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The green recovery and next phase of planning the Oxford-Cambridge Arc have created the perfect opportunity to realise all of these benefits, and the Natures Arc principles show how, says the Woodland Trust | Credit: Woodland Trust

Some of the UKs leading nature conservation charities have produced a blueprint for how plans for up to a million new homes can include nature to create happier and healthier communities for people and wildlife.

Nature must be at the heart of plans to build new houses.

With plans starting to take shape to build up to a million new homes in what is known as the Oxford-Cambridge Arc, conservationists are asking the Government to look at this as the perfect opportunity to invest in nature, improve peoples lives and realise the green recovery by building the new nature friendly towns and communities everyone wants to see.

This year the importance of being able to get out into nature and discover wildlife where we live has become clear, and this has been underlined by figures released last week by the RSPB that showed widespread public support for investing in and increasing nature and natural greenspace in our recovery from the coronavirus crisis.

To show how this could be done, the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire (WTBCN); Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT); the RSPB; and the Woodland Trust have jointly published a set of principles for protecting and restoring nature and tackling climate change as part of growth and development proposed for the Oxford-Cambridge Arc.

The Natures Arc principles emphasise the importance of access to nature and natural greenspace for the health, wellbeing, wealth and resilience of people and communities.

Using these principles, Government can make a commitment to a new standard for sustainable development that will benefit wildlife, tackle climate change and build healthier neighbourhoods for people.

Investing in nature and increasing and enhancing the regions green infrastructure its parks, trees, woodlands, nature reserves and other natural green spaces would benefit local people, the economy and the environment, making the Arc a better place for people to live and work, and for businesses to invest.

The greenrecovery and next phase of planning the Oxford-Cambridge Arc have created the perfect opportunity to realise all of these benefits, and the Natures Arc principles show how.

Matt Jackson, Conservation Manager at BCNWT said: Recent months have underlined just how vital nature and greenspaces are for our wellbeing.

"We each have concerns about the impacts on nature from the growth arc, but we share aspirations for the area too. By putting nature first as the Arc evolves, people can benefit too - a thriving natural environment that supports healthy and sustainable lifestyles is achievable if these three steps are taken.

This could be a model for development that respects, protects and restores nature, in particular vulnerable natural heritage like ancient woodland.

Matthew Stanton, Head of Planning, Policy and Advocacy at BBOWT said: Given the nature and climate emergency we are in, business as usual for new development is not an option. Restoring our natural environment needs to be at the heart of plans for the arc.

"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to create a landscape in which people can benefit from a thriving natural environment that supports healthy lifestyles. Where growth is given the go ahead, the needs of nature must be a priority.

RSPB Operations Director for Central England, Jeff Knott: The importance of nature during the Coronavirus crisis and support for a green recovery have made the need for growth and development to help restore nature clearer than ever.

"This is a huge opportunity to do things differently. For the Oxford-Cambridge Arc to play its part in a green recovery it needs to have world leading ambitions to increase nature that match and underpin its aspirations for economic growth. The principles set out by our organisations show whats needed for the Arc to deliver for nature, for people, and for the economy too.

Jack Taylor, Lead Campaigner at Woodland Trust said:People have been connecting, or re-connecting, with nature so much more as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Theyve found comfort and strength from daily walks in green spaces, rediscovering the joys of trees, woods and the wildlife within them. Our response to this crisis must take this into account.

The Oxford Cambridge Arc is still in its infancy. Theres a real opportunity here for Government, local authorities and developers to put nature first so it can be delivered without damage.

"This could be a model for development that respects, protects and restores nature, in particular vulnerable natural heritage like ancient woodland.

See the original post:
Oxford to Cambridge Arc: a chance for housebuilding to support a green recovery by protecting and restoring nature - PoliticsHome.com

If tropical weather threatens Pinellas County this year, residents and businesses on the barrier islands and those living in mobile or manufactured homes would be first in any evacuation order.

That was just one of the messages shared during the first-ever Barrier Islands Virtual Preparedness Summit June 4 presented by Emergency management and beach representatives.

The summit focused on extra preparedness needs for the barrier islands, but much of the information was pertinent to all residents. The biggest difference for those on the barrier islands is the threat from storm surge, which is the reason those areas are first to be evacuated.

Joe Borries, Emergency Management operations manager, said when the order is given it is because storm surge is expected to get high enough to enter homes and businesses.

Its not safe to stay, he said.

And the estimated storm surge doesnt account for wave action. Borries said 4 feet of storm surge plus 4 feet of wave action would mean 8 feet of water inside homes and businesses.

Run from water and hide from wind, Borries said, which is a common phrase when talking about tropical weather.

He said all parts of the barrier islands were vulnerable to storm surge. And he cautioned those who live in a condominium that think they can evacuate up instead of out.

Thats not a great idea, he said.

Electrical equipment at ground level is vulnerable to salt water and when it gets wet, power losses follow, disabling elevators and other systems. Although some believe that Duke Energy cuts the power to the barrier islands during evacuations, Borries said thats not true.

He reminded residents that heat rises, so it would be uncomfortable quick with no air conditioning. And winds are stronger up high with no trees to protect structures from straight line winds.

Plus, vehicles would be parked on the ground, so deciding to stay instead of evacuating could cost you your car, Borries said.

Fire departments move their equipment inland as does public works, so the equipment will be safe and ready to respond after a storm has passed.

Mike Burton, chief of Pinellas Suncoast Fire & Rescue District, said his department had a plan to follow if tropical weather occurred, and he asked the community to do the same.

When an evacuation order is given is not the time to think of where you would go, he said.

He said there was a finite window of time to have a chance to leave safely. When sustained winds get to 50 mph, first responders will be grounded, so no one will be coming if you need help, he said. Even before that, bridges will be closed.

Burton said 911 telecommunicators have the toughest job, as they take phone calls from desperate people and have to tell them help is not on the way.

Thats gut wrenching, he said, adding that its a difficult decision thats in conflict with what they to do serve and help.

Depending on the damage, it could be many hours or days before help will come. Before any response can happen, bridges have to be inspected and debris and downed power lines have to be removed to clear the roads. And thats before damage can be accessed on the barrier islands.

Burton said there is just no way to know how long it might be before help will be available on the barrier islands after a hurricane.

Many in Pinellas, including all those living in a mobile or manufactured home, will need to evacuate, depending on where you live and the strength of the storm. You can find out your evacuation zone by visiting http://www.pinellascounty.org/knowyourzone, looking at your county Utilities bill or property appraiser records. Those with a landline can call 727-453-3150.

If your plan calls for evacuating, its not necessary to go hundreds of miles. Its better to go tens of miles and stay with family, friends in host homes or even check into a hotel, Borries said. Public shelters should be used as a last resort only.

Mecca Serfustini, Health and Human Services program lead with Emergency Management, said there were three types of shelters special needs, general and pet-friendly. General and pet-friendly are essentially the same, except one accepts pets, she said. Special needs shelters provide different access and functional needs, she said.

Serfustini said general shelters dont have generators, so evacuees are encouraged to bring battery-operated fans and flashlights. Space is limited and even more so this year, as social distancing is included in plans due to COVID-19. People from the same household can stay together, but apart from others.

She said theres space for a twin-size air mattress, camping cot or pool lounge chair. Its noisy, so ear plugs are recommended, and the lights are on all the time, so people might want to bring a sleep mask.

Speaking of masks, due to the pandemic, cloth face masks are required, so bring your own if possible, as well as hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes.

Water and food will be available; however, Serfustini said its school food, so if you have special dietary requirements, you should bring you own. And snacks wont be provided, so bring those too.

Bring necessary medications, regardless of which shelter type you choose.

Evacuees going with their cats and/or dogs to a pet-friendly shelter should bring documentation that shows the animal has a county license. Bring them in a crate or carrier. Bring any necessary medications. Pets wont get to sleep with their humans because of potential allergies of others in the shelter. Serfustini said to bring toys, a favorite blanket or a shirt that smells like you to provide comfort to your pets.

She also talked about staffing shortages. She said many of those who traditionally volunteer to help out in shelters are elderly and they dont want to risk exposure to COVID-19. She advised anyone going to a special needs shelter to bring a family member or other caregiver to look after them.

People who have medical conditions, need transportation to get to a shelter or other special needs are urged to sign up now, so they can be included in the countys preparedness plans. Visit http://www.pinellascounty.org/specialneeds or call Emergency Management at 727-464-3800.

Joe Primosch, commander of U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 11-3 in Madeira Beach, offered lots of preparedness tips for the thousands of registered boat owners in the county.

Everything starts with the plan, he said, including understanding your insurance policy.

Decide what you will do, which could include pre-arranging boat hauling or going to protected water. If you plan to affix your boat to docks or pilings, make sure to orient into the wind. Use multiple anchors, chafe gear and new, larger lines.

Whatever you do dont stay aboard, Primosch said.

If your boat is on a trailer, check the trailer, tires and axle condition in advance. Find a safe place, then lash the boat and trailer together and block the wheels. Secure it to a fixed object and tie to screw anchors.

If your boat is not on a trailer, put it in dry storage. Primosch said to never leave a boat on davits. If the boat is in wet storage, secure it in the marina berth, moor it in a safe area or haul it out.

For all boats, regardless of anything else, Primosch said remove all you can from it. Tape up the seams, windows and doors and prepare early. The safest place is on shore, tied down with screw in projectiles on all four corners.

If you plan to leave it in the water, use spring lines, 15-20 feet long, doubled up, stretched front to back to allow the boat to move up and down.

Tampa Bay Newspapers interviewed Emergency Management Director Cathie Perkins on the first day of hurricane season, June 1.

She said one of the most important things the public should do this year is to stay informed, as things will likely be changing between now and the end of the season on Nov. 30 due to COVID-19.

Perkins recommends Alert Pinellas as a good place to get emergency notifications by phone, text or email. Sign up at http://www.pinellascounty.org/alertpinellas. She also recommended the Ready Pinellas app, which can be downloaded for free onto a mobile device.

Ready Pinellas allows the public to look up their evacuation zone, create an emergency plan, provides a list of supplies for a hurricane kit, as well as a checklist of what should be done before a storm arrives. Ready Pinellas is available to download from the Apple App Store or Google Play.

In addition, Pinellas County governments Facebook and Twitter accounts are good sources for updated information, and the website http://www.pinellascounty.org/emergency.

A NOAA Weather Alert Radio is another good tool to receive automatic alerts from the National Weather Service. And dont forget to visit the National Hurricane Center at https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/.

Tampa Bay Newspapers and other local media sources also will have information on any hurricanes or tropical storms that threaten the area.

One of the best local sources is the countys All Hazard Guide available online at http://www.pinellascounty.org/emergency/PDF/All_Hazard_Guide.pdf or visit http://www.pinellascounty.org/emergency.

The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season is off to busy start with three named storms already on the books as of June 2.

Tropical Storm Arthur formed May 16 off the east-central coast of Florida. Tropical Storm Bertha followed on May 27 forming near the coast of South Carolina and making landfall the same day.

Tropical Storm Cristobal came next on June 2 and set a record for being the third named storm ever to form before June 5. Pinellas felt its effects with National Weather Service issuing a flood watch, coastal flooding statement, high surf advisory and rip current statement, as well as small craft advisories that lasted through the weekend and into Monday.

NOAAs Climate Prediction Center released its 2020 Atlantic hurricane season outlook May 21. Forecasters say it is most likely that the season will be above average and could possibly be very active.

Odds are 60% that the season will be above normal, 30% it will be near normal and 10% it will be below normal.

Forecasters gave a 70% chance that 13-19 named storms would form with winds of 39 mph or higher, six-10 hurricanes with winds of 74 mph or higher and three-six major hurricanes, which are Category 3 or above with winds of 111 mph or higher.

An average season includes 12 named storms with six strengthening into a hurricane and three becoming a major hurricane.

Hurricane season runs from June 1-Nov. 30.

Suzette Porter is TBNs Pinellas County editor. She can be reached at sporter@tbnweekly.com.

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Hurricane season is here and it's time to get ready - Tampa Bay Newspapers

By wsmith@mihomepaper.com | on June 11, 2020

Fire was visible from a home on Van Buren Court in Broadview Estate Mobile Home Community as firefighters worked to bring the blaze under control, June 5. Photo provided

RICHFIELD TWP. A manufactured home on Van Buren Court in Broadview Estates, at Richfield Road and M-15, was mostly destroyed and a couple of surrounding mobile homes were damaged during at blaze, June 5.

The Davison-Richfield Area Fire Department responded to the fire at about 7:15 p.m., but theyd already been on that same street earlier in the day when a car fire was reported. Chief Brian Flewelling said the two blazes were unrelated.

The more serious fire took place in the mobile home and Flewelling said no one was injured, but the structure was destroyed, as well as a shed, where the fire is believed to have started. The heat from the fire also damaged to adjacent mobile homes.

It started out in shed and spread to trailer, and did damage to two other homes, said Flewelling. There were no injuriesdespite the heat that day, everyone was just fine.

He said the department spent three hours at the scene fighting the fire. They received assistance from the Forest Township Fire Department, while Atlas Township fire fighters manned Station No. 1 in their absence.

Flewelling said the cause of the fire has not been determined and is still under investigation.

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Fire department called to unrelated fires on the same street, hours apart - Browncitybanner

Key points

Sell in May and go away? Well, not quite.

For equity investors, the rally that began 23 March continued through May. Incredibly, despite a one in 100-year pandemic, calendar year-to-date (at 1 June 2020) the Nasdaq is now up +8%, global equities (in AUD) only down -4%, and the S&P500 down -7%. By contrast, US REITs and listed global real estate are both down ~20%.

Source: Bloomberg, Quay Global Investors

Despite the tsunami of dire economic indicators (jobless claims, GDP estimates, industrial production), one can make an argument that the recent bounce in equities is based on the massive fiscal response from most governments. Indeed, last month we made the case using the Kalecki-Levi profit framework.

So why has real estate lagged?

One argument is that real estate is exposed to sectors that may be challenged in a post COVID-19 world. Retail and office (not a small part of the market) are good examples. However, like the broader equity market, the real estate universe includes many sectors that are unlikely to be impacted solely by the virus, such as industrial property, single family homes, apartments, data storage and self-storage, etc.

Of course, if the world is headed for a deep and protracted recession, the performance of the real estate indices is justifiable. But the broader equity market is telling a different story. Either the recovery is extremely quick, or investors are willing to look past the downturn all together.

Either way, there seem to be inconsistencies. In Australia, retailers such as JB Hi-Fi are down just -7% and Premier Investments -14%, while Scentre Group (a senior creditor to both the aforementioned businesses) is down around -40%.

Of course, its early days, and the equity market may well be wrong the world could be headed for a significant and prolonged economic downturn and markets may need to re-adjust. Time will tell.

However, we think a better explanation is a strong recency bias against real estate.

During the GFC, real estate was one of the worst performing asset classes and justifiably so. Part of the reason was that the financial crisis began as a real estate crisis (US housing), before morphing into a credit crisis. Real estate relies on credit, and back in 2008 many real estate companies were significantly levered (50-60% loan-to-value ratios (LVRs) were not uncommon). Further, since it was almost 80 years since the last major financial crisis, little value was placed on access to liquidity. So when the crisis hit and liquidity was needed, the cupboard was bare; and for many, the only alternative was equity at painfully depressed prices.

Big losses were locked in, and many investors today still remember those costs.

Our observation is the current climate is different.

While we cannot speak to the entire REIT universe, balance sheets across Quays coverage list (including investees) are in much better shape than those prior to the GFC. We estimate the average LVR across our portfolio at 26% measured by debt to enterprise value, or 5.4x measured by net debt/EBITDA. Additionally, all of our companies have significant access to liquidity. And even if they were to fall short, central banks have taken the highly unusual step of buying investment (and sub investment) grade credit, providing a credit backstop for all industries including real estate.

By way of example, one of our investees, Camden Property Trust, issued 10-year notes at an all-in rate of 2.9% in the middle of April. There was over $8bn of investor demand for the $750m issue. Credit markets have improved since. In our opinion, access to liquidity and credit is generally not a problem.

Therefore, its more about the economy. Which means it is hard not to conclude that either the equity market is wrong, or there is a significant opportunity in global real estate.

One of the initial concerns stemming from stay-at-home orders was the inability (or unwillingness) of tenants to pay rent. Lack of rent would squeeze the cashflows of real estate owners, which (under a worst-case scenario) would lead to potential breaches of fixed-charge cover ratios within lending agreements.

The swift response of governments around the world with payments supporting wages and small businesses has ensured rents continue to flow. Indeed, outside of retail, most US REITs have reported mid-90% cash rent collection (with May collections generally better than April for apartments, healthcare and malls). Most of the rents not yet paid are on deferral agreements. Only slightly worse cash rent numbers were reported from Europe/UK.

Source: NAREIT

While the current environment is challenging, there are other elements that support REIT pricing in the medium term.

While there seems to be a disconnect between equity market euphoria and real estate depression, within the sector there appear to be anomalies.

Last year, we highlighted sectors within real estate that historically outperformed or underperformed during economic downturns. The chart is re-created below.

Source: Green Street Advisors, Quay Global Investors

However, the performance of these sectors to date have not matched the last downturn. Traditionally defensive sectors not directly affected by COVID-19, such as manufactured homes and apartments, are performing just as poorly or worse (when adjusted for leverage) than the more economically sensitive sectors of office and industrial. Given the high rate of rent collection to date, we see no reason why this should be the case.

Source: Green Street Advisors, Quay Global Investors

Again, similar to the relationship between equities and real estate, it seems even within the real estate sector investors cannot make up their mind whether we are having a recession or a recovery.

The opportunity is to buy the sectors where there is a prolonged recession implied in the market price this offers investors a skewed bet. If the worst-case economic scenario plays out, this should mostly be reflected in the price if not, significant upside is potentially available.

Where to from here for the market is subject to much debate. While there seems to be a degree of enthusiasm reflected in equity market indices, listed real estate has been a significant underperformer. Across most of our investees, we are seeing solid rent collection with robust balance sheets and good access to credit. Despite this, in some instances many years of share price gains have been erased and we believe this represents opportunity.

Continue reading here:
Real estate and COVID-19 - the story so far - Livewire Markets

The week on Dezeen, graffiti artistBanksysketched a memorial to slavery, architects and designers created a public Google Doc to promote black-owned studios and Michael Ford warned architects away from designing prisons.

In America architects and designers aimed to build on the increased awareness of racial inequality propelled by the protests following the death of George Floyd in police custody bycreating a public Google Docs spreadsheet to highlight design, architecture, engineering and planning studios founded by black, indigenous and people of colour.

In an interview with Dezeen architectural designer Michael Ford said that architects should stop designing jails and prisons, which are representations of systemic racism, if they want to really impact the fight forracial equality.

"The future is now!" said Ford. "Architects can immediately stop working on spaces which disproportionately impact the lives of African Americans, and inhumanly treat people in general, such as prisons and jails!"

In the UK a survey conducted by Architects' Journal magazine found that over the past two years racism has increased in UK architecture industry.

Protesters at a Black Lives Matter march in the city of Bristol tore down a statue of 17th-century slave trader leading to arguments over the statue and its plinth's future. In an opinion piece, Dezeen editor Tom Ravenscroft said that thestatue's removal provides the opportunity for the city to acknowledge its slave trading past withan appropriate memorial.

Graffiti artistBanksy responded with a sketch for a slavery memorial in Bristolthat would incorporate slave-trader Edward Colston and the protesters who tore his statue down.

The increased focus on the legacy of slave traders in the UK led toLondon Metropolitan University announcing that it will be renamingThe Sir John Cass School of Art, Architecture and Designto remove the name of the prominent slave trader.

In America another architecture design school also announced that it would be changing its name. TheSchool of Architecture at Taliesinis set to move away from its Frank Lloyd Wright-designed homes and relocate to buildings designed byItalian-American architectPaolo Soleriin Arizona. It will find a new name in line with its new home.

In architecture, Dezeen looked at the work of John Wardle, who was recently awarded theAustralian Institute of Architects2020 Gold Medal for his work that restored"faith in what architects do best".

The architect gave his thoughts on 12 key projects that have defined his career.

We focused on the trend of bloated furniture, which was first identified by Dezeen columnist Michelle Ogundehin in her predictions for 2020, by rounding up ten chubby chairs and bloated benches.

Jak Studiowas also pushing the boundaries of furniture design by creating an L-shaped sofa that can transform into a bed into or a work pod.

Other popular projects on Dezeen this week include a charred-wood house in Mexico designed by Magaldi Studio, a London loft extension that is focused on a timber bath and ablack housewith expansive balconies within a wood in Oregon.

This week on Dezeenis our regular roundup of the week's top news stories.Subscribe to our newslettersto be sure you don't miss anything.

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This week, architects and designers responded to racial inequality - Dezeen

MORRISTOWN, NJ Project architects of the M-Station East, LLC application vied for the support of the Morristown Planning Board for the better part of two and a half hours on Thursday evening as they testified on the aesthetics and functionality of the proposed development, which includes over 350,000 sq. feet of office space, promenade, and retail area spacein two separate structures six-story and seven-story buildings.

Project architect Peter Wang, a principal of the New York-based Gensler firm and Gensler Design Director Roger Smith, hired by the applicant Scotto Properties and SJP Propertiespitched their concept of the development, which they likened to a smaller scale of Rockefeller Center that embodied the culture of Morristown. The inspiration of the buildings exterior design came from George + Marthas American Grille, which encompasses a red brick and dark metal window trim.

In life you can say that when things come in pairs they somehow seem more significant, Wang suggested. We want to create a more significant collection of buildings that would add in a meaningful way to Morristown.

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From top to bottom, the design factored not only the tenants and its occupants, but the Morristown community, according to the architects testimonies.

We wanted to design a people-centered project, Smith said in his opening statements to the board. We wanted this to be a welcoming experience to everyone. It is not only about designing for the future tenants of the building, but more importantly to fit into the community, citizens of the town and visitors alike.

The architects also outlined a terrace plaza on the development site, which could be used for a variety of gatherings such as concerts and other events. The plazas features would also include a pedestrian space with freshly planted greenery to boost sustainability. .

We consider our site as a bridge that sits at a very important crossroads one that links the train station, the Morris Street itself and up to the Morristown Green, Smith added. Our goal is to create a dynamic new destination that brings optimistic new energy and vitality to Morristown. This design seeks to create a strong contextual identity that provides a vibrant new destination.

As with most large parking decks, they are not typically nice to look at as they serve a more practical purpose of cramming as many spaces as possible in the lots. However, the architects had a solution to that problem through fabric polyester murals with screens that encompass depictures of Morristowns rich history. It was defined as a way to introduce art that enhances public life, placemaking, and cultural significance.

However, planning board member Debra Gottsleben expressed her concerns for the longevity of the murals. While the fabric polyester screens come with a 10-year warranty, she inquired on the obligations that the applicant would have to maintaining the integrity of the aesthetics.

The architects agreed with the notion, but assured that it would be in the best interest of the owner to keep a properly maintained building and that a maintenance stipulation could be implemented in the development plan.

One of the issues outlined by local residents in the previous planning board meeting was with the applicants request for a waiver of the environmental impact statement during civil engineer witness Sony Davids testimony.

Sustainability was among the areas of focus during the architects presentation on Thursday evening and Smith describe the plan in detail to the board. Among the key items the witness testified to integrate in the architectural plan included:

An unconventional use of architectural terracotta, a quality fired mixtures of clay and water was highlighted as a cornerstone of the buildings exterior. While it is a technique more commonly used in European buildings, it is also found on some of New York Citys iconic facades from the Flatiron building to The Plaza Hotel near Central Park.

Morristown Mayor Timothy Dougherty had an array of questions about the use of the architectural terracotta and whether the architects had considered other designs. Wang testified that this had been the plan since Day One, although they had considered other options.

Thats whats really great about the (redevelopment guidelines) that are written it forces the architect to respect what is there and what is around town, Wang explained. We cant just plop something in that looks like it was dropped from outer space and think that its going to work. It has to feel that it belongs in the place that we are trying to create.

Mayor Dougherty didnt seem convinced and expressed his desire to see buildings with terracotta in person himself ahead of the next planning board meeting to investigate himself. He also expressed his desire for the promenade of the building to be flexible with the tenants on the retail space side.

The promenade is key to the beginning of the success of this overall development, said Mayor Dougherty, who inquired about how the retail space will be utilized. I agree with some other people in the town that want to make this promenade a destination.

Wang agreed, he acknowledged that they would likely be glass doors and based on what the tenant wants.

The architects concluded with a virtual tour of the project overseeing vantage points from the neighborhood encompassing the thought process behind the master plan configuration, shape and placement on the site. They testified as leveraging the Morristown Central Business District Faade guidelines as their guiding light of building and faade.

While the hearing was open for public comment, there were no questions from residents asked despite more involvement at the last planning board meeting where several residents pressed engineering witnesses on the application.

The Planning Board will meet again in a virtual Zoom meeting on Thursday, June 11 at 7:00 p.m. and the public is invited. A meeting has also been tentatively scheduled for the following which in which a decision could be made. Next weeks meeting expects to see testimonies on the overall staging of the proposed development by the applicant.

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M-Station East Architects Seek to Bring 'Optimism and Energy' to Downtown with Vibrant New Destination in Morristown, But Planning Board Has Questions...

A century-old tree soars up through the roof of this restaurant in Beijing, which C+ Architects has decked out with rammed-earth tiles, travertine and timber.

Restaurant Ya is nestled amongst the houses, temples and office buildings of the Dafangjia Hutong in Beijing, serving up dishes inspired by the cuisine of China's Yunnan region.

It previously had nondescript white walls and paved floors, but C+ Architects wanted the new interior to better reflect the streets surrounding the restaurant, where "old and new, traditional and modern coexist".

The practice first made a focal point of the 100-year-old Jujube tree that rises up through the restaurant's roof the base of it had been cluttered with potted plants.

It's now simply enclosed by a series of black-framed glazed panels, forming a small courtyard.

One wall of the restaurant has been clad with large bricks made from rammed earth. It's punctuated with a large opening that accommodates a drinks bar, behind which glassware is displayed on rows of open shelving.

A rough stone column has also been erected at the centre of the floor plan, while slabs of reddish travertine have been used to line a wall on the opposite side of the venue.

Other decor elements have purposefully been crafted from more contemporary materials, like blackened steel. This includes a secondary V-shaped drinks bar and the upper half of the staircase the first few treads are made from concrete.

It leads to an open-air roof terrace which has been finished with a reflective water feature.

Some elements of the restaurant are informed by the Chinese character "" pronounced as "ya" which translates to cliff in English.

For example, the main dining space has been sunken below ground level to create a "vertical interaction" between the elevated courtyard and seating area at the restaurant's rear.

The space is also topped by a skylight so that, when diners glance up, "they can feel the blue sky and white clouds within easy reach".

Timber tables and jet-black dining chairs have been dotted throughout.

C+ Architects is based in Beijing's Dongcheng District, and was founded in 2014 by Cheng Yanchun and Li Nan.

This isn't the only dining space designed by the practice in 2019 it also created Floating Island Restaurant, which cantilevers off a grassy hillside in Chongqing, China.

Photography is courtesy of Xu Xiaodong and C+ Architects.

Project credits:

Design firm: C+ ArchitectsArchitect in charge: Cheng YanchunProject team: Xu Liyuan, Tian Yuting, Zhou Qirui, Lee Kang ChanSecondary design and construction of rammed earth wall: Onearth ArchitectureStructural design: Zhang Jinbin

See more here:
C+ Architects mingles old and new inside Restaurant Ya in Beijing - Dezeen

AN has learned that the college formerly known as the School of Architecture at Taliesin will change its name and move summer classes to Cosanti and Arcosanti, with plans to try to make Cosanti its permanent home.

The move comes after a protracted back-and-forth with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation that spilled out into public view earlier in January when the school announced it would be closing after 88 years. After an outpouring of support from alumni and funding commitments, the school reversed its vote to close at the beginning of March but will need to vacate both Taliesin campusesWest in Scottsdale Arizona and East in Spring Green, Wisconsinand can no longer use the Frank Lloyd Wright or Taliesin name, though it will retain its accreditation and students. The last time the school changed its name was in 2017 after it split from the foundation as part of the accreditation process, and after July 31 of this year, any remaining association will be formally severed.

So where will they go from there? In a recent call with Dan Schweiker, the chairperson of the schools Board of Governors, and Jon Kelley, a lawyer at Chicago-founded law firm Kirkland & Ellis, LLP, which is representing the school, the two laid out where things are headed.

The school will survive and have a bright future, said Schweiker, but not without some restructuring. For the summer semester, classes are in the process of moving to Paolo Soleris Cosanti, just a few miles from Taliesin West, as well as to Arcosanti, though learning is taking place remotely due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic (it should be noted that the school will also receive $500,000 in coronavirus-related aid under the CARES Act).

The Ceramic Apse at Arcosanti. Along with the Foundry Apse, where bronze wind bells are still made by hand, it is one of the campuss most distinctive features. (Jan Pauw/Flickr)

The school is currently working to get approval from the state of Arizona and the Higher Learning Commission to formally hold in-person classes across both Soleri projects on a permanent basis, although Schweiker also raised the possibility of renting space back at both Taliesin campuses for special occasions. The prospective move makes sense; the same hands-on ethos is present in Soleris studio-slash-former-residence, and space on the five-acre property will be reserved for Taliesins historic student shelter-building program.

Regardless of whether the relocation is ultimately approved, the schools board is also turning over and taking on a more international bent, and the administration will shift. Joining the board will be the following new members:

Curator and critic Aaron Betsky, who departed as the schools president in May, will be temporarily replaced by current dean Chris Lasch of ArandaLasch until a permanent replacement can be found.

As for what will happen at both Taliesin campuses, the foundation, which at the time claimed financing the school made it unable to maintain the historic structures its responsible for, will offer education across both campuses, as required by Frank Lloyd Wrights will. What form this might take is still up in the air, though the foundation has put out virtual K-through-12 STEAM classes for parents stuck at home with children during the pandemic.

Read more here:
Exclusive: School of Architecture at Taliesin will change its name, move to Cosanti - The Architect's Newspaper

Demands for climate action have largely faded into the background as the covid-19 pandemic, the economic meltdown, and widespread protests over police brutality have seized the worlds attention.

But for Rhiana Gunn-Wright, the director of climate policy at the Roosevelt Institute and one of the architects of the Green New Deal, the issues are inextricably intertwined. You cant appreciate the real toll of the fossil-fuel sector if youre not looking at it through the lenses of racial justice, economic inequality, and public health, she says in an interview with MIT Technology Review.

People of color are more likely to live near power plants and other polluting factories, and they suffer higher levels of asthma and greater risks of early death from air pollution. The coronavirus death rate among black Americans is more than twice that of whites. And global warming and factory farming practices will release more deadly pathogens and reshape the range of infectious diseases, Gunn-Wright argued in April in a New York Times op-ed titled Think This Pandemic Is Bad? We Have Another Crisis Coming.

The people most likely to die from toxic fumes are the same people most likely to die from Covid-19, she wrote. Its like we are watching a preview of the worst possible impacts of the climate crisis roll right before our eyes.

One critique of the Green New Deal was that it took on too much, multiplying the difficulty of making progress on any one of the deeply polarized issues it addressed. But Gunn-Wright argues that this was its strength: tying together these seemingly distinct causes into a sweeping policy package underscored the connections between them and helped build a broader coalition of supporters behind them.

In the interview that follows, she says everything thats happened in 2020 has only deepened those convictions.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Thats such a big question, because the way I feel about how 2020 is going depends on the day. In a lot of ways, Im more scared than Ive been in a long time, just because of the scale of the crises.

Were facing a recession that could be a bad recession or worse than the Great Depression. And then we also have a public health crisis. And then obviously we have an ongoing crisis around white supremacy and racial injustice that is coming to the fore. And of course were also facing the climate crisis.

But then Im also more hopeful than I have been, with the uprising and the protests that have happened, because I feel like its a reminder that actually everyone in government serves at our pleasure.

Mostly it made me realize that we were right. When the Green New Deal came out, I did a fair amount of press, and it felt like I spent six months answering the same set of questions. What role does equity have in this? Why attach it to a climate proposal? Wont this actually make it harder?

People were nervous that attaching climate change and climate policy to calls for racial justice or economic justice was too much, that we were actually going to make it harder to make progress on climateas if they arent all connected, which they are.

We were essentially saying that climate change is not just a technical problem. Its not just an issue of emissions. Its an issue of the systems that have allowed an industry that essentially poisons people to continue, and to do so even as it further and further imperils our survival, both as a nation and as a globe. It comes down to issues of race and class and place.

And so this moment actually makes me glad that we did that work before. Because it has meant that some groups that are seen solely as climate, like the Sunrise Movement, have invested in this set of uprisings. Theyre working with the Movement for Black Lives to get their members out to protest, to connect them to actions, to help them understand how climate is connected to this.

The Green New Deal helped push the conversations around climate away from a purely technocratic space. The increasingly popular stance on itat least among climate experts, wonks, activists in the climate spaceis about the nexus of jobs, justice and environment. And I think all of that actually makes it a lot easier for climate change to continue to be talked about in this moment and not be shoved aside.

Yeah, I can say Im not seeing enough for sure. Im saying it was from nothing to, you know, something. And I have noticed before that when other big things happenednot quite this bigthere will always be a silence. But then I would watch people have, like, three-day-long conversations about utility tariffs.

So I do think that theres still that divide. Theres still a fair amount of people who think of climate as something thats outside of our social systems.

I think part of it is the discipline silo. People have fought back against climate change in the public sphere by questioning if it was really happening. So it has become a really technical and scientific space, because one way to fight back against that is to continually produce more data, and new ways to prove whats going on.

A downside is, sometimes it can feel like if its not scientific, you shouldnt talk about it. Unless you have reams of data to support it, you shouldnt introduce it. Which is a problem, because data doesnt tell us whats true; data tells us what we decided to measure.

And especially when youre talking about race, and racial justice, there are a lot of lived experiences that havent been quantified.

Theres a growing consensus that for an economic recovery from covid to be robust, decarbonization has to be a significant part of it. In my estimation, it should be centered around decarbonization.

Its not, like, a nice thing to have. It makes economic sense. Investments in clean energy have better multipliers, right? They give you more bang for your buck. They create more jobs. They catalyze more innovation.

And most of all, they help stabilize the climate, which is crucial economically speaking, particularly given the levels of temperature increases were looking at by the end of the century. Fixing that is an incredibly stabilizing force.

Were going to be left with an economy where you have to generate huge numbers of jobs, and where you have to offset a really significant drop in demand. And decarbonization is one of the only spaces that can do that. Its one of the only spaces where we can generate that many jobs, where theyll also create new industries, and where you have the chance to spark new innovations that essentially help continue to grow the economy even after the initial investment is made.

And so you have all those arguments stacking up for a green stimulus. It by far makes the most economic sense. Really, the only reasons to not do it are political reasons.

But in the US, thats not whats happening so far. A lot of our recovery money is going to oil and gas industries, and renewables are losing ground. Theres no targeted support for them in the CARES Act [the economic relief bill passed in late March].

One is hire people of color. And particularly people of color who dont have the same educational background as I think is common in climate or policy work in general.

If we want to actually be serious about supporting other movements that are aligned around justice, we have to make sure that the inside of our organizations actually looks like that. And that means not just hiring people of color, but also not just hiring people of color from the Ivy League. Hire people who have been activists for a long time and have learned about a topic from being in it.

Even if people are deep in this discipline, its important to not silo ourselves off intellectually. Its always important for us, particularly if were not activists out in the street, to remember that the ways that we theorize around or think of a problem is not actually necessarily the way its happening.

Read more:
A Green New Deal architect explains how the protests and climate crisis are connected - MIT Technology Review

IT automation began as simple scripts passed to a system's command-line interface, but became much more sophisticated -- and programmable -- with infrastructure virtualization. IT staff members have had to broaden their skills accordingly.

IT automation can now exploit powerful APIs and intent-based systems, which add another layer of abstraction, enhanced by machine learning models that adapt to changing conditions. The integration of highly automated IT and application development requires careful planning, design, product evaluation and testing. This has fostered a new IT role within many organizations, and particularly DevOps shops: the automation architect.

The IT automation architect role is new enough that there isn't a widely accepted definition for the job. The role undoubtedly gained IT executives' attention amid the costly proliferation of often-redundant automation tools and processes -- a trend identified by analyst firm Gartner. The firm contends that this proliferation hinders infrastructure scalability, and that by 2025, the most sophisticated IT organizations will have a formal strategy to address ad hoc automation issues.

In general, an automation architect is one of the most senior positions in IT, overseeing all decisions related to IT and development automation strategy and policy. As such, architects must work with a variety of technical teams and business units to assess needs, define projects, win support for key initiatives and manage them to completion.

Specifically, IT automation architects have the following responsibilities:

IT automation architects are typically found in DevOps organizations. It's fruitless to focus on a comprehensive automation strategy without a cooperative, integrated DevOps structure already in place. Because of the specialized nature of the job, architects are typically found in larger enterprises or those, like many cloud-native startups, that have mature DevOps practices.

There's a wide variety of job titles and associated skills found under the DevOps umbrella. For example, a recent DevOps skills report from the DevOps Institute, a learning association for DevOps professionals, identified more than a dozen DevOps job titles for which organizations are hiring. "DevOps engineer/manager" was the most common title, cited by 51% of survey respondents -- who were comprised of IT professionals, DevOps practitioners, HR managers and consultants. "Automation architect" was the 9th most cited job title at 15%. The following chart summarizes other notable job titles and their response rates.

When the same group of survey respondents was asked to rate the importance of various skills to DevOps work, proficiency at automation ranked at the top, with 66% citing it as very important and only 1% listing it as optional or unimportant. Of equal importance were process skills and knowledge, with only 3% listing these as unimportant. It's not surprising that these are ranked as the most essential DevOps skills; you can't automate a process you don't understand and haven't fully defined.

Aside from a thorough understanding of DevOps processes, other valuable skills for the automation architect and engineering role include:

The automation architect role is an excellent career path to upper management, as it exposes practitioners to a variety of technical problems, business requirements and management situations.

Automation architects are still a rare breed in enterprise IT organizations. Nevertheless, with the rising complexity of cloud infrastructure, a desire to deliver new products and services more quickly, and current financial requirements to do more work with fewer resources, holistic process automation will become a critical component of top IT organizations.

As the leader of automation strategies and projects, architects will emerge as some of the most valued members of IT leadership teams. Indeed, Gartner predicts that more than 90% of enterprise infrastructure and operations organizations will have an automation architect by 2025 -- up from less than 20% in 2020.

The benefits of automation to IT are many, including higher efficiency and process repeatability. However, the benefits to individuals pursuing the architectural role are equally great. For example, recent data from job site Glassdoor suggests the average salary of automation architects is about $80,000, with many listings in six-figures. As more IT and development tools add AI automation features, it will only increase the value for highly trained and experienced automation architects.

Read more here:
Prepare for the rise of the IT automation architect - TechTarget