Author: signordal

3 Quick Questions for a Simpler and Happier 2017

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Questions for a Simpler 2017

“New Year’s eve is like every other night; there is no pause in the march of the universe, no breathless moment of silence among created things that the passage of another twelve months may be noted; and yet no man has quite the same thoughts this evening that come with the coming of darkness on other nights”
Hamilton Wright Mabie

This year is coming to an end. Just a couple more days to go.

But before we step through that doorway I’d like to quickly share one last article with 3 of my favorite questions of all time that can help you shape 2017 into 365 days that will be simpler, happier and self-kinder.

Stay safe, enjoy your New Year’s celebration and see you next year!

1. Is this useful?

It’s very easy to spend a lot of time on things that do not really matter much. To spend hours, days or even weeks on being angry at someone, replaying a mistake or failure in one’s mind or to dwell on something negative and feeling more and more like a victim.

So I try to ask myself this question as often as I can to question and confront my own thoughts.  To catch myself and to wake myself up when I get stuck in negative thought loops going round and round.

By doing so I:

  • Suffer less.
  • Waste less time on going round in circles.
  • Spend more of my time on finding a practical solution.

2. What is one very small step I can take right now to get the ball rolling?

This is my favorite question for when I want to get started with something or if I want to get going again with something that have fallen to the side for some reason.

Because it makes things easier. Makes them feel lighter.

This question prevents me from trying to escape into procrastination and helps me to avoid the side-effects of that such as sinking self-esteem and simply a lot of time being wasted on trying to hide.

3. Will this matter in 5 years? Or even 5 weeks?

This one helps me to simplify.

To let go.

To not make a mountain out of a molehill.

To find the healthier and happier perspective.

To not lose my focus and energy to crippling worries.

To find a lightness in life where I do not have to carry around 5 tons of unnecessary mental baggage.

It is a truly wonderful question.

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💙 Yosemite Spring Storm 3 on 500px by Mark Coté, Bay…

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💙 Yosemite Spring Storm 3 on 500px by Mark Coté, Bay Area,… http://ift.tt/2aLSuVh

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Hexagons for a Reason: The Innovative Engineering Behind BIG’s Honeycomb

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© BIG

© BIG

BIG are known for unconventional buildings that often raise the question “how were they able to do that?” Such is the case for BIG’s Honeycomb, a luxury eight-story condominium currently under construction in the Bahamas. The project’s hallmark is its hexagonal façade made up of private balconies, each with its own glass-fronted outdoor pool. The façade was also the project’s greatest engineering challenge, with each balcony (including pool water) weighing between 108,000 and 269,000 pounds (48,000-122,000 kilograms) while cantilevering up to 17.5 feet (5.3 meters) from the structure. Tasked with this challenging brief were DeSimone Consulting Engineers, who previously worked with BIG on The Grove. Read on for more detail on the Honeycomb’s innovative engineering.


Courtesy of DeSimone Consulting Engineers


© BIG


© BIG


Courtesy of DeSimone Consulting Engineers


© BIG

© BIG

Central to the Honeycomb’s design of is the use of a specially engineered concrete “superslab” which is able to cantilever over 17 feet without wall brackets below. This was achieved by reducing the slab’s weight while maintaining its strength and stiffness. As explained by Bill O’Simmons, the project lead at DeSimone, “to control deflection and reduce self-weight, 12-inch (300 millimeter) diameter tubes were embedded in a 17-inch (430 millimeter) thick conventionally reinforced roof slab.” These voids hollow out the slab, reducing its weight and increasing the section’s overall efficiency. This step also “eliminated the need for a post-tension slab, further reducing the overall weight and reducing the cost of the project.”


Courtesy of DeSimone Consulting Engineers

Courtesy of DeSimone Consulting Engineers

Courtesy of DeSimone Consulting Engineers

Courtesy of DeSimone Consulting Engineers

The balcony decks themselves are constructed from a 13-inch (330 millimeter) thick conventionally reinforced slab. What is especially clever, and what allows the slab to be kept at 13 inches, is that the slabs “fold down at the deepest point of the pool to align with the shear wall of the lower unit” for extra support.


© BIG

© BIG

© BIG

© BIG

Because of the staggered partition walls and varied façade, these shear walls sometimes connect to a structural column, acting “as a rigid bracket supporting the slab above and below.” At other junctions there is no column – here “the wall is not as stiff in these locations but still carries vertical load back to the column strip.” These 18-inch (450 millimeter) thick concrete shear walls not only increase structural support, but join into the sloped pool floors in order to form the hexagonal honeycomb structure.


Courtesy of DeSimone Consulting Engineers

Courtesy of DeSimone Consulting Engineers

Courtesy of DeSimone Consulting Engineers

Courtesy of DeSimone Consulting Engineers

While the depths of the cantilevers allow for plentiful outdoor space, the balcony’s utilities added further challenges. Both the summer kitchen and pool required a host of services, while also needing waterproofing and long-term serviceability. This meant the need for thoughtful detailing, with “nearly a dozen conduits that had to be carefully placed to get across the column strip and emerge on the sloped slab in the proper location”. The concrete shear walls were also once again utilised, with embedded pool drains serving as a path for balcony drainage.


© BIG

© BIG

Because of the Honeycomb’s innovative structural system, conventional materials were able to be used, but used carefully. As all the concrete in the building is conventionally reinforced cast-in-place concrete, special attention was paid to the concrete mixture itself. To ensure durability, “limiting initial soluble chlorides, providing a tight water-cement ratio, and additional concrete cover over the reinforcing steel were critical design measures.” Finally, for further protection, an integral waterproofing admixture and surface applied coating were also used.


Courtesy of DeSimone Consulting Engineers

Courtesy of DeSimone Consulting Engineers

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Comparing Retargeting vs Remarketing

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Do you run an online business? If you do, you probably already know that for most websites, only 2% of visitors convert into customers at their first visit. Due to this reason, retargeting is an intelligent and cost-efficient way to make yourself visible to the other 98% that don’t make any purchase on their first visit.

For those who are new to online marketing, the terms retargeting and remarketing seem to have the same meaning. Even though the two terms are often used interchangeably, there is a big difference between them.

What is retargeting?

retargeting

Let’s start by explaining what retargeting really is. Basically, retargeting works as a base of a marketing automation software that helps you target your visitors, study their browsing behavior, segment your audience and send personalized messages in order to convince them to make a purchase.

Technically speaking, a browser cookie is dropped every time a person accesses your website. Once he leaves your site, this cookie will then facilitate the sharing of messages while he continues to visit other websites, inviting the visitor who wasn’t converted yet to get back to your site and buy something.

This is actually a great online marketing strategy because you can target specific visitors who have shown interest in your products and services. It increases your chances of getting a purchase from an already-interested audience.

Retargeting vs Remarketing

online marketing

While many online marketers refer to these two terms to describe the same idea of reaching those 98% of visitors who leave your website without making any purchase, the truth is that they are not one and the same. The big difference lies in the strategy of reaching your audience.

Remarketing relies on a marketing automation software that uses cookies to drop ads, while retargeting primarily uses email. Retargeting refers to email campaigns that are related to cart abandonment, upsell/cross sell emails, or lifecycle marketing emails.

Even if they have a different approach, both remarketing and retargeting are very effective marketing instruments so a combination of these two for a bigger marketing campaign is recommended.

See Also: 8 Common Content Marketing Myths You Should Stop Believing

How effective is retargeting?

If you are still not sure about retargeting, you should know that it can provide a 400% boost of ad response. People often see retargeting as a form of online stalking, but research concluded that only 11% of users see it as irritating, especially if the retargeting campaign is not run properly. Companies that used retargeting had a 50-60% higher conversion rate among visitors that were retargeted.

A strong online marketing strategy allows you to efficiently use these marketing automation tools to maximize your return on investment. Therefore, retargeting should be part of your general marketing strategy and should not be used independently, considering that marketing automation tools provide the best results if they work together.

See Also: The 5 Internet Marketing Trends That Will Dominate in 2017

 

The post Comparing Retargeting vs Remarketing appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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Wolf Architects Design a Contemporary Villa in Los Angeles, California

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Super Villa by Wolf Architects (11)

Super Villa is a private residence renovated by Wolf Architects. It is located in Los Angeles, California, USA and was completed in 2014. Super Villa by Wolf Architects: “The site is on a rare flat area of what is actually a relatively hilly suburb, the overall land plot is a combination of two lots, one housed the original dwellings and the other was the neighbouring land previously used as a..

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Architecture on Instagram: The Best Shots of 2016

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Instagram and architecture go together like milk and cookies—an irresistible combination in which one brings out the best of the other. As Instagram continues to add features to its globally appealing platform, we take a look back on the year’s most-liked photos posted to our ArchDaily account.

We posted 235 ‘grams that racked up over 2 million likes. Thank you for following. 🙂 

#9

//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js

#8

#7

#6

#5

#4

#3

#2

… and #1

#Oslo Opera House by @snohetta 👏🏻🇳🇴 #ArchDaily #architecture #iphonesia #instagood #norway @visitoslo

A photo posted by ArchDaily 🏠 (@archdaily) on Sep 21, 2016 at 2:23am PDT

Remember, you can tag your architecture photos with #archdaily. Here you can see over 1 million pics taken by the ArchDaily community.

We also invite you to follow the other accounts on the ArchDaily network!

ArchDaily HQ

The #ArchDaily #tiki bar in Spring 👌🏻🍹☀️ #humansofarchdaily

A photo posted by ArchDaily HQ (@archdailyhq) on Oct 7, 2016 at 2:13pm PDT

ArchDaily Brasil

ArchDaily México

ArchDaily en Español

Plataforma Urbana

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AD Round-Up: 5 Monuments to Progress

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Space Needle / John Graham & Company. Image Courtesy of Wikimedia user Rattlhed (Public Domain)

Space Needle / John Graham & Company. Image Courtesy of Wikimedia user Rattlhed (Public Domain)

Buildings, perhaps unlike any other art form or edifice, have a capacity to influence or become part of a place’s cultural identity and history. Defining an architectural monument is, however, an ambiguous exercise – most of their ilk only reach this status years after completion. AD Classics are ArchDaily’s continually updated collection of longer-form building studies of the world’s most significant architectural projects. Here we’ve assembled five structures and buildings which, often aside from original intentions, embody that most ephemeral feeling: a sense of progress.

Eiffel Tower / Gustave Eiffel (1889)

The world had never seen anything like the graceful iron form that rose from Paris’ Champ de Mars in the late 1880s. The “Eiffel Tower,” built as a temporary installation for the Exposition Universelle de 1889, became an immediate sensation for its unprecedented appearance and extraordinary height. It has long outlasted its intended lifespan and become not only one of Paris’ most popular landmarks, but one of the most recognizable structures in human history.

AD Classics: Eiffel Tower / Gustave Eiffel
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Space Needle / John Graham & Company (1962)

The opening of the Century 21 Exposition on April 21, 1962 transformed the image of Seattle and the American Northwest in the eyes of the world. The region, which had been known until that point more for its natural resources than as a cultural capital, established a new reputation as a center of emergent technologies and aerospace design. This new identity was embodied by the centerpiece of the exposition: the Space Needle, a slender assemblage of steel and reinforced concrete which became—and remains—Seattle’s most iconic landmark.

AD Classics: Space Needle / John Graham & Company
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Roman Pantheon / Emperor Hadrian (125)

Locked within Rome’s labyrinthine maze of narrow streets stands one of the most renowned buildings in the history of architecture. Built at the height of the Roman Empire’s power and wealth, the Roman Pantheon has been both lauded and studied for both the immensity of its dome and its celestial geometry for over two millennia. During this time it has been the subject of countless imitations and references as the enduring architectural legacy of one of the world’s most influential epochs

AD Classics: Roman Pantheon / Emperor Hadrian
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Empire State Building / Shreve, Lamb and Harmon (1931)

Even in Manhattan—a sea of skyscrapers—the Empire State Building towers over its neighbours. Since its completion in 1931 it has been one of the most iconic architectural landmarks in the United States, standing as the tallest structure in the world until the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were constructed in Downtown Manhattan four decades later.

AD Classics: Empire State Building / Shreve, Lamb and Harmon
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National Congress / Oscar Niemeyer (1960)

The concept of a purpose-built capital city in the interior of the country dates back to Brazil’s independence from Portugal following the Napoleonic Wars, and was even enshrined in Brazil’s first Republican Constitution in 1891.[1] It was not until Niemeyer’s friend and patron Juscelino Kubitschek was elected president in 1956 that progress truly began in earnest.

AD Classics: National Congress / Oscar Niemeyer
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Neue Direktion Köln / kadawittfeldarchitektur

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© Jens Kirchner

© Jens Kirchner


© Jens Kirchner


© Jens Kirchner


© Jens Kirchner


© Jens Kirchner

  • Interior Design: kadawittfeldconsult
  • Landscape Design: GREENBOX Landschaftsarchitekten
  • Structural Design: AWD GmbH
  • Building Physics: TOHR Bauphysik GmbH & Co. KG
  • Cultural Technology: Fredersdorf Consult, Kühn Geoconsult
  • Fire Protection: Kempen Krause Ingenieure
  • Building Services And Electrical Engineering: Bähr Ingenieure,
  • Guidance System: kadawittfeldconsult
  • Project Management: HTP Hochtief Projektentwicklung / IBM Projektmanagement
  • Site Supervision And General Contractor: Bilfinger Hochbau GmbH

© Jens Kirchner

© Jens Kirchner

From the architect. With the conversion of the former railway head office, Cologne‘s cityscape has received a new landmark. The new roof design has led to the recreation of the historic mansard roof as well as the generation of terraces with views of the Rhine River that are set between the metal bands surrounding the roof storeys and the set-back office facades.


© Ralph Richter

© Ralph Richter

Diagram

Diagram

© Jens Kirchner

© Jens Kirchner

The former railway head office is on Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer immediately opposite the Rhine River and in immediate vicinity of Cologne’s main railway station, the cathedral and the city centre. The design takes into consideration the listed building, including the historic facade layout, and develops a contemporary solution for the mansard roof that was destroyed during the Second World War. Horizontal metal bands surround the four uppermost storeys and, owing to the angle of their fixture, trace the slope of the original roof, which characterised the silhouette of the cathedral city for many years before its destruction. The glass facades behind the horizontal bands do not follow the slope of the original roof but are perpendicular to the floor plates. This feature creates deep roof terraces in the surrounding space offering panoramic views across the city. The listed facade of the lower storeys is upgraded; the impressive historical entrance hall is rebuilt and incorporated into the new build. Three ground-level entrances on Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer provide the opportunity to divide the building into three rental areas. They all fulfil the requirements of modern flexible office space and offer different office layout concepts ranging from single cell units to business lounges.


© Jens Kirchner

© Jens Kirchner

Corporate architecture – Roof as a logo

The design takes the existing listed structure, including the historic facades, into consideration and develops a contemporary, modern solution for the pre-war mansard roof structure, which now forms a distinct contrast to the historic features below. Clearly separated from the listed structure by a shadow joint, the new facade of the roof extension appears as an independent, homogenous structure with a horizontal arrangement, lending the add-on a dynamic, elegant and transparent look.


Diagram

Diagram

Metal bands envelop the four roof storeys and trace the slope of the historic roof contours that characterised the Rhine River silhouette of the cathedral city for many years. The glass facades beyond the bands do not follow the original sloped roofline but are set perpendicular to the floor plates. This feature generates deep, much-appreciated terraces in the surrounding space offering panoramic views across the city. The symbiosis of old and new, together with the streamlined roof, leads to the creation of a new landmark in the cityscape, which has a visible impact on Cologne’s Rhine River panorama from afar. 


© Jens Kirchner

© Jens Kirchner

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Joel Jospe Architects Design a Private Residence in Ra’anana, Israel

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💙 Short Eared Owls on 500px by Karen Summers,……

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💙 Short Eared Owls on 500px by Karen Summers,… http://ift.tt/2arWHeZ

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