About eight years ago, Norma Mbele and her two-year-old son were staying at a shelter in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, having escaped an abusive marriage. It was a time of financial hardship, even with her wages as a domestic worker. We had nothing, says Mbele.

The turning point came when she and her son went to a store one day. He wanted a bottle of water and I couldnt afford that. And when I went back to the shelter I thought: what is it that I can do?

What she could do, it turned out, was to become a creative entrepreneur: that was the day Mbele started creating jewellery made from upcycled materials. Fast forward to today, and she is now running a fully-fledged jewellery business, as well as training other women, including domestic workers and victims of domestic violence, to create and sell accessories themselves.

Mbeles personal style may be unusual when we meet, she wears an intricately braided, colourful headpiece but her ambition is familiar to many domestic workers in South Africa, who often start side businesses to supplement their wages. A national minimum wage of R20 per hour (around 1.15) was introduced earlier this year, but domestic work is excluded from this and despite some increase, workers still earn too little even to cover living expenses, according to a 2019 report by home cleaning platform SweepSouth.

Domestic workers still earn too little even to cover living expenses

The worlds 67m domestic workers those performing household duties such as cleaning, ironing and gardening are among the most economically vulnerable, according to the UNs International Labour Organization. So, could a side business be part of the solution?

Unfortunately, businesses often fail due to lack of skills, support structures, access to networks and mentorship, says Tuliza Sindi, CEO and founder of BRNWSH, which works with domestic workers, mainly in the inner-city neighbourhood of Hillbrow, Johannesburg.

Above: Tuliza Sindi of BRNWSH and creative entrepreneur and domestic worker Norma Mbele (photo credit: Imani Dlamini)

Since 2016, BRNWSH (formerly The Spin Cycle) has aimed to redesign the domestic work sector, partly by providing emergency funding and affordable healthcare to domestic workers, but also through storytelling: one of BRNWSHs early activities was a podcast exploring the role of domestic workers and cleaners aired on Cliff Central, an online radio station.

Sindi has also helped reposition domestic workers as innovators. Noticing that they were often adapting cleaning products to improve them (such as mixing window cleaner with Vaseline) or make them less toxic, BRNWSH approached large companies and presented domestic workers as insight generators, product testers, as strategists and product innovators. Clients now include a detergent manufacturer, and another company making food products.

The intention, says Sindi, is shifting how we understand and allocate value: showing that domestic workers are incredibly effective [and] innovative, and not limited to their perceived identity as marginalised women a narrative that Sindi believes takes away agency, autonomy and dignity.

BRNWSH which Sindi describes as a for-profit company that does social enterprise work is also supporting female workers other streams of income.

In partnership with Hackney Co-operative Developments (HCD), a cooperative that fights poverty, promotes education and tries to build social inclusion in east London, BRNWSH is now supporting a group of 24 domestic workers to establish or grow social and creative enterprises. The collaboration received a grant of almost 85,000 from the British Councils Developing Inclusive and Creative Economies (DICE) programme, and aims at helping to develop the womens side businesses which range from Norma Mbeles jewellery business to a herbal tea company to a daycare centre for kids through coaching, mentoring and access to networks. Of the 24 women, six have been receiving further support including working on practical homework assignments and participating in workshops in South Africa and the UK.

Above: Norma Mbele in discussion with the HCD team earlier this year (photo credit: Tuliza Sindi/BRNWSH)

HCDs social enterprise manager Douglas Racionzer, who has worked in the sector for decades and has started 18 social businesses himself, says social enterprise is blossoming in Hackney, and is keen to spread the HCD business model globally (see box). Hillbrow and Hackney may be on different continents, but they share some similarities, he believes: both are inner-city neighbourhoods with high levels of poverty but also vibrant economies with diverse populations. So he expects the learning to go both ways, not least because South Africa is a world leader when it comes to dealing with race and class issues.

How HCD supports local and social enterprise

HCD has more than 30 years of experience promoting economic development by supporting the creation and growth of co-operatives and social enterprises in Hackney. It currently owns seven buildings that it rents out as affordable workspaces to local businesses and creative professionals; the rental income covers the cost of HCDs support for social enterprises. That support includes coaching existing or would-be entrepreneurs, skills training and networking opportunities. In addition, they encourage other organisations and companies in Hackney to shift their supply chains and buy from social enterprises.

Racionzers role in this project is primarily to assist the South African group with training, to create resources for those wanting to start and run a social enterprise, and to research social and creative entrepreneurship in South Africa. The free toolbox has just been launched, and Racionzer and his team at HCD are currently producing case studies of South African social enterprises.

In addition, he and his colleagues visited South Africa back in July 2019 to deliver training workshops with Sindi. Women talked to advisors in one-on-one clinics, and sessions addressed issues such as finances and how to balance running a business alongside another paid job.

HCD and BRNWSH were also able to identify products made by local social and creative enterprises including those working with the BRNWSH team that could be imported into the UK. These products include leather bags, herbal tea and unique crockery from neighbouring Zimbabwe. Racionzer says there is a huge appetite for ethically-sourced products in Hackney, and the two partners are looking to establish a more formal export agreement.

The initiative has not been without challenges. One issue that both Sindi and Racionzer cite is managing expectations. That can relate to business ambitions: for example, the day-to-day challenges of life as a domestic worker can eclipse thinking about an export strategy. But it can also relate to the assumptions made about BRNWSH when people see its affiliated with an overseas organisation something Sindi admits caused real friction with one of the six participants when her expectations of the programme fell short. I think there is a sell that comes with the word England or the word Europe, Sindi says.

Still, Sindi and Racionzer are proud of what the programme has achieved.

Mbeles story is a good example. It wasnt always easy for her to grow the venture. She had to juggle it alongside her full-time job at first, plus other responsibilities, and she lacked business knowledge. But with Sindis help, she was able to identify gaps. The company didnt have a great logo and she had never considered it important to formalise the organisation, she says. But registering formally has opened up opportunities, such as access to funding from financial institutions.

Above: Handcrafted jewellerymade by Norma Mbele (photo credit: Norma Mbele)

Now, Mbele is able to support her family by doing part-time domestic work, dedicating the rest of her time to her business. Her products include quirky designs such as a pair of earrings made from an old tape measure, colourful earrings made from beads, and bags inspired by African designs. She employs a team of six permanent and seven seasonal staff, who mainly sell the creations at malls and through word-of-mouth, and they are experimenting with social media. And shes sharing her skills further, by training women throughTosunga Baningi, the non-profit she co-founded in 2013. Based in Sedibeng, south of Johannesburg, it advocates against gender-based violence, campaigns for justice and provides a community for women of different nationalities and backgrounds as well as giving them a new opportunity to grow their income.

What is profound about domestic workers who start businesses is that its almost always community-orientated

It is this reinvestment in the community that Sindi says makes these women special and its what makes her own company a social enterprise in spirit. What is profound about domestic workers who start businesses is that its almost always community-orientated, she says.

Running a side business may not be the solution to the low pay of domestic work. Sindi admits that finding the time is a challenge: domestic work is a demanding job, often requiring 8-hour workdays and lengthy commutes. Thats often a huge problem, she says, though some do make it work by working nights and weekends on their ventures. And in some cases, women manage to negotiate a four-day week: Their side hustle has started to make them enough money to compensate for the day off.

And Sindi suggests that even those only able to dedicate a little amount of time can make it count. If its an hour that you can put in, thats an hour thats going to matter.

Imani Dlamini is a DICE Young Storymaker one of fourteen young journalists recruited by Pioneers Post and the British Council from six countries to report on social and creative enterprise.

Header photo: Entrepreneurs taking part in one-to-one advice clinics (photo credit: Tuliza Sindi/BRNWSH)

More:
Domestic worker, innovator, social entrepreneur: Reframing the narrative in South Africa | The Social Enterprise Magazine - Pioneers Post

Getty

The rising levels of outdoor air pollution, spurred by factors like vehicle emissions, fossil fuel burning and industrial exhaust gases, is worrying enough to make you want to stay indoors as much as possible. But surprisingly, even the indoor air isn't exactly as clean and healthy as we'd like to believe. In fact, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor air can often be two to five times more polluted than outdoor air.

"On average, we spend around 90% of our time indoors. So, it's important to keep our indoor air as clean as possible, especially during winter months when we like to keep our windows and doors shut tight to seal out the cold," says Abby Lemon, application engineer at Filtrete.

What causes indoor air pollution?

The most common sources of indoor air pollution include asbestos, carbon monoxide emissions from central heating systems and gas stoves, radon, mold, tobacco smoke and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) found in household items like disinfectants, air fresheners, paint, carpeting, adhesives, pesticides and wood preservatives.

Inadequate ventilation can also contribute to indoor air pollution by trapping the allergens and pollutants inside and keeping the outdoor air from diluting emissions caused by the pollutants, says EPA. "High temperature and humidity levels can also increase concentrations of some pollutants," it adds.

"Living near a busy road can also affect the indoor air quality as the pollutants from car exhaust can enter your home," says Dr. Payel Gupta, assistant clinical professor at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn and spokesperson for the American Lung Association.

"Since many of these pollutants are odorless, you won't know that something is wrong until you start experiencing symptoms," she points out.

If you want to check how safe the air is inside your home, here's a handy guide to measuring indoor air quality.

How does polluted indoor air affect your health?

Common short-term effects of indoor air pollution include dryness and irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, and skin, headaches, fatigue, shortness of breath, hypersensitivity and allergies, sinus congestion, coughing, sneezing, even dizziness, tells Dr. Gupta.

The likelihood of an immediate reaction to indoor air pollutants depends on several factors including the individual's age and whether they have any pre-existing medical conditions, notes EPA. For instance, people with asthma and allergies are more sensitive and therefore may experience more severe symptoms as compared to those who don't have asthma or allergies.

Meanwhile, other potential health problems may develop after long or repeated periods of exposure. These long-term effects include worsening respiratory disease (asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, bronchitis), heart disease, lung cancer and premature death, says Dr. Gupta. "Prolonged exposure to polluted indoor air has also been linked to low birth weight infants," she adds.

So, what can you do to improve the indoor air quality of your home?

While toxic indoor air has become a serious problem today, the good news is that it can be effectively managed with the right tools and techniques. Here are eight simple ways to purify the air in your home:

See the rest here:
How To Improve Air Quality In Your Home - Forbes

No. 13 on the Top 100 ranking is a course for which Colt gets all the credit: Royal Portrush (Dunluce) in Northern Ireland. That epic layout played host to the 2019 Open Championship, won by Irishman Shane Lowry.

Heres the full list of the Colt-designed golf courses that made our new Top 100 ranking:

1. Pine Valley (PINE VALLEY, NJ; GEORGE CRUMP/HARRY S. COLT, 1918)12. Muirfield (GULLANE, SCOTLAND; OLD TOM MORRIS, 1891/H.S. COLT, 1925)13. Royal Portursuh [Dunluce] (PORTRUSH, N. IRELAND; H.S. COLT, 1929)29. Sunningdale [Old] (SUNNINGDALE, ENGLAND; WILLIE PARK JR., 1901/H.S. COLT, 1922)33. Royal St. Georges (SANDWICH, ENGLAND; W. LAIDLAW PURVES, 1887/H.S. COLT, 1922)54. Woodhall Spa [Hotchkin] (WOODHALL SPA, ENGLAND; HARRY VARDON, 1905/H.S. COLT, 1912/S.V. HOTCHKIN, 1926)55. Swinley Forest (SOUTH ASCOT, ENGLAND; H.S. COLT, 1910)67. Rye [Old] (CAMBER, ENGLAND H.S. COLT, 1895/TOM SIMPSON/HERBERT TIPPET/GUY CAMPBELL, 1907)73. Sunningdale [New] (SUNNINGDALE, ENGLAND H.S. COLT, 1922)86. St. Georges Hill (A & B) (WEYBRIDGE, ENGLAND H.S. COLT, 1913)88. De Pan [Utrechtse] (UTRECHT, THE NETHERLANDS H.S. COLT, 1929)

Most of the architects who come closest to Colts Top 100 haul, like Colt, died long ago. But there are two modern outfits who could give him a run for his money some day. Celebrated modern designer Tom Doak has an impressive six courses already on the Top 100 list, while the famed duo of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw have five.

To receive GOLFs all-new newsletters, subscribe for free here.

Link:
Which architect has the most Top 100 course designs? You might be surprised - Golf.com

Buy Photo

Author Paul Wellington has a master's degree in architecture, but is not practicing. He wrote a book about the low number of black architects.(Photo: Rick Wood / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

When Paul Wellington wrote his book,he did it to showcase the role African American architects have played in the past and encourage young people to pick up that mantle for the future.

He and architect Nicholas Robinsonemphasized that message at adiscussion at the Milwaukee Public Library's Tippecanoe Branch Wednesday night.

Wellington read several entries from his new book,"Black Built: History and Architecture in the Black Community," which featuresAfrican American architects' from the 1800s to the presentincluding:

It also featured the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church of Birmingham, Alabama, which was built by Wallace Rayfield in 1911. It was also the site of the church bombing thatkilled four African American girls at the height of the Civil Rights movement.

Wellington said the book is meant to show students of color that they could have a future in architecture.

"I want to encourage other African American youth to take this career path and see what they can accomplish," he said.

Nicholas Robinson(Photo: Talis Shelbourne / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Robinson took that career path.

At31,he is the co-founder of DREAM Builders and one of very fewlicensed African American architects in Wisconsin.

As a youngster, he said he was partially drawn to architecture because he loved the idea of getting paid to draw, a passion of his since third grade.

He said he was also drawn to the profession because of how it impactspeople's physical and by extension, mental environments.

So when he had the chance to learn the formal skill in college, he took it.

"Architecture was more about solving problems and allowing the environment to show you what you are supposed to do," he said.

In a city like Milwaukee, architecture can be a challenge because of resource shortages and banks' reluctance to invest in the central city. However, he also noted that working in the central city helps him connect toother organizations that areinvested in the central city.

Robinson and Wellington bothspent six years in school, earning their master's degrees.

During his undergraduate career, Wellington said he didn't study any African American architects and only learned about them duringpersonal research; during his graduate program, he began thinking aboutwriting a book that would highlightAfrican American architectural contributions around the country.

Black Built: History and Architecture in the Black Community.by Paul A Wellington(Photo: handout)

After 16 months of writing and researching at night and taking one-third of the photos himself thatthought became a reality.

Wellington chose to study architecture because, he said,representation matters.

"In the African American community, I feel like if we grow up there, we can help design there. We have an understanding of what is best for those communities," he explained.

Wellington also co-founded MKE Black, an organization that celebrates and promotes African American business and culture.

Marion Clendenen-Acosta, one of fewlicensed African American female architects in the stateand the chair of the Historical Preservation Committee, said she is glad to see architects of color striving for more diversity in the profession.

"It's great to see the energy," she said.

Wellington said this project is just the beginning.He wants to expand MKE Black to an electronic app and explorethe role of African American women in architecture.

The only way to solve the field's current lack of diversity, he said,is showing whats possible.

"Black Built" will be available at Boswell BookCompanyand onAmazon.

Editor's Note: A previous version of this story saidthat Marion Clendenen-Acosta is the only licensed African American female architect in Wisconsin. Anina Mbilinyi is also a licensed femaleAfrican American architect.

Contact Talis Shelbourne at (414) 223-5261 or tshelbourn@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @talisseerand Facebook at @talisseer.

How are we doing? Fill out this survey and let us know.

Read or Share this story: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2019/11/21/black-built-author-tells-story-african-american-architects/4248903002/

See the original post:
'Black Built' celebrates the works of African American architects from around the country - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Its like asking O.J. Simpson for advice on how to be a good member of society or Bernie Madoff for counsel on financial ethics. Why on Earth does the liberal media still expect anyone to listen to what the architects of the Iraq War have to say about the Middle East?

I found myself asking this question after former Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz took to the op-ed pages of the New York Times on Nov. 21 to lecture Americans about how terrible President Trumps Syria policy is, and what the administration could do to turn things around. Why the Times would provide Wolfowitz a driving force behind the Iraq War, the worst U.S. foreign policy blunder since the Vietnam War with such a high-profile platform is a mystery. One possible explanation is that theyre so anti-Trump theyll platform anyone willing to blast the president.

If you care to read the full piece, have at it. But the basic argument Wolfowitz makes is that the United States would be dangerously naive to walk away from Syria and create a vacuum that would inevitably be filled by nefarious actors who hate us. In his words, Walking away from that region has a way of sucking America back in. American strategy needs to protect our critical interests but at sustainable costs.

Wolfowitz, of course, would know plenty about sucking the U.S. into the region. He did it quite well during his time in government.

To the long-time national security bureaucrat, a solid Syria strategy apparently means sitting in place next to Syrias oil fields and providing the Kurds with the muscle they need to strike a permanent political arrangement. That Syrian dictator Bashar Assad has largely won the war and has no incentive whatsoever to compromise his position either eludes Wolfowitz completely or is conveniently ignored for the sake of his argument.

Frankly, we should just we roll our eyes at Wolfowitzs argument because his judgment has proved absolutely awful. He may continue to have admirers in certain corners of the Beltway, but our misadventures in Iraq and Wolfowitzs central role in the tragic failure should have shut the door on whatever credibility he might have once had.

Sure, everybody deserves a second chance, and people make mistakes every day. But Wolfowitzs series of mistakes couldnt have been any bigger or more detrimental to our position in the Middle East. The public record is quite clear: On issue after issue during the lead up to the U.S. invasion of Iraq and its aftermath, Wolfowitzs judgment was terrible. He's the last person we should take our lead from now.

Before 9/11, Wolfowitz advocated for a plan that would have not only placed northern and southern Iraq under U.S. military protection but would have also created a new governing entity called a Free Iraq out of whole cloth. The plan was derided by then-Secretary of State Colin Powell as ludicrous, and the idea went nowhere.

Wolfowitz was fixated on removing Saddam Hussein long before he was confirmed as the Bush administrations number-two official in the Pentagon. The 9/11 attacks provided him with additional room to make his case.

In his recently-released memoir, The Back Channel, former Deputy Secretary of State William Burns recalls hearing about Wolfowitzs lobbying for a pro-regime change strategy in Baghdad during a National Security Council meeting held at Camp David less than a week after the 9/11 attacks. The idea was brushed aside and viewed by even President George W. Bush at the time as a step too far.

Until it wasnt. A year later, the Bush administration was set on pushing Saddam aside. Wolfowitz was a key Bush administration official who made the intellectual case to the American public for why the war was necessary and why it wouldnt be as difficult as (much wiser) detractors in the State Department were saying.

On March 27, 2003, Wolfowitz testified to the House Appropriations Committee that the operation wouldnt cost the American taxpayer very much.

"There is a lot of money to pay for this that doesnt have to be U.S. taxpayer money, and it starts with the assets of the Iraqi people, he told lawmakers. "We are talking about a country that can really finance its own reconstruction and relatively soon.

That, too, turned out to be a ridiculous assessment. Operation Iraqi Freedom winded up costing the American people over $800 billion and perhaps as much as $2 trillion when taking into account veterans benefits and healthcare costs.

So, a question for the liberal media: Why would Paul Wolfowitzs counsel on Syria be any better than his advice on Iraq a decade prior? Dont expect the New York Times to come up with a good answer anytime soon.

Daniel DePetris (@DanDePetris) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner's Beltway Confidential blog. His opinions are his own.

Go here to read the rest:
Why should anyone listen to Iraq War architects' criticisms of Trump's foreign policy? - Washington Examiner

MoMA and PS1 have disclosed to AN that the Young Architects Program (YAP) will be going on hiatus next year, following its 20-year anniversary this past summer. AN had heard from sources close to MoMA PS1 that the program might be shutting down, and upon following up with the Queens institution, Martino Stierli, the Philip Johnson Chief Curator of Architecture and Design at the MoMA, provided the following statement:

Following the 20th anniversary of the Young Architects Program (YAP), MoMA and MoMA PS1 have decided to place the program on a one-year hiatus. We remain deeply committed to supporting and recognizing emerging architectural talent.

Weve already started to use the hiatus to bring together a diverse group of influential scholars and professionals, experimental architects and designers, and previous YAP winners to assess the programs impact for the past two decades, explore its potential, and strategically chart its future. We look forward to sharing more news as we move along in this process.

MoMA could be moving toward a more durable, longer-term commission in its courtyard to serve its outdoor summer Warm Up music series, performance events, and art book fair, but thats only speculation.

Percutaneous Delights by Gelatin in 1998 (courtesy of MoMA PS1)

The Young Architects Programs origins go back to 1998, a year after the Frederick Fisher-designed renovation enclosed the PS1 entrance courtyard in concrete walls. That year, Vienna-based artist group Gelatin installed a scrappy environment in conjunction with PS1s first series of Warm Up summer concerts. Percutaneous Delights was composed of rough compositions of stacked refrigerators, discarded furniture, Po-mo inflatables, a graffitied shipping container, and an array of sprinklers to activate the space with what the P.R. at the time described as a welcoming hang-out for hot summer days.

SHoPs Dunescape in 2000 (Courtesy MoMA PS1)

The following year, PS1 inaugurated its gradual absorption into the MoMA collective with a project by Philip Johnson, ever a follower of fashions (even if it led him, at times, in the direction of Nazism), who designed a Dance Pavilion DJ booth for the 1999 summer concerts as the first collaboration between the two institutions. It wasnt until 2000 that MoMA architecture curator Terence Riley formally established the Young Architects Program as an annual invited competition to promote innovative practices. The program was simple: provide shade, seating, and water for Warm Up. The first winnerif anyone can still remember the now 190-plus person office as a young startupwas SHoP Architects, which demonstrated the kind of digitally designed, people-friendly, carefully crafted form-making that would make them the go-to firm for urban development projects that need a warmer public face.

William Massie, Playa Urbana/ Urban Beach in 2002. (Courtesy MoMA PS1)

The program frequently created opportunities for younger architects to demonstrate conceptual ideas percolating in academia on a small but meaningful scale. Early winners of the competition included Lindy Roy (2001), William Massie (2002), Tom Wiscombe (2003), nARCHITECTS (2004), Hernan Diaz Alonso (2005), and OBRA Architects (2006). Sometimes the projects leaned in the direction of conceptual follies that had less of a service component, and early projects at times demonstrated the limits of digital design as often as its potential. The initial budget was $25,000, later increased to $75,000, though it became common knowledge that most firms would spend more out of their own pockets and lean heavily on interns to build out the ideas.

nARCHITECTS 2004 Canopy installation. (Frank Oudeman)

It was not an open competition: MoMA curators and advisors pre-selected a handful of designers and frequently favored well-connected circles from Ivy League schools and well-connected academics. The arc of the program traces a mini-curatorial history of MoMA, from Riley to Tina di Carlo and Peter Christensen, Barry Bergdoll, Andres Lepik, Pedro Gadanho, Sean Anderson, and Stierli, whose influences are reflected in the selections, along with changes in the profession. Little by little, P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center became PS1 MoMA, then MoMA PS1.

Pole Dance by SO-IL in 2010 (Courtesy MoMA PS1)

Some of the better-regarded highlights over the years included WORKacs 2008 P.F.1 (Public Farm One), which installed a demonstration urban farm that could survive the barren courtyard environment and created an ascending staircase of planter boxes on top of the gravel-covered space. SO-ILs Pole Dance (2010) engaged the playful possibilities of the program with colorful beach balls, overhead netting, hammocks, misters, and flexible PVC pipes, programmed with dance performances.

Holding Pattern by Interboro Partners in 2011 (Courtesy MoMA PS1)

On the most service-oriented end, Interboro Partners (2011) used their project as a demonstration of how PS1 could engage the surrounding neighborhood, building out the courtyard with a kit-of-parts based on the expressed needs of nonprofit organizations, businesses, and others in the community who they interviewed and donated components to at the end of the summer.

Wendy by HollwichKushner in 2012 (Courtesy MoMA PS1)

Later projects by MOS (afterparty, 2009), Hollwich Kushner (Wendy, 2012), The Living (Hy-Fi, 2014), Andrs Jacque/ Office for Political Innovation (COSMO, 2015), and Jenny Sabin Studio (Lumen, 2017) increasingly verged in the direction of critical grotesques, parametric design, and environmental remediation experiments to varying degrees of success. Through it all, the surrounding neighborhood blew up in an astonishing, if predictable manner, in ascending towers of luxury apartments, demolishing the beloved 5 Pointz graffiti space in the process.

If SHoPs origins as a young firm are hard to remember, its even more difficult to retrieve the imperative that once made PS1 so improbable and ingenious a proposition in the first placeand the Young Architects Program an innocent delightwhen its enterprising founder Alanna Heiss somehow convinced the Queens borough president to hand over a closed-down public school to a group of misfits from the SoHo/ Tribeca alternative space scene who proceeded to saw through floors as sculptures.

Notably, one of the names that appears as a funder in the first decade of YAP, along with Bloomberg, Agnes Gund, and Isaac Liberman, is none other than real-estate-reality-show-specter-turned-president Donald J. Trump. How a contemporary art center can meaningfully respond to the current situation, if at all, could be a starting point for the continuation of the program or its eventual cancellation, but the Young Architects Program unquestionably pioneered a model of temporary urban pavilion imitated worldwide, activating public spaces that without major capital improvements or altering their historic character remained inhospitable and inflexible for contemporary needs.

Link:
Exclusive: MoMA and PS1's Young Architects Program is going on hiatus - The Architect's Newspaper

We've selected the most promising architecture and design roles on Dezeen Jobs this week, including positions at international firms Studio Seilern and Trahan Architects.

Architectural assistant at Studio Seilern Architects

Studio Seilern is looking for an architectural assistant with high proficiency in AutoCAD to join its practice in London. The firm converted a half-built conference centre into a 650-seat concert hall in the Swiss Alps.

View more architectural assistant roles

Project designer at Trahan Architects

Trahan Architects completed a Louisiana museum, using over a thousand cast-stone panels to create a series of curving structures inside its interior. The New Orleans practice has an opportunity for a project designer to become part of its team.

Browse all US vacancies

Part 3 architect/Part 2 architectural assistant at Mustard Architects

Mustard Architects is seeking a Part 3 architect/Part 2 architectural assistant to work on bespoke residential projects at its practice in London. The firm added a tapered extension with angular doors to an Edwardian house in west London.

See all architecture opportunities

Architectural assistant at Gort Scott

British firm Gort Scott has transformed a 1960s office block in London's Walthamstow, into a creative hub featuring co-working space, studios and a bakery. The studio is recruiting an architectural assistant to join its London office.

View more positions in London

Part 2/newly qualified Part 3 architect at Theis + Khan

Theis + Khan is searching for a Part 2 or newly qualified Part 3 architect to join its studio in Kent. The practice updated a five-storey Notting Hill home, adding a "cave-like" swimming pool, cinema and gym to its basement.

Browse all roles for architects

See all the latest architecture and design roles on Dezeen Jobs

See the original post here:
Top opportunities on Dezeen Jobs this week include Studio Seilern and Trahan Architects - Dezeen

Mall Studio, Hampstead, London, interior in 1933. The spacious studios were favoured by sculptors, such as Barbara Hepworth and John Skeaping Photograph by Paul Laib. Courtauld Institute

Studio Lives is an unusual and authoritative contribution to the history of British art and architecture between the end of the 19th century and the Second World War. Equal importance is given to the architect and the artist, to the design of the studio and its function as a place of work. The traditional role of the architect dominating the client is challenged through the analysis of 16 case studies; artists are revealed as exceptionally opinionated and demanding clients, and architects as highly receptive to their ideas.

The main narrative is chronological, following shifts in architectural styles from Arts and Crafts to Modernism, and changes in the economic position of British artists, from the golden 1890s to the volatile years between the wars. The case studies are a mixture of the familiar and the unexpected. G.F. Watts, William Orpen and Augustus John are obvious choices both for their celebrity status and the complex narratives surrounding their studios; however, Campbell also selects the sculptors William Reid Dick and F.E. McWilliam, the stained-glass artist Henry Payne, the textiles manufacturer Alastair Morton and four women, Winifred Nicholson, Eileen Agar, Gluck and Dora Gordine.

The sculptors Dora Gordine and Richard Hare at work in Dorich House, Richmond, London, the house they themselves designed Photograph: Historic England Archive

We are not confined to London, but taken to Banks Head in Cumberland (the Nicholsons), to Brackenfell in the Pennines (Alastair Morton), to St Loes in Gloucestershire (Payne) and Fryern Court in Hampshire (John).

The book is enhanced with over a hundred colour and black and white illustrations, many of which are from private collections and have not been previously published. Campbell demonstrates convincingly the power of contemporary magazines with their illustrated interviews and architectural features to build a picture of artists crafting an image of themselves through the planning, design and decoration of their studios.

Louise Campbell, Studio Lives. Architect, Art and Artist in 20th Century Britain, Lund Humphries, 288pp, 35 (hb)

Caroline Dakers is the Professor of Cultural History at Central Saint Martins. Her publications include Fonthill Recovered. A Cultural History (2018) and The Holland Park Circle. Artists and Victorian Society (1999). She is currently researching the public image of artists in British society 1850-1950

Read the rest here:
Demanding artists and receptive architects in book about design and function of the studio - Art Newspaper

The Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans has been slowly but surely getting the upgrade it deserves over the last decade-and-a-half since Hurricane Katrina. Considering the venues 44-year history of hosting renowned sports teams, its brief stint as a vital emergency shelter, and its recent designation on the National Register of Historic Places, the 76,000-seat arena has lived a storied life. Structurally, the piece of mega-infrastructure by Curtis & Davis is stronger than ever, but the interior could use a contemporary facelift.

This week, Trahan Architects revealed initial renderings of what will be a $450 million renovation of the beloved Superdome, set to be completed ahead of the Super Bowl LVIII in 2024. Nola.com reported that the New Orleans-based firm, which has been working on the spaces restoration and renovation since the 2005 hurricane, will take the historic building and bring it into the 21st century of athletic entertainment. The studio will reorganize and improve back-of-house elements like bringing a giant commercial kitchen into the facility while dually enhancing front-facing amenities for spectators.

Circulation is set to completely change within the two-million-square-foot stadium. The design team will add two escalator systems, on two corners of the bowl. (Courtesy Trahan Architects)

The Superdomes modernist exterior will remain the same. Trahan Architects has already replaced the outer shell of the 9.7-acre, single-span roof as well as the 400,000-square-foot exterior metal skin of the building to make it look like the original architects design. Using anodized aluminum panels, the studio upgraded the membrane so that it could be changed out piece-by-piece in the future in case of damage.

Phase one of the new project, set to cost $100 million, will largely include behind-the-scenes work while phase two will totally transform the look and feel of the Superdomes interior.

Elaina Berkowitz, an architectural designer on the Trahan team, said that although the redesign has been challenging to maneuver, improving the game-day experience for fans, while also preserving the beauty and meaning of this classic structure is a big deal for the firm. Its a beautiful and iconic structure and is a wonderful representation of the strength of this fabulous community.

Fans will no longer have to simply watch an event from their ticketed seat; standing-room-only seats will be available to encourage people to move around. (Courtesy Trahan Architects)

One of the biggest changes of the upcoming renovation will center around the removal of the 80,000-square-foot ramp system (each is 50-feet-wide) that takes up the majority of space on the sidelines. Trahan Architects will build out a new series of vertical atriums with zigzagging escalators on two corners of the stadium before dismantling the old ramps, allowing fans easier circulation upon entering the Superdome and a closer view of the field than ever before.

In addition, the design team will integrate a diverse array of experiences for spectators to tap into. Field-level boxes on the end zones will be embedded under the general seats, according to Nola, and standing-room-only areas will allow fans to explore the stadium instead of being confined to their ticketed seats throughout an event.

The public spaces will eventually feel much airier and larger. (Courtesy Trahan Architects)

The project announcement comes days after the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District (a.k.a. the Superdome Commission) voted to approve the multi-million dollar makeover. Construction on phase one will begin in mid-to-late January and will be further conducted around the Saints season schedule, as well as other major New Orleans events.

Read more here:
Trahan Architects will take on interior renovation of New Orleans' Superdome - The Architect's Newspaper

The long-held title of worlds tallest atrium has jumped from a building in Dubai to a new tower in Beijing. The recently-opened Leeza SOHO by Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) boasts a 623-foot-tall twisting, open-air interior that beats out the Burj Al Arab hotel by 23 feet.

Located in the southwest corner of the city, the 45-story skyscraper sits in the heart of the burgeoning Lize Financial Business District near the areas main transit hub. It features 1.8 million square feet of commercial office space spread across the two bisected volumes, connected by four sky bridges within the adjoining structural rings. The area in between the two halves makes up the full-height atrium, which spirals upward at a 45-degree angle in order to maximize the amount of light able to reach every floor.

The full-height void goes up 623 feet. (Hufton+Crow)

ZHA had to slice the interior of Leeza SOHO in half due to ongoing work on the nearby subway. The building sits at the intersection of five new lines and is atop a below-grade service tunnel. From the outside, the structure doesnt necessarily look divided; double-insulated, low-e glazing encases the entirety of both volumes like a shell, reducing energy consumption and emissions. During the day, however, the sun shines through the middle of the facility and reveals the void in its center.

Other sustainability interventions include a high-efficiency heating and cooling system, as well as a greywater-collection method. The project is on track to receive LEED Gold certification.

Workers can get from one half to the other using four sky bridges on varying levels. (Hufton+Crow)

Construction on the project began in April 2015 and took just over four years to complete. ZHA co-developed the building with SOHO China and worked with The Beijing Institute of Architectural Design as the architect-of-record. The tower was one of the final projects designed by Zaha Hadid before her passing in 2016.

View post:
Zaha Hadid Architects completes twisting tower with the world's tallest atrium - The Architect's Newspaper