Elephant paints elephant

In this video, an elephant is led to an easel, picks up a paintbrush, and paints a picture of an elephant holding a flower.

Greater Noida: The next big real estate hub

Hailed as the next big real estate hub by consultants and end users, Greater Noida will soon offset Gurgaon as the hot-seat of real estate in NCR. The Greater Noida Authority is revamping the civic amenities and other infrastructural facilities. Much awaited projects like the international airport at Jewar and 160-km long Noida-Agra Taj Expressway will help in the fast-track growth of the twin cities.

The twin cities offer an entire range of property-options to choose from. The development of Greater Noida Phase-II , spread over 55,000 hectares (which includes 1890 villages), will further lead to an expansion of these cities. The said phase would have 41% area earmarked for greenery, 12% for recreational facilities, 13% for residential, 2.5% commercial, 3.9% institutional and 18.9% devoted for the airport. Also, after completion , the 1483 km long Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor will mark a watershed in connectivity.

This Indo-Japanese project is expected to be completed by 2012. Apart from this, a mega rail-corridor will start from Boraki near Dadri. Foreseeing a surge in demand for office space, many real estate developers have launched various residential and commercial projects at Noida and Greater Noida.

Will this mark the beginning of a shift of the development-axis of builders from Gurgaon to these twin cities? "Every township has its pros and cons. Every township grows and reaches its peak of development and there is stagnation at the top. Gurgaon is passing through stagnation phase.

It grew and grew and left proper planning far behind . Gurgaon boomed in record time. Offices and commercial space came up overnight without any planning or proper infrastrucure. Everything was done in a haphazard manner.

Therefore, it's paying the price for it now," says M S Aggarwal, managing director, MSX Developers Pvt Ltd. "Moreover , commercial lease rentals in Noida and Greater Noida are at least 40% lower than those in Gurgaon," he adds.

The UP chief minister's push for a second international airport at Greater Noida may come as a shot in the arm for realty players. Real estate analysts expect capital value of existing residential, commercial, retail and hospitality projects in Noida and Greater Noida to appreciate in the short term.

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SPA Utopia 2008 is a hit thanks to Snowcem Paints

With the coming of the year 2008, the School of Planning and Architecture New Delhi completes 50 years of its foundation. In this Golden Jubilee Year the students along with leading proponents of various creative field such as fashion, architecture, music, drama, and photography put together “Utopia”. In the 3 day college affair where students participated in various technical events and showcased the potent creative mind. The program included formal quizzes, workshop in photography, membrane structures and pottery. As Snowcem Paints has been in the forefront to support talents in the budding architectural student’s fraternity, it had sponsored the event at Utopia 2008. The three-day cultural extravaganza signed off with the finals of the rock competition and a headline performance by Catch 22.

About the School:

The School of Planning and Architecture had a modest beginning in 1941 as a Department of Architecture of Delhi Polytechnic. It was later affiliated to the University of Delhi and integrated with the School of Town and Country Planning which was established in 1955 by the Government of India to provide facilities for rural, urban and regional planning. On integration, the School was renamed as School of Planning and Architecture in 1959.

Recognizing the specialized nature of the fields in which the School had attained eminence, in 1979, the Government of India, through the then Ministry of Education and Culture, conferred on the School of Planning and Architecture the status of "Deemed to be a University". With this new status, the School has broadened its horizon by introducing new academic and extension programmes and promoting research and consultancy activities.

The School is a specialized University, only one of its kind, which exclusively provides training at various levels, in different aspects of human habitat and environment. The School has taken lead in introducing academic programmes in specialized fields both at Bachelor's and Master's level, some of which are even today not available elsewhere in India. The School, in striving for excellence, has always been in the lead in extending education and research to new frontiers of knowledge. Human habitat and environment being the basic concern of the School, the spectrum of academic programmes is being continuously extended by providing programmes in new fields and emerging areas for which facilities are not available, as yet, anywhere else in the country.

Kung fu painting

The basic typesof bridges

There are three major types of bridges:

• The beam bridge
• The arch bridge
• The suspension bridge

The biggest difference between the three is the distances they can cross in a single span. A span is the distance between two bridge supports, whether they are columns, towers or the wall of a canyon. A modern beam bridge, for instance, is likely to span a distance of up to 200 feet (60 meters), while a modern arch can safely span up to 800 or 1,000 feet (240 to 300 m). A suspension bridge, the pinnacle of bridge technology, is capable of spanning up to 7,000 feet (2,100 m).

What allows an arch bridge to span greater distances than a beam bridge, or a suspension bridge to span a distance seven times that of an arch bridge? The answer lies in how each bridge type deals with two important forces called compression and tension:

• Compression is a force that acts to compress or shorten the thing it is acting on.
• Tension is a force that acts to expand or lengthen the thing it is acting on.

A simple, everyday example of compression and tension is a spring. When we press down, or push the two ends of the spring together, we compress it. The force of compression shortens the spring. When we pull up, or pull apart the two ends, we create tension in the spring. The force of tension lengthens the spring.

Compression and tension are present in all bridges, and it's the job of the bridge design to handle these forces without buckling or snapping. Buckling is what happens when the force of compression overcomes an object's ability to handle compression, and snapping is what happens when the force of tension overcomes an object's ability to handle tension. The best way to deal with these forces is to either dissipate them or transfer them. To dissipate force is to spread it out over a greater area, so that no one spot has to bear the brunt of the concentrated force. To transfer force is to move it from an area of weakness to an area of strength, an area designed to handle the force. An arch bridge is a good example of dissipation, while a suspension bridge is a good example of transference.

(via howtsuffworks).

Emerging metros of tomorrow

The real estate industry is showing a rapid shift in the focus from the metros and Tier I cities to the Tier II and Tier III cities. The industry is moving over from Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai, to pave the path for the new contestants in the race. The real estate industry has realized that there is life and potential for growth of the industry beyond the mega and metropolitan cities in India.

Tier II cities like Ghaziabad, Rohtak, Faridabad, Bhiwani, Chandigarh, Indore, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Secunderabad, Rajkot, and Pune,, Nagpur, Surat, Vadodara, Visakhapatnam and Jaipur are experiencing the initial phase of rapid economic growth. The major industrial sectors are making huge investments in these cities, making them hotbeds for growth and development. These towns have a sea of opportunities in store, both from the demand and supply sides.

One of the basic reasons for investments flocking in to the smaller cities is available properties and affordable prices. Moreover, the special initiatives taken by the respective governments in providing the smaller cities with infrastructure facilities and creation of SEZs, have played a vital role in promoting these small towns into cities of the future. They are what experts term the “emerging metros of tomorrow”.

These cities have been chosen as the hub of development based on various parameters such as, physical and social infrastructure, business environment, real estate, decadal growth, purchasing power and literacy. Most of the Tier II cities have an active economy, conducive business environment and proactive governments, but a lower rank on social infrastructure due to a lack of quality hotels and entertainment avenues.

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Earthtones: Drawing ecofriendly inspiration from nature

Today’s versatile palettes encompass colors inspired by the earth, sea and sky along with metallics and brights to add “pop” and excitement. And while these colors have steadily gained popularity in recent years, homeowners are taking this trend a step further by extending it to the type of paint they choose. Environmentally friendly low-VOC paints are increasingly becoming popular for a variety of reasons, most notably because they lack odor.

These paints are formulated to meet modern indoor air quality standards. Because of this, the room can be put back into use almost immediately after being painted. In addition, since they are not considered hazardous waste, consumers can take pride that they are not harming the environment when disposing of any leftover paints.

This nature-inspired trend lends itself particularly well to designing multiple color schemes, with a nod toward how colors naturally fit together. For example, by combining pale beige with a brighter, true blue recreates the look of earth and sky. On the other hand, create the appearance of a sun-dappled forest by complementing a muted green wall color with burnished gold metallic trim.

Nature has already provided the most inspirational color schemes. With a little help from modern technology, it’s now easier than ever to create a home that does more than look good, it’s good for the environment.

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Tips and tricks for better bedrooms

• If sheer curtains appeal but you can’t sleep with the moonlight and early morning sunshine streaming in, then fit a slim blackout blind unobtrusively inside the window frame. It won’t show when it’s rolled up and when unfurled will just look like darkness.

• Give white bed linen a new lease of life. Buy satin ribbons or braiding and sew one band or two a little way in from the hems of your white pillowcases and sheets. As white bed linen is very often cheaper you could buy white bed linen and give it a makeover.

• Want a pile of cushions on your bed? Find remnants at fabric stores and use them to make expensive looking cushion covers. The wedding fabric department often has luscious silk, satin and velvet pieces at a fraction of the usual price. Foam cushion inners are inexpensive.

• Sprinkle bed linen with rose or lavender water to give it a fresh scent. Or use scented laundry waters when ironing your bed linen.

• Buy used curtains and if they are too short lengthen by adding a band of a matching or contrasting fabric. Different textures also look good. For example a wide cream colored satin band on plain cream or white Indian cotton. This trick can also be used to increase width.

• Plenty of hanging space but not much else? Buy more hangers and hang your T shirts, blouses, shirts and sweaters, and anything else that is hang-able. Shops hang them up and so can you!

• Make use of under bed space by storing clothes in baskets or boxes fitted with castors. Alternatively buy a cheap second hand chest of drawers and fir the drawers with castors. They make perfect storage units.

• Buy clear plastic shoe bags and use the pockets to keep scarves, belts, socks or any other small items. Hang in your wardrobe or behind the door. These are also handy in the bathroom for spare soap, washcloths, toothpaste and shampoo, or anything else you can think of.

• Costume jewelry such as bead necklaces is hard to keep untangled. Buy the tallest mug tree you can find and hang your beads on its branches.

• To keep your linen organized buy plastic crates of a size to fit your linen cupboard shelves. Label them: Double Bed Sheets, Single Sheets, Pillow Slips and so on. Your linen will never get into a muddle again. If you have open shelves use wicker baskets instead of plastic.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/interior-design-articles/tips-and-tricks-for-better-bedrooms-362859.html

About the Author:
For More Free Resources visit www.thedesignbuild.com

Reduce airborne contaminants with low VOC paints

The air in our homes is riddled with airborne contaminants. Things like carpeting, wood finishes, and glues and adhesives, all emit small amounts of potentially dangerous chemicals into the air. Paint, unfortunately, is one of the top contributors of this type of indoor air pollution, and can emit contaminants for years after application. Fortunately, there is a new generation of paints that are low VOC, no VOC, or all natural, and that reduce the indoor pollution from your interior paint to almost nothing.

What's a VOC?
Close your eyes and try to conjure up that "new paint smell." Got it? What you're smelling are VOCs. VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compound, and refers any of the compounds traditionally added to paint to enhance the paint's color, spreadability, adhesiveness, and resistance to fungus and insects. Unfortunately, many of these compounds are released into the air at room temperature, polluting your indoor air and causing major problems for those with chemical sensitivities, allergies, and respiratory illnesses. While VOCs used to be necessary to make paint, new technology has rendered them less and less essential. The result is the next generation of painting products.

All-Natural, No VOC, and Low VOC Paint
As the paint industry has responded to public demand for less polluting indoor paints, three main products have hit the shelves. Those products are all natural, no VOC, and low VOC paint. Each product contains a different level of VOCs, and has to meet a certain set of standards set by the EPA in order to claim the label. Here's a quick breakdown of each, so you can choose the best product for you.

• All Natural Paint contains no VOCs and is composed entirely of natural ingredients. It is water based, reinforced with plant and animal oils and resins, and is colored with plant and mineral dyes. All natural paint has almost no smell to it, wet or dry, and is the healthiest choice when it comes to painting interior spaces.

• No VOC Paint contains less than 5 grams of VOCs per liter of paint, usually in the form of biocides, fungicides, or colorant. No VOC paint has almost no smell when wet, and none at all once it has dried.

• Low VOC Paint is required to have less than 200 grams of VOCs/liter. However, most manufacturers of low VOC paint strive to meet the Green Seal Standard, which guarantees them to have less than 50 grams of VOCs/liter. If low VOC emission is a priority for you, then it's smart to search out, and pay a little bit extra, for paint that meets Green Seal Standards.

(Via ServiceMagic.com)

30 useful Vastu and Feng Shui tips

1.

Allow a bright light on the main door.

2.

It is best to leave only maximum 5 door open.

3.

Avoid keeping a T.V. set in bed-room.

4.

Avoid keeping any water feature or plants in the bed room.

5.

Do not use separate mattresses and bed-sheet.

6.

Arrange the furniture to from a square or a circle or an octagon in.

7.

Brighten the corners.

8.

Place a picture of bright sunrise on southern wall in living room.

9.

The wind should come from south-west in the bed room.

10.

Dining-room should not expose to the front door of your house.

11.

Never put mirror in kitchen.

12.

Keep the broom and mops out of the sight in kitchen.

13.

Keep the bathroom and toilet door closed as much as possible.

14.

Windows should open outward normally.

15.

Do not keep prickly cactus, plants in the house.

16.

Place an aquarium in the south-east corner in living room.

17.

Place a happy family picture in living room.

18.

Please cheque ther aren't grown very high trees like Bangan, Pipal, Thornytrees.

19.

Please cheque the gate of the lift is not in front of the main gate of the house.

20.

Ladders stepping down towards north or west creates waste of Lakshmi.

21.

There should not be obstructive houses surrounding your plot.

22.

The house should be fully airy and has enough water resource.

23.

The seat in the latrine should be NORTH-SOUTH.

24.

In the office, sit facing the door.

25.

Hang a picture of mountains behind you in the office.

26.

Place the computer on your right side on the table.

27.

A ladder to go up stair curved on the right side should be devided in to two parts.

It should be constructed leaving north-east or south-west direction.

28.

One should never hoard stale food, withered flowers, torn clothes, waste paper, waste materials, empty tins, old jars and useless things.
These things prevents Lakshmi from entering the house.

29.

If there is marble flooring in the house you should see that the old leather shoes are not lying here and there.
Marble is considered to be holy stone. If possible avoid marble in bedroom, bathroom, latrine.

30.

In a place of worship in the house it is necessary to have open atmosphere. Use marble in the worship room.
Take care that there is enough light and air. Latrine should not be near worship room.
keep cleanliness and always light incense sticks.

Study architecture online for free

If you have a computer or an iPod, you can go to college for free. Hundreds of colleges and universities around the world offer free downloads of popular courses and lectures in architecture, urban design, and engineering.

Yes, there are drawbacks. You can't chat with the professors or classmates. You can't earn credits or work toward a degree. But you'll get the same lecture notes and assignments as "live" students. In some cases, you can even download free audio files and videos.

1. MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Established in 1865, the Department of Architecture at MIT is the oldest and one of the most highly respected in the United States. Through a program called OpenCourseWare, MIT offers almost all its classes online - for free. Downloads include lecture notes, assignments, reading lists, and, in some cases, galleries of student projects for more than 100 undergraduate and graduate courses in architecture. MIT also offers some architecture courses in audio and video formats.

2. University of Notre Dame

Since 1898, Notre Dame has offered widely acclaimed undergraduate and graduate programs in architecture. Notre Dame's OpenCourseWare offerings are not nearly as extensive as MIT's, but you can download free lecture notes and illustrations for an advanced seminar in architecture.

3. Utah State University

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers free online materials for several courses that explore environmental planning and the design and construction of physical works.

4. University of Virginia

Green Building Techniques, Sustainable Cities, and Rebuilding New Orleans are just a few of many audio lectures offered by the Architecture School at the University of Virginia. Listen to UVA's esteemed professors now, or download the audio files to listen to later.

5. Architecture on Air

The College of Architecture at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte has teamed with iTunes to produce a unique series of podcast interviews. Each 45-minute interview features a respected professor exploring questions posed by students. The lecture series covers architecture, history, theory, industrial design, urbanism, architecture in society, and the role of architects in contemporary culture.

6. University of Hong Kong

The University of Hong Kong offers several free online courses in sustainable architecture and energy-efficient design. The course materials are all in English.

Feng Shui energy to get you going

Spring cleaning and clutter clearing might sound exciting when you think of the results, but not really of the process itself! Here is what you can do to bring some helping energy with feng shui:

1. Open all windows and aerate the space well to bring fresh energy.

2. Get dressed in clothing that is practical, made of natural fibers and makes you feel good!

3. Bring some Fire Element colors for an additional boost of energy to the space you are working at.

4. Put on the music you love and start small, focusing on one area to give you a sense of accomplishment.

5. Finish the process before you get tired of it and treat yourself to something really nice, be it a good cup of coffee at the best cafe in town or a movie with a friend.

By following these steps you will create the energy of excitement around a process that is usually avoided, and your place will be breathing new energy in no time!

Shell-shaped Nautilus House is gorgeous inside out

Who cares what the neighbors think? Let’s build a house that looks like a snail shell! That’s just what a Mexico City couple did, with the help of the astonishing imagination of those wild and wooly architects at Senosiain Arquitectos.

It’s more of a sculpture than a dwelling. Taking cues from a Nautilus shell, the house is put together using ferrocement construction, a technique involving a frame of steel-reinforced chicken wire with a special two-inch-thick composite of concrete spread over it, resulting in a structure that’s earthquake-proof and maintenance-free.

The open concept inside the house is dominated by smooth surfaces, spiral stairs and natural plantings that makes the inhabitants feel like they’re living inside a snail who swallowed the entire contents of somebody’s back yard. While the house is surrounded on three sides by the bustling Mexico City, its West side (where most of its portal-style windows are located) has a breathtaking view of the mountains. Wow. Maybe someday all houses will be made this way.

India's biggest land deal in NOIDA

In the biggest land deal in the country, a consortium led by Delhi-based Business Parks and Town Planners (BPTP) on Tuesday bagged a 95-acre commercial plot in Noida Sector 94 for a mindboggling Rs 5,006 crore from the Noida Authority.

The price per square metre in the deal — clinched after sealed bids were submitted — comes to Rs 1,30,207; or Rs 52.69 crore per acre. The next highest bid for the site was Rs 1,17,000 by DLF and the third highest, of Rs 80,000, by Omaxe. Ansal Properties and Infrastructure was earlier disqualified in the technical bid. According to a Noida Authority spokesman, the permitted floor area ratio for development of the site will only be two. Only an area of 8.2 million sq ft will be allowed to be developed. At this rate, the per sq ft construction right has cost BPTP a whopping Rs 6,100.

The astronomical amount paid for the site is a clear indication that, in terms of sentiment, there is no downturn in the real estate sector. It also points to Noida emerging as an alternative to Delhi and Gurgaon for office space. At present, office rentals in Delhi's high class areas range between Rs 200 to Rs 350 per sq ft. In Gurgaon, it varies between Rs 80 to Rs 120 per sq ft. As against this, rentals in Noida is in the range of Rs 40 to Rs 60 per sq ft. This has made Noida an attractive destination for the commercial space in NCR. In the previous biggest Noida land deal, Unitech had walked off with an approximately 340-acre residential plot for Rs 1,582.83 crore.

(via Times of India)

Harvard to hold real estate seminar in Hyderabad

Harvard Business School, along with its affiliated India Research Center, has unveiled plans to hold the South Asia Real Estate Seminar in India this summer. Subjects covered in the seminar will include project and corporate finance, development, and real-estate related topics using HBS case studies from various parts of the world.

According to the organizers of the seminar, it is being held in response to India's increasing participation in the globalization of real estate. The seminar will run from June 17 to June 20.

On the final day of the program, Noel Tata, will speak on the importance of real estate in a special session titled "Property as the Foundation for Growth of Indian Multinationals." Tata is managing director of Trent Ltd. and director of various Tata companies--Tata is one of India's largest business conglomerates--including Voltas, Titan Industries, Tata
Investment Corp., Trent Brands and Landmark.

The seminar will be in Hyderabad, capital city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh on the country's east coast. As one of India's leading cities for IT, call centers, and business process outsourcing, Hyderabad has seen considerable commercial real estate development in the last decade or so.

(via CPN.)

22 painting blunders

1. Jumping the gun. Deciding you've got to buy the paint and paint this weekend. "Do not go shopping for paint intending to bring home paint that day," says Christopher Lowell, the Emmy award-winning lifestyle expert and author of "Seven Layers of Design." Instead, he says "grab swatches -- as many as you like." Put them in a high traffic area of your house, and see which ones you gravitate toward, he says.

2. Dreaming up colors. Pulling your color selections out of thin air. "The best way to choose a color for your space is to start with an inspiration that is visual," says Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan, author of "Apartment Therapy" and a frequent makeover expert on HGTV's "Small Space, Big Style." It can be a rug or a photo from a magazine. In either case, you aren't left trying to describe your idea of a color. You can simply point to it. Best of all, since your example has already been created by professionals well-versed in color, it's an almost fool-proof way to come up with other complementary colors to use in your room design.

3. Pursuing trends. Never mind what the "hot" colors are this year. You're living with your choices. Choose hues that make you happy. One good clue for you is to consider what solid colors you wear most often -- besides black and white. "If it feels good on you, chances are it will feel good around you in the home," says Lowell.

4. Mistaking swatch for wall. Getting the "right" version of a color can be tricky. Colors will look darker on the wall, but the glossier the paint, the lighter it will look. First, use swatches to narrow your choices. Once you have a handful, get small containers of the paint, and test the finalists on big pieces of poster board, says Sharon Hanby-Robie, designer and author of "Decorating without Fear." Prop the boards up in the room you'll be painting. Look them over the next few days in all kinds of light conditions, from daylight to nighttime illumination. "That's the fun thing about color -- it changes with the light," she says. Shades can also take on aspects of the other colors near them, like carpet color, which is why you want to test it out in the room before you paint. After a couple of days, you should have a favorite. And if you don't, at least you don't have to live with a bad choice until you repaint.

5. Ignoring warm and cool. Not acknowledging that color can change the perception of a room. Warm colors "are expansive," says Gillingham-Ryan. Use them for social areas, like a great room or dining room. Cool colors are calming. They can be great for a home office or bedroom.

6. Forgetting every wall is different. Want to give a room punch by painting one accent wall? Select an unbroken wall (no doors or windows). Often it's the wall you see first coming into the room, says Gillingham-Ryan.

7. Forgetting the ceiling. "It's the fifth wall," says Hanby-Robie. But even experts disagree on how it should be painted. If you expect to paint your ceiling a color, consider going a few shades lighter because ceilings tend to look darker. Some designers prefer a white ceiling. A decorator's white (not a stark white) will give you a sharp definitive line from painted walls and "highlight whatever architecture you have," says Gillingham-Ryan. Others want the ceiling in the same color family as the walls. "If you paint the walls a rich color and leave the ceiling white, it will do the opposite of what you want" by calling attention to it, says Lowell. Instead, he prefers a variation on the wall color. If your ceilings are above nine feet, go one shade darker than the wall color, he says. That will bring the ceiling "down" and make the room appear more cozy. If the ceilings are nine feet or less, use a color a shade or two lighter than the walls.

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Boost your home's curb appeal with paint

Are you planning to spruce up your home’s exterior this spring? Or, are you considering placing your home on the market? No matter what the reason, a fresh coat of paint can immediately revive the overall appearance of your largest investment, your home.

When it comes to exterior painting, many people choose to repaint using the same colors that already exist on the house. But choosing a new color scheme can be exciting and provide a new and updated look. In addition, refreshing your home with a new paint job is one of the most cost effective projects that adds value and long-lasting charm.

Choosing a new color scheme might seem daunting at first but these suggestions just might help you through the color selection process.

The world's first rotating tower

The Dynamic Architecture building, which will be constantly in motion changing its shape, will be able to generate electric energy for itself as well as for other buildings. Forty-eight wind turbines fitted between each rotating floors as well as the solar panels positioned on the roof of the building will produce energy from wind and the sunlight, with no risk of pollution. The total energy produced by this inbuilt ‘powerhouse’ every year will be worth approximately seven million dollars.

Each turbine can produce 0.3 megawatt of electricity, compared to 1-1.5 megawatt generated by a normal vertical turbine (windmill). Considering that Dubai gets 4,000 wind hours annually, the turbines incorporated into the building can generate 1,200,000 kilowatt-hour of energy.

As average annual power consumption of a family is estimated to be 24,000 kilowatt-hour, each turbine can supply energy for about 50 families. The Dynamic Architecture tower in Dubai will be having 200 apartments and hence four turbines can take care of their energy needs. The surplus clean energy produced by the remaining 44 turbines can light up the neighborhood of the building.

Annoucing the winners of The Snowcem Design Award 2008 – IIT Kharagpur

It is that time of the year. The Snowcem Design Award 2008 – IIT Kharagpur organized at the department of Architecture and Regional Planning, IIT, Kharagpur. The event has been sponsored by Snowcem Paints India.

The basic objective was to encourage all levels of IIT’s (Indian Institute of Technology) undergraduate architecture course students working together and learning through ‘Share and Care’ within a given time frame. Sometimes junior students learn quicker with their free interaction with the senior students in the same group. Senior students also prove their leadership in guiding their groups and thus the ‘team spirit’ wins finally.

This was the second reason for organizing this type of competition. Similar time-bound inter class architectural design competitions were also arranged earlier here in this department with our alumni sponsorship. Every time, results came out to be marvelous and purposes rightly addressed. These competitions generate tremendous enthusiasm among architecture students - budding architects for the future.

This year the design theme revolved around creating an Ashram with the site contextual reference from the ghats of Varanasi. Students were asked to create a contemporary religious environment with the vernacular historicity from the past for housing a meditation centre, herbal medicine processing unit, library, display cum religious archival centre as well as dormitories for the residents. Administration, outdoor yoga centre, landscaped gardens including ghats were auxiliary requirements for the same complex.

The total number of students were distributed in six groups. Each group consisted of students from First to Final year B.Arch class. Within a time frame about a week they were asked to submit design ideas with concept philosophy, architectural and structural systems design, inventories of building and finish materials, urban design thoughts for the place with a miniature model for the same.

A five member Jury comprising of Prof. Arif N. Merchant (HOD), Prof. Sanghamitra Basu, Prof. Jaydip Barman, Prof. Joydeep Dutta and Prof. Saikat Paul – members of the faculty evaluated all the design submissions from six groups through a brain storming session. Students have presented their design proposals through well rendered design drawing sheets, miniaturized model along with their literature review and case studies and also concepts in power point slide shows.

Each group with all its members present was asked to describe its design first, followed by subsequent question –answering sessions from the Jury. All the entries were displayed in the department central Atrium and the Jury met again for their final evaluation. The designs were examined in the lights of novelty of the concept, technical inputs from architectural and structural system, circulation, climatic, user-behavioral, energy conscious application, selection of building and finish materials, reference from contextual vernacular styles, verbal explanation points of view.

Though each of the design had its merits or demerits, on comparative scale First, Second and Third positions were decided. The results were declared in the presence of Mr. Madhusudan Roy, Area Manager from Snowcem Paints. The prize in terms of checks, cash awards and certificates were presented among the winners by Mr. M. Roy. He has expressed his happiness for the grand success of this event and also assured for further patronage in similar type of students’ competitive endeavor. The event finished with a vote of thanks from our HOD.

How to evaluate paint quality

When it comes to selecting a paint, facility executives are faced with a variety of options. Both a blessing and a curse, the large number of choices enables facility executives to closely match the characteristics of the paint to the requirements of the application. But unless one understands paint characteristics, it is easy to select the wrong type of paint for the application.

Compounding the problem is the wide range of paint prices. The lowest cost paint may not be a bargain, particularly if its service life is half that of a higher quality, more expensive paint. But always selecting the highest cost paint also may not be the best option. Facility executives may be paying for paint characteristics that are not needed for a given application.

When evaluating paint options, it is important to remember that paint cost increases with increasing paint quality. This is primarily the result of two factors. Quality paints tend to use higher cost components than paints of lesser quality. Higher cost components translate to higher product costs.

Quality paints also have a higher concentration of solids. As a result, higher quality paints have a long list of advantages: They are are easier to apply, flow better during application, require fewer coats for the same coverage, splatter less during application, have better hiding characteristics, hold color better, resist pealing and flaking, resist mildew, and provide a longer service life.

While these characteristics are common to all high quality paints, the problem is determining just what a quality paint is. It isn’t good enough to simply rely on the name of the manufacturer; most manufacturers offer a range of paint qualities. Instead, facility executives must look at the components that go into a paint, particularly their quality and concentrations. This is the only way to determine the difference between a top quality paint and one of lesser quality.

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Why paints fail

January was a very busy time for me as I spent valuable time at two premier Contractor events in North America – The PACE National Convention in LA, and the CertaPro National meeting in Tucson. I engaged numerous contractors in discussions about their favorite paints and favorite paint jobs. There was genuine interest in proper paint selection and in understanding how to avoid premature failures. Hence this month’s newsletter looks at some factors that influence paint failure:

a. Film Thickness and Uniform Coverage: Thicker films are desirable for some obvious reasons. Since coatings provide barrier properties, then one can envision that thicker films would help prevent moisture, UV and other harmful elements from getting to the surface. In the case of bare wood and masonry, thicker films can better absorb changes in the surface, while thin film coatings would tend to crack as the substrate moves. Thicker films generally provide for better hiding and stain blocking, as well as better mildew and corrosion resistance. Non-uniform paint coverage (resulting in peaks and valleys) can enable dirt build up on the coating.

b. Substrate Effects: The type and condition of the surface to be painted, significantly influences the paint selection. The market place has evolved to offer products engineered for specific substrates. Most manufacturers today offer products that are uniquely suited for wood and masonry applications. With aged and weathered substrates, proper surface preparation becomes critical to avoid premature failure. It is extremely important to paint on a surface with no loose or foreign particles. Appropriate techniques, for example power washing, must be employed to remove those loose particulates from the surface. We strongly recommend the use of an appropriate primer as well.

c. Impact of Priming: The use of the proper primer is essential to ensure that the paint finish delivers acceptable performance over the lifetime of the paint. Priming needs will vary depending on the substrate and conditions under which paint is applied and will be dealt with in more detail next month. For this newsletter, we focus on the role of priming in enabling adhesion and providing a uniform appearance. Primers are especially important when painting over aged or chalky surfaces. Quality primers, based on 100% acrylic binders, provide good adhesion and result in longer durability of the topcoat. Testing done at the Paint Quality Institute shows a clear trend with primer plus 2-topcoats out-performing primer with single topcoat.

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Dubai to build world’s largest arch bride

Dubai is set to spend $817-million on building the world’s largest arch bride, at 617-feet tall and 1-mile in length. Expect it to be in service by 2012.

Dubai is the Tetsuo of cities, expanding so fast it’s on the verge of creating of its own universe. And architecture that looks like it’s from the 22nd century only adds to the sheer grandeur of its growth—this bridge, envisioned by NY architecture firm Fxfowle, will be the largest and tallest arch bridge in the world, at one mile long and 670 feet tall.

Construction starts next month and is due to wrap up in 2012 after running some $817 million dollars. World’s first vacuum tube mass transit system will launch in Dubai shortly thereafter.

Beijing's new airport takes off

Beijing has opened a huge new £1.8 billion airport terminal today ahead of this summer's Olympics.

The terminal's two mile long concourse, which is divided into three sections and connected by a shuttle train, will boost capacity at the airport to 76 million compared with the 52 million who used the airport last year.

The new airport terminal is supposed to resemble a dragon, complete with triangular windows cut into the ceiling as though they were scales. It was designed by British architect Sir Norman Foster, who also designed Hong Kong's Chep Lap Kok airport.

It has almost double the number of boarding gates of the old terminals and nearly 300 check-in desks. The terminal has been built to maximise the use of natural light, with walls of glass.

Air travel in China is booming, on the back of growing tourism and rising domestic incomes, with 200 million passengers expected to take to this skies this year, up from 185 million last year.
The country plans to build nearly 100 new airports by 2020 to cater for this demand, many in remote, economically backward areas.

Six airlines will use the new terminal initially, including British Airways, Sichuan Airlines, Shandong Airlines, Qatar Airways, Qantas and El Al Israel Airlines.

More will move in from March 26, including Air China, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Air Canada and other Star Alliance members, as well as Emirates and Hong Kong's Dragonair.

The terminal also has special bridges to handle Airbus's giant double-decked A380 superjumbo.

(via Flightmapping)