Berlins creative spirit is hard to beat down.

Despite a lockdown and a summer without the usual carousel of art events and DJ sets at nightclubsone of the German capitals main drawsthe city is finding ways to keep its cultural pulse alive in imaginative ways. And now, one of Berlins most renowned collections, the Boros Foundation, is partnering up with its most famous nightclub, Berghain.

This novel collaboration, called Studio Berlin, will launch on September 9 in the midst of the annual Berlin Art Week and on the eve of the citys Gallery Weekend. The works of 80 contemporary artists, including major names like Olafur Eliasson, Cyprien Gaillard, Wolfgang Tillmans, Rosemarie Trockel, and Isa Genzken, will be on view at the club. The exhibition will sprawl over Berghains three main dance floors and will maintain a focus on artists who live and work in Berlinat least some of the time.

The joint effort is an attempt to support both the nightclub scene and the citys many artists, both of which havesuffered under the lockdown and resulting economic slump. Nightclubs may have to increasingly dream up alternative models for engaging the public; in Germany, all of its renowned party locations have been closed since mid-March. Amid a steeply rising number of infectionsin the country, reopening is unlikely to come anytime soon.

Studio Berlin will cast a wide net in terms of styles, spanning photography, sculpture, painting, multimedia installations, and sound pieces. Alongside blue-chip artists, the show will also include a younger generation of stars like Anne Imhof, Klara Lidn, Robin Rhode, Rirkrit Tiravanija and Raphaela Vogel, who all partially or fully reside in the German capital.(The full artist list is set to be released on Friday, August 14.)

This is not the first time that Berghain hasbranched into visual art. Artists like Norbert Bisky and Wolfgang Tillmans have commissions on view there, though the works are rarely documented, given the clubs strict no-photo policy. Since the lockdown, the club has also hosted a few events, including a sound installation by artists Sam Auinger and Hannes Strobl, under the creative name TamTam, with full social distancing in effect.

Berlin has the highest density of ateliers, studios, and art workshops in Europeartists from all over the world move to the German capital to work, the Studio Berlin website states. The Boros collection declined a request for comment ahead of the artist release on Friday.

The clubs notoriously strict door policy is not likely to be loosened upif only due to strictly enforced health measures. Guided tours in several languages may be be booked online. The project is being support by the Boros Foundation and by the Berlin Senate.

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With Nightlife Shuttered, the Legendary Berghain Nightclub Is Turning Its Dance Floor Into a Showcase of 80 Berlin-Based Artists - artnet News

Theglobal market for residential building construction industrytotaled $4,171.3 billion in 2017 and is estimated to reach $6,800.9 billion by 2022, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.3% for the period of 2017-2022.

Request For ReportSample@https://www.trendsmarketresearch.com/report/sample/11814

Report Scope:

Following are brief summaries of the chapters included in this report.

The Chapter One summary presents the reports scope, methodology and structure, as well as brief overviews of each of the reports chapters.

Chapter three provides a high-level overview of the residential flooring industry, including historical, current and future industry perspectives, as well as a look at current, and anticipated manufacturing issues and trends. The chapter also covers current market conditions in the new construction and renovation residential segments. Chapter three also includes an overview of industry trade organizations, such as the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) and the North American Building Material Distribution Association (NABMDA). The chapter also discusses the key trade shows that residential flooring manufacturers and other industry participants attend, such as one of the industrys largest events, The International Surface Event: SurfacesStonExpo/MarmomaccTileExpo. The chapter also details the primary trade media that cover the industry, such as Floor Covering News.

Product types in the residential flooring industry are in a constant state of evolution and at different stages of innovation in an effort to meet changing market needs and demands. Chapter Four provides a detailed look at seven different residential flooring categoriescarpet, ceramic tile, hardwood, laminates, stone, other resilient and vinylincluding associated new products and technologies, and applicable environmental programs and incentives, as well as government regulations and requirements affecting each flooring type.

Chapter Four provides a comprehensive overview of the residential flooring market size and growth in North America through 2021. A preview of residential flooring value by region is provided here, setting the stage for more detailed breakdowns by distribution channel and by product category, both in this chapter and in Chapter Five: Market Definition.

For the purposes of this report, BCC Research has analyzed Southeast, Northeast, Midwest, Southwest, West regions in the U.S., as well as Canada, to complete our North American residential flooring research.

Chapter Four also includes a breakdown of residential flooring expenditures by flooring typecarpet, ceramic tile, hardwood, laminates, stone, other resilient and vinylthrough 2021 in million squares and million dollars for the six key industry distribution channels: floor covering stores; furniture and home furnishing stores; home improvement centers and building materials supplies dealers; general merchandise stores; electronic and online sales; and direct sales.

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Finally, growth projection data analysis for this chapter covers residential flooring volume by product type though 2021 in million squares and million dollars.

For the market definition part of this report in Chapter Five, BCC Research analyzed the two primary residential flooring segments in North America: new construction and renovation.

The residential flooring analysis contains expenditure and share data for the years 2015 and 2016, as well as projections for 2021 along with the compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) for the years 2016 through 2021. We have also provided a detailed analysis on the following six North American regions: Southeast, Northeast, Midwest, Southwest, West and Canada.

In addition, this chapter includes an overview of 19 of the leading residential flooring product manufacturers with data on 2015 and 2016 revenues, number of employees, and overall market share. Also included are market share breakdowns for the leading manufacturers by product category, as well as a listing of each manufacturers product lines in each product category.

Finally, this chapter provides data on average pricing and installed costs for all product types in the years 2015 and 2016, with projections for 2021. The residential flooring industrys six primary distribution channelsfloor covering stores; furniture and home furnishing stores; home improvement centers and building materials supplies dealers; general merchandise stores; electronic and online sales; and direct salesare covered, as well as listings of major flooring distributors with data on revenues (overall, by product type, by distribution channel and associated market shares).

Chapter Seven profiles 30 of the major producers in the seven residential flooring product categories: carpet, ceramic tile, hardwood, laminates, stone, other resilient and vinyl. The major suppliers in residential flooring products offer multiple product lines. Chapter Seven contains the following information about each company profiled (when available): background, recent company news (selected significant announcements within the past 18 months), products, financial performance, strategic direction and distribution.

Report Includes:

An overview of the market for residential flooring in North America. Analyses of global market trends, with data from 2015, estimates for 2016, and projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2021. Information on different product and technology types, such as carpet, ceramic tile, hardwood, laminates, stone, vinyl, and resilient flooring. Information on various flooring products, distribution methods, new products and technologies, and the direction of the industry in the near future. Profiles of major companies in the industry.

Report Summary

The North American residential flooring industry is one of the most diverse of any manufactured product in terms of product type and selection. From broadloom carpet and carpet tile to hardwood and innovative resilient products made from cork and rubber, consumers and others involved in new residential construction and renovation have no shortage of choices to meet their architectural or interior design needs and requirements. Within each flooring product type, there exists a myriad of surface textures, color choices and quality levels, as well as collection upon collection of product with intriguing names like Accord, Hydroment Vivid, VersaBond and Blue Emotion, among others. Other product names are more grounded in familiarity and longevity like the well-known Congoleum brand.

Following are a few market observations on several of the flooring types analyzed in this report.

Flooring products are among the most important building materials and constitutes a versatile market with a wide product portfolio. The flooring market is expected to expand significantly due to strong growth of construction and automotive sectors coupled with increases in home improvement and renovation project activities. The demand for various residential flooring materials is expected to increase considerably in the forecast period. Increasing residential construction and reconstructionactivities in North America is one of the major factors fueling the demand for residential flooring in this region. However, in recent times regulations have been issued against import of lumber due to illegal deforestation. This is one of the primary factors restraining the residential flooring market.

The hardwood flooring products remain popular despite the advent of a large number of cheaper flooring products such as laminates and resilient flooring. Easy cleaning, better strength and durability, better acoustics and presence of large number of varieties are some of the major factors fueling the demand for hardwood flooring products. Owing to these factors, hardwood flooring is one of the primary choices for a large number of residential constructions.

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Vinyl flooring is the fastest growing product category, growing at a CAGR of 7.4% between 2016 and 2021. Although vinyl tile floor is often installed in commercial settings where high traffic is a constant, or where a clean or staticfree environment is desired, it is also a versatile and costeffective choice for any household. Moreover, lower maintenance cost is also one of the primary factors expected to drive the demand for vinyl flooring in the coming years.

In terms of value chain, a high degree of backward integration is being witnessed in the flooring market. Several key players are engaged in the manufacture of raw materials. Amoco, a subsidiary of Shaw Industries, is actively involved in the manufacture of fiber. Amoco manufactures polypropylene fibers, which are used by Shaw Industries to manufacture carpets and rugs. Besides being a key player in the hardwood flooring market, Boral Limited is involved in the timber business. Burke Industries Inc., a major rubber manufacturing company based in California, is owned by Mannington Mills, one of the largest flooring manufacturers in North America.

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Residential Building Construction Industry Market How The Market Has Witnessed Substantial Growth In Recent Years? - Kentucky Journal 24

New health and safety protocols required new investments in infrastructure across campusPhoto/Mike Lovett

Brandeis University main entrance

By Julian Cardillo '14Aug. 11, 2020

As part of the campus preparedness project, Brandeis has made significant investments ahead of the fall semester: signage, the landscape, workspaces, classrooms, and building heating and ventilation systems, all aimed at enhancing health and safety for the campus community during the remainder of the pandemic.

A mixture of minor construction, maintenance work, and installations have occurred throughout spring and summer in preparation for the safe restart of university activities.

Signage

Brandeis installed new indoor and outdoor signage at locations throughout campus to clearly message the importance of health safety. The signage includes posters at building entries with reminders about submitting health assessments, lawn signs and pathway stickers with a variety of messages about wearing masks, message boards at every campus entry with a list of health safety rules, room maximum occupancy signs, and six-feet distancing floor stickers in every building.

Photo/Mike Lovett

Photo/Mike Lovett

Outdoors

Large tents have been installed on the Great Lawn and outside Skyline and the Usdan Student Center to provide more common space on campus. Most of the tents have been furnished and will primarily serve as relief space for the library and overflow space for dining halls, and secondarily as programmed space for classes and events.

Additional tent locations at Slosberg and Goldman-Schwartz are planned as well.

Adirondack chairs have been installed across campus to promote spending more time outside.

Social distancing circles have been installed on Chapels Field, adding a new option for community members to come together in groups.

Classrooms and Workspaces

Photo/Mike Lovett

Photo/Mike Lovett

Some furniture has been removed from classrooms, dining areas and work spaces to de-densify the classroom in accordance with state public health guidelines.

HVAC

Engineers have assessed the majority of campus buildings this summer to confirm that heating and cooling systems are working as designed and to identify measures for increasing outside air in order to noticeably improve air circulation and quality such as increased frequency of routine maintenance, audit of preventive maintenance, upgraded filters, repair of existing deficiencies, and increasing outside air levels.

Two new respiratory units have been installed in Golding Health Center, effectively splitting the facility in half.

The new respiratory units operate on their own air handling systems, which have a dedicated exhaust thats separate from the rest of the health center.

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Four ways campus will look different in fall 2020 | BrandeisNOW - Brandeis University

German painter Katharina Grosse was in the middle of installing one of her largest shows to date, at the prestigious Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin, when the lockdown threw the museums schedule into disarray.

Luckily for Grosse, she had been given the keys to the (now considerably quieter) museum, located just a stones throw from her studio. She embraced the unexpected delay; by the time the doors finally reopened, her technicolor paintings had found their way onto the exterior gallery walls and across the floors, where a titanic, carved installation curled up toward the roof.

Grosses works often resemble smashes of color that lick the architecture of white cubes or land on felled trees and wind-torn houses with a boundless energy that is undeniably her own. On the other side of the ocean, at the Baltimore Museum of Art, where Grosse opened a show earlier this year, her vibrant curtains gently undulate, dropping down from the ceiling to create small, mountainous color fields inside the gallery.

These two major projects may be complete, but the artist isnt taking a break. She was working in her glass and concrete studio when we met last week, looking over small models for her upcoming exhibitions at Berlins Galerie Knig at the end of October and Gagosians Rome space in November. When those shows are over, she said, she will retreat to her third studio on a cliffside in New Zealand.

Grosse spoke to Artnet News about the hidden benefits of pulling together a blockbuster under lockdown, why she doesnt mind her work being looked at online, and why giant splashes of color can be food for thought.

Katharina Grosse. It Wasnt Us, exhibition view Hamburger Bahnhof Museum fr Gegenwart Berlin, 2020 / Courtesy KNIG GALERIE, Berlin, London, Tokyo / Gagosian / Galerie nchst St. Stephan Rosemarie Schwarzwlder, Wien Katharina Grosse / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2020 / Photo: Jens Ziehe

You made your current exhibition, It Wasnt Us at the Hamburger Bahnhof, in the middle of lockdown. What was that experience like?

The show was complex because of the travel restrictions. I have never worked like that, with another studio that was pre-carving the whole piece near Hannover. We cut it with a hot wire there and then once again here [in Berlin]. And we made sure that all the different components got shipped well before the lockdown.In the end, we had more time on our hands than we thought, and that was really good for the show.

We had an additional week to build the work and then I had another week more to paint it. After that, there was a moment when we were not sure when or if the show was going to open at all, and that was interesting because I [stopped working] within a [specific] time frame. It really was like studio work. I was able to come and go as I pleased, in and out of the museum, because nothing else was going on at that time. I could really bring everything to a point where I was satisfied.

Your work is very considerate of its environment. What kinds of sites and spaces most interest you?

The work that I do tends to take up space that is not traditional museum space. Its good when these pieces are placed in the middle of some sort of crisis, which I do not mean as a negative word, but rather as a position where things can tip and transform from one situation to another. The hierarchy of the location is usually somehow fragileit can be swiveled around, depending on the work.

For my project in the Rockaways in 2016, for example, I painted a beach house that was formerly a military barrack, filled with sand from Hurricane Sandy.There was a certain unclarity as to whether the house was disappearing under the sand or emerging [from it].

I am interested in showing and finding out where paintings can appear in our everyday life. A painting isnt supposed to be on a wall, or locked in a room. They can be anywhere. It doesnt have a fixed locationtraditionally, its only in the last 200 or 300 years that we began to carry paintings around, selling them and hanging them in different locations, which I think is also great.

But a painting can be on a rock, in a church, or on the side of a house. It can be on stamps, or in booksbasically anywhere.

Katharina Grosse, Is It You?, 2020, The Baltimore Museum of Art, USA, Photo: Mitro Hood, courtesy of The Baltimore Museum of Art 2020 Katharina Grosse and VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn, 2020.

How did you come to this realization?

It has never been something that I had to discover. When I first studied painting, I naturally just painted everywhere, on a wall or on a chair, to try things out. I liked these different surfaces and how colors behaved differently: they could manipulate you and change your perceptions of the the materials that youre looking at. A piece of wood does something to the color pink that concrete does not, for example.

In terms of creating installations in museums, like your Hamburger Bahnhof show, I wonder how much the work is aboutfacing off against some of the rules about what is allowed in these spaces.

Yes, the work does have to do with that. As an artist invited to do a show, you see a situation as a person coming from the outside, whether its at an institution or in a certain set of buildings or in an outdoor area. What I very often do is wonder how a painting could live in that space and have the utmost independence. Because then, when people come visit the space, they also experience a sense of independence and encounter the possibility of possibilities.

Instead of trying to fit into the space, I am trying to suggest [spacial] possibilities that you would not see right away. In that sense, I am not looking to break rules, but rather, looking for more possibilities of how space could be.

The qualities of the spaces you work in become more apparent when set against your installations. Youre not just covering them up, but giving them new life, in a sense.

I find that interesting. Sometimes [the work makes the spaces] look even more prominent, like in the Hamburger Bahnhof, where you encounter the steel columns and its very sturdy, strict architecture. The detail of where the old columns meet the exhibition floor, for example, shows two worlds meeting that are not of the same purpose, the same ideology, or the same time, and that all becomes accentuated. I am very interested in the meeting point of paradoxical things.

Katharina Grosse. It Wasnt Us, exhibition view Hamburger Bahnhof Museum fr Gegenwart Berlin, 2020 / Courtesy KNIG GALERIE, Berlin, London, Tokyo / Gagosian / Galerie nchst St. Stephan Rosemarie Schwarzwlder, Wien Katharina Grosse / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2020 / Photo: Jens Ziehe.

Since your work manifests in ambitious installations, I wonder, do you ever feel that you are given limitations that you cannot work with?

If I feel that is the case, then I wont do it. You have a certain thing in mind that is usually the biggest, boldest idea, and you have to go through a couple of steps and look at how it can be done [in reality]. But there are some things that are essential. At the Hamburger Bahnhof, for example, I would not have done the project if I was not allowed to paint outside. That was an important twist.

I am curious about how you navigate your works scale. After doing a large installation, do you feel like you need an even bigger space to challenge yourself further?

The size only matters in relation to what the location needsI am always trying to make the smallest possible version of a large piece. Scale has a very emotional and psychological quality. It is not size that matters to me, but rather how [the work] appears. A very small work can have a similar effect on you psychologically as a very big work in relation to the space its in.

But its true that scale [plays a role]. I use my whole body to make the work. I walk a lot. I work on several paintings at the same time. One of my studios is very large so that I can work on 20 paintings at a time. Sometimes, you cannot even see where one painting stops and the next starts, because everything [blends together] and becomes one painting. The walls are painted. Everything is paintedand it is very exciting to work like that.

Katharina Grosse, o. T., project space, Kunsthalle Bern, 1998. Photo: Michael Fontana; Courtesy: Kunsthalle Bern Katharina Grosse und VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn, 2020.

You are rapidly becoming one of the biggest names in contemporary German painting, which has historically beenand in some ways, still isa very male-dominated field.

It is a very male-dominated field, but so is society.We are very lagging in Germany with this idea of giving perspectives to different speakers and voices and thoughts. It is not to say that the work of white males is rubbish, but half of society should not be excluded from having a say.

I didnt realize the problems of being so dominated by patriarchal thinking until I left art school. The way I grew up and the friends of my parents never gave me that feeling. It was the same during art school and university. Perhaps I was shielded from it, in a way. A lot of my female friends did say to me, though, Hey, are you crazy? Either you go into performative or video art, new fields [primarily dominated by] women. Painting is so overloaded by patriarchal structures. How will you be successful?

Katharina Grosse, This Drove my Mother up the Wall, 2017, South London Gallery, London, UK.

It also must be strange to make work that immerses visitors in a very physical way, given that so much art is being seen and understood online right now.

My work is really about an experience where your body can be stimulated. The screen does not do that. Ones eyes can be stimulated, but the rest of the body remains passive. Yet aspects of the work exist online that you cannot see in the space, too, which I find interesting. The photography shows you something that you cannot see while you are standing there, an experience that is far more particular. I think all the different ways of communicating a work have their own unique impact. The more that is available, the better.

Whats your relationship to abstraction?

I dont see my work as being abstracted from the world. I dont think that a painting puts forward a set of rules that only refers to itself. A painting is an open structure that has to be unfinished so that it can overlap with the world. My central question is: how can a painting appear in the world other than as a canvas on a wall?

I want to suggest a new version of space, and the Hamburger Bahnhof show perhaps shows how that can be done. I understand why you ask about abstraction, though. The term describes something that cannot be named, that isnt represented by something else [already] in existence. You see these large sculptural pieces at Hamburger Bahnhof, and you may say that they look like icebergs or landscapes or shards. Whenever you name them, you also realize that theyre not, in fact, like the things youre comparing them to. You have all these words for them, but you cannot really say what they are.

It is interesting to make visible what cannot be named. But this is not a futurist proposalit already exists. And I think that is kind of a political program [in itself].People walk on the work and become a part of it.

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How Can a Painting Appear in the World Other Than as a Canvas?: Painter Katharina Grosse on Bringing the Ancient Form Into 3-D - artnet News

The Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport has issued a call for artists, or artist team, to create two site-specific art installations for the airport as part of its Art in the Airport program.

One work will be mounted on a curved wall in the concourse exit. The theme of the work should refer to Arkansass natural environment and be welcoming to visitors. A design fee of $10,000 will be awarded to the chosen artist.

A similar theme is required for another project, for a terrazzo floor artwork, also located in the concourse exit area. The design fee for this project is also $10,000.

The airport will pay for fabrication and installation and may contract with outside contractors or the selected artist for the work. Its estimated budget is $90,000.

The competitions are open to Arkansas residents as well as artists whove lived, worked or studied in Arkansas. Three finalists will be chosen, and an art committee will select the winner.

Submissions are due Aug. 23. Fabrication is set for February-May 2021. Create an artist account at the CaFE webpage.

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Art in the Airport projects issues call for artists - Arkansas Times

We'd be lying if we didn't acknowledge that some of the satisfaction that comes from watching this clip stems from the catharsis that comes from seeing M. Bison, a character that's been frustrating us for a good four and a half years in Street Fighter 5 now, getting absolutely rocked, but it's also just a very aesthetically pleasing sequence.

The newest addition to this current Street Fighter, Seth, is able to teleport about like a damn Dragon Ball Z character when they implement their V-Trigger 1. Put them in the hands of a lab monster like Javits Arias and it almost feels like you're watching an anime battle.

This is something that technically only be performed on Bison since it uses his unique Scissor Kicks install that Seth gains from their V-Skill 1, though there very well may be other characters who offer Seth techniques that function in a same or similar enough manner.

In terms of practicality, this probably isn't a series you're going to see every match as it requires an already activated V-Trigger, a stocked install, and an air to air in the corner.

Javits leaps up to meet his foe with a medium punch and cancels into Seth's Makoto-like axe kick in mid-air. As Bison goes hurtling toward the ground Seth instantly zips below him via teleport and pops him back up skyward with yet another Makoto style technique.

The SF4 boss then follows their foe back up into the air to hit him with yet another axe kick that, again, sends him flying down toward the floor in what appears to be a conclusive end to the combo. It isn't.

Seth actually has time for yet another speedy DBZ teleport and another upward launching fist that juggles Bison up to be hit by a handful of additional attacks. Javits closes the whole thing out with one final teleport, this time sending Seth high above the evil dictator so that they can come crashing down with a multi-hitting drill kick that empties the life bar and finally causes the seven golden "PERFECT" letters to appear on the screen.

Check it out below and let us know if you found it as slick as we did in the comments.

Click image for animated version

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Seth uses a bunch of Makoto's moves and goes full Dragon Ball Z on M. Bison in this oh-so-satisfying Street Fighter 5 beat down - EventHubs

CROWDFUNDING REVIEW Have you ever wanted to add motion-activated lighting to your home but gave up on the idea when you realized the expense and time required to set everything up? I have something for you today that takes all the headaches out of setting up zoned lighting. Its SnapPowers ConnectLight and its awesome. Lets take a look.

The ConnectLight from SnapPower is a Kickstarter project for a motion-activated light that requires no rewiring, apps, Bluetooth, Wifi, etc. All it takes is an existing wall outlet, a screwdriver, and about 2 minutes per light for the install.

If the brand SnapPower sounds familiar, thats because Ive reviewed and continued to use two of their products, the SnapRays GuideLight and the SwitchLight. The new ConnectLight is like the GuideLight on steroids.

Its basically a replacement for your wall outlets cover with a built-in motion sensor and downward-firing LED light and the magic ability to sync with other ConnectLights to create zones.

The ConnectLight has 3 switches. Theres one on the front under the motion detector, which controls the lights brightness setting from low or high, and to turn off the light. Turning the light to off means that it will detect motion but will remain off while the other ConnectLights in the same zone will turn on.

Then on the edges of the ConnectLight there is a switch to assign the light to zone 1 or 2 or to set it to the standalone mode which essentially just turns it into a GuideLight that turns on when motion is detected. The opposite side of the light has a switch that controls the light duration to remain on after tripped. It can be set to 15 seconds, 1 minute, or 5 minutes.

Like SnapPowers other products, installation is a snap (sorry) due to the genius design that pulls power from the outlet without requiring any special wiring or skills on your part.

There are two flexible prongs that pull power when they touch the screw terminals in the outlet box.

To install the SnapPower ConnectLight, you need an outlet and a screwdriver. You should also turn off power to the outlet. I skipped this step and am still typing this, but dont blame me if you ignore SnapPowers instructions an end up zapping yourself.

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SnapPower ConnectLight review The easiest automatic lighting you'll ever install - The Gadgeteer

Camping gear will be distributed to people experiencing homelessness at upcoming giveaways scheduled at three locations in McHenry County this Tuesday and additional dates next month.

The giveaways are meant to address concerns that the pandemic and the associated economic fallout will exacerbate homelessness in the area.

"Many of McHenry county's homeless have to resort to camping and the need to help them will become more urgent," organizer Patrick Murfin said in a news release. "We expect a surge of new homeless with the suspension or reduction of unemployment insurance and the expiration of eviction suspensions. Many will be unhoused for the first time and will include formerly secure individuals and families."

The donations are being organized by the Faith Leaders of McHenry County, an informal group of area clergy, chaplains and volunteers, along with the Compassion for Campers program founded by the Tree of Life Unitarian Church.

Tents, sleeping bags, tarps, pads, coolers, mosquito repellent, sunscreen, hygiene products and non-perishable food, among other items, will be given away, according to a news release.

The gear will be available from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesday at Bethany Lutheran Church, 76 W. Crystal Lake Ave., Crystal Lake.

Distributions also are planned from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on Sept. 1 at First United Methodist Church, 3717 Main St., McHenry; and from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on Sept. 15. at St. Ann's Episcopal Church, 503 W. Jackson St., Woodstock.

The gear will be given away in a drive-up or walk-up setting, and face masks are required, as is proper social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Monetary donations from the Faith Leaders group have been added to Compassion funds to buy the camping gear.

Donations can be mailed to 5603 W. Bull Valley Road, McHenry, Illinois, 60050. Checks should be made out to Tree of Life UU Congregation with "Compassion for Campers" on the memo line. Donations to Compassion for Campers cannot be used by Tree of Life for any other purpose, according to the release.

For information, contact Murfin at 815-814-5645 or by email at pmurfin@sbcglobal.net.

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Camping gear for homeless people to be distributed at three McHenry County churches - Northwest Herald

By Julia Swerdin

In the four months since officials broke ground on Lynbrook High Schools renovation, much progress has been made. The project has been in the works for nearly three years, beginning with the communitys approval in October 2017 of a $28.9 million bond to fund it.

A two-story extension from the front entrance to the fields will house a school store, three music rooms, three art rooms and an innovation space on the first floor. On the second floor, five new classrooms will be constructed for family and consumer science classes, as well as the career development program.

Principal Joseph Rainis has attended meetings each month, along with Superintendent Dr. Melissa Burak and Vice Principals Mathew Sarosy and Salvatore Brescia, to hear construction updates and a projected completion date.

Work inside the current building is designed to be completed by September, so we can operate normally with the start of the school year, Rainis said. The skeleton of the new building will begin to take shape, and will continue to be constructed throughout the school year.

As of press time, the footings had been poured on the field to begin building the extension. Room 201, known to students as the Honors/AP Spanish classroom, is becoming a hallway, connecting the second floor to the new area of the building. The room is being stripped and the doorways knocked down to expand the width to the size of a corridor. In the principals offices, steel beams are being installed, and the overhang in the front entrance has been replaced by footings for the extension.

For much of March and April, construction was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Once the renovations resumed, construction workers quickly caught up to their schedule and are now on track to finish construction by the end of next summer.

The courtyard, auditorium and front overhang entrances are currently blocked off by construction, but Rainis is pushing to make them available for students arriving in the fall. Renovations to the field, officials said they hope, will not interrupt students learning, though they will be unable to use the field while this part of the project is under way.

Phys. ed. classes, as well as fire drills and emergency gatherings, will be held on the Kindergarten Centers field, on Atlantic Avenue. The challenge will be to maintain a social distance during drills, Rainis said.

Construction workers have been directed to stay away from students while school is in session.

Parking along Union Avenue will be limited because of the large construction vehicles. No parking signs have been placed along the avenue since the end of March and will remain there until the renovation is complete. This will pose a challenge for students who drive to school, as the high school does not have a parking lot, leaving students to park on the surrounding streets.

Inside the building, the renovation will create new opportunities for co-curricular electives. According to Rainis, Burak is enthusiastic to expand the schools science, technology and art subjects and hopes to incorporate robotics and drones into the curriculum.

This day is a long time coming for us, Burak said in a statement about the groundbreaking. We have gone through many challenges in trying to figure out how we can best support the future of the high school.

At Waverly Park Elementary School, renovations funded by the 2017 bond are also in the works. An elevator is being added to the back of the school, making it accessible to all students and bringing it into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Construction began when school closed and will continue until the fall semester starts. Work was halted for a period of time because of the pandemic, but is being hurried along to stick to the schedule. There will be no disruption to students learning, and the back entrance will be available for use during the school year, should the buildings operate as normal in the fall.

As we prepare for quite a unique September, we are hopeful this project will be completed, Waverly Principal Allison Banhazl said. Our priority is safety for all.

North and South middle schools are additionally under construction this summer to renovate the schools locker rooms and gyms.

Read more here:
Lynbrook school revamp is on track - liherald.com

How do you add more square footage to your house without increasing its size?

It might sound like a riddle, but the answer is easy: look to your garage.

Most municipalities require extensive architectural drawings for new additions, explains KV Harper, founder and principal of the New Orleans-based firm Kex Design + Build, who warns prospective builders to think twice before constructing something new. A garage conversion is a bit less extensive since the structure is already existing.

You will still need approval and permits for the project, but the process will be simpler and likely shorter, and can be a great solution for a family in need of more living space, a guest suite, or an office. But heres what homeowners should ask themselves before giving up their garage.

Even though youre not building a new structure, converting a garage can still be an expensive undertaking. Typical costs range from $6,000 to $21,000, numbers that wont feel as overwhelming if you consider a bank loan, like a Discover personal loan, which offers flexible repayment options. Just remember: like most renovations, the simpler it is, the smaller the budget.

Don't forget labor, which is typically 10 to 20 percent of the final cost.

If youre handy, doing the work (or some of it) yourself will also save money, as labor is typically 10 to 20 percent of the final cost.

The biggest consideration to think about when converting a garage, Harper says, is how the space will be used. Will the layout fit the homeowners needs? she asks.

For Turna Uyar and her boyfriend, homeowners in Long Island, New York, answering this question meant living in their two-bedroom, ranch-style home for more than two years before deciding to convert the garage.

Thus, theyve decided to turn their two-car garage space into a family room and more formal dining room, while also carving out a guest bedroom that will double as an office. This gives them more space in their existing kitchen, and allows for a larger pantry.

They also considered how best to maximize the space, since the overall square footage is relatively smallthe garages footprint is roughly 25 feet by 20 feet. Uyar opted for pocket doors in the conversion rather than swing doors, which would take up unnecessary space.

If I were to [have done] this project from the moment I bought the house, I am sure it would not look like what I have in front of me today, says Uyar.

The biggest thing to consider is adding light, Uyar says. Garages dont usually have windows. Theres only natural light when you open the garage door. They plan to add four regular-sized windows, and one large 6-foot by 5-foot window overlooking the backyard.

You will also likely need to run more wiring and outlets for additional lights, as most garages only have a bare bulb ceiling light. Additional outlets only cost $75 to $100 to install, but if you need to hire an electrician, expect to spend $50 to $100 per hour.

The type of floors and ceilings you choose will influence things like budget and how well the converted portion blends with the rest of the house. A drop ceiling is the cheapest option, but unless you want your new space to look like a strip mall office, opt for drywall, which is $1.60-$2.13 per square foot. If you want to raise the ceiling, expect to spend significantly more. But, if you plan to sell in the future, note that a 10- to 12-foot ceiling can add up to 25 percent more value to a home, so it may be worth the investment.

Garages often sit somewhat lower than the floor of your house, so raising the floor for one continuous level, like Uyar is doing, allows for a seamless transition from the new part to the old.

A kitchen will also need gas lines, and any space will need proper heating and cooling ducts, as most garages are not connected to a homes HVAC system. Installing ducts and vents can cost up to $2,000. Along with that, proper insulation is needed to maintain a comfortable temperature.

In areas with mild climates, parking outside is manageable. For homeowners in areas with harsh winters, this may be the biggest factor in whether or not they want to give up the garage. Do you really want to clear snow and de-ice every morning before work for a third of the year?

Uyar is no stranger to snowy Northeast winters, but she doesnt plan on building a new garage. We never put our cars in the garage, she says. Plus, one-third of the house is the garage. It seems like a crazy amount of space to dedicate to a car. Id rather entertain.

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Original post:
Turn Your Garage into the Living Room You've Always Wanted - HouseBeautiful.com