The new building of the CHU de Poitiers gathers all the administrative services, which were originally scattered around the campus of la Milétrie, in a single place. The personnel, whose members have been working without ever meeting or seeing each other, are henceforth grouped together in the same building.
It is mainly comprised of an agora in the middle of a wooded park, a genuine public place of exchange, generating links and encouraging sociability.
The project is based on three powerful ideas:
-Placing the landscape of the site in the heart of the project,
-Creating brightly lit work spaces and friendly spaces for sharing,
-Proposing iconic architecture as a landmark in this vast area
More than just the form, the originality of the administrative building of the CHU de Poitiers resides in the ambiguity created inside and on the exterior by the presence of an immense central lobby.
The project of the CHU of Poitiers is composed of two E-shaped branches joined by the large central void, the agora. The site is characterized by the presence of a magnificent wooded landscape and a traffic circle that will undoubtedly become a new axis for entering the CHU.
The two naves frame the landscape. The ETFE roof further links these volumes, creating a sort of display case for the scenery. In this interior/exterior space, plants and a waterfall are domesticated evocations of a luxuriant natural environment.
The two branches of the building are placed in parallel and, through a series of gaps and raised volumes, the forecourt and the lobby can be seen from the intersection. These branches enjoy interior patios and generate pleasant workspaces and an interior distribution that enjoys generous natural light, all brought together around the great central plaza.
The interior street, the first contact with the administrative building serves as reception area and visitor orientation, while also offering a pleasant environment for users. Spaces designed for rest and relaxation and sharing are made available on every level; they all benefit from natural light and the views offered by their triple height volume.
Smaller businesses have a slightly more difficult path to success than others. To achieve success as a small business, you’ll need to do everything you can to ensure its growth. Various steps need to be taken, but there are also some tips and tricks that you can use to give yourself an edge.
In any case, this article will teach you how to ensure the growth of your small business and how you can keep it on top for a long time. After you’ve read the article, you’ll have some extra knowledge up your sleeve that will definitely benefit your small business.
Let’s start!
The usual frameworks that work with big businesses can actually offer some insight for smaller businesses, but there are a couple of problems. Small businesses don’t necessarily need to grow constantly to be able to operate. Also, big businesses don’t need to spend a lot of time managing the start of their existence, while small businesses have to. Developing an effective & efficient small business framework is imperative to its survival.
You won’t get far if you try to do everything at the same time, especially if you don’t specialize your business in one thing. Most businesses that try to achieve multiple things end up burning to the ground.
Don’t multitask because you will have to divide your resources and attention to multiple things and that isn’t good. Pick one thing and give your best by constantly working towards improving your business and the service/product it offers!
It’s understandable that most people want to work alone, without interference. This is mostly true for big businesses as they don’t need to partner with others except in the case of an emergency or an expansion.
Consider partnering with another small business as you will both get a boost in the number of customers and you’ll be making more money. Explain your business goals to the other business owner and discuss the terms for partnering. This also builds up trust, so you’d be wise to do this.
Checklists are fairly necessary when it comes to managing a business because they let you gain insight into your clients’ needs plus you’ll be able to get a better perspective on what needs to be improved regarding your business. Even though it might seem redundant at first, checklists are important, and they shouldn’t be overlooked. So, invest in making a great checklist for the business.
Once you’ve set your business up correctly, strive to become the industry standard. Lead by example and show others that you are a leader. It will not only help your own business in getting more efficient and recognized, but you’ll also gain the respect of other business owners that may look up to you. Provide the industry with something new and provide it in a special, interesting way. There are many things you can do when it comes to this so be creative!
See Also: 3 Easy Ways To Reclaim Your Power As A Leader
E-mail marketing has somewhat fallen out of favor, but it’s still a very powerful and important tool in marketing. Social media is currently the base platform for advertising, but e-mails are just as powerful.
Try not to send generic emails all the time because people get bored of them quickly. Think of new ways you can promote your business through e-mails and you’ll start seeing an increase in clients!
See Also: 8 Top Marketing Tips for Small Businesses
The post How to Ensure Growth in Small Business appeared first on Dumb Little Man.
Developed by the architects of the “think-act tank” Archquid, in connection with the indigenous community and other institutions of the parish of San Rafael de la Laguna (Otavalo, Ecuador), this project revolves around the material research of the totora plant, a subspecies of the giant bulrush sedge. The Totora Cube project deepens the understanding of the art and craft with which these fibers have been used since pre-Inca times.
From the architects: The “Totora Cube” is an experimental structure and although it has a specific function —to promote the handicrafts created in the local community and to raise awareness of their culture— also has a degree of flexibility that allows different programs.
It is clearly a definable object: the view we have of it from the adjacent road, and its morphology and materiality, make evident their qualities as an object that are well beyond the limits of the idea of “Architectural Program.”
A fundamental part of this project revolves around the material investigation of the vegetable fiber known as “totora” from the design and building of a structure. Inside the multiple implications needed to concrete the project, it was essential the understanding for the art and craft with which these fibers have been worked since pre-Inca times.
It was created an experimental cubical module of 3 meters long, with nine panels on each side, forming what it can be seen as an experiential catalogue of the different fabrics worked by the artisans. It was used a simple pure morphology, resignified from the material aspect, where they explored certain technical, structural and expressive qualities.
An unprecedented use of totora allowed reaching a specific and significant interiority that sieves the light and changes its character in a constant way.
The development of the building, as a result of communitarian work, was able to impregnate in a notorious way the inhabitants’ identity, which recognized and stimulated the autochthonous practices.
In the shores of San Pablo Lake, there are “totorales” in constant regeneration. It can be perceived the existence of a spirit and consciousness in the permanent relationship between the people of San Rafael and the material, which establishes an identity with the territory, the population, and the architecture.
The structure is made of wood, formed by two beams with a support strip and joints design to link the elements. The lower plane simply leans on a concrete slab where the cube stays pinned by its own weight. A secondary structure allows the collocation of the totora panels.
We propose, from the start, to consider this project as a living structure that allows changes, replacements, different configurations and combinations with other cubes. All these, allow us to put into practice the idea of program change. This is an interesting fact: locals, as the days passed and they were starting to see results, and especially at the end when they saw and felt the impact of the new structure began to talk to me in a different way. They began to think of different possible uses. And this raises an interesting challenge. In a community where resources are not many, therefore we must manage them with special care, it is important to think about these structures as projects that meet several functions at once.
The “Totora Cube” raises several issues and challenges:
How to organize a particular teamwork, combining very local interests (those of the communal handicraft company and the local population in general) with other topics specifically related to our field (e.g.: ideas and program use, morphology, durability and strength of materials, context, etc.) Apart from these issues, we must consider the governments, the local one (village council) plus the provincial authorities: they also have, of course, their own goals and procedures.
The cube finally establishes itself as a milestone highly visible from a very busy way, in a particular geographical context (a lake and a volcano) and a specific sociocultural area, which generates a center of identity, reunion, and participation.
The link between the local artisans, the architects, the academy and the government reached identity reinforcement, a vernacular rescue that represented an opportunity to leave a contribution to the community which was tectonically manifested.
Architect: Archquid think-act tank
Director: Federico Lerner
Location: San Rafael de la Laguna, Imbabura, Otavalo, Ecuador
Team: Equipo Archquid / Arq. Andrés Fuentes (Coordinador en Ecuador), Arq. Victoria Jones, Arq. Oscar Jara, Arq. Mercedes Mena
Year: 2016
Construction: Archquid, Totora Sisa and local workers
Images: Federico Lerner and ARCHQUID
With thanks to: Otavalo Municipality, Prefectura de Imbabura, local community.
The Totora Cube project was one of the winners on the XX Panamerican Biennale of Architecture Quito 2016 (BAQ 2016) in the C category.
From the architect. Building an unper ceved 750m2 house are two feactores that should not appear in the same operation, but never the less this two requirements/condition are assencial for the request/petition.
It is a weekend house proyect, and future residentt place, for a family that lives in Cordoba now adays. They also sped most of ther affective and work life in Ascochinga. This location is a 60 kilometres north of the city, between the rural areas and the Sierras Chicas foot hill.
In a place saturated of acacias (aproximatels 1 ha). surrounded by a gully from south to west that ceids in a hidden river, that happens to be the best view-side, is where we try to “disolve” the impact of this big surface.
In splite of we nigth think the program does not have anything at of the ordinary. It is very gererous with each space and by requirement of the client, a one floor house. The place is orieted west and south.
It will sum 4 bedrooms, a kitchen, livign – room, a studiowork space, garage, techinques apace, “circulation” and of course, big galleries.
In the case of this project, looking for a small construction would be a mistake. We have plentique land and great views for adding several yords to dispere the succesions of the different areas on the house.
Taking advantage of a slightly slape on the field (8 metres high and 80 metres lang) we can accomplish the clients requirements: the big building is at the same time, looking smaller. We take as a pont of reference the unique algarrobo tree, that now is inside a gallery. We were able to “buty” port of the bedrooms volume, and at the same time, the material that was dig up we used it on other areas of the constructions to hide it from the outsiders.
The quality space of the haouse is we to the galleries, in addictios to the yards and the magnificent landascape. This argument give significance to the whole proyect. In this space where there is no difference between inside and outside is where makes the difference with the life. This new one is more relaxed and bucolic to finished, we would like to emphasise that mis dwelling is mean to be ageless, timellss, beyond ony style. The materials used in the constructions.
We reached to store, wood, concrete, steel profile and elements that give personality to the building.
As bright as freshly fallen snow, the gypsum sands at White Sands National Monument in New Mexico are a mesmerizing sight. And just like snow, you can even go sledding on the dunes – while you may not need a winter coat, it can still get chilly. Be sure to stay for sunset and the cotton-candy colors that shine on the dunes and mountains. Photo by Amy Proctor (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).
One of the major challenges faced by corporations nowadays is developing an office layout that promotes employees’ mental and physical health, as well as motivating them towards greater productivity. Developing such an effective office layout should be done by management and office administration at various levels.
A good company knows that workers are humans and not robots. Extra effort is needed to keep them satisfied and happy at work. Studies show that a well thought-out office design helps to enhance employee performance and productivity.
So how does your business define productivity? Is it generating more leads? Working faster? Or, coming up with creative ideas?
In this article, I’ve compiled a list of fundamental office design elements that affects an employee’s work performance.
You might not have thought of it but the first thing that matters the most in any work environment is the thermal comfort. Employees struggle when the office is too cold or too hot.
It’s very crucial to provide thermal comfort to your employees. It can be done by maintaining the right combination of temperatures, humidity, and airflow.
When you talk about office design problems, noise is possibly the most relevant. Researchers revealed that exposure to prolonged noise leads to serious health ramifications. It isn’t surprising that many employees are negatively impacted by noise, and hence his or her performance at work.
On the other hand, some people work in open offices, and they perform their tasks happily in the midst of hustle and bustle. In the end, it depends on a person’s comfort level and the environment that an employee works best in.
So, while designing the office layout, you have to keep these things in mind:
It can be so demotivating to work in a windowless or a soulless working environment. Natural light plays a significant role in the well-being of a human. Having wide windows taht look out onto open spaces will inevitably create a positive effect on the employee’s work performance and also help in reducing stress.
So, while designing the office layout, you have to keep these things in mind regarding natural light:
Do you think that smell doesn’t impact the employees’ work performance? Studies show that scent always plays an active role when it comes to the fulfillment of the workforce.
For instance, a study conducted by the biggest fragrance manufacturers in Japan, Takasago revealed that typists made lesser mistakes depending on the scent they smelled. Lemon, jasmine, and lavender fragrances caused employees to make 54%, 34%, and 20% less mistakes respectively.
So, you have to keep these things in mind when it comes to scents in the workplace:
Always have good quality air fresheners in your office space as these scents bring more than one benefit to performance. For example, lavender calms, lemon encourages focus, and jasmine contributes to developing feelings of optimism, confidence, and energy.
See Also: 5 Steps to Creating an Inspiring Workplace
Now comes the color of the office. Color is an imperative factor in leaving a positive impact on an employee’s work performance.
Here are some facts:
So, consider colors when planning your office layout such that:
See Also: How to Organize Your Writing Workplace for Better Productivity
The post 5 Office Design Hacks That Will Increase Employee’s Productivity appeared first on Dumb Little Man.
From the architect. UCN Campus in Aalborg (DK) is a vision of an educational hub bringing together several specialized study programs under one roof. Faced with the demands for an alternative and sustainable learning environment, ADEPT have worked closely with both staff and students to design a building that merges innovative spaces and new synergy. UCN Campus is education in three dimensions.
The new building is now the natural meeting place on Campus and has quickly become the backbone of the building complex. Coming through the new main entrance it is obvious why, as your eyes start to explore the atrium landscape of group spaces, small terraces, the library and several study platforms. The variety of spaces walk hand in hand with the client’s vision of an attractive and future oriented study environment. Besides the new building of 6.000 m2, large parts of the remaining 20.000 m2 within existing property was transformed and renovated.
The heart of the building is a large atrium creating the identity of the Campus. With an almost cliff-like character, it creates small niches and plateaus, supporting a varied study life spanning all floors. An airy and multifaceted space that adds life, color and movements to its three dimensions from customized furniture and the students themselves.
The new identity of the Campus stands out in a design that connects space, facade and interior design. The tree in the center of the atrium is a symbol of the shared expertise and synergy springing from the many study programs exchanging ideas and results. Adding to the expression of life and presence, students and staff alike are visible to each other throughout the building.
The unity between new and old reflects in the interior spaces as well as in the facade design and the outdoor areas. The design focuses on creating an overall architectural kinship by bridging, both physically and mentally, between the existing structure and the new building. The new building has its own identity in the play of unique details in the brick work.
Product Description. The brick used for the UCN facades have a careful adaption to the overall design of the existing campus buildings. Our aim was to create an obvious kinship between the new building and the old ones by translating the brick tradition into a modern design.
The rational outer shape does not reveal much of the lively interior atrium and the play of open and closed, shadow and reflection in the façade is a way of creating a relationship between inside and outside.
Mexican artist Gabriel Orozco has worked with 6a Architects to create a sculptural garden paved in a pattern of interconnected circles for the South London Gallery. Read more
Sig Nordal 