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 No More Toxic Assets: Time for Fresh Thinking on House BuildingSetting out the changes that are needed to avoid more poor-quality housing design when the market eventually recovers.CABE has been warned to have low expectations about design quality when the housing market finally recovers from the recession. The warnings have come from housebuilders, professionals and public sector alike. No more toxic assets, written by CABE's chief executive Richard Simmons, aims to provide some fresh thinking on housing quality. The pamphlet looks at some of the problems created by the downturn and considers the opportunities for good design to emerge from the ashes. more www.cab... (47) design directory CABE > Architecture Organizations added by Levent OZLER |
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 Architects Take Up Lego ChallengeFive of Scotland's top architecture practices have accepted a challenge to design a building out of Lego.Prospect magazine said the project was designed to show "how even the humble plastic brick can be turned into a work of architecture in the right hands." The Lego buildings will be displayed at the Scottish Design Awards Nominations Exhibition on Wednesday. The designs, which will also be shown at the Lighthouse in Glasgow, will be auctioned off for charity in May. The winner of the Lego challenge will be announced at the Scottish Design Awards Gala Dinner on 29 May. The money raised from the auction of the buildings will go to the National Autism Society Scotland. more news.bb... (118) added by Levent OZLER |
 Low2No: Sustainable Development Design CompetitionSitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund, in collaboration with the City of Helsinki, is launching a sustainable development design competition.The goal is to attract and identify the best teams to design a large building complex on a reclaimed harbour at the western edge of Helsinki's central business district. After an initial Request for Qualifications, a maximum of five teams will be selected to participate in the competition. In their proposals, teams should declare the best ingredients for sustainable development, and illustrate how they will be mixed over time. The goal: to achieve a low carbon building complex and urban district that will transition to a no carbon complex as the energy context improves. This idea of transition underpins the Low2No competition title. Selected teams will travel to Helsinki for a two-day workshop on the development context. Teams will then have approximately four weeks to develop their proposals. A local and international interdisciplinary jury will review the proposals and select a winning team. competition (ended) current design competitions more info www.low... (221) design directory Sustainable Design Awards added by Levent OZLER |
 Smart Condo Aims to Help Physically Disabled Gain IndependenceProfessors and students at the University of Alberta have created a prototype of an apartment that, if successful, might lead to a leap in unobtrusive home surveillance technology for the elderly and disabled.The prototype, now in place at the Telus Centre, is the product of a massive cross-discipline project that began as part of a class on the development of disability-friendly products in the Department of Occupational Therapy, and later spread to Computing Science, Pharmacy, and Industrial Design. "The activity monitoring system will aid people who have inabilities and need to be monitored and assisted with either reminders or help from a health professional," said Lili Liu, chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy. "The long-term vision is to build a space that will enable the disabled or elderly to live independently longer." Traditionally, the elderly or disabled often require either in-house assistance or time-consuming and invasive video surveillance. The new monitoring system hopes to do away with both, increasing the independence and privacy of those living with disability. more www.gat... (35) added by Levent OZLER |
 Lack of Integration Threatens UK's Sustainable BuildingsThe traditional procurement practices of the construction industry are a barrier to sustainable building delivery, according to a report titled "Sustainable Buildings Need Integrated Teams."The document was presented by Lord O'Neill of Clackmannan, chair of the group responsible for compiling the report - the Specialist Engineering Alliance's Integration and Sustainability Working group. The report argues that the "large number of interfaces" between the parties to the construction process, coupled with "high transaction costs and risk of duplication and re-work", serves a body blow against efforts to the rapid growth of sustainable buildings. It recommends that at the start of a project, "an integrated project delivery team with in-depth knowledge of the construction process" must be put in place. The executive secretary of the SEC Group John Nelson said: "The construction industry is notorious for bad communication. The different organisations working on a building must all get together and talk to each other. The report's recommendations will be taken forward." more www.hea... (9) added by Levent OZLER |
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