Month: August 2016

Your Soul Shines Through Which Part Of You?

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Our soul is at the same time the most volatile part of ourselves, but also the part that defines us. We cannot see the soul with our eyes, but we can see it filtered through our actions.

This quiz, is meant to help you understand through which part of you your soul is visible. You shouldn’t take it ad literam, but rather in a poetic way. As in “Your soul shines through your feet!” , that means that you have an adventurous spirit.

soul_shinesTake this quiz now to find out through which part your soul shines!

Your Soul Shines Through Which Part Of You?
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Leave a comment below to tell us what you’ve got!

The post Your Soul Shines Through Which Part Of You? appeared first on Change your thoughts.

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Matterbetter Announces Winners of Syria: Post-War Housing Competition

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Courtesy of matterbetter

Courtesy of matterbetter

Competition platform matterbetter has announced the winners of its Syria: Post-War Housing Competition for architectural students and professionals. The competition, initiated earlier this year, called for solutions to the housing scarcity crisis in Syria, “which will affect the country as more and more cities of the war-torn country will be freed and refugees will start to come back.” 

With refugee camps around Europe and other countries in generally poor conditions, and Syrian towns in ruins, one solution to the housing crisis becomes the creation of living conditions that are attractive for once-displaced Syrians to return. The competition asked for a new housing concept that would be able to permanently accommodate people in need of a new home and new life in Syria.

Out of 245 submissions, matterbetter selected three winners, each of which was awarded a cash prize, there were also nine honorable mentions.

The winners of the Syria: Post-War Housing Competition are:

First Place: Endless Future Project /Marta Gayoso, Alfredo De Luca, Elena Guidetti, Giulia Gorgo; Spain and Italy


Courtesy of matterbetter

Courtesy of matterbetter

Second Place: Spring From Debris /Laura Serrano Romero, Marina Sánchez Guzmán, Martti Antonio Oliva Koskela, Emin Bekmezci; Spain and Turkey


Courtesy of matterbetter

Courtesy of matterbetter

Third Place: Back Home. Shards of Memories / Valerio Croci, Vincenzo Demasi, Fabrizio Esposito, Roberta D’Agrosa, Costanza Galli; Italy


Courtesy of matterbetter

Courtesy of matterbetter

Honorable Mention: House100 / Nemanja Mitrović, Đina Prnjat; Montenegro


Courtesy of matterbetter

Courtesy of matterbetter

Honorable Mention: Cultivated Legacy / Hugo Lebrunet, Clément Loyer, Ulysse Zehnlé; France


Courtesy of matterbetter

Courtesy of matterbetter

Honorable Mention: Extended Citadel / Giacomo Caputo; Italy


Courtesy of matterbetter

Courtesy of matterbetter

Honorable Mention: Top-Down Regeneration / Aleksandar Stanicic, Andrea Jelic; Italy


Courtesy of matterbetter

Courtesy of matterbetter

Honorable Mention: Phoenix / Petar Tomas, Tijana Perović, Jelica Babić; Montenegro


Courtesy of matterbetter

Courtesy of matterbetter

Honorable Mention: Typical Block/Lemon / Gordana Vujovic , Elzana Husovic, Nina Culafic; Montenegro


Courtesy of matterbetter

Courtesy of matterbetter

Honorable Mention: El Pati / Lukas Fertig, Matthias Knab; Spain and Germany


Courtesy of matterbetter

Courtesy of matterbetter

Honorable Mention: Therapeutic Decay / Hancheng Chen, Hsing-O Chiang; Taiwan


Courtesy of matterbetter

Courtesy of matterbetter

Honorable Mention: Gabion Block / Aleksandr Kelkh, Dmitrii Kupressov, Tatiana Kan, Vladimir Sorokin; Russia


Courtesy of matterbetter

Courtesy of matterbetter

Learn more about the winners here. 

News via matterbetter.

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Las Vegas – Nevada – USA (by Graeme Maclean)

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Las Vegas – Nevada – USA (by Graeme Maclean)

me-lapislazuli: Lunar Dawn | by DustinLeFevre1 |……

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me-lapislazuli:

Lunar Dawn | by DustinLeFevre1 |… http://ift.tt/1TfKwFu

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6 Important Things You Need To Know About Personal Loans

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If you’re in need of immediate cash and have a decent credit score, most banks and NBFCs will be willing to offer you a Personal Loan. Personal Loan eligibility varies from one lender to another and is based on your income, credit score, age, and financial stability. You also need to possess important documents like KYC certificates, salary slips, and IT return forms.

People apply for Personal Loans for a lot of reasons. You can use a personal loan to invest in business, pay for unexpected medical expenditures, and even to fund your vacations.

Here are a few things that you ought to know before you apply for a Personal Loan.

It’s Unsecured

Personal Loan is an unsecured debt and you don’t need a collateral to avail one. So, if you default, you don’t stand to lose much . However, it will reflect poorly on your credit score and might diminish your chances of getting another loan in the future.

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Realising the power and connectivity of the internet, banks and NBFCs have made it easy to apply online for a Personal Loan. You don’t need to visit a financial institution to apply for the loan or even to get it approved. You just need to fill up an online form and a representative will end up at your doorstep to collect documents and save you a lot of time and energy.

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Such loans get approved within minutes and once sanctioned, the money gets credited to your account in 3-4 days.

See Also: Should I Get a Loan? : Ask Yourself These Questions

It’s Easy and Convenient

financial institutions

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Your Personal Loan amount depends on your eligibility, credit score, and income. As a rule of thumb, the higher your income and credit score, the more you can borrow. A few banks and NBFCs also have a limit on the amount of money you can borrow through a personal loan. However, most of the time that limit is enough to generate enough capital for emergencies, and any situation which would otherwise require you to liquidate your assets.

Interest Rate Stays Fixed (usually)

Most of the financial institutions offer a lock-in interest rate and this stays the same throughout the loan period. If you have a good credit score, you can bargain for a lower rate of interest. Whatever is fixed at the time of loan approval is what you pay throughout the loan tenure.

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There are, however, a few financial institutions that offer a floating rate of interest for Personal Loans. Although floating rates of interest are lower than the fixed ones, they are subject to market conditions and may increase all of a sudden.

Shop around for Personal Loan offers that come with a low rate of interest. Also, go for banks and NBFCs that offer Personal Loans at a fixed rate of interest to ensure that your monthly payments don’t fluctuate.

A Fixed Repayment Period

The repayment period of a Personal Loan is fixed before your loan is sanctioned. The tenure varies from lender to lender and the length of the repayment period will dictate the rate of interest that you’ll be offered. In some cases, even for a shorter repayment period, your lender might charge you a higher lending rate.

Though the repayment period is fixed, some banks and NBFCs have come up with options to make the tenure flexible. If you have managed to gather enough funds to pay off a major part of your loan, your lender may allow part prepayment to reduce the tenure and the loan principal amount. As a general rule of thumb, look for lenders who allow you to prepay a part of your loan without charging any extra fee.

Other Charges

other charges

Apart from the interest charges, there are some other charges that you might have to bear when you apply for a Personal Loan.

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A processing fee is charged on completion of the loan procedure. It’s usually non refundable and is a minor percentage of the total loan amount.

Some banks and NBFCs charge prepayment penalty as they lose out on the interest they were supposed to earn.

A few financial institutions might even charge you for documentation, issue of duplicate statements, and may issue a late fee if you don’t clear your EMIs on time.

While looking for lenders, make sure you keep all these charges in mind and ask your bank or NBFC to elucidate any hidden charges that they may have. If you’re lucky you’ll get a lender who doesn’t ask for a processing fee. However, keep in mind that processing fee is generally charged by all financial institutions, and you first look for lenders who don’t charge the rest.

Potential Risks

With a credit card, you can pay off your debt over an unprecedented period of time but with a Personal Loan, the repayment period is fixed. While this is good as you can pay off your debt faster, you can land into legal trouble if you don’t pay the loan within the tenure mentioned in the contract.

Since there is no collateral involved, your lender can sue you in court. Also, you’ll get blacklisted and it would be tough for you to apply for a loan in the future.

See Also: Home Loan Tips: 5 Things To Avoid After Getting Your Home Loan Sanctioned

Paying the EMI on time is also mandatory as defaulters lose a lot of points from their credit scores, which, in turn, affects their future loan transactions.

Borrowing a Personal Loan is a great way of overcoming periods of financial strain. So, if you’re planning to take a Personal Loan, these are some of the things that you need to keep in mind. Also, ensure that you choose the right lender and research thoroughly before approaching one for a Personal Loan.

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Ruined “cultural palace” in Romania revived by architect Vlad Rusu

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Romanian architect Vlad Rusu has resurrected a “cultural palace” that was originally built in the 1930s but has sat in ruin for 20 years after being ravaged by fire (+ slideshow). (more…)

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A Contemporary Villa at the Water’s Edge in Rijpwetering, The Netherlands

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Villa Rijpwetering by DENOLDERVLEUGELS Architects (15)

Villa Rijpwetering is a residential project designed by DENOLDERVLEUGELS Architects & Associates in 2015. It is located in Rijpwetering, The Netherlands. Villa Rijpwetering by DENOLDERVLEUGELS Architects & Associates: “In 2015 this house was build on a compact plot at the waters edge of the ‘Kaag’ in Rijpwetering, The Netherlands. The footprint of the house and terraces fills almost the entire plot. It is living quality condensed in a unique form…

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I-CAT Offices and Warehouse / Earthworld Architects & Interiors

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© DOOK Photography

© DOOK Photography


© DOOK Photography


© DOOK Photography


© DOOK Photography


© DOOK Photography

  • Collaborators: DFL Engineering / JC van der Linde & Venter

© DOOK Photography

© DOOK Photography

From the architect. The Client’s brief was to create a flagship building based on ecological sustainable principles which would showcase their philosophy toward the natural environment. Thus, the design response was a building that would be sustainable on all three levels; ecological, socially and economical. Understanding that these three pillars of sustainability influences one another, the objective was to find a balance. 


© DOOK Photography

© DOOK Photography

Passive systems like orientation, shading, natural ventilation and lighting were carefully considered to create a good static basis. These systems would ensure a broader comfort zone for users. The building was orientated directly north and a courtyard was created on the southern side of the building. The northern overhang allows for winter heat gain and summer shading, while the southern façade allows for ample natural light.


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Dynamic systems were built around the passive basis to further broaden the comfort zone of users on exceptional days. A grid tied photo-voltaic system was designed to deal with the day to day energy demand of the building and also to absorb the mechanical ventilation energy demand used occasionally.  Rainwater from the roofs is collected and stored in a large underground water tank buried in the courtyard. Municipal water is also stored in the tank from where it is taken to a small water filter station located in the warehouse.


© DOOK Photography

© DOOK Photography

The building was also designed to keep maintenance to a minimum, materials were kept as natural as possible for this reason. A monolithic face brick wall creates a bold street façade which is broken up with a punched steel window frame and also by special bricks that create an integrated woven fabric to specific areas. A horizontal concrete box frames the glazing on the northern façade which acts as a light shelf, also protruding to inward to act as desk shelving. A timber pole and thermo-treated pergola structure floats above the southern courtyard which consists of grass blocks, planted areas, timber decks and a linear koi pond.  Fever trees are planted in the courtyard and will in time grow through the pergola structure. A spiral staircase extends from here to the roof garden which gives an aerial overview of the pergola and courtyard.


© DOOK Photography

© DOOK Photography

The intention with I-CAT’s new office interior was to not conform to the conventional approach of interior design but to assure that the spaces resonate with the same principals of the envelope. Questioning the predictable use of partitioning was the main objective. Instead of regular drywalls, plywood partitioning has been designed.


© DOOK Photography

© DOOK Photography

All the furniture and finishes have been well-considered and evaluated according to a sustainability rating. Materials were kept as natural as possible, without any superficial finishing and coverings which, together with the ample natural lighting, results in an interior that is beautifully light, simple and honest.


© DOOK Photography

© DOOK Photography

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A 3,700-Square-Foot Single-Family Residence Made of Recycled Materials in Dallas

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Casa Linder by Buchanan Architecture (8)

Casa Linder is a residential project completed by Buchanan Architecture. Covering an area of 3,700 square feet, it is located in Dallas, Texas, USA. Casa Linder by Buchanan Architecture: “Casa Linder is a 3,700 square foot single-family residence located in a well-established, but transitional East Dallas neighborhood. Informed by the owner’s fondness for reclaimed materials, and inspired by the historic architecture of the Texas Blackland Prairie homestead vernacular, Casa Linder..

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lsleofskye: Zion National Park http://ift.tt/1oWGGEt

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Zion National Park http://ift.tt/1oWGGEt

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