What causes consulting clients to fail to commit – and more importantly, what can you do about it? Use these 5 steps to get consulting clients to move forward.
Month: September 2016
14 Questions to ask Before Signing a Business Lease
Choosing a business location and signing the lease is a big decision. Here are 14 questions to ask to be sure you choose the best location and lease terms you can get.
6 Simple Ways to Build Your Confidence
Confidence is vital in business. This article explains 6 simple tips to boost your confidence and help you achieve your goals.
3 Amazing Strategies To Increase Productivity
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Almost everyone is struggling to find the right strategies to increase productivity. Because of this, several methods and approaches have been crafted to help people out. Unfortunately, however, not all of these productivity tricks work for everyone, especially since people’s priorities and needs vary.
Below, you’ll find three amazing strategies that can increase your focus, productivity, and time. Take a look and see which you can apply to your current situation.
1. Focus on deep work
It’s common for people to confuse business with productivity. They think that if they do a lot of work, they’re productive.
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In reality, however, most of the things we do is only shallow work.
Georgetown University Professor, Cal Newport, describes shallow work as a “task that almost anyone, with minimum of training, could accomplish”. This includes drafting e-mail replies, logistical planning, tinkering with social media, and other related tasks.
For your goals, you should stay away from doing shallow work. Instead, you should focus on deep work.
Deep work involves cognitively demanding tasks that push you to improve. It includes activities such as writing a book, generating ideas, mass editing, and storytelling.
This kind of work requires intensity and a lot of energy. So, when you work deeply, make sure to balance it out with long breaks. You can take a nap, walk around, meditate or do some stretching. The idea is to feel relaxed.
Failure to take breaks can lead to burnout, which is a major productivity killer.
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Frequent breaks can restore your energy. The more energy you have, the more deep work you can accomplish. The more deep work you do, the more productive you’ll be.
See Also: Top 7 Ways to Improve Your Productivity
2. Hijack your environment
The most common trait of highly productive people is their ability to concentrate.
Every year, Bill Gates goes on these “Think Weeks”. It’s a two-week-long retreat at a remote cabin. He goes there to think deeply and to assess the direction of his company.
J.K Rowling finished her last Harry Potter book at one of Scotland’s luxurious hotel. She was unable to concentrate at home, so she decided to radically change her environment to focus on writing.
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That is how you hijack your environment.
You pick a place that isn’t fun. There shouldn’t be any distractions that can prevent you from working smart for your goals.
It’s one of the quickest ways to instantly boost your productivity.
See Also: How To Find Great Ideas For Writing A Story
3. Plan tomorrow before hitting the sheets
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I can’t stress how many people don’t take the time to plan out their day. It’s often overlooked, yet it’s one of the simplest life-changing productivity hacks there is.
Before going to bed, write down what you plan to do the next day. It will help release your anxiety and stress. Aside from this benefit, planning also gives you more control of your success.
It will give you an overview of what still needs to be done and how far you are from achieving your goals.
The more you plan, the more you’ll be able to turn it into a habit.
One important thing to keep in mind with planning, however, is that you should avoid creating a to-do list. This is because not all tasks are equal.
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Some tasks are more urgent and valuable than others. If you don’t focus on what’s important, you will never achieve success.
Instead of writing a to-do list, you can craft a success list to keep track of your most critical tasks.
Are you ready to get your productivity on?
The most common reason why a lot of people are always struggling to finish their work isn’t because of their inability to plan; it’s because of their refusal to take action. They don’t see their work as important enough to be prioritized, so they put in minimum to no effort to finish it on time.
If you want to be different, you have to make the commitment to be an executioner. You have to work deeply, kill your distractions, and plan out your day until you achieve your goals. This list of strategies to increase productivity is a good place to start changing your game plan.
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Skogafoss, Skogar, Iceland by sven483 The Skógafoss is one of…
Skogafoss, Skogar, Iceland by sven483 The Skógafoss is one of the biggest waterfalls in Iceland with a width of 25 metres and a drop of 60 m. http://flic.kr/p/ai6CLh
Catch up with Dezeen at London Design Festival 2016
London Design Festival 2016: Dezeen will be involved in events throughout the week as part of London Design Festival, including The World’s Biggest Design Party. (more…)
Venice, Italyphoto via johanna
BIG, MVRDV, Snøhetta, aMDL Unveil Proposals for San Pellegrino Bottling Plant Competition
BIG, MVRDV, Snøhetta and aMDL have unveiled images of their proposals for the redesign of San Pellegrino flagship factory and bottling plant located at the source of the mineral water in San Pellegrino Terme, Italy.
The competition brief asked architects to renovate and expand the historic home of San Pellegrino, the world’s leading sparkling mineral water company, with a “truly innovative and technologically-advanced design” aimed at integrating into the natural aesthetic of the surrounding terrain, while responding to the iconic identity of the S. Pellegrino brand.
Continue reading to see each proposal along with official descriptions from each firm.
BIG
© BIG
Our proposal for S. Pellegrino’s new home in the heart of Bergamo is an authentic extension of the rational and functional architecture of the existing factory, where the natural mineral water has been bottled since 1899.
Located in the Brembana valley between the Brembo river and at the foot of the Italian alps, our proposal embraces and enhances the existing architecture while forming an elegant framework that will allow the visitors to sense the power and purity of the surrounding Alpine nature.
© BIG
The design is evolved around a well-known architectural element: the archway. The simple and clear character of the expanding and contracting arches throughout the campus, create a multitude of spaces and experiences. The visitors and S. Pellegrino employees will walk through majestic vaults, covered tunnels, arcades and green pergolas that frame the history and heritage of the brand. The seriality of the architecture will reveal parts of the surrounding mountains from the snowcapped summit to the running river at the base.
At the center of the campus, a giant core sample will visualize the 30-year journey the mineral water has to travel through to acquire the minerals and achieve the purity that is unique to S. Pellegrino. The new S. Pellegrino Campus will appear disciplined yet fluid; cavernous yet transparent; unifying yet diverse; classic yet contemporary. Celebrating both tradition and evolution the architecture of the new campus reflects the values of San Pellegrino Terme as well as the core values of the Sanpellegrino Group: Purity, Transparency and Naturality.
© BIG
“Shaped by the serpentine run of the Brembo river and the sloping Alpine mountainsides, our proposal for the new S. Pellegrino Campus inherits its narrative structure from the landscape of the Brembana valley. Like an aquatic equivalent of a wine cellar, the repeating archways expand and contract to create the narrative framework for the purity and clarity of the mineral water, in an environment characterized by lightness, openness and transparency. The architecture of manmade elements is embraced and enhanced by the forces of nature, tapping into the rhythmic rationality of the industrial heritage of S. Pellegrino while eliminating the traditional segregation between front and back of house, creating a seamless continuity between production and consumption, preparation and enjoyment.” – Bjarke Ingels, Founding Partner, BIG.
aMDL
© aMDL
The vision and objective of the S.Pellegrino company to transform and elevate the image of its main production and logistics facility is not only an opportunity to increase its international brand recognition but also to demonstrate its respect and participation in the evolution of the whole valley as an important tourism destination. With this in mind Michele De Lucchi Studio have developed a comprehensive project for the whole complex that is organised around 4 key themes;
© aMDL
To be Natural – regarding the surrounding environment, with the introduction of a tree planted logistics and pedestrian bridge that makes a connection of the local flora and fauna across the Brembo river. Where as the existing perimeter boundary industrial style fence is replaced with one made from fragments of local natural stone.
To be Pure – regarding the quality of the water, that is represented by the architectural unification of all the existing production buildings and renovated office facilities with new facades in translucent white glass.
© aMDL
To be Conscientious – regarding all staff, that places human needs and desires at the centre of the redesigned work environment and includes a variety of supporting amenities; gym, library and cafeteria that emphasises wellbeing and views to the surrounding valley landscape.
To be Cool – regarding the visitors and customers, where we have designed a large transparent greenhouse that brings together all of S. Pellegrino’s values and creates an amazing place to visit and ‘passeggiare’ around a naturally inspired environment that includes an auditorium, a ‘water café’, water experience and taste labs, show cooking space, meeting rooms and study centre. An external ‘Water Theatre’ and reflecting pool provides a backdrop to support events and installations that will continue to make the flagship factory a ‘Cool’ place to work and visit.
© aMDL
“TO BE NATURAL, TO BE PURE, TO BE CONSCIENTIOUS, TO BE COOL AND TO LIVE IN ITALIAN.” Architetto, Michele De Lucchi.
MVRDV
© MVRDV
A Star is Born! MVDRV lifts an old factory out of its existing landscape breathing new life into an industrial working site in the heart of San Pellegrino Terme.
The S.Pellegrino Experience Lab has been lifted from the landscape to increase the factory’s flexibility, and to emphasises the views over the site. At the same time, it strengthens the brand: A Star is Born!
© MVRDV
The ceilings and floors are made of a transparent and slightly reflective material, emphasising the purity of architecture as well as the intentions and ambitions of the brand. On the roof a layer of water reflects the landscape and falls to the ground, echoing the core process of the factory at its very essence.
As MVRDV co-founder comments for the site’s transformation; “We turn the factory even more into a star. We dream about a factory that enlarges its transparency, its honesty, its relation with the landscape… In the existing and new components of the factory, as a factory will ever adapt…A new transparent star floats over the factory and the valley. Overseeing this operation. it lifts the water and shows it as it falls over its edges onto the factory and the soil. It symbolizes the dream…”
© MVRDV
The current façade of the factory is open where possible, but outwards, it creates views towards the surrounding nature, an idyllic setting for those working and aloes a perfect backdrop for the working processes. Inwards, on the other hand, views are created to show the purity and transparency inherent in the S. Pellegrino brand.
For the office, the extension has been realised inside and on top of the existing building allowing the factory to be transformed into a crisp and edgy loft space. A double height lobby enhances the feeling of community by concentrating all the main public functions, while a rooftop restaurant sits above the workplace and celebrates this with a beautiful view for all.
© MVRDV
The functionality of this is shown in all its purity, giving the visitor a strong belief and admiration and for the worker, a sense of beauty, joy and pride for the town’s “miraculous” water.
Snøhetta
© Snøhetta
The S. Pellegrino Flagship Factory will be embedded within the San Pellegrino Terme area. The connection of the Experience Lab`s public levels to the community, the softening of the impact of the existing factory together with views from the surrounding hillsides back to the building, the San Pellegrino Flagship Factory will be integrated in the area both physically and visually.
© Snøhetta
This extrovert outlook locates the building in the cultural context, enhancing public ownership to the building and providing a specific focus for both the public and private areas. A new public space, the Park, is created for all to enjoy and installs a high degree of permeability within the proposal, ensuring connectivity across the site and with the wider neighbourhood with a new pedestrian bridge over the River Brembo.
Upon the Park sits the Experience Lab, welcoming, transparent and intriguing. Located under a floating cloud, an episodic sequence of spaces unfurl themselves in the form of a spiral ramp from which the visitor can gain an understanding of Italy, the San Pellegrino Area, its terroir and the San Pellegrino brand.
© Snøhetta
The existing factory form is shrouded in a stainless steel mesh that adapts to the contours of the buildings. The buildings take on a new form as edges are blurred. Depending on the viewing angle the mesh can appear closed and reflective or open and transparent, often at the same time.
“The history of San Pellegrino and its water is in itself strong enough to create a successful future. Snøhetta has drawn its inspiration for the project from this fact, just emphasizing the extraordinary values already embedded in San Pellegrino, its nature, in the water and its international standing” – Kjetil Thrædal Thorsen
© Snøhetta
“We have been astonished by the projects presented today,” said Stefano Agostini, President and CEO of the Sanpellegrino Group. “All four architectural firms interpreted our brand’s rich history and values so well that it will be extremely difficult to determine a winner. On the other hand, that is why we have invited four architecture studios of such an international stature to take part in this tender; we want to ensure the new home of S.Pellegrino mineral water, which is intended to become the signature of our Group, will amaze visitors from all corners of the world.”
S. Pellegrino will announce a winner and a project timeline by the end of September.
News via San Pellegrino.
Prototype Square / Mailītis A.I.I.M.
© Ansis Starks
- Architects: Mailītis A.I.I.M.
- Location: Pils iela 15, Cēsis, Cēsu pilsēta, LV-4101, Latvia
- Client: Institute for Environmental Solutions
- Area: 72.0 sqm
- Project Year: 2016
- Photographs: Ansis Starks
© Ansis Starks
Prototype square in Cesis, Latvia designed by Mailitis A.I.I.M. reconnects a historical brewery with an old town and hosts the publicly usable 1:1 architectural prototypes of the future brewery reconstruction.
© Ansis Starks
The project is located in the historical part of Cesis town center in the territory of an Old Beer Brewery. It is bordered with Cesis Medieval Castle square and adjacent park. Cesis Beer Brewery was not functioning for the last 10 years and has been used just occasionally for the art festival, but now the whole site is going to an extensive gradual transformation into a Venue for Science and Arts. It will present the idea of «slow architecture» where the process of rebuilding will become a public event and an architectural image of the reconstructed Brewery.
© Ansis Starks
Section
© Ansis Starks
The square is made as an entrance that restores the ever-exiting historical connection from the Cesis Castle square to the Brewery. Two parking plots that were separated with a masonry wall where merged and from the closed and isolated area the square becomes an open public space which is well connected with the Cesis old town.
Plan
The Prototype square is intended to be a herald for the visitors which presents the beginning of the Brewery’s transformation process. It is designed as a place to exhibit the architectural 1:1 prototypes that are intended to test the architectural solutions for the future Brewery. These mockups has informative and aesthetical function. Meanwhile they are designed to become a pieces of public infrastructure. Thus they become a coffee place, playground for kids, event’s space.
© Ansis Starks
The square will host various prototypes every year. This year the temporary pavilion – rack for drying a wood that functions as a canteen and an events place where built in the Prototype square. Inspired by the building process that will be the part of Brewery’s daily routine, it is informing the people about the coming changes. The main architecture image resembles a construction site where assemblage of the scaffolding, sawn timber and gravel becomes the main aesthetic elements of the square. The diagonal timber supports are the prototypes to test the visual appearance of structural elements for the brewery project. The modular scaffolding structure is filled up with local timber and creates a shelter for the visitors and a stage for a concerts. A massive stack of the timber sleepers serves as a terrace stairs and benches. 2016 year’s public prototype will operate until the end of October.
© Ansis Starks
Peter Zumthor to extend Renzo Piano’s Fondation Beyeler art museum
Swiss architect Peter Zumthor has been chosen to extend to Switzerland’s most-visited art museum – the Fondation Beyeler in Riehen, Basel, originally designed by Renzo Piano. (more…)
Sig Nordal 