Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

A historic building in Oslos locomotive industrial zone has been transformed into contemporary offices filled with natural light. This adaptive reuse project, called Lokomotivstallen, has been praised as a positive example of recycling and historical restoration in the city. Designed by Various Architects, the modern offices house the rail-based intermodal company CargoNet.

The 3,000-square-foot building has a peculiar rectangular footprint thats much longer than it is wide with a 205-meter-long facade and seven-meter width. To break the structures narrow monotony and to widen the footprint of the floors, the architects inserted timber boxes into the facade. Meeting rooms are located in the wooden boxes. The timber additions are of varying sizes and heights, and each are faced with a south-facing floor-to-ceiling glazed wall to let in maximum daylight. The largest wooden box houses the cafeteria that serves as the buildings central meeting area.

Related: Various Architects Stunning Collapsible Stadium

The original brick facade was preserved although the interior was largely gutted to make way for the modern office spaces. A new elevator tower that connects all the floors is also clad in brick and topped with a trademark railway clock. The office building comprises eighty desks distributed between five open landscape areas and can be rearranged to fit different needs. Micro spaces are interspersed throughout the office and provide quieter private working spaces.

+ Various Architects

Images by Ibrahim Elhayawan, Dawid Nowak

See the rest here:
Various Architects turn an industrial Oslo building into contemporary offices - Inhabitat

Biomimicry Marries Aesthetics and EngineeringNot Just One or the Other

The design inspiration for these pillars at the Stuttgart Airport shouldnt stump you very long. This arboretum of branching supports is optimized with respect to a strength-to-weight ratio. (Image courtesy of Altair.)

The purpose of biomimicry is to learn from the way nature has optimized structures, designs and objects for maximum performance so that we can use them to create better solutions.

Considering the strength that nature gets out of lightweight materials, biomimicry can be of considerable use in the architecture engineering and construction(AEC) community.

For many years,the design community looked at nature and tried to replicate it to copy shapes and colors, but we didnt copy performances as we didnt dig into those engineering aspects very well, said Luca Frattari,global director AEC at Altair.

Frattaris point is that biomimicry is about marrying performance and aesthetic; technology and design. Its not about adding a cheetah print to a professional running shoe to scare racing competitors into thinking youre the fastest on the track.This hilariously unscientific claim was made by Nike Director David Schenoneat two separate scientific keynotes (TEDTalks and X-STEM Symposium).

Nikes attempt to pass 1970s fashion as cutting-edge biomimicry aside, this notion supports Frattaris claim that engineers, designers and architects need to learn how to mimic natures aesthetic to improve performance. Biomimicry is not about marketing adspeak; rather, its a tool that can open the door to performance optimization.

For instance, take topology optimization. This technology utilizes a bone growth algorithm to generate designs that maintain a products strength with minimal material usage.

Topology optimization explores the way biological creatures grow, said Frattari. It is defined mathematically.We can use that algorithm in software to create lighter products with better performance.

As seen with Frattaris Pegasus concept bridge, the result isnt just aesthetic. Its functional and its optimal. One could call it the product of computer-aided engineering design (CAED).

Frattari s concept walking bridge, dubbed Pegasus,is optimized using topology optimization. The marriage between nature and engineering, and design and performance, is unmistakable. This is true biomimicry. (Image courtesy of Altair.)

Is this a topology optimized structure? No, its a Xenomorph Hive from Alien vs. Predator. But you had to wonder for a bit. There is a reason why science fiction continually looks to nature for architectural inspiration. Now AEC is following suit. (Image courtesy of Sega and Rebellion Developments.)

There are a lot of sci-fi movies where the results and design are more organic, noted Frattari.In Oblivion, District 9 andAlien,the combinations between form performance and nature is very strong. There is room in the AEC industry to push this forward, noted Frattari.

This suggests a general acceptance that nature produces optimal designs. But if that is the case, then why has it taken so long for the AEC world to adopt such designs and CAED technologies?

The fact that this technology isnt mainstream is because we had no intersections between the expertise, lamented Frattari. We were working in different rooms without talking to each other. Now that this is requested by the users and owners, it forces people to work together toward this to make a better process and product.

Frattari works to increase the interactions between these experts so that CAED technologies like topology optimization and biomimicry can move forward. This is part of his work at Altair and at the solidThinking Converge conference.

The beauty of topology optimization is that within a few minutes it generates an optimal structure based on a design space, loads (say, wind and weight) and constraints (say, anchors and connections). This lightening fast speed gives AEC practitioners a near-optimal design from which to start.

A lot of analysis is done at the end. Now, virtually we can do a lot more analysis in the first week of design, said Frattari. That can help you to plan which designs wear better. Even similar designs can have catastrophically different performance when assessed for structure and wind resistance.

By collecting a handful of output designs from the topology optimization tool, engineers can use these to guide their design exploration,which can then lead to further optimized structures.

A series of designs inspired by topology optimization. The speed with which these design ideas spawned from topology optimization tools encouraged better exploration of the design space. (Image courtesy of Altair.)

If you have three to four alternatives, you dont always explore them all as you dont have time. But, if you have a tool that can do this quickly, like topology optimization, then you can explore all of them and get inspiration fora new technology, said Frattari.

So, is topology optimization a must for AEC? Not really. If you are designing a typical boxy skyscraper, then biomimicry tools like topology optimization are kind of a wasted effort. Everything you need to ensure the strength and safety of the square design is pulled from a library of parts.

However, when you are aiming to design something optimized that is unique and eye catching, then biomimicry and topology optimization tools can be invaluable.

If you have a complex shape where there are no straight lines, then where do you start? asked Frattari. You dont know whats a column or beam or pillar. To do the structural analysis, you need a model, which is hard to do with a free form. That is where topology optimization comes in.

So, this begs the question, does the CAED software build the building or does the AEC practitioner? This is a complex question. However,the role of the engineers and architects at this point is to provide their intuition and emotion to the design. The software helps in the exploration of the alternatives.

In other words, though the golden ratio has certainly served us well as an algorithm for aesthetics, computers are still incapable of seeing beauty. Humans are still better than machines when it comes to emotions.

Im not a fan of machines that build something based on stochastic analysis, agreed Frattari.I want to understand and lead the process.Give me alternatives so I [can] find what I like the best.I dont know if technology will replace engineers and architects one day. I create software, so I trust the code. But Im also an architect, and I know beauty.

Frattari explains that there are two main trends when it comes to biomimicry: intersection and exploration.

The intersection of beauty and structure can be seen in these corrugated supports. Much like the seashell, they maximize stiffness and strength while minimizing weight. But they also look beautiful enough to be added to a collection. (Image courtesy of Altair.)

Intersection is the marriage between two ideas and practices. In the case of AEC, its the meeting of engineers, who want to ensure that structures dont fall down and can be built, with architects,who want to ensure the beauty of their designs.

They might intersect or clash, said Frattari. The engineer might say,You cant build that. We want them to work together to create something that has a quality better than in the past.

Exploration happens when a new technology is introduced. An example of this is the way 3D printing has affected CAED technology like topology optimization and biomimicry. Topology optimization isnt exactly a new technology. Its bottleneck to adoption was that many of the designs it created couldnt be built when the technology first arrived. This caused a clash between the design and construction of these structures.

However, with 3D printing, much of these designs can now be made.All that was needed was the intersection of expertise. The next step was to explore what was possible with the new technology so that you could understand its possibilities as it moved into its maturity.

If a technology isnt mature,you will use it to build something you understand well. At first, architects used 3D printing for their presentations of scale models, for instance, said Frattari. Now, exploration has moved 3D printing to deliver performance. You want to now produce components to be used in the industry. That pushed us to explore new materials, shapes and performances, like 3D printing of metal for parts.

To promote exploration and intersection, solidThinking will be holding its second Converge conference on September 13, 2017.

Frattari will be speaking at the conference, where he will discuss the uses of topology optimization, the future of design, and why engineering firms need to jump onto the CAED bandwagon now or risk being left behind.

solidThinking has sponsored this post. They have no editorial input to this post. Unless otherwise stated, all opinions are mine. Shawn Wasserman

Follow this link:
Lessons Engineers and Architects Should Learn from Nature and Topology Optimization - ENGINEERING.com

BOSTON & CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Brightcove (NASDAQ: BCOV), the leading provider of cloud services for video, announced today that Black Spectacles, the leading online platform for architects and designers, has selected Brightcove as its video platform.

Black Spectacles provides aspiring and practicing architects a unique and first-of-its-kind design software curriculum along with an Architect Registration Examination (ARE1) prep curriculum. Black Spectacles is the only ARE test prep provider backed by The American Institute of Architects (AIA). All of its courses are available on any device with an internet connection and are taught by practicing architects at some of the biggest firms in the world.

The technical capabilities of the Brightcove player were a differentiator for us, Marc Teer, Founder and CEO, Black Spectacles, said. Were reaching architects all over the world with our online learning platform, some of whom are in rural areas where the bandwidth is low. The Brightcove player automatically identifies that and allows us to deliver a clean, crisp video regardless of any bandwidth constraints.

Longer term, Brightcove will work with Black Spectacles to explore a number of other ways Black Spectacles can further enhance its video offerings using Brightcove Gallery, Brightcove In-Page Experiences, and Brightcove Social.

Black Spectacles is modernizing eLearning with the video offerings it is providing to its customers, Andrew Feinberg, CEO, Brightcove, said. We are pleased to be enabling that experience and look forward to helping the company further customize its video platform to deliver a world-class customer experience like we do for other eLearning providers, such as Dentinal Tubules, Gaia, GoNoodle, Praetorian Digital and Recruit.

About BrightcoveBrightcove Inc. (NASDAQ:BCOV) is the leading global provider of powerful cloud solutions for delivering and monetizing video across connected devices. The company offers a full suite of products and services that reduce the cost and complexity associated with publishing, distributing, measuring and monetizing video across devices. Brightcove has thousands of customers in over 70 countries that rely on the companys cloud solutions to successfully publish high-quality video experiences to audiences everywhere. To learn more, visit http://www.brightcove.com.

This press release may include forward-looking statements regarding anticipated objectives, growth and/or expected product and service developments or enhancements. Such forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of the following words (among others): "believes," "expects," "may," "will," "plan," "should" or "anticipates," or comparable words and their negatives. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees but are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations contained in these statements. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent annual report on Form 10-K. Brightcove assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release in the event of changing circumstances or otherwise, and such statements are current only as of the date they are made.

1 Architect Registration Examination and ARE are registered trademarks or service marks of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards.

Read more:
Brightcove Powers Black Spectacles' Online Learning Platform for Architects and Designers - Business Wire (press release)

From early, intimately scaled residences designed in the 1950s, like the Hiss Studio in Lido Shores and several Siesta Key pavilion homes, to public projects like the 1960 Siesta Key beach pavilion and later condominiums like Bay Plaza in downtown Sarasota and Inn on the Beach at the Longboat Key Club, Edward Tim Seibert, FAIA has made an indelible mark on the regions architecture.

Now the Sarasota Architectural Foundation will honor Seibert Nov. 10-12, 2017, at its fourth annual MOD Weekend. The three-day celebration of midcentury modern architecture will include parties at Seiberts Hiss Studio and a Bay Plaza penthouse; trolley tours with stops at a home he designed in Whitfield Estates, the CraigHouse in Lido Shores and at his iconic Cooney House on St. Armands; a self-guided walking tour of the Rosemary District, where several architectural firms, including Seibert Architects, are based; and a Q&A with Seibert and AIA Florida president Joyce Owens, where Tim really wants to talk about the future of Sarasota, says SAF board member Janet Minker, an organizer of MOD Weekend.

Tim is one of the leaders of the Sarasota School movement, and a prolific designer of the architecture of the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s; hes gone strong through it all, says Minker. Its important to recognize all of his achievements both in Sarasotas development.

The Hiss Studio, where Seibert will receive the SAF Lifetime Achievement Award at the opening night party, was designed by him in 1953 while he was working for Paul Rudolph. He had just graduated from Stanford, and Rudolph loaned him out to Phil Hiss [the homeowner], says Minker. Tim, as a 25-year-old architect, was working on the Hiss Studio and Rudolph was working on the Umbrella House next door. In the evening, Paul would come and critique Tims work. He said there were some harsh words, but he relished it because he considered Paul Rudolph to be one of the greatest architects.

In his later years, Seibert has turned to designing yachts, and has won awards from Classic Boat magazine. Wooden half-models of some of them will be on display during MOD Weekend at the Pagoda Building. Theyre sculpture; just beautiful, says Minker.

A complete list of MOD Weekend events will be posted here in a few days.

Here is the original post:
MOD Weekend to Honor Architect Tim Seibert - Sarasota

Bedrooms inside this barn conversion extension in the English countryside are defined by the peaks of a sawtooth roof, which Blee Halligan Architects added during the building's renovation.

The Five Acre Barn is home to a bed and breakfast, and is set between the Suffolk seaside towns of Aldeburgh and Thropness in the East Anglia area of England.

The owners of the property previously lived in Peckham, south-east London, but sold their house to start a life in the countryside.

After finding the old barn, the pair commissioned Blee Halligan Architects to transform it into a property that could become their home as well as serving as guest accommodation.

"The client brief was for internal refurbishment of the existing barn, which would be converted to house a communal living space, open-plan kitchen and owner's accommodation," said the practice, which is based in London and the Caribbean island of Providenciales.

"The end result elevates the collection of buildings into a simple piece of contemporary architecture, which sits comfortably in the mature landscape garden setting. This project has been a labour of love for our clients, who did much of the construction work themselves."

During the 1970s, the property had been extended with an annex something the owners were keen to get rid of as it had fallen into a state of disrepair.

The architects replaced this section of the building with a new wing, which contains five en-suite guest bedrooms.

Each of these bedrooms is contained beneath separate peaks of a sawtooth roof, and features double-height living spaces to accommodate mezzanine levels for the sleeping quarters.

Mezzanines are reached by custom-made birch plywood staircases, which incorporate a desk, shelving and storage to make the most of the living space.

A fifth bedroom sits separate from the rest of the annex, and is accessed through a black-stained, weatherboard-clad passage. A dressing room and bathroom are also located off this passage.

This last bedroom is the largest out of the five, and boasts six-metre-high ceilings. Grounds are visible through windows and glass doors on each facade, while a skylight allows natural light to flood the space throughout the day.

The exterior of the entire building has been clad in cedar shingles, which will silver over time to make the structure blend into its surroundings.

"The new building sits comfortably in the wild garden landscape and over time will weather down to a silver-grey to match the guttering, which will further emphasise the pared-down form," said the architects.

To get to the old barn building, guests cross through a passageway clad in black-stained timber.

The barn, which provides the permanent living area for the owners, has been reconfigured to incorporate an open-plan kitchen, dining and living space.

The architects were keen to "enhance" the existing structure, and simply repaired old brickwork and roof tiling using found materials.

Blee Halligan Architects was co-founded by architects Greg Blee and Lee Halligan. Previously the studioextended a bungalow in Manchester, England, to include three pitched roofs that capture sunlight at different times of day andupdated a north London house with a lantern-like extension.

Photography is by Sarah Blee.

View original post here:
Old Suffolk barn transformed into countryside bed and breakfast by Blee Halligan Architects - Dezeen

As superintendent, I would be happy to visit with you personally or speak to your group/organization. I am also willing to host your group at our Administration Building or one of our school buildings. I would also come to your facility or meeting place.

I have had the opportunity to speak and visit with many groups throughout our community and have hosted groups at our Administration Building. Please feel free to contact me at 665-3998 to arrange a time to visit. I can also be contacted using my email at wkindle@ysd.k12.sd.us

Lets make it a great year for our students!

Henry Ford stated, Coming together is a beginning. Staying together is a process. Working together is a success.

Crane-Youngworth Update

Our goal and first priority is to have our opening home game on Sept. 8 at home. The second option would be to have our first home game at home, even if it requires we rope off certain areas not deemed ready for use. Our final option would be to relocate and play our first home game at a different location.

We will keep all of you informed as we get closer to game day on Sept. 8. We want to thank you for your patience and understanding regardless of which option is needed.

There are several improvements being made at Crane-Youngworth Field. Areas included in the project are the bleachers & grandstand, press box, concessions and restrooms, ticket booths and the site itself.

The concrete grandstand was removed and is being replaced with a steel and aluminum grandstand on the north side of the field. The two elevated bleachers that flanked the former concrete grandstand will be the front seating of the new grandstand. A new elevated bleacher is in the east end zone for our high school students and YHS band. The visitors bleacher is on the south side of the field.

A new, single-story press box will line the back of the new grandstand. This will be home for the scoreboard and display operators, the games announcer, four radio station and media booths, both teams coachs boxes and the game recorders. We will live-stream the game, too!

One of the most appreciated improvements to the site will be the concessions and restroom facilities. We have an updated and modern concession area with great game day food! There is a large concrete plaza area in front of the concessions window where you can enjoy your treats and the company of your family, friends and other fans. On either side of the concessions area are the new restrooms with 20 fixtures each for the ladies and men. With the new building, we will not have concessions or restrooms available in the fieldhouse.

Finally, as you enter the updated facility, you will be greeted by the new ticket booths located on the north and south entrances. The north booth will also be home for the booster club with their fan appreciation items. All paths inside the stadium complex are concreted along with much needed fencing for security and safety reasons.

YSD Buildings/Grounds Report

Yankton High School/SAC

All the basketball structures in both gyms were inspected in May by Combined Building Specialties (Sioux Falls). Several winch cables and two winch motors/gears were replaced as preventive maintenance. Maintenance installed a new steam kettle in the kitchen. The roof was replaced over the industrial arts wing by McCoy Construction. The areas included in the replacement are the woods shop, automotive shop, metals classroom, art classrooms, band and vocal rooms and the boiler room roofs. Welfl Construction will be installing an inner office door into the assistant principals office. Maintenance installed new water fountains with bottle-fill stations in the classroom sections of the building. All of the student locker combination locks were replaced. Additional casework was installed in the vocal room by Custom Woodworks. Asphalt repairs were done at the site.

Yankton Middle School

The basketball structures were inspected prior to floor refinishing with a few cables replaced proactively. Carpet was replaced in the girls PE coachs office, the band & vocal areas, the guidance areas, the lecture hall and the library by Mozaks Floors & More. A boiler was replaced by Johnson Controls. The front sidewalk by the flagpole was replaced by Dave Stevens Concrete. In August/September, the maintenance crew will begin reseeding the proposed JV soccer field on the southeast field area. Tri-State Turf & Irrigation will install irrigation to the field at the same time. A fence will be installed around the area. Asphalt repairs were done.

Beadle Elementary School

The front sidewalks have been replaced by Dave Stevens Concrete. Maintenance is installing a replacement water fountain in the fourth grade wing. A tree in front of the building was removed due to stress cracking. Hartington Tree will plant a new tree this fall.

Lincoln Elementary School

Miller Painting has painted the entire building.

Stewart Elementary School

Carpet in the kindergarten room was replaced by Mozaks. Asphalt repairs were made by Topkote.

Webster Elementary School

Carpeting was replaced in rooms 3, 4, 6, 8 and 13, and in the principal and secretary offices. Vinyl tile was added to rooms 2 and 3 for preschool expansion and to the nurses office. Mozaks Floors & More was the installing contractor. Fejfar Plumbing installed a sink in room 2 for the preschool classroom. A leaking water main was replaced by Feimer Construction.

Yankton School District Administration Building

The admin building was painted over Easter break by Miller Painting to allow more working time this summer at Lincoln. The board room audio/visual equipment was replaced by AVI.

Yankton School District Career Manufacturing Technical Education Academy

We have the fiber optic cable installed to the TEC building by SDN. Warren and crew installed the switch and servers for the phone and security systems. Kaiser Heating & Cooling is installing a dedicated cooling unit for the new servers. Dirt work has started on the new building for the student-built house and the concrete foundation has been poured.

YSD Technology Summer Report

The IT staff and summer help preformed a number of tasks at each of the school districts buildings over the summer. These tasks include but not limited to cleaning, testing and updating existing desktops, Laptops, Chromebooks, iPads, projectors and Smart Boards. We cable managed several rooms to help with ease of use for staff and students. We also reimaged Chromebooks, iPads and laptops in preparation for the 2017-18 school year. Printer replacement throughout the district is also taking place.

We removed several hardware tech items and prepared them for recycling. There have been several upgrades to software; PowerSchool and Smart Notebook being the most notable. Switching infrastructure has had its IOS and Firmware upgraded. Wireless infrastructure has been remapped to allow for a more effective coverage with less bandwidth usage.

Yankton High School

IT Staff installed and set up 39 additional Chromebooks, 17 laptops, 30 desktops and several projectors for the high school. YHS theaters projector has been replaced and the booth cleaned up.

Yankton School District Career Manufacturing Technical Education Academy

IT Staff installed a new HP Switch that is connected to YSDs WAN link. We have also installed several wireless access points with cable pulls. There has been a new rack installed to support the switching technology and any future hardware such as Security and Servers. The existing rack/switch room was cleaned up and reorganized.

Yankton Middle School

IT Staff installed and set up 90 additional Chromebooks and several projectors for YMS. We installed new wireless controllers to assist with all the access points that have been installed.

Beadle Elementary School

IT Staff installed and set up 30 additional Chromebooks, 30 desktops, 30 iPads and several projectors for Beadle.

Lincoln Elementary School

IT Staff installed and set up 30 additional Chromebooks, and several projectors for Lincoln.

Stewart Elementary School

IT Staff installed and set up 30 additional Chromebooks and several projectors for Stewart.

Webster Elementary School

IT Staff installed and set up 30 additional Chromebooks, 6 iPads and several projectors for Webster.

Yankton School District Administration Building

IT Staff assisted with the board room install of the new AVI system. We worked on and finished up the install for the new bus attendance and routing system.

Yankton School District

IT Staff installed and brought Citrix up to the current version. We also installed and replaced several virtual servers(VMs), server blades and installed Server 2012 and 2016. We installed and brought the district wide wireless controllers up to date to better serve YSDs wireless infrastructure. We completed a district wide technology inventory. We set up and installed new security software from Trend Micro and set up and rolled over several student and staff databases in preparation for the 2017-2018 school year. Clean up of several systems such as Active Directory, Google, PowerSchool, Busing and Mosaic was done by deleting staff/students that have left and adding new staff/students.

Stay Connected

In order to improve communication, the Yankton School District implemented a computer messaging system called Blackboard Connect 5. This service allows the school district to reach thousands of people within minutes with a personalized voice message, email and/or text message.

Anyone in the Yankton community alumni, friends and community members can stay connected. Just be sure we have your contact information in our system. You can subscribe at http://www.ysd.k12.sd.us/apps/pages/blackboardconnect or call the Superintendents Office at 665-3998.

Dr. Wayne Kindle is superintendent of the Yankton School District.

Read the original here:
Kindle's Korner - Yankton Daily Press

The large, long-dry fountain outside Fountain Valley City Hall may bubble and babble again soon, though it probably wont be as full as it was in its pre-drought days.

Landscape architects helping the city brainstorm a future for the fountain a 17,000-gallon, three-part centerpiece of the city complex along Slater Avenue presented four preliminary possibilities to the City Council on Tuesday night.

One would restore the fountain to its full watery glory, and three suggested it flow only in the section that contains the City of Fountain Valley sign.

The city turned off the fountain in May 2015 in the midst of the states years-long drought, which officially ended this spring. The tiles are battered or missing in large swaths, and fallen leaves bunch in the nooks, although groundskeepers maintain the grass and shrubbery along the flagstone.

Ryohei Ota of Irvine-based landscape architecture firm Tatsumi and Partners presented four concepts for reviving the fountain:

Estimated cost: $263,000

This would return water to all levels of the fountain, including the centerpiece bowl feature with shooting jets, plus enhance the ambiance and landscaping with moderate- and low-water-using plants. Ota suggested moving some benches and adding shade trees to encourage people to sit in the area but removing the water guzzler grass and replacing it with crushed granite.

Estimated cost: $230,000

This would be a more abstract garden with plant life in the fountain tiers closer to City Halls doors.

The large bowl would feature a sago palm and fountain grass to mimic a bursting spray, over a bed of aloe and blue chalksticks succulents with green-blue, finger-like leaves and trailing rosemary sprawling over the lip and agapanthus flowers in a gradient of darker to lighter blues as they approach the street. Rings of landscaping on the ground would mimic the arrangement in the bowl.

What were trying to do is utilize plants to sort of mimic the water features, Ota said.

Courtesy of city of Fountain Valley

The Modern Reflection concept for the Fountain Valley City Hall fountain shows plants that mimic water's movements.

The Modern Reflection concept for the Fountain Valley City Hall fountain shows plants that mimic water's movements. (Courtesy of city of Fountain Valley)

Estimated cost: $175,000

It would be similar to Modern Reflection but with a dry riverbed of boulders and pea-size gravel in the rectangular middle run.

Estimated cost: $231,000

Ota called this an interactive design with a vine-covered trellis over a picnic table and demonstration gardens in and around the middle of the fountain to capture California landscapes. Plants also would be nestled in the top bowl.

City Public Works Director Mark Lewis wasnt sure of a timeline for the fountain rehabilitation but said that if the council approves a design contract in September and then a construction contract, the overhaul could be underway next spring.

He said running the fountain completely would require refilling it with 17,000 gallons of water and would incur a monthly loss of 20,000 gallons to evaporation. Monthly electricity, water and cleaning costs would run about $1,500.

The partial-flow concepts would need 6,000 gallons to start, with 6,000 gallons lost every month to evaporation, he said. The monthly costs would total about $1,000.

Going with one of the latter concepts would save the city about 168,000 gallons a year and about $6,100 in maintenance costs, Lewis said.

The city budget allocates $120,000 to repair the fountain. Anything beyond that, such as landscaping, would need additional council approval, Lewis said.

City Finance Director David Cain said money to round out the project could come from undesignated reserves.

Mayor John Collins said he likes the aesthetic of a fully operational fountain but is conservative with the fiscal aspect.

That kind of bothers me, I gotta be honest with you, to take that money, because the next year or two anyway were gonna have some financial challenges, he said. I know [Measure] HH [new sales tax revenue] will start to come in and well start to use that for police and fire and stuff, but basically, I still think were gonna have some financial challenges that Id like that reserve in reserve.

Hillary Davis | Daily Pilot

The dry fountain in a view looking toward Slater Avenue.

The dry fountain in a view looking toward Slater Avenue. (Hillary Davis | Daily Pilot)

Councilman Mark McCurdy said the city is still telling residents to conserve water, even though the declared drought emergency is past, and that even the leaner fountain would lose water.

The minimum 6,000 gallons lost a month still seems like quite a bit, he said.

Councilman Steve Nagel also preferred cutting water use and not bringing the fountain back as it was.

I would rather see a small version of that, he said. I think we should be a leader for the community, that we need to be real cognizant of the water we use.

Gov. Jerry Brown declared a statewide drought emergency in 2014 and ended it in April, although permanent anti-waste standards remain in place. In July, the Fountain Valley council dropped the city from a Level 1 water supply watch alert to the standard permanent water conservation level, which includes measures such as restricted watering times and durations and a ban on hosing paved surfaces.

hillary.davis@latimes.com

Twitter: @Daily_PilotHD

ALSO

Next Fountain Valley well repair to cost at least $20,000, city says

Costa Mesa to install new fencing around 8 vernal pools in Fairview Park, home to fairy shrimp

Huntington Beach police union says it's 'being torn apart,' votes 'no confidence' in chief

Read more from the original source:
Fountain Valley's fountain might flow again, but how much? - Los Angeles Times

Michael Zebrowski has spent much of his career finding an equilibrium between art and science. Using architecture as the backbone, he's created a body of work that explores nature, light, and astronomy. Needless to say, Zebrowski and the upcoming solar eclipse are a perfect coupling, as he'll prove in his Eclipse SURVEY installation at the Gibbes Museum's pun-believably titled event, Total Eclipse of the Art.

For this eclipse exhibition, Zebrowski will put "devices" on display in place of typical sculptures or art pieces. "These are essentially odd instruments that are recording and sharing what they record," says Zebrowski. Each device will highlight a specific aspect of the moon's journey past the sun. There will be the tried and true must-haves like a live video feed of the eclipse projected in the museum, so folks can stare at the sun without igniting their corneas, while another camera will be fixed on the Gibbes' signature second floor glass dome to emphasize the change in light. "They're all based on 'How can I, as an artist, try and present some of this phenomena in a heightened way?'" says Zebrowski.

Just like an actual eclipse, Zebrowski's installation will impact more senses than just sight, with one device accentuating the sudden lack of sound that comes along with this medieval sign of the end-times. Dubbed "Fountain," the artist has rigged a water pump with a solar panel that creates a trickling white noise while the sun is still shining. When the lunar shade hits the art piece, the flow of the water and the background sound of the pump will stop. "One of the things I've read about is that the day goes to night, so the birds all take it like it's the end of the day."

Registering solar sound waves has an essence of Eclipse SURVEY's end goal in it. "For me, the whole point of this series that I've been working on as a 'Survey Series' is really about creating installations and work that aren't about themselves," says Zebrowski. "They're about trying to get us to look at the environment around us in a new way."

But, the best way to change how you see an eclipse is by actually seeing an eclipse in person, and Zebrowski's been hard at work one-upping classic eclipse glasses. "I've always thought of my work as this mediator between somebody and their experience of something. I really thought of the glasses as holding that gateway," he says. Zebrowski's design studio UP END THIS has shipped out specially made eclipse glasses (called Observers and Surveyors) that, in addition to being much sturdier than the paper eclipse glasses everyone's moms ordered in bulk, come in a handful of different styles. Eclipse chasers take note because the glasses are reusable, and the installation at the Gibbes will provide Surveyors for attendees.

Originally, the exhibition was spread out across four installations in four states and had a planned live feed that would track the totality of the eclipse over the continental U.S., but the plan was dropped in favor of a wider cross-country campaign. Now, everyone who has ordered a pair of Surveyors is asked to take a selfie with the glasses at the time of the totality. The pictures will all be compiled across various social media at #eclipsesurvey and will be used in a later public exhibition. The glasses will come with a survey and, just like the glasses-selfie, are a chance for people to share their eclipse viewing experience. "There's something intrinsically human and social about that pursuit of knowledge and truth," says Zebrowski.

While Zebrowski lives in Vermont, where he works as a 3D art professor at Johnson State College, he's had his eyes set on the Gibbes Museum as the key installation spot for a while now, thanks to its East Coast real estate in the middle of the eclipse's totality. His prior projects have included Light Box, an architecture project that saw a shipping container and recyclable materials turned into an office space, and "Observatory," his sculpture for a 2015 exhibit.

Eclipse SURVEY will touch on many similar themes of the artist's past works. "I think the biggest [theme] for me, and this is always present in my work, is the idea of looking for some kind of truth. Truth in experience, truth in knowledge."

Read the original post:
Michael Zebrowski embraces the power of the senses in this Gibbes installation - Charleston City Paper

As Georgetowns population grows, the Georgetown Parks and Recreation Department is working on several projects to ensure residents have spaces to enjoy, said Kimberly Garrett, the departments director.

Its one of the big draws that brings people to Georgetown: our parks, Garrett said. We hear that over and over again. Theyre enjoyed by all ages. Little kids up to senior adults can enjoy parks.

Garrett said the parks department is fortunate to have the support of City Council and residents alike.

Just because you have a parks system doesnt mean its great, she said. Its that investment that people appreciate, that they know [the parks are] safe and well-maintained.

After three years of design work, construction on Garey Park began in March. The $13.5 million project should be complete for the park to open by April 2018, Garrett said.

When finished, Garey Park will be about 1 1/2 times larger than Austins Zilker Park in terms of size.

Garey Park was made possible by Jack and Cammy Garey, who donated their 525-acre ranch and house to the city in 2004, along with a $5 million cash donation, Garrett said.

The parks construction is also funded with a $10 million parks bond package approved by Georgetown voters in 2008.

Upon completion of construction, the Gareys former home will be utilized as an event center, and the land surrounding the house will include an equestrian facility and horse trails, play ranches for both children and dogs, hiking trails and open play fields.

San Gabriel Parks first phase of improvements will be completed in early 2018 after 2 1/2 years of construction funded by the 2008 bonds.

The first phase includes traffic-calming measures, pavilions, restrooms, parking, a trailhead and entry monuments with signage.

In a second phase, the city will install four picnic and barbecue tables, a large multiuse pavilion, 10 smaller pavilions for picnics, more trails and two childrens play areas. The second phase also includes an extension of a park trail about half a mile northeast along the San Gabriel River to the nearby Katy Crossing neighborhood. The extension will be funded by a $50,000 state grant awarded to the parks department.

Garrett said design for a third phase could begin in 2019. Potential features of that latter phase include an event lawn for festivals, she said.

Construction on improvements at Founders Park, at the corner of East Ninth and Church streets, is slated to begin in September, Garrett said.

The upgrades include sidewalk repairs to make the park more accessible, the installation of picnic tables and a water fountain and new signs to indicate the area is a city park.

View original post here:
Park projects underway in several areas of Georgetown - Community Impact Newspaper

You can now mow your lawn without lifting a finger or shaming your spouse or child.

Plowz & Mowz, the app-based service that can send a mowing service to your home with the press of a button on a smartphone, is now synced with Amazons Alexa voice-activated assistant.

A simple, Alexa, send someone to mow my yard tomorrow will get the job done, assuming you have already signed up online or by phone with your address, specifics about the size of the job and a credit card.

Plowz co-founder Wills Mahoney originally brought the app service to the Twin Cities in 2015 after launching it in 2014. Similar to Uber, app firms hire local contractors to do the work, but each service call is a one-time expense without a contract.

The new Alexa-enabled service is for people who want to get their lawn done or their driveway plowed in the easiest way possible, Mahoney said. If you wake up at 5 a.m. and look out the window and see that its snowing, now you dont even have to turn on your phone. Users can also ask Alexa for status updates.

The service is expected to appeal to Plowz & Mowz power users, who are often early adopters, but it was the company itself that came up with the idea, not its consumers. Nearly 36 million Americans are expected to use voice-activated assistant devices like Amazons Echo and Googles Home products, according to eMarketer.

One of Plowz & Mowz competitors, Eden Lawn & Snow, also started to build in voice-activated assistance with its service but later canceled it. We actually built out the initial steps for Alexa but then we started doing focus groups and saw no actual cases of people who would use it, said Ben Zlotnick, chief executive of Toronto-based Eden.

Zlotnick said he found Eden was losing business by being too app-focused and added services to the companys website. Weve seen an upswing in orders from seniors since we launched a web-based app, he said. We have to look at it from a practical standpoint. How are they going to order it?

Both companies continue to refine and expand their services.

Initially, the app service was limited mostly to driveway snow removal and lawn mowing, services often performed by the same landscaping company.

Over time the number of services has expanded to sidewalks and steps shoveled and salted, leaf raking with compostable bags, shrub trimming and removal, garden bed mulching and cleanup.

Mahoney said his company now allows a customer to keep using the same contractor for services if it was given a five-star review by the customer. Eden still operates on a first-come, first-served basis so whichever contractor is in the area and has availability is given the job.

Both companies operate within a 40 mile radius of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Service can be found in the app store under Eden App or Plowz & Mowz and online at Edenapp.com and Plowzandmowz.com.

See original here:
When an app is too hard, Alexa will order your lawn service - Minneapolis Star Tribune