New York, Jan. 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Europe Floor Care Polymers Market Forecast to 2027 - COVID-19 Impact and Regional Analysis by Product Type, Function, and Application" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06004161/?utm_source=GNW The floor care polymers such as polyethylene, acrylic, acrylonitrile, and biopolymers are used in adhesives, floor finish coatings, film formulations, and strippers, etc. to fix the tiles, marbles, or granite with bed techniques. These adhesives act as a replacement to the traditional thick bed techniques of cement and sand. Additionally, these adhesives are also suitable for fixing dense and concrete surfaces and help saving cost as they reduce the need for replacing old tiles with the new ones. The floor care polymers in floor finish coatings have been reliable and time tested products used for floor protection. Different types of polymers such as polyaspartic, epoxy, concrete epoxy, and urethane are available for the floor finish coatings. They help in healing the concrete cracks and making the floor smoother and stronger. Acrylic floor care polymers are applied to the floor finish coatings for hardening the surfaces used in heavy construction areas. Besides the inherent properties, other benefits such as hardness, gloss, toughness, scuff resistance, detergent resistance, and slip resistance drive the growth of the floor care polymers market.In terms of product type, the biopolymer segment is expected to grow at the fastest growth rate during the forecast period.Biopolymers are the natural polymers that are produced from the cells of living organisms.

They consist of monomeric units, which are bonded covalently to give rise to larger molecules.Biopolymers find their application in resin flooring that is available in infinite colours.

The resin flooring ensures the safety of homes, buildings, and the environment.Biopolymers add natural elasticity for resin flooring, which makes it easier to clean and maintain compared to concrete flooring.

It makes the floor harder and durable. The floor screeds made using biopolymers are usually placed on concrete or wooden panels of floors to establish a firm base for laying floor parquet or carpets in homes and buildings. Succinoglycan is another type of biopolymer used in floor screeds that are easy to install. Biopolymers can be renewed and reduce the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It is a highly preferred polymer for floor covering due to its eco-friendly nature.COVID-19 has affected economies and industries in various countries due to lockdowns, travel bans, and business shutdowns.In Europe, Italy and Russia are the worst-affected countries due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

As Italy recorded the highest number of COVID-19 cases, it is anticipated to suffer an economic hit due to a lack of revenue from various industries.Other member states have implemented drastic measures and travel restrictions, including partially closing their borders.

This is anticipated to negatively impact the market growth in Europe.The overall Europe floor care polymers market size has been derived using both primary and secondary sources.To begin the research process, exhaustive secondary research has been conducted using internal and external sources to obtain qualitative and quantitative information related to the market.

The process also serves the purpose of obtaining overview and forecast for the Europe floor care polymers market with respects to all the segments pertaining to the region.Also, multiple primary interviews have been conducted with industry participants and commentators to validate the data, as well as to gain more analytical insights into the topic.

The participants who typically take part in such a process include industry experts such as VPs, business development managers, market intelligence managers, and national sales managers along with external consultants such as valuation experts, research analysts, and key opinion leaders specializing in the Europe floor care polymers market. Arkema Group; Buckeye International, Inc.; Cargill, Incorporated; Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.; OMNOVA Solutions Inc.; Stahl Holdings B.V.; The Dow Chemical Company; Zschimmer & Schwarz, Inc. are among a few players operating in the Europe floor care polymers market.Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06004161/?utm_source=GNW

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Europe Floor Care Polymers Market Forecast to 2027 - COVID-19 Impact and Regional Analysis by Product Type, Function, and Application - GlobeNewswire

By The Associated Press

VINCENNES The one-time Indiana home of the nations ninth president is getting a $1.2 million restoration that will include sprucing up the more than 200-year-old mansions main floor with new windows and porches.

Workers with Columbus, Ohio-based Durable Restoration Company recently started working on Grouseland, the Vincennes residence that was William Henry Harrison's home when he was governor of the Indiana Territory in the early 19th century. Harrison was elected U.S. president in 1840.

The restoration will focus on the two-story brick home's first floor, specifically its study and dining room, and include adding exact replicas of the home's original wood windows, repairing its first-floor fireplaces and adding new, period-appropriate wallpaper.

A makeshift plastic tunnel has been installed to hold down dust inside the rest of the mansion, which remains open for tours by appointment, said Lisa Ice-Jones, executive director of the Grouseland Foundation, which looks after the historic home.

The mansion was completed in 1804 and is located about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Evansville on a plot of land a short distance from the Wabash River.

The current restoration project represents about half of the work the foundation plans for the building. Workers will also reveal some original wood floors in the dining room, repair some exterior masonry and rebuild the homes front and side porches.

Everything in this house will be real. The history that happened here is real. And Im so excited for people to come back and see it once its completed," Ice-Jones told the Vincennes Sun-Commercial.

Durable Restoration expects the first phase of the restoration project to take at least six months, likely wrapping up sometime in June.

The Grouseland Foundations board of directors hired Mesick Cohen Wilson and Baker in 2014 to assess the mansion and its restoration needs. The Albany, New York-based architectural firm recommended a $3.5 million restoration, but the foundation opted to handle that work in phases.

After the foundation received a $400,000 grant from the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Ice-Jones led a successful effort that raised the remaining $800,000 needed for the first phase.

Grouseland officials also led a successful push for Knox Countys innkeepers tax to be increased by 1% to help fund the various phases of restoration, although Ice-Jones said the coronavirus pandemic has stifled revenue for now.

Continued here:
Home of 9th US president being restored - The Herald

Bathrooms can serve as sanctuaries, providing a warm tub to soak in after a long, weary day or a private place to retire for a few minutes of peace and quiet. Bathrooms also can be dangerous places, as various groups warn that most slip and fall accidents that occur at home will happen in the bathroom.

The combination of hard surfaces and moisture from sinks and showers can create dangerous conditions. Furthermore, bathrooms tend to be small spaces, so should a fall occur, it's more likely a person will hit various surfaces on the way down.

The risk of falling in a bathroom increases with age. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, seniors over age 65 have a 25 percent chance of falling in the bathroom. Seniors generally have less flexibility and balance than younger people, meaning falls can be life-threatening. Bones easily can become fractured and internal bleeding may occur in serious cases. Bathrooms can be made safer in a few simple ways.

Any individual with a health condition that causes vision disturbances or difficulties with balance should work with a doctor to find a resolution. These conditions may contribute to falls.

Metro Creative Connection

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How to prevent slips and falls in the bathroom - theday.com

Sarah, a teacher in a rural Midwestern town, is always receiving compliments on her home. It has a cozy feel with soft lighting, shag rugs, and a beautiful cobblestone path leading to the front door -- what's not to love?

Unfortunately, her 80-year-old mother, who recently moved in with Sarah, has slipped several times. She ended up in the emergency department after one of the falls.

In Sarah's home, as in many homes, there are three significant trouble areas where older adults are most at risk of falling: the bathroom, stairs, and hallways or pathways.

If you're an older adult and want to make changes that will "fall-proof" your home and reduce your risk, here are some tips that might help:

The bathroom is the most common place for falls because it has a lot of wet and slippery surfaces; you have to step in and out of the shower or tub; and using the toilet requires you to sit and stand up -- which isn't easy if you have trouble keeping your balance.

Solutions:

Walking up and down stairs requires balance, lower body strength, good depth perception and endurance, all of which can be a challenge for some older adults. Falling down stairs, in particular, can have severe consequences, so it's important to have something to grab onto to keep that from happening.

Solutions:

The problem with hallways and other general living spaces is they can easily become cluttered, not have good lighting, or have uneven or slippery floors or rugs.

Solutions:

Sarah ended up installing grab bars in her bathrooms, installing additional lighting to the hallways and stairways, replacing the shag rug in the living room, and creating a smooth, concrete pathway next to the cobblestones for her mother to walk on when going in and out of the house.

Her mother has not had an at-home fall since.

In addition to fall-proofing your home, there are other fall-prevention strategies that you can try at home, such as modifying your diet and wearing proper footwear.

Nutritional strategies:

Supportive footwear (inside and outside the home):

Now that you have the knowledge you need to fall-proof your home, don't wait to make a change. Look around and see what you can do today to make your home a safer and healthier place.

This is the second blog post in the series, Reducing Falls For Older Adults. The goal of the series is to help older adults and their family members better understand how to reduce the risk and impact of falls. Patients referenced are composites, compiled from actual patient experiences

Claire Jacobson is a master's degree student in Community Health and Prevention Research at Stanford studying chronic disease prevention and healthy aging. Stanford professor and primary care physician Randall Stafford, MD, PhD, studies strategies to improve chronic disease treatment, including increasing the role of patients in their health care.

Photo by Sidekix Media

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Reducing falls for older adults: What are the trouble spots in your home? - Scope

Downtown Anchorages former Key Bank Plaza Building will be modernized and expanded into a sleek, glacier-inspired office building, courtesy of Perkins&Will.

The nine-story building was originally built in 1972 at 601 W 5th Avenue. The building required extensive structural repairs as a result of a 7.1 magnitude earthquake in November 2018 and, as such, will receive much-needed seismic reinforcements as part of the redesign. On the interior, all mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems will be replaced, a new stair tower will be built, and modern elevators and a freight elevator will be installed.

The exterior is also set to undergo substantial work that pays homage to Alaskas natural wonders. This includes a 40,000-sf sloped facade that reconfigures the building to resemble a glacier, replacing the precast concrete cladding with floor-to-ceiling windows.

To account for dark, snowy winters, radiant heating, six new skylights, and drought-tolerant native plants have been incorporated into the projects master plan. Due to the sites potential for substantial pedestrian activity, onsite landscape and hardscape improvements have become a top priority for the design team.

The buildings owners hope the project will reinvigorate Anchorages downtown area, which has not seen any new construction for the past 10 years. The $30 million-project is slated for completion in 2022.

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Anchorage to receive new glacier-inspired office building - Building Design + Construction

In ancient Rome, tens of thousands gathered at the Colosseum to watch enslaved men, condemned criminals and wild animals fight to the death. These grisly gladiator clashes required great feats of engineering: To make caged creatures and prize fighters emerge from underground as if by magic, the Romans devised a labyrinth of secret tunnels beneath the arenas wooden, sand-covered floor.

These underground structures have remained exposed to the elements for more than a century, enabling the millions of tourists who visit the Colosseum each year to see them up close, according to Reuters. Now, the Italian government has pledged 10 million (around $12 million USD) toward the installation of a new, retractable floor that will restore the amphitheater to its gladiator-era glory.

We want to give an idea of how it was, and we are seeking proposals from around the world, Alfonsina Russo, director of the Colosseum, tells the Times Tom Kington.

Per BBC News, architectural designs for the ambitious renovation are due by February 1. Italian officials say they hope to complete the project by 2023.

During the four centuries that the Romans used the Colosseum, the hypogeum, or network of underground tunnels beneath the arena floor, resembled a huge sailing ship, wrote Tom Mueller for Smithsonian magazine in 2011.

The structure consisted of staging areas, ramps, pulleys, ropes and other mechanisms that allowed workers to create a seamless show aboveground. Engineers even devised an underground elevator of sorts that lifted lions, bears, leopards and other caged wild animals into the arena.

The hypogeum allowed the organizers of the games to create surprises and build suspense, Heinz-Jrgen Beste, a researcher at the German Archaeological Institute in Rome, told Smithsonian in 2011. A hunter in the arena wouldnt know where the next lion would appear, or whether two or three lions might emerge instead of just one.

All told, the complex system of passages and lifts served a single purpose for the empire: to delight spectators and ensure the success of shows that both celebrated and embodied the grandeur of Rome, according to Smithsonian.

As Jonathan Hilburg reports for the Architects Newspaper, Italian authorities say the restored version of the floor will feature replicas of trapdoors, lifts and other mechanical elements used in Roman times.

[The renovation] will be a major technological intervention that will offer visitors the opportunity to not only see the underground rooms ... but also appreciate the beauty of the Colosseum while standing in the center of the arena, says Culture Minister Dario Franceschini in a statement quoted by BBC News.

He adds that the retractable area must be able to close quickly in order to protect the ancient tunnels from the elements.

After the collapse of the Roman Empire in the fifth century A.D., the Colosseum fell into disrepair, alternatively serving as a quarry, a fortress and a convent. Partially dismantled as a handy source of building materials, the amphitheaters stones were later repurposed during construction of St. Peters Basilica and other Baroque churches, according to History Todays Ann Natanson.

The hypogeum, meanwhile, was eventually filled with dirt and rubble. By the early 20th century, when archaeologists first started restoring and researching the space, the tunnels had become overgrown with plants.

Russo tells the Times that after the renovation, the Colosseum plans to host concerts and theater productions on the new floor.

The arena will be used for high culture, meaning concerts or theater, Russo adds, but no gladiator shows.

Original post:
Italy Will Rebuild the Colosseum's Floor, Restoring Arena to Its Gladiator-Era Glory - Smithsonian Magazine

Sunlight is not typically associated with the dingy basement vibe that envelops commuters passing through Penn Station.

But natural light spills across the new Moynihan Train Hall through its massive, 92-foot-high skylight ceiling and illuminates another surprise: permanent installations by some of the most celebrated artists in the world.

Kehinde Wiley, Stan Douglas and the artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset have major pieces prominently displayed in the new $1.6 billion train hall set to open Friday, offering an expansion of Penn Stations concourse space and serving customers of Amtrak and Long Island Rail Road. The hall, designed by the architecture firm SOM, also connects to subway lines, although they are some distance away.

The 255,000-square-foot train hall is inside the James A. Farley postal building, the grandiose Beaux-Arts structure designed by McKim Mead & White in 1912, two years after the original Pennsylvania Station. (New Yorkers may know the Farley Building from rushing up its giant staircase to file income taxes before midnight in mid-April.)

The new hall is named for Senator Daniel P. Moynihan, who first introduced plans for a renovation in the early 1990s, but they were mired in delays for years. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, the driving force behind the project, in 2016 announced a public-private partnership for developing the hall, including Empire State Development, Vornado Realty Trust, Related Companies, Skanska and others.

The Moynihan Train Hall serves as a redemption of sorts for the doomed Penn Station, demolished in 1963 in an act deemed so heinous for the citys historical buildings it is said to have kicked off the nascent national preservation movement.

The new hall fails to solve many of New Yorks myriad transportation problems congestion on the tracks, the need for a new tunnel under the Hudson River, the blight of the existing Penn Station, to name a few. But officials say its a necessary step to complete other transit projects, add more train capacity and to alleviate crowding at Penn Station.

The train hall opens at a time when citizens are being asked to refrain from nonessential travel to limit the spread of the coronavirus, and at a moment when commuter train traffic is extremely low.

But the governor has pointed to the achievement of delivering a major infrastructure project on time despite a pandemic, as well as one that would transcend the Covid-19 era. Mr. Cuomo called the new hall deeply hopeful.

It speaks to the brighter days ahead when we will be able to congregate, to pass one another and to share the same space free of fear, Mr. Cuomo said. It promises renewal and rebirth of civic life in New York, and points to the opportunity ahead.

The completion of the project a station meant to welcome commuters and the rest of the world to New York serves as a bright spot at the close of a dark year for New York City where deaths from a global pandemic soared in spring and are on the uptick again, and scores of beloved restaurants and shops have shuttered as the virus pummeled the local economy.

On a recent tour of the train hall, masked workers were putting the finishing touches on blue curved benches in a walnut seating alcove in the ticketed waiting area. The halls radiant flooring feels warm to the touch, and, for now at least, is sparkling clean. Majestic trusses and vaulted skylights nod to the elegant traceries in Penn Stations original concourse. The hall offers free Wi-Fi and a lounge for nursing mothers. A 12-foot-tall clock with a typeface designed for road and railroad signage serves as a reminder of the clock in the demolished Penn Station. Intended as a meeting point, it hangs 25 feet above the floor.

Construction on the new hall began in 2017 with painstaking restoration of the landmark buildings 200,000-square-foot stone facade, its 700 windows, copper roof, steel trusses and terra-cotta cornices. Some of the 120,000 square feet of shopping, dining and retail space wont be ready right away. The train hall wont take up all the space in the building; the post office will still operate. Facebook is moving in as the main commercial tenant.

While the new hall pales in comparison to the majesty of the starry-ceilinged main hall of Grand Central Terminal, it will serve as a far more pleasant welcome to commuters than Penn Station, which has been derided as the La Guardia of train stations.

The addition of work by well-known artists adds a celebratory vibe, a sense of pride in the public sphere and a method Mr. Cuomo has prioritized at similar transit points in four stations along the Second Avenue subway line (with pieces by Chuck Close, Jean Shin, Vik Muniz and Sarah Sze) and a new Terminal B at La Guardia Airport with installations from Ms. Sze, Laura Owens, Sabine Hornig and Jeppe Hein.

Theres something to be said about a society gathering around an artist, around his or her vision, to say this is something we believe in collectively, said Mr. Wiley, best known for his portrait of former President Barack Obama, which hangs in the National Portrait Gallery. New York needs this right now.

The space seems intended to always keep commuters looking up, from its sprawling glass skylight to two major ceiling installations at each entry way Mr. Wileys stained-glass paintings of break dancers at 33rd Street and Elmgreen & Dragsets The Hive, a cluster of upside-down models of futuristic skyscrapers, at 31st Street.

Its an opportunity for artists to stretch themselves and do something new and different, said Nicholas Baume, director and chief curator of the Public Art Fund, which oversaw the art project.

The artists submitted their proposals in 2019, before any of them envisioned Covid-19 spreading across the world, and then executed their pieces from afar. The installations cost $6.7 million.

Heres a first look at the artists and their projects.

Mr. Wileys backlit, hand-painted, stained-glass triptych called Go, across the ceiling of the 33rd Street entrance, depicts sneaker-clad break dancers who appear to float across a blue sky.

The artist, whose paintings often reimagine well-known works with Black subjects, said he wanted to embrace the rarity of contemporary art on stained glass as well as play with the language of ceiling frescoes by using his installation to celebrate Black culture.

So much of what goes on in ceiling frescoes are people expressing a type of levity and religious devotion and ascendancy, said Mr. Wiley, who has a studio in New York but spent much of the year in his studio in Dakar, Senegal. For me the movement and space made so much more sense thinking about ways bodies twirl in break dancing.

One woman wears baggy yellow pants and a crop top; another is outfitted in a denim jacket. Instead of angels and gods in classical frescoes, Mr. Wiley offers Nike logos and pigeons in midflight. The outstretched finger of a young woman in camouflage shorts conjures images of The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo on the Sistine Chapels ceiling.

Its this idea of expressing absolute joy break dancing in the sky, he said, noting that break dancing began in New York City.

Mr. Wiley toured the train hall taking note of decorative flourishes and metal work. The molding around the three panels was designed to coordinate with the metal around windows outside the building.

Mr. Wiley said he deviated from his usual method of street casting, or selecting strangers from the street as models, because he was pressed for time in delivering the work, and instead turned to the subjects of prior paintings.

The aesthetic of Black culture is the aesthetic of survival, of buoyancy and saliency and the ability to float in the midst of so much, Mr. Wiley said, adding that he hoped the work would make commuters pause and smile.

And I hope they recognize themselves, he said. I wanted to create, at the intersection of trade, commerce and transportation in the capital of the worlds economy, something that sits as a testament to Black possibility.

Giant photographic panels by Mr. Douglas, a Canadian whose work re-enacts historical moments of tension that connect local histories to broader social movements, serve as the backdrop along a more than 80-foot wall of a waiting area for ticketed passengers. The series, Penn Stations Half Century, is a homage to the original Penn Station, with Mr. Douglas drawing on archival research to recreate nine small but noteworthy moments that occurred there.

Mr. Douglas, who is representing Canada in the 2022 Venice Biennale, invited 400 people 100 each day of shooting to an empty hockey arena in Vancouver, where they were dressed in period costumes and spaced apart. He stitched together numerous images on digitally recreated interiors of the demolished station based on old floor plans and photos.

The panels include a depiction of the outlaw and folk hero Celia Cooney, also known as the Bobbed Hair Bandit, meeting crowds in 1924 when she was returned to New York to face charges. Mr. Douglas also reimagined Penn Station as the soundstage for the director Vincente Minnellis 1945 film The Clock, starring Judy Garland.

One joyful image recreates a very New York moment: a spontaneous show put on by vaudeville performers inside the hall after a major snowstorm stranded them and other travelers in 1914. It was led by Bert Williams, a Black singer and comedian who also created pioneering musical theater productions.

This is complete fantasy we dont know what it looked like, Mr. Douglas said of the scene he created. We found out who was doing shows on the Eastern Seaboard and incorporated them. We found acrobatic troupes of the era and reference images for costuming and their acts.

The pandemic threw a curveball to Mr. Douglas.

Each model was masked until the moment before the shutter clicked. And everyone was photographed individually, even for large crowd scenes, then the images layered atop one another.

One person did pass out, Mr. Douglas said, but to everyones relief, Covid-19 was not involved. She was wearing winter clothes inside on a July day, he said.

Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset, Berlin-based artists whose work explores the relationship between art, architecture and design, created The Hive, a set of up to nine-foot-tall models of skyscrapers that hang upside down like stalactites from the ceiling at the 31st Street entrance.

The aluminum buildings, some replicas and some purely fictional, look futuristic with their perfect edges and tiny lights. A mirrored base allows commuters to feel projected into the cityscape and creates a sort of mirage of an imaginary city, the artists explained.

Thats an important aspect of it, that people do see themselves reflected in the base plate, Mr. Dragset said. We like that theres an interaction between the audience and the work itself.

Mr. Dragset said the work was named The Hive to reflect how cities, with their richness of diversity, function because people accept certain rules for coexisting.

Its about a huge collaboration in order to make everyone survive, he said.

The installation contains nearly 100 buildings, most made of aluminum, that the artists hoped would offer commuters a new experience each time they entered.

People are often in a rush when they go to the train, Mr. Elmgreen said. We thought of making something that you could get the sense of in one viewing, but if you wanted to have a full experience you could stop and look up and discover new aspects of the artwork over and over again.

The exhibit includes 72,000 LED lights; six buildings can change colors.

Shipping the work to New York from Germany, where it was fabricated, was nerve-racking, the artists said. Together, the buildings weigh more than 30,000 pounds. Mr. Dragset was the only artist among the four who was able to travel to New York to oversee installation this month.

I saw it coming up and coming together and was there for this magical moment of the lights coming on, he said. Both me and my product manager, we shed a little tear.

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Moynihan Train Hall Brings Art to Penn Station - The New York Times

The project isn't anticipated to have a completion date until 2023 but when it's done, it'll have been an unbelievable undertaking.

Many people don't realize that Rome's famed colosseum was actually once far more technologically-advanced than what we see today. The ruins of the colosseum as it stands only echo its historic past and don't fully do it justice, as it was once a sight that many believed were full of mystical wonder and allure. Part of this allure was the floor that actually retracted to reveal a scene of violence, victory, and tragic loss below it, and this is the same type of illusionary magic that Rome hopes to bring back to the colosseum with new construction plans in place for the project.

Related:A New Ancient Roman Shrine Has Been Discovered (And Other Ancient Sites All History Buffs Need To Visit In Rome)

On the same sight where many tourists now gather to witness the remains of what once was, at one point in time,tensof thousands of spectators gathered to view prizefighters who were enslaved and predatory animals battle with one another. While the new plans for the colosseum do not include anything of that nature (obviously), the results of the finished project will be nothing short of spectacular when it comes to events, concerts, and theater performances. It's the hope of Rome that this installation will not only provide an incredible venue from which to watch these things but that it will also bring the colosseum itself back to its former glory during the days when it was one of the most significant destinations in the city.

As the colosseum stands today, every floor is able to be seen from the interior of the structure itself. At one point, though, the hypogeum, or inner labyrinth of the colosseum, was once hidden by a floor made of wood and sand. The goal is to separate the floors once again to give the same appearance that whichever show is taking place on the said floor has appeared by magic, as it was believed to have done centuries ago. The project is anticipated to cost millions, with Italy's governmentalready pledging almost $12 million USD. Now, all that's left is for a design team to come in and coordinate the project while creating a design that's historically accurate as well as functional.

The most intriguing part of the project is its historical accuracy. During the days when the city of Rome was at its height and one of the most revered empires in the world, the colosseum was a place where all inhibitions were thrown to the wind as spectators witnessed things that modern-day society would deem inhumane and heinous today. These things included setting wild animals loose in the colosseum with a trained fighter, and part of that was the uncertainty and unexpectedness of it all which made it (morbidly) thrilling to viewers. These animals would arrive in random locations around the colosseum floor thanks to the addition of trapdoors and secret passageways that were created to throw off suspicion and make each fight incredibly unpredictable. This is the same technology and design that Rome intends to implement in the colosseum today with the goal in mind to incorporate similar surprise features.

Related:Does Visiting The Trevi Fountain In Rome Live Up To Expectations? What To Plan For

According to Dario Franceschini, the culture minister, the renovation "will be a major technological intervention that will offer visitors the opportunity to not only see the underground rooms but also appreciate the beauty of the colosseum while standing in the center of the arena." Whereas during ancient Roman times, the use of the floor appeared to be some type of mystical magic, nowadays, it's the hope of the city that the new design would allow visitors to fully understand the colosseum's architecture as well as how it would have served its purpose long ago. While it's intended to be a central location for concerts and theater, it's first and foremost a piece of history and an icon in terms of Rome's past, and it's hoped that the two will be accepted with a sense of balance and appreciation of all the colosseum has represented.

While there are no plans to begin building right now, the project does have a timeline and all plans from designers are expected no later than February 1st, which means there could be more news to follow in the spring of 2021. However, with that being said, this project is no small undertaking - not only do architects need to respect and ensure that the original structure will be safely protected while adding new structures, but the plans themselves must be in line with the historical design of the colosseum itself. With that being said, the date for the finished project is anticipated in 2023.

Next:Baia Was Considered Ancient Rome's "Las Vegas"... Until It Sunk To The Bottom Of The Sea

Everything You Didn't Know About Celebrating Kwanzaa

Originally from New York, Katie is used to a fast-paced lifestyle. She got her personal start with writing in the second grade, and carried that passion with her until she won a spot in her high school's published poetry book - but not before becoming the News Editor and columnist for the high school newspaper. In college, she majored in English Literature with an emphasis in Political Science, soaking up most creativity and method from one of the last professors to study under famed beat poet Allen Ginsberg. The more she wrote, the more she learned about the world and, more importantly, herself. She has been writing professionally and has been published since the age of 19, and for nearly a decade has covered topics in entertainment, lifestyle, music news, video game reviews, food culture, and now has the privilege of writing and editing for TheTravel. Katie has a firm belief that every word penned is a journey into yourself and your own thoughts, and through understanding this, people can begin to understand each other. Through her voice, she brings personality, research, and a bit of friendly sarcasm to every piece she writes and edits.

Continued here:
Rome's Colosseum Could Be Returning To Its Former Glory With A Retractable Floor - TheTravel

Judy Rose, Special to the Detroit Free Press Published 7:00 a.m. ET Jan. 2, 2021 | Updated 8:02 a.m. ET Jan. 2, 2021

A house with a handsome landscape in the gated Turtle Lake community. Pond and fountain view and a well-finished lower level. Wochit

Twenty years ago this was the showcase house in Bloomfield Township for the posh new gated and guarded neighborhood called Turtle Pond.

Since then its second owners enriched the house and its setting with an updating by interior designer Jeffrey King and a huge revamp of the grounds by landscape designer Deborah Silver.

The house is sheathed with cedar siding above a base of granitewith a partly enclosed courtyard in front. Gutters are copper. Its wide front steps, courtyard and driveway are stone pavers. It has a new cedar roof, with swooping witches-hat dormers.

It sits on a double lot, now loaded with mature evergreens, regimental hedges and hydrangea. Realtor Preka Berishaj said the second lot is an additional price, $650,000. That includes a large play structure.

A fountain is in the middle of Turtle Pond as seen from the rear of the house. It's all part of the gated Turtle Lake community which has 113 homes.(Photo: Teuta Photography)

To its rear this houses view is Turtle Pond and its fountain. Close in, a raised organic garden is wrapped with a 7-foot fence to keep out deer.

Inside, these owners many changes included installing oak and cherry floors and building out the closets. They had the main stairs wrought-iron railing copied. Now its continued at the loft over the great room and as a railing for outdoor terraces.

They changed the kitchen backsplashes to a light-toned tile with designs sculpted in.

The foyer has a stone tile floor with faux stone paint on the walls. These owners had the wrought-iron railing copied and repeated it at the upstairs loft and outside terrace.(Photo: Teuta Photography)

One especially nice spot is the sunroom, which is also the breakfast room. Two walls here are multipaned glass and French doors. They give a view of the pond and fountain and let light pour into the kitchen. All four seasons look beautiful, the owner said.

Besides a Viking range with its oven, the kitchen has a stack of three more Viking ovens. They are a warming drawer, a convection oven and a microwave.

The large owners suite is on the main floor, two stories tall. The view through French doors is the fountain with a terrace outside.

The owner's suite of this home at 2937 Turtle Pond Court in Bloomfield Twp. Turtle Pond is a neighborhood of 19 houses in the larger Turtle Lake development, which has 113 houses and walking trails. Like all the Turtle Lake neighborhoods, it's only entered through one set of main gates, which are staffed with a 24-hour guard.(Photo: Teuta Photography)

The main floor has a great room 25 feet long with a massive limestone fireplace. An 18-foot loft overlooks it through the railing copied from the stairs. This is made into a reading nook with sofas and built-in bookshelves designed by Jeffery King.

The walkout lower level is very thoroughly finished. It includes a guest suite with French doors to the outside and a bathroom thats ADA accessible. At one point these owners hosted a handicapped relative, with the help of a stair lift between the lower and main floors. That lift is taken out now.

The rest of the lower level is a big multipurpose room that has a stone fireplace, built-in cupboards, a full bar, a small kitchen and a pool table. It has pine walls that had been whitewashed, but these owners had them stripped and stained.

The lower level entertainment area of this home at 2937 Turtle Pond Court in Bloomfield Twp. Turtle Pond is a neighborhood of 19 houses in the larger Turtle Lake development, which has 113 houses and walking trails. Like all the Turtle Lake neighborhoods, it's only entered through one set of main gates, which are staffed with a 24-hour guard.(Photo: Teuta Photography)

On the second floor is a large bonus room, now set up as a serious gym. They had a personal trainer come to the house.

This free-standing house is a site condo. Owners can contract with their association for lawn and garden care if they wish.

Turtle Pond is a neighborhood of 19 houses in the larger Turtle Lake development, which has 113 houses and walking trails. Like all the Turtle Lake neighborhoods, its entered through one set of main gates, which are staffed with a 24-hour guard.

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Where: 2937 Turtle Pond Court, Bloomfield Township

How much: $2,399,000

Bedrooms: 5

Baths: 4 full, 2 half

Square feet: 5,285 in the two main floors, plus 2,300 finished in the walkout lower level.

Key features: Handsome house with handsome landscape in the gated, guarded Turtle Lake community. Pond and fountain view. Well-finished lower level with accessible suite, landscape maintenance available, 24-hour security. Second lot with play structure available.

Contact: Preka Berishaj, Victor Properties, 248-568-4580.

In order to limit our staff's exposure to coronavirus, the Detroit Free Press is temporarily suspending its practice of using our photographers to capture images for House Envy and is instead using photographs prepared by listing Realtors, with credit to thephotographers. We thank the Realtors for helping in this effort.

Read or Share this story: https://www.freep.com/story/money/real-estate/michigan-house-envy/2021/01/02/turtle-pond-mansion-home-bloomfield-twp/4073008001/

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$2.4M Bloomfield Twp. home in exclusive Turtle Pond offers fountain views, walking trails - Detroit Free Press

Without question, 2020 was a year like no other. But, with COVID came unexpected opportunities. Essentially, isolation protocols allowed those with access to a workspace and a project more time to focus on the build.

In March, I wrote a column about how I was tinkering through self-isolation, working on a Triumph motorcycle made up of many different years and models spanning the late 1930s to the early 1950s. That led to several readers reaching out with news about their projects, and, with the New Year upon us, I thought it would be interesting to catch up with a few of them and report on their progress.

Your humble scribe with a 1939 Triumph Speed Twin on the lift.

Brendan Stephens

And, the progress, or lack thereof, on the current Triumph build after correcting a crooked girder fork.

Greg Williams

Ill start with my Triumph. By the end of June, the wheels were built and fresh new tires mounted on the rims. With the wheels in place, however, it became apparent something was not straight. Figuring the neck was tweaked on the frame, everything came apart, including the fork. Time was spent measuring and assessing, but it wasnt the frame that was bent. The problem was in the girder fork. More time spent measuring, and much time machining and repairing the lower steering stem. Thats brought everything back into line. During the summer, the engine came together up to the point of being able to put the head and rocker boxes in place thats something that will happen after the engine is in the frame to continue the mock-up process.

Enough about my project, lets catch up with other builders profiled in 2020.

Trevor Wannop of Calgary was working on an ambitious build based on a 1940 Ford Express pickup truck. At the time of writing that story in April, hed finished installing the 5.0-litre Ford Performance Coyote crate engine and was working on the installation of a large 80L fuel tank and putting in a new driveshaft. He hoped he would be cutting apart the cab and doors in order to add extra metal, effectively stretching the cab. However, as some restrictions were loosened in June, Wannop found himself golfing, fishing and gardening while also doing boat, tractor and cottage maintenance, Im all done with that and have started on the body work today, Wannop told me in mid-December. It will be my winter priority.

In June we heard from Bill Murray of Ladner, B.C., who said the COVID-19 pandemic had allowed him to push the reset button. He was taking time to continue working on his project of 14 years, a 1930 Ford Model A pickup hot rod. Hed hoped to have his son, Jason, an award-winning GM mechanic, help him install a 5.0L V8 from a GM truck replacing the 1979 Oldsmobile 6.6L engine he currently has in the Model A. So far, that hasnt happened, but Murray spent a good part of his summer finally installing a drywall ceiling in his garage. That meant moving the project and parts back and forth. But he did have time to further modify the doors on his Model A, finessing the door ends with a curve so they could open without binding. And from a pair of Honda Civic doors, he plans to harvest all of the rods, clips and power window components to adapt into his doors. He also fabricated wood blocks to help transition the interior down to allow upholstery to run under the top rear cab trim. Still lots to do, but I enjoy it, Murray said.

Edmonton builder Patrick McCready was allowed to use sheet metal equipment at NAIT, where he formed a new passenger floor pan and rocker panels for his custom 1976 Datsun 620 King Cab pickup project.

Patrick McCready

Patrick McCready has finished the engine rebuild and installed it in the freshly prepared 1986 Nissan 720 chassis. Now, he needs to finish repairing the 76 Datsun cab and box before marrying the two together.

Patrick McCready

Next, I checked in with Patrick McCready of Edmonton, who was putting the cab and box of a 1976 Datsun 620 King Cab truck onto the chassis and running gear of a later 1986 Datsun/Nissan 720. Hes finished rebuilding the engine, and its now installed in the frame together with the transmission. The rolling chassis is ready to go. However, not happy with the replacement passenger floor pan hed made earlier, McCready fabricated one of heavier-gauge metal and welded it in place. He was graciously allowed access to sheet metal equipment at NAIT where he formed the floor pan and a pair of rocker panels. These have been welded in place. But now, McCready says, My build is progressing very slowly at this stage as I really dont like doing bodywork. He assured me, though, that he will get it done.

Retired Calgary police officer Richard Nyberg has his 1963 Volkswagen pickup ready for engine install, but has put this project to the side for the moment.

Finally, I wrote about Calgarian Richard Nyberg in early September. The retired police officer was working on a 1963 Volkswagen Type 2 single cab pickup. During the first phase of COVID lockdown, Nyberg managed to completely cut out and replace the cargo floor and drivers floor together with several other patch panels. It had been painted by late April, and its now on wheels while the engine is ready to be installed. I stalled off work on the VW, Nyberg said last week. It will be done for the spring, but Ive moved on to a 1973 Porsche 914.

These cars are like stray dogs. They just follow you home.

I negotiated buying the Porsche from the owner of the shop who painted the VW, and the same day the truck came home with new paint, the Porsche went into storage. These cars are like stray dogs. They just follow you home. Nyberg brought the Porsche out of storage in October, mounted the body in his rotisserie and began the messy process of removing the factory-applied undercoating. Now past that point, hes cutting out rusted metal and welding in fresh patch panels. Always busy, Nyberg said, Some days it feels like Groundhog Day around here.

As we move into 2021, Id be interested in hearing how others are spending their workshop time. Feel free to drop me a line at the email address below and Happy New Year.

Greg Williams is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Have a column tip? Contact him at 403-287-1067 or gregwilliams@shaw.ca

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On the Road: When a pandemic gives you lemons, you work on classic cars - Driving