Nestled near the foot of Mount Adams in Washington’s Cascades Range, Conboy Lake National Wildlife Refuge is a scenic gem. Conboy Lake’s lush seasonal marshes and vibrant forests beckon to both visitors and wildlife. Located within an easy drive of Portland, Oregon, the refuge is a great escape for those seeking diverse scenery, idyllic recreational opportunities and a link to the history of the Northwest. Photo by Henry Kammetler (http://ift.tt/18oFfjl).
The Government of the United Kingdom and competition organizer Malcolm Reading Consultants have announced the ten architect teams selected to envision designs for the new National Memorial to the Holocaust, to be located next to the UK Parliament. Designs will encompass a “striking” new National Memorial in Victoria Gardens, as well as a possible below ground Learning Center.
The 10 shortlisted teams were selected from nearly 100 entries from teams across the globe by a jury made up of notable figures in British culture, religion and architecture, including Director of Stanton Williams Architects, Paul Williams; former Serpentine Galleries Director Dame Julia Peyton-Jones; and National September 11 Memorial and Museum Director, Alice M Greenwald.
The shortlisted teams are as follows:
Adjaye Associates (UK) with designer Ron Arad Associates
Allied Works (US) with artist Robert Montgomery
Caruso St John (UK) with artist Rachel Whiteread
Diamond Schmitt Architects (CA) with landscape architect Martha Schwartz Partners
Foster + Partners (UK) with artist Michal Rovner
heneghan peng architects (IE) with multidisciplinary designers Bruce Mau Design
John McAslan + Partners (UK) with MASS Design Group
Lahdelma & Mahlamäki Architects (FI) with David Morley Architects
Studio Libeskind (US) with Haptic Architects
Zaha Hadid Architects (UK) with artist Anish Kapoor
An exhibition of the ten conceptual designs will be on display in central London and select locations around the UK beginning in January 2017, seeking views and comments from all communities across the UK. The winning team will be selected by the independent jury chaired by Sir Peter Bazalgette, Chair of the United Kingdom Holocaust Memorial Foundation and the ITV Board.
“These teams are challenged with creating a vision for the Memorial which sensitively reflects the loss of life and humanity during the Holocaust. But it must also speak to everyone, with an unwavering commitment against all hatred and intolerance. The design will inspire people of all ages and backgrounds to commemorate and learn,” said Bazalgette.
The complete jury members include:
To learn more about the project, visit the competition website, here.
News via Malcolm Reading Consultants.
We all understand the value of embarking on a new journey with our loved ones. No picture can replicate the memories we create with our friends and family members, but there’s something to be said for making time to travel just for you.
One memorable solo trip for me was when I spent some time in San Jose, California, as well as San Diego, at the end of a work trip in San Francisco.
Because this was my first chance in years to travel by myself, I wanted to keep things simple and not restrict myself to a rigid itinerary. The only event I planned in advance was to see Kanye West and Rihanna (as well as Lupe Fiasco and N*E*R*D) in San Jose. While there, I even ran into the legendary MC Hammer! Tickets were limited to singles at the time, so this incredible night never would have happened if I hadn’t been by myself.
Later, I went to San Diego and reconnected with an old friend I hadn’t seen in years. I had the freedom to hang out with her and her friends on the beach, then take off and explore everything the city had to offer whenever I pleased.
Watching the fiery sun meet the horizon over the Pacific Ocean one night, I realized traveling solo may not replace the experience of seeing the world with your loved ones, but it is an adventure all people should try at some point in their lives.
I know I’m not the only one who likes to travel alone. In fact, results from the 2015 Visa Global Travel Intentions Study indicate a 15 percent uptick in overall solo travel since 2013, and for first-timers, it has increased from 16 percent to 37 percent.
In recognition of this growing market, many hospitality organizations offer new services aimed at wooing those who head out alone, such as solo-traveler guides and communal experiences at resorts.
Numerous logistical and demographic reasons help explain the newfound popularity of solo travel — including rising wages in the developing world and the Baby Boomers reaching retirement age. However, the most significant factor in the solo travel surge may be the most simple: More Americans than not are single for the first time in decades.
See Also: 10 Wonderful Benefits of Traveling
Traveling alone can open up a world of possibilities. While it brings many potential benefits, these are just a few considerations to help you discover whether it’s right for you:
• You prefer to set your own schedule at your own speed. Solo travel can offer you the independence you crave because you don’t have to cater to anyone else’s needs. This is especially appealing if your trip isn’t terribly long: You can do exactly what you want to do in the short time you have.
• You want to increase your self-awareness through exploration and discovery. You will learn more about yourself on a solo trip than you ever thought possible, which, in turn, will boost your confidence. When you embrace the benefits of solitude, you become your own best friend.
• You like to meet new, different kinds of people. If you never meet a stranger, solo travel might be the perfect way for you to connect with people from different walks of life.
• You want to become a better traveler. Solo travel will train you to be a more curious observer of the world, and an expanded worldview lends itself to a more compassionate outlook on life.
But just like anything in this world, traveling alone is not for everyone. You may want to stick with a partner or group if the following conditions of solo travel are a significant concern:
• You worry about what others will think. If the thought of seeing a movie alone induces a full-body cringe, exploring new places without someone to lean on might not be for you.
• You’re worried about the dangers of traveling alone. It’s important to understand you won’t have a companion to fall back on. You need to be extremely self-sufficient to successfully travel alone because you open yourself up to risk when you’re by yourself.
• You worry no one can really share the memories with you. “You just had to be there” might become your new favorite phrase after returning from a solo trip. An enlightening journey is deeply personal and, sometimes, lonely. If you’re not OK with that, reconsider solo travel.
See Also: 5 Steps To Reinvent Your Life By Traveling
For me, travel is an intrinsically personal journey. I love to see the world and all its wonders, and occasionally, I like to do it by myself. For your next trip, consider taking some time to reflect on yourself. Plan your itinerary exactly how you want to, and let your destination be your guide to enjoying new experiences that are possible only when you travel solo.
The post How I Caught the Solo-Travel Bug (and met MC Hammer) in One Weekend appeared first on Dumb Little Man.
For Casa Cor Rio 2016, the most important architectural and interior design event in Brazil, Gisele Taranto Arquitetura was challenged to create six different designs for a dining room. The 26th edition of the event takes place in a house surrounded by Burle Marx gardens in Gávea, an affluent residential neighborhood located in the South Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro. Ovoo Dining Room by Gisele Taranto –..
The cabin was conceived as an exploration of the potential for a productive lack of fit between program and inhabited surface. The space is comprised of a series of levels, each charged with programmatic intent, but with a degree of non-specificity such that use can be defined by the user. A sitting surface becomes a sleeping surface becomes an eating surface becomes a walking surface. The cabin’s external logic was governed by the limits of vehicular transport to the site, in which a cantilevering volume pushes beyond the constraints of a vehicular transport bed.
The California College of the Arts (CCA) has selected Studio Gang out of three finalists to design an expanded art and design college campus for the school in San Francisco. Currently split between San Francisco and Oakland, CCA’s expansion in San Francisco will allow all of the school’s programs to be housed in one location.
Over the next five years, Studio Gang and CCA will collaborate to create a new campus to host 2,000 students, 600 faculty members, 250 staff members, and 34 academic programs, and to be a model of sustainable construction and practice.
The selection process was extremely thorough, involving intense review and significant input from many constituencies, commented CCA Board Chair C. Diane Christensen. Studio Gang’s visionary work, commitment to innovation and sustainability, and collaborative work style makes the firm an excellent fit for this project and for CCA. Jeanne Gang leads an extraordinary team that is very familiar with San Francisco and our still-emerging neighborhood at the intersection of the city’s innovation corridor, the new DoReMi arts district, and Mission Bay. We are thrilled with the prospect of working with Studio Gang and have high hopes that our new campus will help redefine 21st-century arts education.
The project will be built on a 2.4-acre lot bordering the college’s existing San Francisco campus buildings.
News via the California College of the Arts (CCA).
New York City – New York – USA (by Bryan Ledgard)
They say first impressions are everything and that is especially true when it comes to dating. Maybe you have no problem landing a first date with women. However, if you’ve noticed that a follow up date never happens, then you most likely need our tips for a first date for men.
First dates are very telling. Women and men will assess whether they want to go out with this person again based on their mannerisms and etiquette on the first date.
To ensure that you get that second date, here are some do’s and don’ts for you.
If you ask a woman out on a date, then plan a date. I once had a friend who went on a date with a guy. As soon as he picked her up, he said, “Well, what do you want to do?” It caught her off guard and made her feel like he didn’t care enough about the date to plan anything. Have a plan for dinner or drinks, and then have a second plan for something afterward if you feel the night is going well.
See Also: Tips In Choosing A Restaurant For A Romantic Date
Your date does not want to hear you go on and on (and on) about work, your ex, or your mother. Talk about yourself but also ask your date questions that will get her talking about herself. Joke around and have fun. Don’t get too serious too soon. You can usually get a pretty good vibe from one another through your interactions to know if a second date is in the cards.
This includes how you treat your date and the staff who take care of you while you’re on the date. Be kind to wait staff, movie attendants, valet parkers, etc. Don’t cut cars off or yell at a driver who didn’t signal before getting over.
Being rude and inconsiderate of others is a huge turnoff and will have your date counting down the seconds until the night is over. Remember that what men are attracted to is not that different from women.
First dates should be fun and fairly casual. Making reservations at a fancy and expensive restaurant for a first date gives off the impression that you’re trying too hard and puts more pressure than necessary on the date. Plus, it might make you have to live up to unrealistic expectations for subsequent dates. Try to plan something fun and casual like miniature golfing or a free concert in the park to help break the tension that sometimes comes with first dates.
Don’t bring up topics like politics, exes, sexual preferences or things of that nature. These can come across as crass and impolite. If there are things like these you want to discuss that are important to you, let the relationship gradually build before bringing up such heavier topics.
See Also: 5 Ways To Keep a Conversation From Coming To a Dead-end Standstill
If you think the date went well and you’d like to see her again, tell her! Something simple, such as, “I had a great time. I’d love to see you again” will suffice. Notice her reaction and if she seems interested. Then text her within a day or so to tell her something funny or interesting related to a topic the two of you were talking about. There’s no such thing anymore as a (waiting) three-day rule. If you like her, go for it!
The first purpose of dating is to meet new people and learn the qualities that are most important to you in a relationship. So look at it more as an exploration and less as a conquest. It will help you keep the right perspective as you go on your very first date.
Good luck!
The post The Dos and Don’ts of a First Date for Men appeared first on Dumb Little Man.
This article was originally published on Autodesk’s Redshift publication as “Toyo Ito’s Next Architectural Feat: Revitalizing Omishima Island in Japan.”
Last year, as construction at his National Taichung Theater in Taiwan was winding down, Toyo Ito found himself at a crossroads.
A 10-year project in the making, the gargantuan cultural beacon is made of biomorphically curved concrete walls that wind together like a knot of arteries, creating an otherworldly experience for arts patrons. It’s every bit the landmark project you’d expect from 2013’s Pritzker Prize Laureate, but its rapidly approaching completion triggered a vital question: Where to go from here?
Toyo Ito’s Taichung Metropolitan Opera House Photographed by Lucas K Doolan//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/platform.js
“With the completion of the opera house, I feel as if the first epoch of my architectural career is also coming to an end after 40 years,” Ito says. “Since we began designing residences in the early years of our firm, my colleagues and I have searched for beautiful spaces and architectural uniqueness. The opera house is the culmination of that search. I cannot imagine creating a more innovative work where the beauty of space is paramount.”
So rather than trying to top the formal exploration and structural innovation of the opera house (which opened last month on September 30), Ito is now focused crafting spaces that define themselves by social interaction rather than experiential delight.
Most recently, this recasting of architecture can be seen in the work of Ito’s Pritzker successors and some of the biggest architecture exhibitions. As for Ito, he began this endeavor several years ago, working on disaster-relief plans in his native Japan. It has culminated in applying these lessons to rural communities with humble aims that are far from the affluent megacities—geographically and culturally—that architects of his caliber generally frequent.
In 2011, after a devastating earthquake and tsunami in northern Japan killed 19,000 people, Ito began working on a series of community centers in towns still reeling from the disaster. These “Homes-for-All” are loosely defined community sites that aren’t homes exactly, but are instead spaces that can feel like home when everyday patterns of life and living have been ripped away by catastrophe. They are places for events and meetings, and incubators for businesses displaced by the tsunami—a place to meet your neighbors, get your bearings, and catalog what was lost and what you still have.
Ito worked on the Homes-for-All with a few other architects, including Kazuyo Sejima and Riken Yamamoto, but these buildings weren’t “designed” so much as “workshopped” with extensive community input.
“Many architects say that they create architecture for society,” Ito says. “But the architecture created may be actually for architects themselves. Architects create architecture by seeing the society and people through architects’ eyes. I would like to reconsider architecture through residents’ eyes.”
The Home-for-All in Rikuzentakata weaves three stories of simple gabled structures through wooden stairs and catwalks, held aloft by cedar log columns and heated with a wood-burning stove. In Miyatojima, a rounded pavilion roof shelters a simple meeting and event space. Each Home-for-All (designed using Autodesk AutoCAD) looks quite different, but the form isn’t what’s important. What happens inside is. Fifteen have been built so far, with one more to go.
The lessons in grassroots community engagement Ito learned with his Homes-for-All project made him consider whether these same principles could be applied to entire communities—to not just repair damage, but to revitalize a place culturally and economically. Fortunately, he already had strong ties to a potential candidate.
In 2007, Ito first came to the island of Omishima in southern Japan to design expansions of the Tokoro Museum (the Steel Hut and Silver Hut, which were completed as part of the Toyo Ito Museum of Architecture in 2011). “I reached the island on a ferry, and Omishima looked really impressive, as if I were entering an unknown world,” Ito says.
It’s a lightly populated island, with 6,400 residents living across 13 small villages—anchored by the Oyamazumi Shrine. “The hillsides are covered with mandarin orange orchards, which create a serene, beautiful landscape,” Ito says. “The sunsets from the western side of the island are indescribably beautiful.”
But little commercial and industrial development has taken place there. Omishima has lost half of its population from its peak in the 1940s and ’50s, and 50 percent of residents are 65 or older. The next phase of Ito’s career, he says, will be dedicated to helping the island regain this lost vigor.
Ito calls his effort, “Making Omishima the Best Island to Live on in Japan,” with the cheerfulness of a man trading in his starchitect globe-trotting frequent-flier miles for pastoral purity and respite. Omishima does sound like the type of place you might retire to, but Ito is there to work.
Collaborating with local residents, architecture students from Harvard, and his own school, Ito’s plans are a take on the classic chamber of commerce approach: Build on existing institutions and traditions, organically extend more programmatic depth and economic activity, and, hopefully, attract new residents.
Using local earthen plaster, he’s renovated a vacant house along the road to the Oyamazumi Shrine into a Home-for-All. “This Home-for-All is used as a café at noon and a wine bar at night on weekends,” Ito says.
The plan will include an agricultural school and a vineyard. The first Omishima wine will be ready in 2019, under the brand “Winery-for-All.” Additionally, Ito intends to establish a small hotel, add more lodging for part-time residents, and renovate an existing “agritourism lodge.” To better connect these amenities, Ito wants to use electric or pedal-powered vehicles to carry residents and visitors through Omishima’s picturesque hills. Funding for all this, Ito says, will come from the community and its institutional pillars—no corporate solicitations necessary.
These plans don’t add up to any dramatic revision of how a small island village in Japan looks or functions. They don’t posit top-shelf aesthetics from one of Japan’s greatest architects as a way to solve any problem. Instead, they form a framework for planting new seeds of economic vitality and letting these seeds grow into whatever form they might.
Ito sees this as a 10-year-process, like his National Taichung Theater. It’s a sort of “slow architecture,” akin to “slow food”—using locally sourced materials and ingredients, assembled with local means.
If Omishima is like Ito’s own personal garden, it’s because he’s taken the time to cultivate fertile soil through his long-standing community involvement, and has just now placed the first sprouts in the ground.
