DesignMind Forty|Forty - your weekly aggregator of the valuable news, industry insights, events and reviews. 22 Feb

News

Budget draws mixed responses from property sector
Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan's first Budget speech drew mixed reactions from property bosses on Wednesday, with some welcoming and others describing it as "disappointing".

Berry Everitt, of the Chas Everitt International property group, welcomed the Budget as "largely positive and confidence boosting", but said it did not "contain many direct benefits for the real estate industry". Read more

South Africa: Backlog - Extra R1 Billion to Step Up Housing Delivery
Housing came under the spotlight in Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan's budget speech yesterday with an additional R1bn being allocated to integrated housing and human settlement development to ensure accelerated housing delivery. Read more

Further contraction of civils industry expected in 2010
The South African Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors (Safcec) reports that the civils industry is expected to contract by about 10% in real terms this year, with possible mitigation from existing projects. Read more

M&R sees ‘uncertainty’ to finalisation of interim results
South African construction and engineering group Murray & Roberts (M&R) on Thursday warned shareholders
that, owing to a number of factors outside its control that were impacting on its working capital and financial performance, some uncertainty with regard to the finalisation of its 2010 interim financial statements, had been introduced. Read more

Work on Gauteng freeways 70% complete, but rain took its toll
On average, phase one of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP) is around 70% completed, says South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) GFIP project manager Alex van Niekerk. Read more

R50m Soweto housing development takes shape
Private-equity housing fund International Housing Solutions (IHS) is investing about R50-million in a housing development in Protea Glen, in Soweto. The project will provide 176 sectional title two-storey apartments, which will cost tenants around R3 200 a month, including parking. The Protea Glen development is aimed at providing affordable rental opportunities to individuals earning less than R15 000 a month. Read more

Affordable housing key to economic and social sustainability in South Africa
First National Bank (FNB) Commercial Property Finance views the provision of affordable housing as a business and social imperative in the socioeconomic development of South Africa. “We understand the challenges faced by the sector will not be solved through the provision of finance alone but rather through collaboration and partnerships,” says FNB Commercial Property Finance head Lukesh Govindasamy. Read more

2010 ResilientCity Design Ideas Competition
The 2010 ResilientCity.org
Design Ideas Competition is an exciting opportunity for architects, city planners and urban designers, engineers, and landscape architects, including students, graduate students and interns of these disciplines around the world to contribute ideas about creating more resilient cities.

The purpose of the ResilientCity.org Design Ideas Competition is to stimulate thinking and discourse about how to increase the resilience of our cities as we move into a century where our cities will be subjected to the combined environmental and economic impacts of Peak Oil and Climate Change.

There are many possible opportunities for increasing the resilience of our cities, and in the 2010 Design Ideas Competition we are looking for you to explore ideas about how you would increase the resilience of the city you live in. To this end, the 2010 competition’s theme will be: “Building Urban Resilience where you live with what you have.”

There will be a $1,000 CAN prize for our jury's selection of the best planning and design idea, and there will also be an additional prize of $1,000 CAN for the best video mini-documentary. Read more

REMINDER - Deadline for Submission of Entries is Friday 26 February 2010
The South African Institute of Architects invites its members to submit entries for The AfriSam-SAIA Awards for Sustainable Architecture. Only entries by SAIA members are eligible and are to be submitted for consideration for the awards by 12h00 on 26 February 2010 at SAIA’s offices at: Bouhof (Ground Floor), 31 Robin Hood Road, Robindale, Randburg.

Residential Architecture

Classical Epiphany
NEW LIFE FOR A ONCE-ABANDONED MEDIEVAL PROPERTY IN ITALY
In their serene detachment from the momenta of the modern world, Tuscany’s hill towns today maintain all that
exquisite simplicity so beloved of Florence’s and Siena’s Renaissance masters, who regularly depicted them in the backgrounds of their paintings of the holy and the heroic.

Artists and designers have long been drawn to the tranquil beauty of these villages’ clean lines, plain geometrical forms and graceful proportions situated in hilly landscapes of vineyards and olive groves punctuated by cypress and live oak trees. Read more

Glass House by Nico Van Der Meulen Architects
The house is situated on a 4000 sq.m site, with a total floor area of 2500sq.m. The owner requested a modern,
glamorous, open plan, light-filled house with views from all rooms into the garden.

The shape on the south side is a half circle, forming a horseshoe on the north side. Approaching the house form the gate the driveway is elevated to allow glimpses thru’ the house to the garden and raised water feature on the other side of the house.

The porte cochere is a suspended glass and stainless steel structure, with view into the house and a stainless steel and glass staircase, suspended over a heated pond, (which in summer acts as a temperature stabilizer, and in winter as a giant heater) with a circular, raised glass water feature in the background, framed by a beam two storeys high. View photos and read more

Read this book free online here

Commercial Architecture

Burj Khalifa Towers With a 100-Year Design Life
Feb. 17--Standing 828 meters (2,717 feet) tall and boasting more than 160 stories, Burj Khalifa is the world's
tallest structure: a single tower that will eventually house 12,000 people. The significance of designing and building the tallest building on Earth, costing over AED5.5 billion (US$1.5 billion), has become a matter of national pride making the protection of this national asset a priority to the government of the UAE, investors, and the tourism industry.

"The combination of a 100 year design-life and the aggressive exposure conditions of Dubai's environment were the reasons the designer had to carefully consider the durability of the tower's sub-structure," said Dr. James

Aldred, of GHD Consulting Engineers, Manager of the Independent Verification and Testing Agency (IVTA) for the Burj Khalifa project.

Substructures in Dubai, and in the Gulf region in general, are exposed to a shallow water table with high levels of salinity, which threatens the embedded steel reinforcement with corrosion. Read more

La Llotja de Lleida / Mecanoo
The large stone edifice seems to have sprouted from the Spanish earth. The building’s horizontal form provides
a large garden on the roof, while under the cantilevers begins a square for events, with the stairs of the adjacent building serving as a tribune. Parking is underground, the loading area for trucks is at ground floor, where you also find the floor of the theatre stage, the dressing rooms and the restaurant kitchen. The loading area for small trucks is at -1. In a light court in the centre of the building, a monumental staircase rises from street level to the multi-functional hall on the first floor. A ramp leads on to the foyer on the second level where there is a panoramic window looking out across the city and the river. Read more

The gateway to the inner city of Joburg, lower Braamfontein, is sliding into ruin. So say property owners who
have invested millions of rands in renovating properties in the area. Read more

In the process of urban redevelopment,the architecture forms of the contemporary western public buildings have unique influence on the unity of fragmented spaces,the linkage of architecture scales,and the continuity of
parcel texture. The paper analyzes the above influence and suggests that by applying new forms and technologies,contemporary architecture can integrate and expand urban spaces,and create fascinating urban
spatial environment that the traditional architecture cannot match. Read more

Connecting the Arch
Nine teams compete to link iconic Saarinen structure to downtown St. Louis and its waterfront. An international
cast of architects, landscape architects, engineers, and artists has been selected to advance in the competition to improve the urban and waterfront connectivity around Eero Saarinen’s iconic St. Louis Arch. Nine groups were chosen out of a field of 49 who submitted to the first stage. The field will further be narrowed in April to four or five who will produce designs, and a winner will be selected in late September. Read more

Interview with Architect Daniel Libeskind
'Dresden's Past Is Not Just a Footnote'
Decimated by Allied bombs, Dresden has often had a difficult relationship with its World War II past. Architect
Daniel Libeskind, whose modern remodelling of the German military museum in Dresden is currently under construction, spoke with SPIEGEL ONLINE about the city's ongoing efforts to rebuild, the temptations of nostalgia and why architects need to be optimists. Read more

Retail Design and Architecture

Introduction to Retail Lighting
The retail environment has
changed dramatically in the past 20 years. Since 90% of purchasing decisions are
made at the point of sale, many retail stores have begun
providing themed environments and a theatrical experience to excite
customers and entice them purchase their products. In regard to
lighting, we’ve seen many changes as well. Daylighting has been
shown to provide a highly satisfying visual environment that can
support retail sales; store owners are more aware of lighting cost
per sale and therefore are seeking energy savings through new
technology; and new solutions such as T5 and ceramic metal halide
lamps are available and growing in use. "http://www.lightingdesignlab.com/articles/retail/intro_retail.htm" target="_blank"
style="color:#990000;">Read more

Interior Design & décor

Modular Sofa Furniture 'People' by Primafila
This cool modular sofa furniture is proving that it’s hip to be square… or cube. The People sofa by Italian furniture company Primafila puts symmetry on a pedestal. The clean lines and simple, geometric design makes this modern sofa ideal for contemporary-style homes. And adding functionality into the mix, the modular design means you can go as big, as small or as oddly shaped as you need to, making this furniture set a perfect fit for
compact homes. Assemble the sofa as you please. Made of four- and six-cube configurations, these two parts are your building blocks for an endless array of seating selections. If you’re not sold on shape, you will be by color. This modular sofa is available in a range of hot hues to suit your style. Check out this chic sofa
collection at Primafila. "http://www.trendir.com/archives/004163.html"
target="_blank" style="color:#990000;">Read more

Carlo Colombo's Cuna Bathtub For Antonio Lupi
Recently introduced at this
years Maison et Object show was the Cuna bathtub designed by Italian architect and
designer Carlo Colombo (who also designed the
Vascabarca-Barcavasca boat shaped bathtub) for Antonio Lupi.

The modern bathtub has a built in backrest and comes in two color variations; white on white and olive green exterior with white interior. "http://ifitshipitshere.blogspot.com/2010/02/carlo-colombos-cuna-bathtub-for-antonio.html"
target="_blank" style="color:#990000;">Read more

Pattern Language
Javier Peña Galiano speaks it fluently at a duplex apartment in Murcia, Spain
RAUL BARRENECHE -- INTERIOR DESIGN, 1/1/2010
An inverted penthouse. That's what Javier Peña Galiano calls a duplex his architecture firm, Xpiral, designed
in the southeastern Spanish city of Murcia. Throughout the
2,900-square-foot apartment, he played tricks with what's up and
what's down. "http://www.interiordesign.net/article/CA6715276.html"
target="_blank" style="color:#990000;">Read more

Tools and Technology

Autodesk Inventor 2010 Assembly Design
The assembly modeling environment
in Autodesk Inventor is the ideal environment to design, validate and optimize large
machines from industrial plant and specialty vehicles
to modern transportation... "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSUY71cd4XE"
target="_blank" style="color:#990000;">Read more

Create 3D Objects from 2D Objects
Create 3D solids and surfaces from 2D objects with solid modeling and editing methods.
Features covered:
• Loft 2D objects (profiles) to create 3D objects
• Sweep 2D objects (profiles) along a path to create 3D objects
• Revolve 2D objects (profiles) around an axis to create objects "http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=13010551&linkID=9240615"
target="_blank" style="color:#990000;">Read more

AutoCAD- Matching Names in Purge
I discovered recently that it is possible to use regular
expressions in the purge command. If that doesn’t excite you, I
don’t know what will. A regular expression is a way to define a
pattern. The pattern can be used to include or exclude the name(s)
of a layer, linetype, registered application, or anything that can
be purged. You need to use the command line version of purge
(prefix the command with a minus sign: -PURGE). "http://rockmaster.wordpress.com/2010/01/04/matching-names-in-purge/"
target="_blank" style="color:#990000;">Read more

Going Green

An African Chorus on Climate Change
Across the African continent
scientists, public personalities, farmers, environmental activists and even presidents
have become more vocal in urging global action to
counter climate change and help poor countries cope with its variedbr/>
impacts.

An immediate focus was the 7-19 December UN international climate change conference in Copenhagen, which concluded a limited agreement to combat global warming (see
article). But much work lies ahead, and many Africans agree that
their governments need to press harder, both internationally and at
home.. "http://allafrica.com/stories/201002181154.html"
target="_blank" style="color:#990000;">Read more

Holistic energy audits will contribute to efficient building management
Energy audits that assess all
aspects of energy consumption will significantly benefit energy efficiency initiatives
for buildings, says South African Property Owners
Association (Sapoa) energy efficiency task team head Douw de Kock. "http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/holistic-energy-audits-will-contribute-to-efficient-building-management-2010-02-12"
target="_blank" style="color:#990000;">Read more

Flat parabolic mirror is not an oxymoron!
Can a parabolic mirror be flat?
Dominic Wanjihias latest invention may prove that this is the most efficient way
of capturing solar energy. "http://www.afrigadget.com/2010/01/06/1096/"
target="_blank" style="color:#990000;">Read more

Green Electrical Contracting
According to a 2009 Booz Allen Hamilton study, green construction will skyrocket over the next five years. The
report projects green construction to generate $554 billion
dollars in GDP, provide $396 billion in labor earnings and support or
create over 7.9 million jobs from 2009 to 2013. These figures are way
up from the previous 8-year period. From 2000-2008, GDP from green
construction was just $173 billion, labor earnings was $123 billion
and number of jobs created was 2.4 million.
target="_blank" style="color:#990000;">Read more

Best of Blogs

A lightweight solution for a heavyweight hotel
Building a building on top of another building is a challenge at
the best of times, but the developers of the Hype Park Shopping
Centre in Johannesburg were determined to complete their exclusive
service offering with the construction of a four star hotel atop
the shopping complex, and to do it in record-breaking time.

target="_blank" style="color:#990000;">Read more

Events

MASTERCLASS 2010 : ALEXANDRA: "heritage" and the standard cheap
12, 13, 14 FEB : 3 intensive masterclass days
19 Feb: intermediate crit
26 FEB: public presentation

target="_blank" style=
"color:#990000;">http://architectafrica.com

Autodesk Inventor Essentials
06 - 09 April '10
Learn the fundamental principles of 3D parametric part design,
assembly design, and creating production-ready part and assembly
drawings using Autodesk ® Inventor ® . Hands-on exercises
representing real-world, industry-specific design scenarios are
included.

target="_blank" style="color:#990000;">www.cadco.co.za