High heating costs are a drag on everyone’s budget. Use these tips to keep the high cost of heating oil down this winter.
Month: October 2016
Marc Newson and Jony Ive to design Christmas tree
Apple’s Jonathan Ive and industrial designer Marc Newson will create the annual Christmas tree for luxury London hotel Claridge’s. Read more
Emre Arolat expands Turkey’s Yalikavak Palmarina for megayacht owners
A+Awards: the next in our series of winners from this year’s Architizer A+Awards is Emre Arolat Architecture’s restoration and expansion of facilities for wealthy visitors at a Turkish marina. Read more
Pura Vida Cabañas / WMR arquitectos
© Sergio Pirrone
- Architects: WMR arquitectos
- Location: Bajada Peatonal a Puertecillo, Navidad, VI Región, Chile
- Architects In Charge: Felipe Wedeles, Macarena Rabat, Jorge Manieu
- Area: 313.0 sqm
- Photographs: Sergio Pirrone
- Collaborating Architect: Laura Decurgez
- Area Of Cabañas 1 & 2 : 54 sqm
- Area Of Cabaña 3 : 74 sqm
© Sergio Pirrone
The brief was to build a set of cabañas for a couple of surfers and musicians, with the main cabaña as the house.
© Sergio Pirrone
The driving idea behind the project was to generate semi-buried volumes placed at the start of a steep cliff, to achieve a sense of vertigo on the terraces. The visual focus and orientation to the west lies on the same axis as the cliff, with views framed by the surrounding hills.
© Sergio Pirrone
Plans
© Sergio Pirrone
The idea was to ensure that the views of the neighbors behind the house were not interrupted, allowing a connection between the natural terrain and the roof of the main house.
Elevation / Section
The modulation of the wooden structure in two-meter modules embodies the economy of the project. The predominantly used materials are local pine and glass, which create a light, easily constructible structure.
© Sergio Pirrone
Located in northern Minnesota, Voyageurs National Park is a land…
Located in northern Minnesota, Voyageurs National Park is a land of spectacular beauty and rich history. It hugs the outer edges of the northern boreal forest, and its interconnected lakes were once roads for travel and trade. The park is the perfect place to immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of a boreal forest, ply the interconnected water routes and view the dark skies. If you’re lucky, you might even see the Northern Lights dancing overhead. Photo courtesy of Jim and Will Pattiz.
OMA’s Bibliothèque Alexis de Tocqueville in Caen Slated to Open in 2017
© Philippe Ruault
The official opening date for Caen’s new public library, designed by Rotterdam-based practice OMA, has been slated for January 13, 2017. The Bibliothèque Alexis de Tocqueville will serve as the main library for the metropolitan region of Caen la Mer (in Normandy, France), with 12,000sqm of freely accessible multimedia space. Positioned on the tip of a peninsula that extends from the city to the English Channel, the site is part of a larger area of redevelopment. The ambition is for the library to become “a new civic center” for the city.
© Philippe Ruault
According to the architects, “the design of the [library] is defined by an opposition between mass and void, its main library space carved out of the center of the solid cross.” This “urban belvedere” therefore provides views in all four directions from the site, and connects four types of library spaces (human sciences, science and technology, literature, and arts) into one “intimate reading room.”
© Philippe Ruault
Chris van Duijn, Partner at OMA, has said: “This completion marks the beginning of a larger transformation within Caen. The library pivots from the historical center to the new urban master plan, stretching from city to sea. The cross-shaped building marks this central location between the old city and the new, and is a symbol for an institution deeply invested in the future of Caen.”
Axonometric
About the Design
Bibliothèque Alexis de Tocqueville is a public library for the metropolitan region Caen la Mer in Normandy, France. The 12,000 m2 multimedia library is located at the tip of the peninsula that extends out from the city of Caen to the English Channel. Its key position – between the city’s historic core and an area of Caen that is being developed – supports the city’s ambition for the library to become a new civic center. The library’s glass facade visually connects the adjacent park, pedestrian pathway and waterfront plaza to the interior and together with two large ground floor entrances at both sides of the building, enables a fluid interaction of the library with its surroundings. On the upper floors, the urban belvedere provides unobstructed views in all four directions.
Axonometric
The building’s cross-shaped design responds to the urban context, with each of the four protruding planes of the cross pointing to a landmark point in Caen: to the historical sites of the Abbaye-aux-Dames in the north and the Abbaye- aux-Hommes in the west, to the central train station in the south, and to the area of new construction in the east. At the same time, the geometry of two intersecting axes is informed by the library’s programmatic logic. The four planes, each housing a pedagogic discipline—human sciences, science and technology, literature, and the arts—meet in a large reading room on the first floor, to encourage maximum flow between the departments. This main library space is carved out of the center of the solid cross, defining the building’s design as an opposition between mass and void.
Axonometric
As a civic center where people meet and share knowledge and information, public space is at the core of the library’s design. At the entrance level on the ground floor, there is a large open space with a press kiosk and access points to an auditorium with 150 seats, an exhibition space and a restaurant with an outdoor terrace on the waterfront. The first floor contains a large variety of work and reading spaces and 120,000 documents, with physical and digital books placed side-by-side in the bookshelves. The digital extension of the physical collections, integrated within the bookshelves, is one of the new multimedia features of the library. The top floor of the library is occupied by a space for children, as well as offices and logistics. The archive and special historical collections are stored in safe and dry conditions in the concrete basement, protected from the surrounding water by an innovative waterproof membrane applied on the inner side of the concrete walls.
Axonometric
Axonometric
News via OMA
7 Ways To Create a Presentation that Captures Attention
Do you know how to create a presentation that grabs your audience and keeps them hooked althroughout?
No matter who you are, whether a student or a worker, you need to deliver speeches from time to time in order to communicate messages, inform an audience, and share your thoughts.
It goes without saying that delivering a speech requires the ability to develop and present ideas. However, if you have to give a speech in public, it can cause speech anxiety which affects the quality of your presentation. Thus, you’d better have a card up your sleeve, and I’m talking about a well-organized presentation.
You need to do your best while preparing slides and providing information. Never forget about the way you do it as the presentation is a visual addition to a good speech.
It’s scientifically proven that people perceive visual content better, and it can capture and hold their attention. As the main goal of any speech is to deliver a message, you need to keep your audience interested. Thus, create a killer presentation in an easy way!
Take the following 6 steps to create an outstanding eye-catching presentation:
1. Find How to Hook Your Audience
“During the first few minutes of your presentation, your job is to assure the audience members that you are not going to waste their time and attention.” – Dale Ludwig
Starting your presentation, you need to get your audience’s attention. If the audience members are interested from the start, it’s more likely they will be focused on your presentation.
A good hook provokes curiosity which means engaging the audience.
- Tell people what they can learn from your presentation
- Use a buzz example
- Promise your audience something interesting
The main task all speakers have is to hook their audience, and if you know how to interest people in your topic, it can give you a lot.
See Also: 7 Killer Ways to Connect with your Audience During a Speech
2. Choose the Right Design and Colors
It’s not a secret that the psychology of color plays an important role when it comes to influencing your audience. Believe it or not, you can positively affect your audience if you know what colors to use as they can persuade, motivate, and highlight.
Pay attention to the colors you choose as you prepare your presentation. After all, a good presentation should be made wisely – from picking out the right visual theme to choosing fonts.
Here are some tips for creating a presentation:
- use the same fonts (San-serif fonts are generally the best for PowerPoint presentations)
- make sure that the font size is visible to the whole audience
- check the readability (it should be easy to make out what is written)
- pick 3-4 colors as maximum to use in your presentation
Your presentation design matters.
3. Include Personal Examples
To establish good contact with your audience, make them feel close to you. And if you share your story with the audience, it helps to build trust.
Many people face the same obstacles but they might be too shy to share this experience with others. And it’s more likely people can find something similar to their situation if they hear your story.
Don’t be afraid of including personal examples!
4. Add Visual Content
Believe it or not, our memory is predominantly visual. People remember 65% of the information if you give it with the visual. For instance, if you need to include important data to your presentation, create an infographic to show it visually.
After all, if you add too much textual information to the slide, your audience can lose an interest. Thus, you’d better include visuals (images, photos, videos, charts, etc.) to keep people focused on the topic of your speech.
5. Write Rhetorical Questions
If you want to grab your audience’s attention, ask them a rhetorical question as it can add variety and interest to a speech. Although people don’t have to ask the question, it makes them participate in your speech actively. To make up a good question, you need to analyze your audience and think about their worries and expectations.
What can you get with rhetorical questions?
- Make your audience think about one particular topic
- Gain an agreement from your audience
- Trigger the visualization process
Rhetorical questions keep the audience interested and focused on the theme.
See Also: 5 Steps to Planning an Effective Presentation
7. Make Your Speech Interactive
If you know how to make your speech interactive, it’s a win-win situation without doubt. A speech is a process of delivering information as a monologue, but it can’t keep your audience engaged if you don’t interact with them. Thus, you’d better think about actionable ways on how to engage them.
All the above-mentioned techniques can help you, but you need to keep in the mind that the main idea is not to make your audience feel bored: poll the audience, remind them about their experience, and so on.
Presentation plays an important role when it comes to delivering a speech. It’s a great way to capture your audience and keep them following your flow of thoughts. So, spend time on creating a well-organized presentation if you want to be heard.
The post 7 Ways To Create a Presentation that Captures Attention appeared first on Dumb Little Man.
Zaha Hadid Architects unveils wetland preservation centre for Saudi Arabia
Zaha Hadid Architects has revealed its winning design for the Urban Heritage Administration Centre, a preservation centre for a UNESCO-protected oasis in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. Read more
Zaha Hadid Architects Wins Competition for Oasis-Inspired Cultural Center in Saudi Arabia
UNESCO world heritage sites of Diriyah and the surrounding Wadi Hanifah valley.
Courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects
The 8,780 square meter (95,000 square foot) building will contain a permanent exhibition gallery, library, lecture hall, and student/adult educational spaces, and will also serve as the home of a new scientific institution aimed at conducting field research and documentation of the many archaeological sites in Diriyah.
Courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects
The project design draws inspiration from Diriyah’s status as a natural oasis within the harsh Wadi Hanifah valley and greater Najd central plateau. This context is translated architecturally by organizing facilities around a central atrium containing a prominent water feature, and the intrusion of four “scooped green oases” into the otherwise solid-seeming building volume.
The building envelope itself will consist of a double-facade inspired by the thickness of the rammed-earth construction of Diriyah’s historic buildings: an outer perforated skin that shields the building from the sun and an inner curtain wall to preserve views out to the natural surroundings.
Courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects
“The design relates to Diriyah’s local vernacular, not through mimicry or a limiting adherence to references of the past, but by developing a deeper understanding of its traditions and composition – expressed in a contemporary interpretation informed by the same natural forces that defined Diryah’s historical architecture,” explain the architects in a press release.
“True authenticity resides in the balance between tradition and ever-evolving innovation. This has been integral throughout the project’s design process.”
Courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects
The Centre hopes to become a new piece of the nation’s evolving cultural heritage initiative, as it becomes both a new tourist and educational destination as well as a hub for research programs than can be taken on by scientists and academics from all over the world.
News via Zaha Hadid Architects.
Summerhouse T / Krupinski/Krupinska Arkitekter
© Åke E:son Lindman
- Architects: Krupinski/Krupinska Arkitekter
- Location: Stockholm, Sweden
- Architect In Charge: Konrad Krupinski & Katarina Krupinska
- Area: 40.0 sqm
- Project Year: 2015
- Photographs: Åke E:son Lindman
© Åke E:son Lindman
The small house is situated by a lake in the Stockholm archipelago, on a site that in the early 1900s was inhabited by a gardener. Plants and paved walls that were then organised still remain to a large extent today. For the last 25 years another garden interested family have used the old existing house as a summer home. The family, consisting of mother and two daughters, has grown in recent years when the two daughters have formed families on their own. That in turn has made more space necessary. One sister has renovated an existing guest house, while the other sister decided to build a new small house, Summerhouse T, for her family consisting of two adults and two children. The family formulated a program that included a kitchen, bathroom, dining area, living room, four beds and room for storage. While municipal constraints did not allow a building that exceeded 40 m2.
© Åke E:son Lindman
Floor Plan
© Åke E:son Lindman
A large open square room with a standalone volume containing the beds, kitchen and storage was proposed. Along the buildings southern side is a dining area and a living area. Roof, floor and walls have a dark colour to enhance the building’s intimate character and direct the eye towards the surrounding view. The house’s only (trap) door leads to the bathroom, a separate volume which design was adapted to fit into an existing gap in the nearby rock. The open organization with ceiling high windows create a surprisingly large number of different spatial experiences. Freedom of movement along the entire facade gives a feeling that the house is larger and more spacious than it in reality is. The parents’ sleeping area has a view towards the countryside and the lake while the children’s more enclosed sleeping alcove directs the view towards the grandmother ́s house. The storage passage at the back of the house opens up to the greenery outside at one end while the parallel kitchen has contrasting views in opposit directions. The living room with dining area and lounge, in turn, have a 180 degree view towards the surrounding. Two of the walls are sliding windows that on hot summer days easily opens and allow for a pleasant breeze through the house and at the same time extend the living area to the exterior, where the roof overhang provides protection against the sun. On rainy days, water runs along the eaves almost as physically present curtain and the house suddenly closes inward.
© Åke E:son Lindman
Product Description. The façade of Summerhouse T is painted with the traditional Swedish color Falu Rödfärg. The black color and the matt finish adds to the project´s discrete character.
© Åke E:son Lindman
Sig Nordal 