Villa Tranquille is a private residence designed by ARTELABO. Completed in 2015, it is located in Gignac, France. Villa Tranquille by ARTELABO: “The « Villa Tranquille » or « Quiet House », designed by Artelabo is located on tiny plot of land with a gorgeous view on the Hérault Valley. The overall geometry of the house is based on a repeated sequence of four volumes, inscribed in a regular pattern,..
How smart are you? Do you ever wonder? We all have special skills, talents, degrees in certain areas and expertise in loads of things, but are you smart? Too many of us don’t give ourselves enough credit when it comes to our intelligence. Some even go so far as to say they are dumb or not smart enough. It’s time we start telling ourselves we, in fact, are smart. Very smart.
There is no need to go on about how smart you aren’t or think you aren’t, we are going to go straight into the reasons why you are actually smarter than you think. Call it a wee bit of an ego boost too but not in a bad way. Here are 10 signs you are smarter than you think.
You hang with smart people. That makes you smart too. Know why? Because you have the sense enough to know not to hang around the losers. Hanging with the smart group, also shows that you are keen to learn all kinds of things. Good for you.
You are always trying.
You keep plugging away at ideas, goals, new inventions or what have you. You never give up and you are always trying to give life to ideas. If something doesn’t work, you try something else. You don’t let failures set you back. You just keep at it.
In touch with the world. You stay in touch and in tune with current affairs. World news, neighbourhood news, community events. You like to be in the know all the time. You also like to stay on top of social media trends as this is where you get even more news. This way you can share what you are following.
You get the value of money.
You understand that you can still purchase quality items at a reduced price. You like to bargain shop without compromising quality of the product and you also know how to put aside for a rainy day. Many don’t. Kudos to you.
Give credit where credit is due.
Too often you won’t take the credit for a great idea or plan and pass it over to someone else. Fact of the matter is, you did it, and it was because of your smarts that this project came to fruition. Give yourself more credit my friend. You are smart.
Roll with it.
If something goes wrong, you don’t fly off the handle and get upset about it. You take the time to find out what went wrong, what did you miss and what can you do better next time. Is there someone maybe you need to call in for help on this one? You’ll find that person. Which brings us to the next point.
Call for help.
You know when it’s time to call in the reinforcements because nothing you are doing is helping the project. You understand that you can’t fix and do everything yourself and you aren’t so stubborn that you won’t call for help.
Watch and learn.
You have a thirst for knowledge. While watching someone do something you take mental or written notes to make sure that next time, you may be able to do this yourself. you are a sponge and love to learn all kinds of new things, even fun hobby like things like painting or scrapbooking.
You’re not fond of negativity or making enemies.
You like to stay positive and not upset the apple cart. You know enough to walk away from a situation if you know it is going to jeopardize your peace of mind or happiness. You have no time for that nonsense.
Drama free zone.
You don’t get caught up in gossip or silly small talk about meaningless stuff that doesn’t interest you. You want to talk about important, exciting and interesting stuff. Your brain is a sponge, right? You like to keep it filled with things that could quite possibly turn into something wonderful for you.
If you recognize yourself in one, any or all of these, you’re smarter than you think. Pat yourself on the back and hold your head up high. And start giving yourself more credit.
Spanish architecture studio Pauzarq has designed a concept store in San Sebastián with wood-lined archways that resemble the outlines of houses (+ slideshow). (more…)
In a very narrow assembled building plot the house tries to formulate its architectural idea from the barriers and disadvantages of the split. Only by the self-conscious positioning to the access road in the south and the distance indulgence granted by a neighbor, the densification of the plot was ever possible. On this strip of land which is steeply sloping north to the Lohbach (small stream), from then on an elongated rectangular blank develops over 3 stories vertically into the air.
On the ground floor a small studio is enrolled, which uses the few level surface of the exterior area. Cooking and eating is a floor above. There you sit comfortably protected and privatized either at a table inside or in a small loggia.
Topmost are the living room and fireplace under a sheltering, uniting gabled roof. Strategically placed openings stage different views to the lake, the river and back to the village. The fenestration of the house generates a pleasant pulse of light and darker areas. The opening portion of the façade, deeming appropriate, prevents the spatial flow out of the interior. The windows communicate in a proven way to the outside and privatize at the same time life in the house in a pleasant way.
The house has a massive core zone of concrete. Outwardly to wall and roof completes a wooden mantle from vertical wood elements. The classic theme of a solid characterful center of the house is operated, which includes the stove, the kitchen and the bathrooms. Opposite, towards the windows it becomes continuous wooden, more tender, lighter. The spatial compression of the interior widens softly, with differentiated transitions, to the exterior.
Outdoor the facade with its black coloring engages in the immediate vicinity to still prevailing images of sunburned agricultural huts. Because of the pushing back of agricultural use in Vorarlberg’s Rhine Valley, too few of these relics have remained.
Yarraville Garden House is a private residence designed by Guild Architects. Completed in 2015, it is located Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Yarraville Garden House by Guild Architects: “This family home in Yarraville celebrates sun, seasons and togetherness, drawing in abundant light, making the most of the leafy garden, and introducing multiple spatial opportunities for family and friends to engage with. The existing home and site presented a number of challenges common..
Celebrating the 100th Birthday of Our National Park Service!
When Yellowstone National Park became the first national park in the
United States in 1872, there was no one to oversee its
maintenance. From this beginning, a steady movement grew to embrace the
country’s unique natural beauties.
Today, we can witness these natural beauties from space, courtesy of Expedition 48 commander, astronaut Jeff Williams, from aboard the International Space Station.
Death Valley National Park
This is the commander’s view of Death Valley, taken from the station in early August 2016.
Everglades National Park
Williams captured the beauty of Florida Bay in the Everglades National Park, focusing on the Crocodile Sanctuary, a protected
wildlife
area.
Glacier Bay
Sail down the Ice Ages at Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. From Tarr Inlet Tidewater glacier to Sitakaday Narrows.
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand indeed, here’s the Grand Canyon National Park seen from the International Space Station. Even from space, it took 13 pictures merged together to capture all 277 miles in this fly over.
Yosemite National Park
From visionary leaders of the movement, who worked to create and manage national parks like Teddy Roosevelt to Charles Young, the first African American park superintendent, Congress heeded the call and passed the National Park Service Organic Act, creating the National Park Service (NPS). One hundred years ago today, on August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the bill into law.
Assisting Architects: Göran Hellquist and Jonas Ruthblad
Courtesy of Snøhetta
BUILDING DESIGN by FOJAB arkitekter
When electrons accelerated close to the speed of light are forced to change course from its linear direction, they release energy which transforms to soft and hard x-rays – synchrotron light – that can be used for examination of the material characteristics on molecule level. This kind of radiation was first observed in an accelerator at the laboratories of General Electrics at the end of the 1940s. The technique was further developed at Stanford University at the beginning of the 1950s. The first storage ring for synchrotron light in Sweden was MAX I built in the middle of the 1980s. The storage rings MAX II and MAX II were taken in use in 1996 and 2006. Today there are about 50 synchrotron light laboratories world-wide.
In 2009 Lund University decided to build a new laboratory, MAX IV, and prepared documents for public tender. A consortium of the contractor Peab and the real estate company Wihlborgs won the tender and formed the real estate company ML4 for the construction and letting of the laboratory to Lund University. Five architects were invited to compete for the design of the buildings and the landscape. In the autumn 2010 FOJAB architects were commissioned the design of the buildings. Snøhetta architects were commissioned the design of landscape. Both architects have worked closely together to achieve a symbiotic relation between landscape and buildings.
MAX IV differs from other similar facilities by its extremely low emittance and focused electron ray. Electrons are accelerated in a subterranean linear tunnel and then led up to two different types of storage rings, 1.5 GeV and 3 GeV, on the ground the level. When the synchrotron light is produced by changing its course it is led along beamlines where particular wave lengths are selected for the examination of test samples in different experiment stations.
Good architecture is recognized by a seemingly uncomplicated correlation between form and function. When organizing and designing the MAX IV facility we have focused on the researchers’ functional requirements and the characteristics of the location. The aim is that the high technology process of the facility is reflected by the exterior as well as the interior design.
MAX IV is a huge laboratory in constant development and change. All different building parts and units of the facility have their own specific requirements with regard to function, extent and life length. Some buildings and building parts are tailor made for their specific purposes, while others are given a more or less general design. Most units must be prepared for a wide range of ever changing functional requirements. First step of the de¬sign process was to map and define the specific requirements. Next step was to form an architectural language with the aim of giving the facility a distinct identity and a sustain¬able overall expression that allows changes and modifications for future use.
Three building typologies were defined: the large storage ring with its experiment hall, the office building of five floors, and finally, the other buildings. With the development of the facility, synchrotron beam lines from the storage ring and experiment hutches will gradually be added around the experiment hall. The ex¬tent of these additions can only be defined by the future development of the facility. The upper parts of the experiment hall and the office building are not expected to undergo changes or additions. The other buildings consist of the small experiment hall and buildings for technical support facilities, which have a great potential for change.
Good architecture is also recognized by a design idea that puts its spell on the whole project, landscape, exterior and interior design. The cooperation between Snøhetta and FOJAB has resulted in a symbiotic relation between landscape, exterior building design and interior building design.
The brushed aluminium of the large experiment hall, the white clad office building with its sun shading device, the white concrete facades and the waving landscape constitute a clear and lasting image for the MAX IV facility. Detail design started in July 2010. Construction started in June 2011, and was completed in June 2015. The facility was inaugurated in June 2016. Environmental Certification: Sweden’s first office building classed with BREEAM-SE – Level Excellent, EU Green Building – Level Gold and Miljöbyggnad Guld. MAX IV was awarded the Best Futura Project at MIPIM 2014.
Since 2011, Snøhetta has been working on the development of a unique landscape design for the MAX IV Laboratory. MAX IV is a national laboratory operated jointly by the Swedish Research Council and Lund University. The synchrotron facility is created by FOJAB architects, and Snøhetta has designed the 19 hectares landscape park. MAX IV was officially opened on June 21st 2016.
Site Plan
The landscape design is based on a set of unique parameters to support the performance of the laboratory research, including measures such as mitigating ground vibrations from nearby highways, storm water management, and meeting the city’s ambitious sustainability goals.
Courtesy of Snøhetta
The MAX IV is the first part of a larger transformation of the area northeast of Lund aiming to turn agricultural land into a ‘Science City’. The creation of a new, green public park rather than a fenced, introverted research center makes a difference in the public realm. The MAX IV site is a green site, and the image of the meadow vegetation on sloping hills as a recreational area is setting a new standard for research facilities’ outdoor areas. MAX IV has been a collaborative process together with the client, consultants and construction developer.
Courtesy of Snøhetta
The development of the landscape architecture design is based on four important criteria:
1 – Mitigating ground vibrations: Testing led by researchers and engineers revealed that traffic on the neighboring highway (E22) was causing ground vibrations that could influence the experiments in the laboratories. By creating slopes and a more chaotic surface, the amount of ground vibrations has been reduced.
Courtesy of Snøhetta
2 – Mass balance: With focus on optimizing the reuse of the excavated masses on site, a cut and fill strategy was employed. This secures the option of reversing the land to agricultural use when the synchrotron is no longer on site. By uploading the digital 3D model directly into the GPS-controlled bulldozers, we were able to relocate the masses to their final position in one operations, and no masses were transported off site.
Courtesy of Snøhetta
3 – Storm water management: The city planning department of Lund restricts the quantity of water permitted to run into the city’s pipelines, and water management inside the site’s boundaries. Dry and wet ponds are therefore designed for both the 1-year and the 100-year storm water.
Diagram
Diagram
Diagram
4 – Plant selection and maintenance: The discovery of the nearby natural reserve area at Kungsmarken made it possible to use a selection of natural species by harvesting hay and spreading it on the new, hilly landscape. The maintenance strategy includes a combination of grazing sheep and conventional machines suitable for meadow-land.
Fashion brand COS and Australian design duo Daniel Emma’s Hang Me Up to Dry installations use furniture to highlight the timelessness of the classic white shirt (+ slideshow). (more…)
You are always trying.
Sig Nordal 