American studio AvroKo has completed a cafeteria and coffee bar in the new San Francisco headquarters for tech company Dropbox, providing a “place of comfort” that aims to keep employees from leaving the office (+ slideshow). (more…)
The client is a couple in their 50s and both work full-time. Their plan was to rebuild their parents’ house in the urban area in order to live with their mother. The site is located in a dense residential area where one can find the remnant of good old days of Tokyo. In order to prepare for possible natural disasters in the future, the couple wished to build a house of reinforced concrete box frame construction with high resistance to fire and earthquakes. Since the site is small with a deformed shape, it was required to achieve the maximum capacity while avoiding setback-line limits on each side of the house.
One cannot have a full view of the house since it is built at the very end of a blind alley. The building consists of three stories, with two floors above ground and a basement floor, and a half of the basement floor is buried underground in order to achieve the maximum capacity by taking advantage of easing of the restrictions.
The outline of the deformed land was extruded three dimensionally to form the house, and the charming appearance of the exposed concrete box topped with a roof resembling a pointed hat catches the eye of passers-by.
Their mother’s room is on the semi-basement floor, down the stairs next to the entrance in the entrance court. The entire floor plan is designed compactly: the couple’s space is on the first floor with two study rooms, for the husband and wife respectively; a bedroom between the studies; and a wet area. Although it appears rather closed from the outside, the interior space with a sense of openness with abundant natural light is achieved by providing the courtyard.
The family room on the second floor is shaped along the setback-line limits, and the wooden rafters are used for the roof truss instead of reinforced concrete ones, creating a unique appearance of the mixed structure.
One feels a distinct centripetal force in the loft-like small space with a courtyard, which somehow reminding one of a yurt, a dwelling of Mongolian nomads. The entire roof is lit up by the ambient light, creating a sense of security in such a small space, as if staying under the shelter of a big tree.
Next Month, architecture will be hitting the mainstream media, as Bjarke Ingels has been selected to grace the cover of the September 2016 edition of WIRED UK. Titled “THINK BIGGER,” the issue will also feature profiles and stories from architects and designers Tom Dixon, Neri Oxman, David Adjaye and Rem Koolhaas. A Condé Nast Publication, the magazine focuses on the effects of science and technology on topics including design, architecture, culture, the economy, politics and philosophy.
The feature is not Ingels’ first appearance in WIRED or WIRED UK, as previous profiles have included articles about BIG’s Serpentine Pavilion Design and the firm’s role in shaping the New York City skyline. He was also recently named to the annual WIRED 100 list of people “shaping our culture, the tech economy, consumer behaviour, scientific discovery – in short, the people making things happen.”
Koolhaas, too, has an intimate history with the publication, serving as guest editor of the June 2003 issue of WIRED as a follow-up to the successes of his own manifestos, S,M,L,XL and Delirious New York. The edition contained 30 mini-essays, reminiscent of an expanded S,M,L,XL dictionary, and contained the first widespread public release of investigations conducted by OMA’s newly-established research wing, AMO.
Toronto-based architect Nova Tayona has completed a house near the beach in Nova Scotia, from which the ocean can be heard but not seen (+ slideshow). (more…)
You’re reading 3 Reasons the Journey is More Important than the Destination, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
Which do you find more important: achieving a desired goal or the journey on the way to the destination?
I used to fall into the “make it to the finish line no matter what” category. But, that path is miserable. It includes struggle and the belief that you must work hard to achieve success.
During my first life flip – from nonworking wife in a failing marriage who lost a baby I wasn’t meant to conceive – to university professor, I made life harder than it had to be by resisting its inevitable call to change. I found myself running away from a broken life with the belief that nothing worth achieving happens without sweat and tears along the way.
But, what if you could experience joy along your journey instead of hardship? What if you believed that your path is there to equip you with the skills and opportunities you need to evolve toward living your life’s purpose instead of something to trudge through to get to the good stuff?
I finally discovered this easier route during life flip #2. I began meditating in 2013 and realized that my purpose in life is to use my art – my life-long love that had become a forgotten part-time hobby – to inspire others to follow their own unique life’s calling. I loved teaching my university students, but I knew that becoming a professor was a means to thrive after divorce, not the ultimate calling for my life.
So, I took a blind leap of faith and resigned from my 12-year, tenured position to follow my bliss of art. Instead of escaping from a broken life, this time I was running toward the joy of living on purpose.
That’s when I perceived that traveling the road toward fulfilling my purpose is the sweet spot. The end result is actually still a little fuzzy around the edges. But the excitement of learning who I am meant to be along this path has kindled insights that working with my nose to the grindstone did not allow me to observe.
Here are three lessons that have taught me that feeling joy along the journey is more important than achieving the final destination.
I’ve always been told: “Ask, believe, receive.” The problem is, sometimes what I ask for may not be in my best interest. So, no matter how much I believe it needs to happen, sometimes what I ask for and believe in receives the answer of no. This can be disappointing, but if I stop the pity party, I realize I don’t have the power to see into the future. Thank goodness the Universe has got my back!
Let’s add one element: “Ask, believe, surrender, receive.” Living on purpose means that you must surrender to a path that you can’t fully see. Life is like shaking a Polaroid photo – you only get one glimpse of the next right step at a time. The end result is sometimes blurry and hidden. But, the Universe may be guiding you toward a better path, helping you avoid a disaster you couldn’t perceive, or teaching you a lesson you needed to learn before advancing to the next step of your journey. When you allow yourself to surrender and co-create with the Universe, it’s a powerful combination that generates great insight and joy.
This lesson has been a tough one for me to learn because it’s counterproductive to what my parents and teachers taught.
Being doesn’t mean giving up and not taking any action. It means you allow yourself to be aligned with the Universe’s inspiration through meditation, communing with nature, or taking a moment to become still each day. This allows you to tap into your higher self so you can perceive the inspired actions the Universe is guiding you to take. Tapping into this flow allows you to achieve results more easily with fewer, yet more effective actions rather than numerous hit-or-miss actions, which leads to more joy and less struggle along your journey.
Joseph Campbell, who coined the Hero’s Journey, said he perceived “invisible hands” that began opening new doors when he agreed to follow his bliss. I’ve found this to be true as I’ve begun to live my purpose. At just the perfect moment when I need guidance, a person, light bulb moment, or opportunity crosses my path that takes me to the next level of my journey.
The Universe will conspire to help you when you commit to following your purpose too, which increases your confidence and ignites true joy.
So, what’s your choice: joyful journey or determined destination?
Vicki Todd is a memoir artist, Ed.D., and life purpose guide. She is the author of a visual memoir, Unstuck: One Heroine’s Journey of Art and the Courage to Live on Purpose. You may view her visual diary artwork at http://ift.tt/2bJvsAv
You’ve read 3 Reasons the Journey is More Important than the Destination, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
From the street the house appears to be three, single-story connected buildings that suggest a compound. The exterior surfaces of the units are different materials and colors accentuating the tripartite design. The main volume that faces the street and houses the public areas is clad in Leuders limestone, the others in stucco, one painted cream, the other left the natural gray with a sealer. The three units are staggered and offset by 10-feet, but are unified by a standing seam metal roof. A black cypress screen sets off the front door.
The south-facing entry courtyard is enclosed on three sides with two stone veneer bedroom pavilions and an entry wall sheathed with a cypress rain screen.
The interior is crafted to bring in light without sacrificing privacy. Two glass boxes flank the courtyard wall, act as “light containers” that diffuse light into the rooms rather than submit them to a direct blast of Texas sun. One box is placed to the northeast end of the entry hallway to capture morning light, the other to the southwest for the evening light.
A wall engages the glass volumes to create a visual buffer between the bedroom pavilions and living areas. Passage into the bedroom pavilions is through the glass boxes.
The low windows in the master bedroom and bathroom allow light to wash over the floors and provide privacy without the need for window coverings. They also allow an expanse of unpunctuated wall.
The home office is secluded while the reading alcove is elevated and projects from the house with three window walls. It is a serene spot for reading or contemplation. Steps lead up to the glass-enclosed space, which opens to the northern daylight. The reading alcove is elevated above the exterior ground plane offering protected views into the tree canopy.
Floor-to-ceiling grids of wooden shelves cover double-height walls inside this luxurious apartment in São Paulo by local studio Studio MK27 (+ slideshow). (more…)
After yesterday’s devastating magnitude 6.2 earthquake in central Italy, art historians fear that numerous historic Italian buildings and their contents may be permanently lost. The affected region is dotted with hilltowns containing beautiful churches, monuments and museums, many of which have been rendered completely unrecognizable.
4.3-magnitude aftershock hits Amatrice, Italy, causing additional damage after earthquake https://t.co/WHZtgHIRAN http://pic.twitter.com/RgvGwM7ml8
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) August 25, 2016
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The town of Amatrice, which was voted one of Italy’s most beautiful towns just last year, faced some of the worst destruction, including to many of its acclaimed “Cento Chiese,” 100 churches filled with sculptures, mosaics and frescos. Notable architectural elements ,such as the rose window of the 15th-century church of Sant’Agostino, have collapsed, while a remaining Renaissance palazzo has been covered as a temporary morgue.
Hauntingly, the clock face on the town’s 16th-century tower remains frozen at the exact time the earthquake hit: 3:36 a.m.
While saving lives and caring for the victims has been the government’s first priority since the disaster, the Italian Culture Ministry was expected to meet this afternoon to assess the extent of the damage.
Find out more about the extent of the damage here.
News via The Guardian.
Sig Nordal 