter Development

27 July 2020

Maven acquires site in Edinburgh

Maven Capital Partners, a leading UK property and private equity manager, has purchased a site at Murieston Crescent, Edinburgh, for the development of a purpose built student accommodation (PBSA) complex.

Murieston Crescent Edinburgh

21 July 2020 Builders frustrated by poor performance on crucial planning decisions

Responding to official planning performance statistics for 2019/20 published today, trade body Homes for Scotland (HFS) described another overall increase in decision times for housing applications as “hugely frustrating”.

Director of Planning Tammy Swift-Adams said:

“Despite an 11.5 per cent drop in the number of decisions made on local housing applications (defined as being for less than 50 homes), the time taken to make those decisions crept up for the second year running.

“This is concerning given that these small developments are, by nature, the lifeblood of SME home building businesses – a sector supported by Scottish Government loan funding during the crisis, but also needing local government support if it is to thrive”.

“Things are no more positive for major housing applications (those for 50 or more homes), decisions on which were two weeks slower than the previous year at 37.5 weeks – more than double the 16 week statutory timescale.”

“With all of the consultation and discussion time that has gone into improving the planning system, it is extremely frustrating to see this evidence that improvements are just not emerging on the ground.”

“And, of course, we also await the Scottish Government’s decision on whether planning application fees will be increased again. This decision, and the timing of its implementation, must be made in the context of this performance – with home builders currently receiving some of the poorest service across the system whilst already paying the lion’s share of fees.”

Swift-Adams also points to the Scottish Government’s new consultation document proposing changes to Scottish Planning Policy. These include removing the principle that planning applications that will help solve housing shortages should be looked upon favourably by decision-makers. The paper also seems to suggest that planning authorities should focus more singly on allocating their preferred sites and pay less regard to whether or not the homes that are needed are actually going to be built.

She continued:

“Scottish families and communities don’t need housing land. They want real homes to live in, and more of them. That requires a better functioning system and policy that encourages local planning authorities to ensure the sites they choose for housing development can and will be delivered. With the housing market showing encouraging signs post-lockdown, now is the time for local authorities to work closely with home builders to deliver the homes required.”

More Scottish architecture news is welcome on e-architect

Scotland Building Updates Early 2020

Winter to Summer news items:

4 June 2020 Red Tree Magenta, Shawfield, Glasgow Design: NORR, Architects photo © Keith Hunter Photography Red Tree Magenta Building Clyde Gateway embarked on delivering the first commercial building at the 11ha Magenta Business Park site, Shawfield to act as a catalyst to the market, prove it as a business location and to demonstrate the viability of the remediation strategy for the wider site.

27 May 2020 New Homes Quality Board – interim board announcement

First step towards creation of New Homes Ombudsman scheme

The first step towards the creation of a New Homes Ombudsman (NHO) scheme has been announced with the appointment of an interim New Homes Quality Board (NHQB) chaired by “New Homes Quality Champion” Natalie Elphicke MP.

As a new independent body, the NHQB will have responsibility for the quality of new build homes and consumer redress. It will be guided by the principles of independence, transparency and integrity, and will comprise a mix of representatives of consumer bodies, home builders, warranty providers, lenders and independents such that it will not be dominated by any one group.

The interim board has ‘met’ for the first time and will now:

• oversee the composition and appointment of a permanent board; • complete, consult on and adopt a new comprehensive and robust industry code of practice that will place more stringent requirements on all parties involved in the construction, inspection, sale and aftercare of new homes; • agree a process to appoint a New Homes Ombudsman (NHO) service to adjudicate against the new code.

Nicola Barclay, Chief Executive of Homes for Scotland, said:

“While housing is a matter that is devolved to the Scottish Government, consumer protection remains a reserved matter and so comes under the responsibility of Westminster, making a UK-wide solution crucially important. Working closely with colleagues in the Home Builders Federation in England, we are delighted to see this progression which reinforces our determination to ensure a high-quality home for each and every purchaser. We are also pleased that the stringent requirements will see consumers receive the same level of clarity and consistency wherever they live.”

The ambition is that a permanent chair and board will be in place by Autumn with a view to the new code and ombudsman service being in place by the start of 2021. There will then be a transition period for builders to sign up to the new arrangements. It is anticipated Government will ultimately legislate to improve consumer redress as soon as possible and these new proposals aim to complement such reform.

Natalie Elphicke said: “This is a welcome move, and a much needed step in the right direction. I am committed to ensuring that the new arrangements will deliver a step change in the quality of new homes and customer experience. They will be based in the principles of independence, transparency and integrity, values I know Government and the industry are determined to instil. I look forward to working with all parties to finalise and implement these changes as quickly as possible.”

All the new arrangements will be paid for by the industry and once established, the NHO will be free to consumers, with access being through a new portal.

Natalie Elphicke is a qualified barrister and solicitor. In 2015 she was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for her services to housing. Natalie’s background is as a national specialist in complex housing and structured finance law and public policy. A former international law firm partner with over £4billion transactional experience, she had been described as “probably the best in the City” in her specialist area of housing.

She has extensive experience structuring and successfully setting up new organisations in her professional capacities, working with a diverse range of stakeholders. This includes most recently at the Housing & Finance Institute. She has a strong reputation as an independent commentator on housing matters ranging from housing policies to building new homes faster as well as in relation to the quality and safety of new build construction.

Natalie is a member of the Jaywick Sands coastal community team and a member of the NHBC advisory panel. She is a voluntary worker at her local homeless shelter, having previously volunteered at free legal/advice centres over many years. In December 2019, Natalie was elected as a Member of Parliament for Dover & Deal.

21 Apr 2020 Housing delivery can build way out of coronavirus crisis

Responding to today’s publication of the latest UK State of the Economy report, Chief Executive of industry body Homes for Scotland Nicola Barclay said:

“Whilst public health has quite rightly been the government’s top priority up to now, it is clear that the economic fallout could have even further reaching consequences for the country. Today’s report highlights that Scotland’s GDP could fall by 33% during the current period of social distancing, with construction noted as one of the most exposed sectors.

“We share the Economy Secretary’s desire to rebuild the economy as quickly as is safely possible and believe that we can, quite literally, build our way out of this. This is why we are working on a recovery plan which includes the core components necessary to kickstart home building, including putting robust control measures in place to protect workers, home purchasers and tenants, as well as working across the sector to ensure everyone is ready to go as soon as we can.

“Delivering the homes of all types that our country needs brings many significant benefits in terms of protecting vital jobs and skills, improving social wellbeing and contributing more widely to the economy through the extensive supply chain.

“Restarting from a standstill requires considerable planning and co-ordination so it is imperative that the Scottish Government works closely with industry to establish a programme for recommencement so we can provide the homes that so many people desperately need.”

9 Apr 2020 Mark Baines, Glasgow School of Art

Mark Baines, who has been a seminal part of the School for 50 years, has passed away (not Covid-19 related).

Mark was one of the first cohort to study on the full time programme at the Mac, went on to work with Andy and Isi at Gillespie Kidd & Coia, with Ian O Robertson Architect and Ian Bridges Architect before returning to GSA to teach generations of architecture students, most recently as Stage Leader for the DipArch programme.

Below is a tribute from his long-time colleague Johnny Rodger, Professor of Urban Literature at The Glasgow School of Art:

Mark Baines

It is with great sadness that we hear of the passing away of our colleague Mark Baines. As an esteemed and respected teacher, practitioner and critic, Mark Baines played a distinctive and vital role at the heart of architectural culture in Glasgow and Scotland in general. Any comprehensive list of his important achievements and his experiences could never be retailed in the space available here, and his place in Glasgow life was a unique one.

His long connection with the Mackintosh School of Architecture started in the early 70s when he was amongst the first cohort of full time architecture students at his beloved Glasgow School of Art. After going out to work as a practising architect for a few years he returned to teach in the school in 1982 and he taught there right up until 2020.

Generations of students were influenced by his encyclopaedic knowledge of the field and his quiet, patient, insightful and inspirational analyses which opened up a whole new spatial and structural world to them. He was the critical eminence grise behind the student edited annual MacMag, and he guided and oversaw the production of that publication which has refined and exposed the creative spirit of the Mac students since 1974. Public recognition of his position as a towering figure in the pedagogical culture of the Mac came when at the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland’s annual Design Tutor of the Year Awards in 2013 he was given a Lifetime Achievement Award.

After MSA Mark started his professional career at the firm of Gillespie Kidd and Coia. The firm had a long association with teaching in the school going back to the 1920s and arguably longer, and Mark joined them as they were at the cutting edge of the rebuilding of the country after WWII. His experience there under the tutelage of Isi Metzstein and Andy MacMillan, set the standards for his own life as an architect and architectural teacher in terms of the fundamental importance of drawing, the vision of the discipline as a collaborative one through the methodologies of the studio, and the necessity of a discursive critical approach to the work.

Mark went on to work with other firms like Ian O Robertson Architect and Ian Bridges Architect through the eighties and onwards , especially on housing projects, and in 2007 completed the design and construction of the massive Merchant Building –a contemporary response in scale and material to the historical setting of Glasgow Cross – with his firm Gholami Baines.

As a critic Mark Baines played a prominent role as a public intellectual, writing chapters and articles for magazines, books and catalogues, putting on exhibitions and giving talks to innumerable groups and societies. Although his knowledge of architecture and architectural history was inexhaustible, and his moral and ethical discourses on where we live and how we do it drew a broad civic public, he became particularly well known for his critiques in a few specialist areas. After working with GKC and studying their work he became one of the acknowledged world experts in the field, writing extensively on the importance of their work in an international sense.

Among the exhibitions he curated on the GKC work, his 2007 one drew the biggest viewing public that The Lighthouse has ever had for any show. He was also an authority on the great 19th century Glasgow architect, Greek Thomson, wrote extensively on his work, campaigned to save numerous of his buildings, and was Chair Person of the Greek Thomson Society. Although his own tastes and indeed practice were of a contemporary not to say modernist outlook, Mark Baines worked tirelessly to broadcast to the world the genius of Thomson’s work and his importance to architectural history.

Mark was a respected and admired colleague, and was recognised by his fellows for the perspicacity of his vision, the originality and acuity of his judgement and the consistency of his approach. For many people he embodied the successes of the studio system at the Mackintosh School of Architecture, as a humane teaching and learning environment. Generations of students and colleagues from all around the world have been humbled then inspired by the breadth of his culture and his willingness to share it. He will be missed greatly at the Glasgow School of Art to which he was totally committed as a creative and collaborative institution.

Johnny Rodger, Professor of Urban Literature at The Glasgow School of Art

9 Apr 2020 New Town North Development at Former RBS Site image courtesy of architects Edinburgh New Town North Development

10 Mar 2020 Judges line up for 2020 Scottish Design Awards

The judging panels for the 2020 Scottish Design Awards have been confirmed with a mix of figures from industry and academia coming together to celebrate the nation’s best new work:

2020 Scottish Design Awards News

29 Feb 2020 Celebrate Perth’s New Creative Hub – Official Opening and First Exhibition Perth Creative Exchange, a £4.5 million creative hub which will help boost the local Perthshire arts economy, was officially opened at a launch ceremony on Wednesday February 26, by the Provost of Perth and Kinross, Dennis Melloy. photo : Fraser Band Perth’s New Creative Hub

29 Jan 2020 The Watch House, Crail, Crail, Fife, Eastern Scotland Architect: Alan Dunlop drawing © Alan Dunlop The Watch House in Crail, Fife Planning Approval and Listed Building and Conservation Area Consent granted unconditionally for this historic property renovation in Crail. The building is listed and sits within the conservation area in Crail, overlooking the Firth of Forth and The Isle of May.

17 Jan 2020 Paisley Museum Building News, western Scotland Design: AL_A image courtesy of architects office Paisley Museum Renewal Plans to transform Paisley Museum into a world-class visitor destination telling the town’s unique stories, including that of the globally admired Paisley Pattern, have taken a major step forward as The National Lottery Heritage Fund announced £3.8million of support for the project.

25 Feb 2020 The Glasgow School of Art appoints Penny Macbeth as new Director The Glasgow School of Art has appointed Penny Macbeth, currently Dean of Manchester School of Art and Deputy Faculty Pro-Vice Chancellor for Arts and Humanities focusing on external engagement and partnerships, as its new Director following an extensive international search: New Glasgow School of Art Director: Penny Macbeth

25 Jan 2020 New Gorbals Housing Association, Crown Street, Glasgow Design: Page\Park Architects photograph : Keith Hunter New Gorbals Housing Association Glasgow The new home of the New Gorbals Housing Association is a bespoke office and civic piazza forming the centrepiece of the Crown Street redevelopment in Glasgow.

7 Jan 2020 Lesley Samuel joins Halliday Fraser Munro as a landscape architect

A rise in masterplanning project wins across Scotland has seen award-winning architectural design and planning practice Halliday Fraser Munro bring high-level expertise to its team, adding landscape architectural services to its portfolio:

More info on the Edinburgh Architecture News 2020 page

More contemporary Scottish Architecture News on e-architect soon

Scottish Architecture News 2019

27 Nov 2019 Ashtree Road Pollokshaws Award News

Graeme Nicholls Architects along with clients Home Group in Scotland and Merchant Homes Partnerships are celebrating this week after their Ashtree Road development won not one, but two awards at the prestigious 2019 AJ Architecture Awards.

Ashtree Road Buildings

10 Oct 2019 ; 23 May 2019 New Macallan Distillery Building, Speyside – 2019 RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award Winner Architect: Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners ; Exhibition Design: Atelier Brückner photo © Speirs + Major New Macallan Distillery Building The Macallan Distillery and Visitor Experience in Speyside reveals the production processes and welcomes visitors while remaining sensitive to the beautiful surrounding countryside.

5 Oct 2019 Scottish Architecture Student Films Two films here, by Edinburgh architecture student Daniel Lomholt-Welch:

Schiehallion:

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Fragmentation:

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1 Oct 2019 Perth Affordable Housing Electric Car Charging Points Perth housing development news: Muirton Living

25 Sep 2019 RIAS Andrew Doolan Best Building in Scotland Award 2019

24 Sep 2019 RIAS respond to Public Enquiry into 2 Scottish Hospitals

The Scottish Government has announced a public inquiry will be held to examine issues at the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP) and the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) sites.

RIAS President Robin Webster OBE says; “The RIAS welcome the move by Health Minister Jeane Freeman’s to hold an inquiry into the delivery of Scotland’s 2 hospitals. This follows our earlier support for inquiries into failures in Schools across Scotland and our continued involvement in these discussions.

The removal of a co-ordinating overseer with professional independence; a broad and comprehensive understanding of the building design and the procurement process; with the time to apply that understanding and vitally, the executive authority to influence it, has inevitably allowed many gaps in the procurement process to open up; such that responsibilities are clouded, and appropriate resolution of issues fails to occur.”

18 Sep 2019 Fairways – Townhouses, St Andrews, Fife Design: Sutherland Hussey Harris image courtesy of architecture office Fairways Townhouses by St Andrews Old Course The Fairways – Townhouses in St Andrews are laid out so that one taller, tower-like building form addresses the urban setting facing towards the town centre.

6 Sep 2019 Whitehorn Hall Student Accommodation, St Andrews, Fife Whitehorn Hall Student Accommodation

8 Sep 2019 Scottish Design Awards Winners Clydebank Community Sports Hub by Marc-Kilkenny Architects wins: Scottish Design Awards 2019 Winners

6 Sep 2019 Paisley Museum Renewal News Paisley Museum Renewal News Paisley Museum Renewal, Scotland, design by AL_A, transforming the building into a world-class destination showcasing the stories of a Scottish town whose influence reached around the globe.

2 Sep 2019 £200m construction projects signal Glasgow move for architects Halliday Fraser Munro

Barclays Campus, Buchanan Wharf architects Halliday Fraser Munro relocate to larger Glasgow office after winning £200m worth of city construction projects

Halliday Fraser Munro Architects in Glasgow

Scottish Buildings News in 2nd Part of 2019

Scottish Building News 2019 image courtesy of HfS

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principalrenovations · 4 years ago

Text

Laundry Renovations In Perth Australia

Laundry Renovations Perth can help you transform your home while still remaining practical. Renovations have become quite popular in Perth and have left many people with a sparkling clean space. A laundry room can be a haven for families, but it is not always practical to have one. If you are looking to change your home but don't want to lose storage space, consider a laundry room revamp. Here are a few ideas about laundry room renovations that might get your started.

Renovations can take place on many levels, including floor plans, architecture and flooring. The first thing to consider is what you will store in the room. How much will the room hold? You should be able to fit a washing machine, dryer and perhaps a washer and dryer. Laundry Renovations Perth experts recommend that you try to make the most of any space that you have. Laundry is one area where it is best to plan before starting anything.

Next you will need to think about the flooring. Are you going to use wood flooring or concrete? Consider the design of the rest of the house and your laundry space. If there is going to be a drawer, where will it go?

Many people get creative when it comes to the layouts of their laundry rooms. For example, one homeowner created a "zoom" design by placing shelves on both sides of an upper work countertop. The shelves extended down past the work surface and curved around the entire room. Other designs called "mosaic walls" draw the eye upward instead of across. These may be particularly attractive in lofts or multi-story homes.

The walls are another consideration. Some homeowners love the look of wood framing and shelving while others prefer the cold feeling of steel. Once you have decided on the style of the wall covering, it is time to start contacting remodeling professionals. In most cases the contractor will come out and take a look at your space. When you present your choices he or she can give you some good ideas for getting the best use out of your space.

Of course, it is also important to have adequate lighting. You don't want to stumble upon the task of drying your laundry while trying to use the bathroom lights. You also want sufficient ventilation so that you don't end up using excessive amounts of water to dry your clothing. The wiring for your new light fixtures may not be easy to replace but it will be well worth the expense when you see the quality of the light that you are installing.

If you still don't have the budget available, consider simply hanging some white cotton clothes hangers in your closet. These are inexpensive yet they will do just fine. You can also add an extra line at the top of your hangers. This will make it easier to hang up the laundry after you get done with it.

To finish, you may consider moving your furniture. This makes the task of doing the laundry much easier. If you need additional help there are many local movers that would be happy to help. It will take some planning, but once you get the job done and you've consolidated all your laundry, you will wonder how you ever got by without it before. Don't forget to pack your boxes if you plan on relocating.

One of the most important parts of laundry renovations is the design. Make sure that it flows well and that you are able to move freely through the room. The floor should be flat and easy to walk on. Consider having a light installed in the laundry area for easier vision. Also consider putting in a new faucet. Some newer homes have them already built in.

If you plan on re-furbishing the flooring, you will need to plan for the plumbing first. This is another room that often has a lot of foot traffic. You will also need to consider the exhaust fans that you will need. These are important because you don't want the exhaust fan to make a lot of noise that will bother your neighbors. You can hire a plumber to do this for you.

If you don't feel comfortable doing all the work yourself, then you can simply get a contractor to do all the heavy lifting for you. You can usually find one in the phone book or online. When doing laundry renovations in Perth, make sure that you look around for the best prices. You may find that the project is more affordable than you think.

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thissurroundingall · 7 years ago

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Henry Andersen

The riskiness of seduction and the plastic language of LA hip-hop in melting pot Brussels.

Nederlandstalige versie

Date of interview: November 23, 2017

Estimated reading time: 17 minutes

“Off to Brussels”, that’s what Australian-born artist Henry Andersen (°1992) scribbled down on the note he left for his fellow travellers on his first trip to Belgium. Several years and a detour via Berlin later - where he studied with the Austrian composer Peter Ablinger - he is now officially living in the Belgian capital and wrapping up his Master of Fine Arts at KASK in Ghent.

Just like Henry himself, his artistic practice can’t be easily fixed in time and space. Henry produces a variety of artworks and performances, ranging from a Slow Reading Club dismantling the choreography of readership, to a conceptual album, to architectural installations. His work oscillates between the visual arts, sound art and performance, transforming along the way. Stanzas or The Law of The Good Neighbour for example - a word game piece – exists as a printed work, a performance, a released record and a curated group exhibition.

On a particularly gloomy autumn day, we arrive just in time on Henry’s top floor flat in Ixelles to escape the stormy weather. Australian-born, Henry isn’t particularly used to these sudden seasonal changes “This year I am prepared for a proper winter though”, he smiles. With a portrait of our ancient king Boudewijn overlooking the plant and book filled living room, we discuss his widespread trajectory over a cup of coffee. Moving around the house during the interview to explore what spaces and surroundings mean, he is always elaborating his answers, moulding them in order to scan their borders: a characterising element of his artistic approach.

‘Stanzas’ or ‘The Law of the Good Neighbour’ released on KRAAK

It’s not exactly easy to pinpoint what you do. How do you actually introduce yourself when you meet new people?

(Smiles.) What I do and how I introduce myself are different questions maybe... Generally I just say that I’m an artist and that I mostly work with text. I use written text and spoken text. Sometimes I write myself, sometimes I find text, sometimes I commission or alter text. Almost every project is beginning with text and then the endpoint changes. So I make a lot of performances, some printed material, some installations, some sound recordings.

But always starting from text?

Yes, text always seems to be the starting point nowadays. And then it’s often developed in some kind of collaborative format. I like to work with people around me. It’s a way of being less precious about the finished result, and it’s also usually a much more gratifying and fun way to work.

For example, the record I released on KRAAK is a recording of the readings I do with friends. It’s something I have been doing for years, and it ends up being a documentation of different relationships around me. It means I'm always working with friends to realise the recordings, and that the particular qualities of their voices and their relationships are given a lot of scope in shaping the piece.

There are a lot of really interesting people working in that city, but at some point, I started feeling a little limited with that scene.

You studied music composition in Australia before moving to Berlin. How do you still relate to the idea of being a composer these days?

I wouldn't really call myself a composer anymore. When I was in Germany, I was composing music for others. I was much more involved in producing music for other people to perform, in spaces dealing with experimental, classical music. There are a lot of really interesting people working in that city, but at some point, I started feeling a little limited with that scene. It’s quite dogmatic in certain ways. I had a lot of friends working as visual artists, and I wanted to move more into that setting. So moving to Belgium was a way to formalise that shift somehow, by studying fine arts in Ghent. Since I’m here, I don't think of what I do as being so strictly related to composing anymore.

The kind of composing I was involved with is very reduced, very German, conceptual composition. It’s working with simple blocks of material. It has a lot of parallels with structuralist film-making. So even if I'm making less music now, I think those ways of working still have a lot of impact on how I think about form. The other thing is that as a composer you work very hard at how your ideas are communicated to a player, so I think that interest in different models of communicating ideas – often deliberately leaving stuff a bit vague and open to interpretation– carries over to what I am doing now.

So it was a very conscious shift into visual art as your main thing then?

Yes, but since being here I feel like I'm moving between contexts quite often. I made a record, so I end up performing in music contexts. Now with the Slow Reading Club project, with my friend Bryana Fritz, we end up performing in theatre spaces. It feels like this kind of practice is allowed in Brussels in a way that isn't necessarily the case in other cities.

There's something very nice about that freedom. It means you get to interface with different spaces, different audiences who bring their own frame of reference, different types of attention. It is interesting to think about what’s expected in a particular setting and then decide how much to go along with it, and how much to try to bring in other frames of reference. So for example, with Slow Reading Club we organised a reading in a theatre, Beursschouwburg. We decided to try to use the technologies of the theatre - stage lighting, for example, or even just the fact of gathering a whole group of people together at one time – but to try to push other kinds of durations, other sets of experiences. So the whole thing was very long – about 3.5 hours - and it started at 11pm which means it starts to draw on all these expectations of a party or something. We served people rum, we used a carpeted space. We wanted to play with those different frames.

Slow Reading Club at Batard Festival Photography: Cillian O'Neill

It is interesting to think about what’s expected in a particular setting and then decide how much to go along with it, and how much to try to bring in other frames of reference.

Slow Reading Club at Batard Festival Photography: Cillian O'Neill

(Recently) I noticed his notes in the margin of Foucaults’ Discipline and Punish. He must have made them when he was more or less my age now. I was fascinated by the idea of having a relationship with him at that age.

How does that align with the Wansbrough piece, the font you made based on your father’s handwriting?

My dad’s kind of an interesting guy. (laughs) He made documentary films about particular leftist concerns in the 80s in Australia. When I was stealing some books in my parent's house a while ago, I noticed his notes in the margin of Foucaults’ Discipline and Punish. He must have made them when he was more or less my age now. I was fascinated by the idea of having a relationship with him at that age. I took scans of his handwriting and developed it into a digital typeface I can use myself.

There’s a lot of love in it as a piece, but at the same time it’s a hollowed out, fleshless format - to reduce someone's private handwriting into a typeface and give it away for someone else to use. To display the piece, I ask that a space use the font for any external communication – so any invites, any posters etc. should all be written in this slightly clumsy font. I liked the idea of giving away the responsibility for what content the font would be used for. I wanted to keep it as functional as possible.

If your father was a filmmaker, I imagine you got in touch with art quite early on.

Not so much. There was a lot of literature around when I was younger, my parents read a lot. So I was exposed to literature early on. Also to music, there was some music around in the house. But I hated music until I was thirteen – other than this one CD I had of the Traveling Wilburys. (Laughs)

You hated music?

Yes. It used to really upset me. I didn’t understand why listening to music was something that people would want to do with their time. Still, I somehow ended up in a band when I was a teenager. I played guitar. It just seemed like a fun way to hang out with friends, to be in a band. I got into composition through that.

But I was only exposed to contemporary art quite late I would say. It’s getting much better these days, but there wasn't so much contemporary art around in Perth, at least not so much that I had access to. I started going to much more exhibitions when I moved to Europe. The first year I was living in Germany, the first thing I’d do when I arrived in any city was go to the museums and see all the permanent collections that each city had built up. I learned a lot from just wandering around – about how all these artists related to each other but also just about what sort of work I liked, what I responded to, what experiences were possible in a museum space. I really loved this feeling of just swallowing it all in and being totally fascinated.

‘Stanzas’ or ‘The Law of the Good Neighbour’, was maybe the first time I really worked with language again after university. That was also the summer I was listening to a lot of hip hop, particularly stuff out of LA.

When did this fascination for language occur to you then for the first time?

I had a really good English teacher when I was in high school, she would always encourage me to write prose and poetry. Nothing I made in university had any language element to it though. So then I got a little bit away from it. ‘Stanzas’ or ‘The Law of the Good Neighbour’, was maybe the first time I really worked with language again after university. That was also the summer I was listening to a lot of hip hop, particularly stuff out of LA. Those guys have this amazing, plastic way of using language. Making things sort of flex around the rhyme, even if doesn’t always make sense in terms of content. It’s very elastic and playful, and often really funny as well. The text is sort of caught between being a method of delivering content and an aesthetic object in its own right. That was definitely something I wanted to think about in my own practice.

Gradually, I started to realise that because I'd been adding to the list for such a long time, over years, it started to have this very autobiographical function.

Did you start the word list for ‘Stanzas’ very consciously or was it a playful coincidence?

It was definitely playful. It started at home one night for fun. I didn't necessarily have any plans to make it into a piece, but I enjoyed doing it. Even after the first performance or two, I didn't think of it as a piece. It was a fun thing to do with people I met. Basically, the list is just constructed by adding words which sound like the word before: “human”, “hammon”, “harmon”, “mormon . Gradually, I started to realise that because I'd been adding to the list for such a long time, over years, it started to have this very autobiographical function. When I was living in Germany there were a lot of German words, or place names from around Berlin -“Schlachtensee” for example, which was always my favourite lake to go swimming. Since I moved to Brussels more and more French words crept in but at the start it was very basic things like “jus de pomme”

I organised a lot of readings where pairs of friends would read sections from the list. Sometimes for a public, but more often just in their apartment on a Sunday afternoon or something. I built up quite a big archive before I thought much about how to present it. Then whenever I would be invited to present something, I would think about different ways of making this activity public.

Can you still turn off the list in the back of your head when you listen to people these days or has it completely structured the way you listen?

It’s a nice question. There were periods where I was writing it way more intensively, when I was writing every day. At the moment I write very occasionally. Usually there is a hangover of an hour or so, where after I finish writing I'm still thinking about words in terms of how they sound next to each other, rather than what they mean. It’s a very awkward state to be in if you turn up to a party or something. (Laughs)

Now it only happens when I hear a word that I’m really seduced by. Some words are really seductive, for some reason, because they have a strange sound or they remind me of something really specific.

I think a lot of my work is about being seduced.

There’s definitely a sensual side to your work. How important is that notion of sensuality in your work?

I think a lot of my work is about being seduced. I’m very interested in what seduces me. It’s a good motor for me to start working on something. I don't mean it in a sexual way, more like this whole-body fascination for something. Where it gets stuck in your head. The best example for me will always be being a teenager and listening to a certain band. Where you don't just want to listen, you want to read every interview online, start to dress like them or whatever. It’s some kind of extreme hunger. Something that you feel on a bodily level.

As an adult the feeling is much rarer and usually less intense – otherwise it would be difficult to get anything done - but occasionally I still feel a really bodily reaction to something that peaks my interest. A lot of projects for me start like that.

The folding screens, Paravents, started out like this. I found this image online, of a set of room dividers that were designed by Eileen Gray in the fifties and I was totally seduced by it. I've never seen the original objects, but in the image they seem extremely strange. Like some kind of half-way point between and animal and a wall. They confused me and building them was a way to figure out how to deal with that feeling. I spent a huge amount of time building and cutting and I just guessed the scale in the end. It wasn't the idea to make a faithful reproduction. I’m more interested in the image of them than I am in the actual objects.

Seduction has a vulnerability to it that I like. It’s much riskier than keeping critical distance, it often ends in tears.

So it’s more the fascination for your own fascination then?

Totally. Fascination is an important clue for trying to locate yourself as a body in a terrain where bodies don't necessarily exist: a study of the body where it isn't. This is particularly the case in language. I think language is usually understood as something bodiless: over here is language and over here is the body but the two don't really meet. I like the idea of working with language but being really consequent about the role the body plays in the equation: how does my skin feel when I read, how does the musculature of my face move when I speak etc. More broadly, I think bodies present a challenge because they are non-exchangeable. They are always specific, so they don't really belong to a late-capitalist logic which is so constructed around measurability and exchangeability. That makes them very important, I think.

Seduction has a vulnerability to it that I like. It’s much riskier than keeping critical distance, it often ends in tears. But I like this kind of proximity, this way of dealing with material.

Henrys’ graduation project in KASK, Ghent. Photography: Omar Chowdhurry.

How did you start the Slow Reading Club?

I met Bryana at Batard Festival in 2013 and we kept in touch when I moved to Brussels. We always wanted to work together and we had a joke that we ran a reading group, though we never once met to read together. One night we were drinking together in a bar and for some reason we wrote a manifesto for this fictional reading group – about how to think of reading as something embodied and erotic. It was a fun document to make – lots of slightly crude jokes. Amazingly, we got invited to participate in a festival (kunstenfestivaldesarts) based on the manifesto, so the text came first and the project kind of developed out of that. It was interesting to work on something with this fixed document in the background. I think it kept us on track.

Basically, the whole thing came from the question of how to suspend critical reading. We wanted to try to read texts without using all of these techniques of critical reading and deconstruction that we'd learned through arts education.

Can you completely turn off criticality?

Probably not. But I believe that there’s very tiny brief moment of aesthetic experience before you can put something into language or understand it. It’s not the idea to grasp this state – I think that wouldn't be interesting – but about setting up the conditions for it to emerge. What do you need in space to let that happen? What happens if the lights are yellow for example, what happens if there’s alcohol, or if you have all these other informations of smell and touch interrupting the reading process? What kinds of conditions can we set up in order to let that emerge?

Slow Reading Club at Batard Festival Photography: Cillian O'Neill

What are the plans for the next Slow Reading Club editions?

The texts that we read change every time. Each time we organize a session, it’s a kind of answer to the last one. So for example, for the first session we had a lot of texts that would deal with the nighttime or with a thin edge between the self and the world – everything kind of expanding outwards. So then the second session at La Loge, was about fetishizing confinement, fetishizing enclosure and the walls around you. Then in Batard, we wanted to break with the idea of enclosure and get into this slightly magical thinking where bodies are always changing shape – turning into animals for example. It was a lot of texts about mimicry and doubling.

Next, we'd like to maybe think about coldness. Until now, everything has been performed in a kind of soft, warm space. It’s been a lot about tactility and community. We want to experiment with something a little more alienating.

The manifesto states that SRC aims at the production of some kind of excess, a word that occurs repeatedly in your portfolio. Can you elaborate a little on that?

Excess is everything that doesn’t fit the frame. If you want to make excess make a frame. So excess is somehow like this unknown and unknowable territory that is blossoming out of everything that is happening all the time. It’s a material you can't really handle or make sense out of.

For my record launch at Brussels gallery Damien & The Love Guru in May last year, I was somehow interested in this idea that every time you make something, it generates all this excess that you didn’t mean to generate. I wanted to see how I could deal with that. With the album, I had all these friends that had given their time to make readings. There was this kind of excess of people that couldn’t fit onto the experience of that record. Everyone who had given a reading had some practice of their own – as dancers, writers, artists. I asked everyone who had done a reading to show some excess or overage from their own creations – people showed prototypes, or cut up old works into new ones, Marion Menan showed a film that she had previously use as a backdrop for a dance piece, Eleanor Weber wrote a very beautiful play using a bunch of scraps of her own writing that had not been published because they had been rejected, or cut out in editing or the research had just gone in another direction.

The idea was to make manifest this kind of imaginary community of people who were surrounding the record and to make manifest all of these overages spilling out from their own work. I wanted it to feel like a collection of stuff relating to the people involved, without everyone feeling that they had to put their best foot forward like in a group show.

It was totally not minimal: too hot, too much color, too many people. I loved that with this austere minimalism, the gallery was full of sweaty bodies.

I also wanted it to be a very joyous event. I had done a few readings already in the months before in Brussels, so it didn’t make sense to just do that again. The piece is funny in a way, but also austere and a little disinterested, so I wanted to the launch to be the complete opposite. It was totally not minimal: too hot, too much color, too many people. I loved that with this austere minimalism, the gallery was full of sweaty bodies.

Where do you work or create the most?

It changes a lot, now I’m a lot at home in my apartment reading, but I was working in a wood workshop to make the room dividers for example. I’m also looking for a studio at the moment. I like to have a place to come back to. So I don’t have to think about my washing when I’m working.

I think now more artists should work in office spaces – to get inside the warm carcass of the global financial crisis.

What would be a perfect home or studio for you?

I’ve never really done much to the houses that I’ve lived in. Before I was always in shorter-term rentals, this is the first place I have been for a longer time and I haven’t changed that much. There’s a difference between the kind of architecture I like to think about and the houses I'd like to live in. I'm writing a lot about modernist architecture at the moment, but I don’t know what it’s like to live in those spaces. It might be horrible! Those houses fascinate me, the way they propose a different way of living, but I don’t know if I would actually want to live in one.

As for a studio, for a while I was really into the idea of working in an old office space – blue carpet, potted plants, water cooler. In Britain in the 1980s you had all these YBA artists setting up in old factories because the industrial sector in that country was completely collapsing. It developed into a very specific aesthetic. I think now more artists should work in office spaces – to get inside the warm carcass of the global financial crisis.

And the people here (in Brussels), that’s the main thing. That feeling of familiarity, conversations that can stretch over months, and even years. That’s what makes it feel like home.

Is Brussels home for you right now?

I like it a lot, so I think so. There are a lot of interesting people floating about and it’s the size that I like. Berlin was somehow too big for me. Here the city is small enough that I feel part of a community. I feel like I have an idea of what’s going on in the city even though there’s still too much to see. There’s influx of different sorts of information and I really like the mix of languages. And the people here, that’s the main thing. That feeling of familiarity, conversations that can stretch over months, and even years. That’s what makes it feel like home.

What I find really striking is the excitement that pours out of your work, as though always on the lookout for new possibilities. What is something you’re particularly excited about at the moment?

I’m really looking forward to this winter actually. (laughs) I think that there’s something in trying to love what you normally really hate. I used to hate writing emails, now I started writing these very flowery emails and I’ve started enjoying it more. So yeah, this year I'm trying to convince myself that I enjoy the winter, just by pure force of will.

Interview + translation: Tessa Vannieuwenhuyze

Photography: Tom Peeters

English Editor: Henry Andersen & Steven Kremers

Dutch Editor: Britt Sterkens

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delhi-architect2 · 5 years ago

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Journal - 10 Landmark Architecture Projects by OMA

Architects: Showcase your next project through Architizer and sign up for our inspirational newsletter.

The Office for Metropolitan Architecture is a landmark practice. OMA was founded in 1975 by Rem Koolhaas and Elia Zenghelis, along with Madelon Vriesendorp and Zoe Zenghelis. Since then, the team has become known for visionary solutions that upend programmatic convention. Understanding design as a process, OMA has shaped how we understand architecture and design around the world.

Drawing on the firm’s more recent portfolio of work, the following projects were built within the last five years. Showcasing critical and rigorous design concepts, they are made with a wide variety of programs at diverse scales. Sited around the world, the collection begins to illustrate OMA’s impact on architecture and urbanism with different materials, forms and spaces. Together, they also represent the practice’s conceptual approach to a wide array of typologies.

Taipei Performing Arts Center, Taipei, Taiwan

TPAC consists of three theaters, each of which can function autonomously. The theaters plug into a central cube, which consolidates the stages, backstages and support spaces into a single and efficient whole. This arrangement allows the stages to be modified or merged for unsuspected scenarios and uses. The design offers the advantages of specificity with the freedoms of the undefined.

Concrete at Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Located in Dubai’s Al Qouz industrial area, Alserkal Avenue was founded in 2007 with the aim of promoting cultural initiatives in the region. Since then, it has become Dubai’s most important art hub with twenty-five galleries and art spaces. Concrete, a new venue, addresses the districts growing need for a centrally located public space which can host a diverse program.

Pierre Lassonde Pavilion, Québec City, Canada

The Pierre Lassonde Pavilion—the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec’s fourth building is interconnected yet disparate—is an ambitious addition to the city. Rather than creating an iconic imposition, it forms new links between the park and the city, and brings coherence to the MNBAQ. In order to respond to context while clarifying the museum’s organization and a adding to its scale, new galleries were stacked in three volumes of decreasing size.

Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, Moscow, Russia

A dramatic renovation of the 1960’s restaurant on site, the Garage Museum is a center for contemporary art in Moscow. The museum program includes galleries, a shop, café, roof terrace, auditorium and offices. A new translucent polycarbonate façade wraps the original structural framework and is lifted off the ground, allowing views between Gorky park and the exhibition space inside.

The Design Museum, London, United Kingdom

OMA with Allies and Morrison were the architects responsible for the design of the refurbished structural shell and external envelope of the building. The project required a close working relationship with Design Museum interior architects, John Pawson. Significant and complex refurbishment works were carried out, including the wholesale reconfiguration of the structure and basement excavation to increase floor area and organizational efficiency to suit the needs of the Design Museum.

Timmerhuis, Rotterdam, Netherlands

Timmerhuis was designed as a new municipal building for the city hall that combines residential and administration space. Formed as modular units that work within an innovative structural system, the building was designed to be the most sustainable building in the Netherlands. OMA accomplished this through the building’s core concept of flexibility, and also through the two large atriums that act like lungs.

Il Fondaco Dei Tedeschi, Venice, Italy

First constructed in 1228, and located at the foot of the Rialto Bridge across from the fish market, the Fondaco dei Tedeschi is one of Venice’s largest and most recognizable buildings. OMA’s restoration of the building was commissioned by the Benetton family in 2009 to transform the 9,000-square-meter structure into a department store, now under a leasing agreement with Hong Kong-based DFS.

New Museum for Western Australia, Perth, Australia

Located in the heart of Perth’s cultural precinct, the Hassell + OMA design was conceived as a ‘collection of stories’, offering a multidimensional framework to engage with Western Australia. A holistic building, comprised of heritage and new structures, the New Museum for Western Australia will be a place where the local community and global visitors gather.

Lujiazui Harbour City Exhibition Centre, Shanghai, China

The Lujiazui Harbour City Exhibiton Centre is located on the northern and most recent development of Shanghai Pudong, along the Huangpu River, one of the most photographed waterfronts in the world. The new Exhibition Centre is positioned on the ramp of a former ship cradle and provides a concentrated event space within the surrounding financial district.

Galleria, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, South Korea

The store in Gwanggyo—a new town just south of Seoul—is the sixth branch of Galleria. Located at the center of this young urban development surrounded by tall residential towers, the Galleria’s stone-like appearance makes it a natural point of gravity for public life in Gwanggyo. The store has a textured mosaic stone façade that evokes nature of the neighboring park.

Architects: Showcase your next project through Architizer and sign up for our inspirational newsletter.

The post 10 Landmark Architecture Projects by OMA appeared first on Journal.

from Journal https://architizer.com/blog/inspiration/collections/landmark-oma-projects/ Originally published on ARCHITIZER RSS Feed: https://architizer.com/blog

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jeremystrele · 5 years ago

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Comfy Offices That Serve As Vibrant Inspiration For Home

These ultra modern, cool and comfy work places don’t just show us all the places we wished we worked, they provide bags of vibrant inspiration to implement in our very own homes! We’re going to take a tour through vibrant sitting rooms, open plan layouts, colourful decor palettes, modern furniture arrangements, cool lighting solutions, and modern staircase designs that would translate fabulously into many residential builds. These are spaces that promote connection, interaction, creative energy and good vibes, which is something we all could use a lot more of–whether at work collaborating with colleagues, or at home engaging with our family and personal projects.

Photographer: Seth Powers At the WeWork offices in Taipei, there is a home from home atmosphere. Comfy sofas are upholstered in different fabrics to fashion a relaxed, informal vibe. The use of mixed fabrics gives the room a sunny feel, which would have the same welcoming effect in private residences too.

There is a square coffee table by each modern sofa, which push natural wood tone into the heart of each seating arrangement. Wood grain textures the walls of the gathering space too, and floods the floor. Natural materials bring a wonderfully grounding essence into any interior, professional or domestic.

Indoor plants add to the natural feel of the room, and grow a re-energising, revitalising ambiance. A Bamboo floor lamp adds a heartwarming glow at floor level, and uplifts the beautiful aquascape and the green plant foliage, making them vivid.

An open plan staircase engages the lounge area with the rest of the building, just as it could in a home environment. An open flow presents opportunity for exchange between team members – or family members.

An open staircase also frees up useful space in its void. In this instance, a desk has been situated in the under stair nook. Glass blocks build a desk volume that allows light to pass through, giving it a more lightweight appearance.

Bright wall murals inject energy and personality. This one depicts the food prep taking place in its zone.

If there’s an unusual nook in a room, make a feature of it. This shallow recess has been framed out in wood effect panels with soffit lighting. Made-to-measure sofas build a plush and useful solution, transforming a slightly awkward area into something very alluring.

An attractive rug is the perfect way to define a stand-alone area that floats within a larger room plan.

Designer: UP2DATE This 135 square metre office in Almaty, Kazakhstan, was previously a warehouse. The industrial theme has been maintained and built upon with many new metal installations, like this huge black sheet metal reveal around the single window of the property.

The lofty 6 meter high ceiling has been well utilised as a mezzanine floor. The top third of the walls have been knocked back to brick to accentuate their height, powerful uplighting adds to the effect.

Round coffee tables make up the core of the room, encircled by an eclectic collection of chairs and small settees.

A blue sideboard shakes up the neutral room, along with a piece of yellow wall art.

All of the engineering was exposed so that the ventilation system became part of the industrial decor.

Glass walls encase a separate room within the large industrial space, without closing it off from view. The colour scheme in here is a spectrum of warming blush and mauve. The soft hues meld well with the grey palette of the outer room, whilst establishing an independent identity.

Mood lighting shapes a green and white kitchen into a cosy meeting spot for a cup of coffee. Industrial lighting makes a big feature out of a simple wall-facing bar.

Neon light burns across an industrial concrete wall.

Designer: VM Project VM Project’s creative studio is full of ambitious people with enthusiasm for great design and architecture. The office exudes creative energy from every corner.

Nesting coffee tables create a stepped effect into a snug sitting area, emulating the nearby staircase.

A red floor lamp and matching sofa cushions scatter bright accents.

An inspirational quote sets a positive tone across a yellow feature wall.

The primary red, yellow and blue elements create a wonderful clash that builds excitement, and establishes definition between different areas of the room.

A modern staircase design opens up a sense of connection between the upper and lower floors.

Botanical art and indoor plants bring in a sense of the outdoors and freedom.

Open risers allow line of sight to move through the staircase, making the room feel bigger.

A beloved motorbike becomes part of the decor.

The magnificent modern dining room chandelier featured here is the sculptural Vibia Wireflow 3D LED Octagonal Pendant.

A mirrored insert makes an ideal addition to a disused fireplace, along with a bright paint job.

Vibrant artwork tops the mantel.

A bespoke balustrade draws attention to the mezzanine.

Designer: Geyer Uber Offices in Perth, Australia buzz with collaborative energy. This zone of hanging chairs promotes interaction and idea sharing between colleagues.

A cane room divider beds into long planters to create a hallway.

Light permeable walls facilitate the free-flow effect of communal spaces. Slouchy lounge chairs promote an informal laid-back vibe.

Backless bookcases connect two separate sitting areas.

Copper panels define a formal meeting spot – an idea that would translate perfectly for a formal dining room. See more ideas for copper in interiors.

An industrial ceiling exaggerates the elongated room shape.

Large format tiles increase the sense of floor space.

A kitchen island on wheels offers opportunity for a flexible kitchen layout.

Slatted doors pull across the kitchen work area when not in use.

Graduated grey lockers provide a stylish and practical solution in the entryway.

For long stretches of deep work, you just can’t beat ergonomic chairs.

Love more offices as inspiration for home? Check out: Scandinavia Meets Japan In These Minimalist Work Spaces

Modern Classic Chairs

Google's offices from around Europe

Get Ready For Hot Modern Red and Grey Interiors

IKEA 2012 Catalog

Secret Places Inside Homes!

Skype's Stockholm Office Sparks with Contrast

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drewebowden66 · 5 years ago