#and two more within 20m of the city

[queenerdloser]

i've been trying to schedule a time to take my driver's test for literal months because i shit you not there have been literally zero appointments at any of the five (5) dmvs within 20m of me that offer the driving test. so i scheduled one at a place that's a literal hour drive bc i was like. well at least i have it on the books and if i have to drive an hour out there to do it so be it! but i've been regularly checking the website at odd times (as suggested by multiple people) for any cancellations.

and lo and behold! i just checked it (literally 2m ago) and there was an 8a open slot at a place 10m from where i live. i had to think about it for maybe about 30s or so (checking the map to make sure it actually is close to me, considering if anyone i know with a car would be available to take me over there to take the test at 8 fucking am in the morning) and by the time i convinced myself i might as well just do it the fucking appointment had already been snatched by someone else.

i get that dmvs are probably just as understaffed as anywhere else. but this is fucking untenable to me. like. how are you so understaffed that i have not been able to schedule this appointment for literal months (i have been regularly checking! since last fucking october!) at any of the places that are within a normal distance to where i live? why on earth are dmvs in fucking st. cloud somehow more available despite the fact that they only have one vs the like five within the twin cities limits? why are you not opening more slots/hiring more driving instructors to ensure that there is plenty of availability for this apparently so essential service that you are constantly booked up for it??? most importantly why is there not!!! a fucking dmv!!! that offers a driving test!!! actually in one of the twin cities? why are they only in the suburbs? i am chewing off my own arm, this whole process is incredibly frustrating and i can't believe i caught a lucky break for the first time in five months and lost it because i hesitated for less than one minute.

[heterotopian]

The Tale of Two Cities according to Stephi and Heiko - Part 487

Today we take you to the past even though I took m picture just yesterday. Actually, I was more than surprised to not only see one but two cigarette machines within 100 meters. I thought they were almost extinct. Now I know that there are at least three machines within 500m distance.

First, to the pictures: the first shows a cigarette machine in Munich. I am not sure when Stephi took that pic since it’s been in our dropbox for a while. The second machine is a candy machine but we might get back to that in time.

The second picture is from Cologne taken yesterday as stated above.

Yet, cigarette machines a thing of the past. I remember being a kid in the 80ies and those things were everywhere. I also remember getting coins from my grandpa tp get him cigarette from the machine about 20m from his home. And obviously, as a kid we obliged and er were proud to get cigarettes for out grandpa.

But since it was more and more obvious that smoking kills, cigarettes got more expensive and cigarette machines vanished more and more. Yet, you can still get them in supermarkets, kiosks gas stations; basically everywhere. But machines vanished or at the least the systems got more and more complicated that minors were unable to get cigarettes themself as you need a special card and whatnot.

Anyone here has a story about cigarette machines or were they even a thing in other countries?

[scotianostra]

29th March 1958 saw the death of Sir William Burrell.

In 1876 William entered the firm at the age of 15, and on his father’s death in 1885 he and his eldest brother George took over the management. the firm was already prospering, but under their shrewd direction it reached a position of international standing in worldwide tramping and in ship management.

Burrell was a collector from an early age, buying his first painting when aged only 15, but it was Glasgow’s industrial ascendancy that would allow him to continue financing his passion for art, and the added success of the firm his father founded.

Building and buying ships when world markets were weak, Burrell built up and sold two great ocean-going fleets, providing him with the wealth needed to search the world for art and antiquities. Even better, his global shipping contacts meant he knew where and when certain treasures were being auctioned.

Burrell was far from alone in this passion, and as his fellow Glasgow industrialists grew wealthy, they too invested in art – both ancient and modern – to show off to their friends. Where Burrell differed, however, was that he was no show-off.

He was a serious collector, with wide-ranging interests and passions. By 1900 he had become a respected collector in the fields of late Gothic and early Renaissance European art and late 19th century French art.

In 1901, Burrell was one of the largest donors of artworks to the Glasgow International Exhibition. This was an event which left an indelible mark on the city, with the opening that year of the much-loved Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. In 1927, Burrell was knighted for services to art and for his public work.

But Burrell was certainly no snob when it came to his collection. He was a believer in free education for all and wanted the people of his home city to be able to access his fine collection. It’s for this reason that, in 1944, he donated his entire collection to his home city – a collection that contained more than 9,000 items at the time.

Shortly afterwards, Hector Hetherington, then Principal of Glasgow University, famously said of Burrell’s collection that it was:

“One of the greatest gifts ever made to any city in the world”.

By the time of his death in 1958, Burrell had been collecting for 75 years - and what a collection it is. From Chinese and early Islamic ceramics to Late Gothic and Early Renaissance works of art from Northern Europe, including tapestries, stained glass, sculpture, arms and armour, architecture and furniture.

Burrell’s collection takes visitors on a tour of 6,000 years of world history, connecting them to the people who made the exquisite works and to the people who have owned them down the centuries; making exciting new connections through time and place.

At the time of his gift, Burrell had stipulated that any new gallery must be 16 miles from the city centre. This was partly because he believed that a rural setting would show the works to their best advantage, but also to place them far away from possible damage by atmospheric pollution caused by Clydeside's heavy industries and tenement chimneys. By the time of Burrell's death in 1958, a suitable site had still to be found.

That problem was solved in 1966, when Mrs Anne Maxwell Macdonald gifted her family’s 360-acre Pollok Estate to the City of Glasgow. Although a mere four miles from the city centre, it seemed the perfect location for the vast Burrell Collection.

That said, it took a further 17 years, and an international design competition, before architect Sir Barry Gasson’s £20m building opened to the public.

The combination of exceptional art and architecture set within one of Europe’s largest urban green spaces was an immediate success, described by The Glasgow Herald as ‘a magical mystery tour and an aesthetic event rolled into one’. The Burrell Collection has since been a key driver in Glasgow’s transformation from a place of post-industrial decline to one of the great cities of culture.

In October 2016 the building closed for a major £68.25 million refurbishment. The Burrell Collection reopened today, its greatly expanded spaces promise improved access, understanding and appreciation of one of the world’s most extraordinary personal collections.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

$100 billion later, autonomous vehicles are still a car-wreck

Autonomous vehicles were always a shell-game. The last time I wrote about them was a year ago, when Uber declared massive losses. Uber’s profitability story was always, “Sure, we’re losing money now, but once we create self-driving cars, we can fire our drivers and make a bundle.”

https://pluralistic.net/2020/09/30/death-to-all-monopoly/#pogo-stick-problem

But Uber never came close to building an AV. After blowing $2.5b, the company invented a car whose mean-distance-to-fatal-crash was half a mile. Uber had to pay another company — $400 million! — to take the self-driving unit off its hands.

It’s tempting to say that Uber just deluded itself into thinking that AVs were a viable, near-term technology. But $2.5b was a bargain, because it allowed the company’s original investors (notably the Saudi royals) to offload their Uber shares on credulous suckers when the company IPOed.

Likewise Tesla, a company that has promised fully self-driving autonomous vehicles “within two years” for more than a decade. The story that Teslas will someday drive themselves is key to attracting retail investors to the company.

Tesla’s overvaluation isn’t solely a product of the cult of personality around Musk, nor is it just that its investors can’t read a balance-sheet and so miss the fact that the company is reliant upon selling the carbon-credits that allow gas-guzzling SUVs to fill America’s streets.

Key to Tesla’s claims to eventual profitability was that AVs would overcome geometry itself, and end the Red Queen’s Race whereby adding more cars to the road means you need more roads, which means everything gets farther apart, which means you need more cars — lather, rinse, repeat.

Geometry hates cars, but Elon Musk hates public transit (he says you might end up seated next to “a serial killer”). So Musk spun this story where tightly orchestrated AVs would best geometry and create big cities served speedy, individualized private vehicles. You could even make passive income from your Tesla, turning it over to drive strangers (including, presumably, serial killers?) around as a taxicab.

But Teslas are no closer to full self-driving than Ubers. In fact, no one has come close to making an AV. In a characteristically brilliant and scorching article for Bloomberg, Max Chafkin takes stock of the failed AV project:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-10-06/even-after-100-billion-self-driving-cars-are-going-nowhere

Chafkin calculates that the global R&D budget for AVs has now exceeded $100 billion, and demonstrates that we have next to nothing to show for it, and that whatever you think you know about AV success is just spin, hype and bullshit.

Take the much-vaunted terribleness of human drivers, which the AV industry likes to tout. It’s true that the other dumdums on the road cutting you off and changing lanes without their turn-signals are pretty bad drivers, but actual, professional drivers are amazing. The average school-bus driver clocks up 500 million miles without a fatal crash (but of course, bus drivers are part of the public transit system).

Even dopes like you and me are better than you may think — while cars do kill the shit out of Americans, it’s because Americans drive so goddamned much. US traffic deaths are a mere one per 100 million miles driven, and most of those deaths are due to recklessness, not inability. Drunks, speeders, texters and sleepy drivers cause traffic fatalities — they may be skilled drivers, but they are also reckless.

But even the most reckless driver is safer than a driverless car, which “lasts a few seconds before crapping out.” The best robot drivers are Waymos, which mostly operate in the sunbelt, “because they still can’t handle weather patterns trickier than Partly Cloudy.”

Waymo claims to have driven 20m miles — that is, 4% of the distance we’d expect a human school-bus driver to go before having a fatal wreck. Tesla, meanwhile, has stopped even reporting how many miles its autopilot has mananged on public roads. The last time it disclosed, in 2019, the total was zero.

Using “deep learning” to solve the problems of self-driving cars is a dead-end. As NYU psych prof Gary Marcus told Chafkin, “deep learning is something similar to memorization…It only works if the situations are sufficiently akin.”

Which is why self-driving cars are so useless when they come up against something unexpected — human drivers weaving through traffic, cyclists, an eagle, a drone, a low-flying plane, a deer, even some pigeons on the road.

Self-driving car huxters call this “the pogo-stick problem” — as in “you never can tell when someone will try to cross the road on a pogo-stick.” They propose coming up with strict rules for humans to make life easier for robots.

https://www.theverge.com/2018/7/3/17530232/self-driving-ai-winter-full-autonomy-waymo-tesla-uber

But as stupid as this is, it’s even stupider than it appears at first blush. It’s not that AVs are confused by pogo sticks — they’re confused by shadowsand clouds and squirrels. They’re confused by left turns that are a little different than the last left turn they tried.

If you’ve been thinking that AVs were right around the corner, don’t feel too foolish. The AV companies have certainly acted like they believed their own bullshit. Chafkin reminds us of the high-stakes litigation when AV engineer Anthony Levandowski left Google for Uber and was sued for stealing trade secrets.

The result was millions in fines (Levandowski declared bankruptcy) and even a prison sentence for Levandowski (Trump pardoned him, seemingly at the behest of Peter Thiel and other Trumpist tech cronies). Why would companies go to all that trouble if they weren’t serious about their own claims?

It’s possible that they are, but that doesn’t mean we have to take those claims at face-value ourselves. Companies often get high on their own supplies. The litigation over Levandowski can be thought of as a species of criti-hype, Lee Vinsel’s extraordinarily useful term for criticism that serves to bolster the claims of its target:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/02/02/euthanize-rentiers/#dont-believe-the-hype

Another example of criti-hype: the claims about the risks of ubiquitous drone delivery — which, like AVs, is half-bullshit, half self-delusion:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/08/05/comprehensive-sex-ed/#droned

Today, Levandowski has scaled back his plans to build autonomous vehicles. Instead, he’s built autonomous dump-trucks that never leave a literal sandbox, and trundle back and forth on the same road all day, moving rocks from a pit to a crusher.

$100 billion later, that’s what the AV market has produced.

Image:

Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

Gartner (modified): https://www.gartner.com/en/research/methodologies/gartner-hype-cycle

[Image ID: A chart illustrating the Gartner hype-cycle; racing down the slope from the 'peak of inflated expectations' to the 'trough of disillusionment' is the staring eye of HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey, chased by speed-lines.]

[scotianostra]

29th March 1958 saw the death of Sir William Burrell.

In 1876 William entered the firm at the age of 15, and on his father’s death in 1885 he and his eldest brother George took over the management. the firm was already prospering, but under their shrewd direction it reached a position of international standing in worldwide tramping and in ship management.

Burrell was a collector from an early age, buying his first painting when aged only 15, but it was Glasgow’s industrial ascendancy that would allow him to continue financing his passion for art,  and the added success of the firm his father founded.

Building and buying ships when world markets were weak, Burrell built up and sold two great ocean-going fleets, providing him with the wealth needed to search the world for art and antiquities. Even better, his global shipping contacts meant he knew where and when certain treasures were being auctioned.

Burrell was far from alone in this passion, and as his fellow Glasgow industrialists grew wealthy, they too invested in art – both ancient and modern – to show off to their friends. Where Burrell differed, however, was that he was no show-off.

He was a serious collector, with wide-ranging interests and passions. By 1900 he had become a respected collector in the fields of late Gothic and early Renaissance European art and late 19th century French art.

In 1901, Burrell was one of the largest donors of artworks to the Glasgow International Exhibition. This was an event which left an indelible mark on the city, with the opening that year of the much-loved Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. In 1927, Burrell was knighted for services to art and for his public work.

But Burrell was certainly no snob when it came to his collection. He was a believer in free education for all and wanted the people of his home city to be able to access his fine collection. It’s for this reason that, in 1944, he donated his entire collection to his home city – a collection that contained more than 9,000 items at the time.

Shortly afterwards, Hector Hetherington, then Principal of Glasgow University, famously said of Burrell’s collection that it was:

“One of the greatest gifts ever made to any city in the world”.

By the time of his death in 1958, Burrell had been collecting for 75 years - and what a collection it is. From Chinese and early Islamic ceramics to Late Gothic and Early Renaissance works of art from Northern Europe, including tapestries, stained glass, sculpture, arms and armour, architecture and furniture.

Burrell’s collection takes visitors on a tour of 6,000 years of world history, connecting them to the people who made the exquisite works and to the people who have owned them down the centuries; making exciting new connections through time and place.

At the time of his gift, Burrell had stipulated that any new gallery must be 16 miles from the city centre. This was partly because he believed that a rural setting would show the works to their best advantage, but also to place them far away from possible damage by atmospheric pollution caused by Clydeside's heavy industries and tenement chimneys. By the time of Burrell's death in 1958, a suitable site had still to be found.

That problem was solved in 1966, when Mrs Anne Maxwell Macdonald gifted her family’s 360-acre Pollok Estate to the City of Glasgow. Although a mere four miles from the city centre, it seemed the perfect location for the vast Burrell Collection.

That said, it took a further 17 years, and an international design competition, before architect Sir Barry Gasson’s £20m building opened to the public.

The combination of exceptional art and architecture set within one of Europe’s largest urban green spaces was an immediate success, described by The Glasgow Herald as ‘a magical mystery tour and an aesthetic event rolled into one’. The Burrell Collection has since been a key driver in Glasgow’s transformation from a place of post-industrial decline to one of the great cities of culture.

In October 2016 the building closed for a major £68.25 million refurbishment. The Burrell Collection reopened today, its greatly expanded spaces promise improved access, understanding and appreciation of one of the world’s most extraordinary personal collections.

Pics are of Burrell, the Burrell Collection building and his grave at Largs Cemetery

[walkonwalkonwithhopeinyourheart]

Why Liverpool aren't spending, why that actually makes sense, and why we should be celebrating! via /r/LiverpoolFC

Why Liverpool aren't spending, why that actually makes sense, and why we should be celebrating!

A bit of context: I'm really struggling to read how many people are upset at the transfer related news in the last week. I thought I'd put together a quick post to outline some context of why this is okay, why it even makes sense, and why a number of us just need to remind ourselves of what's happened over the last few years.

For the sake of argument, I've compared Liverpool and Chelsea, but the Liverpool points could be applied against just about anyone. Quick reminder: At this stage, the only confirmed transfer I can think of is Ziyech, but let's just assume Werner is done too. I don't believe anyone else has made a major signing.

Chelsea:

Haven't made any significant signings since 18/19 (like us) due to a transfer ban

Have sold Morata and Hazard for £140m in the same period. (More than the rumored initial outlay Coutinho money we credited for a number of our key signings).

Have not made any major infrastructure upgrades recently

Are owned by a billionaire who's seemingly conscious of not racking up insane amounts of debt, but still ultimately a billionaire who can fund transfers perhaps more fluidly than FSG are willing to

Going through a period of transition with a number of young players (on lower value contracts) in the senior side, alongside the fact that Willian and Pedro (both senior, high value) will be freeing up space on the wage bill. (In Feb, the wage bill was £285m)

Werner (As we're all upset about him) walks into the first team, on 200k per week wages.

Chelsea are in a dogfight for 4th, where we were a few years ago.

Liverpool:

Also haven't made any expensive transfer signings since 2018/19, though I would argue that if Minamino cost £40m, people would be a lot less upset. He was literally a player that we got AHEAD of United, amongst others. We were so excited at the time, stop writing him off.

Since 2018/19, we have given improved contracts to Klopp, Mane, Salah, Henderson, Firmino, Robertson, with VVD, Alisson and Gini all likely to be renewed this summer. Our wage bill earlier this year was £310m (Rumoured to be 2m shy of Real Madrid. Let that sink in.)

We have sold no-one of note since Coutinho. (We have sold less than £80m worth of talent, including loan fees, since we had our summer spending spree in 2018.).

We may have been hoping to generate around £100m revenue from Shaq (<20m), Origi (<£25), Wilson (<£20m), Grujic (<£20m), Lovren (<£10m) and Karius (<£5m), but as it stands, we may not be able to generate half that.

The main stand: £114m. The new training facility: £50m. They are still hoping to re-do the Anfield Road stand in the near future for £60m, which will be being budgeted for.

We are literally the best team in the world, 25 points ahead of 'giants' Manchester City. Werner doesn't walk into our starting line-up, and doesn't get 200k per week because he's not worth what our front three are to us, right now.

AFCON, a driving force behind our need strengthen the frontline, is no longer an urgent concern.

We have owners who expect Liverpool to operate within it's means - that means not getting ourselves into trouble by spending big when it's next to impossible for them to forecast accurately for the next 18 months. Yes, it means a lack of excitement at times, but it also means that whatever happens, our future is much safer than most.

Our new kit deal relies somewhat on the global economy. If people stop buying shirts and gear because they're tightening the belt because of a post-Covid recession, then we lose some of the potential gains we were hoping for.

Now I know people will point towards our success and our tv money as being another source of income, and they're right. But, hopefully, this gives you a holistic view of why right now, we're seemingly sitting tight. There is also something to be said for the fact that we've been told the club is going to review the situation as it develops. To add, since the VVD saga, has made a good habit of keeping their cards pretty close to the chest.

All in all, please stop complaining, please stop panicking. We have awesome owners, who have and are investing in this club. We are 25 points CLEAR and two wins away from being Premier League Champions. We are peaking. Imagine telling yourself two years ago this was where we'd be, you'd have never believed it because it's even better than City were that season, who were said to be the BEST TEAM EVER. We have awesome youngsters we love to boast about, we have Minamino. BELIEVE because they're about to give us what we've wanted for 30 years.

This is one of the greatest times in Liverpool history, and perhaps the greatest Liverpool side of all time, let's enjoy every single moment!

YNWA

P.S. Apologies if the writing is poor.

Submitted June 11, 2020 at 12:08PM by Peterson31 via reddit https://ift.tt/3hidjsr

[architectnews]

Ibis Sendagaya, Shibuya City Tokyo House

Ibis Sendagaya, Shibuya City Homes, Tokyo Real Estate, Japanese Apartments Architecture, Japan Accommodation Photos

Ibis Sendagaya in Tokyo

14 Jan 2022

Architecture: Kompas

Location: Shibuya City, Tokyo, Japan

Photos by Vincent Hecht

Located in a mixed use area in Sendagaya, near the National Stadium in Tokyo, the Ibis Sendagaya project is composed of two floors of tenant spaces and the client’s two-story residence above them. The main challenge of the project is how to accommodate comfortable residential environments and sufficiently profitable tenant spaces within the site constrains, which allowed only 160% of the maximum floor area ratio due to the narrow front street.

Ibis Sendagaya

The client, a family of five who used to live in an ample detached house with a garden, had concerns about the spatial quality of their new house with less available floor area in a denser neighbourhood. Thus, we tried to make it as open and generous as possible by actively incorporating outdoor spaces, despite the difficult site constraints.

Despite the low floor area ratio allowance, the maximum building height of the site Is defined at 20m If the volume is adapted to the complicated shadow calculation.

However, most of the building nearby are kept lower than 10m to avoid extra code compliance processes. While the neighbourhood is relatively dense on the street level for residential use, we found potential open voids to create comfortable environments above the surrounding low buildings. Therefore, the building volume was developed to be taller on the northern side, elevating the duplex residence higher than neighbouring roofs while maximizing the building volume and capturing open views over the surroundings.

Each level’s floor plate is uniquely skewed according to the shadow regulation, usages, spatial sequences, and vertical relationships. This stacking generates shading overhangs and various outdoor spaces such as external hallways and green terraces without interrupting GFA limitations.

Besides the closed building facade along the site boundary accommodating main loadbearing walls, the articulated deep concrete beams allow the façade structure along the terraces to be open and transparent encouraging inside and outside to merge. Large timber window walls recently certificated for fire resistance deliver open and bright interior spaces, unlike typical fireproof buildings required in most of the dense urban areas including this site.

The void space around the building with distributed lush vegetations at each terrace forms a cascade of sequential vertical gardens like a canyon stretching from the bottom courtyard towards the sky.

The resulting structural depth about half a storey deep functions as servant layers between each floor, providing infrastructural supports to the floor below and above such as mechanical space, attic storage, loft, underfloor storage, planting pit, etc., which allows the main spaces to be more open and flexible.

The linear façades around the building’s slab volumes are wrapped by metal bands with repetitive vertical slats like louvers. Their design comes from the positive interpretation of the code requirements forcing a vertical slats design on the rooftop balustrade to conform the shadow regulation. The continuous vertical louvers allow for interplay between openness to the perpendicular views and privacy from the diagonal views besides enhancement of horizontality of the floor layers.

The top floor of the building, the entrance level of the duplex residence accommodates the tall and generous single room with clerestory windows for the living room and kitchen. On the floor below, the triangular hall surrounded by the bookshelves anchor four bedrooms and bathrooms.

Through the fully openable sliding windows at each floor, both the living room and the hall can extend towards the planted terraces and become a part of the living spaces. While the generous stairway with the study corner connects the living room and the hall openly to create a continuous spatial strip, two terraces are also connected through the outdoor stairway surrounded by abundant vegetation. Beyond the clerestory window of the living room, a roof terrace spirals up to the wide slope covered by the artificial turf, resembling an exclusive playground almost floating over the sky.

Openly connected generous spaces create a spatial continuum of inside and outside throughout the duplex and three levels of the terraces, which forms a sort of a ‘three-dimensional loop’ of the living spaces. Various casework and vegetation are distributed along the periphery of this living space loop, creating different characters of the places. Besides joyful kids running around, light, air, view, and all the flow of life and nature circulate seamlessly throughout inside and outside.

Through an elaborate analysis and studies of the site’s conditions and the limitations to make use of Its full potential, a distinctive building resembling a fortress stands out from the urban fabric thanks to Its irregular terraces and lush vegetation. This project is Intended to suggest one way of the approach towards mixed-use development and living spaces In the urban context. At the same time we purely pursued the sort of abundant and enjoyable living spaces where we would almost feel envy the kids growing up there. We hope for the client to enjoy their new life surrounded by the Tokyo skyline.

Ibis Sendagaya in Shibuya City, Tokyo – Building Information

Architecture: Kompas

Project: Tenant Space (1&2f) And Client’s Residence (3&4f) Status: Completed (2021) Location: Shibuya City, Tokyo, Japan Site: 269 Sqm (Max. Far 160%) Building: Reinforced Concrete Structure, 4 Stories Area: 448 Sqm Contractor: O’hara Architectural And Construction, Ltd. Structure: Hsc Mep: Zo Consulting Engineers Landscape: Onshitsu / Yuichi Tsukada

Photography: Vincent Hecht

Ibis Sendagaya, Shibuya City Tokyo images / information received 140122

Location: Shibuya City, Tokyo, Japan, eastern Asia

Tokyo Architecture

Tokyo Architecture Selection

Tokyo Architecture Designs – chronological list

Tokyo Houses

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Japanese Residential Buildings – Selection

House in Yamanashi Prefecture Design: Takeshi Hosaka architects photograph : Koji Fuji / Nacasa&Pertners Inc. House in Yamanashi

Slide House, Koto Ward Design: APOLLO Architects & Associates Co photography : Masao Nishikawa Slide House in Koto Ward

R・torso・C Residence Architects: Atelier TEKUTO photo : Jérémie Souteyrat、SOBAJIMA, Toshihiro R・torso・C Residence in Tokyo

Tokyo Architect Studios : Japanese capital city design firm listings on e-architect – architecture practice contact details

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Comments / photos for the Ibis Sendagaya, Shibuya City, Tokyo page welcome

The post Ibis Sendagaya, Shibuya City Tokyo House appeared first on e-architect.

[olicitysecretsanta]

For: Madalyn, @imusuallyobsessed  Wishing you a very happy holiday season and bright, hopeful New Year! - Jenn @jennonthewire (graphic created for this work: @sharilynn87 )

Twitterpated an olicity AU  

Monday, November 5, 2012

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 2h I just met my future husband. He doesn’t know it yet. We locked eyes in the elevator and he sorta smiled. Obviously, we’re meant to be. Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 2h Replying to @Iris_WestAllen yes, but you didn’t SEE him. Total fire. FUEEEGOOOOOOO. Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 2h Replying to @Iris_WestAllen and @speedster89 Unfortunately, I have no idea who The Husband is IRL but in this dream sequence HE IS MINE. Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 2h Replying to @Iris_WestAllen and @speedster89 I’m not going to worry about him seeing my twitter, Barry. I have all of 11 (wonderful!) followers & it’s private. He’s probably here for a meeting or something. Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 30m THE HUSBAND IS OUR NEW CEO FRAAAAACKKKKKKKKKKKK Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 28m UPDATE 1 FROM THE BATHROOM: JUST MET THE HUSBAND AS IN THE NEWLY APPOINTED CEO AS IN OLIVER FRACKING QUEEN. HOW DID I NOT RECOGNIZE OLIVER MY MIDDLE NAME IS TABLOID PLAYBOY QUEEN.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 27m UPDATE 2 FROM THE BATHROOM: IN CASE ANYONE IS WONDERING: A HAIRCUT, DESIGNER SUIT, AND STUBBLE CAN COMPLETELY CONCEAL YOUR IDENTITY. Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 26m Replying to @speedster89 coming from a guy who wears comic book paraphernalia daily, this means nothing. I’d make a bet you’re wearing a Flash t-shirt under your suit jacket today, but frankly I’m tired of taking your money so easily. Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 25m Update 3 from the bathroom: I am slightly calmer. I definitely did not mention his dead dad within the first two minutes of meeting THE NEW FRACKING CEO BECAUSE YES OF COURSE I MENTIONED HIS DEAD DAD I AM A MONSTER Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 24m Replying to @speedster89 DO NOT TELL ME TO CALM DOWN, ALLEN. DO NOT. Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 22m Replying to @Iris_WestAllen All he said was: “Felicity Smoak? Hi. I’m Oliver Queen.” And then I said, “Oh, I know who you are. You’re Mr. Queen.” And he said, “Mr. Queen was my father. Call me Oliver.” Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 22m Replying to @Iris_WestAllen not done…wait for it…I said: “right, because he died. He’s dead. Your dad. Not that you need to be reminded.” Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 20m Replying to @Iris_WestAllen oh yes, yes I did. Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 18m Poll Will I get fired today? Yes: 80% No: 20% Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 17m Thanks for the vote of confidence guys. Much appreciated ……….. Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 16m Update 3: leaving the bathroom. Must continue working and being a human despite finding and losing future husband due to highly offensive verbal diarrhea and oh, right HE’S MY BOSS

Friday, November 9, 2012

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 1h Update from the bathroom: EPIC FAIL FRIENDS. Almost latte’d the husband’s shoes. Hiding out in bathroom until coast is clear. Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 1h Replying to @Iris_WestAllen I ran into him. Like, directly ran head first into his wall of a chest. And I maybe pet him, just a little. I COULDN’T HELP MYSELF OK. I JUST COULDN’T. Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 1h Replying to @Iris_WestAllen nope, the latte went flying to the floor and I went crashing into the husband - who caught me btw. Excellent reflexes. Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 1h Replying to @Iris_WestAllen I had my hands out in front of me to stop the impending floor collision. So instead of hitting the floor, The Husband caught me. Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 58m Replying to @Iris_WestAllen I pet his suit jacket just a little. You know, smoothing out the wrinkles. And then because it’s me, I. Made. It. Worse.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 55m Replying to @Iris_WestAllen um Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 50m Replying to @Iris_WestAllen  FINE. I maybe said something along the lines of “you’re so hard” and then it spiraled from there…………………….. Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 48m Replying to @Iris_WestAllen thankfully I stopped myself from mentioning his well tailored pants. Early Hanukkah miracle. Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 37m Did I just sexually harass my boss? Should I report myself to HR? What do I do now? Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 30m Poll: Will I get fired today? Yes: 100% No: 0% Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 10m HOLY SHIT. HOLY SHIT. SOS. SOS. MAYDAY. THE HUSBAND REPLACED ABOVE MENTIONED LATTE.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 10m IT WAS WAITING ON MY DESK WITH A NOTE. HOLY SHIT.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 9m I AM DECEASED

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 8m Someone call my mother. Tell her I died. Please don’t let her bury me in sequins.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 6m Replying to @Iris_WestAllen the note said: Fridays are hard. Hope this helps. -O

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 5m Replying to @Iris_WestAllen THIS IS NOT CUTE WEST NOT CUTE AT ALL

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 4m Replying to @Iris_WestAllen and @speedster89 STOP IT YOU TWO I AM SERIOUS HERE. THE HUSBAND WAS IN. MY. OFFICE. HE. BOUGHT. ME. A. LATTE. HE IS STILL MY BOSS WHO I SEXUALLY HARASSED BY ACCIDENT. Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 1m @Iris_WestAllen and @speedster89 are the worst friends ever. 0/10 do not recommend.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 3h That moment when you’re called to the boss’s office and he happens to be your imaginary husband…

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 3h Replying to @Iris_WestAllen no, I did not re-apply my lipstick before going up there. He is still my boss. Give me a little credit.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 3h Replying to @Iris_WestAllen fine, I lied.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 2h Things I Have Learned About The Husband, Volume 1: Blue suit + blue eyes = my death

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 2h Things I Have Learned About The Husband, Volume 2: He apparently thinks INTERNET EXPLORER is a preferable browsing option and does NOT CARE that he is hurting my soul.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 20m Replying to @Iris_WestAllen dollars to donuts, he was not paying attention to my lipstick or anything else I was wearing.

Tuesday, November, 20, 2012

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 8h Adding “Personal Internet Researcher for Oliver Queen” to my resume.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 6h 5pm on the day before Thanksgiving and what am I doing? NOT GETTING ON MY TRAIN TO @Iris_WestAllen @speedster89

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 6h I see you all asking (ok, no one is asking whatever. I’ll just be over here, SHOUTING INTO THE VOID): Felicity, why aren’t you heading to Central City to spend the holiday with your friends?

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 6h Well let me fill you in, Internet Void, since you’ve asked so kindly. I am sitting at my desk surrounded by ABSOLUTELY NO ONE ELSE doing my boss’s job because EEOC and obviously PICNIC.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 5h Tell me why I work here again?

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 5h Replying to @speedster89 yes, Barry. I remember that it’s my job and it pays the bills. And no, boss as in my immediate supervisor and not The Husband who is the Boss of All Bosses.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 5h @Iris_WestAllen @speedster89 sorry again you guys. I wish I was on that train.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 5h Replying to @Iris_WestAllen @speedster89 I love you both, too.

Monday, November 26, 2012

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 2h Called to The Husband’s office this morning for an emergency. Interoffice message said: 911 CEO. Apparently, 2 Master’s degrees from MIT mean you respond when said CEO spills his coffee ALL OVER HIS LAPTOP.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 1h I suppose I should be thankful he didn’t mistake the CD-ROM for a cup holder.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 20m Things I Have Learned About The Husband, Volume 3: Apparently he likes flavored coffee because this computer smells distinctly of blueberry.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 7h Things I Have Learned About The Husband, Volume 4: His sister is gorgeous but I also get the vibe that she could kill a guy with her bare hands. Awesome.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 7h Also, I was able to refrain from talking about The Husband’s chest, eyes, hair, smile, voice, etc. when talking to previously mentioned sister.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 6h Replying to @speedster89 stop knowing me so well, Allen.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 6h Replying to @speedster89 @Iris_WestAllen I maybe sorta kinda just once mentioned his …. package?

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 6h Replying to @speedster89 @Iris_WestAllen I KNOW GUYS. I KNOW.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 6h Replying to @speedster89 @Iris_WestAllen no, his sister just laughed a little? Or more like smirked. And his eyes got really wide like a cartoon and then he just shook his head and smiled at me.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 6h Replying to @speedster89 @Iris_WestAllen don’t know. I ran out of there as fast as possible afterward. Took a detour through accounts payable and customer service just to be safe.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 6h OH SHIT

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 6h Apparently, The Husband’s sister knows where the IT Department is…

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 6h Is it bad that I hid under my desk to avoid her?

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 6h Replying to @speedster89 I have no idea what she wanted Barry, obviously, unless she wants to file a complaint against me???????

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 6h Replying to @speedster89 one would assume, but I don’t knowwwww maybe she wanted to tell me about the complaint first? Look the accused in the eyes or whatever.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 6h Replying to @speedster89 remember how we’ve been over that it’s invalidating when you tell me I’m being crazy and your refusal to acknowledge my anxiety is hurtful?

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 6h Replying to @speedster89 apology accepted. Now, do I report myself to HR before or after my Future Sister-In-Law has the chance?

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 3h Today The Husband called me “remarkable” and I had to refrain from asking him if he’d prefer Bali or Aruba for our honeymoon.

Friday, November 30, 2012

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 5h The world has ended.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 5h Replying to @speedster89 my boss just apologized for making me miss my train on Thanksgiving????

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddes 5h Replying to @speedster89 not in those words exactly, but something about being sorry I had to work late to cover for him??????????? Said he was “informed” but not by who… whaaaaaatt

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 5h Replying to @speedster89 I told you: The. World. Has. Ended. He also approved 2 days of comp time to use whenever I want???!!!???

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 5h Poll: Am I actually being fired and they’re letting me down easy? Yes: 70% No: 30%

Monday, December 3, 2012

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddes 7h Secret Snowflake drawing at the office this morning has yielded Muriel, purveyor of the Secretarial Arts in the department of Distribution and Receiving, 9th Floor.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 5h Replying to @speedster89 seeing as Muriel is 8 years past retirement and thinks faxing is “new fangled,” I think we’re safe with her not using twitter.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 5h Unless my one new follower is Muriel, in which case sorry to spoil your Snowflake surprise: it’s a personalized coffee mug I just ordered from Etsy. Chag Sameach!

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 3h Things I Have Learned About The Husband, Volume 5: His bodyguard has arms the size of bowling balls.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 3h Things I Have Learned About The Husband, Volume 6: He keeps a pair of running shoes under his desk. Apparently, he likes running.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 2h Replying to @Iris_WestAlen I had to reconnect his cables.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 2h Replying to @Iris_WestAllen NOT LIKE THAT PERV

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 2h Replying to @Iris_WestAllen yes, I was under his desk. No, he was not sitting at said desk at the time. He very politely moved to the other side of the room. I just happened to see the sneaks & asked.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 2h Replying to @Iris_WestAllen totally professional small talk.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 2h I definitely did not say “I can tell” when he said he likes to be careful about what he puts in his body.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 2h Replying to @Iris_WestAllen of course I said it. Don’t you know me well enough by now to read my sarcasm via tweet?

Friday, December 7, 2012

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 3h Uh…….?

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 3h Apparently my Secret Snowflake is really into holidays?

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 3h Replying to @speedster89 there are two wrapped gifts on my desk. A shirt box size and another small box.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 3h Replying to @speedster89 because there’s a card that says: A gift for each night. Happy Hanukkah, Felicity. Your Secret Snowflake

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 3h Replying to @speedster89 no idea. Pretty sure that’s why it’s called “Secret Snowflake.” Someone who knows me well enough to know I’m Jewish.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 3h Replying to @speedster89 honestly, not anyone I can think of at QC. I don’t exactly make many friends down here in Mordor.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 2h Replying to @speedster89 @Iris_WestAllen $25 limit but you’re supposed to give little hints throughout the month leading up to the gift exchange at the holiday party. Not that anyone ever guesses since we have 2500 employees but whatever.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 2h Replying to @speedster89 @Iris_WestAllen I made Muriel a singing Christmas card with her grandkids photos I stole off FB & sent under a fake email.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 2h Replying to @speedster89 @Iris_WestAllen I snuck up to the 7th floor break room at lunch and she was telling everyone about it. Apparently it’s a hit with her friends in Boca.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddes 2h Secret Snowflake gift 1: dreidel print pj pants. Super soft and adorable. Idk who you are, Snowflake, but I’m feeling comfy and festive. Toda!

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddes 4h Ok, so… I think my Snowflake has definitely been in my office before, which is leading me to believe it might be someone in my own department.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 4h Replying to @speedster89 I never said “hate” … just, strong dislike. And not “everyone.” There’s like, 2 people who are ok and not completely incompetent.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddes 4h Secret Snowflake gift 2: Barbara Gordon funko!!!!! Oracle will find her new home at the desk of one Felicity Meghan Smoak tomorrow morning!

Monday, December 10, 2012

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddes 8h Considering there’s a tiny wrapped gift on my desk, I’m ruling out anyone in IT as I’m always here first.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 8h Replying to @speedster89 hold your horses, Allen. I’m getting to it. You’re as impatient as the Ancient Greeks in a chariot race.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 8h Secret Snowflake gift 3: A TINY EMOJI KEYCHAIN WITH GLASSES.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 8h Replying to @speedster89 @Iris_WestAllen super cute. Although, I’m pretty sure this adds up to $25 and I don’t know how I feel about my Snowflake going above the spending limit.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 7h Secret Snowflake, who are you?

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 9h Haven’t seen The Husband in exactly one week.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 9h Replying to @Iris_WestAllen I wasn’t implying anything. Just stating facts.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 9h Replying to @Iris_WestAllen of course I would like to see him. His face is stupid attractive, as is the rest of him.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 9h Replying to @Iris_WestAllen obviously there’s more to him than that, Iris! He’s much smarter and insightful than anyone gives him credit for, himself included.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 9h Replying to @Iris_WestAllen He loves his sister and I’m pretty sure his bodyguard is more of his friend than employee meaning he’s good to the people he cares about.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddes 9h Replying to @Iris_WestAllen And he set up a new initiative to bring manufacturing back to the Glades. He’s having the old QC warehouse remodeled. It’ll bring hundreds of jobs to the city.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 9h Replying to @Iris_WestAllen we talk sometimes, when I’m helping with his tech issues. I’ve told you nothing other people wouldn’t notice, too.

Felicity @ghostfoxgodddess 9h Replying to @Iris_WestAllen your gif choice is not appreciated.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 5h Secret Snowflake is a ninja.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 5h I was gone for literally 5 minutes and SOMEHOW A PRESENT HAS APPEARED.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 5h Secret Snowflake gift 4: a pack of red pens. Useful and handy. Smoak approved for all your correction needs.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 6h The novelty has worn off. I hate mysteries. They need to be solved.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 6h Replying to @speedster89 @Iris_WestAllen SECRET SNOWFLAKE SENT AN INTERN WITH MY LUNCH ORDER. AND IT WAS CORRECT. 100% CORRECT.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddes 6h Replying to @speedster89 @Iris_WestAllen EVEN WITH SUBBING ITALIAN DRESSING ON MY CAESAR SALAD INSTEAD OF CAESAR. HOW DID THEY KNOW THAT?????

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 6h Replying to @speedster89 @Iris_WestAllen I did not yell at the intern. I simply asked him to tell me who had sent him with my lunch.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddes 6h Replying to @speedster89 @Iris_WestAllen I was perfectly calm. Until he called me “ma’am.” And then I maybe used my loud voice.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 6h Replying to @speedster89 @ Iris_WestAllen Unclear. He started running before I could ask any more questions.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 6h Touche, Secret Snowflake. I was actually really hungry.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 2h OH MY GOOGLE

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddes 2h Secret Snowflake. What have you done?

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 2h Please tell me you didn’t steal this.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddes 2h Replying to @speedster89 it’s a Pebble.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 2h Replying to @speedster89 no, not like a rock Barry. Seriously?! The Pebble - it’s a wearable. Super innovative tech. Not even AVAILABLE to the public until next year.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddes 2h Forget ninja. My Secret Snowflake is likely a felon. FBI/CIA/NSA if you’re reading this tweet (of course you are), please note in my file: I DO NOT CONDONE THEFT.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 1h This thing is so cool.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddes 1h And by “cool” I meant “hopefully not stolen.”

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddes 20m Replying to @Iris_WestAllen it would cost a small fortune even for a prototype. The kickstarter was set at 150k.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 18m Replying to @Iris_WestAllen someone with a lot of money/connections or a felon. That’s it.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddes 17m Replying to @Iris_WestAllen I don’t know any felons.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddes 16m Replying to @Iris_WestAllen to paraphrase @speedster89 you’re cray cray

Friday, December 14, 2012

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 3h Almost quitting time and no Secret Snowflake. Idk if I’m disappointed or relieved.

Later that evening…

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 1h When the doorbell rings and you think it’s the take-out dim sum you ordered arriving early and it’s actually a note & bottle of red Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1982…

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 1h I’m having a crisis.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 1h Replying to @speedster89 I’m well aware of that, Barry. It’s not just expensive. It’s…frack.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 57m Replying to @speedster89 @Iris_WestAllen I might have mentioned to a certain someone that this particular vintage would be a nice engagement gift for a certain someone’s mother and future step-father.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 56m Replying to @speedster89 @Iris_WestAllen and maybe that certain someone promised a bottle in return for excessive IT support far below her paygrade and skill level that was declined because HELLO EXPENSIVE.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 55m I can’t believe you did all of this.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddes 54m For me.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 53m Replying to Iris_WestAllen yes, I think you were right. Are you happy to hear that now?

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 48m Replying to Iris_WestAllen Thank you. I will try and remember that. You are also amazing and beautiful and badass.

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 10m Secret Snowflake, if you are who I think you might be… then, yes. I’ll be happy to meet you tomorrow night at the holiday party.

December 31, 2014

Felicity @ghostfoxgoddess 10m When The Husband becomes The Fiance…

Oliver @RobinOfLocksley9m Replying to @ghostfoxgoddess I love you.

Thea @QueenofHearts 8m Replying to @ghostfoxgoddess @RobinOfLocksley see what happens when you let me snoop? BOOM. Legitimate Wifey status.

Oliver @RobinOfLocksley Replying to @ghostfoxgoddess @QueenofHearts this is the only time your scheming has ever worked out.

Thea @QueenofHearts Replying to @ghostfoxgoddess @RobinOfLocksley only takes once, brother dear.

Barry @speedster89 Replying to @ghostfoxgoddess @RobinOfLocksley @QueenofHearts told you he’d see your twitter….

[tkmedia]

Paul Pogba and PSG are the perfect match. Pog-bye…

Thanks for your mails over the weekend. Come them coming to theeditor@football365.com… The Pogba debate A collective shrub is right. Paul Pogba came, he dazzled, he faltered, he will go. Meh is right. I wish it wasn’t so but it is looking like it will be so. Blaming United or their fans is silly. He has been given more chances than anybody, more system changes to accommodate him, more attention than anybody. Still he can never consistently done it. I would agree that our team has never fully had all of the tools to make him fully shine. But just after Mourinho’s departure we got to see 4 goals and 4 assists in his first five games. Never before had we seen this form and never again would we. Did Ole decide not to play the way that gets this form? Nope. Did something change for Pogba in order for him to slow down? More likely, because within 2 years we were desperate for Bruno and some impetus from midfield. For me that was the deal breaker. He showed the world what he can do in the right head space and yet that was that. Never again. I would consider him the ultimate luxury player who is perfect for PSG. He has the amazing long passes and the occasional dribble from midfield as well as the potential to score goals. But as you rightfully pointed out, he is a liability. Defensively and in terms of possession. If his hearts not in it, then our entire team suffers. He will go there and for sure make the reels with Neymar, Mbappe and co, and hopefully with Gini and Veratti, as well as 3 world class defenders, can give him the protection his liabilities will no doubt cause. If you can’t be the first pick out of McFred and Bruno, and somebody is offering 45m, snatch their hands off and away you go. I will miss his passing and the five things good you mentioned but not much else. Hopefully his leaving becomes like Trumps ban on Twitter. Where has all this new news space come from?! Au Revoir, Ciao, Goodbye! Calvino (Pogba, Pabgo!) F365 Says: Man Utd won’t change Pogba now – let him go …Pogba was exceptional for Juventus Pogba is exceptional for France Pogba will be exceptional for PSG (if and when he leaves) The problem, my dear friend, is Man Utd Tunji, Lagos Good luck, Varane Man Utd fans should rejoice at the news of Varane transfer. Varane is a solid center back with real pace and ball playing ability. He might not be an intricate passer from the deep, but is one who uses both feet very well, very good in the air and a great attitude to go with them. He will have a bigger impact than Maguire and might actually make Fred a better DM. He will allow United to play high up and make counter pressing a good attacking option for them. I’ve enjoyed watching Ramos and Varane together for the last few years and I’ll be sad to see him go. But he leaves with good wishes, without any ill feeling. Sure, he might have a mistake or two in him, like the ones he committed vs City in CL, but they are far and few between. Real fan in California F365 Features: Every £20m+ signing ever made by a Premier League club Unfathomable Romero I loved him for all he did and for his time there, but my world Sergio Romero is a player I don’t get. He has been recently linked with Chelsea and Juve, to no doubt be there No.2’s. How has a man spent an entire career as a number 2. Especially given the fact he is pretty handy. He did make it to number one for Argentina which makes it even more bemusing. Calvino Kane will go I have no idea but I do have a feeling that the Kane saga was probably already decided and is good to go. The reason it is not yet done is because of Harry’s status at Tottenham and Levy wanting to save face. It will go through near the end and both teams will be worse off for it. Calvino (Just a thought)

Dortmund’s approach Have to say Ved got it spot on re Dortmund. I’ve been wondering about the same for the past few years and he nails it. I saw a comment under the previous Mailbox where Greg said, Well you can’t question Dortmund’s lack of ambition because of their average league position yadda yadda yadda. However, that completely misses the point. We’re talking about a club that has so many talents and have been oh so close to the title the past 10 years (When Bayern, admittedly, slipped up during those times) and yet failed to capitalize on it and win the title even once? I just don’t understand the majority who shrug saying “Ah well, it’s just Bayern and they’re unstoppable innit”. Surely the whole point of a league is to have competition and the fans should be well within their right to expect Dortmund to have seriously challenged for the title and possibly won it at least once since Klopp left? But hey, how dare we suggest fans and clubs have ambition eh! Sid (Bangalore, India) Postcard from Athlone Just wanted to give a special mention this morning to what may have been one of the greatest cup ties ever with one of the greatest goals ever scored last Friday night. FAI Cup 1st Round, Premier Division Waterford versus First Division Athlone Town. 2-0 up, favourites Waterford have a man sent off in the 68th minute. Back come Athlone Town with 3 goals in 13 minutes to lead 3-2 in the 88th minute. Waterford get a last gasp equaliser in the 91st minute to send the tie to extra time. Both managers are subsequently sent off. Enough drama? Nope. In the 122nd minute, 10-man Waterford grab a “winner” with what should be the last kick of the match. 3-4. Game over? Nope. With no time on the clock, Athlone’s ex-Liverpool striker, 21 year old Glen McAuley, shoots directly from the restart from inside his own half. You guessed it. Straight into the top corner. From his own half. 123rd minute and last kick. 4-4 and to pens, where Waterford win 4-2. It was McAuley’s hat-trick goal. And it was his first game for Athlone Town having signed only hours before kick off. A Puskas award contender, especially given the context of the game. So the lad scored a hat-trick on his debut, one of the goals of the decade, scored his pen in the shootout, got the MOTM award…and still ended up on the losing side! Luckily it was all captured on camera. It’s well worth looking up. This must to go in the “Things we loved” section. I’ll put the links here for The Ed. The commentator’s live reaction to the goal in the second link is especially brilliant… OH MY GOD! 🤯 Absolutely incredible goal by Glen McAuley to score his hat trick and equalise for Athlone Town, the game goes to penalties! 😱@AthloneTownAFC 4-4 @WaterfordFCie Sign up 📺 | https://t.co/vfkMjbvRwA#LOITV | #LOI pic.twitter.com/p4lSjUewI6 — SSE Airtricity League (@SSEAirtricityLg) July 23, 2021 OH MY GOD 🤯@irishfantv summed up how everyone was feeling @AthloneTownAFC Stadium last night! A truly magical #FAICup tie 🏆#LOITV pic.twitter.com/5H1c6o56tk — SSE Airtricity League (@SSEAirtricityLg) July 24, 2021 Jonny Read the full article

[awintersail]

Jordan, Egypt and the Suez Canal

April 26.  Once again I am playing catch-up with the narrative of our journey.  We are now sailing from Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy to Algiers, where will will spend a very short day tomorrow, our second consecutive brief stop. We only had six hours in Cagliari, but we used it well.  Yesterday and Tuesday we were berthed in Valletta, Malta, our first European port of the cruise.  Originally, we were to spend only one day in Malta, but the Tunisia port call scheduled for Wednesday was canceled for security reasons, and we picked up an additional half day in Valletta.  We had heard about a month ago that Tunis might be skipped, so it was not a surprise.  As described later, Malta was very nice, so it was a fine place to devote some extra time.

But, not to get ahead of the chronology, back to Jordan and Egypt.  The fact is that we didn’t see much of Jordan except  Petra and the ride through the desert and mountains to and from it.  We docked in Al Aqaba, at the end of the Gulf of Aqaba, which is Jordan’s only coastal city.  It is 4000 years old, but looks fairly modern and is taking advantage of the tourist opportunities afford by Petra and Wadi Rum.  Wadi Rum is where T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) and his Arab army camped before launching a successful attack to drive the Turks out of Aqaba in WW I.  The city shares both land and sea borders with Eilat, Israel to the west, and there is a busy border crossing point here.

It is a 3 1/2 hour drive to Petra, much of it through pretty desolate countryside of sand and jagged rocks.  We climbed to an elevation of 5000’ before descending to Petra at 3000’.  When you get there it is easy to see why only the Bedouins knew it was there until the early 19th Century.  Petra was created by the Nabataeans around the 3d century BCE.  It was positioned on a major trading route, and is thought to have been occupied by 20k people.  Now, it is Jordan’s most visited tourist site

It is about a 2 mile walk from the parking area to the places shown in the pictures.  The route is through a narrow, winding path known as the Siq.  At the end of the Siq, the spectacular Treasury comes into view.   Because the tombs of Petra were carved into sandstone, and because the area formerly was subject to annual flooding, many of the original features have been worn away by wind and water, but it it remains a marvel of ancient craftsmanship.  We were fortunate that it was cooler than normal and with a breeze on this day.

From Jordan, we sailed access the Red Sea to the port of Safaga, Egypt on the west coast.  Safaga was the departure point for our trip to Luxor (Thebes in the ancient world), The Karnak Temple, and The Valley of the Kings.  Again, this was a long drive from the port, but took us through the fertile Nile River valley in addition to many miles of uninhabitable desert.  In Egypt, only the Nile valley and lands irrigated by canals from the Nile, are arable.  This constitutes only a small percentage of the country, and means that the population of 98M is concentrated in Cairo (20M), Alexandria (5M) and the other cities along the river.

Like India, Egypt has more people than it knows what to do with, half of whom are under 24 years old, and many are unemployed.  Also, there are far more males than females in the youth population.  Not a good situation.  One solution appears to be to include them in the security forces.  It is not an overstatement to say that armed men were almost everywhere.  Most of the time, we had police escorts of heavily armed men including plain clothes men with prominent firearms protruding from their blazers.  It avoided traffic jams, but we did not know whether we should feel more safe or less safe because of the security.  Tourism is an extremely important (17%) part of the economy, and an attack on tourists would be extremely bad for business.  But was this merely an excess of caution (or of armed men) or was there need for concern?  I suppose if you hire all the men most vulnerable to recruitment by jihadis, you will reduce the number who are tempted to challenge the military rulers.

Our weather luck did not hold at Karnak and the Valley of Kings.  It was hot and hotter; reportedly 105-110F.  At least 2 people from the ship passed out from the heat.  Despite the heat, this was the best ruin I had never heard of.  This site is 4000 years old, and is remarkably well preserved, given its age.  It is the largest religious building ever built.  Comparing it to Petra shows you the difference between sandstone and granite.  Much detail remains and many of the hieroglyphs have been translated.  Truly amazing.

After Karnak, we crossed the Nile to the Valley of the Kings.  It is a huge complex of underground tombs, only some of which have probably been found.  The ancient Egyptians always placed burial grounds on the west side of the Nile, because that is where the sun sets.  The Pharaohs abandoned pyramids and began creating underground tombs when they realized that a pyramid was mostly a large  marker announcing:  “grave robbers, here’s what you are looking for”.   This dodge only worked a little better, which is why the discovery of King Tut’s tomb at this location in 1922 was such a big deal.  It was still intact and the treasures were undisturbed.  There has been nothing like it, before or since.  Tut’s mummified body is displayed n the tomb, as is one of the sarcophagi which covered him.  The remaining items are in the Cairo Museum which we visited 2 days later.  Photography is not permitted in Tut’s tomb, but the other 3 open sites can be photographed.  They include colors which were applied 3500 yers ago and are still bright.

On the next day we took a break from the heat and snorkeled in the Red Sea at Sharm el-Sheikh.  As advertised, the fish and coral here were beautiful: far better than The Great Barrier Reef.  Sharm, as the natives call it, is quite beautiful, and used to be a favorite beach resort for Egyptians and Europeans.  It has a casino and many hotels of all prices.  And, it is pretty affordable.  Unfortunately, in recent years the political instability and fear of terrorists has kept many tourists away.  Our snorkel guides said business is starting to rebound.

The entire day on Friday (April 20) was spent going through the Suez Canal.  Because there are no locks, and the surrounding countryside is mostly desert, this was not very interesting.  We did see the new part of the canal which was recently opened to permit two-way traffic in a portion of it.

On Saturday, we docked in Alexandria, and immediately departed the ship for another all-day bus ride to Cairo, the Pyramids at Giza, and the Sphinx.  Giza is on the west side of the Nile opposite Cairo.  As you might be able to see in the pictures, the city has crept to within a few hundred yards of the Pyramids. Despite the ever-present garbage in Cairo, the historical sites are pretty-well kept, at least by developing world standards.  However, like everyplace we went in Egypt, there were hundreds of people trying to sell us “stuff”, or camel rides, or donkey rides, or offering to take our photo for a tip.   Everything was “a dollar”, until you agreed to a dollar and then the price went up.  These places finally put me into vendor overload.

The Sphinx is right next to the Pyramids, so it did not take long to see it.  It is undergoing restoration, which is partly completed.

As noted earlier, we went to the Cairo Museum, which will soon be the old Cairo Museum.  It is filled with antiquities, but the big attraction is the King Tut display which occupies a large part of the second floor.  Pretty nice.  Lots of people were here but we could have used a couple more hours to see it all.  

Between the museum and our visit to Giza, we had lunch on a Nile River cruise boat as it motored through Cairo.  Lunch was good.  We had 4 police escort boats.  Like I said, lots of security.

Egypt shows signs of entering the world of developed nations but still has a long way to go.  Literacy among the young exceeds 90%, Internet access is widespread, and college graduation rates are high. However, there are no jobs for those graduates.  Birth rates are still too high.  And to make a bad situation worse, 135K Syrian refugees have come to Egypt.  On the other hand, in the rural areas, horse and donkey carts were plentiful, and people were harvesting wheat by hand.  It is as if the 21st century is struggling to emerge from the 19th century.  

That’s all for today.  More soon on Malta and Sardinia.

[architectnews]

Aberdeen Art Gallery Building Redevelopment

Aberdeen Art Gallery Redevelopment, Building Project Photos, Design News, Property Images

Aberdeen Art Gallery Building

Major Renewal Project in North East Scotland design by Hoskins Architects

2 September 2021

RIAS Awards Winners in 2021

RIAS Awards Winners in 2021

photos © Dapple Photography

6 Mar 2021

Hoskins Architects Win at Civic Trust Awards

With two projects among just 40 winners from around the globe, Hoskins Architects are thrilled to have won the National Panel Special Award, for our transformational project at Aberdeen Art Gallery. Our project at Strawberry Field, a visitor and training centre for young people with learning disabilities, for the Salvation Army, was also a winner in the Selwyn Goldsmith award.

Hoskins Architects Civic Trust Awards

photos © Dapple Photography

31 Aug 2016

Aberdeen Art Gallery Building News

Construction Work Starts on Aberdeen Art Gallery Building

Design: Hoskins Architects, Glasgow

photo © Dapple Photography

Work has started on the interior fit-out of Aberdeen Art Gallery by Glasgow’s Hoskins Architects. The £30m redevelopment converts the A-listed building into an arts venue.

The project includes 21 new exhibition and display galleries as well as improved visitor facilities alongside transformation of Cowdray Hall into a performance space and refurbishment of the Memorial Hall as a place of quiet contemplation.

To accommodate these functions a new wing will be built to the rear whilst a pitched roof and parapets on the main building will make way for a new sculptural copper-clad penthouse level hosting temporary galleries and a learning zone.

This extension will make the most of its elevated position to include rooftop terraces offering expansive views across the city centre.

Aberdeen City Council’s deputy leader Cllr Marie Boulton said it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to achieve something really special for Aberdeen by forming a world-class cultural centre.

Completion of the works is due for 2017.

17 Nov 2009

Aberdeen Art Gallery Building – Redevelopment News

Aberdeen Art Gallery Building Redevelopment

image from architect

The £20m Aberdeen Art Gallery project, part funded by the McBey Trust, includes the reconfiguration of the existing Gallery and Cowdray Hall to provide improved access, circulation and facilities.

image from architect

The architecture practice’s initial proposals also include the addition of new extensions to the rear of the complex of buildings to provide improved back of house facilities and at roof level to provide new conditioned gallery spaces. In addition to providing new gallery spaces, the aim of the contemporary rooftop element, coupled with the reconfiguration of the street to form a new public arrival space is to increase the presence and perception of Aberdeen Art Gallery and the accessibility of its collections to a wider audience.

image from architect

These competition proposals will be now be explored and tested further through an initial design study with Aberdeen Art Gallery staff and the public to then develop a detailed scheme through to completion. GHA head up a team consisting of Buro Happold, Davis Langdon, Spiers & Major, Andrew Wright (conservation architect/advisor) and Ailsa PM.

Aberdeen Art Gallery renewal design : Gareth Hoskins Architects – 5 Nov 2009

Aberdeen Art Gallery Redevelopment Study

Award winning architects have designs on art gallery Award-winning architects Gareth Hoskins Architects of Glasgow have been chosen to create a design study to ensure Aberdeen Art Gallery is fit for purpose for the 21st century. Today’s announcement marks the first stage in an exciting project to modernise and enhance Aberdeen Art Gallery as it celebrates its 125th anniversary in 2010. The firm’s clients include the Victoria & Albert Museum, The National Trust for Scotland and the National Museums of Scotland.

photograph : Mike Davidson, Positive Image

Given the Art Gallery’s pivotal position close to His Majesty’s Theatre, the Belmont Picturehouse, citymoves, the Central Library and Union Terrace Gardens, the ongoing development of a cultural quarter will be enhanced by the development. This design study phase will be financed by the Marguerite McBey Trust, which was established in May 2001 to disburse the bequest of Mrs McBey to fund projects which promote contemporary art and the work and life of her husband, the celebrated artist, James McBey. The Trust also supports the wider work of the Art Gallery & Museums Service.

photo : Mike Davidson, Positive Image

The Marguerite McBey Trust is chaired by Dr Ian McKenzie Smith CBE, past president of the Royal Scottish Academy. There will be an opportunity for members of the public, cultural organisations and business partners to be involved in shaping the outcome of the Design Study. The aims of the design study include:

” an art gallery complex fit for the foreseeable future;

” a design which will retain and celebrate the best features of the existing gallery complex, while also finding contemporary ways of ensuring that the finished Aberdeen Art Gallery continues to be an increasingly popular destination and exhibition space. It is expected that the design solution itself, which, will be exciting and innovative, will encourage new visitors, to the Art Gallery;

” modernising the gallery to provide appropriate improved areas for educational and research space;

” providing areas designed to stimulate groups of schoolchildren during the day which can be, used in the evening as a venue for corporate events or lectures;

” revitalising the McBey Room and Library, which is seen as central to the design plans;

” providing an area where visitors can access collections by computer;

” the consideration of demolishing the rear office extension and replacing it with a new service area;

” addressing identified deficiencies in access for the disabled, the lack of a public lift, poor provision of public facilities and toilets, high quality retail and catering options;

” providing controlled, cool environments in all new space/volumes, to provide a suitable environment for art loans from around the world as well as the gallery’s permanent collection;

” improving The Cowdray Hall.

photo : Mike Davidson, Positive Image

The process of inviting interested parties to bid for the commission began last year. Information packs were issued to 40 architectural and design practices. 18 responses were received by the closing date. These submissions were evaluated and a shortlist of six organisations was invited to present their submissions in more detail. It is currently estimated that the redevelopment of the Aberdeen Art Gallery site will cost around £20 million. It is expected that the redevelopment project will be eligible for external grants and funds.

photo © Adrian Welch

Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums Manager Christine Rew said: “I am delighted that Gareth Hoskins Architects has been awarded the Design Study for the Art Gallery. “The practice has a great reputation for developing innovative and sympathetic design solutions for museums and historic buildings. I know they will propose an exciting scheme for the Art Gallery and give us a building we can be proud of.”

Chairman of The McBey Trust Dr Ian McKenzie Smith CBE said: “Marguerite McBey loved Aberdeen Art Gallery and was a good and generous friend to us for many, many years. I know she would have been delighted that her bequest is helping fund such a creative and far-sighted solution to the development of the building for the 21st century.”

Vice Convener of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee Martin Greig said: “Aberdeen City Council has a strong tradition in promoting the arts for all ages and backgrounds. The Art Gallery is held in great affection by Aberdonians. We are right to be proud of this magnificent museum of art treasures that has been carefully built up over centuries of careful collecting and generous donations.

Councillor Greig added: “The funding from the McBey Trust is greatly welcomed and much appreciated. This funding is enabling the council to find ways of enhancing this key cultural asset so that generations to come can enjoy the marvellous items in our constantly growing collection. “The city’s art and museum treasures are jewels in its crown. Aberdeen needs to make the most of what we have to protect and enhance the quality of life of citizens and to make sure that Aberdeen is an attractive and desirable place in which to live. “Artistic enjoyment is not an optional extra.

The state of the art gallery is vital for the well being of the city and reflects the kind of life we want for the city and the standards by which we want to be judged by visitors.” Gareth Hoskins of Gareth Hoskins Architects said: “Aberdeen Art Gallery possesses a world class collection. Whilst well known and loved by its established local audience, the existing gallery building presents real difficulties in terms of the display and importantly the accessibility of these collections. “This project presents us with a real opportunity to rethink how people access and experience the wonderful internal spaces of the gallery and how these can be reconfigured and extended to open up the collections to a wider audience and reinforce the gallery’s public presence as a destination within the city.”

Aberdeen Art Gallery Redevelopment information from Aberdeen City Council

Aberdeen Art Gallery Address

Aberdeen Art Gallery Schoolhill Aberdeen AB10 1FQ

Contact Aberdeen Art Gallery: +44 (0) 1224 523700 Admission free

Aberdeen Art Gallery Opening hours Tue – Sat 10am – 5pm Sun 2pm – 5pm Closed Mon (Please always check with the operator)

Location: Schoolhill, Aberdeen, AB10 1FQ, Scotland

Architecture in Aberdeen

Aberdeen Architecture Designs – chronological list

Aberdeen Art Gallery 1905 A. Marshall Makenzie

Elegant Scottish arts buildings with beautiful atrium and a strong collection of art. Adjoining building to west:

Cowdray Hall 1923-25 A. Marshall Makenzie & Son photo © Adrian Welch

Art Gallery Architecture

Gareth Hoskins Architects

Set up in 1998, Gareth Hoskins Architects – architects for the Aberdeen Art Gallery Renewal – is recognised as one of the leading architectural practices in the UK. The practice’s 30 strong team have worked on a wide range of prominent projects ranging from the new Culloden Battlefield Memorial Centre to the Scottish Pavilion for the Scottish Government at the International Architecture Biennale in Venice.

The practice’s engaged approach and the creative design solutions that come out of this have been recognised through a series of international exhibitions and awards. In 2006 the practice were the first Scottish practice to be named as UK Architects of the Year and this year were named as Architectural Practice of the Year at the Scottish Design Awards.

Donald Trump Golf Resort Masterplan designer : Gareth Hoskins Architects

Comments / photos for the Aberdeen Art Gallery Redevelopment page welcome

Website: www.aagm.co.uk/Venues/AberdeenArtGallery

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