David Adjaye OBE, principal of Adjaye Associates, will be Knighted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for his services to architecture at an investiture in 2017. The Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood at St. James’s Palace, who administer the Knight Batchelor awards that will be bestowed upon the architect, described Adjaye as “one of the leading architects of his generation and a global cultural ambassador for the UK.” Edgar Allies and Graham Morrison, co-founders of British practice Allies & Morrison, have been announced as Officers of the British Empire (OBE) in the New Years Honours List.
Sir David Frank Adjaye OBE. Image Courtesy of Adjaye Associates
I am truly honoured and humbled to receive a knighthood by Her Majesty the Queen for my contribution to architecture. I see this not as a personal celebration, but as a celebration of the vast potential—and responsibility—for architecture to effect positive social change. that we as architects have to bring something positive to the world. I am proud to continue to work in service of this mission as a global cultural ambassador for the UK.
From the architect. The changing educational landscape calls for a learning environment that is continually linked to society and the world around it. That was also the brief from Erasmus University Rotterdam. They approached Paul de Ruiter Architects to design both the interior and exterior of the new university building. This was the perfect opportunity for us to design a fully integrated and sustainable building, in which the pleasant study environment indoors is linked to campus life outside.
Students and visitors are free to walk from the adjacent plaza straight into the atrium of the building. In this lively part of the building, there are opportunities to visit the hairdresser, go shopping or share experiences and ideas with each other in one of the cafés. A large platform staircase then leads to the heart of the atrium on the first floor, where the teaching building begins.
From commotion to calm The interior has been designed completely to meet the needs of the various users. In order to enable the large groups of students to move freely between the entrance and their classes, the lecture rooms are located right on the first floor. Students working independently or in smaller groups can find a calm working environment via the two staircases that lead in a spiral shape to the higher floors.
From floor to seating with a lot of wood The outfitting is playful and unconventional. The strip of wood separating the meeting area near the atrium from the walking routes is multifunctional. Along its length, this structure transitions from being part of the floor, to convenient seating, and even into functional work desks. Thanks to all of the wood and the bright colours encountered everywhere, the interior has a pure and warm look and feel. Of course, only natural and sustainable materials have been used here too.
Working with sunlight The division into stages makes the atrium become more spacious towards the top. This gives the sunlight free rein, enabling it even to reach the platform staircase at the bottom of the building. The glass top of the atrium has been designed to prevent sunlight entering directly. This enables users to gain maximum benefit from the daylight whilst keeping the temperature pleasantly cool.
Section A
Section B
The wind comes from all directions Our aim was to design a transparent façade that enhances the relationship between inside and out. In order to allow daylight to enter whilst preventing excessive heat from the sun, we designed special blinds. The blinds vary in depth depending on the wind direction, helping the glass to protect against direct sunlight and shade effects.
Natural where possible, mechanical where necessary Our vision is: natural where possible and mechanical where necessary. With a sustainable climate control system and optimal insulation, we ensured that the university building is energy-efficient. By carefully making use of the flow of air, we have created natural ventilation for the entire building. This even applies to the daylight, making artificial lighting redundant. We also incorporated numerous sustainable technologies, including aquifer thermal energy storage in the ground and energy recycling.
Product Description. Schüco provided the aluminium multidisciplinary façade of Polak Building. Schüco created a slender aluminium profiling, whilst maintaining both the function of the aluminium blinds to protect the glass against direct sunlight and the function of the blinds to naturally ventilate the building.
“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.”
– Albert Einstein
We all have choices to make, be it toward relationships, career, child-rearing or even simply our wardrobe. It is often a matter of a pro/con list that helps us make a decision we are contemplating, however, there is something that helps us receive information in a way that we can hear and feel what the best choice is for ourselves. This is called our intuition. If one can allow themselves to live with a ‘receptive’ energy as opposed to being a ‘forcing’ energy, we can operate from what is true and which decision resonates with us on a deeper level.
Marie Manuchehri is what one calls an ‘energy intuitive’, who works in the field of energy medicine. The belief is that holistic healing works with the human energy system to help heal disease. In her radio segment podcats, she touches on several subjects through the readings of callers asking for her help.
This podcast asks, as an intuitive how do you know when to trust your gut? It is both interesting and difficult – how and when one can trust their fundamental wiring? You are a speculative thinker (a sensor) if you look for patterns, and make connections between disparate things. However you are an intuitive if you are driven to make speculative leaps (a tendency to focus only on one thing).
Jess Lively’s blog focuses on how to know you’re listening to your intuition and not your ego. A very common question that is very difficult to define, she sheds light on how to glean the wisdom we all carry with us inside. Often intuitions lead us to uncertain feelings, if we are going through something very challenging, try to discover both voices (the ego and the intuitive voice) – there are 3 markers to intuitive decisions, it will feel peaceful, it will be present focused and it will be fine with the uncertainty. Wait for the answer to come to you form your body and not the first thing that comes into your ear, which is trying to control something.
This is about inner guidance, a concept that defines what it means to follow ‘that voice’ within us, which is intuition. It is choosing to go in for answers instead of going outside of yourself, as there is a part of you that knows more than your mind can think of itself. First one must acknowledge you have an intuition, to develop a relationship with it and begin to practice how to cultivate and recognize it.
In Lana Simmons’ podcast, she muses with her guest, Ivy Felicia, on this time of the year which is the holidays and how it can be a stressful, especially for those of us who are sensitive or keyed into our intuition. We can define our own experience, by recognizing that the ability to connect with intuition is always there. We tend to put everything in a box, and our intuition may urge us to rip that box apart. However we experience fear of making choices that can subject us to failure in order to avoid being uncomfortable, so we may suppress the intuitive voice.
The only way to trust your intuition is view it as a friend, by building a relationship with it as you practice and develop the skill of being instinctive. See what is there to begin with, collect all the information, don’t hesitate and then you can make a leap as to what is considered a decision based on trusting your intuition. We think too often with our reason and rationale versus a deeper and emotive level of thought, there is some guidance one can follow to clarify your intuition. Intuition is subtle and it is based on vibration. It simply feels often like a ‘knowing’, the concept that our own soul communicates and exists as real and tangible when we live in our own intuition.
Do you read a great blog about intuition that’s not on the list? Leave a comment on FB!
Larissa Gomes is a breast cancer survivor and single mom to her spirited baby boy! Originally from Toronto turned Angeleno, she has worked in roles from writer, actor and producer for well over a decade. In that time, she’s developed concepts, film and television screenplays, short stories, along with freelance articles, blogging and editing work
From the architect. Skilpod, founded in 2013, is a fast growing prefab construction company located in Geel, Belgium, specialized in the production of 3D prefab houses in CLT(Cross Laminated Timber).
Skilpod offers solutions for all types of living possibilities ranging from houses of 30m² up to 150m². The focus is on small size houses (+- 50m² in one module) for social housing or group living projects. Main focus groups are single parent families, older people and first time renters/buyers. Modules can be connected or stacked on top off each other to form apartment blocks.
The #150 – zero energy Skilpod is one of the larger models Skilpod produces. The design is done by UAU Collectiv who composed the complete Skilpod style. It is completely build up in the factories in Geel, Belgium and transported in 3 pieces to it’s final location.
Skilpod installed the house about 3 months after receiving the building permit. The actual building period took about 4 weeks to complete the house.
First Floor Plan
Skilpod modules are insulated up to passive standards with a special new system from Rockwool, called Redair (high density Rockwool), especially designed for CLT. Skilpod used an open and ventilated façade system with FSC labeled Padouk (tropical hardwood), a very durable material said to last longer than stone facades.
The foundations/cellar are made from concrete. They started foundation work at the same time as they started producing the modules, everything started simultaneously and thus optimizing production times.
The backside of the house is completely faced south, so in order to keep the summer sun out they used a special new type of glass with solar filter to keep the sun out, but not the light (AGC’s Stopray). This way sunscreens where not necessary.
The house is heated with floor heating with an air to water electrical heat pump from Mitsubishi (Ecodan) which also covers hot water. The ventilation system is also from Mitsubishi (Lossnay), and has a heat recovery system (system D). Due to high airtightness and insulation values the house could have been heated with an electrical heater of about 1 kw. In combination with solar panels the house will be energy neutral.
Because the living area is about 3m higher than the street level the inhabitants have a great view on the ranch, fields and forest across the plot, but also view from the street is blocked due to fact that the living area is on the first floor. In the back the garden is at the same level as the interior floor.
Section
Section
The garden is also completed with large prefab concrete elements in the same philosophy as the house was build, with special attention to fast installation and low maintenance.
One of the main features of the interior are the curtains, which run completely around the living area. When opened, a large living space is created with wide views on the garden and area around the house, but when closed they are separating living/dining/playing room in different cozy areas. For instance, when the children make a mess in the playing room they just close the curtains and the mess is gone for the evening…
Product Description: The structure of the modules is completely made of CLT or Cross Laminated Timber. The largest boards that were used have dimensions of 12m by 4m and 14cm in thickness. They were transported from Germany with police escort.
We used different types of thickness in order off length of the span of the roof, walls and floor, ranging from 100mm (5 layers) to 140mm (7 layers)
The main reasons to use CLT are the following:
Strength during transport and lifting
Airtightness: CLT is from a thickness of 10cm considered to be airtight (N50 of the house is 0,55)
Insulating values of wood (no cold bridges)
Internal moist regulation
Fire resistance
Wood consumes CO2, it doesn’t produce it
Because the floors are included in the modules and the special shape of the modules we can make bigger spans than comparable structures made in classical building construction.
Pedestrians, the most vulnerable users of road space, will now be more visible to drivers in the Netherlands with the inauguration of a new luminous pedestrian crossing this past November in Brummen, west of Amsterdam.
Designed by the Dutch firm Lighted Zebra Crossing, and installed free of charge for the municipality, this crossing makes pedestrians more visible at night or during bad weather. Each of the lines has two plates of lights that at night remain illuminated at all times and not only when there are people on them.
The placement of the lights assures less distraction to the motorist than light pillars as it helps drivers keep their visual attention on the road.
Trial tests were performed for 12 months, however the idea was born years ago with the intention of making the roads safer for pedestrians. According to company director Henk Peters, the crossings that should be given priority for potential installation are the so-called “risk zones” that correspond to schools, hospitals, and sectors with a large population of elderly people.
The design of the crossing is intended for two types of roadways, using either pavers or asphalt. In the case of the first, the lights are protected by a steel structure, while in the second, they can be installed directly on the road surface.
Sig Nordal 