Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Two major developments with 1920s appearances an office tower and a luxury apartment complex are under construction in the once-sleepy neighborhood around the venerable Pasadena Playhouse theater.

With a combined value of $125 million, the projects are pillars of a city plan to give an increasingly lively part of Pasadena a more dense and urban feeling. The new projects are intended to bring still more people to an area of town that has seen a burst of new housing and dining options in recent years.

Developers will add more restaurants, shops and landscaped walkways to the 32-block Pasadena Playhouse District with Playhouse Plaza tower and Union Village apartments.

"This increases the livability of our district and makes it extremely walkable," said Elizabeth Doren, who is executive director of the theater and serves on the board of directors of the Pasadena Playhouse District Assn.

Both projects feature architectural styles of the 1920s, the decade when the Pasadena Playhouse was erected. But whereas Union Village apartments will be in the Spanish Revival fashion of the playhouse, the office tower will have more in common with an Art Deco masterpiece in Los Angeles.

"It has overtones of Bullocks Wilshire," developer David Saeta said, "and seems to be something that feels really at home in Pasadena."

Bullocks Wilshire was a luxury department store built in 1929 at 3050 Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles. Pasadena also got an elegant Bullocks outpost on Lake Street in 1947.

Now housing Southwestern Law School, the landmark L.A. building is clad in terra cotta and tarnished green copper. Playhouse Plaza tower will have a similar exterior made of reinforced concrete panels accented with green panels made of fiber-reinforced plastic.

Coming up with an appropriate appearance for Playhouse Plaza was difficult, he said, because the office building at the southeast corner of Colorado Boulevard and El Molino Avenue will stand directly across El Molino from the theater.

"Getting a design that was complementary but didn't mimic the playhouse was the big challenge," Saeta said. Some opponents of the development objected to an earlier, more modern design.

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Office tower, apartment complex being built near Pasadena Playhouse

In Q1 2014, Bulgaria's municipal authorities have issued building permits for the construction of 1015 residential buildings, 44 office buildings and 917 other buildings.

As compared to the previous quarter, the building permits for residential buildings decreased by 1.6%, their dwellings-by7.2%, while the gross building area rose by 4.8%, according to the latest data provided by the National Statistical Institute (NSI). The issued building permits for administrative buildings increased by 22.2%, but their gross building area fell by 42.8%. The number of issued building permits of other buildings decreased by 17.8% and their gross building area-by 21.3%.

As compared to the first quarter of 2013, the issued building permits for new residential buildings increased by 32.9%, their dwellings-by 80.7% and the gross building area-by 69.0%. The issued building permits of administrative buildings increased by 37.5% and the other buildings-by1.6%. The gross building area of the administrative buildings increased by 38.1% and the gross building area of other buildings rose by 1.9%.

In the first quarter of 2014 began the construction of 504 residential buildings, and 30 administrative buildings/offices. As compared to the previous three months, the number of new residential buildings construction decreased by 14.7%, and the new administrative buildings increased by 25.0%, but their gross building area dropped by 55.1%.

As compared to the first quarter of 2013, the new residential buildings under construction increased by 26.3%, their dwellings-by 6.8% and the gross building area-by 21.9%. The number of new administrative buildings rose by 36.4%, and their gross building area-by 16.5%. An increase is observed in the other buildings under construction by 25.6% and in their gross building area-by 48.5%.

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Bulgarian Office Building Construction Sees 25% Increase in Q1, 2014

ALLENTOWN, Pa. -

Allentowns Neighborhood Improvement Zone Development Authority at Wednesdays committee meeting approved plans for a seven-story office building expected to bring up to a thousand jobs to the citys downtown district.

The Five City Center is one of numerous developments being built by City Center Investment Corp. surrounding the currently under construction Allentown hockey arena that will host the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the Philadelphia Flyers minor-league affiliate.

Occupying a whole block of Walnut Street between Seventh and Eighth streets, the complex will be utilized as an office space during the day and for arena-related activities at night.

City Center representatives were recently granted additional tax cuts for further developments, but had to seek board approval before beginning construction.

A couple months ago this board approved the expansion of our [Neighborhood Improvement Zone] credit facility by $15 million, said City Center CEO J.B. Reilly. This building will house potentially 700 to 1,000 workers, which we believe will have a positive impact on the downtown.

Although currently no tenants have been officially disclosed, Reilly said he is confident the location will be filled and generate revenue for local government and nearby businesses.

Therell be new office workers. Its going to create some demand on residential [and] on retail, Reilly said. That will potentially have an impact. I would argue a positive impact.

Although tentative plans have been laid out before the development authority, officials say there may still be changes before the buildings construction begins in 2015.

The final dimensions of the building are really going to be driven by the tenant or tenants that will be moving there, Reilly said. All of our projects are really driven by tenant demand.

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Five City Center to bring 1,000 jobs to Allentown

Senate office project foe objects to bond request

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - A former Minnesota lawmaker is objecting to the states demand that he cover millions of dollars in costs if he ends up delaying construction of a new Minnesota Senate office building.

An attorney for former St. Cloud Rep. Jim Knoblach filed a response Wednesday with the Minnesota Court of Appeals.

State lawyers contend Knoblach should post and forfeit an $18.6 million bond if his lawsuit to block the project doesnt succeed on appeal and the project is delayed.

Knoblach argues the amount is excessive and premature. He also contends the state apparently is trying to get him to put up money thats already been appropriated for relocating the senators while the state Capitol is renovated.

The state hopes to break ground on the new Senate building by July.

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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A Minnesota man who allegedly participated in war crimes during the Bosnian war has been arrested on immigration fraud charges.

Authorities say 45-year-old Zdenko Jakisa was arrested Wednesday for failing to disclose his military service and crimes he committed in Bosnia-Herzegovina during the conflict there in the 1990s.

According to a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday, Jakisa is a former member of the armed forces of the Croatian Defense Council in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Authorities say records and witnesses from Bosnia show he committed crimes that he didnt disclose on his refugee or green card applications.

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Minnesota news in brief at 7:58 p.m. CDT

When the grand mansion at Swiss Avenue was completed in 1917, a gift from a Panhandle rancher to a bride 21 years his junior, it bore the earmarks of Americas Gilded Age. Both its size 7,000 square feet and 17 rooms and its details sweeping mahogany staircase, walnut paneling, inlaid marble flooring, carved swags and garlands, slate-covered roof were wordless but powerful indicators of William Jenks Lewis wealth.

In addition to the grand living room, morning room, sunroom and dance floor, the French Renaissance residence also boasted a conservatory to keep a year-round supply of hothouse flowers in bloom for urns and vases.

The mansion will be featured in the Swiss Avenue Historic Districts annual home tour Saturday and Sunday.

The young Willie Newbury Lewis, a Dallas native, socialite and former debutante, considered 5500 Swiss Ave. ostentatious, according to her 1984 autobiography, Willie, a Girl From a Town Called Dallas. Therefore, the beautiful mansion, which earned Dallas, Texas and national landmark designations, was sold in 1921.

Now known as the Aldredge House, for 41 years it has served as headquarters for the Dallas County Medical Society Alliance. Rena Munger Aldredge gave the house to the group after living there with her husband, banker George N. Aldredge, for 50 years. Mrs. Aldredge was known for her stunning table settings that celebrated the seasons and the accomplishments of friends and family. Renas Gospel of Beauty, written by granddaughter Betsy Slater Dudley and published in 2012, describes the civic leaders ways with flowers.

Although the grounds and mansion have been well-tended by the alliance, without a flower lover in residence for so many decades the conservatorys plants withered away. Except for a very large magenta bougainvillea and a very old philodendron with trunks as fat and winding as a well-fed python, little remains of a tropical paradise. A final, major blow came in June 2012, when a monster hailstorm passed directly over the Swiss Avenue Historic District. The curved-glass panels were reduced to shards.

Eventually, the conservatory glass was replaced, but the botanical material still looked dreary. Refurbishing the glass rooms interiors, thought longtime auxiliary member Sarah Hardin, would make an ideal Eagle Scout project for her son, Spencer, 18.

A senior at Highland Park High School, Spencer has been involved in Scouting since kindergarten. And for at least as long, he has helped his father, Mark Hardin, with gardening chores, even if it was no more than following Dad around the yard with a child-size wheelbarrow.

My dad likes gardening, so I kinda got that from him, Spencer says. It kinda runs in our family.

I win big awards in horticulture at the Marian Scruggs Garden Club, says Spencers mother, who also enters the flower-arranging categories in the annual show. But Mark is the wonderful gardener.

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Boy Scout reinvigorates Swiss Avenue home conservatory

Prickly Pear Cactus growing by old weathered fence posts on a Texas ranch in the hill country. Scroll down to see more Texas landscape photography This rustic scene pictures a dilapidated old farm house in Gonzales county. Scenic Texas landscape photo of a herd of cattle grazing in a field of bluebonnets on a Texas cattle ranch. Red, white and blue colors of a Texas flag on a ranch windmill in central texas.

Rural Texas Landscapes If you're If you're doing business in Texas, you want to emphasize that local connection. You can use Texas stock photography to convey the message that you are a rural Texas company. Stock photos can be used in everything from from brochures to billboards.

Utilize your office space to display contemporary art photography with a western theme. Nature photos of Texas, displayed as photo art prints will create a relaxed mood in a busy office environment and add color to the work space. These hill country landscape pictures can be reproduced as large prints that are suitable for framing. Add a touch of Texas to your conference room or reception area with scenic landscape photographs of the Lone Star State.

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Texas Landscape Photography - Hill Country Pictures ...

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Lisa Chinn

Lisa Chinn developed her research skills while working at a research university library. She writes for various publications, specializing in gardening, home care, wellness, copywriting, style and travel. Chinn also designs marketing materials, holds a Bachelor of Science in psychology and is working toward a PhD in developmental science.

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Terraced hill landscapes provide flat surfaces for plants to grow on in hilly areas. They help the gardener maximize usable space and prevent excessive runoff. Less runoff also prevents erosion and helps with water infiltration, which means terraced land needs less irrigation and loses less soil. Most gardeners use wood to create terrace edges, although some use bricks, rocks or concrete.

Measure the rise of the hill to determine how many terraces you will build. On moderately sloped hills, each terrace should be about 2 feet tall. A 10-foot-tall slope will need five terraces. If the hill is incredibly steep, the terraces can be taller than 2 feet to eliminate the need for as many levels. Very gradual slopes can have shorter terraces.

Measure the run of the hill to determine the length of the terraces. The horizontal distance from the base of the hill to the point beneath the center of the hill, also called "the run," will determine the length of the sides of each terrace. For example, consider a hill with a 10-foot rise and 20-foot run. If the hill is going to have five 2-foot tall terraces, each of the five terraces will have to have 4-foot-long sides to span the 20-foot run of the hill.

Measure the width of the hill to decide how wide to make each terrace. Many terraced gardens have terraces that are all the same width. However, some have terraces that get smaller toward the top of a hill if the garden is on a hill that gets smaller toward the top. Some terraces might also be less wide to avoid a tree or another structure in the yard.

Buy or cut timber to use for the walls of the terraces. Each terrace needs one piece of timber across its front and two side pieces. The pieces need to be about 1 1/2 to 2 times as wide as the height of the terraces, so that one edge of the timber can rest underground for stability.

Dig a trench along the bottom of the hill to place the first terrace support wall inside of. Make sure the trench is wide enough so that the timber fits inside it. The trench should be about one-half to one times as deep as the height of the terrace. Dig the trench so that the timber sticks up to the correct terrace height when placed in the trench.

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How to Terrace a Hill Landscape | eHow

Tucked into a hillside between boulders and camouflaged with stone hues and a green roof, this home on San Juan Island in Washington State almost seems to disappear into the landscape from certain angles. A wall of windows provides expansive views of the scenery, with operable glass panels providing access to an outdoor terrace.

Olson Kunding Architects cut out portions of the existing rock at the building site to insert the residence, fitting it in like a puzzle piece and leaving the excavation marks from drills and blasts visible on the stonework of the house.

The rock remains a major architectural feature of the interior, and some rooms have raw walls and ceilings, giving them a cave-like feel. The interior and exterior fireplaces are carved from the stone, and even the sink in the master bathroom consists of a series of hollowed-out basins.

All of this, along with the location in the Salish Sea between Washignton and British Columbia, give the home the atmosphere of a secret lair.

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Camouflaged Concrete: Hill House Blends Into Landscape ...

Bush hog Land Clearing 1
RPR Tree Service and Land Clearing.

By: RPR Tree Service

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Bush hog Land Clearing 1 - Video

LIKE our homes, we need to clear the land, which was once covered by bushes or even a jungle to make way for a place to provide us shelter, but most of us would never leave half-used building materials lying around our new home.

Or, wait for the weeds to grow back and cover our lawns.

Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had said men needed space to live and this always led to land clearing, but men can always replant trees in our homes to replace what we have cleared.

Imagine the booming world population and the amount of land cleared to make way for human space alongside the amount of pollution that follows suit if the need for human space goes unchecked.

Over the past 20 years, Malaysia has doubled its population, from 13 million to 26 million. Imagine the world and all the land that needs to be cleared for living space.

During his keynote address at the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) Asia Pacific Congress 2014 in Kuching recently, Dr Mahathir said we could still make a difference, despite all that land clearing, by planting gardens for our home landscapes.

"Everyone wants a comfortable place to stay rather than a barren desert. This is where we could spend some time to replace the cleared trees with beautiful landscapes in our homes.

"We can always plant bushes and plants in a kind of haphazard way without any idea of beauty.

"But if you want to live in a good and attractive place, you will begin to think of how to plant these bushes and trees.

"Landscape ideas will emerge because we want to live in a good environment, which later will also become part of our culture," said Dr Mahathir, who played a role in the field of landscape architecture, with the formation of the National Landscape Department, initiated National Landscape Day and National Tree Planting Campaign.

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Restoring the beauty of our forests