This 2,500 square foot residence sits atop a precipice with views to the metropolitan Denver valley to the east and the iconic Flatiron peaks to the west. The interior spaces are austere, reflecting the disciplined lifestyle of the homeowners.
The two sides of this linear scheme respond independently to the site conditions. The east has a high band of glass for morning light infiltration, with a thick zone of storage, including custom built-in shelving, below. Dividing the storage areas, intermittent windows provide views to the entry court and distant city. Upon entering the home from the east, amazing mountain peaks are revealed. Sliding glass panels extend the length of the house embracing the unencumbered mountain views on the west side of the structure.
For this residence, simplicity and restraint are the innovation. Led by a desire for economy and sustainability, materials are limited to wood structure and ceilings, concrete floors, and weathering steel cladding. The roof extension provides sun shading for the west facing glass and shelter for the terrace.
Embedded in Boulder’s culture is a strong consideration for the environment. The owners hold to these principles and supported the efforts to quietly place the house within the site, minimize the need for energy, and minimize material waste. The house size is well below the allowable area on the 35-acre property and special attention was paid to the landscape during construction – it immediately re-vegetated with native wildflowers and grasses. The house’s modest form and palate of materials place it unpretentiously within its surroundings, allowing the natural environment to carry the day.
Dynia Architects received an Award of Merit from the Wyoming Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 2009 for Boulder Cabin.
Product Description. At the core of Dynia Architects design philosophy is our understanding of how a structure interacts with its surroundings. At Boulder Cabin the poured in place concrete slab of the interior flooring extends to the exterior, creating an outdoor entertainment area surrounded by dense woods. The dramatic wood and steel roof overhang defines this outdoor room as a seamless extension of the residence.
The New York Public Library has revealed the first renderings of Mecanoo and Beyer Blinder Belle’s renovation of the NYPL’s Mid-Manhattan Library at the corner of 5th Avenue and 40th Street, diagonally across from the library’s main branch, the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on Bryant Park. The $200 million project will increase seats, expand services and add public space to the building, which receives 1.7 million annual visits and constitutes the NYPL’s largest circulating branch.
“New Yorkers will soon have the central circulating library that they need and deserve,” said NYPL President Tony Marx. “This library will transform lives by providing books, classes, and programs for New Yorkers of all ages, and it will transform our city – as it will be a model for how libraries can strengthen communities.”
Founded in the 1970s, the Mid-Manhattan Library occupies a building originally designed to house a department store, resulting in a facility that lacks the combination of open and intimate spaces common to history’s most successful libraries. Mecanoo and Beyer Blinder Belle worked for over a year analyzing library usage data and conducting interviews with the staff and public to determine what changes were necessary to best meet the needs of library patrons and update the facility for the 21st century.
Key to the renovation will be the significant increase in public space – the design will add 35 percent more space for the public by moving multiple floors of back-office staff to adjacent facilities, adding an additional floor on the roof, and opening up the lower level to the public through the introduction of natural light.
The project’s signature element will be the “Long Room,” a five-story open structure of book stacks and meeting rooms that will unite the central floors of the building. To further open up the space, shelves have been pulled off the windowed walls of the building, allowing natural light to penetrate further into the space than ever before.
On the building’s top floor, formerly unused space will be redesigned to hold meeting space, a cafe and an outdoor area, which the library claims will be “the only rooftop terrace in midtown that will be free and open to the public.”
Additional facilities will include an adult learning center, a Science, Industry and Business library, a full-floor employment skills center, a new full-floor children’s library, and over 11,000-square-feet of multipurpose space for events and classes, as well as hundreds of new seating options throughout the building.
“The building that was originally designed in 1914 to house the Arnold Constable department store will now really become a library,” said Francine Houben of Mecanoo, the project’s lead architect. “By creating the iconic Long Room for the circulating collection, dedicated spaces for children and teens, an adult learning centre and business library, plus a rooftop destination for multipurpose use, the building will inspire serendipity and the discovery of all functions of a modern library.”
The Mid-Manhattan Library will close for construction in late 2017 and is expected to reopen in 2020.
Mecanoo and Beyer Blinder Belle were selected for the commission last September after ambitious renovation plans of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building by Foster + Partners were scrapped in the face of public controversy.
As the second chapter in his series, Iconic Norway, Alejandro Villanueva has released a time-lapse of the Trollstigen Visitor Center, a project by Reiulf Ramstad Architects for the Norwegian Public Roads Administration in Oslo, Norway.
Designed to “enhance the experience of the Trollstigen Plateau’s location and nature,” the Center utilizes water as a dynamic element and rock as a static element, in order to “create a series of prepositional relations that describe and magnify the unique spatiality of the site.”
Experience the beauty and nature of the Visitor Center by watching the video, above.
News via Alejandro Villanueva and Reiulf Ramstad Architects.
Irrespective of our age and gender, we all want beautiful skin that is free of blemishes, pimples, dark circles and other skin problems. But the science behind taking care of your skin is not very complicated
Want to know the best ways to get clear, glowing skin? Let’s take a look at the following tips.
If you are a person who suffers from dry skin, then it is particularly critical for you to moisturize your skin daily using a good moisturizer.
Choose a moisturizer that contains the ingredient glycerin as it has the capability to lock in moisture. The goal is to restore and replenish moisture levels for better skin. Also, remember to reapply the moisturizer after you shower irrespective of the fact whether you shower in the morning or night. The need to moisturize is very high in the winter as the skin is more prone to dryness.
Always be sure that you are using a cleanser that is not very strong for your skin. Strong cleansers may eliminate natural oils from your skin. If the products are made for blemish prone skin, then it might result in over-drying and will make the skin vulnerable to many environmental hazards.
It is important to exfoliate your skin regularly to get rid of dead skin cells and also to improve skin turnover. This will drastically improve your skin’s texture by adding glow and softness to your skin. To boost blood flow, massage your skin using a facial scrub in a circular motion.
It is important to be extra careful with the skin around your eyes. It is said to be ten times more delicate than the skin present on other parts of your face. So, you should do ample research on everything from choosing an eye makeup remover to selecting items for cleansing. Some cosmetics can cause irritation and itchiness. So be extra careful.
Do you think that the sun’s rays can cause damage to your skin only in summer? Well, UV rays can be proficient in other seasons as well. So, always apply sunscreen before stepping out. You can also ask your dermatologist for advice on getting a sunscreen that will not be very harsh on your skin as you plan on wearing it often.
Take care of your skin from inside out. You can do so by drinking lots of water, eating water-rich vegetables and fruits. This will help you stay hydrated and will make your skin radiant and plump. Drinking 8 glasses of water a day is needed to combat tight, flaky and dry skin.
Making better decisions regarding your diet can also help a lot in improving the overall health of your skin. Ensure that you consume dark leafy greens as they provide omega – 3 fatty acids and vitamins A, C, and E. These nutrients will nourish your body and also give you a glowing complexion.
Getting at least 8 hours of sleep is extremely crucial as your skin ends to repair itself during your sleep.
Exercising not only keeps you fit but also gives a glow to your skin. When you improve your heart rate through cardio and aerobic exercises, you are providing an adequate source of oxygenated blood to your skin. Regular exercise can also keep stress-related hormones in check. This way it can combat aging and aid in collagen production.
The process of sweating will cleanse your pores and combat problems like acne. Once you finish working out, wipe your face with a fragrance-free wipe. Avoid exercising with makeup on.
• Limit your Caffeine intake as it can negatively impact your skin. Caffeine can contribute to skin dryness and will make moisturizing less effective. If your caffeine intake is more than the recommended limit, it can cause dark circles and dehydrated skin.
• Never squeeze or press your pimples. It may leave permanent scars on your skin. Refrain from smoking and alcohol as they can negatively impact your skin.
• Use a toner to shrink enlarged pores and keep your skin fresh.
• Use a nourishing lip balm. This will keep your lips healthy.
Following the tips listed above can be of great help in fighting skin problems. Be ready to welcome healthy and glowing skin.
The post 7 Golden Rules to follow for Healthy, Glowing Skin appeared first on Change your thoughts.
There’s a big part of all of us that doesn’t ever want to face our fears.
The fears operate in the backs of our minds, affecting our lives in so many ways: we procrastinate, lash out at others in frustration, hold ourselves back from connecting with others in a meaningful way, stop ourselves from finding our purpose or creating work that matters, and much more.
But we don’t face the fears, despite their power over us, because we don’t like even thinking about them. We don’t want to acknowledge them. And this is what gives them their power.
Today, I’m challenging you to change this.
I’m challenging you to take a small action each day to face your fears. To become fearless, one small step at a time.
From now until the end of the year, commit to a daily Fearless Session.
What’s a Fearless Session? It’s a few minutes of courage:
It should only take about 5 minutes total, though you can start by doing just a few minutes. I recommend starting a timer for 5 minutes (or 3 to start out if you want).
Then every Saturday, make a brief report on this form (anonmymously). This will keep you honest and help you learn from the experience.
Join my challenge today: post about committing to the Fearless Challenge on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with the #fearlesschallenge hashtag, or just tell your close friends that you’re doing it.
Why bother doing this challenge? Because fears control us, but we don’t have to continue with that pattern. We can find the courage to face our fears, in small doses, and find compassion for them. This can help melt the fears and change our mental patterns, so we’re not so caught up in our stories about them.
Over time, you might notice yourself catching your fears during the day, when you’re not doing a Fearless Session. You might see the fear starting up, and then stop yourself from builidng it into something bigger. You might stay with the physical feeling of it starting, and then all of a sudden you’re back to the present moment, awake to what’s going on right now. This waking up in the moment of starting the fear train is a really valuable skill.
The last part, of seeing the goodness in yourself, is a fascinating exercise. This goodness is in all of us, all the time, but we don’t often notice it. It’s underlying everything we do, even the fear — we have good-hearted intentions, and we fear they won’t come true.
If we start to see the goodness in ourselves, that’s there all the time, we start to have confidence that we’re good enough. We doubt ourselves less, have less fear that things will go wrong, because we have a basic confidence that we’ll be OK no matter what situation arises.
Think about this: if you fear messing up, and hope for success … what happens if you are confident in your goodness and think you’ll be OK no matter how you do? You can just do the job, make the presentation, take on the project, without fear that things will not go the way you want. Because even in that case, you’ll be fine, you’ll figure it out from there.
Stopping our mental patterns, finding compassion for the pain of fear, and seeing our basic goodness — these are the antidotes to fear.
Join my challenge today: post about committing to the Fearless Challenge on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with the #fearlesschallenge hashtag, or just tell your close friends that you’re doing it.
Then every Saturday, make a brief report on this form (anonmymously).
I highly encourage you to join me in my Sea Change Program for one of the most important courses I’ve ever offered: The Path of Fearlessness.
It’s a six-week video course that’s a part of my regular Sea Change Program (free for 7 days, $19/month after that), and consists of:
From the architect. At the end of 2009 comes the order to realize a multi-storey building in a lot with 8.66m width in the southern of Echesortu neighborhood in Rosario. It is located within the urban fabric of the city near the bus station and in the geographic center of the city. The assignment is done by a marketer of products derived from aluminum (profiles, lines of timber, steel-frames, sheets, etc). The premise of the commission were fully exploit the constructible area according to the Urban Code of Rosario and use aluminum products.
The initial intentions were:
-Reformulate the compact building between medians.
-Reformulate the building between understood as a single extrusion.
-How should it relate to the block shape? Mainly its solid, closed and compact solution.
-Reformulate the building between the mass built for vertically also leave your empty log vertically on the solid mass of the block.
-How they should dwell, to live and interact with the people inside and outside of it?
-Orienting the building to the north and east accompany the sun path.
-Generate an architectural piece where the void generated tension same as does the constructed mass.
-Think each department as a house in height. Inquire about the experience that this means in concrete inhabit.
-Explore the use of aluminum, its scope and possibilities of both industrial and artisanal use.
-Link the building with the public space of the sidewalk and the street, while maintaining visual continuity and material.
Investigation
the problem of only using one of the medians and work on the dividing north and east in order to achieve a vertical gap in the batch accordance with the rules established 3m to ventilate and illuminate and 1.15m to illuminate local departments was raised. At the same time it seeks to obtain natural lighting and ventilation as much surface of the east-north main facade. The building is conceived as two “towers” together by a circulation / open mode high path corridor, eliminating the idea of closed bearing. Thus always enters the houses through an open space turned to the vertical void and the inner courtyard facing north and east. The intention was that each housing unit building is individual and unique, without repeating any distribution. Lighting and natural ventilation articulated with different spatial distributions are the conditions that make each unit has a unique character.
Matter + System
Skin. To form the outer closures, as the aluminum supplier customer, they had available approximately 10 coils of aluminum sheet of 500 micron were stored since the late 80 deposit. It was decided to make use of them, but their use was necessary to submit to a process of adaptation and panel manufacturing.
Mounting system and attachment
The mounting system is similar to traditional steel frame, but has no less variant, the first anchor is made of slab to slab and this work is done anchoring slab window sill. Modulation for assembly and manufacture of framing and other modulation for carpentry and empty was used, allowing open bays desired size without relying on strict modulation frame. Thus the struts that traverse the woodwork and released modulation which determines the shapes of their openings and their visual deleted.
