Archives

Attract younger workers to the trades

May 1st, 2020

Tech and training are sparking interest. by Jeff Moravec There’s a simple, well-known and significant problem in the fabrication business: too much work, not enough workers. “Fabricators have more business than they can handle,” says Russ Griffin, co-owner of Northcoast Marine Specialties LLC in Port Clinton, Ohio. “The downside is that customers aren’t getting service […]

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Revitalizing area culture with a cozy NOOK

May 1st, 2020

The NOOK is a space purposely designed without a specific function in order to encourage the community to be spontaneous and use it in a myriad of creative ways. Photos: Yuchen Chao. In the city of Taitung in Taiwan, there is a lot of history around an old train station, abandoned for more than a […]

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Disaster shelter design competition tests engineering students

May 1st, 2020

John Brown University’s disaster shelter contest challenges students to develop and demonstrate solutions for emergency scenarios. By Holly Eamon Global economic losses from natural disasters topped $232 billion last year, rounding out a decade that cost the world nearly $3 trillion, according to the 2019 Weather, Climate & Catastrophe Insight Annual Report published by global […]

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Promoting shade in the marketplace and happiness in the workplace

May 1st, 2020

For Patrick Howe and Wholesale Shade, high-quality custom shade sails are the product of a happy and efficient workplace. by Jill C. Lafferty My day consists of making sure my employees are happy. That’s my number one job,” says Patrick Howe, owner of Wholesale Shade™, a private label shade sail manufacturer based in San Marcos, […]

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Innovative fabric facades

May 1st, 2020

Changing the look and function of architecture for a sustainable future.  by Bruce N. Wright, FAIA Architects are fond of describing their buildings in the metaphoric terms of the human body. The supporting structure is often referred to as the skeleton that holds it up; the enclosure (or envelope) is the skin that protects the […]

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Outdoor lifestyles of the rich and famous

May 1st, 2020

A retractable canopy provides just the right shading in the California sun. Photos: Arya Group. Villa Sarbonne, a Bel Air mega mansion, was designed with no detail left unattended. The 25,000-square-foot home boasts nine bedrooms, 15 bathrooms, a movie theater, hair salon, spa and even a car elevator that rises seamlessly from underground to deliver […]

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Mood art at the Microsoft Research Center

May 1st, 2020

An art installation that smiles back Programmed to react to human expression, Ada is driven by artificial intelligence in real time, offering multiple opportunities for participants to interact with the sculpture, which changes color and light depending on the mood in the room. Photos: Jake Knapp. Walk into the atrium of Building 99, a Microsoft […]

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