james.cissy

the 800sqm building's functions are divided into large perpendicular volumes that balance on top of each-other.

The post planalto house by FC studio balances perpendicular volumes appeared first on designboom.

Thanks “guest” for the suggestion!

Wondering how AOL's RSS client will rank as a Google Reader replacement? Today's the day we find out, as the access doors to the AOL Reader beta have officially swung open. Feedly's been killing it for some weeks, and Digg's freemium setup is two days away -- but we couldn't resist getting an early taste of what our parent company (Disclaimer alert!) is cooking. Join us past the break where we've spilled all the details about this latest entrant in the field of feed readers.

Filed under: Internet, Software

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This contemporary tropical house, designed Nico van der Meulen Architects sits on the periphery of a popular golf course in Johannesburg, South Africa. Conceived for a family seeking modern amenities, the building interior tempers natural elements of rock and wood, against man-made materials of glass and steel.

Here are two buildings designed by Benthem Crouwel Architects and photographed by Ken Lee.

Kulturbau Forum Confluentes (2013) in Koblenz, Germany:










Fletcher Hotel (2013) in Amsterdam:










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Over at World-Architects is an eMagazine Insight feature I just wrapped up, compiling some sketches after combing through the W-A profiles: "Hand Drawing in the Age of Computers."


[Photo: John Hill/World-Architects]

The intro:

Inspired by a recent Alvaro Siza lecture, in which the architect traced the design process of one of his buildings through a myriad of ever-more-refined sketches, we've combed through the profiles on World-Architects to find sketches and other hand drawings—not an easy feat, considering the ubiquity of CAD drawings, computer renderings, and photographs for documenting projects. Nevertheless we've compiled a rich sampling of drawings to illustrate the value—even necessity—of hand drawings in the age of computers.

Burglars of the future beware: the age of the smart lock is coming. There's no shortage of entries into the space these days -- in fact, it was just under a week ago that we spotted the lovely Yves Behar-designed August lock. Goji's (whoever heard of a company named after a fruit?) got a pretty nice looking lock of its own, one it's hoping to bring to the market with help from a $120,000 Indiegogo goal. Like August, Goji's got a sleek disk design. In the place of the green and red dots, however, you'll find blue text that greets the user by name. The lock features bank-level encryption and will send pictures of people as they enter in through the door for added security. You can unlock it using your smartphone and can send people digital keys with your mobile device. Goji's expected to hit around December for $278 -- though you can get in a bit cheaper through the aforementioned crowdfunding campaign.

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Via: GigaOm

Source: Indiegogo, Goji

The US military's dabbled with full-on robotic suits in the past, but it's now looking at a less convoluted, more energy-efficient approach. A project called Warrior Web from DARPA aims to enhance soldier carrying capacity and minimize injuries by distributing loads better, providing better joint support and "reapply(ing) energy to enhance motion." Such a suit would be equipped with sensors to detect forces, and be able to fit beneath existing uniforms while consuming only 100W of juice. The US Army has nearly completed five months of prototype testing using a multi-camera motion capture system (see the video after the break) to develop critical tech. The next step will be to design and fabricate a suit ready for real-world testing, which should happen in the fall -- assuming the program keeps its footing.

Filed under: Wearables, Science

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Source: DARPA

Whatever value you see in game development schools, it's clear that few of them tout gaming industry veterans who can lead by example. The University of Texas' upcoming Denius-Sams Gaming Academy could solve this discrepancy by tapping two executives whose work many of us know by heart. Both legendary designer Warren Spector and Blizzard COO Paul Sams will guide (and sometimes teach) year-long post-baccalaureate certificate programs at the Academy that focus on creative leadership and game company management -- yes, that means instruction from gurus behind the Deus Ex and Warcraft franchises, among other classics. The programs will also emphasize that all-important ability to finish a game, rather than mastering skills in isolation. The first students join the Academy's ranks in fall 2014, although they'll need to be exceptional to stand a chance of getting in -- just 20 spots will be open in the first year.

[Image credits: Nightscream, Wikipedia; Rob Fahey, Flickr]

Filed under: Gaming, Software, Alt

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Source: University of Texas at Austin

Yesterday I stopped by Leslie Feely Fine Art on Manhattan's Upper East Side to check out the exhibition Frank Gehry At Work, on display until June 29. The exhibition collects about 30 process models, some for buildings that were completed, others as studies for projects never realized. Below are some of my photos and impressions.



Given the focus on Gehry "at work," the models range from messy to really messy—tape and hot glue are evident where needed to hold the metal, plastic, paper, wood, and even cloth into Gehry's distinctive forms. Easily my favorite piece is the one done in lead (below photo); even though it is undeniably Gehry, the fact it is made from one sheet of lead and is self supporting (no wood armature like the model above) brings it closer to a piece of art than the others.





Some of the models are more like presentation models than process models, such as these above and below. Yet as a close-up of the above photo reveals, globs of hot glue are still evident, as if capturing the forms in whatever means necessary is more important than craft. Another model I like seeing is a fairly well developed model of the IAC Headquarters near the High Line, accompanied by a photo of the completed building. In particular it's the entrance canopy in the lower-left corner that interests me, for I've always felt that the entrance and relationship of the building to the surrounding sidewalks is one of the weakest parts of the design (if not his whole oeuvre). But this small gesture, if realized (the entrance is on the north, or right side of the model), would have shifted the center of gravity and sidewalk presence of the building most dramatically.





Gehry's paper model for Beekman Tower (what was later named 8 Spruce Street then "New York by Gehry") is also interesting, for it shows much more variation happening from floor to floor, rather than the subtle shifts that happen at the perimeter of the completed building. Obviously this earlier iteration is much more expensive than what was built (remember, one full elevation of the tower is completely flat), but it's good to see Gehry working out what a tower could and should be.

It's not the first time that Kwikset's dabbled in wireless locks, but today the company's introducing Kēvo, a smartphone- (and tablet-) friendly lock powered by UniKey. The concept is pretty simple: pair a handset (running a special app) with Kēvo via Bluetooth, and simply touch the deadbolt to lock or unlock your door. A keychain fob is also available for those who have not yet joined the smartphone revolution. Kēvo only responds to touch when an authorized device or fob is detected nearby. A triple tap lets anyone lock your door, which is useful if a visitor leaves after you. The deadbolt is battery-powered using four AA cells that last more than a year with normal operation. It features a ring of RGB LEDs for feedback and a standard physical key for backup.

Most of the magic is made possible by tech developed by UniKey. The key (natch) to the entire system is the Kēvo app which lets you manage eKeys. Once logged into the app, you can send and delete eKeys, or transfer them to another device (this also deletes the eKeys associated with a lost handset, for example) -- you can even create eKeys that only work once. Currently, the app is only available for iOS, which is a major limitation, but it supports push, email and SMS notifications and keeps a detailed log of which eKeys have accessed Kēvo and when. Pricing and availability remain a mystery, but all in all the system looks pretty clever. Stay tuned for more details, and check out the link below.

Filed under: Cellphones, Household, Tablets, Wireless, Software, Mobile, Apple

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Source: Kwikset

IN HIS 1991 book "Los Angeles: Capital of the Third World," David Rieff writes of the trembling racial sensibilities of the city's rich whites:

So sensitive were liberal Angelenos to the possibility of appearing xenophobic that they almost invariably used the term "undocumented worker" rather than "illegal alien," which made contravention of the immigration law sound like some trivial problem of paperwork rather than, for better or worse, a breach of the laws of the United States.

A couple of decades later the linguistic tastes of LA's Westside have conquered swathes of America's media. A big victory came this week when the Associated Press decided to ditch the term "illegal immigrant" from its stylebook. AP journalists should instead refer to people who are "living in a country illegally" or who "entered the country without permission". ("Undocumented" is also rejected, on the grounds of imprecision.) Thanks partly to the shrinking of American newsrooms, AP stories appear widely in newspapers, and many adopt AP's style guide for their own stories. "The dominoes will start falling" at other publications, said one campaigner. Expect "people who are living in the country illegally" to be coming to a newsstand near you soon.

The Economist's style guide contains no such directives. Over the years we have tended to stick with "illegal immigrant", although on occasion we have simply referred to "illegals", a word many find offensively reductive (my colleague explored the distinction in more detail a couple of years ago). The phrase "illegal immigrant" has the virtues of concision, clarity and familiarity, although not necessarily precision: it does not distinguish between someone who has crossed the border illegally, someone who has overstayed a visa, a worker violating the terms of his visa arrangements, etc.

But the real objection to "illegal immigrant" is not far off the objection to "illegals": that it reduces well-rounded human beings to avatars of lawlessness. The word "illegal," according to AP's executive editor, should be used to describe only actions, not people. This is more or less what the campaigners pushing for this change have argued all along, as this short Slate piece explains. Describing someone as "living in a country illegally" may use up more of a journalist's word count, but it leaves space for that person's humanity and character.

The discussion over what campaigners call the "I-word" comes, of course, as Congress begins a much larger debate: over how to construct path-to-citizenship (or at least path-to-legalisation) rules that mean for most illegal immigrants in America "illegal" will be rendered not only impolite but incorrect. The timing is not coincidental: it is an expression of the growing political clout of America's Latinos, at the ballot box, inside the academy and elsewhere. After AP's decision this week, a contributor to an e-mail discussion group for Latino political scientists referred to "a multi sector national, online and offline campaign to finish the job". 

The biggest prize, however, awaits. As recently as last October Margaret Sullivan, the New York Times's public editor, said that banning the term "illegal immigrants" would not serve readers well. Now the newspaper appears to be softening its stance. "Undocumented", which the paper has previously considered euphemistic, may be allowed, and other terms will be "encouraged", says Ms Sullivan (who has no decision-making role on style matters). The style gurus are expected to issue a verdict shortly.

This line of thinking is not to everyone's taste. After AP's declaration William Gheen, the president of an anti-immigration pressure group, Americans for Legal Immigration, said the group would adopt the term "illegal invaders" in response to what he called "political correctness on steroids". But as with the debate on immigration reform, the debate seems to be moving away from the likes of Mr Gheen. This morning the Los Angeles Times, which in darker times once referred to local Mexican workers as "ignorant peons", said it too was reconsidering its policy on "illegal immigrant". The long march of Santa Monica liberals is nearly complete.

organized by a four storey helical ramp and atrium, the library seeks to mediate the role of the central library as both a community promenade and intellectual archive for individual study.

The post preston scott cohen: datong library under construction in china appeared first on designboom.

the facade of a cultural centre has been transformed into a 3,000 sqm screen where users can play pac-man, tetris and space invaders using iPads.

The post world’s largest interactive arcade in sao paulo appeared first on designboom.

The latest creation from MB&F isn't something you wear on your wrist and it won't tell you the time either. Instead, Max Büsser has teamed up with Swiss music box maker Reuge to bring you the MusicMachine. This singing spaceship is a superlative table-top music box designed by MB&F and expertly crafted by Reuge. We have exclusive video of the MusicMachine in action and an in-depth explanation from Mr. Max Büsser himself.

Let's start with the basics. The MusicMachine is a music box that plays a total of six melodies, three on each barrel. One plays Star Wars, the Imperial March from Return of the Jedi, and the theme from Star Trek, while the other plays Smoke On The Water by Deep Purple, Another Brick In The Wall by Pink Floyd, and Imagine by John Lennon. The former piston represents classic sci-fi themes, while the latter features the three songs most important to Büsser during the first 20 years of his life. 

Each melody lasts approximately 35 seconds, during which the barrel makes one full rotation, with the pins on the barrel plucking out the song on the tuned comb. To set up the next melody, the barrel then shifts slightly down its long axis, realigning the pins to pluck out a different melody. This is music made entirely mechanically and when the melodies play you can't help but smile. 

Music boxes have a lot in common with watches, mechanically speaking, including power barrels, gear trains, and finishing, and you can really see MB&F in the details of these components on the MusicMachine. The barrels looks like pistons and are topped with propellor-shaped winders, the music cylinders are the ship's engines, and the lacquered wood body and aluminum landing gear optimize resonance so you can really hear the melodies. Reuge even had to devise a way to make the two independent mechanisms mirror images of one another so that the MusicMachine would be perfectly symmetrical instead of having both barrel units facing the same direction. 

Also, just as with watches, there are all kinds of little touches and special components that both look good and ensure the MusicMachine functions at the highest level. For example, the spinning dishes you see on either side of the barrels are actually regulators that create the proper amount of resistance as the power barrels unwind to keep the cylinders turning at the proper pace.

And those brass cylinders themselves are far more complicated than they appear. Each of the 1400 or so pins is hand cut, shaped, and polished to play the proper note at the proper time, and eventually the entire cylinder is filled with a specially hardened resin to ensure stability and solidity over time.

Finally, the combs, on which the cylinders play out the melody, must be carefully tuned both by machine and by ear. The individual teeth are variously stripped of material and layered with lead to achieve the proper density and heft to produce the proper note - the deeper notes require more material and small, transparent dampening feathers behind them to keep them resonating properly. Each comb can produce 72 unique notes to suit whatever melody it is designed to play.

Just in case you're not already familiar with Reuge, the brand has been making music boxes of the very highest quality for almost a century and a half using the techniques described above. Based in Sainte-Croix, Switzerland, Reuge produces a range of mechanical music boxes ranging from the staunchly traditional to the decidedly avant-garde. We highly recommend you visit Reuge's website to see more of the brand's work.

Only 66 MusicMachines will be produced, 33 each in black lacquer and white lacquer. Both colors will be priced at 12,300 CHF and will be available through the same retailers as MB&F's watches. Check out MB&F for more details.

Gallery

the images capture a unique aerial perspective of 'concurs de castells', the historical human tower competition.

The post concurs de castells – human tower competition photographs by david oliete appeared first on designboom.

Dr. Howard Torman lives an extraordinary life and enjoys extraordinary watches. A medical doctor, test pilot, and former CBS News national medical correspondent, Dr. Torman was involved in the development of the Omega X-33 watch, alongside NASA. In 1997, Dr. Torman, the Russian MiG jet he was test piloting, and the X-33 prototype on his wrist went crashing into the Nevada desert - only one of the three emerged almost entirely unscathed. This is their story.

A key point: The recent decline in the participation rate was mostly expected, and most of the decline in the participation rate was due to changing demographics (and long term trends), as opposed to economic weakness.

A few key long terms trends include:
• A decline in participation for those in the 16 to 24 age groups. This is mostly due to higher enrollment rate in school (see the graph at Get the Lead Out Update). This is great news for the future and is directly related to removing lead from the environment (see from Brad Plumer at the WaPo: Study: Getting rid of lead does wonders for school performance)

• There is a general long term trend of declining participation for those in the key working years (25 to 54). See the second graph below.

• There has been an increase in participation among older age groups. This is probably a combination of financial need (not good news) and many workers staying healthy or engaged in less strenuous jobs. 

Of course, even though the participation rate is increasing for older age groups, there are more people moving into those groups so the overall participation rate falls. 

As an example, the participation rate for those in the "55 to 59" group has increased from 71.8% ten years ago, to 73.4% now.  And the participation rate for those in the "60 to 64" age group has increased from 50.1% to 55% now.  But even though the participation rate for each age group is increasing, when people move from the "55 to 59" age group to the "60 to 64" group, their participation rate falls (from 73.4% to 55%).  And right now a large cohort is moving into these older age groups, and this is pushing down the overall participation rate.

Here is an update to a few graphs I've posted before. Tracking the participation rate for various age groups monthly is a little like watching grass grow, but the trends are important.

Click on graph for larger image.

Here is a repeat of the graph I posted Friday showing the participation rate and employment-to-population ratio.

The Labor Force Participation Rate decreased to 63.3% in March (blue line). This is the percentage of the working age population in the labor force.

Here is a look at some of the long term trends (updating graphs through March 2013):

This graph shows the changes in the participation rates for men and women since 1960 (in the 25 to 54 age group - the prime working years).

The participation rate for women increased significantly from the mid 30s to the mid 70s and has mostly flattened out.  The participation rate for women in March was 73.9% (the lowest level since the early '90s).

The participation rate for men decreased from the high 90s decades ago, to 88.5% in March.

This is just above the lowest level recorded for prime working age men.   This declining participation is a long term trend.

This graph shows that participation rates for several key age groups.

There are a few key long term trends:
• The participation rate for the '16 to 19' age group has been falling for some time (red).

• The participation rate for the 'over 55' age group has been rising since the mid '90s (purple), although this has stalled out a little recently.

• The participation rate for the '20 to 24' age group fell recently too (more education before joining the labor force).  This appears to have stabilized.

 This graph shows the participation rate for several over 55 age groups. The red line is the '55 and over' total seasonally adjusted. All of the other age groups are Not Seasonally Adjusted (NSA).

The participation rate is generally trending up for all older age groups.

The increase in participation of older cohorts might push up the '55 and over' participation rate over the next few years, however eventually the 'over 55' participation rate will start to decline as the oldest baby boomers move into even older age groups.

The key point is most of the decline in the participation rate was expected. For much more, see: Understanding the Decline in the Participation Rate and Update: Further Discussion on Labor Force Participation Rate.

Scientists working together from Japanese and American universities may have made a pretty large leap in restoring neural function for those with non-paralyzing spinal cord injuries. The researchers applied a "novel artificial neuron connection" over lesions in the spinal cord of a partially paralyzed monkey, partially restoring its arm / brain circuit and allowing greater hand control purely by brainpower. The team also created a reverse circuit where muscle activity from the arm stimulated the spinal cord, reinforcing the signals and "boosting ongoing activity in the muscle." There's no word on whether it would help those with full paralysis, though for lesser "paretic" damage, "this might even have a better chance of becoming a real prosthetic treatment rather than the sort of robotic devices that have been developed recently," according to the team. See the source and More Coverage links for more.

Filed under: Science

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Source: National Institute for Physiological Sciences

Tori Kelly - P.Y.T. Cover - 2013 SXSW Spotify House

HOME New Zealand magazine's Home of the Year 2013 is located on a picturesque headland on Waiheke Island, near Auckland was designed by Stevens Lawson Architects

A soggy fry is a sad fry. In fact, it probably shouldn't even be called a "fry." Make sure the next time you cook a batch they're crispy—really crispy. The pros at Stack Exchange tell you how. More »

[Henri Labrouste. Bibliothèque nationale, Paris. 1854–75. View of the reading room. © Georges Fessy]

About a week ago I visited the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) to check out the exhibition Henri Labrouste: Structure Brought to Light, on display in the third floor's special exhibition's gallery until June 24, 2013. The exhibition has received a good deal of attention since it opened in early March, most notably by Michael Kimmelman at the New York Times. Below are some photos I took and some of my impressions on the show, though readers in need of a bit more depth on the exhibition should read Kimmelman's piece.


[Photos by John Hill, unless noted otherwise]

MoMA bills the show as "the first solo exhibition of Labrouste’s work in the United States." It took long enough, considering that Labrouste died in 1875. It's not for lack of importance or influence, since the architect's two main projects (really, what he is only known for by most)—the Bibliothèque Ste.-Geneviève and the Bibliothèque Nationale, both in Paris—were seen as precursors of 20th-century modernism by the likes of Sigfried Giedion in MoMA's early days.



The exhibition is curated by MoMA's Barry Bergdoll, with Corinne Bélier of the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine and Marc Le Coeur of the Bibliothèque Nationale, where it was first displayed. Given its location in the third floor galleries, the first impression of the show is not a positive one—visitors must traverse a narrow, linear (and often crowded) gallery that leads to the larger spaces beyond. This first section (above) is being given extra weight by Bergdoll, through his assertion that Labrouste's early restoration studies of Paestum, Italy, "shook up academic dogma," as he says in the exhibition catalog. The many drawings (and Labrouste's drawing instruments, a nice treat) in the corridor are worth beholding, but they create an arterial clog of sorts in the exhibition that is not relieved until moving through the glass doors at the other end. (The photo of the corridor, above, was taken on my way out, in a slow moment.)



While the beautiful photos of the two libraries (on top of this post and below my exhibition photos) are the primary means by which the exhibition is being shared in the media, the show is predominantly drawings and a few models. The drawings—many of them watercolors—are astounding, illustrating Labrouste's skill as a delineator but also his thorough working out of details, from stone decoration to structural ironwork to the insertion of modern services into the library. And one of the show's main statements is that Labrouste is an early Modern (with a capital M) architect, due to his use of modern materials (iron, concrete) and systems and the way in which his libraries defined the modern institution.



The framing of Labrouste as an early modern architect doesn't necessarily come to the fore in the first of the larger exhibition spaces, pictured above. Drawings are displayed on retro, pseudo-drafting tables. The legs made of wood spheres are a bit goofy, but the surfaces make for comfortable viewing of drawings and even videos (visible in the foreground of the photo above). The post-modern nature of the tables comes across in the fact that many of the drawings do not rest on the rails at the bottom of each table; they are mounted above.



Some more historical allusions come in the portal at the beginning of the exhibition and another in a wall separating two of the larger galleries; one side shows his libraries and the other side displays projects of successors influenced by Labrouste. The photo above is looking toward the latter, as if the stacks (the same sort of structural system used at the New York Public Library that Norman Foster and NYPL want to remove) are the most modern aspect of Labrouste's libraries.


[Model of Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève]

To be honest, I always have a hard time keeping the Bibliothèque Ste.-Geneviève and the Bibliothèque Nationale straight. Their designs are quite different, even though they are both grand spaces structured in iron and light—one is a long vaulted space and one is made up of a series of skylit vaults. But remembering which is which has always been hard for me, though don't ask me why. The exhibition will help refresh my learning from undergrad, but of course the value of the show goes well beyond something like this.


[Model of Bibliothèque Nationale]

When I visited MoMA to see the exhibition I ran into a couple professors from my alma mater, Kansas State University. They were part of a school trip that took third-year students from the Little Apple to the Big Apple; many of their students were taking in the Labrouste exhibition as we spoke. In hindsight the exhibition is perfect for students: It illustrates a sort of "everything is contemporary at some time" aspect to Labrouste's architecture, while also driving home the importance of hand drawing in conveying ideas and exploring design and construction. The latter may be an increasingly archaic notion, but divorcing hand drawing from architecture doesn't seem right to me.


[Model of Bibliothèque Nationale]

The models are also valuable artifacts for students to see. Sure, they were made much later than Labrouste's drawings, but they do an excellent job of showing the various conditions (structure, services, systems) that are behind and below the surfaces that have rightfully attracted so much attention over the years.

For those really interested in Labrouste's libraries, MoMA is hosting (with Columbia GSAPP) a symposium on Thursday: Read: Revisiting Labrouste in the Digital Age. Participants include Barry Bergdoll, Alberto Kalach, Dominique Perrault, Anthony Vidler, and many others.


[Henri Labrouste. Bibliothèque nationale, Paris. 1854–75. View of the reading room. © Georges Fessy]


[Henri Labrouste. Bibliothèque nationale, Paris. 1854–75. View of the reading room. © Georges Fessy]



[Henri Labrouste. Bibliothèque nationale, Paris. 1854–75. View of the reading room. © Georges Fessy]


[Henri Labrouste. Bibliothèque nationale, Paris. 1854–75. View of the reading room. © Georges Fessy]


[Henri Labrouste (French, 1801-1875). Imaginary reconstruction of an ancient city. Perspective view. Date unknown. Graphite, pen, ink and watercolor on paper. Académie d’Architecture, Paris]


[Henri Labrouste (1801-1875). Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève, Paris, 1838-1850. Southwest corner: elevation and section. Late 1850. Pen, ink, graphite, wash and watercolor on paper. Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève, Paris]