Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Architects - These Colours Don #39;t Run 5/5/14
Performing at the Marlin Room at Webster Hall, NYC.

By: Dorothy Geehern

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Architects - These Colours Don't Run 5/5/14 - Video

(PRWEB) July 18, 2014

The books author is Charles Ward Rapp, son of Mason G. Rapp, the last of the family architects who closed the Chicago firm in 1965. The author also curated and cataloged the Rapp & Rapp Archive, now part of the Chicago History Museums permanent collection.

The two separate firms of Rapp architects and their father before them practiced for more than a century, each at the forefront of their industry, said the author, an amazing run by any measure.

Most widely known of the two firms because of their elegant theatre designs was C. W. & Geo. L. Rapp, Architects, opened in Chicago in 1907 at the dawn of a movie industry they helped to shape. Likewise their brothers firm, I. H. & W. M. Rapp, Architects and Superintendents of Public Buildings, Trinidad, Colorado, 1891, helped shape the post-frontier Southwest with buildings in Colorado, New Mexico, California, Oklahoma and Texas.

Though they did much else, the Colorado Rapps best-known legacy remains the picturesque pueblo revival Santa Fe Style, characteristic of the city for which it is named.

Mason G. Rapp ran the Chicago firm Rapp & Rapp, Architects for 25 years from the 1940s through its closing. Always generalist commercial architects, Rapp & Rapp never left the specialty that time and history had given it, and in 1961 built Detroits New Fisher Theatre a soft and elegant work of its time that changed the notion of what theatres should be, even influencing the course of todays theatre design.

The book is available for sale on http://www.rappandrapparchitects.com.

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Viburnum Press Publishes Rapp & Rapp History

Empty shelves I Increase in retail real estate supply and tenants exiting under-performing shopping malls led to the increase

The retail real estate segment saw a significant rise in vacancies in April-June quarter of 2014 over the January-March levels as supply increased and tenants exited under performing centres.

According to a report by property research firm DTZ, the Delhi-NCR market witnessed highest increase in shopping mall vacancy at 3.5% followed by Pune at 2.6% and Mumbai at 2.3%, respectively.

"In the case of Delhi-NCR, the vacancy level stood at 19.5%, up from 16% during the previous quarter due to the addition of new space. Occupiers continue to prefer malls offering quality space, good mall design and a strong tenant mix. In contrast, lower grade malls continue to witness higher vacancy levels," Rohit Kumar, head of India Research, DTZ, said in the report.

While the Delhi-NCR market, witnessed new supply of 2.3 million sq ft during Q2, about 7% completed in Q4 2013 entered the market in second quarter due to regulatory issues. Additional 2 million sq ft of mall space is expected to be completed in second half 2014, but given the extent of project delays, some of this is likely shift to 2015.

Vacancy levels in Pune increased sharply quarter on quarter from 27.5% in Q1 2014 to 30.1% in Q2, and with over 2 million sq ft of retail space under construction, vacancy levels are expected to remain high over the next few years.

Contributing significantly to vacancy levels in Mumbai were malls located in micro-markets of Andheri, Bhandup-Mulund and Navi Mumbai. "However, with no new supply expected over the next year, the vacancy level is expected to decline in the coming months," said Kumar.

Though new supply certainly has led to the increase in vacancy levels across malls in these cities, retail industry experts said, additional factors like tight market conditions, experimenting with new malls and aggressive evaluation of sites by retailers also were equally responsible.

As per Devangshu Dutta, chief executive, Third Eyesight, retailers these days are very practical about their stores and have no hesitation in shutting down the non-performing outlets. "A lot of focus is on performance potential of newly opened or for that matter existing stores. Besides, given the current market conditions, it is pragmatic to discontinue sites that do not justify the cost of operations," said he said.

International property consultant Cushman & Wakefield, however, differs on vacancy levels.

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Good days yet to come for malls as vacancies rise

(MENAFN - Khaleej Times) Abu Dhabi is showing promising growth in commercial and office spaces surveys have shown.

Rental rates for Grade A office space saw small increases of up to four per cent in second quarter for fitted and shell and core offices respectively says a study by a leading property advisory firm Asteco.

Landmark Tower handed over in the third quarter of 2013 achieved net effective rental rates estimated at Dh1700 per square metre for fully fitted space located on the Corniche.

Rental rates at Sowwah Square remained unchanged in the last 12 months. Although there is a healthy tenant interest leasing of the development has been on hold due to confirmation of the free zone status. The property advisory firm believed that with the free zone status leasing will restart and an increase in rental rates is likely.

The market for Grade B office space whether recently built or existing remained slow with no change in rates compared with the previous quarter. This was mainly due to no significant additions to supply in second quarter of 2014. This extended period of rent stability has become a relief to landlords under sustained pressure since 2009.

We anticipate that the removal of the rent cap could over time lead to companies that had remained where they are for years due to low rents to relocate to a better quality Grade B office space Asteco report for second quarter of 2014 said.

Meanwhile Abu Dhabi will add 778000 sqm of retail space over the next three years which represents eight per cent of the total new shopping space (9.8 million sqm) opened in 2013 in 180 cities globally.

The figures were revealed by Bassam Saleh marketing manager Bawadi Mall the five-year old mega shopping mall in Al Ain based on a global study conducted by property adviser CBRE.

The study also says that a total of 39 million sqm of shopping centre retail space is currently under construction in the worlds biggest cities with Abu Dhabi having more retail space under development than anywhere in the Gulf.

Saleh says: It does not come as a surprise to many that Abu Dhabi has the largest retail space under development in the GCC because the capital of the UAE has been taking firm steps in becoming a world class city. Malls in the Emirate have standards that are on par with leading shopping destinations in the world such as Paris London and New York. Visitors feel they are in a five-star shopping arcade in terms of services ambience promotions outreach programmes and staff in stores and management.

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Abu Dhabi commercial space reflects growthspan

EWING Residents of the townships South Fork neighborhood, which was devastated by a gas explosion in March, found out Thursday that an Iowa company will take the lead on the rebuilding process for their damaged homes.

Representatives from GC3, a disaster restoration company based in West Des Moines, arrived this week to begin managing the project, the South Fork Homeowners Association Board said in an e-mail sent to residents, a copy of which was obtained by The Times.

Many residents have now been out of their homes for more than four months, while others live in battered houses with boarded up windows. The restoration project involves nearly all of the 130 homes in the development, which suffered damage varying from nail pops to complete destruction.

The board approved the decision to go with GC3 on July 9 and announced as much to the homeowners, but did not immediately disclose the name of the company.

Since that time they have begun to review our engineering reports and insurance estimates, the email said. We expect to see a trailer on site next week.

The contractor will manage the job on site, not remotely, the email said.

They will be using local contractors for the work. For example, its possible that Scozzari could be a major contributor, the email said.

Scozzari, a Pennington firm, was introduced to homeowners June 30 as the new contractor after Cornerstone Appraisal & Restoration Services of Princeton, the original contractor, was fired in early June. The deal to bring on Scozzari fell through, however, and the board told residents that it would follow a different path.

The board said in the e-mail that as soon as GC3 can get settled and digest the information provided a meeting will be scheduled to introduce them to the homeowners. GC3 will discuss their procedures and their plans for interacting with homeowners at the meeting, the email said.

As part of the process, GC3 will work on establishing a timeline for work on each unit, the email said.

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New contractor hired for South Fork home restoration in Ewing

ARLINGTON, Va. A historic plantation originally built as a monument to George Washington overlooking the nations capital, a site that later was home to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and 63 slaves, will be restored to its historical appearance after a $12.3 million gift announced Thursday.

David Rubenstein, a billionaire history buff and co-founder of The Carlyle Group, said he is giving the National Park Foundation the funds needed for a full restoration of the historic house, grounds and slave quarters to show visitors how they appeared in 1860, as well as an overhaul of the sites museum exhibits. Rubenstein said the site crowns the most sacred land in the country, Arlington National Cemetery, but needed major repairs.

Rubenstein also has given multimillion dollar gifts in recent years to restore the Washington Monument, the first presidents Mount Vernon estate and Thomas Jeffersons home at Monticello, including a recreation of its historic slave quarters.

The goal is to remind people of American history, Rubenstein said. I think when youre restoring history, you should remind people of the good and the bad.

Arlington House, as it is known, was built between 1802 and 1818 by Washingtons step grandson, George Washington Parke Custis and his slaves on a hilltop overlooking the new capital city and the Potomac River. Lee later married into the family, and it became his familys plantation estate.

After Lee resigned from the Union army and joined the Confederacy, Union troops captured the estate during the Civil War and made it their military headquarters to defend Washington from Virginia. Graffiti from Civil War soldiers is still visible in the mansions attic.

After the war, the area became a community for emancipated slaves, and Union troops began burying their war dead on the grounds, in part to prevent Lee from returning. It eventually became Arlington National Cemetery, the burial site for many soldiers as well as President John F. Kennedy.

The 200-year-old house and grounds symbolize the nations reconciliation after the Civil War, said National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis, but it is in poor condition.

Exhibits in a nearby museum building havent been updated in 30 years. The needs are part of an $11 billion backlog on maintenance across the national parks.

We frankly do not get enough appropriations on an annual basis to take care of these places, so private support is critical, Jarvis said.

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Historic plantation gets $12.3 million gift for complete restoration

This post comes from Susan Ladika at partner site Insurance.com. Say you've been in a wreck. Or your home has been damaged by a storm. Or your kitchen has gone up in flames.

You're shaken and dazed.

That's when the siren chasers strike -- trying to sign you up for services you don't need or can ill afford. If you fall prey to their scams, you could be on the hook for hundreds or thousands of dollars and might even lose your home.

I witnessed siren-chasing firsthand when my neighbor accidentally started a kitchen fire. Within minutes of the fire trucks pulling away after extinguishing the blaze, two fire restoration companies showed up at her home, trying to get her to hire them to make the repairs.

She sent them both packing and called her homeowners insurance company instead.

That decision drew praise from National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) spokesman Frank Scafidi, quoting the NICB mantra: "If you didn't request it, reject it."

"They're trying to take advantage of your emotions," Scafidi says.

They also are trying to take advantage of your wallet.

Don't play tow-truck roulette

After a wreck, a tow truck driver you never called might suddenly appear and try to tow your car from the scene.

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You don't need this kind of help

The five things you need to know on Wednesday 16 July 2014...

1) BOTTOM OF THE CLASS

Well, when they said it'd be a major reshuffle they weren't kidding. A new foreign secretary, Philip Hammond, and a new defence secretary, Michael Fallon. Plus two new women cabinet ministers, Nicky Morgan at education and Liz Truss at environment. And the departure of big-hitters William Hague and Ken Clarke (the former via the stopgap post of Leader of the Commons). But the big news of the reshuffle, by a country mile, was the shock demotion of Cameron ally, friend and confidante Michael Gove, who goes from the full cabinet job of education secretary to the 'attending' cabinet post of chief whip. The morning papers agree.

"Going, going.. Gove" is the Guardian splash headline.

"Prime Minister sacrifices close friend Michael Gove" is on the front of the Telegraph.

"Gove axed from education" is the Times headline.

The Independent splashes on the prime minister's rather defensive quote about the former education secretary: "He hasn't been demoted!", but adding the following question in its standfirst: "So how do you explain Gove's 36,000 pay cut, Mr Cameron?"

It's worth reminding ourselves what a big deal this is. Only a few months ago, he was being touted as a future leadership contender and considered to be one of the most powerful and influential members of the cabinet. Then he fell out with Theresa May over extremism - and the latter, it seems, takes no prisoners.

It's especially remarkable given how the other self-styled radical reformer and deeply unpopular cabinet minister, Iain Duncan Smith, survived. Again. The Guardian's Patrick Wintour writes:

"Both men are passionate and sincere reformers, determined in their own way, to give greater opportunities for the poor. One, in his own terms, has succeeded, and done exactly what he and Cameron promised in the Conservative manifesto. He created academies, established free schools and imposed his no excuses culture in schools. Multiple eggs have been broken, but there is a recognisable omelette. The other has failed, leaving the Treasury, the National Audit Office and Major Projects Authority exasperated. Multiple eggs have been broken and they have largely been scraped off the kitchen floor. Yet it is Gove that has been demoted a state of affairs that says much about Cameron and the balance of forces inside the Conservative party."

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Mehdi's Morning Memo: Bottom Of The Class

Home building scheme gets Harrow Borough Council cabinet backing

8:34pm Thursday 17th July 2014 in News By Bruce Thain

Proposals to demolish and redevelop an entire housing estate moved a step closer with councillors backing a home building scheme.

The Homes for Harrow scheme, which included the regeneration of Grange Farm Estate, was given the go ahead by Harrow Borough Councils cabinet this evening.

Officers will now start drawing up more detailed proposals for the work including plans for the temporary re-housing of tenants and possible purchasing of additional land.

The plans mean eventually replacement of 240 ageing homes with 430 new properties.

At the meeting abinet member for housing Cllr Glen Hearnden said: This report marks a very exciting time for this administration and the council.

We have half our housing stock over the last ten years through help to buy. This programme means after two decades this council can once again start building homes for the people of Harrow.

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Home building scheme gets cabinet backing

After 14 months of work, the renovations in Iowa State Universitys MacKay Hall are complete.

The $3.1 million remodeling work ended yesterday, and a final walk-through is scheduled for Monday. The renovations included extensive work to the Catherine J. MacKay Auditorium, the student welcome center, a second-floor classroom and the vestibule on the south side of the building, located north of Central Campus on Osborn Drive.

Bob Bosselman, professor and chair in apparel, events and hospitality management, said one of the major transformations took place in room 213, which used to be an auditorium-style room with small wooden chairs. The room now acts as a 36-seat classroom that includes eight wall-mounted TV monitors and movable white boards, with a spectacular view of Central Campus.

The seats were so tiny when that room was built, Bosselman said. That room has been completely redone and its a very interactive room.

The renovation also added new furniture and more space for the halls welcome center. Room 118 now provides more space, and student recruitment specialists will be moving into the room from Lagomarcino Hall.

But Bosselman said the most significant renovation took place in Room 117, also known as the Catherine J. MacKay Auditorium. The 214-seat center was built in 1926, and this is the first major renovation in the space since it was first built.

The seating was very haphazard and in general, with the sight lines and things of that nature, it just wasnt an ideal room for learning, Bosselman said. So it needed some updating and weve really turned it into a modern, 21st-century auditorium.

The auditorium, which used to be a two-tiered space, now has one level of stadium seating and individual desks include swivel chairs, which Bosselman said allows more time for collaboration between students.

The final major development took place on the south end of the building, the vestibule that housed the 1942 Christian Petersen sculpture The Marriage Ring. The middle set of doors that used to lead into the main building have been removed and replaced by a large glass wall. Bosselman said the Petersen sculpture is scheduled to be reinstalled in early August and will now be positioned in front of the wall with seating placed around the sculpture.

We really think this is going to protect it a lot more, and the students wont be bumping into it or sitting on it, he said.

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MacKay Hall completes massive renovation