It is not always that we have the opportunity to see how Mc Mansions are not the only way to enjoy our lives at home. Here are some examples of how living in much smaller spaces might not be so bad (at least for a weekend).
Could You Live In A 161-Square-Foot House? Tech + Design: Details.com
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Friday, December 9, 2011
10 Secrets toTransform Your Home During The Holidays
1. Not just green and red anymore: Green and red are the traditional colors of the holiday season. After seeing it in almost everything and everywhere during this time of the year, the two colors become kind of dull and unimaginative. Instead, make your home more sophisticated by using deep forest greens, rich burgundies, and dark cranberry colors. Use only one color throughout or use two or three main colors.
2. Some golden touches: Use metallic accent colors like silver, gold, and coppers to spark up the spaces. Accessories are perfect to use with these colors. Incorporate the metallic colors in your choices of lamps, napkin rings, planters, and candles. Email to me at info@LaneArchitecture.net if you would like to learn more about where you can buy one table lamp and get one free.
3. Setting your table: Create an elegant table setting with a new table cloth or table linens with these rich new seasonal colors. Place settings and plates could be a solid color while using a patterned fabric for your napkins.
4. Accent pieces: Use your selected shades of the seasonal colors and accent colors with pillows, throws, vases, and decorative bowls filled with interesting color matching items.
5. Liven up the guest’s powder room: The powder room will be seen by your guests, so don’t overlook it. Bring life to this often dark cubby with artificial plants that look great and don’t require a green thumb.
6. Swap decorations with family members: Trade decorations with family members who cannot travel the distance to your home during this holiday. Having a small dear piece from their home will help you sense their presence and you will be sharing yourself with others far away.
7. Decorate with heirlooms: Allow the memory elderly family members that passed away to touch the hearts of your family during this wonderful time of the holidays by using their costume jewelry as part of the decoration on the tree or as part of the table setting. This is a much better use of those sentimental items than to leave them as forgotten items stored away in a box somewhere.
8. Create interest with an area rug: Painting walls will immediately transform your home faster than any other decorating tip. But, let’s face it, our holiday season is packed with enough “to-do’s” and we don’t need the extra stress of clearing out a room, repainting it, and then redressing it again. Instead, select an inexpensive 5 ft. x 8 ft. area rug. You will be surprised to find how quickly it will add color and life into your old worn out living room.
9. Get new bedding sets: What is the biggest item in your bedrooms? It is probably the bed. The bedding on tops of your beds are the largest things that people will notice when they enter your bedrooms. So, pick a comforter set with matching pillows that will make your beds an eye pleasing focal point.
10. Toy with this idea: Toys can be great decorative accents for the holiday season that bring back pleasurable childhood memories.
Special Offer for Homeowners
If you are a homeowner then you will benefit from a checklist that is one of several free bonus gifts for signing up for our complementary e-zine titled, "My Designed Home." All you need to do is fill out the form to the right or go to The Designed Home website
Click on the "ReTweet" button below and follow me on twitter. I am LaneArch there.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
October brings some tricks to use in your home
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My younger son became a big close up magic trick enthusiast earlier this year. He was mainly learning card tricks and has a YouTube channel where he performs and teaches others what he learned. This YouTube channel has a growing list of subscribers. Some of his videos have attracted over a thousand viewers. I guess he is not alone with his interest in magic.
Earlier this year for his birthday present to him, I took him – along with my older son – to a magic convention, to Manhattan to view the Houdini exhibit, and to a magic shop that even the professional magicians love to hang around.
While at the magic convention, my son interviewed another magician who was planning his own magic convention and gave my son VIP tickets for promoting his event on YouTube. Two of the key magicians at this more recent magic event are world famous. My son interviewed both and will share what he learned in a future YouTube episode.*
Why am I sharing this with you?
Magic is all about perception. So is the design of our homes. There are techniques that we can use to help us feel more comfortable, make small spaces seem larger than they are, to reflect our own personalities and much more.
As my son was able to learn the secrets that made these famous magicians successful, so will this newsletter and the ones to follow share secrets to design a home that will better enhance your own lifestyle. Let’s look at three tricks that you can do this month to treat you and your family.
1. Create a special bedroom for your kids.
I met a wonderful mom with her precious young daughter in the store the other day. They were shopping for a new bed for the little girl. She was growing out of the baby furniture and the girl needed a bed. The little girl was such a sweet young lady. A real princess. They selected the Alyn upholstered bed. The cutest thing happened, when they were leaving, I offered a tape measure to the little girl. Holding it stretched out in front of her, I urged her to accept my gift. Instead of grabbing the tape, she just walked into it. Her mom explained that she misunderstood me and thought that I was going to measure her for her next princess dress.
2. Add dramatic lighting for the upcoming Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving dinner is filled with food, family, and fun. A lady that I helped select a new dining table told me about how she feeds at least 75 family members on Thanksgiving. There is a dining table that is new to our showroom that has crackled glass surrounded by a wooden top. While this table will not seat 75 people – heck, King Arthur’s round table is even too small for that many people – she intends to use it for a service table for the holidays and a dining table for the rest of the year. Here is a cool trick that she taught me, put a battery powered fluorescent light underneath the table and allow it to shine upward through the crackled glass “window” in the wooden top. This light will cast cool designs upward on the ceiling. How’s that for a dramatic center piece for a Thanksgiving meal to remember?
3. Create a private place for you.
During the rush of the school week, Halloween howls, and with the upcoming holidays creeping up, we all need time to relax and get our thoughts together. Find a place to meditate and read like another customer of mine who meditates before starting her days and during the evening. She needed a special place made just for her. You don’t need to spend all that money to remodel a private room or a man cave, just do what she did… Choose a chaise that you can escape to. The chaise acts as a perfect accent to a study, bedroom, or to a living room. A word of caution though, you might have others who will want to use the chaise when you do.
*By the way, if you would like to see my son’s YouTube channel, check it out at http://www.youtube.com/user/MrMagic204 . The two internationally famous magicians that my son interviewed are Dr. Lennart Green (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_oa8m5Oq00) who is known to be the master of misdirection and Wayne Houchin (http://www.waynehouchin.com) whose magic seems to appear supernatural.
My younger son became a big close up magic trick enthusiast earlier this year. He was mainly learning card tricks and has a YouTube channel where he performs and teaches others what he learned. This YouTube channel has a growing list of subscribers. Some of his videos have attracted over a thousand viewers. I guess he is not alone with his interest in magic.
Earlier this year for his birthday present to him, I took him – along with my older son – to a magic convention, to Manhattan to view the Houdini exhibit, and to a magic shop that even the professional magicians love to hang around.
While at the magic convention, my son interviewed another magician who was planning his own magic convention and gave my son VIP tickets for promoting his event on YouTube. Two of the key magicians at this more recent magic event are world famous. My son interviewed both and will share what he learned in a future YouTube episode.*
Why am I sharing this with you?
Magic is all about perception. So is the design of our homes. There are techniques that we can use to help us feel more comfortable, make small spaces seem larger than they are, to reflect our own personalities and much more.
As my son was able to learn the secrets that made these famous magicians successful, so will this newsletter and the ones to follow share secrets to design a home that will better enhance your own lifestyle. Let’s look at three tricks that you can do this month to treat you and your family.
1. Create a special bedroom for your kids.
I met a wonderful mom with her precious young daughter in the store the other day. They were shopping for a new bed for the little girl. She was growing out of the baby furniture and the girl needed a bed. The little girl was such a sweet young lady. A real princess. They selected the Alyn upholstered bed. The cutest thing happened, when they were leaving, I offered a tape measure to the little girl. Holding it stretched out in front of her, I urged her to accept my gift. Instead of grabbing the tape, she just walked into it. Her mom explained that she misunderstood me and thought that I was going to measure her for her next princess dress.
2. Add dramatic lighting for the upcoming Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving dinner is filled with food, family, and fun. A lady that I helped select a new dining table told me about how she feeds at least 75 family members on Thanksgiving. There is a dining table that is new to our showroom that has crackled glass surrounded by a wooden top. While this table will not seat 75 people – heck, King Arthur’s round table is even too small for that many people – she intends to use it for a service table for the holidays and a dining table for the rest of the year. Here is a cool trick that she taught me, put a battery powered fluorescent light underneath the table and allow it to shine upward through the crackled glass “window” in the wooden top. This light will cast cool designs upward on the ceiling. How’s that for a dramatic center piece for a Thanksgiving meal to remember?
3. Create a private place for you.
During the rush of the school week, Halloween howls, and with the upcoming holidays creeping up, we all need time to relax and get our thoughts together. Find a place to meditate and read like another customer of mine who meditates before starting her days and during the evening. She needed a special place made just for her. You don’t need to spend all that money to remodel a private room or a man cave, just do what she did… Choose a chaise that you can escape to. The chaise acts as a perfect accent to a study, bedroom, or to a living room. A word of caution though, you might have others who will want to use the chaise when you do.
*By the way, if you would like to see my son’s YouTube channel, check it out at http://www.youtube.com/user/MrMagic204 . The two internationally famous magicians that my son interviewed are Dr. Lennart Green (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_oa8m5Oq00) who is known to be the master of misdirection and Wayne Houchin (http://www.waynehouchin.com) whose magic seems to appear supernatural.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
How to save on your commercial utility bill
Check out my latest podcast that shares ways you can put more cash into your pockets while saving on your business' utility bills. Listen to my intereview with an expert in the commercial real estate energy profession and learn what you need to do right now to increase your bottom line at
Click here to hear how you can keep cash in your pocket while paying your business' utility bills
Click here to hear how you can keep cash in your pocket while paying your business' utility bills
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Did You Know that Doodles are a Sign of Intelligence?
One of the brightest people that I have ever met was John Morrison. John was an architect and a professional engineer. He was a chain smoking Camel (non-filtered), down to earth, practical, Texan to the core, and brilliant man.
He was my 2nd boss out of college.
If you are also named "John", on my LinkedIn list, an architect, and past partner of this truly unique person, then you know who I am writing about.
I don't know if John Morrison is still alive. I hope so. But, it is possible that the Camels finally stampeded over his ability to dodge the inevitable. Like John, I also have double who has my name and is a professional wrestler. But I digress...
John was always doodling. He would doodle when he was listening intently to a conversation in person or on the phone. Sheets and sheets of paper were filled with his doodles. I only wish that I pocketed at least one to show you. Each on looked similar to the other. They all had thin lines drawn in curves that radiated out from themselves in various concentric fashion. I often wished to know what was going on in his mind while his hand was steadily etching out the next episode of his concurrent swivels.
No surprise to me, there now has been proof that doodling is a sign of higher intelligence. Check out this video to learn more about how you might also be a genius like my early mentor and doodler was.
Just click here to get your copy of My Designed Home
Click on the "ReTweet" button below and follow me on twitter. I am LaneArch there.
Check it out and let me know of your thoughts on my Facebook Fan page. Please "Like" the FB page while at...Click Here to Comment
He was my 2nd boss out of college.
If you are also named "John", on my LinkedIn list, an architect, and past partner of this truly unique person, then you know who I am writing about.
I don't know if John Morrison is still alive. I hope so. But, it is possible that the Camels finally stampeded over his ability to dodge the inevitable. Like John, I also have double who has my name and is a professional wrestler. But I digress...
John was always doodling. He would doodle when he was listening intently to a conversation in person or on the phone. Sheets and sheets of paper were filled with his doodles. I only wish that I pocketed at least one to show you. Each on looked similar to the other. They all had thin lines drawn in curves that radiated out from themselves in various concentric fashion. I often wished to know what was going on in his mind while his hand was steadily etching out the next episode of his concurrent swivels.
No surprise to me, there now has been proof that doodling is a sign of higher intelligence. Check out this video to learn more about how you might also be a genius like my early mentor and doodler was.
Just click here to get your copy of My Designed Home
Click on the "ReTweet" button below and follow me on twitter. I am LaneArch there.
Check it out and let me know of your thoughts on my Facebook Fan page. Please "Like" the FB page while at...Click Here to Comment
Monday, August 29, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Hurricane Irene aftermath 2
What are you doing with your home to protect it from floods, bugs, and other uninvited threats? I will share tips that you can use in the upcoming home improvement magazine editions.
Just click here to get your copy of My Designed Home
Click on the "ReTweet" button below and follow me on twitter. I am LaneArch there.
Check it out and let me know of your thoughts on my Facebook Fan page. Please "Like" the FB page while at...Click Here to Comment
Hurricane Irene aftermath 1
What are you doing with your home to protect it from floods, bugs, and other uninvited threats? I will share tips that you can use in the upcoming home improvement magazine editions.
Just click here to get your copy of My Designed Home
Click on the "ReTweet" button below and follow me on twitter. I am LaneArch there.
Check it out and let me know of your thoughts on my Facebook Fan page. Please "Like" the FB page while at...Click Here to Comment
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
A quick tour of an historic home
Just click on this link to view how you can earn more money with the office that you are already working in ----> Here is the link to MY Designed Office website
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Check it out and let me know of your thoughts on my Facebook Fan page. Please "Like" the FB page while at...Click Here to Comment
Friday, August 19, 2011
Caught in a Rain Storm Today
Today, I was driving from one place to another while filming several videos for some upcoming campaigns that I will be launching soon. The sun was shining when I started the day but I found myself in a heavy rain storm while about to shoot my last set of videos. Sure am glad that I brought my umbrella.
I found out a bit after shooting this video that the reason I was at an almost stand still on the highway is because the highway was flooding just down the road a bit.
Keep and eye out for announcements of my new videos coming out soon.
Click on the "ReTweet" button below and follow me on twitter. I am LaneArch there.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Jackson Browne Doctor My Eyes - About My Imagination
I am a big fan of Jackson Browne.
Guess one reason is that he has such a raw and poetic way of sharing his feelings. He also has a redemptive spirit by coming out of bad choices of crazy rock and roll lifestyles while still sharing his creation with new reformed spirit.
We all go through stages in life that make us either stronger, or if we choose to not learn from those experiences. They can make us decline - even when we are at a straight line of no improvement or diminish of development.
Imagine how it would be to change the life of others around you with your own interpretation of life around you?
How cool it is to enjoy Jackson's version of an old song with new talent to share their beauty of interpretation.
I met some very impressive people today who are starting their lives together. Their family loves them so much that they wanted to add love in their home with things that I could help them provide. How have you helped others that are important to you?
Let this coming week be filled with all sorts of evidence from your influence to other people. You would be surprised to see how the outcome will turn out. The biggest blessing may be from the benefit that other's receive that you may never know about.
That, is a blessing beyond any comprehension. May you experience that as I have.
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Tuesday, August 9, 2011
How Cities Can be "Pop up Spaces"
The near-by forecast of the world’s population is expected to reach 8 billion people. Using the energy producing technology that is available today, we will be in the same mess ecologically and without enough clean energy as our Federal government has allowed our economy to become in recent days. (Just today, the Dow Jones dropped further than in recent history as the S & P's rating of the US economy dropped to a double AA status and after our President Obama finished his new "Obama Blaming" sequel to all the other blaming speeches that he has given to cover up on why US is in the mess its in while under his presidential command.)
Designing cities for the future growth of our population is not really a new subject, but with the magnified focus upon energy sources and consumption, there are some interesting proposals that could help us prepare for such a surge of energy need.
You will find this video interesting in several ways. Here are two things that intrigued me the most from this video:
1. The word crafting use of catch phrases such as:
• Tent pole density and people-focused places.
• From the dream home to the dream neighborhood.
• Crowd source navigation.
• Pop up Spaces.
• Furnace dumping makes homes cheaper to build… and…
• Pollinator pathways.
2. How similar these “new” city design ideas are to those from Frank Lloyd Wright’s “Broadacre City” (designed in 1932) see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadacre_City , and Paolo Soleri “Arcosanti” (started in 1956) see http://www.arcosanti.org/project/background/soleri/main.html .
Check it out and let me know of your thoughts on my Facebook Fan page. Please "Like" the FB page while at...Click Here to Comment
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Sunday, June 19, 2011
How to use fixed principles to design your world
How can we create architectural design? The same way that we can create music with known phrases as you will see and hear from this video link below. We use architectural referrences that we know will create certain proven perceptions that have been used in the past and apply the same principles with new adaptations to our current spatial needs.
Check out this video that is called "Onyx Ashanti: This is beatjazz"
Check out this video that is called "Onyx Ashanti: This is beatjazz"
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Why Architects are Unemployed
I have recently needed to update my architectural license in NY State. This is a very straight forward thing to do and it requires me to prove to the state board that I have attended at least 36 hours of continued education during the past 36 months.
Today, I received an email from the state board that affirms that I am in good standing. It also reminds me that I have to obtain 36 more continued education credits before the next 36 months come around.
Then, it paraphrases what type of continued education would NOT be acceptable in their eyes. They include:
Risk management, limiting the design professional’s liability, project management related to profitability and maximizing fees, marketing and public relations, insurance, laws related to arbitration, mediation, liens (unless they relate to safeguarding the health, safety, and welfare of the public), real estate, real estate development, expanding a design professional’s business, basic AutoCAD, personal development, general office management, accounting/financial planning, succession planning, zoning as it relates to increasing a developer or architect’s profitability, design build (unless 75% of the course content relates to the laws related to design build in New York State) are not acceptable subjects.
So, generally speaking, I cannot get any continued education credits if I want to learn better ways to make a profit and to protect my income as an architect. Hmmm, perhaps that is why we have so much unemployment in the architectural profession today. It is expected that unemployment of architects is at least 30%. Since the survival of the architectural profession as a business is not a priority, its own "club" (the American Institute of Architects, AIA for short)does not have an accurate count of how many architects are unemployed. Here is an article that discusses this further, http://archrecord.construction.com/news/daily/archives/2010/10/101025real_employment.asp
Perhaps that is why, even in a good economy, architects continue to view themselves as crusaders of good design with great goals of creating a better world but with no earthly idea how they are going to support themselves and their families while exposing themselves to frivolous lawsuits with low compensation.
In spite of the architectural board's point of view of our profession's priorities, I wrote a book that is for not only architects but for everyone that has a business and wants it to prosper. The book shares ways we can use our own offices as an additional marketing tool. It is titled, "The Designed Office." Heck, I might not get any continued education credit for writing this book, but you can get the benefit from the gems shared in the book. Oh well, my loss is your gain (sorry, that's my architect training talking, not my business mind). Never the less, go get your copy at...
Click Here to get your copy at Amazon.com.
Click Here to get your copy at Barnes and Noble.com.
Or, just click on this link and get a lot of cool free gifts at My Designed Office website
Click on the "ReTweet" button below and follow me on twitter. I am LaneArch there.
Today, I received an email from the state board that affirms that I am in good standing. It also reminds me that I have to obtain 36 more continued education credits before the next 36 months come around.
Then, it paraphrases what type of continued education would NOT be acceptable in their eyes. They include:
Risk management, limiting the design professional’s liability, project management related to profitability and maximizing fees, marketing and public relations, insurance, laws related to arbitration, mediation, liens (unless they relate to safeguarding the health, safety, and welfare of the public), real estate, real estate development, expanding a design professional’s business, basic AutoCAD, personal development, general office management, accounting/financial planning, succession planning, zoning as it relates to increasing a developer or architect’s profitability, design build (unless 75% of the course content relates to the laws related to design build in New York State) are not acceptable subjects.
So, generally speaking, I cannot get any continued education credits if I want to learn better ways to make a profit and to protect my income as an architect. Hmmm, perhaps that is why we have so much unemployment in the architectural profession today. It is expected that unemployment of architects is at least 30%. Since the survival of the architectural profession as a business is not a priority, its own "club" (the American Institute of Architects, AIA for short)does not have an accurate count of how many architects are unemployed. Here is an article that discusses this further, http://archrecord.construction.com/news/daily/archives/2010/10/101025real_employment.asp
Perhaps that is why, even in a good economy, architects continue to view themselves as crusaders of good design with great goals of creating a better world but with no earthly idea how they are going to support themselves and their families while exposing themselves to frivolous lawsuits with low compensation.
In spite of the architectural board's point of view of our profession's priorities, I wrote a book that is for not only architects but for everyone that has a business and wants it to prosper. The book shares ways we can use our own offices as an additional marketing tool. It is titled, "The Designed Office." Heck, I might not get any continued education credit for writing this book, but you can get the benefit from the gems shared in the book. Oh well, my loss is your gain (sorry, that's my architect training talking, not my business mind). Never the less, go get your copy at...
Click Here to get your copy at Amazon.com.
Click Here to get your copy at Barnes and Noble.com.
Or, just click on this link and get a lot of cool free gifts at My Designed Office website
Click on the "ReTweet" button below and follow me on twitter. I am LaneArch there.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Frank Gehry: Major Breakthrough
I came across this video of Frank Gehry sharing how he was influenced by artists who would not be as concerned with the finished detail but more so in the overall composition.
Here is a photo of one of Frank's earlier works (before he starting making fish buildings and curved metal formed buildings)
Rauschenberg's work ------->
Jasper Johns' "False Start"
Carl Andre's work:---->
Donald Judd's work
What inspires you to reach beyond your comfort level?
Special Offer for Homeowners
If you are a homeowner then you will benefit from a checklist that is one of several free bonus gifts for signing up for our complementary e-zine titled, "My Designed Home." All you need to do is fill out the form to the right or go to The Designed Home website
Click on the "ReTweet" button below and follow me on twitter. I am LaneArch there.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Simple life Manhattan: a 90-square-foot microstudio
It is time for spring cleaning. I am thinking about selling the piano, sofas, beds, large flat files, lawn equipment, BBQ, books, tapes, and a lot of other things that should really find themselves in the garbage. Surprising to me, this video is a bit inspiring for me. It shows how one can enjoy life with, well, not much stuff. Check it out and let me know if this appeals to you.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Listen to our new podcast about how to organize your closets and cabinets
My podcast guest, Ben Rozenblat, shares how ShelfGenie is your source for custom designed, built and installed Glide-Out shelving solutions for any existing cabinet in the home or at the office.
Be sure to click on the iTunes icon and upload this podcast onto your ipod so you can listen to it at your leisure - at work or at play.
Just click on this link to listen how you can orgainze your home and office ----> How good design can save your back 3/8/2011 - Lane Architecture | Internet Radio | Blog Talk Radio
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How a better design can save your back
Check out the next blog post above to hear the podcast with Ben and me.
Click on the "ReTweet" button below and follow me on twitter. I am LaneArch there.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Clean Solar Power Alternative Energy
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Wednesday, February 2, 2011
How web based telephone systems can work for your office 10/19/2009 - Lane Architecture | Internet Radio | Blog Talk Radio
How web based telephone systems can work for your office 10/19/2009 - Lane Architecture | Internet Radio | Blog Talk Radio
Click on the "ReTweet" button below and follow me on twitter. I am LaneArch there.
Click on the "ReTweet" button below and follow me on twitter. I am LaneArch there.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
How Architects Help Realtors Close Deals Faster
Our office has developed a presentation that we give to only the top leading Realtors in the NY and NJ areas. In this program, we share how architects can:
1. Close Their Residential Deals Faster
2. Add to Their Credibility
3. Get More Quality Referrals
And
4. Get More Repeat Clients.
You might ask, what does an architect know about closing real estate deals? Get a glimps of what you would learn if you booked Larry Lane to speak at your Real Estate conference and sales seminars.
Email your request for a free copy of our presentation outline at info@LaneArchitecture.net
Click on the "ReTweet" button below and follow me on twitter. I am LaneArch there.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Common Mistakes that Architects make on Façade Inspection Reports
There was a tragedy that occurred on May 16, 1979 in NYC that changed the way we look at buildings forever. The story behind this can be heard at our short podcast by clicking on this link ----->Most Awesome Architecture Podcast in the World
During the podcast, I offered a list of items that owners and their architects forget to submit to the NYC Department of Buildings while reporting the conditions of their facades. This list is copied directly from a handout that was provided by the NYC Buildings on January 2010:
1.Failing to provide certification that repairwork identified as necessary in the previous cycle has been completed.
2.Failing to state the cause and description of deterioration.
3.Failing to indicate when identified defects will render the condition of the façade Unsafe.
4.Failing to indicate which repairs will need a permit from the Department.
5.Failing to provide details about building appurtenances, such as flower pots and communication equipment.
6.Failing to indicate the status of a window air conditioner unit as either Safe or Unsafe. These units cannot be categorized as Safe With Repair and Maintenance Program (SWARMP).
7.Failing to indicate a time frame and completion date for repairs identified with SWARMP.
8.Failing to include all required items in the report, such as property profile and ownership information.
9.Failing to submit photographs and a location diagram.
10.Failing to include a statement on the façade’s water-tightness.
11.Failing to perform a close up inspection or it is in the wrong location.
12.Providing information and/or data in the report that is not the same as what is written on the TR6 or evidenced in photographs.
13.Failing to resubmit a copy of the “Notice of Rejection.”
Special Offer for Homeowners
If you are a homeowner then you will benefit from a checklist that is one of several free bonus gifts for signing up for our complementary e-zine titled, "My Designed Home." All you need to do is fill out the form to the right or go to The Designed Home website
Click on the "ReTweet" button below and follow me on twitter. I am LaneArch there.
You can get your own copy of "Common Mistakes on Facade Reports at Link to NYC DOB Website
Friday, January 21, 2011
China goes big with building of skyscrapers
BEIJING — In Chicago today, visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao will see a city famed as the birthplace of the skyscraper, for decades the towering symbol of U.S. economic ambition and power. These days, China has taken over as the skyscraper's home.
If the fast-rising nation continues its current rapid pace of urbanization, China could build a new Chicago every year until 2030 — more than 1,500 new buildings that are over 30 stories high — wrote Jonathan Woetzel, a director at consultants McKinsey & Co. in Shanghai, in a January report "China's cities in the sky."
China is building 44% of the 50 skyscrapers to be completed worldwide in the next six years, increasing the number of skyscrapers in Chinese cities by over 50%, says Andrew Lawrence, an Asian property analyst at investment bank Barclays Capital.
China is already host to six of the 15 tallest, completed buildings in the world, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. The USA has three.
Dubai's world-beating Burj Khalifa, at 2,716 feet, should remain top dog for several years, but the Shanghai Tower, at 2,073 feet, and Wuhan's Greenland Center, at 1,988 feet, will take the world No. 2 and 3 spots in 2014 and 2015.
"The appetite in China for high-rises, in the last five years and the next five, is bigger than ever before in the history of building," says Silas Chiow, China director for Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the U.S. architectural firm, founded in Chicago, responsible for the Burj Khalifa.
The firm is currently engaged in 50 China projects, including the tallest buildings in eight separate cities.
Chinese government officials believe high-rises "show their progress in terms of urbanization and modernism," spur wider development by boosting investor confidence, and symbolize "a city's desire to become modern and international," says Chiow, a Chinese-American based in China for the past 15 years.
While an architect three decades ago might be lucky to design a handful of skyscrapers, today in China, "one architect or firm can do a dozen or more super high-rises," says Chiow, 51. The boom is producing both startling designs and innovations in energy-use and sustainability, he says.
Chinese have mixed feelings.
"I feel proud to see these new high buildings, but they're not much use for ordinary people," says Fan Quanzhou, who has a newspaper stand opposite the dramatic new headquarters of national broadcaster CCTV.
Fan, 26, says business is falling as the neighborhood is cleared for Beijing's tallest building, a 1,640-foot skyscraper in the style of a traditional Chinese wine vessel. Fan earns less than $250 a month, and he and his wife, migrants from rural Henan province, pay $120 a month in rent.
"Property prices are way too high. The government should do more to build low-cost houses," he complains.
The building boom has produced "some waste and bad examples, but overall it's justified," says Ting Lu, a China economist at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch in Hong Kong. "Many people believe China is overbuilding subways and transport infrastructure but they have no idea how many people there are in China."
Lawrence, author of the Skyscraper Index, warns that the completion of the world's tallest buildings has proven an indicator of an economic crisis to come. "Overly optimistic developers, a political desire to create 'statement buildings,' and banks overly keen to lend," lead to problems, he says. Thus far, the data "suggests China won't break the trend."
Source: Calum MacLeod, USA TODAY
http://www.dispatchmarketinginc.com/eReports/EngineeringDispatch/Chinagoesbigwithbuildingofskyscrapers/tabid/4767/Default.aspx
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If the fast-rising nation continues its current rapid pace of urbanization, China could build a new Chicago every year until 2030 — more than 1,500 new buildings that are over 30 stories high — wrote Jonathan Woetzel, a director at consultants McKinsey & Co. in Shanghai, in a January report "China's cities in the sky."
China is building 44% of the 50 skyscrapers to be completed worldwide in the next six years, increasing the number of skyscrapers in Chinese cities by over 50%, says Andrew Lawrence, an Asian property analyst at investment bank Barclays Capital.
China is already host to six of the 15 tallest, completed buildings in the world, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. The USA has three.
Dubai's world-beating Burj Khalifa, at 2,716 feet, should remain top dog for several years, but the Shanghai Tower, at 2,073 feet, and Wuhan's Greenland Center, at 1,988 feet, will take the world No. 2 and 3 spots in 2014 and 2015.
"The appetite in China for high-rises, in the last five years and the next five, is bigger than ever before in the history of building," says Silas Chiow, China director for Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the U.S. architectural firm, founded in Chicago, responsible for the Burj Khalifa.
The firm is currently engaged in 50 China projects, including the tallest buildings in eight separate cities.
Chinese government officials believe high-rises "show their progress in terms of urbanization and modernism," spur wider development by boosting investor confidence, and symbolize "a city's desire to become modern and international," says Chiow, a Chinese-American based in China for the past 15 years.
While an architect three decades ago might be lucky to design a handful of skyscrapers, today in China, "one architect or firm can do a dozen or more super high-rises," says Chiow, 51. The boom is producing both startling designs and innovations in energy-use and sustainability, he says.
Chinese have mixed feelings.
"I feel proud to see these new high buildings, but they're not much use for ordinary people," says Fan Quanzhou, who has a newspaper stand opposite the dramatic new headquarters of national broadcaster CCTV.
Fan, 26, says business is falling as the neighborhood is cleared for Beijing's tallest building, a 1,640-foot skyscraper in the style of a traditional Chinese wine vessel. Fan earns less than $250 a month, and he and his wife, migrants from rural Henan province, pay $120 a month in rent.
"Property prices are way too high. The government should do more to build low-cost houses," he complains.
The building boom has produced "some waste and bad examples, but overall it's justified," says Ting Lu, a China economist at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch in Hong Kong. "Many people believe China is overbuilding subways and transport infrastructure but they have no idea how many people there are in China."
Lawrence, author of the Skyscraper Index, warns that the completion of the world's tallest buildings has proven an indicator of an economic crisis to come. "Overly optimistic developers, a political desire to create 'statement buildings,' and banks overly keen to lend," lead to problems, he says. Thus far, the data "suggests China won't break the trend."
Source: Calum MacLeod, USA TODAY
http://www.dispatchmarketinginc.com/eReports/EngineeringDispatch/Chinagoesbigwithbuildingofskyscrapers/tabid/4767/Default.aspx
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Monday, January 10, 2011
How to Install Solar Panels for FREE
Here is the link to learn more about how you can install a solar panel for little or no money... Click Here For the Best Money Saving Architecture Show in the World
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Sunday, January 9, 2011
Bring Prosperity into your Front Door
If increasing your prosperity is one of your new year resolutions, then here is part of an article that was written by Sally Philips that might help you at home:
The inside entrance area (of your home) should also feel spacious, even if it's a small area. Keeping it clutter-free goes a long way in this regard. If you have a coat rack, don't let out-of-season coats and paraphernalia accumulate and pile up. If you have a table where you drop keys, mail or packages, use baskets or small bins to organize the area and tidy them up daily. Seeing clutter every time you enter your home does not provide the sense of ease you need, and it can also block chi from entering the house.
What do you see first when you enter? Hang a picture that pleases you here. If you want a mirror in this area, do not place it opposite the door. Put it on a side wall instead. If you look down a hallway when you enter, keep all the doors closed, or consider placing a screen to block the view. If you confront stairs immediately upon entering, place objects or symbols that represent protection to you on either side of the base of the stairs to stop the flow of chi down the stairs and out the door. Consider placing a fan, crystal or mobile overhead to help circulate chi.
A welcome rug is a nice touch and signals your visitors where to stand while they remove their coats. Earthy colors and images are always best because they help us feel supported and grounded.
Finally, many of us don't use our front doors, entering instead from our garages or backyards. Try to change this habit and use your front door at least some of the time. The Chinese believe that the front door is where opportunity knocks most often, so you want to keep the chi flowing there.
For more helpful articles that can improve your lifestyle around your home, sign up for our free e-zine by filling out the form to the right of this article.
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The inside entrance area (of your home) should also feel spacious, even if it's a small area. Keeping it clutter-free goes a long way in this regard. If you have a coat rack, don't let out-of-season coats and paraphernalia accumulate and pile up. If you have a table where you drop keys, mail or packages, use baskets or small bins to organize the area and tidy them up daily. Seeing clutter every time you enter your home does not provide the sense of ease you need, and it can also block chi from entering the house.
What do you see first when you enter? Hang a picture that pleases you here. If you want a mirror in this area, do not place it opposite the door. Put it on a side wall instead. If you look down a hallway when you enter, keep all the doors closed, or consider placing a screen to block the view. If you confront stairs immediately upon entering, place objects or symbols that represent protection to you on either side of the base of the stairs to stop the flow of chi down the stairs and out the door. Consider placing a fan, crystal or mobile overhead to help circulate chi.
A welcome rug is a nice touch and signals your visitors where to stand while they remove their coats. Earthy colors and images are always best because they help us feel supported and grounded.
Finally, many of us don't use our front doors, entering instead from our garages or backyards. Try to change this habit and use your front door at least some of the time. The Chinese believe that the front door is where opportunity knocks most often, so you want to keep the chi flowing there.
For more helpful articles that can improve your lifestyle around your home, sign up for our free e-zine by filling out the form to the right of this article.
Click on the "ReTweet" button below and follow me on twitter. I am LaneArch there.
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