Abstract

Not since City Hall has a tall building truly addressed the issue of creating an iconic skyline for Los Angeles. The Wilshire Grand Tower is a building of our time; a contemporary contrast to a generation of flat top buildings composed of granite and inset windows. Fulfilling a design vision of glass in L.A.s seismic Zone 4 environment will be examined in this manuscript.

Offering views never seen before in downtown Los Angeles, large format glass clads the tower to maximize visible light and openness. Factors that influenced the glass selection and stack joint design will be reviewed.

Reminiscent of Yosemites Half Dome, the 73-story tower rises above a solid podium base. Bridging between these forms is a lyrical double curved skylight that provides the enclosure for the central Atrium. The challenges and innovative solutions involved in achieving this parametric building feature will be explored.

Finally, the design of the iconic Crown will be investigated. The signature top rises 10-stories above the towers observation deck. Wrapped in glass, the Crown completes the architectural parti while responding to G4 forces.

In the heart of downtown Los Angeles, at the site formerly occupied by the Stadler Hotel, rises the new tallest building west of the Mississippi, the Wilshire Grand Center. It was Korean Airs vision to create a single, iconic tower a symbol of the friendship between South Korea and the United States, an investment in Los Angeles the city that hosts the second largest Korean population, next to Korea itself. The Wilshire Grand Center is comprised of a 900-room, four-star hotel that sits atop eighteen leasable office floors.

Its podium includes hotel convention spaces ballrooms, meeting rooms, break-out areas, along with a health club, retail spaces and restaurants. Five underground parking levels are provided to meet local requirements and serve the guests and tenants of the Center.

There were five big design ideas set forth by the architects and designers at AC Martin. The first big idea was to change the Skyline of downtown Los Angeles, as shown in Figure 1. Acknowledging that the Wilshire Grand Center would be the first significant tower to be built in Los Angeles in over twenty years, the AC Martin team sought to create a building of our time.

The downtown Los Angeles skyline is characterized by a generation of high-rise buildings with truncated flat tops, responding to the Los Angeles Fire Departments 1974 Ordinance requiring helipads for high-rise buildings. Taking into consideration lessons learned in the past 20-25 years, coupled with advances in fire suppression systems and exiting strategies, negotiations were successful with the Fire Department and project team to gain relief from the 1974 Ordinance.

The second big design idea was to create an accessible Sky Lobby. By locating the hotels lobby at the top of the tower, all hotel guests would be treated to the never-seen-before views of downtown Los Angeles that could be experienced at the 70th floor. High speed, double-deck elevators transport guests at1600 feet per minute from the ground floor to the 70th floor, facilitating high-volume vertical transportation.

Considering the fact that the project site is located in southern California, the next big idea was to take advantage of the temperate climate in Los Angeles. With average temperatures in the 70s (Fahrenheit), the building was programmed to maximize the use of outdoor spaces. Ballrooms have operable walls that open onto covered outdoor spaces. The hotels porte cochere is a covered outdoor space that drives through the center of the site. A generous pool deck facilitates recreation and relaxation, while flanked by cabanas for more private gatherings.

Taking advantage of the Urban Context was the fourth big idea. The Wilshire Grands site is located at the confluence of two major axes in downtown. The Figueroa corridor runs in the north-south direction. With L.A. Live to the south, the Wilshire Grand Center becomes the northern anchor to the rise of major building developments along the corridor. In the east-west direction, 7th Street has experienced a renaissance of restaurant and retail developments that lands at the front door of the Wilshire Grand Center.

The fifth big idea was to optimize efficiencies wherever possible. From the design of the mechanical systems for the tower to theutilization of prefabricated restroom units throughout the hotel, the designers were challenged to be efficient while not sacrificing quality. The philosophy of efficient design is a backbone of Korean Airs success for generations, and the design team was highly encouraged to employ these principals in the design of the Wilshire Grand Center.

The journey toward creating a towering icon involved poetry and practicality. The beauty of the form was derived from an array of architectural and artistic tools that spanned several generations. From the fluidity of water color paintings, to spastic collections of computer generated Rhino model forms, to 3-D printed models, to basic paper models, each tool contributed to the sculpting of the Wilshire Grands aqueous forms. Viewing the building from various vantage points, the shape of the tower is sometimes reminiscent of Half Dome in Yosemite, and sometimes it is reminiscent of an airplane wing, a literal metaphor to Korean Airs aviation business.

The tower is a glassy expression of our time with a high performance skin, a departure from the granite inset windows characteristic of most buildings in downtown Los Angeles, as shown in Figure 2. The curtain wall was designed to maximize views and ceiling heights for the office and hotel uses.

Employing large size glass panels, kiss mullions were provided to set a datum for finished ceilings. The composition of the towers form wasrationalized into measurable geometries, facilitating the use of repeatable units for constructability and to meet the projects cost parameters.

The rectangular, slender tower form challenged the structural engineers from Thornton Tomasetti and Brandow & Johnston to develop a structure that would not tip over, while responding to the inevitability of ground motion in a seismic zone four location, a seismic hot zone.

The structural design involved a 17.5 feet deep mat foundation with over 6.6 million pounds of densely woven rebar and 21,200 cubic yards of concrete to set the stage for breaking a Guiness World Record for the largest continuous concrete pour in the world on February 16, 2014.

Rising from the foundations is a concrete core with massive four feet thick walls, ascending and tapering to two feet thick walls at the top. At three strategic locations over the height of the tower, outriggers extend from the concrete core to capture the perimeter box columns.

The outriggers are composed of bucking restrained braces (BRBs) that act as shock absorbers, resisting vertical and lateral forces. At the top and bottom outrigger locations, belt trusses of steel wide flange members encircle the floor plate to resist torsional movement.

The design of the curtain wall panels considered eight sources of structural movements [2]:1 - Interstory drifts (lateral displacements) under lateral load conditions2 - Vertical movements of horizontal framing members under live load3 - Column shortening from construction load after panel installation4 - Column shortening from imposed compatibility with concrete core creep and shrinkage5 - Differential gravity and lateral movements at terminated columns near sloping columns6 - Differential gravity movements at floor extensions at building ends7 - Main tower column shortening and lengthening from lateral loads8 - Thermal strains

Taking into account the largest of the anticipated movements, the stack joints of the unitized curtain wall system were designed for an open position of +7/8 and a closed position of -1 5/16. The profile of the stack joints was designed with a gentle curve to create a shadow line for visual depth.

Nestled between the 73-story tower and the solid podium base is the river that runs through it, a lyrical doubly curved skylight, as seen in Figure 3. Providing a glass roof enclosure for the hotels central Atrium, the skylight stretches from one end of the property into the public plaza, as shown in Figure 4. It covers a volume that is 80 feet tall at its peak and 30 feet tall at its valley. Balconies from the hotels convention floors look onto the Atrium. The light-filled space is the heart of the property, the central nucleus of circulation and wayfinding.

The poetic idea was one thing. Making it real was another thing. The design development process involved tackling major challenges, including cost, constructability and seismic movement. It was clear from the onset that the project could not support the cost and schedule implications of curved glass. The skylight was perpetually on the development managers value engineering chopping block. If the skylight was to become a reality, it would take a great deal of persistence and innovation.

The first challenge was to simplify the form while maintaining the larger design idea and aesthetic expression, the River of Glass. The complex geometries were rationalized into simple forms with manageable constraints, using Rhino and Grasshopper definitions.

The use of flat glass was fundamental to the design. The glass size was limited to 5-0 x 5-0 maximum, a constructible size parameter provided by the glazing contractor, Benson Industries. Next, the maximum allowable warpage of the specified glass from Viracon was considered and constrained to a deflection value of L/100. Through the manipulations of the Grasshopper definitions the worstperforming panel ultimately had a deflection value of L/120.

Placing a delicate glass element between two massive building forms in a seismic hot zone was seemingly illogical. However, the notion became achievable when equally motivated professionals were teamed together to make it happen. The skylight was organized into clear components to identify layers of primary structure, the skylights structure, and the glazing system.

Seismic movements between the Tower and Podium were calculated and defined by Brandow & Johnston, the Structural Engineer of Record. Within the skylights enclosure, it was necessary to consider the combined movements of the tower and podium in the x and y directions. The movements ranged from 13 inches at the 7th floor to 3 inches at the 1st floor.

The skylight would be fixed to the podium side, and seismic motion would be addressed on the Tower side. To accommodate the range of movements between intersecting floors, slide bearings were designed to move within the constraints of keeper plates, attached to the Towers perimeter box columns. Movements in the z direction, primarily for wind uplift, were addressed through the addition of steel tubes, welded to the towers box columns that lock the skylight in place.

Next, the structure of the skylight itself was addressed. Catena Engineers, structural engineers from Portland, Oregon analyzed the skylights form and maintained the aesthetic by introducing drift joints and V-braces into the skylights structural system of trusses and purlins. Large full-scale mockups of the skylights frame were created by Columbia Wire & Iron, steel craftsmen also from Portland, Oregon, to ensure that the framing sections could be installed seamlessly, sequentially and without complications. The construction of the Atrium Skylight has since been completed and is a recognized captivating form in the City of Los Angeles, unlike anything that has preceded it in Downtown.

Taking into account the lessons learned through the design development of the tower and the skylight, the Crown was the final piece to be considered. The Crown is also referred to as a Sail because of its gentle curvilinear form, as shown in Figure 5. Its south-facing side curves both in plan and in section. Its north, west and east sides are both orthogonal and sloping planes. The signature top of the Tower rises 100 feet above the observation deck.

It is open at the top and is a functional screen to conceal the building maintenance units, elevator machine rooms and mechanical equipment that reside within its enclosure. By utilizing Grasshopper definitions again,the doubly curved forms were rationalized to minimize warpage, allowing the unitized curtain wall panels to cover the glass screen, a visual extension of the Towers fenestration.

The structure of the Crown was first envisioned to be light and lacy. It was about joinery and beauty, the iconic top to redefine the skyline of downtown Los Angeles, ultimately accented by a Spire that rises another 173 feet above the peak of the Crown. Upon further analysis by the structural engineers, it became apparent that an earthquake could produce 4G forces of acceleration at the top of the Tower.

Gone was the notion of laciness and filigree. The Crowns structure became a statement of brute force. Paired vertical trusses were replaced by robust sized wide flange steel members and massive gusset plates. Despite the functional realities of the seismic forces and their implications on the structural design, the design team persisted to ensure that all beauty was not lost. The structure was organized and engaged with the overall design of the Crown.

The Wilshire Grand Center will open for business in June 2017. The original design objectives will have been implemented: Skyline, Sky Lobby, Climate, Urban Context and Efficiency. The original building forms remain intact. Through the perseverance of the design, engineering and contracting team, beauty plays well with the beast.

[1] Wilshire Grand Center construction photo by Gary Leonard[2] Thornton Tomasetti Memorandum to Brandow & Johnston, Structural Movements for Faade, June 18, 2013

View post:
Beauty and the Beast - Glass on Web

We live in three places simultaneously: in the body, in the built world and on this earth. Increasingly, the second body (the built world), is the one that controls us the most. In devising a habitus in relation to a habitat, we reinforce through habit modes of behaviour that both protect and alienate us from the immediate life of the body and the cosmic life of the planet.

Antony Gormley (2020)

Thaddeaus Ropac Paris Marais gallery reopens this week on Tuesday 12th May, in accordance with French government guidelines.

They will be carefully monitoring entry to the gallerys exhibition rooms to assist with maintaining the guidelines on social distancing and protection.

In Habit is an exhibition of new sculptures and drawings by Antony Gormley, centred around a space activating installation. Run II is a singular, continuous, square aluminium tube that fills the space of the main gallery in snaking 90-degree turns, the horizontal sections recalling heights familiar to us in our built environment: chair or table, worktop or shelf, door or ceiling. It uses the simplest means to activate and energise space, to create awareness of the way we move about in our constructed habitat.

Run II runs freely through the gallery and, by stepping through the work, our bodies can recognise and be liberated from the effects of what the Japanese call the culture of the chair. Run II is, in Antony Gormleys words, a zone of reflexivity in which light, air, volume and your displaced biomass are all tuned by the orthogonal yet free play. By encouraging you to be a figure in a ground, you become the viewed for other viewers and, in doing so, can use the space of art as an emergent field. Gormley invites us to pause and consider our dependency on this second habitat the body of architecture and to create an awareness of the ground itself, to earth you.

Alongside this new large-scale, site-specific work are several life-size cast iron Liners: single open lines, multiple lines and endless lines without beginning or end, that explore the internal volume of the human body, rather like the London Underground map. Like Run II, these works are seen by Gormley as diagnostic instruments that attempt to re-locate you in your first habitat your body. I do not want to illustrate emotion or sensation, but these rusty maps might be helped by your projection of what it feels like to do a shoulder stand Fill; lie on your side Level; balance on your bottom while lifting your head and feet Float; feel your relationship to the earth while balancing on your feet and clasping your legs as tight to the body as possible Nest. Presented in the lower ground floor gallery, a delicate Framer entitled Rest, alludes to body space as architecture, and is accompanied by a selection of spatial drawings. Gormley believes that sculpture in the digital age has a unique ability to return us to first-hand experience and to become a ground on which our forgotten internal perceptions of being in the world might return us to being in touch with ourselves and our home planet.

Mark Westall is the Founder and Editor of FAD magazineFounder and co-publisher Art of Conversation and founder of the platform @worldoffad

Link:
Antony Gormley exhibition In Habit re-opening this week at Thaddeaus Ropac Paris - FAD magazine

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic can be felt across the chemical industry. The growing inability in the production and manufacturing processes, in the light of the self-quarantined workforce has caused a major disruption in the supply chain across the sector. Restrictions encouraged by this pandemic are obstructing the production of essentials such as life-saving drugs.

The nature of operation in chemical plants that cannot be easily stopped and started, makes the operational restrictions in these plants a serious concern for the industry leaders. Restricted and delayed shipments from China have created a price hike in the raw materials, affecting the core of the chemicals industry.

Request For Report [emailprotected] https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/24412

The slacking demand from different impacted industries such as automotive is negatively influencing the growth of the chemical industry. In light of the current crisis, the market leaders are focused to become self-reliant which is expected to benefit the economic growth of different economies in the longer term. Companies are triggering events to restructure and recover from the losses incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ship Decorative Panels Market: Introduction

Ship decorative panels are durable and luxurious finish materials used as a floor or ceiling covering in a ship. Ship decorative panels are usually made of wood, aluminum, steel or other metals. It ensures easy and fast installation and high standard. Certain ship decorative panels offers fire resistance property and acoustic insulations. Apart from a basic scope of ceiling and floor panels, ship decorative panels are also designed for wet areas.

Ship Decorative Panels Market:Drivers and Challenges

Among the various types of ship decorative panels materials, luxury vinyl panels are the trending luxury grade flooring with better quality and overall value. Also, Ship decorative panels are available in wide varieties such as inlaid or printed types. Inlaid type panels are those which maintain their color even when damaged or scratched as the inlaid pattern extends through the depth of the flooring. This gives the flooring a deeper and attractive look as gravel or concrete are embedded into it. Printed type panels are manufactured using 3D pattern or normal pattern printing on a material. Thereby, contributing towards the ship decorative panels demand significantly.

Request For Report Table of Content (TOC)@ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/24412

Further, interior decoration is a worldwide passion with lifestyle trends and needs in areas, such as design, architecture, and technology guiding consumers with contemporary decoration. A wide array of ship decorative panels are available and they are easy to install, maintain and clean. Moreover, most of the ship decorative panels are inherently waterproof, making it the preferred choice for marine application. Also, ship decorative panels is considered to be a decorative product owing to the recent innovations, such as resemblance to ceramic or other contemporary looks. Also, it is preferred cruise ships as it is durable, trendy and available with built-in adhesives. Increasing sea-tourism is expected to drive the ship owners towards decorated or attractive cruises, thus driving the demand of ship decorative panels market.

Furthermore, ongoing activities related to current initiatives, such as One Belt, One Road, initiative for expansion of Suez and Panama Canal, is estimated to potentially affect the global seaborne trade. Growing technological advancement and e-commerce, thus the freight forwarding, coupled with industrial revolution in emerging countries, has the prospectus of reshaping the marine industry and in turn driving the demand for ship decorative panels market.

Moreover, the increasing fleet of ships is expected to drive the demand of ship decorative panels over the projected period of time. Furthermore, shipping of goods via cargos is comparatively economical than shipping via air, hence cargo shipping is witnessing significant demand in recent past. This, in turn, will augment the growth of the ship decorative panels market over the forecast period. However, high installation cost could hinder the growth of the ship decorative panels market.

Global Ship Decorative Panels: Market Segmentation

On the basis ofmaterial type, the global ship decorative panels market has been segmented as:

Ship Decorative Panels Market: Regional Overview

As the ship decorative panels market is expected to be fragmented, various market players across the globe are focusing on strengthening their partnerships with local companies, and they are strategically deploying prime distributors in emerging regions. The key players of ship decorative panels are also involved in marking their direct presence in the local markets through mergers and acquisitions with regional players across the emerging regions. Thus, regions, such as China, India, and South East Asia Pacific are expected to expand at a significant rate in terms of manufacturing base of ship decorative panels. North America is anticipated to register significant growth in the ship decorative panel market, after Asia Pacific as a result of the regions increasing export and import business, and passenger traffic, which in turn will drive the regional ship decorative panels market share of the ship decorative panels. Expanding import and export of oil and gas in Middle East Africa via sea-cargos, is stipulated increase the trade of ship decorative panels in coming years.

Global Ship Decorative Panels Market: Key Players

Ship decorative panels market is expected to be fairly fragmented market, owing to a vast number of local as well as global manufacturers. Examples of some of the market participants in the global ship decorative panels market identified across the value chain include:

Pre-Book Right Now for Exclusive Analyst Support @ https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/checkout/24412

Loreal is a regular contributor to the blog, She specializes in Technical Articles and Research

Go here to read the rest:
Ship Decorative Panels Market Development, Key Opportunity and Analysis of Leading Players to 2018 - 2028 - The Canton Independent Sentinel

07.05.20

Audio and video have combined to create On Air, which recreates a realistic tv game show experience in Sweden. Paul Milligan looks at how it was done.

Game shows have been one of the most popular genres of programmes across the world since television began in the 1950s. No matter what the format, audiences have been gripped at the change to win big prizes or a large amount of money. Yet the vast majority of us will never actually take part in a tv quiz. That is until now. On Air opened its first venue in Stockholm with the aim of recreating the feel of being on a real game show but surrounded by your friends or colleagues in a relaxed atmosphere. The concept was quickly successful and a second On Air opened in Gothenburg. The Swedish city of rebo is home to the third On Air venue, which is also the first franchise for the brand.

Hosted inside Pitchers, a multi-activity entertainments hub features a number of attractions including bowling, shuffleboard, arcades and a casino. This project came about as Pitchers had a VR attraction that wasnt really working in the way it wanted it too, so was looking for something else to fill the space. Pitchers was contacted by On Air in Stockholm, and the collaboration then began.

The opening of On Air has seen part of its extensive ground floor area built to resemble a TV studio game show set. The On Air experience includes a 90 minute game show (with two short breaks). Visitors compete in a team with friends or family against other groups in the studio, each team consists of 2 to 6 people, and the room can accommodate up to 9 teams at once in the studio. Every team is placed behind a team podium equipped with a buzzer used to answer questions (in English) on a variety of subjects.

Tasked with making sure it looked and felt and performed as the existing two venues do was Anders Neldin, head technician and Christopher Gothnier technical manager from On Air. The plan from the owners was clear, as highlighted by head of sales, Patrick Haginge, to make sure every technical and aesthetic aspect of the studio was of the highest standard. When we started On Air here, we said if were going to do this, it must be perfect. To create a total experience we needed everything to be right - thats why people keep coming back. Its just so, so much fun because of the way that every element works together.

Were Neldin and Gothnier able to use some of the designs from the previous two projects on the rebo project, or did they have to start from scratch? The owners (of On Air) came with a design with how everything should look, how they want LED lights to work and how the all the wooden panels should look, gave us suggestions and then we made the technical installations, says Neldin.

You should get the feeling you are going into a TV studio and its a real TV show, everything has to be nice and tight and look proper and work together seamlessly. There should be specific lights and music when people enter, when they push a button everything should just work with their system and their lightning programme.

To make the game show as realistic as possible the host (actually one of four different actors/comedians) acts just as a typical TV game show host does, they are micd up with a MiPro headset, and there are handheld mics for when contestants are called up to interact with the host for various games. The whole feeling is very TV show-y. All we needed to do was to glue everything together, says Gothnier.

Either side of the presenter are a 75-in Samsung LCD display on which questions or text or video are used for the quiz. Behind the presenter are different things the presenter can pull down, like an old map which can be used for some games. Audio is a huge element of the experience. When guests arrive they go into a bar/waiting area in the basement with some Audac speakers placed around the area to play music from the main room. Audio there is handled by 12 Pioneer Pro Audio CM-C56T-K ceiling speakers, driven by a Powersoft Quattrocanali 1204 DSP+D amplifier in a mono 100volt configuration. Both brands were favorites of the installation teams from previous jobs. There are nine seating areas for contestants, each with a single speaker above and a further three at the front above the host so everyone receives a uniform experience. This was the first European installation of the CM-C56T, Gothnier describes the decision to go with Pioneer: The closed back of the 6-in speakers gives a warmer sound than some of the 8-in competitor brands that we have used in other parts of the complex, and from an installation point of view the engineering behind the units has been closely considered from a practical as well as a sonic point of view.

The reason to go with Powersoft was twofold says Neldin, We put in Powersoft amps because we know with Powersoft amps any speaker you use with them will sound great. We also want to be able to control the audio via Armonia (software), so we can give each different every section its own volume level. We have the people on the floor who are further from the ceiling so it's a little bit louder there, and for the people on the top its a little bit softer, having this system makes it easy to use Powersoft and to run 100v systems, so we put in some extra money on that and we took out the money on some other stuff to meet the budget.

All audio is run locally through a Behringer X Air XR12 mixer, just to make it very simple for the staff, adds Neldin. There is a rack room just outside of the main room, and everything is run from there.

Fitting was in less than three weeks from start to finish, icluding the installation of bespoke wooden desks. The most difficult aspect with the installation was the LED installation which was a hassle because everything is run on square damping mats, and the electricity was kind of iffy in some places, which made the LEDs behave strangely, says Neldin.

Day-to-day AV support is provided by an on-site technician, but if there's a problem, like a more technical audio or lightning problem, they contact me, says Neldin. That's one of the one of the benefits with running Powersoft because I can maintain a lot of that from distance. Everything is in quite close quarters and we talk to each other every day. So if there's a problem, they just call us or email us.

KIT LIST

Audio

Audac loudspeakersBehringer X Air XR12 mixerLectret HE-747 stage headsetMiPro ACT-32HC wireless mic, ACT-32T bodypack transmitter Powersoft Quattro1204DNT amplifierPioneer Pro Audio CM-C56T-K ceiling loudspeakers

Light

Chauvet DJ Datastream 4 (DMX Splitter)Ledj LP600RGB, FLS-RGB60BL flexible colour strip, LedjFTP3 DMX driverLedux Lumere Pilote-60, Lumere Pilote-100Showtec Shark Zoom Wash One

Video

Samsung 75in LCD displays

Here is the original post:
Time to play at On Air - InAVate

whats-on, music-theatre-arts,

In March this year, Warumungu/Luritja woman Kelli Cole, a curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Special Projects at the National Gallery of Australia, joined the Tjanpi Desert Weavers, an award winning, Indigenous governed and directed social enterprise of the Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Women's Council (NPYWC). The women artists were working on a commission for the Know My Name project, an initiative of the National Gallery of Australia to celebrate the significant contributions of Australian women artists. Next year, the Tjanpi Desert Weavers commission will become part of the national collection, which includes the largest collection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art in the world. As the sun sets and the heat abates, the Tjanpi Desert Weavers are still working, the campground alive with laughter. Being on Country gives the woman the energy to continue the flow of weaving, replaced by inma (cultural song and dance) once night falls. Having spent numerous weeks working side by side collecting, gathering and hunting, the women draw on their experience and cultural knowledge as they work on the large Kungkarangkalpa (Seven Sisters) installation. I watch as their hands move without much thought, as if they retain the muscle memory embedded in the past. Tjanpi Desert Weavers (Tjanpi meaning 'wild grass' in Pitjantjatjara language) was first conceived in 1995 when a passionate NPYWC employee, Thisbe Purich, decided to introduce a basket weaving workshop in Papulankutja (Blackstone), Western Australia. The NPYWC had been formed during land rights struggles of the 1970s when Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara women felt their voices were not being heard and the Tjanpi Desert Weavers was a response to NPYWC members advocating for cultural appropriate ways for women to earn an income. Anangu women had always worked with natural fibres to make manguri, a traditional head accessory composed of a circular ring to carry their carved piti, wirra, mirtulpa or karnilypa (wooden bowls). For 25 years, the women artists of Tjanpi Desert Weavers have developed and mastered their skills, weaving beautiful baskets and creating ambitious collaborative fibre art installations using the desert grasses that have sustained them for thousands of years. Displaying "endless creativity and inventiveness", these whimsical works generate awareness and insight into culture and Country alongside their focus of creating income and employment for women on their homelands so they can provide for their families and community. Now representing over 400 women artists, the Tjanpi Desert Weavers' remit is vast, covering approximately 350,000 square kilometres and encompassing 26 remote communities across the Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia. Aboriginal people in Australia have had a continuous connection to their land for over 65,000 years. The relationship between Anangu and Country is vital to their wellbeing and centred upon respect and care for the land. A key part of caring for Country is the continuation of cultural practices, visiting significant sites and performing inma. By doing so, people believe that the land will continue to sustain them. Life on Country revolves around the Tjukurpa, stories that are passed down from one generation to the next. To understand the humble beginnings of the Tjanpi Desert Weavers, you must meet the women who have shaped it and understand the history which has influenced contemporary practices. Due to many government policies of the time, the 1950s and 1960s represented a period of displacement and relocation for many Aboriginal people as they were moved off their ceremonial lands. The first church-run Mission was set up at Mt Margaret Mission in 1921, where Yarnangu women were first taught craft. By 1937 the Presbyterian Board of Missions established a mission at Pukatja (Ernabella), South Australia, and by 1948 it had grown into a settlement with thousands of sheep roaming the country. Anangu women were taught to spin the sheep's wool on large spinning wheels and to weave with it. Having used human hair to make string for millennia, the new medium of wool was easily integrated into cultural practice by the women. During March, as the heat rose and the wind rolled across the Rawlinson Ranges, fibre artists from the Tjanpi Desert Weavers came together to create their most ambitious collaborative work to date, Kungkarangkalpa (Seven Sisters). The Seven Sisters is an epic ancestral story that has an important underlying teaching element. It follows the journey of seven sisters as they are pursued across Country by Wati Nyiru/Yurla, the male ancestral being, who is chasing the eldest sister. The sisters constantly try to evade their pursuer leaving traces of their journey in the landscape. In an attempt to escape, they eventually launch themselves into the sky, transforming into the stars that form the Pleiades. Wati Nyiru follows and becomes the Orion constellation. The retelling and depiction of this story relays the impact of transgressive behaviour and water resources necessary for survival in the desert. Drawing on this story, Kungkarangkalpa (Seven Sisters) is a large-scale ceiling and floor installation with seven woven figures representing the sisters placed on the floor of the gallery. Floating above from the ceiling is a large woven form with small lights blinking from within, referencing the Pleiades star cluster.

https://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/9gmjQxX8MpSQh6J68NHMnY/9a88bc8f-91d3-438b-a9f4-f167e494ebfb.jpg/r3_530_5182_3456_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg

In March this year, Warumungu/Luritja woman Kelli Cole, a curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Special Projects at the National Gallery of Australia, joined the Tjanpi Desert Weavers, an award winning, Indigenous governed and directed social enterprise of the Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Women's Council (NPYWC). The women artists were working on a commission for the Know My Name project, an initiative of the National Gallery of Australia to celebrate the significant contributions of Australian women artists. Next year, the Tjanpi Desert Weavers commission will become part of the national collection, which includes the largest collection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art in the world.

As the sun sets and the heat abates, the Tjanpi Desert Weavers are still working, the campground alive with laughter.

Being on Country gives the woman the energy to continue the flow of weaving, replaced by inma (cultural song and dance) once night falls. Having spent numerous weeks working side by side collecting, gathering and hunting, the women draw on their experience and cultural knowledge as they work on the large Kungkarangkalpa (Seven Sisters) installation.

I watch as their hands move without much thought, as if they retain the muscle memory embedded in the past.

Tjanpi Desert Weavers (Tjanpi meaning 'wild grass' in Pitjantjatjara language) was first conceived in 1995 when a passionate NPYWC employee, Thisbe Purich, decided to introduce a basket weaving workshop in Papulankutja (Blackstone), Western Australia.

The NPYWC had been formed during land rights struggles of the 1970s when Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara women felt their voices were not being heard and the Tjanpi Desert Weavers was a response to NPYWC members advocating for cultural appropriate ways for women to earn an income.

Anangu women had always worked with natural fibres to make manguri, a traditional head accessory composed of a circular ring to carry their carved piti, wirra, mirtulpa or karnilypa (wooden bowls).

For 25 years, the women artists of Tjanpi Desert Weavers have developed and mastered their skills, weaving beautiful baskets and creating ambitious collaborative fibre art installations using the desert grasses that have sustained them for thousands of years.

Displaying "endless creativity and inventiveness", these whimsical works generate awareness and insight into culture and Country alongside their focus of creating income and employment for women on their homelands so they can provide for their families and community.

Now representing over 400 women artists, the Tjanpi Desert Weavers' remit is vast, covering approximately 350,000 square kilometres and encompassing 26 remote communities across the Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia.

Cynthia Burke with her dog Tiny from Warakurna (WA) out collecting Minarri grass, 2017. Picture: Rhett Hammerton

Aboriginal people in Australia have had a continuous connection to their land for over 65,000 years. The relationship between Anangu and Country is vital to their wellbeing and centred upon respect and care for the land.

A key part of caring for Country is the continuation of cultural practices, visiting significant sites and performing inma. By doing so, people believe that the land will continue to sustain them. Life on Country revolves around the Tjukurpa, stories that are passed down from one generation to the next.

To understand the humble beginnings of the Tjanpi Desert Weavers, you must meet the women who have shaped it and understand the history which has influenced contemporary practices.

Due to many government policies of the time, the 1950s and 1960s represented a period of displacement and relocation for many Aboriginal people as they were moved off their ceremonial lands.

The first church-run Mission was set up at Mt Margaret Mission in 1921, where Yarnangu women were first taught craft. By 1937 the Presbyterian Board of Missions established a mission at Pukatja (Ernabella), South Australia, and by 1948 it had grown into a settlement with thousands of sheep roaming the country.

Anangu women were taught to spin the sheep's wool on large spinning wheels and to weave with it. Having used human hair to make string for millennia, the new medium of wool was easily integrated into cultural practice by the women.

During March, as the heat rose and the wind rolled across the Rawlinson Ranges, fibre artists from the Tjanpi Desert Weavers came together to create their most ambitious collaborative work to date, Kungkarangkalpa (Seven Sisters).

The Seven Sisters is an epic ancestral story that has an important underlying teaching element. It follows the journey of seven sisters as they are pursued across Country by Wati Nyiru/Yurla, the male ancestral being, who is chasing the eldest sister.

The sisters constantly try to evade their pursuer leaving traces of their journey in the landscape. In an attempt to escape, they eventually launch themselves into the sky, transforming into the stars that form the Pleiades.

Wati Nyiru follows and becomes the Orion constellation.

The retelling and depiction of this story relays the impact of transgressive behaviour and water resources necessary for survival in the desert.

Drawing on this story, Kungkarangkalpa (Seven Sisters) is a large-scale ceiling and floor installation with seven woven figures representing the sisters placed on the floor of the gallery.

Floating above from the ceiling is a large woven form with small lights blinking from within, referencing the Pleiades star cluster.

More:
The Tjanpi Desert Weavers are working on a major commission for the National Gallery of Australia - The Canberra Times

Each week, we search New York City for the most exciting, and thought-provoking, shows, screenings, and events. In light of the global health situation, we are currently highlighting events and exhibitions available digitally. See our picks from around the world below. (Times are all EST unless otherwise noted.)

Barbara Hammer, Still from Schizy (1968). Courtesy of Company.

1. In Company With: Barbara Hammer Streaming Videos at Vimeo

As part of a new virtual viewing initiative, Company Gallery is launching a series called In Company With, where digital performances, readings, and screenings are available on Instagram live with gallery artists. Kicking off the project is an archive of the late, great queer artist Barbara Hammers films, ready for your viewing pleasure on Vimeo.

Price: Free; those so moved are asked to donate to Queer I Art, which helps to fund the Barbara Hammer Lesbian Experimental Film Grant.Time: Open daily, at all times

Caroline Goldstein

Staying With the Trouble: Prompts for Practice at A.I.R. Gallery. Image courtesy of A.I.R. Gallery.

2. Staying With the Trouble: Prompts for Practice at A.I.R. Gallery

Brookylns A.I.R. Gallery, which has championed women artists since 1972, has devised a raft of new online programming in the spirit of intimacy without proximity. That kicks off tonight with Staying With the Trouble, a six-week prompt-based art project led by artistAlison Owen, a former A.I.R. fellow. Shell share prompts every other night in the hopes of inspiring new works of art, literature, or music. Interested parties are encouraged to spend the evening ruminating on the prompt, and to use it as a jumping-off point for the next days studio practicehowever they see fit, be it for new projects or for a new direction for existing work. Share the results on social media under #stayingwiththetrouble or #AIRpromptsforpractice2020 to be included in the official project archive.

Price: FreeTime:Prompts will be posted 6 p.m. every other day

Sarah Cascone

Yali Romagoza, The Mistress of Loneliness (Chapter 1: The Departure)(2019), video still. Courtesy of the Immigrant Artist Biennial.

3. Apart, Together: The Immigrant Artist Biennial Zoom Series 1. The Emergency Exposes Your Status and Our Shared Vulnerability from the EFA Project Space

New Yorks Immigrant Artist Biennialis meant to be a response to intensifying anti-immigrant sentiment, offering a platform of cultural exchange. The central exhibition, Here, Together!, was supposed to open March 18 at the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts project space on West 39th Street. Instead, the NYFA-sponsored event is staging a roundtable discussion on Zoom, moderated by curator Katya Grokhovsky and Dylan Gauthier and featuring artists Esperanza Corts,Bahareh Khoshooee,Daniela Kostova,Levan Mindiashvili,Qinza Najm,Anna Parisi,daaPo reo, andYali Romagoza.The meeting ID is 378 427 830, and you can call in at +1 646-876-9923. The multi-venue exhibition is being postponed in lieu of a series of online talks, workshops, and other programming that will allow immigrant artists to share their thoughts on identity, the meaning of home, and the challenges of being an immigrant cultural worker today.

Price: FreeTime: 7 p.m.9 p.m.

Sarah Cascone

Louise Bourgeois in her home on West 20th Street, New York, 2000. Photo Jean-Franois Jaussaud.

4. Louise Bourgeois: Drawings 19472007 at Hauser & Wirth

After decades of staging museum-scale exhibitions across three continents, the mega-gallery Hauser & Wirth will mark another milestone this week: On Wednesday, it will open its first online-only exhibition, a survey of drawings by Louise Bourgeois, spanning 1947 to 2007, three years before the artists death. Thats a pretty ambitious topic to take up for a show thats only on computer screens and smart phones, and it promises to be a large-scale investigation into an overlooked part of the artists practice. Though shes best known as a sculptor and installation artist, the gallery points out that, for Bourgeois, drawing was a necessary tool to record and exorcise her memories and emotions. Put together by longtime Bourgeois assistant Jerry Gorovoywho is now the head of the late artists estate, the Easton Foundationthe exhibition is part of Dispatches, the cyberspace-based slate of programming the gallery is putting together while the world is quarantined. Look for more Hauser & Wirth programming to be rolled out on the information superhighway in the coming weeks.

Price:FreeTime:Open daily, at all times

Nate Freeman

View this post on Instagram

INTRODUCING GWA LIVE! Due to the current situation, I want to do more than just #StillOnShow and bring you live interviews with some of the most exciting artists around the world, starting with Jordan Casteel (@JordanMCasteel) On Wednesday 25 March at 6pm GMT / 7pm Paris / 2pm EST, I will be going LIVE with Jordan on @thegreatwomenartists for the first installment of GWA LIVES, and I want to hear YOUR questions for the brilliant painter Based in New York, and born in Denver, Colorado, Jordan Casteel is a figurative painter whose focus centres in community engagement, painting from her own photographs of those she encounters. Posing her subjects within their natural environments, her nearly life-size portraits and cropped subway compositions chronicle personal observations of the human experience To honour Jordan's temporarily closed exhibition "Within Reach" at @NewMuseum, we are going to be talking about the show as well as her interest in portraiture. BUT we also want to hear from you, so please write your questions below and we can ask Jordan on Wednesday! SEE YOU THEN

A post shared by Katy Hessel (@thegreatwomenartists) on Mar 23, 2020 at 12:09pm PDT

5. GWA Live: Jordan Casteel hosted by the Great Women Artists

Art historian Katy Hessels Instagram account @thegreatwomenartistscelebrates the work of female visual artists. Her latest feature, launching this week as a digital alternative to shuttered galleries and museums, is a series of live artist interviews. Shes starting with Jordan Casteel, who currently has a show at New Yorks New Museum of her nearly life-size portraits of African American subjects. Hessel is inviting her followers to submit questions for the painter ahead of the interview on Wednesday.

Price:FreeTime: 6 p.m. GMT

Sarah Cascone

Film still from Josephine Meckseper, PELLEA[S] (2017). Josephine Meckseper. Courtesy of the artist and Timothy Taylor, London/New York.

After Timothy Taylor Gallery in London closed to the public, putting a premature end to its exhibition ofJosephine Mecksepers videoPELLEA[S], the gallery decided to put the full 42-minute film online for free. For a limited time, you can watch the videowhich debuted at the Whitney Museum in 2018 and was screened last year at the Kitchenfrom the comfort of your couch. An adaptation of Maurice Maeterlincks surreal play Pellas et Mlisande, the film tells the story of a doomed love triangle set in a largely abandoned Washington, DCsound familiar?featuring real footage from Donald Trumps inauguration and the 2017 Womens March.

Price:FreeTime: Open daily, at all times

Julia Halperin

Faustin Linyekula: My Body, My Archive. Performance view. Courtesy of the Tate. Photograph by Oliver Cowling.

7. Faustin Linyekula: My Body, My Archive at Tate Modern

Congolese choreographer and artist Faustin Linyekula was one of the artists scheduled to perform as part of this years recently canceled BMW Tate Live Exhibition. Instead, Linyekula and his performers collaborated with the museum to present a one-off site-specific work performed to a camera in the Tanks, the museums devoted performance space which was formerly used to hold oil when the gallery was a power station. The performance My Body, My Archive is an autobiographical exploration of the millennias of knowledge held within the body as opposed to the relatively brief accounts of written histories. Musicians, performers, and actors join Linyekula to poignantly activate personal and collective memories.

Price: FreeTime: Open daily at all times

Katie White

Nicholas Galanin, The Imaginary Indian (Totem) (2016), Courtesy of Peter Blum Gallery.

8. Nicholas Galanin: Carry a Song / Disrupt an Anthem at Peter Blum Gallery

Available for online viewing is Peter Blums exhibition of Native American artist Nicholas Galanin. Having just shown at the 2019 Whitney Biennale, Galanin is making his solo exhibition debut in cyberspace (although it was intended for Peter Blums New York gallery). To carry the songs of Indigenous people, to carry the songs of the land, is inherently disruptive of the national anthem, the artist says of the exhibition title. In The Imaginary Indian (Totem), a totem is covered in the same floral wallpaper as the wall it hangs on, a metaphor for attempted and forced assimilation between European and Native American cultures.

Price:FreeTime: Open daily, at all times

Cristina Cruz

Jansson Stegner installation view. Courtesy of Almine Rech.

9. Jansson Stegner at Almine Rech

What can I say? Im totally in awe of Jansson Stegners genuinely weird approach to figuration. The people that populate his world come from the uncanny valley of just-distorted-enough to tickle my brain, full of muscular huntresses captured in gloriously active poses. I wish I could stand in front of these in person to fully appreciate Stegners masterful approach to remixing Western painting tropes, but Im very happy to share my computer monitor with these in the meantime.

Price:FreeTime: Open online or by appointment through April 18

Tatiana Berg

Addie Wagenknecht, There Are No Girls on the Internet, 2020. Courtesy of the artist.

10. Addie Wagenknecht: There Are No Girls on the Internet at the Museum of the Moving Image

In November 2019, the Museum of the Moving Image began installing quartets of animated GIFs inside its main elevatorone GIF on each wall, another on the ceilingas part of a series dubbed The Situation Room. Each foursome of GIFS was commissioned from a different artist and set to run for two months, with the GIFs simultaneously being released on GIPHY.

The piece installed just before the museum was forced to temporarily close comes from self-described anti-disciplinary artist Addie Wagenknecht, and it investigates the meme holding that the internet is strictly a mans world. Wagenknecht recorded her search through hundreds of video chats looking for another woman, moving on as soon as her next potential conversation partner was revealed as anyone but. In just a few seconds, each of her four GIFs reinforces the disturbing gender imbalance and fundamental weirdness of the online experience, as the artist is served up a steady stream of dudes lying in bed, dudes wearing only a towel, even dudes serving active military dutyand nothing else except the occasional empty room.

Price:FreeTime:Open daily, at all times

Tim Schneider

Read more:
Editors Picks: 10 Things Not to Miss in the Virtual Art World This Week - artnet News

Source: iStock

With Australian states looking likely to bypass federal government guidelines and head straight to a stage 3 Coronavirus lockdown just in time for the colder months, now is a very good time to start thinking about energy efficiency in the home.

Not only will you have the time to think deeply about this Very Important Subject, but cutting your energy consumption and being smart about how you use electricity in the home remains one of the best ways to reduce your power bills, at a time when every penny counts.

It wont be easy. There will be bored kids to wrangle (Allegedly, all I ever say in my household is shut the door!), constantly inhabited homes to heat (or cool, depending on which state youre in) and all those energy-sucking digital devices working overtime.

But it can be done. And to help make the task easier, we have asked the experts for their top energy saving tips.

Dont take our word for it. As Luke Menzel, the CEO of Australias Energy Efficiency Council says, a few sensible energy efficiency measures can save households a bucketload over winter.

For most homes in colder regions of Australia, heating is by far the biggest slice of the household energy bill pie, he told One Step. And minimising the need for heating all starts with good insulation.

Insulate

Most houses are not well enough insulated for the cold, Menzel notes, which means heaters have to work harder to keep them warm.

Tim Forcey, who was formerly an energy advisor at Melbourne Energy Institute of the University of Melbourne, agrees.

Forcey, who also co-administrates the Facebook group My Efficient Electric Home, ranked checking insulation at number one in his list of top energy saving tips, which he has kindly shared with us on One Step.

Check your attic insulation (if safe to do so!), Forcey says. And if its not up to scratch, it might be time to engage a qualified and certified professional to bring it up to scratch.

Retro-installation of floor insulation is also a possibility, if your house has leaky old floor boards and easy access to under the house. But again, we recommend using a professional to install any sort of insulation in your home.

Draught proof

Good old-fashioned draught-proofing is one of the most cost-effective ways to save energy and feel more comfortable without cranking up the thermostat, says Menzel.

And Forcey also puts this high on his list.

Access some draught-proofing supplies and DIY do what you can that is one idea, he wrote in a FB post earlier this week.

Sure, plenty of more serious stuff is going on I know. But perhaps some of us are looking for a diversion away from Facebook and, as someone said, never let a crisis go to waste.

In the name of good OH&S, One Step doesnt recommend taking on any complex draugt-proofin DIY projects if you arent experienced in these matters, but there are plenty of helpful and easy-to-do tips in the thread under Forceys March 22 post, which could give you a good start.

Rug up

Were not talking about putting on a beanie, scarf and polar fleece, although that too is recommended as an obvious way to stay warm inside the home. What were talking about here is rugging up your home.

Another reason people turn up their thermostats unnecessarily is because their house has lots of cold surfaces, Menzel says.

In fact, the temperature of the surfaces around you can affect your comfort as much as the air temperatures. So, its a good idea to use heavy curtains, install secondary glazing, use rugs on cold floors, and arrange your favourite armchair so its not right next to a cold window.

Making sure your curtains are open during the day can help warm up the house and all the surfaces around you can help warm up the house and all the surfaces, he adds just make sure you close them again at night.

Switch on the air-con!

In autumn, as people think about turning on a gas or electric-resistive heater, use the air con instead! says Forcey.

As he explained in this Conversation article, spending a bit more on a dual-purpose cooling-and-heating device is clearly worth it, with University of Melbourne Energy Institute and Alternative Technology Association, studies showing that using a reverse-cycle air conditioner instead of gas can reduce winter heating costs by up to $A658 a year in a large Melbourne home, or up to $A1,733 per year in a large Canberra home.

Modern air cons can also do a better job than gas heaters of filtering your air and we could all use some good air right now, Forcey said in comments this week to One Step.

But dont forget to clean the filters, he adds. I have visited the homes of even CSIRO scientists and they had no idea there was a (very dirty!) filter in that thing.

Get your temperature settings right

Turning the thermostat too high can also be a huge energy and financial drain, Menzel says.

Each degree higher on the thermostat can add 10 per cent to your heating bill. The most efficient thermostat setting is 18 degrees Celsius, but most people find 20 degrees a lot more comfortable setting that can still save plenty of energy and money.

Think space heating

If you dont need to heat your whole house, then zoning (either with ducted heating systems or just closing doors) can also save a lot of energy, says Menzel.

If you do have ducted heating, its a good idea to check the duct work is leak-free and well insulated. This can sometimes be done with thermal imaging cameras, to save crawling around in dark spaces.

Heat yourself and not (just) your home

For those who are home alone, as Dave Southgate explained in this 2017 One Step Off The Grid article, its possible to stay warm inside a house using only ultra-low energy personal heating devices drawing less than 100W, even when room air temperatures are low.

You can also read his detailed report on the subject here. A hot water bottle and a rug on the lap wouldnt t hurt either!

There are a number of ways you can do this. Forcey recommends starting with an appliance audit, to get a clear picture of how much energy each of your electrical appliances use. This thread on the MEEH Facebook page has some good tips and examples.

But there are also some obvious contenders that could be replaced with confidence and without an audit, such as:

Outdated and inefficient lighting

Halogen downlights can be a huge energy waster in the winter as well, says Menzel. Aside from their high energy consumption, these lights need to be kept far away from insulation as a fire safety precaution. So, there is always an uninsulated patch of ceiling surrounding halogen downlights, providing an easy escape route for heat through the ceiling.

To add to that, they run hot. The heat rising from each downlight can also create a chimney effect and suck warm air out of your house, creating draughts, Menzel says. Draughts make you feel cooler, as they strip heat from you constantly prompting you to turn the thermostat up even higher.

The beer fridge

An old, inefficient beer fridge chugging away in the garage all winter long might be racking up avoidable energy bills, says Menzel. Dont panic though, were not asking you to get rid of it altogether.

Turning it off in the cooler months or replacing it with a newer, more efficient model could help save a fair sum of money. That old, inefficient fridge in the garage costs about $300 per year assuming a 15-year-old medium-sized fridge.

Any ageing appliances

Minimum energy standards have meant that appliances have become more and more energy efficient over recent years, says Menzel.

A typical reverse cycle heating/cooling system today is around 30-40 per cent more efficient than one from 15 years ago. This also goes for fridges. So, it can actually pay to replace your old appliances with new, high-star rated models, as the energy cost savings will repay the investment and then some.

The use of plug-in electric resistive heaters should also be avoided. Even oil column heaters arent efficient unless you sit very close! If you are buying a new appliance, look for ones with higher star ratings they may cost a little extra, but the savings will usually be worth it.

Consumers should note that for some products, the star scale rating that measures an appliances energy efficiency has changed over time to accommodate newer higher performing models.

So, if you have an older appliance at home with a 3-star label stars, dont be too complacent as this might only rate 2 stars by todays standards and may not even allowed to be sold under current minimum standard rules, Menzel says.

The number below the stars is a calculation of how much electricity the appliance will use each year under typical operating conditions.

Multiply this number by your electricity tariff to getannual running costs. Note that tariffs can differ significantly between providers as well as different times of the day, so choosing when to use your product can help save you money.

The pool pump

The EEC advises homes with pools to reduce the pump timer duration by up to half in winter as a way to make substantial energy savings.But make sure you check with your local pool or spa specialist to ensure you are still meeting all health requirements, says Menzel.

Like washing hands and other measures of basic hygiene and disease prevention that are coming into their own in the current health crisis, good energy efficiency is something we should all be practising, all the time, and not just in a Covid-29 winter.

And there are plenty more things we could be doing, and advocating for, to embed the efficient use of energy into future everyday life.

The longer-term issue is the quality of Australias building stock, says Menzel.

While new homes in Australia have an average energy efficiency rating of 6.1 stars, our existing homes are mostly rubbish, with an average rating of only 1.7 stars.

Whether its from a cost or a carbon perspective, we need to get on with the job of retrofitting Australias housing stock.

Ideally, this would be one of the first priorities once we emerge from the immediate crisis, to drive economic activity and make our homes more comfortable and cheaper to run.

See the article here:
How to flatten the curve on energy costs during the Covid-19 lockdown - One Step Off The Grid

Featuring original, architecturally integrated artwork, a recently-completed renovation project brings all of Yale Child Study Centers (YCSC) operations and staff together under one roof, in a setting that supports outpatient treatment and research related to childrens behavioral health.

Now occupying a 55,000-square-foot former telephone company building at 350 George Street in New Haven, CT, YCSC functions as the Department of Child Psychiatry for both Yale-New Haven Hospital and Yale School of Medicine. Intensive-outpatient services are located on the first floor, patient care and family support services are located on the second floor, and administrative and research offices are on the third. The new facility consolidates all of YCSCs operations under one roof for the first time since it began serving children and their families in 1911.

YCSC research and services had been spread out over multiple New Haven locations, including Yale School of Medicine, said Svigals + Partners associate principal Lynn Brotman, NCIDQ, IIDA, who led the project. Adapting 350 George has produced a single facility to serve as a home for both treatment and study. Not only is this more user-friendly for patients and their families, it creates a supportive research and work environment that fosters collaboration and cross-pollination of ideas.

Svigals + Partners faced multiple challenges in delivering a healthcare facility capable of supporting YCSCs mission and range of services, particularly given the building was originally designed to support use by a telephone company. Miles of cables had to be removed, and the structure limited the architects options for where to raise ceiling heights. The buildings walls also severely limited the number and locations of windows that could be added to the faade.

Our strategy was to take advantage of any opportunity to make the building more human-centered, said Brotman. We allowed the existing architecture of 350 George to inform the programming and design solutions by locating the second floor waiting room and main street corridor in the spaces where the ceiling could be raised, and placing circulation in areas where the new window openings introduce natural daylight.

Because the new home for YCSC needed to be a suitable environment for staff, caregivers, and children of varying ages and behavioral needs, the design team incorporated themes, patterns, integrated artwork and wayfinding elements inspired by nature. Applying a core Svigals + Partners philosophy that informs the firms work in healthcare as well as workplace, institutional and residential projects, this biophilic approach similar to those shown in studies to produce positive behavioral changes is designed to instill a sense of calm and comfort.

For example, the stair leading up from the double-height lobby to the main waiting area features a colorful overhead sculptural installation curated by consultant Nancy Samotis of Art for Healing Environments, LLC, depicting a shimmering school of fish. For children and families arriving at 350 George the sculpture introduces the nature theme that continues throughout, while also encouraging use of the stairs instead of the elevator.

The waiting room features a palette of colors and finishes that subtly evoke the natural world, including a ceiling installation of white curvilinear acoustic panels hung below a blue ceiling to suggest the sky and a single overt gesture: a full-height tree sculpture composed of brown and green wood veneer and laminate that hides a structural column. Combined with natural wood-finished reading nooks and donated books, the waiting room was designed to relax, reduce stress, and welcome all into the healing environment.

The nature themes continue into the hallways, with wayfinding elements such as names for exam and treatment rooms like Forest A-227, and ornamental light-boxes in the hallways that reinforce the themes. Smaller family waiting rooms in treatment wings also feature thematic finishes, built-in banquettes, whimsical pouf seating, and patio furniture to emphasize the connection to the outdoors.

Check out all the latest facility management news and productsrelated to Facility Interiors.

Visit link:
Art, Light, And Nature Inspire New Home For Yale Child Study Center - Facility Executive Magazine

(Bloomberg) Singapore is chasing a new tagline: It now wants to be a City in Nature.

To do that, its planting 1 million trees over the next 10 years double the current pace as it prepares for a world that is getting hotter. To cool itself, the city-state is not only seeking shade from trees, but also cutting emission of hydrofluorocarbons by restricting the supply of refrigerators, air-conditioners and commercial water-cooled chillers that use the chemical from 2022.

Some forms of HFCs trap a much larger amount of heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, Minister for Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli said in Parliament Wednesday.

The newly announced plans come as Singapore readies a warchest of at least S$100 billion ($72 billion) to counter global warming and protect its coastlines against higher sea levels. The city-state has already been warming twice as quickly as the world average over the past six decades, according to the government weather service, and just notched its hottest decade on record.

Planting trees aside, it will also add 200 hectares of nature parks by 2030, two and a half times the size of the Botanic Gardens that has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Second Minister for National Development Desmond Lee said in Parliament Wednesday.

Over that same period, its also implementing species recovery plans for 70 more native and plant species, restore 30 hectares of forest, marine and coastal habitats and improve habitats in at least 50% of Singapores gardens, parks and streetscapes. We want to transform Singapore into a City in Nature to provide Singaporeans with a better quality of life, while co-existing with flora and fauna on this island, said Desmond Lee, the second minister for national development.

Read More: Singapore Prepares for a Far Hotter World Than Experts Predicted

With climate change seen as an existential threat, this is just Singapores latest attempt to counter what could become a crisis. It imposed a carbon tax and just days ago, it pledged to halve the amount of greenhouse gases it emits from an expected peak in 2030 within the following two decades.

The Southeast Asian nation expects the emissions ceiling to be 65 million tons of carbon dioxide around 2030. The plan is to cut that to 33 million tons by 2050. It has also set up a Coastal and Flood Protection Fund and plans to phase out vehicles with internal combustion engines by 2040.

Reducing emission of hydrofluorocarbons which could leak during installation, maintenance and disposal is a step toward that direction. As it moves to restrict products with that chemical, the government will provide grants for companies making an early switch to more climate-friendly commercial water-cooled chillers, Masagos said.

Halving its emissions may be an ambitious target given Singapore lacks alternative energy sources but, according to the minister, the city-state will continue to raise our ambitions.

Bloomberg.com

Read the original:
Singapore to Target Air Conditioners That Make the World Hotter - Financial Post

in northeastern beijing, nearby the citys thriving 798 art zone, 123 architects has converted an old factory into a contemporary photography studio. the project, titled masquerade, respects the existing building fabric, while adding contemporary materials and architectural details in contrast to the original industrial feel of the factory.

the main faade

all images jin weiqi

the new program converted the first floor into a large double-height photography studio. on this level, there is also a welcoming entrance lobby and reception, and a bathroom and dining room. the second floor of the old factory has been transformed by 123 architects into a social activity and meeting space for VIPs, which includes a special VIP room and VIP bathroom.

first floor entrance lobby

the overall aesthetic of the renovation is described by the architect as rendering a surrealistic atmosphere. the design layers new elements within the backdrop of the industrial building, allowing visitors to see the past and present interlaced liked fingers. the interior has been envisioned to appear as an art gallery, one which stimulates the senses and invites people to explore the space and interact with one another.

first floor entrance lobby

the new faade makes reference to the existing structural framework with the use of brickwork, which speaks to the buildings former life as a factory. the organic surface curves away from the original elevation, creating space for a balcony at second floor level, and the arched elements forming a dialogue with the domed windows. the new faade is finished with silver paint, allowing the characteristics of the brick to be visible. in this way, the polished exterior already creates visual interest at street front, offering individuals visual cues of what they can expect on the interior.

first floor reception

the walls of the entrance lobby are vaulted, forming a domed space whose curved framework contrasts the existing industrial ceiling which is exposed above. their fluted surfaces reference the architectural details of classical columns. a bespoke star-shaped pendant light hangs from the centre of the lobby, anchoring the space. it provides a soft light that gently illuminates the interior, welcoming visitors into its warm, bright interior.

first floor photo studio

the reception area is a white room that complements the orange entrance lobby. it features a more restrained design composed of right angles and functions as a lounge. the photo studio is a more conventional design a white double-height space that visually and spatially connects with the balcony of the workspace on the second floor through arched cut-outs. curtains are used to divide the room offering functional flexibility that allows it to be used in tandem with the entrance lobby if required.

first floor bathroom

the dining area has been conceived to evoke the feeling of an exhibition space. lighting and mirrors are housed within classic picture frames, which are arranged along the walls, similar to an art gallery. a makeup room with a shower is located next door featuring classical details.

first floor dining

the entire second floor is dedicated to VIPs, with the primary program being that of a circular-shaped lounge. the walls are covered in a luxurious fabric that has been cut into bold graphic shapes. custom sofas that span the length of the room offer ample amounts of seating, while the eye is drawn upwards to an installation of convex traffic mirrors on the ceiling that form the focal point of the room.

second floor VIP floor

the second-floor VIP makeup room features lighting that dots the walls, like a constellation of stars. a built-in dressing table displays a scalloped edge that is reminiscent of a cloud formation, with the lighting fixture resembling a floating star, overall expressing an intergalactic minimalism.

second floor VIP room

next to the makeup room is a long, narrow, over-sized bathroom. the color and reflective qualities of silver serve as the inspiration for the room, with an installation of mirror balls above adding another dimension to the space. the silvery hue also relates to the new arched faade, effectively unifying the interior and exterior architectural expression.

second floor VIP bathroom

detail of the faade

diagram

project info:

project name: masquerade

location: beijing, china

architect: 123 architects

year: 2019

built area: 5167 ft2 (480 m2) / 2 floors

principal: kazushi miyamoto

project team: cao xiyangzi (project architect), aisha

contractor: beijing zhenbangyuanjing decoration engineering co., ltd

photography: jin weiqi

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readershere.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom

Continue reading here:
123 architects applies arched silver faade to photography studio in beijing - Designboom