Monday, June 30, 2008

Real estate boom to continue in smaller cities in India



The world's two fastest growing economies China and India will continue to witness boom in the real estate segments in smaller cities as both countries are expected to record strong growth in residential demand in the coming years, says a report.

Further, investments volume in the two neighbouring nations is projected to go up in the next few years.

According to a report prepared by the research group of Germany's Deutsche Bank, the long-term growth prospects for both countries "remain very good."

"All commercial real estate segments continue to boom Tier-II cities will gain particularly... Investment volumes are still very low. This will change rapidly in the next few years," the report titled Real Estate Investments in China and India: Big returns in big countries? said.

Although, strong residential demand growth is expected, the bank noted that "dangerous exaggerations can occur."

An important growth driver for the real estate market would be the increasing urban population in both countries. India and China are projected to witness increased number of urban population especially by the end of 2050. From just about 30 per cent, India's urban population is anticipated to touch 55 per cent by 2050.

According to the report, another growth driver for both countries would be the rising population of working age. In the near term, that population is expected to touch a peak of over 70 per cent in China.

The working age population in India is projected to be on the upward curve in the coming years and would be above 65 per cent by 2050.

(via Times of India)



Friday, June 27, 2008

Rotating skyscrapers planned for Dubai and Moscow

Plans have been revealed for the world's first skyscrapers that will constantly change shape due to dozens of rotating floors.

The Italian-based architect David Fisher wants to build the dynamic towers in Moscow and Dubai by the end of 2010.

A 70-storey building has received planning approval for Moscow, and an 80-storey building in Dubai is awaiting approval.

The skyscrapers will be powered by the sun and wind and continuously change shape as each floor rotates around a central axis.

Occupants of an entire floor will be able to control the rotation by voice command, with speeds varying from an hour to three hours for each full rotation.

The buildings will also be fitted with car lifts so that residents can park right outside their homes.

Russian real estate developer Mirax Group is behind the Moscow tower, while the planned Dubai building is backed by Fisher's Rotating Tower Technology Company.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Real estate to feel the heat as inflation soars


The recent fate of real estate stocks on the bourses mirrored the first signs of trouble ahead for the industry. Fuel price hike and lower IIP (Index of Industrial Production) numbers were recent setbacks to the sector and now with a 11.05% growth in WPI (wholesale price index), inflation has emerged as a serious threat to the sector, which has been cooling off in recent times.


Market experts predict further softening of prices. "Even though prices have corrected by 10-20% and even beyond in some regions, it has not yet touched the bottom. It is advisable to wait till at least the year-end to buy homes," says Jai Mavani, real estate practice head, KPMG.

However, since many developers are holding onto prices and even operating as a cartel in some prime pockets like Mumbai, postponing purchase decisions may not really be a solution. Despite the fact that volumes have fallen sharply, established developers are clearly unwilling to drop prices. According to Kotak Institutional Equities’ research report, home prices in Mumbai market continue to rise since last October.

"Our Mumbai price index shows a 155 increase over the past six months. Indicative prices in key locations in Mumbai vary between Rs 6,500 and Rs 35,000."

"Many Mumbai developers have raised funds through PE route. The surplus funds these developers have raised allow them to hold on to properties with out releasing the same into the market, thus creating an artificial demand supply mis-match in the system., In Mumbai market, many pocket developers are acting as cartels," a senior official with a real estate fund said.

Liquidity crunch has already forced developers to go in for high interest loans. While the primary market for real estate has virtually dried up, private equity players are also following a very cautious approach.

Only those developers who have internal cash flows and have not gone for recent land acquisitions will be able to sustain these tougher times. Earlier they were seeking mortgage against property but now credit requirement has forced them to pledge their own shares for securing mortgage, industry officials said.

"The current market meltdown has put downward pressure on sales and further weakened market sentiment. These higher inflationary trends will call for some regulatory moves which will ensure better affordability" said. Sunil Rohokale, head mortgagee & real estate, ICICI Bank.

Though the sector has already factored some of the news impact, there is scope for further correction. Some of the Tier II cities might further see some 5-7% correction, says Vipin Aggarwal, executive director, Omaxe.

(via Economic Times)

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Builders complete 263 houses in one week


Jerry Casesa is a builder in Newburgh, N.Y., who volunteered-–for the second time--to participate in Habitat for Humanity’s Home Builders Blitz, constructing two houses in one week with his community’s Habitat affiliate.

“Five days ago, I arrived on the site and was concerned that we could really have these two houses completed,” Casesa admitted at the end of the week. “The fact that the homes are completed and ready for occupancy is nothing short of a miracle.”

It’s a miracle that was aided by the work of more than 1,000 building industry professionals working at 110 Habitat affiliate work sites throughout the United States. The 263 partner families involved in Home Builders Blitz (HBB) have now become part of the more than 1 million people who have been found decent, affordable housing through Habitat for Humanity and its partners.

One of the final dedication ceremonies took place Sat., June 7, in Suffolk, Va., where Habitat staffers congratulated their local builders on finishing the largest HBB project of the week-–16 homes--completed in just five days. Projects such as Suffolk’s demonstrate why Habitat values its partnership with professional home builders. Since HBB’s inception, including local and national campaigns, the home building industry has supported Habitat’s mission by building more than 780 homes.

“Bringing professional home builders into Habitat’s work is a natural project for a housing ministry,” said Kevin Campbell, director of Home Builders Blitz. “The builders augment the excellent work done every day by Habitat volunteers around the world, and that helps Habitat serve even more families in need.”

BUILDER and Habitat teamed up to report the blitz’s progress on a daily basis. Six building professionals wrote for Habitat's online Builder's Notebook, providing a first-hand perspective of the work being done on their site. Kevin Campbell also posted reports as he traveled across the country visiting various sites. You can access each day’s posts here at BuilderOnline.com.

Be sure to check out the final wrap-up and photo slideshow on Home Builders Blitz 2008 at Habitat for Humanity’s HBB Web site. You can also learn more about the HBB model and how to get involved with Habitat for Humanity.

(via builderonline.com)

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

India's tallest skyscraper


One of India's most famous architects, Hafeez Contractor, presented a design concept to the Noida Authority for building what he hopes will be the tallest building in the World. At a proposed 135-storeys it is truly a revolutionary concept for urban planning in India, where the current record is held by the MVRDC World Trade Centre I in Mumbai at a 156m/35 floors, while the Shreepati Arcade is 152.5m/45 floors. The proposed height of the Noida skyscraper is not known, but Hafeez intends it to be bigger than current record holder, the Taipei 101 at 508m, and, the Guardian reports, bigger than even the proposed Burj Dubai tower in Dubai.

The Burj Dubai is being built with only one intention - to be the tallest tower in the world. So while current plans of its exact proposed height when it is ready in 2007 or 2008 are being kept a secret, speculators have claimed anything from 492m to even 900m. Even those claiming the same 160 floors are varied in their estimates from 700 to 800 meters. It is widely believed however that the foundation of the building would be made extra strong to accommodate future floors, to ensure supremacy in the numbers game. (Just a passing thought, but the exterior design does not look conducive for future enhancements of that kind.) With that background, it remains to be seen how exactly Hafeez (who is also building a 120 floor tower block in Dubai) plans to beat the Burj Dubai tower.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Feng Shui tips for small apartments


Applying feng shui in a small apartment or studio can be a challenge, as often there is little or no separation between your living, working and sleeping space. In other words, how do you apply feng shui if your bedroom is part of your living room, and the kitchen is right close to it, all areas with no walls to separate the different feng shui energies?

Even though this is a common situation in many big cities, it does not mean you can't have good feng shui in a small apartment or a studio.

Two main skills you absolutely have to master if you want to achieve good feng shui in a small apartment or studio are:
  • Clutter clearing and good organization skills;
  • Subtle skill of creating a harmonious division between different open areas.
Clutter clearing with feng shui, once you get to start practicing it, can become a really exciting and healing process. How about knowing how to create separations between areas with different activities, though? Wouldn't that make the space look even smaller? It might. But you have to keep trying until you find the perfect solution for your small living space. Basically, you need to create pathways of energy in your small space, and provide as much privacy as possible for your bedroom.

Each space will ask for specific solutions, you might be working from home, for example, thus you will need to deal with more space dividers / separations in your home. Some of the typical feng shui dividers for a small studio and apartment are: various screens (from rice paper ones to ornately painted screens), tall plants, a bookshelf or a row of curtains.

To help you decide the best type of space divider to use, first find out the feng shui energy / feng shui element needed in the area. Knowing which feng shui element is needed for good feng shui in your home will help you with your choice. For example, if you need a divider for the South feng shui area of your small studio or apartment, some good feng shui choices will be: a tall plant, a wood screen, a wood bookshelf or a row of red curtains. Choices that are not recommended, feng shui-wise, for the South area, are colors blue and black, or mirrored screens.

Let's look at some of the main feng shui priorities in a small apartment or studio.

  • Main door & entryway. In feng shui, the main door is called the mouth of Chi, or Universal energy. If your apartment is small, it becomes especially important to have a clear and open entryway, thus allowing more energy to enter and nourish your living space. Space saving solutions, good lighting, uplifting art, vibrant or soothing colors and objects of beauty can be brought into any space independent of its size. Because your apartment is small, put an extra effort into having the entryway as clean as possible, with no shoes, clothing or unnecessary items lying around in plain view.


  • Sleeping Area / Bedroom When you live in a small apartment, one of the biggest feng shui challenges is to create a bedroom space that feels (and functions) well as a bedroom. Be mindful of creating enough separation between your living and sleeping areas. Feng Shui-wise, focus on the place you see first as you wake up and last before you go to sleep, be sure it is not the TV, the computer or the laundry basket. Have some inspring energy to greet you every morning.


  • Mirrors expand the space, attract more light, as well as bring the water feng shui energy. Easy to understand why mirrors are called the aspirin of feng shui! Definitely one of the best feng shui cures for a small apartment or a studio, mirrors will help you visually expand your space and create more breathing room. Best to choose big mirrors that go with your decor and place them to either bring more light or reflect something beautiful. Best feng shui areas for mirrors are East, Southeast, and North.
(via About.com)

Saturday, June 21, 2008

How to stage a home

Staging a home is an art form that invites buyers to imagine living there. Find out how to transform an empty space into a warm, welcoming home that people, no matter what their personal taste, will want to purchase.

Friday, June 20, 2008

How to get the most out of your architect


To get the most out of working with an architect, it's important to communicate your needs and preferences. Pre-planning and open communication help your architect create the most appropriate design solutions for your project. Here are some handy tips:

Money


A building or renovation project involves present and future economic commitments. Once your project is complete, furnishings, day-to-day operations, maintenance and future repairs add to the total cost. Your architect can help you develop a realistic estimate through a life-cycle cost analysis, which calculates expected future operating and maintenance costs. Decide what's affordable, or limit the budget and make this cost limitation part of the architect's written agreement.

Design

Consider what you want both aesthetically and functionally from your project. What is the time frame for occupying the structure? What are the indoor and outdoor space requirements or the likely movements and interactions of those using the building? Answering these questions will not only save time with your architect, but provide insight into uses and operating conditions.
Location

Think about what you need from a site. If you've chosen or are considering specific sites, begin to match your list of needs to what the actual properties offer. Your architect can identify unusual or troublesome site conditions such as soil irregularities, drainage difficulties, or problematic slopes. You and your architect will also make site decisions involving orientation and design, depending on your specific preferences, such as the use of sun for heating.

Lifestyle

For residential design projects, your architect will consider aspects of your lifestyle, like your desire for privacy, plans for family, entertaining needs and interest in gardening. In addition to your immediate requirements, discuss your thoughts or expectations concerning future uses of your home. While concrete answers may be elusive, including them in discussion can enlighten your architect's design.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

The Queen of England acquires world's biggest wind turbine



The Crown Estate of England knows which way the wind blows and has decided to acquire the prototype of the world's biggest wind turbine, Clipper’s 7.5 megawatt MBE turbine, also known as the Britannia (pictured above is Clipper's Liberty model, which produces 2.5 megawatt).

The previous record was held by the Enercon E-126 wind turbine which is rated at 6 megawatt , but can produce around 7 in real world conditions. While the Enercon is land-based, the Britannia will be located in deep waters near the UK. This makes sense because the marine interests of The Crown Estate include almost the entire UK territorial seabed out to 12 nautical miles , about 55% of the UK’s coastal foreshore, and rights to lease seabed for the generation of renewable energy on the continental shelf within the Renewable Energy Zone which extends out to approximately 200 nautical miles.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Big bucks spur Pune farmers to reclaim land


Several farmers from seven villages in Mulshi and Maval talukas have been demanding that their land, measuring about 1,200 acres, be excluded from the catchment area of Kasarsai dam as the land, which was acquired 20 years ago for rehabilitation of dam-affected people, has been lying unused all these years.

But there’s more to their demand than what meets the eye. Though the issue of land acquisition has been pending for the last 20 years, one of the main reasons for the farmers’ move to get back their land was the increasing demand for land from industries, real estate developers and educational institutions.

Some farmers told TOI that their demand had stemmed from the fact that neighbouring farmers from Hinjewadi and Nere villages had made lots of money after striking lucrative deals with industrialists, who bought their land to set up industrial units.

“They (farmers) got anything between Rs 6 crore and Rs 7 crore per acre. Why can’t we also sell the land which belonged to us once at similar rates,” asked Vilas Jadhav, a resident of Nere-Dattawadi. “We have demanded that the land located along the right bank canal of the catchment area be excluded.”

According to Janardan Paigude, chairman of the Vande Mataram Shetkari Vikas Sanghatana, which has taken up the farmers’ cause, land rates vary from Rs 20 lakh per acre to Rs 7 crore per acre in the area today.

The 1,200 acre land was acquired by the state government from Nere, Jamb, Marunji, Chandkhed, Darumbre, Hinjewadi and Maan villages of Mulshi taluka, 20 km from Pune, for rehabilitation of farmers from Usagaon (Maval taluka), whose land was submerged following construction of the Kasarsai dam on the boundary of Maval and Mulshi talukas.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Real estate: Seven smart strategies


We asked financial advisers for some tips on how to handle real estate as you approach retirement. Their advice is aimed at those age 55 to 65, but it can be used by anyone investing in real estate.

1. Figure out how much your home is worth—to you.

For most people, a home "becomes an integral part of their identity, of who they are," says Avani Ramnani, of New Jersey-based Athena Wealth Advisors. Their status in the community is linked to their home, which also holds memories of raising children and the "sweat and hard work" that went into improving it.

All this can make it difficult to sell, even if it's financially smart. Some people will pay almost any price to stay in their homes for as long as possible.

If you know you need to sell, Ramnani advises first going out and finding a new place where you'd love to live. That may make it easier to load up the moving trucks. While lamenting the home you're losing, you can also get excited about the one you'll be gaining.

2. Run the numbers first.

If you're planning to retire soon, you've probably already crunched the numbers: How much will you have to live on? How much will you need? The value of the real estate you own is apt to come into the equation eventually.

But many planners advise running those numbers first without including real estate sales. If you can afford to do so, "don't look at [your home] as an investment," says Marshall Groom, a planner in Richmond, Va. "You have to live somewhere."

3. Downsizing early can pay off.

If your home is worth a lot, and you don't mind moving to cheaper digs, you can unlock a lot of extra retirement money by downsizing. If that's your intention, Kristopher Johnson, a planner at Timothy Financial Counsel in Wheaton, Ill., advises doing it sooner rather than later.

The cash raised can provide money to live on early in retirement, while you leave other accounts—like individual retirement accounts—untouched. That gives your nest egg more time to grow untouched, Johnson says. It also gives you more flexibility in dodging tax bills.

Keep in mind, however, that you might need to pay taxes on any real estate windfall. Consult an accountant or planner to make sure your calculation of the benefits of downsizing reflects this possible penalty.

4. Avoid too much real estate exposure.

A key principle for investors is diversification: Putting your money in many different types of assets protects you from bad luck in any one investment.

By the same logic, you should avoid putting more than one-third of your retirement assets in real estate, says Rebecca Preston, a Providence-based planner and member of the Alliance of Cambridge Advisors.

There are a couple reasons for this, beyond diversification. First, real estate is illiquid, i.e., it's expensive and difficult to buy and sell. An unsold, vacant house can be a big drag on your budget, to stay nothing of your psyche.

Second, real estate isn't that great an investment over the long term.

Read more

Friday, June 13, 2008

Alvar Aalto, father of modern Scandinavian architecture


Born: February 3, 1898 in Kuortane, Finland

Died: May 11, 1976 in Helsinki, Finland

Full Name: Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto

Education:

Graduated with honors in architecture from Helsinki University of Technology

Important Buildings:

Also Known For:

Alvar Aalto also became famous for his furniture and glassware design. With his first wife, Aino Mariso, Alvar Aalto founded Artek, a company that continues to sell innovative furnishings.

Artistic Influences:

Alvar Aalto's passion for painting led to the development of his unique architectural style. Cubism and collage , explored by the painters Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, became important elements in Alvar Aalto's work. Alvar Aalto used color, texture, and light to create collage-like architectural landscapes.

More About Alvar Aalto:

Early works by Alvar Aalto combined neoclassical ideas with the International Style. Later, Aalto's buildings were characterized by asymmetry, curved walls, and complex textures.

Alvar Aalto received international acclaim with the completion of the Paimio Tuberculosis Sanatorium. The Sanatorium building established Aalto's dominance of the International style and, more importantly, emphasized Aalto's attention to the human side of design. The patients' rooms, with their specially designed heating, lighting and furniture, are models of integrated environmental design. Alvar Aalto's Paimio chair assisted patient breathing.

The term Nordic Classicism has been used to describe some of Alvar Aalto's work. Many of his buildings combined sleek lines with richly textured natural materials such as stone, teak, and rough-hewn logs.

Alvar Aalto was also known for furniture and industrial design. In 1932, he developed a revolutionary type of furniture made of laminated bent plywood.

To learn more about the life and work of Alvar Aalto, see:

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Why acrylic paint is the best for the exterior of your house

Acrylic paint is what you need to use on the exterior of your house. Tim Carter of AsktheBuilder.com explains how to find the best paint for the outside of your home. You need to find an acrylic paint with polyurethane or with urethane, that is the best acrylic paint to use. That way you won't be repainting your house in a few years.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Buying the right first home



Finding the right first home starts with a price range and a short list of desirable neighborhoods. But there are many other factors you'll need to consider before investing in what may be your biggest asset.

Before You Start:
  • Grab your current household budget so you can consider your financial situation and your ability to make mortgage payments.
  • Ask family and friends if they can recommend experts, like a lawyer and an inspector, who can help with the home buying process.
  • Think about your lifestyle and how it might affect your choice of home and neighborhood.
  • Do a little research on current home prices in the neighborhoods you plan to target.
Buying Your First Home

Home ownership is the cornerstone of the Indian Dream. But before you start looking, there are a number of things you need to consider. First, you should determine what your needs are and whether owning your own home will meet those needs. Do you picture yourself mowing the lawn on Saturday, or leaving your urban condo for the beach? The best advice is to look at buying a home as a lifestyle investment, and only secondly as a financial investment.

Even if housing prices don't continue to increase at the torrid pace seen in recent years in many areas, buying a home can be a good financial investment. Making mortgage payments forces you to save, and after 15 to 30 years you will own a substantial asset that can be converted into cash to help fund retirement or a child's education. There are also tax benefits.

Like many other investments, however, real estate prices can fluctuate considerably. If you aren't ready to settle down in one spot for a few years, you probably should defer buying a home until you are. If you are ready to take the plunge, you'll need to determine how much you can spend and where you want to live.

How Much Mortgage Can You Afford?

Many mortgages today are being resold in the secondary markets. The Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) is a government-sponsored organization that purchases mortgages from lenders and sells them to investors. Mortgages that conform to Fannie Mae's standards may carry lower interest rates or smaller down payments. To qualify, the mortgage borrower needs to meet two ratio requirements that are industry standards.

The housing expense ratio compares basic monthly housing costs to the buyer's gross (before taxes and other deductions) monthly income. Basic costs include monthly mortgage, insurance, and property taxes. Income includes any steady cash flow, including salary, self-employment income, pensions, child support, or alimony payments. For a conventional loan, your monthly housing cost should not exceed 28 percent of your monthly gross income.

The total obligations to income ratio is the percentage of all income required to service your total monthly payments. Monthly payments on student loans, installment loans, and credit card balances older than 10 months are added to basic housing costs and then divided by gross income. Your total monthly debt payments, including basic housing costs, should not exceed 36 percent.

Many home buyers choose to arrange financing before shopping for a home and most lenders will "pre-qualify" you for a certain amount. Prequalification helps you focus on homes you can afford. It also makes you a more attractive buyer and can help you negotiate a lower purchase price. Nothing is more disheartening for buyers or sellers than a deal that falls through due to a lack of financing.

In addition to qualifying for a mortgage, you will probably need a down payment. The 28 percent to 36 percent debt ratios assume a 10 percent down payment. In practice, down payment requirements vary from more than 20 percent to as low as 0 percent for some Veterans Administration (VA) loans. Down payments greater than 20 percent generally buy a better rate. Lowering the down payment increases leverage (the opportunity to make a profit using borrowed money) but also increases monthly payments.

Read more

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Insurance cover for real estate deals soon

Risks associated with property transactions in India could reduce with at least three insurers submitting details of the property title insurance products they wish to launch to insurance regulator Insurance Regulatory Development Authority, or Irda.

People familiar with the submissions said ICICI Lombard General Insurance Co. Ltd, National Insurance Co. Ltd, or NIC, and HDFC Standard Life Insurance Co. had filed details of their products with Irda as any company wishing to launch an insurance product here is required to. Executives at ICICI Lombard and NIC confirmed the submissions. Executives at HDFC Standard Life Insurance could not be reached for comment.

The spokespersons for two other insurers, Iffco Tokio Ge-neral Insurance and Oriental Insurance Co. Ltd, said these two firms are also working on title insurance products.

The new products are a sign of the growing maturity of the insurance and real estate businesses in the country. Several real estate firms have sold shares to the public in the past two years, becoming accountable to a larger group of shareholders for their dealings. For insurance firms, the products are a way to increase their por-tfolio of offerings and start tapping an area where there is lik-ely to be no dearth of business.

Property transactions in India are inherently risky because the government doesn’t guarantee ownership of land. It merely endorses property transactions and earns revenue from them. Experts say six out of every 10 court cases filed or waiting to be resolved in India relate to property. Not all buyers, however, will be able to benefit from the new products being launched.

“Title insurance is very common in the US and Europe. In India, in the current context, this will be primarily offered in transactions where the title is clear and the valuations are large. It will be primarily used on the commercial side, not at all on the retail side. Companies will have to do some amount of due diligence,” said Ravi Trivedy, executive director with consulting firm KPMG.

“They (buyers) will have to prove that they have done their due diligence before we offer the product,” said an executive at NIC who did not wish to be identified.
Title insurance is basically protection against financial loss from real estate transactions arising from defects in the “title” or “ownership” of the property.

NIC was among the first Indian companies to consider a title insurance product last year, after the Karnataka government decided to give a half percentage point (or 50 basis points) discount in stamp duty to property buyers who opt for title insurance.

In response to its submission, Irda has asked the firm to resolve issues pertaining to pricing. The company will resolve these issues and file the product in two months, added the NIC executive.

“There are some issues regarding the pricing of title insurance products,” said R. Kannan, member, actuary, of Irda. “Being long-term products of around 10-15 years, companies need to have proper risk mitigation tools in place before launching such products,” he said.
Irda and the firms would not speak on when these products would be available.

Pricing and risk management are key issues for companies launching title insurance products because of paucity of data on the likelihood of somebody contesting a claim to property. The companies will likely test their products in states where not too many title claims are contested before launching them nationally.

“Unlike vehicle insurance, where we know the ratio of accidents in different cities and price the products accordingly, in property there is absolutely no reliable data to go by,” the NIC executive said.

“You have to see how it goes and then tweak the premium accordingly. For example, if there have been no claims for five years, then the premium would be reduced,” the executive added.
“The Indian market does not have any similar product to compare with. However, the premium is likely to be in the range of 0.5-2% of the total sum assured,” said Anuj Gulati, director, ICICI Lombard.

(via Livemint.com)

Monday, June 9, 2008

Building for a smaller planet


In the fall of 2002, a young Dutch architect named Winy Maas came to Yale to give a lecture on designing and building the 21st-century city, the challenges of which he illustrated by showing a 30-second video that could have been shot above any American metropolitan airport: a view of the tops of several buildings and then, as the camera rose, more and more buildings, more roads and bridges and asphalt lots, until an ugly concrete skin of low-rise development spread to all horizons.

Maas was not the first architect to protest the unsightly sprawl that humans have left over much of the earth’s surface, but he may have been the first to suggest that we preserve what’s left of our finite planetary space by creating “vertical suburbias” — stacking all those quarter-acre plots into high-rise residential towers, each with its own hanging, cantilevered yard.

“Imagine: It’s Saturday afternoon, and all the barbecues are running,” Maas said, unveiling his design for a 15-story building decked out with leafy, gravity-defying platforms. “You can just reach out and give your upstairs neighbor a beer.”

He turned next to agriculture. Noting that the Dutch pork industry consumes huge swaths of land — Holland has as many pigs as people — Maas proposed freeing up the countryside by erecting sustainable 40-story tower blocks for the pigs. “Look — it’s a pork port,” he said, flashing images from PigCity, his plan for piling up the country’s porcine population and its slaughterhouses into sod-layered, manure-powered skyscrapers that would line the Dutch coast.

Maas is the charismatic frontman for the Rotterdam-based architecture, urban-planning and landscape-design firm known as MVRDV, which brims with schemes for generating space in our overcrowded world. With his messy, teen-idol hair and untucked shirt, Maas strolled the stage extolling the MVRDV credo — maximize urban density, construct artificial natures, let data-crunching computers do the design work — while various mind-bending simulations played across the screen: skyscrapers that tilted and “kissed” on the 30th floor; highways that ran through lobbies and converted into “urban beaches”; all the housing, retail and industry for a theoretical city of one million inhabitants digitally compressed into the space of a three-mile-high cube.

The Netherlands, prosperous and progressive, has long been one of the world’s leading exporters of architectural talent. By the mid-1990’s, not only Rem Koolhaas and his Office for Metropolitan Architecture but also a whole new generation of designers — MVRDV, West 8, UNStudio — were trying to enlarge Le Corbusier’s definition of architecture as the “magnificent play of volumes brought together under light” and arguing for a process driven by research, information and a greater social and environmental awareness. Fighting their battles not just building to building but on a sweeping, citywide scale, Holland’s architects and designers were, in the words of the Dutch culture minister, “heroes of a new age.”

Still, paradigms tend to fall only under pressure, and at the start of the new millennium an audience at the Yale School of Architecture could be forgiven for greeting vertical suburbs, pig cities and the rest of MVRDV’s computer-generated showmanship with the same slack-jawed disbelief that once greeted Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis” or the 1909 Life magazine cartoon that promised an urban utopia of country villas perched atop Manhattan skyscrapers while double-decker airplanes whizzed through their atria.

When Maas came to New Haven, MVRDV was barely 10 years old and had hardly built outside its native Holland. And yet there he was with his straight-faced scheme to “extend the globe with a series of new moons” — send up food-producing satellites that would orbit the earth three times a day. “Can you imagine,” he said with a boyish, science-fair enthusiasm that indulged no irony, “if we grew our tomatoes 10 kilometers high?” On the lecture-hall screen, New York’s skyline appeared just as the MVRDV satellite passed overhead, darkening Gotham with a momentary eclipse of the sun.

Who were these Dutch upstarts? And in the so-called real world, would anything actually become of their grand, improbable visions?

The 45 architects and designers who make up MVRDV (the name is formed by the surname initials of Mass and his two founding partners, Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries) work out of a converted, loftlike space in an old printing plant in Rotterdam, a dull but industrious port city whose historic districts were leveled by the Nazis and whose jagged skyline of new office towers and construction cranes attests to its still-restless effort to rebuild.

Inside MVRDV, a liquid northern light pours through a wall of high arched windows, and the occasional cries of foghorns and seagulls confirm its location just blocks from the city’s main shipping lane. But otherwise, the mostly 30-something architects who sit with a slouching intensity at rows of long communal tables, surfing Google Earth or manipulating blue-foam architectural models, seem to have their minds in other places.

Read more.

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Colors in Feng Shui


Colors in feng shui are divided according to the elements e.g. green color would represent the wood element, blue would be water element. To know more about which color represents which element click here

Different methods in practice
There are different methods in practice for choosing a color for a certain area in your house.

Location
In this method the color is chosen according the area of the house. Below is the list
North – Blue (water element colors)
Northwest – Gray, metallic color, white (metal colors)
West - Gray, metallic color, white
Southwest – Earth colors
South – Fire colors (Red, orange etc)
Southeast – Green, turquoise, aqua colors
East - Green, turquoise, aqua colors

Flying star
In this method the flying star chart of the house is used to determine the colors that will be beneficial in a particular area e.g. if a certain area in your house has #1 star (beneficial water star) then you could use metallic colors or white or gray to enhance the benevolent star.

Bazi
In this method the person’s useful element according to the person’s natal chart is used to determine the color scheme. For e.g. if a person’s useful element would be water then a blue color scheme would be used.

Personal gua number
In this method the person’s gua number is used to select beneficial color scheme. For e.g. a Gua 2 person would have to opt for a fire color scheme or earth color scheme.

House Bazhai
In this method the color scheme followed is according to the bazhai of the house. For e.g. in a south (li) sitting house, east is sheng qi area, the element of sheng qi is wood therefore a blue (water element) based color scheme would be used to enhance the star.

All these methods can seem extremely confusing especially for a layman. The best method for a layman to follow would be the “Location” method. If you are still confused then best is to opt for pastel colors.


(via Geo Principles)


Friday, June 6, 2008

Glimpses of the Bandra Worli sea link









Mumbai will get a new landmark with the completion of the work on the 5.8 km long Bandra-Worli Sea Link project. The project is a 8-lane, cable-stayed bridge with pre-stressed concrete viaduct approaches, which will link Bandra and the western suburbs of Mumbai with Worli and central Mumbai. The Rs 1306 crore project of Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is being executed by Hindustan Construction Company and is likely to be completed by January 2009. The Maharashtra government has announced the extension of the sea link by another 3.6 km up to Haji Ali at an additional cost of Rs 1,200 crore.

The Bandra Worli sea link project has certain unique features. These include:--An 8-lane bridge with 2 lanes dedicated for buses.--Unique bridge design for the Link Bridge to emerge as a land mark structure in the city.--Single tower supported 500 metre long cable-stayed bridge at Bandra Channel and twin tower supported 350 m cable-stayed bridge at Worli Channel for each carriageway.--Modern toll plaza of 16 lanes with automated toll collection system.--An intelligent bridge with state-of-art systems for traffic monitoring, surveillance, information and guidance, instrumentation, emergency support, etc.--Development of promenade and landscaping to enhance the environment.


Length of the steel wires used is equal to the circumference of the earth.Weight of the Sealink Bridge is equivalent to the weight of 50,000 African elephantsHeight of the cable-stay towers equals that of a 43 storied building and the length of the Sealink Bridge is 63 times the height of the Qutub Minar.

Several benefits will accrue from the project. They include:--Estimated savings in Vehicle Operating Costs (VOC): Rs. 100 Crores per annum.--Considerable savings in travel time (20 to 30 minutes) due to increased speed and reduced delays (23 signals avoided)--Stress-free driving.--Reduced accidents.--Reduction in traffic on existing roads because of traffic diversion to the Sea Link. --Reduction in Carbon Monoxide and Nitrogen Oxide Levels in Mahim, Dadar, Prabhadevi and Worli along existing roads.--Reduced noise pollution in Mahim, Dadar, Prabhadevi and Worli along existing roads.--No adverse effect on fisheries, marine life and livelihood of fisherman.--Landscaping along the approaches and waterfront promenade will enhance the environment and add green spots to the city.


(via MSN.com)


Thursday, June 5, 2008

80 ways to celebrate World Environment Day


A

Adopt a ‘green’ way of life
Art made of recycled materials
Auctions to benefit an environmental project
Award presentations for environmental competitions
Awareness campaigns

B

Bicycle parades/races
Broadcast of public service announcements (TV and Radio)
Buy a fuel-efficient car

C

Calculate your carbon footprint
Carpools
Celebrity support
Clean-up campaigns
Competitions (banner, drawing, essay, painting, poster, poetry)
Conferences on the environment

D

Debates on environment issues
Dedicate your blog to World Environment Day on 5 June
Distribute leaflets, brochures and posters
Donate to an environmental cause

E

Environmental education programmes in schools
Excursions to nature sites
Exhibitions (drawings, posters, photos, paintings)

F

Fairs
Festivals
Film festivals on the environment

G

Give a gift membership of an environmental organisation
Guidelines to community-based environmental activities

H

Hoist banners at major road intersections
Help local environmental groups organise WED events

I

Inform all your friends about WED
Involve various partners (NGOs, ministries, youth groups, celebrities, private sector)
Issue First Day Covers (stamps)

J

Join an environmental group
Join UNEP’s carbon neutral network
Join the Billion Tree Campaign

K

Keep your neighbourhood clean
Kick-start an environmental campaign
Kick the CO2 habit!
Know your rights

L

Launch of government environment policies, books, reports
Lobby local authorities to adopt sound environmental policies

M

March for the environment
Media coverage and activities

N

Never litter

O

Offset your emissions
Organic farming/cooking
Organize a WED themed event in your neighbourhood

P

Parades
Performances (plays, songs, poetry)
Plant a tree
Plastic bags: avoid them!
Promotional material (t-shirts, stickers, bookmarks)
Puppet shows for children with an environmental message

Q

Quizzes related to the theme for schools, youth groups, company staff, etc…

R

Rainwater harvesting
Rallies
Ratify international environmental conventions
Reduce, re-use, recycle
Rehabilitate natural habitats
Replace your light-bulbs with energy saving ones

S

Save paper
Seminars
Sort rubbish
Speeches
Sponsorship from private sector
Sports activities
Switch off stand-by TV and computer

T

Take action
T-shirts for WED

U

Use sustainable modes of transportation (walking, jogging, cycling, skating, carpool)

V

Vehicle emission monitoring
Vermicomposting
Visits to botanical gardens and national parks
Volunteer for organizations such as Clean Up the World

W

Waste less!
Workshops
Write plays, poems, songs
Write letters to civic leaders, members of parliament, government and newspapers

X

Xchange ideas
Xpect environmental responsibility

Y

Youth-led activities

Z

Zero emissions


This
World Environment Day, we at Snowcem Paints rededicate ourselves to Mother Nature.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

The world's tallest building

An exclusive video of the world's tallest building, the Burj Dubai.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

The world's first skyscraper


Englishman, Henry Bessemer (1813-1898) invented first process for mass-producing steel inexpensively, essential to the development of skyscrapers.

An American, William Kelly, had held a patent for "a system of air blowing the carbon out of pig iron" another method of steel production. Bankruptcy forced Kelly to sell his patent to Henry Bessemer, who had been working on a similar process for making steel. Bessemer patented "a decarbonization process, utilizing a blast of air" in 1855. Modern steel is made using technology based on Henry Bessemer's process.

The "invention" of the skyscraper lies with George A. Fuller (1851-1900). George Fuller worked on solving the problems of the "load bearing capacities" of tall buildings. George Fuller built the Tacoma Building in 1889, the first structure ever built where the outside walls did not carrying the weight of the building. Using Bessemer steel beams, Fuller created steel cages that supported all the weight in tall buildings or skyscrapers.

The Flatiron Building was one of New York City's first skyscrapers (Broadway and 23rd), built in 1902 by Fuller's building company. Daniel H. Burnham was the chief architect.


Monday, June 2, 2008

Buying a brand new home?


New home buyers don't want a used house when only new will do. They don't want to inherit somebody else's worn carpeting, personal taste in kitchen appliances or look at some kid's initials scrawled into once-wet cement that they didn't put there. The home must be brand spankin' new, fresh and clean without so much as a finger print on the walls.

If this describes you, and you have always fantasized about buying a brand new home of your dreams, here are a few tips that can help you to protect yourself -- to make the process a pleasant experience.

Hire Your Own Agent

  • The builder's sales agents are paid to represent the builder, regardless of what they may tell you. Many will use high pressure tactics to persuade you to sign the contract. Due to the high volume nature of brand new home sales, lots of builder's agents are paid less than a traditional commission; some earn a salary plus incentives, so turnover is important to their livelihood.

  • Hire a Buyer's Agent to represent you. Most of the time, your agent will be paid by the seller, but sometimes the responsibility for the agent's fee is open for discussion. Even if you have to directly pay your agent, you can probably add that fee to the sales price, and it would be worth it because a good negotiating buyer's agent can save you thousands more than the commission.
  • Your own agent will represent you, be your fiduciary and is required to disclose the positives as well as the negatives about the transaction. Builder's agents don't discuss drawbacks.

  • If your contract contains a contingency to sell your existing home before buying, again, hire your own seller's agent to list your home. Be aware that buying before selling is not always in your best interest because hard bargaining goes out the window when you've emotionally moved out of your home.

Don't Automatically Use the Builder's Lender

  • Builders often prefer their own lender because the builder will be kept fully informed of your personal progress; it's one-stop shopping for a builder. But a builder's lender might not offer you the best deal. Moreover, the builder may own the lending company.
  • Consider alternate sources to find a lender. Your own bank or credit union might offer you very attractive rates and terms, based on your banking history with that institution. Your agent may refer you to his or her private list of wholesale lenders.

  • Shop around and interview your lender. Find a banker or mortgage broker whom you can trust and with whom you feel comfortable doing business.
  • Ask to see a copy of your credit report and FICO scores. You can order your own free credit report before shopping for a new home.

  • Insist that your lender guarantee its Good Faith Estimate. If the lender balks or makes excuses, go elsewhere, because reputable lenders will honor that request, even though it's not required by law.

Obtain Legal Advice Before Buying a Brand New Home

  • Before you sign a purchase contract, talk to a real estate lawyer. Standard purchase agreements are designed to keep everybody out of court, but they don't necessarily contain language that protects the buyer.

  • Ask questions about removal of contingencies and your cancellation rights. Make sure you understand your liability and commitments.

  • Find out if the materials used by the builder contain chemicals that are hazardous to your health. If your contract contains a warning about health issues, it's probably because it's a valid concern and other buyers have gone to court over it.

Verify Option and Upgrade Pricing

  • Determine which options and upgrades you want. Bear in mind that for many builders, the profit margin is highest in upgrades. Some builders can sell a home for almost bare construction cost because they make the bulk of their profit in the upgrades.
  • Find out whether your lender will lend on all the options / upgrades you have chosen. If your lender will not finance 100% of your selections, you will be required to pay for it in cash.
  • Ask about cancellations and whether you will be held liable for items the builder cannot return to a vendor.

  • Some contracts give the builder the right to choose your upgrades if you do not submit your request within a certain period of time.
  • To save money, consider which upgrades you could purchase and install yourself after the escrow closes. However, realize that some upgrades such as CAT-V, DSS or security wiring inside the walls are easier to do before construction.

Check Out the Builder's Reputation

  • If a buyer has a bad experience with a builder, the word spreads rapidly throughout a community. But you won't know if a bad rep is an isolated experience or if the builder repeatedly brings bad publicity to itself without checking and verifying the public records for lawsuits.
  • Talk to the neighbors and scrutinize the construction quality of surrounding homes. Is the builder consistently building identical or larger homes in the area or is construction lagging and homes shrinking in size?
  • Find out whether the builder sells to investors. Some builders require all their homes to be owner occupied. Others eagerly sell as much inventory to investors as profit margins will allow. If the market suddenly dips, investors are typically the first to bail and, besides, part of the reason you are buying in a new subdivision is to be surrounded by other buyers just like you, not tenants.

Hire a Home Inspector

  • Always, always, always get a home inspection when you buy. And hire a licensed and accredited individual to perform the inspection -- not your dad or your buddy contractor, get a real inspector. Be there for the inspection and ask questions because a new home can contain defects. The HVAC system might be too small or the plumbing could be installed backwards. Construction workers make mistakes. (And let's not even talk about the mustard-stained McDonald's wrappers stuffed in wall cavities.)

  • If the inspector calls for further inspection by another professional contractor, find out if the inspector is telling you there could be a serious issue or if the inspector isn't licensed to address that issue.
(via About.com)