Ennead Architects Breaks Ground on Shanghai Planetarium


Courtesy of Ennead Architects

Courtesy of Ennead Architects

Ennead Architects has broken ground on the Shanghai Planetarium, a new 38,000-square-meter project that will define a new identity for the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum (SSTM) in the Lingang district of Shanghai, China. 

Inspired by astronomical principles, the design is centered on the concept of orbital motion. “Each of the building’s three principal forma—the oculus, the inverted dome, and the sphere—acts as an astronomical instrument, tracking sun, moon, and stars, and reminding visitors that our concept of time originates in distant astronomical objects.”


Courtesy of Ennead Architects


Courtesy of Ennead Architects


Courtesy of Ennead Architects


Courtesy of Ennead Architects


Courtesy of Ennead Architects

Courtesy of Ennead Architects

Courtesy of Ennead Architects

Courtesy of Ennead Architects

Courtesy of Ennead Architects

Courtesy of Ennead Architects

In a celebration of time and space, the Planetarium looks towards the future, for instance, the ambitions of China’s space exploration program, while also presenting a link to the past, through the rich history of Chinese astronomy.


Courtesy of Ennead Architects

Courtesy of Ennead Architects

Courtesy of Ennead Architects

Courtesy of Ennead Architects

“In linking the new Museum to both scientific purpose and to the celestial references of buildings throughout history, the exhibits and architecture will communicate more than scientific content: they will illuminate what it means to be human in a vast and largely unknown universe,” said Thomas Wong, lead designer of the building and Design Partner at Ennead.


Courtesy of Ennead Architects

Courtesy of Ennead Architects

Courtesy of Ennead Architects

Courtesy of Ennead Architects

The Planetarium is expected to open in 2020. Learn more about the project here, and here.

News via: Ennead Architects.

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Kvöldroði 3. nóv. 2012 by raudkollur Selfoss 3. nóvember 2012…

Kvöldroði 3. nóv. 2012 by raudkollur Selfoss 3. nóvember 2012 http://flic.kr/p/dqk3VN

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South Wales, Australiaphoto via debbie

South Wales, Australia

photo via debbie

Taleny School / Aro Estudio


© Lorena Darquea

© Lorena Darquea


© Lorena Darquea


© Lorena Darquea


© Lorena Darquea


© Lorena Darquea

  • Architects: Aro Estudio
  • Location: Guadalajara, Jalisco, México
  • Architects In Charge: Alexis Rodríguez, Michel Rosado, Oliver Ortega
  • Area: 3287.0 m2
  • Project Year: 2015
  • Photographs: Lorena Darquea
  • Collaborator: Leslie Chávez

© Lorena Darquea

© Lorena Darquea

TALENY is an institutional Project designed by ARO Estudio; located in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, its facilities have three levels of education Preschool, Elementary and Middle school, arranged in a plot of 5,000 m 2 through four building modules.


© Lorena Darquea

© Lorena Darquea

The design is based on the educational philosophy of the institution, which seeks its students to arouse interest in innovation, creating an environment that encourages the curiosity of the educational community, through facilities that promote in each child personal development and learning life skills.


© Lorena Darquea

© Lorena Darquea

The school´s entrance is framed by two brick walls, behind them the parking lot is placed. Following the length of the same wall it opens the way to the pedestrian entrance of the school, which, in its interior receives us in the administrative area; It is in it where through a covered patio the three educational levels are distributed and the heart of the institution, the MAKER SPACE is framed.


Ground Floor

Ground Floor

This module houses inside the creative areas of the school, in it converge the library, the computer area and the robotics room; Arranged in a space at double height, students can interact with the three areas, thus responding to the concerns that arise at the time of innovation (research-library, programming-computing, create-robotics). The windows that give light to the space, are of different sizes and orientations, projecting diverse shades and giving dynamism to the interior.


© Lorena Darquea

© Lorena Darquea

In the west of the school we find the preschool entrance, this building is designed half a story below the natural terrain to ease the walk for toddlers. All the classrooms are planned to have a cross ventilation with windows on the corridor side (North) arranged to reduce distractions and on the orchard side (South) displaced to have a full view of the plants and a North-South orientation to reduce solar incidence.


© Lorena Darquea

© Lorena Darquea

The Preschool Gym is a double story height space that accentuates its scale proportionally to the child’s size, promoting the freedom of movement and the physical stimuli of the youngest students. And just like the Maker Space and all the classrooms, the electrical installations and the waterworks are visually exposed, designed purposefully on a pedagogical level to awaken the students interest to question the meaning and function of the built environment.


© Lorena Darquea

© Lorena Darquea

The orchard is purposefully designed between the preschool and elementary buildings so that all the classrooms in this two buildings have a view to it, achieving a natural sight to soothe the classes.


© Lorena Darquea

© Lorena Darquea

The elementary classrooms follow the same criterion of placement of windows as those of kindergarten, with cross ventilation and north-south orientation.


© Lorena Darquea

© Lorena Darquea

The music classroom in front of the Maker Space, is an area of common use to all students of the school, built in brick following the same criteria of windows as the Maker Space, playing with the shadows projected into the interior.


First Floor

First Floor

The school’s program has three multipurpose courts, to the ends of which is the picnic area and stands; as well as a playground for the kindergarten area and individual recreation areas for elementary and middle school.


© Lorena Darquea

© Lorena Darquea

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URBANLOGIC Arts Factory Awarded Silver at 2016 American Architecture Prize


© URBANLOGIC

© URBANLOGIC

The annual AAP American Architecture Prize, which recognizes outstanding architectural design, interior design, and landscape architecture worldwide, has given URBANLOGIC‘s Sichuan Arts Factory and Innovation Center a Silver Award in the mixed-use category. The panel of judges included Troy C. Therrien of the Guggenheim Foundation and Museum, Peggy Deamer of Yale University, Ben Van Berkel of UNStudio and Harvard University Graduate School of Design, and Alan Ricks and Michael Murphy, founders of Mass Design Group. 


© URBANLOGIC


© URBANLOGIC


© URBANLOGIC


© URBANLOGIC


© URBANLOGIC

© URBANLOGIC

URBANLOGIC was commissioned by a glass manufacturer to design an upgrade for his factory into a large-scale art production and innovation center. The brief included production facilities, a sales hall, a small museum, individual artist studios, and a boutique hotel for VIP clients. Inspired by the character and malleability of industrial buildings, the architects based their design on a warehouse typology, using exposed concrete frames and concrete bricks to create a neutral canvas for the artistic production and exhibition within. 


© URBANLOGIC

© URBANLOGIC

A continuous, undulating roofscape stretches across the length of the building, creating both pitched and butterfly roofs that peak at varying heights. The architects included elements of traditional Chinese architecture in both the upward curves of the roof’s eaves and the four introverted courtyards. Lined by vertical bamboo elements, these courtyards contrast with the industrial warehouses for balance and cohesion. The largest, central courtyard, designed for open-air shows and screenings, shields the hotel from noise and dust emanating from the factory. A second courtyard will house a sculpture garden and balance the central plaza.


© URBANLOGIC

© URBANLOGIC

URBANLOGIC is an architecture and urban design firm based in Hong Kong and Berlin. Claiming projects in over 20 countries, the firm combines its practical work with a theoretical and research background, focusing on the socioeconomic and cultural context of their projects.

News via: The American Architecture Prize

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The Ultimate Secret To Wake Up Early And Be Productive

You’re reading The Ultimate Secret To Wake Up Early And Be Productive, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

best morning routine

best morning routine

“The day I complete my sleep is the day i’ll change the world” – Lazy People!

If you can relate to not sleeping at night and then regretting it later, you have come to the right place! First of all I want to congratulate you, because the fact that you are here signifies that you really “want to get a lot from life.”

Great! That is what Personal leadership is. It begins from you. It begins from self awareness. It begins with with getting up early to be more productive and getting more things done.

Self awareness is the guaranteed step to become a millionaire.

That is what successful people do, right? That is what successful entrepreneurs do.

“We all have the same 24 hours in a day. Successful people use it, Lazy people abuse it”

Getting more things done is all about getting up early and being a Manager. Your routine don’t lie. If you want to see where your future belongs, you can reflect that in your daily routine.

No one ever became super successful by being a couch potato.

Successful people get up early for work. Ideally around 5 am. Not because that’s what all successful people do, but because this is wise. It is wise to give time to yourself. It is wise to manage your time efficiently. It is wise to utilize your Holy Hour.

What is a Holy Hour? No, i am not discussing the benefits of meditating.

Holy Hour is the time, early in the morning, before the sun rises. It is that peaceful and pristine time when you are far away from all the distraction, embracing the quietness around you and working on your inner self.

Your inner health reflects your outer health and work productivity.  By getting up early each day you work towards your inner well being. Doing so on a regular basis can make you a dramatically better person.

Holy Hour is that 60 minutes of time when you contemplate your goals, your purpose and your strategies. It is that moment when you think about your relationships and how you can make them better. You will be surprised to know that the answers to the questions you were searching for out in the world are residing deep within yourself. It is when you focus your energy on the right track. On the things that require your focus and attention.

Doing so it’s just like operating a DSLR. The way that you adjust your camera lens to blur out everything and keep your focus on your ultimate target. To get a beautiful picture, to get a beautiful result.

That being said, it is not as easy as it is described. It takes time to be building your concentration to the right place and focusing on the right track by removing all your distractions. It takes practice. People who contemplate deep in their life are the people who achieve big.

As we discussed in our post Top 5 Practices of Rich and Successful People we discussed deeply about the power that you reveal by utilizing your Holy Hour and thinking and contemplating.

Successful people do a weekly analysis of their to-do list and prioritize their goals. They know the importance of time. They know time is money.

I once read about the secret of Asia’s top CEO’s outrageous success,

“I make time to think” he said.

Every morning he spends at least 45 minutes with his eyes closed, deep in reflection. He’s not meditating. He’s not praying. He’s thinking.  Sometimes he’s analyzing business challenges, other times he’s thinking about new markets. Still other times he is being introspective about the meaning of his life and what he wants it to stand for. Often, he’s simply dreaming up new ways to grow personally and professionally. Every once in a while he will spend between six to eight hours doing this. Sitting silently with his eyes closed. Thinking.

Being thoughtful and strategic is step number one as you walk to greatness. Clarity precedes success. By thinking more, you’ll have a better sense of your priorities and what you need to focus on. Your actions will be crisp and deliberate and intentional. You will make better decisions and wiser choices.

More time thinking will make you less reactive. You will become clearer on the best uses of your time which will in turn save you time. Your think time will also provoke some some amazing ideas and inspire some big dreams.

My question to you is..

How can you be a positive source of energy to those around you when you yourself have no energy? How can you develop the best in others if you have not connected with the best within yourself?       How can you champion another person if you fail to see the champion in you?

Getting up early to do your inner work, enlarge your thinking, to sharpen your life’s philosophy or to review your goals is not a waste of time. Getting up early for utilizing your holy hour is not a waste of time!

The holy hour infuses every remaining minute of your day with a perspective that elevates each area of your life. It will transform you. Make you better as a leader, as a parent, as a human being.

Apart from  achieving scientific evidence, Holy Hour has it’s deep routes in Hindu Tradition and is also mentioned in knowledge and wisdom rich Vedas. This Holy Hour is called “BHRAMA MUHURAT” in sanskrit Which means the “HOLY HOUR“. There are still various Gurukuls that follow the tradition of brahma mhoorat along with other Buddhists, and Chinese philosophers.

I believe that now you have enough reasons to waking up early and if you still fail to do so just remember this following powerful quote:

“There will be plenty of time to sleep when you are dear”-Benjamin  Franklin

So join the club of early risers. Be more wise. Be more Productive.

Here are 5 Practical ways that can help you get up early in the morning. ( Try to wake up around 4 or 5 am) :

1. SET YOUR GOALS.

This may seem obvious but it can have a tremendous impact on your life. People don’t wake up early just because they can not find any reason to do so. Even if they wake up, they already waste enough of their time thinking to take next action. Understand that this routine is new to you. So unlike waking up at regular time and knowing what you should do next is pretty simple. You’ve been following that routine for ages. But this is the beginning of your new journey so set goals early.

The night before you go to sleep at night , think of all the actions and your to do list that you need to perform tomorrow. This way you can save a lot of your time and it will also give you a reason to wake up early.

Plan your day out and make enthusiastic goals that force you to get out of bed without hitting the snooze button.

Goals breathe energy and life into your days. Goals inspire you and give you something to get out of your bed each morning. Take out your journal and prioritize your goal. It will light a fire in your belly and flood you with passion.

2. THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND.

a) DON’T EAT AFTER 8 P.M : This will help you sleep more deeply as well as more sweetly. It’s the quality not the quantity of sleep that’s more important.

b) KEEP YOUR GIZMOS AWAY :Research shows that people who sleep with no distractions sleep more peacefully and have high quality REM SLEEP.

c) SLEEP IN COMPLETE DARKNESS AND NO NOISE: This ritual can be helpful to people especially who are insomniac. Lavender essential oil when used as a aromatic fragrance can help relieve stress and bring more peace.

d) SLEEP MAX. BY 11 PM : Don;t stress yourself out. Your body need rest. Without a proper sleep research shows that you can be less productive. In order to have fresh mind at least have 6-7  hours of sleep.

3. DON’T KEEP HUGGING YOUR BED!

After your alarm clock goes off, jump out of bed and start your day. The more time you lie in after the alarm clock goes off, the greater the likelihood that the chatter of your mind will say something like, “stay in bed, sleep a bit more. The bed is warm, you deserve it.” You want to stay away from those evil forces as much as possible!!

4. SET YOUR ALARM 30 MINUTES EARLY.

This little trick can help you change your life. Think like you are getting up at 5 am. By the time you are up and out of bed , you’ll realize that it’s only 4.30 AM.

Voila ! Sounds silly but it works!!

5. KEEP AWAY!

A night before , when you set your alarm clock keep it at a distance where you can’t reach easily. So doesn’t matter if you don’t want to wake up early and get going, You have to have get out of your bed to stop that annoying buzzing of your alarm clock!

You’ll get annoyed as hell at first, but you will thank me that you actually woke up!

6. GIVE IT AT LEAST 21 DAYS.

Research has found that it takes at least 21 days to form or delete a habit. You need some time to get used to it. It wont be easy at first but you need to keep going, okay?

Personal change is a process that can be hardest at the beginning. Be it waking up in the morning and be productive or losing your weight. It does not happens in a day or in a week. It takes time to overcome the pull of your old habit. But after four days from now, your life will so much better and you will feel so much powerful and strengthened. Always give yourself at least 21 days to install a habit.

DON’T GIVE UP!

Let me know your thoughts on Facebook!

You’ve read The Ultimate Secret To Wake Up Early And Be Productive, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

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Photographer Michael Sprill wanted to capture the Milky Way over…

Photographer Michael Sprill wanted to capture the Milky Way over the amazing landscape of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. He used a long exposure to capture the night sky and a flashlight to shine on Silex Spring, spotlighting the geothermal pool. He was very excited about the results, “The steam coming off the water really makes the photo look magical!” Photo by Michael Sprill (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).

Óptica Queirós / Tsou Arquitectos


© João Macedo

© João Macedo


© João Macedo


© João Macedo


© João Macedo


© João Macedo

  • Architects: Tsou Arquitectos
  • Location: R. Maria da Fonte 160, 4830-582 Póvoa de Lanhoso, Portugal
  • Architect In Charge: Tiago Tsou
  • Area: 54.0 m2
  • Project Year: 2016
  • Photographs: João Macedo
  • Team: Tiago Tsou, António Alberto Costa
  • Constructor: Construções Vasco Fernandes
  • Wood Work: Marcenaria Isidro
  • Plasterboard: Tectoestore

© João Macedo

© João Macedo

From the architect. The refurbishment proposal of Óptica Queirós goes through the redefinition of the functional zoning and circulations.


© João Macedo

© João Macedo

The front desk and workshop are placed sideways.

The central space of the showroom and personalized attendance is well-marked by the false ceiling design.


Floor Plan

Floor Plan

The access to the contactology office is done by a passage in the curved plane of the wall.


© João Macedo

© João Macedo

Section

Section

© João Macedo

© João Macedo

The shelves of the eyeglass frames follows the shop design in all it dimension. They perform the double function of showcase from the inside and outside and also work as sun blockers. All the functional elements follow the global design, creating a unifying image of the whole.


© João Macedo

© João Macedo

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CnT Architects Provide Two Options for Design of Aurobindo Pharma Towers in India


Courtesy of CnT Architects

Courtesy of CnT Architects

A competition for the design of the Aurobindo Pharma towers in the center of Hyderabad, India has declared CnT Architects as the winner. The 300-meter site is located in the center of Hitech City of Hyderabad. Two options exist for the final towers: one intends to accentuate the building’s verticality while the other amplifies the horizontality of the site. 


Courtesy of CnT Architects


Courtesy of CnT Architects


Courtesy of CnT Architects


Courtesy of CnT Architects


Courtesy of CnT Architects

Courtesy of CnT Architects

CnT Architects noted that they stressed the incorporation of commercial elements, like retail and restaurants, to break away from the regular gated office building designs.

Option one divides the length of the building into three towers, with commercial and office floors separated by a middle zone. The middle zones serve as a connection zone between the towers, with the inclusion of wide, social staircases. Also providing a cafeteria and recreation floors, the middle zone is left transparent and protected from heat gain by mechanically operable louvers.


Courtesy of CnT Architects

Courtesy of CnT Architects

Option two scatters the cafes and conferences rooms across the floors along the exterior edge of the building. Various levels of transparency allow for external identification of the rooms.  

Moreover, this concept breaks the building into pieces. A collection of terraces forms outdoor social spaces toward the top of the building.


Courtesy of CnT Architects

Courtesy of CnT Architects

The towers will be 120 meters in height when built.

Architect – CnT architects
Office Location – Bangalore India
Project location – Hyderabad India
Design Team – Sreenath Vinayakumar, Krishna Chaitanya, Karthik P Nair, Ashish Bykode, Harshvardhan, Prem Chandavarkar, Vikram Desai
Visualisation – Arun Babu , Lucid dream

News via: CnT Architects

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Las Vegas – Nevada – USA (by Miguel Discart)

Las Vegas – Nevada – USA (by Miguel Discart)