Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

The Magnolia owners built a business based on what they love the most, so there is no doubt that their house is more than amazing. Their place is exquisitely decorated and filled with lots of love from their adorable family.

The home renovation gurus 45-year-old Chip Gaines and wife 42-year-old Joanna Gaines are usually sharing snapshots on their social media to show their fans and interior design admirers a glimpse of their gorgeous house.

The former Fixer Upper hosts are the owners of a Victorian-style house in Waco, Texas, which they bought in 2012, and sits on more than 40 acres. The residence, which they called The Farmhouse is home for them both and their five beautiful young children.

Being the favorite renovation and decoration expert duo in recent years, it is not surprising that the couple put all their hearts into remodeling their own house. So they did not move into the property until one and a half years later when they finally turned the house into their dream come true.

THE FARMHOUSE

Originally, the house had two bedrooms, but the Gaines brilliant ideas turned the place suitable for Drake, Ella Rose, Duke, Emmie Kay, and Crew, their lovely and playful kids. Three bathrooms and a couple of sitting rooms are perfect for the bunch to play, study, and even build puzzles together.

The kitchen must be Chip and Jos favorite place. It is big enough to even have the kids around while the parents make their meals. It is decorated in a white country-style, has a perfect marble island in the middle, and features lots of space to keep their stainless steel appliances.

Inside the house, the different spaces are open and filled with natural bright light during the day. White walls and neutral tones are key in the decoration but there are many details all over like a plant, a lamp, or a big picture. The residence also features large outdoors with gardens, a greenhouse, and a chicken coop, where the kids love to spend time playing around.

FAMILY MATTERS

The couple met after Chip knew Joanna was the daughter of the owner of the place where he used to fix his cars tires. He found a way to ask her out, and in 2003, a year later, they were getting married.

They joined forces as Chip had a love for renovating homes and Joanna for decoration. Their first project was their first house, and from then on they built their successful path. However, they have been open about the importance of family and that their kids come first.

See the article here:
Glimpse inside the Perfect Home of 'Fixer Upper' Stars Chip and Joanna Gaines - AmoMama

TOWIE stars Georgia Kousoulou and Tommy Mallett have revealed their incredible home renovation as they build their dream mansion in Essex.

Georgia, 29, and her beau Tommy, 28, have walked their fans through every step of the mega project on Instagram - even sharing photos of homes that inspire them.

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Georgia, who joined Towie in 2018, told fans: "A lot has changed today"

Her latest snap reveals her dream home is in its very early stages, with the stars building an extension onto the side of the house.

Bricks and timber are layed out on the patio as they work on the shell of the property.

Showing fans inside her home, Georgia has posted photos of her dream bathroom and hallway and revealed how she hopes they will look after she transforms them, sharing her "inspo" pics.

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The reality couple have a dedicated page @GeorgiaKHome for the renovation, which has already clocked up over 140k followers.

From flooring to wall colours, Georgia has been sharing all the gorgeous little details shes been adding to the swanky pad.

One detail that is already compleye is a kitsch, old fashioned dial-up phone, that Georgia revealed is taking pride of place under the stairs.

The Towie cast member also shared with her fans the current look and feel of her and Tommys huge kitchen, which she revealed they planned on doing up and changing drastically.

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She wrote under the series of photos: Current kitchen space .. swipe to compare the new plan! As you can see the current kitchen [sic] is beautiful & very well done!

The only problem for me is the space .. I like an open plan space & this kitchen is currently long and not sociable.

Georgia went on to reveal they planned on moving the utility and bathroom to where the kitchen is, and knocking down two walls to extend the room and make it open plan and airy.

She revealed work had already begun to make their kitchen, with a heavy duty digger lifting out a large chunk of their back garden and patio.

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Georgia and her beau Tommy Mallet, 28, are a staple feature of the show.

Despite an initial shaky start, the pair have grown stronger together with characteristics like his fierce loyalty and clear affection for Georgia earning him a place in viewer's hearts.

Georgia joined the Towie cast in 2014 for the 11th series and was recently spotted filming for the new season.

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Continue reading here:
Inside Towie stars Georgia Kousoulou and Tommy Malletts incredible home renovation as they build dream m - The Sun

Are you suddenly feeling overwhelmed, depressed and worried when you had been responding to the new pandemic normal just fine? Many people felt kind of energized and easily able to keep calm and carry on during the early months of this crisis, but recently, for quite a few people, this ability has waned. Six months into these unprecedented times, there is a neurological reason for this burn-out and part of it has to do with the way your wonderful brain is always working to ensure your survival.

Take the fight-or-flight response, for example. Your amygdala, the temporal lobe of your brain, is always automatically surveilling the premises for danger. Its like a smoke alarm surveying your environment so that you can respond effectively to danger. It is why, without even consciously thinking about it, you swerve like a stunt driver to avoid a collision, or why you can acrobatically throw yourself out of the way to avoid the unexpected appearance of oncoming bicycle in a crosswalk.

The amygdala is a primitive part of the brain that has kept our species from extinction. It is part of our survival instinct. Everyone has experienced that fight-or-flight response to perceived danger at one time or another.

When the fight-or-flight response is triggered, your heart rate, respiration and blood pressure automatically increase. You tremble and your hands get clammy. Your senses are heightened and you are keenly aware of what is going on around you. Adrenaline circulates throughout your body, giving you a surge of energy to respond. All of this is your bodys plan to keep you alive and safe.

But fight or flight is not the only scheme your body and brain have to respond to stress and danger. Ann Mastin, PhD, a child development professor who studies resilience, coined the term surge capacity. It is a complex system of mental and physical adaptive systems. She documented it as a response that humans typically access for short-term survival in natural disasters and other high-stress situations. It lasts longer than fight-or-flight, but even crises like earthquakes and hurricanes occur over limited time frames and then recede. Recovery can start as soon as the catastrophic events end and people relax somewhat, when they can start to rebuild.

In her excellent Medium article, Your Surge Capacity Is Depleted Its Why You Feel Awful, science journalist Tara Haelle discusses Mastins work on surge capacity and its limited duration as a coping mechanism. She analyzes her own sudden burn-out she went from coping amazingly to finding she was having trouble concentrating, getting her work done, and had become exhausted and unmotivated. I couldnt make myself do anything work, housework, exercise, play with the kids, she notes. She pinpoints depleted surge capacity as the cause and points out that People can use their surge capacity for acute periods, but when dire circumstances drag onyou have to adopt a different style of coping.

Unfortunately, the pandemic is different than the kind of crisis that surge capacity is designed to respond to. Although we were told that we could beat COVID-19 if we sheltered-in-place, wore our masks and washed our hands, confusing political and social circumstances have sabotaged a successful, coordinated response to infection in the US. Attempts to manage the pandemic have been fraught with politicization and misinformation. Additionally, our government was very slow to respond to the crisis. Unlike other countries, the U.S. has failed to reduce the infection rate in many areas, so the guidelines have stayed very restrictive for six months. With 6.17 million total COVID-19 cases so far in the US today, it is hard to imagine an end to our disaster. It is taking a long time for science to provide an effective treatment and a vaccine for Coronavirus. Our minds have not been able to experience the closure that normally occurs in the aftermath of a typical catastrophic event.

If you are suddenly tired and feeling overwhelmed by managing your childrens virtual education, or hybrid, schedule, shopping for food, attending Zoom meetings and working from home, it is not your fault. You are not alone. When Haelle posted her burn-out symptoms on social media, she found that many others were also suffering from what she called anxiety-tainted depression mixed with ennui that I cant kick. She corresponded with fellow sufferers, and from their feedback she created a profile for those most susceptible to surge capacity depletion: high achieving problem solvers who like a routine. This personality type is now out of their element and especially vulnerable to hopelessness and helplessness because they cant function the way they are used to.

Whatever your personality type, the fact is that we are not built for this kind of long-term stress. When your surge capacity is depleted you need to take steps to refill your resilience bank account. There are some specific steps that you can take to restore your fortitude ad ability to cope.

Dial Down Your Expectations

As Americans, we tend to approach life as a never-ending quest to challenge and improve ourselves. Our self-improvement options are limited now and setting difficult goals during this stressful time can be very draining. Under pandemic restrictions we are deprived of our usual support systems because of physical distancing requirements. We cannot interact the way we used to with friends, family and our community, or access art, sports or religious gatherings that used to inspire and replenish us. If we are too hard on ourselves and set up strict resolutions that are difficult to achieve, it is easy to become discouraged; it depletes us if we cant meet our goals. We dont really have the same resources in these times for nurturing and encouragement that we have had in the past. It is ok to listen to your body and mind and consider taking some time off from your self-improvement routines if they start to feel overwhelming. Increase your self-care, your rest. Before COVID, I found that my anxious and depressed clients lives were often so demanding that they could not even remember the things they used to enjoy doing. Things have slowed down quite a bit during the pandemic for most of us, so get back in touch with those non-productive pleasurable activities you used to like. Listen to music, draw, paint, write, take naps.

Practice Radical Acceptance

Give up the fight against what is. Notice thoughts like: this isnt fair, I shouldnt be so upset about this, or it shouldnt be this way. These thoughts are a kind of denial that block you from accurately identifying what you can still do and finding creative ways to find contentment during the pandemic. We are all grieving for our lost former way of life. It is ok to feel sad or angry about it, but protesting reality is unsustainable. Accept that this is a difficult time, and that we are facing frustrating restrictions that we have to adhere to keep ourselves and our families safe. Accepting reality and processing the accompanying negative emotions opens your mind up to adaptive thoughts. It leads to finding more ways to comfort and support yourself and your loved ones. Acceptance does not mean that you approve of the circumstances of the pandemic or accept defeat, rather it frees you from expending energy in a fight against reality and lets you use that energy to focus on figuring out what you and your loved ones need and how to obtain it.

Reality Test Your Catastrophic Thoughts.

When you have thoughts like This crisis will never end or The new normal is completely horrible, examine those thoughts. Are they realistic? You can do this by yourself or enlist the help of a trusted friend or family member. Is it possible for the pandemic to last forever? That is doubtful. Generate some other more realistic thoughts. Historically, all epidemics have come to an end. Even with the limited medical resources of 1918, the Spanish Flu came to an end. Medical science and the pharmaceutical industry are doing everything they can to find a treatment for COVID and a vaccine. Although the new normal is very difficult, there are some silver linings to it. Families are reconnecting and bonding in valuable ways because of sheltering together. People are being more introspective and defining their values because they are less distracted. Most people are becoming more aware of their interconnectedness and are being more altruistic. Mask-wearing and social distancing are things that the majority of Americans are doing to protect the weaker ones in their communitiesthe elderly and immuno-compromised. Be skeptical of any extremely negative, depressing thoughts. Dont believe everything you think.

Build and Reinforce Important Relationships

Make a big effort to stay in contact with friends and set up socially distanced activities. It is not healthy to isolate. Call, FaceTime, o Zoom with friends and family. Check in with your colleagues and relatives; reconnect with the ones you have not seen in a while. Schedule a Netflix watch party or a virtual happy hour. Make plans to meet friends to social distance in parks or at socially distanced outdoor dining. Take an interactive online class or form one. If you are struggling with depression or other mental health issues, join a support group or connect with a therapist or psychiatrist who conducts virtual appointments.

Reaching out to help others is another way of building relationships. Helping others even when you are feeling depleted can improve your mood. Becoming a helper can restore your sense of control and combat feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness. Volunteer to drop off groceries or check in by phone with the elderly who are living alone. Prepare crafts for children who are bored and have limited resources. Virtually mentor a child or a returning citizen. Counterintuitively, research confirms that acting to make things better for others can make things better for you.

You are hard-wired to prevail in crisis. It is part of everyones strong survival instinct. As the pandemic lingers, though, it is important to know that you can overtax your resilience capacity. We must all find or rediscover the activities that fulfill and encourage us.

As you take the steps to nurture yourself, accept reality, scrutinize negative thoughts, and creatively build connections and relationships, you are setting the stage for your resilience account to fill up. As this happens you will find that your balance and motivation gradually return, and your focus and feelings of competence improve. The key is to find your personal strategy to recharge and renew so your innate resilience can return. This takes some time and hard thinking to achieve but the work will be worth it.

Contributed by Lucia Smith, MA, LPC, CCATP, who is the owner of Clear Mind Counseling, located in the Straube Center in Pennington. She can be reached at clearmindcounseling@hushmail.com or 609-902-3271

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Restoring your surge capacity in the time of COVID-19 - MercerMe

Walking into her Willmar home is like taking a breath of fresh very organized air.

A professional organizer who started her own business, MODE Organizing, in 2019, Otness said her goal is to help others get in the mode and out of the mess by taking practical steps to live in homes that are tidy, clutter-free and yet homey and inviting.

Otness said organizing comes naturally for her and she thrives on blending her passion for being organized with her clients needs for a little help in their homes.

The COVID-19 pandemic that has kept most people homebound has led to widespread purging of possessions. People realized how closed in they can feel in their homes when theyre working, going to school, eating and playing in their homes all day long, Otness said.

The pandemic is providing an opportunity for people to think about what they really need versus what they have just accumulated, said Otness. We look at their homes in a different way.

Getting organized doesnt mean getting rid of everything. Otness said there is a happy medium of eliminating excess stuff that can cause stress and experiencing joy in having possessions.

Be as honest with yourself as possible about keeping what you truly use and need and being OK with letting go of the rest, said Otness, who encourages people to tackle organizing in bite-sized chunks by doing one drawer or cupboard a day.

Otness is not a fan of putting excess possessions in storage units. Theyre just simply a place to hold onto stuff because we cant make the decision, she said.

Heirlooms and antiques may be hard to part with. But if keeping something is more of a burden than a blessing Otness suggests taking a photo of the item, savoring the memories associated with it and then be OK with letting go of that guilt while letting go of the memento.

The name of her business MODE stands for Minimize, Organize, Design and Efficiency.

She uses those tools and the mantra of a place for everything and everything in its place when working with clients no matter how big or small of a space they need help with.

Spending more time cooking in the kitchen during COVID-19 has resulted in remodeling projects for some. But Otness said organizing the space you have can also create a more usable and efficient space.

Otness shares her advice for reducing the kitchen clutter.

1. Put what you use most often, like dishes and silverware, in the go zone between eye and waist level. Keep less-used items, like small appliances, in the highest and lowest spaces.

2. Remove dry goods and pantry items, like, pasta, beans, flours and rice from original packaging and put into jars and bins for better organization and a visual cue on when to put items on the grocery list.

3. Shop your home. Use things you already have, like baskets, trays, bowls and vases for other uses, like a utensil holder by your stove or a decorative bowl for produce on the counter.

4. A Lazy Susan can help utilize space in deep shelves while keeping everything accessible.

5. Eliminate the junk drawer and replace it with a utility drawer that houses smaller needed tools like batteries and flashlight, and omit things, like Band-Aids, hair ties and pens that belong in a different area of the home.

6. Spend 60 seconds now to save hours later. Put a recycling item into the bin as soon as the container is empty, go through your mail as you bring it in the house, do the dishes before the end of each day, wipe up spills right away and put away all groceries as soon as you bring them in.

7. A clear counter = a clear mind. A cluttered counter creates stress and anxiety.

To learn more about home organizing, Otness can be reached at:

Email: gretchen@modeorganizing.com

Website: http://www.modeorganizing.com

Instagram: @modeorganizing

Facebook: @MODEOrganizing

The rest is here:
Can't afford a new kitchen? Organize the space you have - West Central Tribune

Getty Images Make sure you're heading into home improvement projects the right way.

Many of us are spending more time at home in 2020, which could mean having more time to take on home improvement projects. But home renovations arent just a way to fill time; you want the results to be worth the hard work. The key to any successful project lies in careful planning including financial strategizing long before the power tools come out.

Roughly 3 in 5 American homeowners (61%) have taken on home improvement projects since March 1, 2020, spending $6,438, on average, according to an August 18-20 NerdWallet survey conducted online by The Harris Poll among 1,414 homeowners.

Whether youre outfitting your home with a new office or classroom, or taking on long-intended improvements such as painting or installing new flooring, here are five tips to help you make sure youre heading into the right project, the right way.

Any project may be worth your time if doing it makes you happy, but if you plan to sell your home soon, make sure you focus on projects that give a good return on your money. Many renovations cost thousands of dollars but wont increase the value of your home by the same amount.

For example, it costs about $50,000 to add a new bathroom, but homeowners typically recoup only about 54% of the cost in increased home value, according to Remodeling Magazines 2020 Cost vs. Value Report. A minor kitchen remodel, on the other hand, returns about 78% of its cost, so that type of project might make more sense.

Consider calling local real estate agents to ask them about the return you might receive from a home renovation project. Some local markets or neighborhoods may reward certain upgrades more than others.

You dont want to run out of cash in the middle of a home remodeling project. But unless youre careful, your project may get more expensive while its underway. That nicer tile may add only $7 per square foot, but if your kitchen has 100 square feet of floor space, watch out! To avoid running short on cash, add up your expenses before you start the project. Then add 10% or 20% to the total to allow for cost overruns.

To get an idea of how much youll have to spend on a specific project, look at what others have spent on comparable projects using a project estimate calculator or perusing sites like HomeAdvisor or Remodeling Magazine.

Since March 1, 34% of homeowners who undertook home improvement projects used cash on hand to fund those projects, 25% used money they had saved for those projects specifically and 14% used money from their economic stimulus check, according to the NerdWallet survey. As long as these projects arent being funded to the detriment of more important expenses, using available cash or savings can be a good way to keep from paying interest on your home improvement project.

If you have to finance your project, explore your funding options carefully. Among them are a home equity line of credit, a personal loan, a cash-out refinance or even credit cards. But they come at varying costs depending on the interest rate and how long it will take you to pay off the loan. A home improvement financing calculator can help you weigh these costs and make a savvy decision.

If youve decided to hire a professional, get written estimates from different contractors. As those estimates roll in, check their references and ask about their credentials. At a minimum, make sure each contractor is properly licensed to do the work on your home. You can also ask about their membership in trade associations. Many reputable contractors belong to professional trade groups such as the National Association of the Remodeling Industry or the National Association of Home Builders.

A good contractor will guarantee the work and offer a warranty. You can check Better Business Bureau ratings to see if others have had complaints about companies youre evaluating. If there have been complaints, check to see how they were resolved.

When you select a contractor, make sure you get your agreement in writing.

Permits help protect your home and your safety. Without the necessary approvals to perform work on your property, theres a chance the renovation wont meet local building codes. It could even affect your ability to sell your home in the future. Contact your municipality for details about what permits you must have for your renovation project. And follow up to make sure your contractor has permits in hand before beginning the work.

Youre probably planning to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars on a remodeling project. Its understandable to look for ways to save money, but dont automatically cut corners by using the cheapest materials.

Talk to your contractor about the trade-offs between quality and price for your project. Youll probably be better off selecting the best-quality products that fit your budget. Otherwise, you could be stuck with having to make costly repairs after a few months because you skimped on quality.

A home remodeling project can give a big boost to your homes aesthetics and market value if you avoid costly mistakes. By setting a budget, researching contractors and making sure your improvements use quality materials, you can help avoid expensive pitfalls and enjoy your homes new design.

Survey methodology is available in the original article, published at NerdWallet.

Elizabeth Renter is a writer at NerdWallet. Email: elizabeth@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @elizabethrenter.

The article 6 Ways to Avoid Costly Home Renovation Mistakes originally appeared on NerdWallet.

Gallery: 7 Benefits of Renting a Home in Retirement (Money Talks News)

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6 Ways to Avoid Costly Home Renovation Mistakes - MSN Money

Latest updates on Luxury Plumbing Fixtures market, a comprehensive study enumerating the latest price trends and pivotal drivers rendering a positive impact on the industry landscape. Further, the report is inclusive of the competitive terrain of this vertical in addition to the market share analysis and the contribution of the prominent contenders toward the overall industry.

Rising purchasing power coupled with increasing demand for premium and advanced bathrooms and kitchens are key factors fueling luxury plumbing fixtures market growth. Factors such as government supported residential building upgradation and renovations due to disaster will propel the industry expansion. Key trending factors including integrated high-low sprinklers thermostatic faucets and chromotherapy to integrate bathroom spaces will drive luxury plumbing fixtures demand.

Inclination towards new and improved designs & technology for comfort and aesthetics will stimulate product penetration in residential and commercial sector. Introduction of various innovative products including water efficient systems will create lucrative opportunities for luxury plumbing fixtures market growth. Increasing preference for low flush toilets with wastewater collection and treatment system will enhance the product penetration. Hospitality industry expansion owing to increased leisure and business tourism will support luxury plumbing fixtures market demand in commercial sector.

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Luxury Plumbing Fixtures Market is estimated to exceed USD 26 billion by 2024; according to a new research report.

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Rise in bathroom and kitchen remodeling projects among middle class population will support the product demand. However, high and fluctuating prices of metals and ceramic used in manufacturing may impact the industry expansion. Stringent regulations to meet the efficiency and safety of products are among the major challenges faced by the luxury plumbing fixtures market players.

Advancements in the plumbing technologies including heated seat and dual flush toilets will propel industry growth. Product innovations such as touchless and sensor operated fixtures specifically from the commercial sectors will stimulate the luxury plumbing fixtures market demand.

Major Highlights from Table of contents are listed below for quick lookup into Luxury Plumbing Fixtures Market report

Chapter 1. Competitive Landscape

Chapter 2. Company Profiles

Chapter 3. Methodology & Scope

Chapter 4. Executive Summary

Chapter 5. Luxury Plumbing Fixtures industryInsights

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Luxury Plumbing Fixtures Market Key Growth Factors, development trends, key manufacturers and competitive forecast 2024 - The Research Process

Archaeological and scientific analysis of the original surface determined quartz was the primary material used to pave the carriage turnaround. More than 40,000 quartz fieldstones were donated by Bass Sod Farm in Campbell County to incorporate in the restoration. The surface was laid by expert masons from Charles Funk Masonry of Colonial Heights.

With quartz a plentiful, native rock to the area, the choice of using it for pavement is not surprising, said Eric Proebsting, director of archaeology and landscapes at Poplar Forest. Slaves likely used quartz found in the fields to lay out the carriage circle, he said.

The level of effort that went into creating the [original] carriage road at Poplar Forest was exceptional for this area, Proebsting said.

The carriage turnaround restoration is an extremely significant project for Poplar Forest, he added.

In recreating it, we are able to get inside of Jeffersons design for Poplar Forest and also how he had envisioned for it to be experienced, Proebsting said.

Jefferson, a prolific writer among his other widespread interests, left behind detailed notes about many things, including recorded plans for a carriage turnaround at the White House, as well as one for Monticello, his primary residence in Charlottesville. However, Proebsting said so far no archaeological evidence of such a carriage turnaround has been discovered at Monticello. Poplar Forest is Jeffersons first residence evidenced to bring the design to fruition, he said.

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Poplar Forest carriage turnaround restoration complete - Lynchburg News and Advance

Designer Iaki Alday and landscape architect Kate Orff will reflect on how their practices respond to the climate crisisin this live conversation produced by Dezeen for Exhibit Columbus. Watch here from 7:00pm UK time on 29 September 2020.

The discussion, called New Middles: Resiliency and Climate Adaptation, will be the second instalment in a series of talks broadcast on Dezeen as part of Exhibit Columbus' New Middles symposium.

Running throughout September and October, the symposium focuses on the designed future of mid-sized cities situated within the Mississippi Watershed a central US region defined by the Mississippi river's drainage basin.

"This conversation stems from the question: how is the Mississippi Watershed and the plains ecosystems and habitat impacted by the changing climate?" said the curators.

Moderated by Exhibit Columbus curator Iker Gil, the discussion will examine how landscape design can help cities adapt to public health crises such as the coronavirus pandemic.

"The COVID-19 pandemic raises issues of how might middle city landscapes address global health challenges?" the curators added. "What future-oriented ecological strategies will serve middle city landscapes and communities moving forward?"

Gil is a Chicago-based architect, editor and curator. He is the director of MAS Studio, a collaborative architecture and design firm, as well as the founder and editor-in-chief of the studio's eponymous design journal MAS Context.

Alongside his design practice, Gil also teaches architecture at the School of Art Institute of Chicago. Since 2019, he has been the executive director of the SOM Foundation, which seeks to advance the design profession's ability to address current key issues.

Iaki Alday is the co-founder of Aldayjover Architecture and Landscape, a multidisciplinary research-based practice with offices in New Orleans and Barcelona, which he established in 1996 with Margarita Jover.

In 2018, Alday was appointed dean of Tulane School of Architecture in New Orleans. Before this, he was the chair of the University of Virginia's architecture department, where he has co-directed the Yamuna River Project since 2016.

The Yamuna River Project is an interdisciplinary research programme that aims to revitalise the Yamuna River in India and reconnect it with the city of New Delhi.

Kate Orff is the founder of US landscape architecture studio, Scape, which she set up in 2007.

She is also the director of Urban Design and co-director of the Centre for Resilient Cities and Landscapes at Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.

Orff's work focuses on recalibrating landscape architecture in relation to climate change and creating spaces to foster social life.

This conversation will be produced by Dezeen in collaboration with Exhibit Columbus as part of its New Middles online symposium, which takes place from 15 September until 29 October 2020.

It follows the first talk in the series, called New Middles: Futures and Technologies, which explored the role of strategic foresight and storytelling in design.

The talk, which featured futurists Dan Hill and Radha Mistry in conversation with Dezeen's founder and editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs, looked at bringing mobility and manufacturing into the cities of the future.

Find out more about the symposium and view the schedule

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Upcoming talk by Exhibit Columbus to focus on resilience and climate adaptation - Dezeen

Grey, even ugly.

Whod disagree?

After all, its a safe bet no one has ever gawked at the alley between the Auburn Avenue Theater and the future Arts and Culture Center, or turned to the soul next to them and uttered the words Wow, lookee there, aint that something!?

But they may soon.

Plans have been on the back burner since 2017 to take the under-used alley and turn it into space for creativity, vibrancy, and cultural connectivity. The plans are now on the move.

Auburn Arts Alley, they call it.

Now, three years in, the project, which calls for lighting, seating, public art, space for temporary or rotating art and performances in addition to elements inspired by a local artist in collaboration with the Muckleshoot Tribe, is about halfway through construction, thanks to grants and partnerships with 4-Culture and the tribe.

The project first made news in 2017 when the University of Washington chose the cities of Auburn and Tacoma to be part of its Livable Cities project. The city submitted three projects, but the one that caught the eye of landscape architect students Allison Ong, Sylvia Janicki, and Jack Alderman was this homely alley.

Their first renderings offered custom-fabricated benches, artistically-altered pavers with poetry from local artists, daytime and evening activations with events and programming, food trucks, a low stage or raised platform around the rear of the Arts and Culture Center to provide a place for performances, and a raised seating area to accommodate other activities.

It was their work and their leadership in landscape architecture and urban design that made a complete difference in having them look at it through the eyes of a young 20-year-old versus the eyes of us older, active adults, said Daryl Faber, director of Auburns Arts, Parks and Recreation Department.

But their initial alleyway redesign plans generated cost estimates at over $500,000, Faber said.

But certain city officials wouldnt let it go, so they scratched their heads, asking themselves who Auburn could partner with to make such a thing happen.

The Livable Cities acted as sort of a launching pad for this vision to create creative and cultural energy in the arts and culture center and the alley next to it, said Allison Hyde, Arts Program coordinator for Arts, Parks and Recreation.

The city submitted a successful application for a $20,000 grant via 4Cultures Creative Consultancy program for the future Arts and Culture Center and the alleyway.

What came of that was a match between the city and local artist Kathleen Fruge Brown, who, in short order, submitted a formal proposal for grant consideration, suggested an undulating, curved, concrete wall with inlaid mosaics a speciality of hers and the stage earlier presented in the Livable Cities design.

Fruge Brown also worked with Willard Bill Jr., creative director for the Muckleshoot Tribe, and with local artist, weaver and teacher Gale White Eagle to incorporate her weavings and those of other Coast Salish basketry designs into the project.

At that, the city reached out to the community to hear what residents thought. From a community-shared Pinterest idea board to a widely-distributed email survey and in-person stakeholder meetings, the public input process helped define and refine the project goals.

Turns out, what the public wanted was lighting, seating, public art, temporary or rotating art and performances. Above all, the conversations revealed a hunger for more visual expressions of diversity, a thirst to see their own culture and history embodied in the public space.

Fruge Browns first rendering showed bench seating, mosaic inlaid tiles and the stage mentioned above.

For further inspiration, she turned to the Muckleshoot Tribe.

She based the resulting series of mosaics on traditional and contemporary weaving and inlaid into a concrete bench many of White Eagles designs and other Coast Salish weaving and basketry designs.

The concrete bench shows cast-in text of the Muckleshoot motto, I am alive and strong translated from Whultshootseed into the 10 other languages most commonly spoken in the Auburn community.

Fruge Brown also designed overhead lighting, with figures for the lighting created by the community during AuburnFest in 2019. The designs are intended to be lasercut in the MakerSpace with community member participation.

Local artist Will Schlough has designed and painted a dynamic wall mural with painting on the alleyway surfacing. Once the overlay is finished, Schlough will add his final rendering.

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Project to transform alley between Auburn Avenue Theater and future culture center - Auburn Reporter

While the winning design for a facility that will serve as a permanent aquatics center for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris was first (quietly) announced in late April, the two firms behind said designAmsterdam-based VenhoevenCS architecture + urbanism and Paris-headquartered Ateliers 2/3/4/have now formally shared images and further details about the planned structure. Among other notable attributes, the roughly 215,000-square-foot facility boasts a saddle-shaped, solar array-clad roof; a modular pool system that will be reconfigured post-Olympics; and a timber screen facade that will wrap around a compact and programming-packed building.

The Franco-Dutch design duo beat out other notable firms shortlisted in the international competition for the coveted commission including MAD Architects and MVRDV. In addition to VenhoevenCS and Ateliers 2/3/4/, the project team also includes contractor Bouygues Batiment Ile-de-France, along with French energy services company Dalkia and Swedish waterfun innovations firm Recrea, which will oversee maintenance and operations of the new facility, respectively. Ateliers 2/3/4/ will also serve as the landscape architect for the estimated $190 million venue, located opposite Stade de France in the Seine-Saint-Denis section of Paris, where a bulk of Olympic goings-on will be concentrated.

Like with the Olympic Village, which will be transformed into a sprawling new eco-district in the northern suburbs of Paris after the Games have wrapped up, the aquatics center, the only newly-built permanent sporting venue planned for the 2024 Summer Games, according to the designers, was also designed specifically with its post-Olympics afterlife in mind. During the duration of the Games, the 5,000-seat center will host diving, water polo, and synchronized swimming events and will also serve as the boccia venue during the Paralympic Games. In 2025, following alterations to the modular pool system, it will be transformed into a public swimming and recreational facility with 164- and 82-foot-long pools, a kiddie pool, a diving pool, and a number of features catering to a range of non-aquatic athletic pursuits including a soccer pitch, basketball courts, climbing wall, gym, and more. The design also includes an A1 motorway-spanning pedestrian bridge that links the center to the massive Stade de France. VenhoevenCS refers to the building as simply a place to learn how to swim, to practice sports, to relax and meet.

To be clear, not all aquatic events will be held at the new permanent aquatics center; a larger facility with 15,000 seats is also being erected for the Summer 2024 Olympics that will host the main swimming races; it will be disassembled at the conclusion of the Games. Certain swimming events are also expected to be held in a dramatically cleaned-up River Seine, which was a major aspect of Paris Mayor Anne Hildagos bid for the event.

Inside the planned facility, a monumental wooden roof suspended over the main pool area will strictly follow the required minimum space for tribunes, people and sightlines, thereby minimizing the amount of air that needs to be conditioned during the coming 50 years, explains VenhoevenCS in press materials. By using wood for this monumental structure, the proposal doubles the required minimum percentage of bio-sourced materials. The Olympic arena under the roof, with tribunes on three sides, can host 5,000 spectators around an innovative, modular, and multifunctional competition pool.

As VenhoevenCS points out, the arboreal nature of the building carries over to the landscape where 100 new trees will be planted in close proximity to the center in order to help improve the quality of life and air, stimulate biodiversity, and create new ecological connections.

Atop the undulating roof will be a massive solar arrayone of the largest in all of France, per the designersthat will enable the building to generate 25 percent of all required electricity production needed. Combined, on- and off-site renewable or recovered energy sources will provide an estimated 90 percent of the buildings formidable energy needs. An innovative water reuse system will also help keep the centers water usage to a minimum while still meeting hygienic standards needed for such a large and busy aquatic facility. Wood waste sourced from local demolition and construction sites as well as upcycled plastic furnishings also play heavily into the buildings proposed design.

[It] is a balanced ecosystem in itself, says the designers of the ultra-sustainable new facility. It shows how sustainable design concepts can evolve in new architectural aesthetics that contribute to the improvement of the quality of life in our cities.

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Dive into the winning design for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics aquatic center - The Architect's Newspaper