Sunday, July 6, 2008
Solar roof
C21e & C21t
solar electric & solar thermal roof tiles
High efficiency
C21e:
• Delivers high power output - 52Wp per tile, less than eight square
metres per kWp (kilowatt peak)
• Back mounted contact strips increase the effective collector area
and reduce surface glare, typical with standard solar cell technology
• Integrated ‘thru-flow’ ventilation enhances PV performance
C21t:
• Less than eight square metres provides roughly two thirds of the
hot water for an average three bedroom home
• Latest insulation technology maximises heat retention
Sunday, June 29, 2008
gma radio - viability of this concept in India
23rd UIA world Congress in Torino , June 29rd to July 3, 2008
The theme of the congress is Transmitting Architecture , Since i cant visit the place , i am just relying on their website for information . Another interesting thing that's happing at the congress is the launch of the first web radio in streaming dedicated to the world of architecture . That's interesting concept and i was thinking what about having a dedicated radio for architects in India ....anybody listening !....anyways my mind will work on that .....Those are few initiatives to make the architecture world more connected . We will see more of these in developing nation as our economies move towards progress. Lot many venture funds are available in India but the thing is
- How big will be the market for such a new concept .
- How receptive Indian architects will be for such a concept .
- what will be the content so that it will be usable for the working professionals (as nobody can waste time on useless stuff).
- Will architectural colleges ,studios be interested in contributing to it ( That can be a platform to promote upcoming architects and create a visibility for established studios ).
The theme of the congress is Transmitting Architecture , Since i cant visit the place , i am just relying on their website for information . Another interesting thing that's happing at the congress is the launch of the first web radio in streaming dedicated to the world of architecture . That's interesting concept and i was thinking what about having a dedicated radio for architects in India ....anybody listening !....anyways my mind will work on that .....Those are few initiatives to make the architecture world more connected . We will see more of these in developing nation as our economies move towards progress. Lot many venture funds are available in India but the thing is
- How big will be the market for such a new concept .
- How receptive Indian architects will be for such a concept .
- what will be the content so that it will be usable for the working professionals (as nobody can waste time on useless stuff).
- Will architectural colleges ,studios be interested in contributing to it ( That can be a platform to promote upcoming architects and create a visibility for established studios ).
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Friday, June 6, 2008
Indiabulls raises Rs818 cr from Singapore Reit offer
Indiabulls Real Estate Ltd, India’s fourth largest listed real estate developer, raised S$262 million (Rs818 .7 crore) from its offering of a real estate investment trust (Reit) in Singapore, less than the S$285 million the company had sought.
The initial public offering (IPO) of 262 million shares closed on Friday.
Indiabulls Properties Investment Trust fixed the price at the lower end of the price band at S$1 per share, the company said in a filing with the Singapore stock exchange. It had sought between S$1 and S$1.10 a share.
The offer was to close Thursday, but Indiabulls had to extend the share sale by a day, after it failed to attract the 1,000 retail investors required for a listing.
“There is not much appetite for property trusts.,” David Lum, an analyst at Daiwa Institute of Research in Singapore, said. “The last IPO we had was in November and we dont expect one to happen in the next few months. I think the poor demand is reflective of the weak market conditions,” he said.
Company officials declined to comment because of a rule requiring them to observe a “silent period” ahead of the listing on June 11.
L.N. Mittal, chief executive of Arcelor Mittal, the top global steel firm, had earlier acquired 91 million shares in the unit as an anchor investor, meaning Indiabulls Real Estate raised a total of S$353.5 million. Deutsche Bank AG and Merrill Lynch (Singapore) Pte arranged the share sale.
The initial public offering (IPO) of 262 million shares closed on Friday.
Indiabulls Properties Investment Trust fixed the price at the lower end of the price band at S$1 per share, the company said in a filing with the Singapore stock exchange. It had sought between S$1 and S$1.10 a share.
The offer was to close Thursday, but Indiabulls had to extend the share sale by a day, after it failed to attract the 1,000 retail investors required for a listing.
“There is not much appetite for property trusts.,” David Lum, an analyst at Daiwa Institute of Research in Singapore, said. “The last IPO we had was in November and we dont expect one to happen in the next few months. I think the poor demand is reflective of the weak market conditions,” he said.
Company officials declined to comment because of a rule requiring them to observe a “silent period” ahead of the listing on June 11.
L.N. Mittal, chief executive of Arcelor Mittal, the top global steel firm, had earlier acquired 91 million shares in the unit as an anchor investor, meaning Indiabulls Real Estate raised a total of S$353.5 million. Deutsche Bank AG and Merrill Lynch (Singapore) Pte arranged the share sale.
Monday, June 2, 2008
RMJM Founds Business-Focused Program at GSD
Source: ARCHITECT Magazine
By Amanda Kolson Hurley
On March 17, the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) announced a $1.5 million gift from U.K.-based architecture firm RMJM to support a new integrated design program at the school. The RMJM Program for Research and Education in Integrated Design Practice will emphasize business management principles and a thorough understanding of the construction process to round out students' design skills.
Speaking to attendees of Harvard's Design Firm Leadership Conference, who filled the GSD's Piper Auditorium, dean Mohsen Mostafavi said, “We believe very strongly in the role of transdisciplinary research. We believe it's the future of design education.”
RMJM CEO Peter Morrison told the crowd that “architects must regain the status of master-builder” and that to do so, they must learn “to generate proper reward for the value [they've] created.”
GSD professor Spiro Pollalis told the audience that although the details have not been worked out yet, the program will entail collaboration between the GSD and the Harvard Business School.
By Amanda Kolson Hurley
On March 17, the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) announced a $1.5 million gift from U.K.-based architecture firm RMJM to support a new integrated design program at the school. The RMJM Program for Research and Education in Integrated Design Practice will emphasize business management principles and a thorough understanding of the construction process to round out students' design skills.
Speaking to attendees of Harvard's Design Firm Leadership Conference, who filled the GSD's Piper Auditorium, dean Mohsen Mostafavi said, “We believe very strongly in the role of transdisciplinary research. We believe it's the future of design education.”
RMJM CEO Peter Morrison told the crowd that “architects must regain the status of master-builder” and that to do so, they must learn “to generate proper reward for the value [they've] created.”
GSD professor Spiro Pollalis told the audience that although the details have not been worked out yet, the program will entail collaboration between the GSD and the Harvard Business School.
Friday, May 30, 2008
DFJ’s Steve Jurveston on a clean tech business plan competition and playing god
The California Clean Tech Open (CCTO) stands out as one of the biggest business plan competitions around. Each year, researchers from some of the most prestigious labs in the country meet with entrepreneurs who can dream up ways to turn their work into gold. Out of 45-50 finalists in the CCTO start-up boot camp, five winners receive cash and professional services totaling around $100,000 each, but each finalist comes out with a fully fleshed out business plan and a lot of valuable connections.
whole story
whole story
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Reliance Industries to enter solar energy market
Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), India's biggest listed firm, plans an investment of $25 billion over the next five years in solar energy acquisitions and greenfield projects for photovoltaic cells.
Reliance's recent investment in semiconductor fabrication plants is not for computer chips but mainly for solar panels.
RIL has submitted the proposal for setting up two units with a total investment of Rs 30,000 crore.
One unit will be for manufacture of semiconductor wafer fab with assembly, test, mark and packaging facility at an investment of Rs 18,000 crore. RIL is in talks with states of Maharastra, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana to set up a unit.
Another solar project will be located in Jamnagar with an investment of about Rs11,000 crore.
Reliance is already experimenting with a pilot project in Maharashtra where it is electrifying 84 villages with solar power.
At the current pace of 20 per cent annual growth, experts expect India’s solar sector to emerge as the fourth largest generator of solar energy after Germany, Japan and China in the coming years.
Reliance's recent investment in semiconductor fabrication plants is not for computer chips but mainly for solar panels.
RIL has submitted the proposal for setting up two units with a total investment of Rs 30,000 crore.
One unit will be for manufacture of semiconductor wafer fab with assembly, test, mark and packaging facility at an investment of Rs 18,000 crore. RIL is in talks with states of Maharastra, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana to set up a unit.
Another solar project will be located in Jamnagar with an investment of about Rs11,000 crore.
Reliance is already experimenting with a pilot project in Maharashtra where it is electrifying 84 villages with solar power.
At the current pace of 20 per cent annual growth, experts expect India’s solar sector to emerge as the fourth largest generator of solar energy after Germany, Japan and China in the coming years.
Project Architect: UNICEF Child Friendly Schools
Volunteer Opportunities
Location: Ganta, Liberia
Type: Design Fellowship
Architecture for Humanity in partnership with UNICEF is seeking a project architect to assist in the design and construction of an innovative school program in post-conflict border areas of Western Africa. The program will involve building two prototype facilities, a primary school and a secondary school, that incorporate the guidelines of UNICEF's Child Friendly School approach. Each school will include innovative learning environments, but will incorporate alternative energy sources, water reclamation, basic services play spaces, and will serve as a model for sustainable development in the region.
The goal: to support peace building by designing world class schools that inspire a love of learning and create a sense of harmony between the school, the surrounding community and the environment. If successful, the program will be expanded to include similar schools in the border regions of Western Africa benefiting thousands of students and teachers.
Location: Ganta, Liberia
Type: Design Fellowship
Architecture for Humanity in partnership with UNICEF is seeking a project architect to assist in the design and construction of an innovative school program in post-conflict border areas of Western Africa. The program will involve building two prototype facilities, a primary school and a secondary school, that incorporate the guidelines of UNICEF's Child Friendly School approach. Each school will include innovative learning environments, but will incorporate alternative energy sources, water reclamation, basic services play spaces, and will serve as a model for sustainable development in the region.
The goal: to support peace building by designing world class schools that inspire a love of learning and create a sense of harmony between the school, the surrounding community and the environment. If successful, the program will be expanded to include similar schools in the border regions of Western Africa benefiting thousands of students and teachers.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Calera Corporation
calera corporation a start-up by a former Stanford professor Brent Constantz (a specialist in earth sciences) .It is one of the portfolio company of khosla ventures .They are into Sustainable, Renewable New Building Materials .
Calera Corporation is dedicated to reversing global warming and ocean acidification by trapping the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, in the built environment, proactively reducing the level of free carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere.
Calera Corporation is dedicated to reversing global warming and ocean acidification by trapping the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, in the built environment, proactively reducing the level of free carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Architectural firms Going Global
Western design firms are cashing in on international construction hotspots by opening foreign offices equipped to serve the local clientele.And thanks in part to the evolving globalization of economies and the advances in electronic communication,working overseas is more feasible for design professionals than ever before.
Of course, venturing beyond your familiar business circle to the global stage requires a somewhat intimidating investment. After all, hiring special consultants to educate you on the local practices, relocating and housing staff, and
maneuvering through government bureaucracy are not without steep price tags. However, the move can pay off for those willing to think beyond today’s dollars — and toward tomorrow’s euros, rupees and yen.
“When we consider opening an [international] office, we know that the first few years will require more investment with less return,”Ray Hoover, AIA, Managing Principal of Atlanta-based Thompson,Ventulett, Stainback and Associates(TVS), a multi-disciplinary firm of more than 300 people. TVS has maintained an office in Dubai for the past four years and is now opening one in Shanghai, China.
wise companies aren’t just looking for profits — they’re also looking for growth and stability. By spreading offices across different countries, a firm diversifies its cash flow supply, says Cheryl Neumann,COO and Executive Vice President of Wilson Associates, a Dallas, Texasbased interior design firm.“When one market is up and one is down, we’ve got coverage,” she says.“There are times when not every office is going gangbusters, and the diversification helps us manage through.” Wilson Associates is well diversified, with offices in three major U.S. cities, as well as in Singapore,South Africa, China and India.
Leo A. Daly, a 1,200-person interiors,architecture and planning firm based in Omaha, Neb. “You can go to the hotspots and hope to do work, or you create relationships and let the clients tell you where they need you.”Dalluge’s firm takes the latter, more service-focused approach.Dalluge takes pride in noting that Leo A. Daly was one of the first design companies to venture into China, opening there in 1967. “We wanted to be an international company,”he says. It was part of the firm’s strategic plan.Neumann agrees that, first andforemost, having overseas offices is primarily about clients. “It gives our clients a perceived closeness,” she says. With that closeness comes a stronger designer/client relationship,and as any business-savvy designer will attest, it is relationships that continue feeding work to a hungry company.That said, one of the biggest pulls and payoffs to establishing foreign branches is the opportunity to createone-of-a-kind, world-class buildings that would probably never get built in a developed Western nation. In fact,many designers choose to become designers to test boundaries by creating.
Of course, venturing beyond your familiar business circle to the global stage requires a somewhat intimidating investment. After all, hiring special consultants to educate you on the local practices, relocating and housing staff, and
maneuvering through government bureaucracy are not without steep price tags. However, the move can pay off for those willing to think beyond today’s dollars — and toward tomorrow’s euros, rupees and yen.
“When we consider opening an [international] office, we know that the first few years will require more investment with less return,”Ray Hoover, AIA, Managing Principal of Atlanta-based Thompson,Ventulett, Stainback and Associates(TVS), a multi-disciplinary firm of more than 300 people. TVS has maintained an office in Dubai for the past four years and is now opening one in Shanghai, China.
wise companies aren’t just looking for profits — they’re also looking for growth and stability. By spreading offices across different countries, a firm diversifies its cash flow supply, says Cheryl Neumann,COO and Executive Vice President of Wilson Associates, a Dallas, Texasbased interior design firm.“When one market is up and one is down, we’ve got coverage,” she says.“There are times when not every office is going gangbusters, and the diversification helps us manage through.” Wilson Associates is well diversified, with offices in three major U.S. cities, as well as in Singapore,South Africa, China and India.
Leo A. Daly, a 1,200-person interiors,architecture and planning firm based in Omaha, Neb. “You can go to the hotspots and hope to do work, or you create relationships and let the clients tell you where they need you.”Dalluge’s firm takes the latter, more service-focused approach.Dalluge takes pride in noting that Leo A. Daly was one of the first design companies to venture into China, opening there in 1967. “We wanted to be an international company,”he says. It was part of the firm’s strategic plan.Neumann agrees that, first andforemost, having overseas offices is primarily about clients. “It gives our clients a perceived closeness,” she says. With that closeness comes a stronger designer/client relationship,and as any business-savvy designer will attest, it is relationships that continue feeding work to a hungry company.That said, one of the biggest pulls and payoffs to establishing foreign branches is the opportunity to createone-of-a-kind, world-class buildings that would probably never get built in a developed Western nation. In fact,many designers choose to become designers to test boundaries by creating.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
entrepreneurs architects
via - VOLUME
In order to actively grapple with the challenges of our age, architects have to transform themselves from extremely competent executors of assignments into entrepreneurs and producers.
How true!.
In order to actively grapple with the challenges of our age, architects have to transform themselves from extremely competent executors of assignments into entrepreneurs and producers.
How true!.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Fun with Photoshop
when one gets bored with all those drawings what can bring smile to your face .....yup its colouring ..one of my lazy days work !
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
study report - Village settlement pattern - Rajasansi village
Few years back in college we did a study on village pattern of a border ( INDIA-PAK) village in north INDIA . The name of the village is RAJASANSI and it got few specimen of old sikh architecture buildings . We studied the pattern of settlement of the village and how it has changed over the last 200 years . Few of the old structures are in ruines . Hope they survive another century ....
Sustainable Real Estate Development in India Starts to Gain Momentum
Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj Paper Evaluates Emerging Trends and Adoption of Sustainable Practices in India
Taking action on India’s environmental crisis is no longer an option – it is a necessity. Sustainable real estate presents India with an unique and enormous opportunity to make concrete progress in the country’s effort to improve its environment. In a recent research report titled ‘Sustainable Real Estate Development in India’, Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj highlights the increasing trend of sustainable development in India. There is greater consciousness towards the environmental crisis in India with terms such as sustainable development, corporate social responsibility and triple bottom reporting becoming more common in the real estate industry. The report also details the best practices and processes that owners and occupiers can adopt to reduce the environmental impact of their real estate assets and at the same time, gain from substantial ROI (Return on Investment) from their ‘green’ initiatives.
The ‘Sustainable Real Estate Development in India’ report points out that despite the ever rising construction activity, awareness of sustainability in India has significantly lagged behind countries in the West. Nevertheless with the growing importance of environmentalism in India, the Indian commercial sector has begun to make conscious efforts towards creating sustainable real estate. With support from the Indian government, almost 40 construction projects that are currently underway are registered with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). LEED is soon emerging as the preferred rating system as it is flexible enough to be applied to a diverse variety of markets and also because it enjoys the greatest recognition of the various international rating systems. This recognition is especially important when one considers that a prime motivator for developers to create a certified sustainable building is to differentiate their project from competition. The government has introduced several schemes to encourage sustainability such as the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) schemes for subsidising capital for installation of solar water heaters, encouragement of energy audits and management schemes, mandatory use of fly ash-based construction material, groundwater and rain water harvesting and most importantly increased monitoring of air and water pollution.
Taking action on India’s environmental crisis is no longer an option – it is a necessity. Sustainable real estate presents India with an unique and enormous opportunity to make concrete progress in the country’s effort to improve its environment. In a recent research report titled ‘Sustainable Real Estate Development in India’, Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj highlights the increasing trend of sustainable development in India. There is greater consciousness towards the environmental crisis in India with terms such as sustainable development, corporate social responsibility and triple bottom reporting becoming more common in the real estate industry. The report also details the best practices and processes that owners and occupiers can adopt to reduce the environmental impact of their real estate assets and at the same time, gain from substantial ROI (Return on Investment) from their ‘green’ initiatives.
The ‘Sustainable Real Estate Development in India’ report points out that despite the ever rising construction activity, awareness of sustainability in India has significantly lagged behind countries in the West. Nevertheless with the growing importance of environmentalism in India, the Indian commercial sector has begun to make conscious efforts towards creating sustainable real estate. With support from the Indian government, almost 40 construction projects that are currently underway are registered with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). LEED is soon emerging as the preferred rating system as it is flexible enough to be applied to a diverse variety of markets and also because it enjoys the greatest recognition of the various international rating systems. This recognition is especially important when one considers that a prime motivator for developers to create a certified sustainable building is to differentiate their project from competition. The government has introduced several schemes to encourage sustainability such as the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) schemes for subsidising capital for installation of solar water heaters, encouragement of energy audits and management schemes, mandatory use of fly ash-based construction material, groundwater and rain water harvesting and most importantly increased monitoring of air and water pollution.
Monday, February 18, 2008
The green building revolution by jerry yuldelson
Thanks jerry for a such a wonderfull book with the right information . I really cherished reading it .
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