Did you know that Autocad can check the spelling in your drawings?

Type ‘spell’ in the command line and follow the prompts on the dialogue box that appears.

Make sure the dictionary is set to British English.

While doing some research on BREEAM I came across a website that had an interesting article on “How to Grow Your Own Fresh Air” Here, it is a very interesting idea and one that its worth thinking about, even if it’s not applicable to any of our projects it is an interesting idea nonetheless.

Far more interesting is where this article came from. TED

What is TED?

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader. As part of an annual event the annual conference brings together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes).

The information found in this site is by far some of the best that I have ever seen; aside from some very interesting Architecture talks there are some other great talks by inspiring people (in their own right) like Sir Richard Branson, Bill Gates, Stephen Hawkins, Sir Norman Foster and many more.
Below are some links to interesting talks:

Frank Gehry

Norman Foster: Building on the green agenda

Thom Mayne: Architecture is a new way to connect to the world

There are many more but I would leave up to you to find those of most interests to you.

I hope you find this site as interesting as I do.

For those looking for the guidance on how to brand our buildings have a look here.

For those who didn’t get to the RIBA, this is the link to Tim Soar’s series of architects in their offices for the AJ – all the great names… [including P+HS of course!].

The Department of Health has reinforced its position on bed space standards for in-patient accommodation to combat hospital acquired infections.

Bed spaces width is 3.6m to provide suffucient space for clinical activities, meet manual handling requirements including hoists, meet disability access requirements including wheelchairs and provide a suitable environment for privacy and dignity. Refer to HFN 30 – Infection Controlin the Built Environment. The standards relate both to new build and to major reconfiguration schemes.

Breaches of health and safety could lead to imprisonment, a top law firm has warned

The Health and Safety (Offences) Act 2008 comes into effect today (16 January 2009).
See complete article in the Architects Journal here.

Author: Kaye Alexander.

The Le Corbusier, the Art of Architecture exhibition and the Biennale-Made Up http://www.artinliverpool.com/biennial

The Le Corbusier exhibition is a comprehensive study of his work and it is packed with models, drawings, sketches and artwork. All very inspiring and a good insight into his creative process.

The Biennale is playful and ingenious and spread over various locations in the city centre. Do not miss the giant spider by the artist Ai Weiwei which sits in its web spun between building facades….there are also revolving trees.

This and the following picture are of a Loch side B&B i came across in Broadford on the Isle of Skye recently.  This had an absolutley amazing view from it’s front window.

A modern sustainable highland croft that I came across on my recent holiday to the motherland,on the Isle of Skye.  One of these was designed by a company called rural designs.

a modern take on a highland croft.

If anyone is at a loss on what to do in the evenings until the 2nd November, I would highly recommend you visit York for the Illuminating York art event.

The Museum Gardens light installation on the ruins of St Mary’s Abbey and Yorkshire Museum was spectacular. It’s free and a repeat performance runs from 5pm till 11pm.
Go the website for more info.

www.visityork.org/illuminatingyork/

P+HS have been listed in Building Magazine as one of the top employers in the construction industry, for the second year running. Besides being listed within the top 75 companies to appear in the guide, P+HS have made it into the top 5 Architects category and also the top 5 for smarter working and leadership.

P+HS Architects have announced the completion of one of the most significant and sustainable office developments in York, Heworth Green. 

Situated on Heworth Green and fronting onto the new Heworth Green/James St Link Road, the £12 million development offers a total of 60,000 sq ft of Grade A office accommodation with open plan floor plates of 9540 sq ft, some of the largest in the city.

Benefiting from being only a seven minute walk from the main pedestrianised retail and restaurant core of York city centre, and with underground parking, it is no surprise that 20,000 sq ft has already been pre-sold to Hunters Estate Agents. Holiday Break Plc, trading as Superbreak Holidays, has taken a pre-let, leaving just the ground and first floors available.

The design by P+HS Architects exceeds the standards set within the latest part ‘L’ building regulations in terms of sustainability and thermal efficiency, and has a BREEAM rating of ‘very good’.  Many sustainable features were incorporated into the design including a combined heating and cooling system with an integrated heat recovery system to reduce running costs. In addition, the off site construction method utilised by Tolent Construction for the external walling aims to reduce the CO2 emissions and speed up the erection process. This also allowed for a highly insulated shell, further reducing energy consumption.

The completed building benefits from a striking frontage as the design incorporates materials in different planes to emphasise the individual components, provide shadow, modulation and interest. Key elements and entrances are particularly emphasised using projecting bays or full height glazed slots. The external cladding system also reduces lifetime maintenance and operating costs with lower energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.