San Jacinto Mountains – California – USA (by Vinh tran)
💙 Pirocumulus on 500px by William Nguyen-Phuoc, Darwin,… http://ift.tt/1szgUs2
One of modernism’s most iconic houses, Case Study House 21 (Bailey House) by Pierre Koenig, is now on sale. The two-bed/two-bath Hollywood Hills landmark has been touted as among the finest of Arts & Architecture Magazine’s Case Study Houses, and one of the program’s few truly experimental projects to explore groundbreaking design and materials.
In this early-career exploration, Koenig used a constrained set of industrial materials—primarily steel and glass—to execute a pure expression of his design approach. His philosophy of functionality and honesty in aesthetics manifests in a structure that appears simple but contains complexity in plan and organization.
The design emphasizes harmony of materials and balance between interior and exterior through the use of terraces, water, glazing, and skylights. A 60-foot reflecting pool frames the undulating steel facade on the east and another pool traces the covered carport. Interlocking steel decking on the roof and an all-glass north wall add drama to the main entry, drawing visitors in, while the southern wall’s sliding glass doors extend the living area into the exterior terrace.
Views of the expansive and carefully considered landscaping permeate the house. In the core of the house is a courtyard and the bathrooms; the bedrooms are also connected to the exterior via sliding glass doors.
Built in 1958, Case Study House 21 underwent a restoration by Koenig to his original intent and design in 1998, including the addition of updated appliances and cabinetry. The house was last sold in an auction in December 2006, with an estimated value of $2.5 million – $3.5 million.
News via: Sotheby’s International Realty
Are you looking for ways to improve your life?
I recently turned 44. I’m in the best shape and the happiest I’ve ever been.
Every area of my life has improved in the last 12 months. I’ve gone from being shy, limited, and held back, to being bold, confident and outgoing.
I’m making more money than I ever have and I’m doing what I love. You know you’ve found your purpose in life when you wake up at 5.am on a freezing Sunday morning eager to help people improve their lives.
And my relationships, including interactions with people I’ve just met, are energizing, fun, interesting, exciting, meaningful.
I’m keen to share my journey with you, so let’s get into it.
“That’s it…I’m in my forties. This is the way things are meant to be. Too late to do anything about it now.”
This is the way I used to think.
I believed the bullshit people told me that once you hit forty there was no turning back, that life is an up-hill struggle from here on in. Then I remembered hearing the saying ‘life begins at forty,’ which gave me some solace and hope for the future.
But the real turning point came when I read somewhere that Colonel Saunders started KFC in his 60s and the McDonald brothers, Richard and Maurice, opened McDonald’s in their 40s and 50s respectively. I started seeing middle aged men who were in ‘knock your socks off’ relationships with beautiful, young women, and kept hearing about people in their 40s and 50s changing careers, or getting into peak physical condition.
There was enough evidence to suggest I could improve my life as well, so I put together an action plan to make it happen.
See Also: 4 Tips to Adapt The Right Mentality for Success
I have achieved many things in my life such as raising a well-rounded, intelligent daughter, completing a university degree, working my way up from sales trainee to sales manager, having poetry published in leading journals and best of anthologies, and convincing two guard dogs why they shouldn’t kill me (long story).
But I’d always write my achievements and accomplishments off as being ‘not that big of a deal.’ I would dismiss compliments and praise from co-workers, strangers, and even the women I was dating.
It’s not that I didn’t want to believe I was a big deal. It’s just I had been conditioned to believe that I wasn’t. This conditioning kept me held back in life and I spent many years shy and socially awkward. As a result, I settled for women I convinced myself I was attracted to, missed out on having meaningful friendships, and took crap from people because I was too timid to fight back.
I knew that if I was to make things better, I had to destroy my old way of thinking and reprogram my thoughts. I took the first step outside of my comfort zone and enrolled in several self-improvement courses. Some were better than others, but through persistence and perseverance, I eventually found what I was looking for.
It’s been said many times before, but I’ll say it again – never give up.
One of those courses was Till Gross’s “Make Yourself Do Anything.” This six week course had one major focus – intentionally embarrass yourself in public.
The idea behind this is to have you stop caring what people think of you. It’s also to help you understand that fear of social situations is just an illusion, and that you can handle being looked at, laughed at, and rejected.
Some of the challenges included howling like a wolf, lying down on the ground for 30 seconds, asking a stranger for a sip of their drink, and asking a person you find attractive for their number.
I committed myself to these challenges and by the end of the course I was able to move towards the things that scared me, stand up for myself, and face conflicts rather than run away from them like I used to.
I can now go out by myself and meet new, like-minded people, easily and effortlessly. I can approach women I’m attracted to and ask them out, network like a boss, and just show up to parties, gatherings and so forth, relaxed and in control.
I welcome rejection now and understand it’s only feedback, an opportunity to learn and grow. Don’t get me wrong. Getting rejected still hurts. But that feeling only lasts for a few minutes, not hours or even days, like it used to.
I rocked in my sales career and brought in more than a few major deals for my employers. I was handsomely compensated with a company car, phone, laptop, salary and a big, fat monthly bonus. But for want of a better phrase, I wasn’t entirely fulfilled, satisfied or happy. I always felt like I could be doing more.
This is where teaming up with a life coach/mentor helped. Together we worked out the what, where, and why, and I was able to determine that my true calling is working with people to help them become their best version and live meaningful lives.
I quit my job and started pursing my purpose straight away. I had many setbacks and failures in the beginning, but I stuck it out because I knew deep down this was meant to be. My struggles paid off because I am now making more money than I ever have. More importantly, I’m ‘leaving work’ satisfied, fulfilled, happy, and eager for the next working day.
See Also: 10 Life-Changing TED Talks You Should See Today
Like many of us, I’d had the ‘public speaking – I’d rather die’ way of thinking. Of course, this kept me held back in my career and social life because I would always turn down the opportunity to give a presentation at work or talk at a networking event.
I remember being asked to give a speech at a birthday party once, and even though I (reluctantly) accepted, I was tight and tense and sweated profusely the whole time. The sweating was so bad I had to change my shirt afterwards. I left the party feeling worthless and swore I would never make a fool of myself like that again.
How times have changed.
Since I’ve been a member of Toastmasters, I now can’t wait to give a talk in front of an audience or presentation to a group. And I’m the first to put my hand up to give a speech at birthday parties or weddings. As a bonus, I have built on my leadership, communication, and inter-personal skills, and made genuine connections.
Other things I have done and continue to do to improve my life and become my best version.
• I removed toxic people from my life
• I drink green juice every day and eat a mostly 80/20 alkaline diet
• I practice correct breathing exercises every day
• I meditate
• I stay active
• I read every day
• I don’t watch or read the news until the end of the day
• I have cold showers
• I volunteer whenever I can
Nearly everyone I’ve come across in my time has wanted to improve their lives in some way.
Like it once was for me, many of them talk about it, but never do anything. Some will do something for a little while, but then give up.
It took me 12 months to get to where I am now and I’m still learning and growing, and taking things to the next level. Improving your life is a marathon, not a sprint. I know it’s a cliché, but it speaks volumes.
If you commit to making the changes, take massive action, invest in a life coach/mentor, and – while I’m in the mood for using clichés – stick to your guns, you can improve your life, or make those changes you’ve always wanted to.
The post 5 Ways I’ve Improved My Life in The Last 12 Months appeared first on Dumb Little Man.
The weather hasn’t been pleasant in the last few days , but still the sunsets have been pretty amazing.
Love how the pinkish sky reflected in the stormy water creates a game of lights and how the water almost looks like soft velvet.
CY Residence is a private home located in Gezer, Israel. It was designed by Kedem Shinar Design & Architecture in 2016.
Completing a degree in architecture can be a long and arduous process, but also wonderfully rewarding. Despite this, many freshly graduated architects find themselves unsure about where to begin, or deciding that they actually don’t want to be architects at all. Here is a list of 21 careers you can pursue with a degree in architecture, which may help some overcome the daunting task of beginning to think about and plan for the professional life that awaits.
Architecture: the art or practice of designing and constructing buildings. Architects often argue over the actual definition of our discipline, but can never really escape the use of broad terms, coming from a fantastically broad education. It’s unsurprising then, that the task of figuring out what kind of architect you want to be is a daunting one. Below is a list of 7 branches of architecture for you to consider:
1. Landscape Architect
Designing outdoor landscapes, including infrastructure, public areas, agriculture and forestry is vital for constructing the webs that bind our urban and rural spaces, but also, and perhaps more importantly, it’s essential for responding to globalization and climate change. Landscape architects are involved in storm water management, environmental restoration, and recreational areas among other things. If you enjoy working with and in the natural environment, this could be the path for you.
2. Urban Planner
As a result of a rapidly growing percentage of our population moving into urban areas, the conditions of urbanism are constantly in a state of flux. The dynamic state of the urban environment makes it an exciting path to take as an architect, covering everything from economic and demographic changes, to sustainable development. It’s an essential responsibility within our profession, but a challenging one; it requires adaptability and problem solving on a large scale.
3. Restoration Architect
Our societies’ heritage and history as presented through architecture are not only beautiful glimpses into the past, but also crucial to understanding our culture as a discipline. Conservation and restoration of buildings is undeniably a challenge; it is never possible to please everyone. The media often targets the act of restoration as a “heritage massacre,” in spite of the often very beautiful solutions.
4. Research Architect
With the current wave of digital design and constant advancement of digital tools, our methods of representation and expression are changing dramatically. Information technology has had a profound impact upon architecture that is far from over. These constant improvements are in part made possible by the exciting research being done by architects, not necessarily consisting of designing buildings, but focusing more on how these new tools can enhance our work.
5. Lighting Architect
Light has a profound impact on our mental and physical health, as anyone living at high latitudes can empathize with. Delving into the architecture of lighting entails improving the quality of our experiences, our health and well-being, and the sustainability of not only the natural environment, but also smaller spaces such as our work environments.
6. Political Architect
Some argue that architecture is by nature political, however being active in the political decision of a city or country is a different story. Architecture is more than just creating beautiful objects; the discipline has a value in organizing society. Architecture firm Terroir, for example, has worked with the Burnie City Council as well as with the Parramatta City Council in Australia, to argue for a certain structure for the city, to predict what may happen, and to design a set of criteria for the evolution of the city. It is a case of architecture influencing politics, instead of the other way around.
7. Extreme Architect
With the current development of climate change, extreme weather conditions such as floods, heat waves and hurricanes are predicted to increase. Existing extreme environments, such as deserts, are likely to expand due to phenomena such as desertification. Being an architect who specializes in extreme weather conditions is therefore not only an incredibly fascinating way to tackle the subject, but also invaluable for us to adapt to the future of our planet.
If, upon graduating, you realize that architecture is in fact not for you, design and art might be. Architecture already is a form of design (or maybe it’s the other way around), making it easier to create direct links between your education as an architect, and your profession as an artist or designer. Another alternative is to combine two disciplines, such as graphic design and architecture. Perhaps your passion is to make it easier for architects to communicate through graphics?
8. Artist
Although Olafur Eliasson did not study architecture, he works with many architects at Studio Olafur Eliasson, exemplifying how harmonious and imperative the relationship between space and art is. The spatial reasoning and visualization skills one gains from an education in architecture lends themselves perfectly to installation art, sculpture and spatial experiences, without the necessity for functionality.
9. Industrial Designer
Several architecture firms have branched into industrial design, due to their close creative ties. However, industrial design focuses on smaller scale objects of mass production, as opposed to large-scale buildings designed for a specific context. If the prospect of designing something enormous, permanent, and landscape changing sounds all too intimidating, industrial design is a great, smaller scaled alternative.
10. Furniture Designer
Even more so than industrial design, furniture design can be seen as architecture’s little sister. Countless famous architects have made significant contributions to furniture design: Charles and Ray Eames, Alvar Aalto and Arne Jacobsen, among others. Contemporary architects such as Zaha Hadid Architects are following suit, proving that the two can even be done simultaneously.
11. Textile Designer
Designing textiles requires sensitivity for color, tactility, construction, patterns and forms, all of which are developed during any student’s years at architecture school. The relationship between “skin” and structure is in some ways even more literal than in a building, as the two merge together. High fashion is also reminiscent of architecture in many ways, adopting the geometric and sculptural constructions of contemporary buildings.
12. Graphic Designer
Graphic design is the way in which we take in our world and identify it. It is invaluable when it comes to communication. It can also be so aesthetically pleasing that one can hardly resist becoming a graphic designer. Taking a short course in graphic design to supplement a degree in architecture can open up a range of possibilities to still work within the field, but take charge of tasks that are more suited to your interests in communication.
13. Video Game Designer
The near-limitless boundaries that come with designing a virtual world may be one of the most fun things a newly graduated architect could think of doing with their education. Constructing the architecture of a video game is a way of letting your imagination roam free, but could also add more depth to your spatial reasoning.
14. Photographer
Architecture photography is becoming increasingly popular, possibly due to the beautiful geometry that can emerge by constraining something within a lens. Photography concerns itself more with the aesthetic, with the object and the composition in that unique moment, within that specific frame. It concerns itself with the fleeting atmosphere, more than with the permanent organization of people and spaces. Yet it still consists of composition, colour, environment and experiences.
15. Production Designer
Although a set or a stage are far smaller platforms than a virtual planet, designing theater and film sets allows for just as much creative flow. It lifts the pressure of traditional spatial design and expression, allowing for experiences that may be more evocative, sensuous, and story-driven, while still utilizing all the knowledge and skills one gains from an education in architecture: time pressures, conceptual environments and collaborative creativity.
If you find yourself scrolling through this list and shaking your head at any mention of architecture, art or design, perhaps this final list is for you. It covers 6 careers outside of the stereotypical fields of design, mostly within the human sciences as architecture is inherently directed towards the human experience. Drawing the essence of this from your architectural education and injecting it into another discipline may even make you a stronger candidate in the professional sphere.
16. Teacher/Professor
Young teachers at architecture schools are becoming more common, and if you’re looking for more time to learn about the field before making a decision on whether or not you want to remain in it, taking up a year or two of teaching could be an ideal way to do so. Teaching is a two way street, especially at such a young age, which provides you with an excellent method to learn from your students and reflect on your view of architecture. Here are some tips on how to succeed as a young professor.
17. Philanthropist
In the past, architecture was a gentleman’s profession, taken up as a philanthropic endeavour as opposed to an economic one. In our present day, women have begun to get a strong hold on the profession, but thankfully the philanthropic ideal has not died out. Contemporary architecture has a necessary focus on sustainability: environmental, social, psychological, and economic. The knowledge and awareness of these ideals can be converted into other types of philanthropy, if that’s what interests you. Founding a sustainable foundation towards a humanitarian aim is never a waste of time.
18. Politician
As mentioned previously, architecture and politics are in many ways inherently tied together. The knowledge one gains of people, and the way they interact with their environment, the way they are organized, what makes the human body and psyche feel comfortable; all of these skills contribute hugely to making a good politician. In fact, in Finland, Anders Adlercreutz, a current first-term Member of Parliament, is educated as an architect and practiced as one for many years before turning to politics, while in Britain Richard Rogers serves in the House of Lords alongside running his practice.
19. Conservationist
Similar to philanthropy, conservation of the environment is becoming a focal point within architecture. Despite many efforts, our planet is still heading down a path leading to disaster when it comes to our natural surroundings. Using your knowledge of spatial organization to develop a method of environmental conservation is not only intellectually stimulating, but also vitally important for our society.
20. Writer
Becoming a writer or journalist can be a great way to utilize an architectural education; we learn to articulate ourselves using (mostly) descriptive language and rhetoric, in order to communicate our complex projects to teachers and critics. Turning that into writing, whether fictional or not, is another way of constructing another world and an experience for others. Despite the print being two-dimensional, the stories definitely aren’t.
21. Entrepreneur
Problem solving, creative thinking and the art of persuasion are three skills architects and entrepreneurs have in common that you can use to your advantage. Your experience with abstract concepts and human interaction can make you a stronger competitor with an alternative way of thinking.
The list above is of course incomplete, as the careers mentioned here can be combined in many ways, and other, unmentioned vocations can be brought to the table to provide virtually infinite possibilities. As German educator Kurt Hahn said, “there is more in us than we know. If we can be made to see it, perhaps, for the rest of our lives, we will be unwilling to settle for less.” Don’t forget that there is a sea of possibilities out there.
The winning proposal has just been announced for an extension to the Bunkier Sztuki (“Bunker of Arts”) contemporary art gallery in Cracow, Poland. Out of 33 entries in the international competition, the underground design by Robert Konieczny – KWK Promes has been selected to be executed in the heart of Cracow’s Old Town.
The proposal includes a new 3900–square meter exhibition space in front of the existing building with moveable slabs and an elevatable roof, which can be adjusted according to program. This ultra-modern mechanical system allows for interaction between the exhibition space and the city: the roof can be lifted to give the gallery a direct physical connection to the street level. Meanwhile, by eliminating a superstructure to the extension, the architects have given deference to the existing building. The intervention also includes a plan to refurbish the historical gallery to reveal its original brutalist form.
Situated in one of Poland’s most culturally vibrant cities, Bunkier Sztuki is a rare icon of Polish brutalism. Since its founding in Planty Park in 1965, the gallery has undergone several alterations, including a cafeteria pavilion directly in front of the exhibition space. The planned restoration will eliminate all unnecessary additions and return the building to its initial intent.
News via: KWK Promes
Rolling coverage of all the day’s political developments as they happen
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There has been some confusion over the Labour party’s stance on whether it will vote in favour of triggering article 50, the process that starts the EU withdrawal process. Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, has been giving interviews this morning to try to clear up the party’s position, although he has not managed to eliminate all amiguity.
The problem started when Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, gave an interview to the Sunday Mirror setting out Labour’s four demands for Brexit. The article was headlined “Jeremy Corbyn gives Theresa May ultimatum: Agree to Labour’s Brexit terms or I’ll force election in spring”, although Corbyn’s own quotes did not put it as starkly as that.
Of course we must have discussions about [the terms of Brexit]. We can’t have a vote in a vacuum. And we can’t proceed with this approach where the prime minister says I hold all the cards for the future of the UK in Europe, and its relationship with Europe, and indeed the world, and I’m not going to disclose even the basic terms to parliament. So of course we need that discussion.
We want to have the plan before parliament. That needs to be subject to scrutiny … This is the future of all of us, and the future of our children. We should be proceeding on the basis of a consensus across parliament, not forced divisions.
Politics blog | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2eEwRcd
Architectural photographer Marc Goodwin has recently shot the second collection of his “ultra-marathon of photoshoots” – in London. Following his unique insight into the spaces occupied by Nordic architectural offices (based in Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Helsinki), Goodwin has turned his lens to a broad collection of practices in the British capital, captured in just seven days. From Zaha Hadid Architects’ former school to Foster + Partner’s monumental studios on the banks of the River Thames, here are a series of surprising places that architectural offices call home.
Look Inside a Selection of Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish Architecture Offices, Photographed by Marc Goodwin
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