Author: signordal
Sam Jacob’s Insulation Scarf is a witty way to warm your neck
This scarf by architect Sam Jacob features the wiggly symbol used to represent insulation on architectural drawings. Read more
Half Buried House / eneseis arquitectura
© Andrés Flasjzer
- Architects: eneseis arquitectura
- Location: Calle Abad Nájera, 03002 Alacant, Alicante, Spain
- Architects In Charge: Daniel Solbes, Jose Luis Durán
- Area: 170.6 m2
- Project Year: 2012
- Photographs: Andrés Flasjzer
- Collaborating Architect: Daniel Cano, Luis Hernandez
- Constructor: Construcciones y reformas quintanilla
© Andrés Flasjzer
From the architect. Aspe´s half buried house is located in the typical inner Alicante´s half desertic landscape, amongst irrigated crops and low mountains of great beauty, yet surrounded by a single family residential tissue, dense and repetitive.
© Andrés Flasjzer
Winters are not too cold, and at the same time there is a dominant West wind that lowers thermal feeling. Summers are very hot and dry.
© Andrés Flasjzer
Project´s main goal was to achieve an special place, highly related to landscape, in order to live comfortably.
© Andrés Flasjzer
Project´s strategy was to work at the same time plot, landscape and building, to obtain the most of them, enhancing themselves to each other.
Axonometric
Landscape is a prolongation of the garden, which is a prolongation of the home.
Thermal confort was achieved by partially burying the dwelling. Thanks to that, the house takes advantage of the thermal inertia, that naturally adjusts temperature. This, together with a targeted orientation that obtains winnings in winter and protection in summer, plus a crossed ventilation, results into a thermal responsive home.
© Andrés Flasjzer
By burying the house taking advantage of the plot´s slope, two flat levels are activated: the terrace-garden area above, plus the house level where pool is located as well.
Ground Floor
House´s floor plan has S shape, attached to plot´s west edge, where entrance is located too. Dwelling is required pass in order to access the plot, protecting at the same time the pool.
© Andrés Flasjzer
Inner S side generates an open court where main rooms and circulation face, creating an extension of inner space towards outer garden, without an intimacy loss.
Result is a white construction that highlights the house, and that embeds itself into the terrain, interweaving with gardens, courtyards, inner spaces and terraces, creating different ways of experiencing the place, and relating to the landscape.
Pascal Cheikh Djavadi Designs a Spacious and Peaceful Villa in Ibiza
Villa in Ibiza is a private residence designed by Pascal Cheikh Djavadi. It is located in Ibiza, Spain. Photos courtesy of arcosarchitecture
Villa Vatnan / Nordic Office of Architecture
© visualis / m.c.herzog
- Architects: Nordic Office of Architecture
- Location: Trondheim, Norway
- Architect In Charge: John Arne Bjerknes
- Area: 250.0 m2
- Project Year: 2015
- Photographs: visualis / m.c.herzog, Espen Grønli
- Client : Vatnan family
© visualis / m.c.herzog
From the architect. Nordic — Office of Architecture was approached by the Vatnan family to deliver their dream home. They had a simple architectural vision, but a demanding site on which it was to be realised.
© visualis / m.c.herzog
Located on the edge of an established residential area with limited access and a steep topography, the site does however offer fantastic views from the private and shielded south-west facade.
© visualis / m.c.herzog
The family desired a home for both everyday life and entertaining, where the primary rooms are all collated on one floor with generous sizes and well resolved spatial relationships. By lifting this main floor up to one floor above the natural entrance level, we captured the best of the views and the sun. The elongated body of the house shelters against the wind and creates an open private outdoor space, while the bedrooms and living areas all have direct access to the garden via a covered terrace stretching the length of the house.
© visualis / m.c.herzog
The simple concept is reinforced by the overall simplicity in use of materials. The entire main floor is covered in pine boards, and the living room, kitchen and terrace are clad in veneered oak. The concrete is sealed throughout the house, and the ceiling height of 2.8 metres further contributes to the experience of the house opening up towards the grand view to the south-west.
Floor Plan
The basement and main deck are cast in concrete and the gable and long walls to the north-east are clad in cedar wood.
© Espen Grønli
Product Description. Dinesen Oak wooden floor, 450mm width. Used on whole upper main floor in all rooms – living, kitchen and bedrooms, establishing the principle idea of one dominant floor for the whole family.
© visualis / m.c.herzog
5 Simple Steps To Get You Concentrating Better at Your Tasks
You’re reading 5 Simple Steps To Get You Concentrating Better at Your Tasks, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
Let’s face it – we have all had problems with concentration before whether at work, school or even at play. It sounds almost banal to say that better concentration and focus helps make life more stress-free but it is true. When you’re more focused, you get more done in a shorter amount of time; you work more productively and efficiently. The good news is that you do not have to be an expert or a personal development coach to improve your concentration; in fact there are plenty of simple, free and readily available ‘tools’ you can use to raise your concentration levels.
The next time you find yourself losing focus during work or during any tasks that you are doing, you can try doing any of these 5 things:
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Breathe.
We all need to breathe. And we do it so unconsciously that most of us do not actually pay attention to the breath. Taking a breather is a simple way to restart your concentration. Take a break for three minutes and just close your eyes and breathe deeply. In-out, in-out. Just 3 minutes – surely you can afford that?
Slowly notice your body being slightly more relaxed and the tension ease away. This will effectively help you get your focus back.
I love this quote from mindfulness expert Jon Kabat-Zinn that goes something to the effect that “pay attention and be aware of your breath like your life depended on it” (because it really does!)
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Remove distractions.
Get rid of all the distractions around you as much as you can. All the noise, eyesores and other things that may distract you from what you are doing should be removed. This also includes mobile devices such as tablets, mobile phones and other digital devices that cause distraction.
One practical tip: when you need to focus, keep your phone tucked away in the other room or in a closed drawer. Psychologically, it helps keep your distractions literally out of sight.
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Take one step at a time.
Everything takes time so don’t rush. Especially when we are talking about building a skill such as cultivating concentration. Avoid multitasking and stick to one, at most two, task at the same time. Multiple studies have some multi-tasking has a deleterious effect on the quality of our work. Why do we want to risk the quality of what we produce?
We don’t need more distractions in our lives (we are distracted as it is), we need more focus.
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Declutter.
Very few people can work in a messy and unorganized environment and decluttering certainly helps. Don’t get scared off by ‘decluttering’ and think that it involves lots of work – that is a myth! It can be as simple as rearranging your books to make it neater or just doing some basic cleaning over the table. This way, you are not only clearing (and clearing) your office space but also your mind.
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Check your environment.
Finally, on a more practical level, take a step back and check your surroundings. Do you have enough space to work on your task? Do you have ample lighting and ventilation? Is the room too hot or too cold? If you feel like your environment is distracting you from your work, then adjust according to your preference. Make sure you have enough lighting, ventilation and space for you to finish your work. An ideal condition naturally breeds better concentration and productivity.
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Reward yourself.
Whenever you’re done with a task or reached a goal, do not forget to treat yourself to a small reward. It can be something as simple as having an ice-cream or giving yourself an extra 2 hours sleep over the weekends. When you do this consistently, you’re reinforcing the feedback loop and strengthening (both consciously and unconsciously) your concentration – productivity link.
This is a guest post by Dylan from More Motivation. For articles on motivation, inspiration and practical advice on concentration, personal development and financial success head over to http://ift.tt/2fA0xWc
You’ve read 5 Simple Steps To Get You Concentrating Better at Your Tasks, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
Cambridge, Englandphoto via flucy
Slow Town Tiny House / The Plus Partners + DNC Architects
© Moobum Bang
- Architects: The Plus Partners, DNC Architects
- Location: Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do, South Korea
- Area: 19.8 m2
- Project Year: 2016
- Photographs: Moobum Bang
© Moobum Bang
‘The Tiny House of Slow Town’, one of the ‘Slow Town’ projects, is the building of small houses that uses the least modules out of woods to expand the inadequate accomodations in Gangwon city, the host city for the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games, and also to provide an easy access to the geographical beauty of the city.
© Moobum Bang
Floor Plan
© Moobum Bang
Floor Plan
© Moobum Bang
Gangwon city is one of the few clean areas left in Korea and it needs to be protected and kept that way. ‘The Tiny House Of Slow Town’ project has the purpose of providing accomodations with the maximized housing facilities while using the least materials that are environmentally friendly.
© Moobum Bang
Photos from Canada
The “most beautiful room in Canada”, Library of Parliament in Ottawa 📸by: @ikasas_a thanks !
Use #travelcanada or tag @travelcanada_ to share your shots with us !!! .
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#canada #explorecanada #ottawa #ontario #parliament #libraryofparliament #beautiful #library #book #ontario #exploreontario #adventure #destination #parliamentofcanada #photographer #photography #instadaily #instagood #filter (à Library of Parliament)
Southern Sunshine Home / HAO Design
© Hey!Cheese
- Architects: HAO Design
- Location: Kaohsiung city, Taiwan
- Area: 116.0 m2
- Project Year: 2016
- Photographs: Hey!Cheese
© Hey!Cheese
From the architect. Good traffic flow creates a comfortable space.
Whenever HAO Design receives a new case, the first thing we do is to observe the surrounding environment of the house and list its unique strengths. Then we brainstorm ideas, integrate the space and plan the traffic flow. Take this freestanding house located in Kaohsiung. We assessed it and found four major advantages: a large yard, high roof, good natural light and a rectangular floor plan.
© Hey!Cheese
Plan
© Hey!Cheese
We changed the original traffic flow by moving the entrance to the side of the house. Although you need to walk around the house to get in, the first thing you see is the big yard. It’s like walking from the city into a country cottage; your body and mind both relax immediately. The solid wooden platform at the entrance is reminiscent of old Japanese structures. Residents can sit on it to enjoy the garden view. We made a lot of adjustments to the interior, removing a wall to merge the old living and dining room into one open space. The original entrance is now a raised washitsu (Japanese-style room) where people can have a rest.
© Hey!Cheese
During the renovation, HAO Design knocked out portions of the ceiling and discovered it was sloped. At its highest point, the indoor ceiling is four meters high and significantly widens the room. Therefore, we did not alter the ceiling height, and the room is now spacious and comfortable. The kitchen, connected to the living room, is nearly 8 ping (26.4 square meters). This is a kitchen island design with a 280 centimeter-long counter top, just like a dream kitchen. The house owner likes to cook, and now that he has enough cooking space, he can enjoy his hobby. Even though the ceiling is slightly lower in the kitchen, it is connected to the living room, which gives the impression of a bigger space.
© Hey!Cheese
When we were first planning the renovation, we realized the original layout consisted of too many different sections, and the lack of windows made it hard for light to enter. So the problem of how to integrate the small individual spaces and introduce more light was also a huge challenge. HAO Design introduced a ceiling window in the master bathroom to let in more sunlight. We changed the front door into a large French window so it lets in more light and those in the house can enjoy a view of the garden, a serene place in the bustling city. We also added a window near the ground in the master bedroom so light can enter, but we made sure that the room does not get too bright. The right amount of natural light makes a house more energetic.
© Hey!Cheese
© Hey!Cheese
