Hasta La Ideas

Sure, eBay can be a depository for people’s unwanted junk, but it can also be a good source of design inspiration if you look in certain areas. If casting about for more examples of purpose-built furniture like the sewing desk I showed you in the last entry, you’re bound to come back with a netful of interesting images. Sewing-related furniture, it turns out, is quite the treasure trove of primitive design innovation.

Unfortunately the average Joe helping Aunt Nettie clear out her attic is unconcerned with design provenance; pieces are nearly always undated, unattributed and/or unnamed, leaving you to guess at their country or decade of origin, to say nothing of the original designer. But at least then you can just focus on the object, unfettered by the minutiae we were forced to memorize in History of Industrial Design class.

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Dezeen Wire: the latest Future Trends Survey by the Royal Institute of British Architects reports little change confidence levels among UK architects in the last two months. 

See past RIBA Future Trends Survey results here.

RIBA Future Trends Survey results for June 2011

The Royal Institute of British Architects’ (RIBA) has published the latest results of the monthly Future Trends Survey for June 2011.

The number of practices expecting more work in June remained constant at 26%; those expecting a drop in workload fell from 24% in May to 22% in June. Fewer practices expected a drop in staff levels, falling from 15% in May to 11% in June; 8% of practices expected staff levels to increase, compared to 7% in May. 24% of architects reported that they have personally been under-employed in June 2011, a significant improvement from the figure of 29% returned in May 2011.

The sector forecasts remain virtually unchanged this month. The private housing sector forecast (balance figure +7) remains the most positive with 64% of practices expecting work levels to stay the same, compared to 60% in May; the percentage of practices expecting a reduced workload fell from 17% in May to 15% in June. The commercial sector forecast is neutral (balance figure zero); the number of practices expecting workload to remain constant rose from 60% in May to 69% in June, and 16% of practices predicted less work compared to 21% in May. The outlook for the public sector workload (balance figure -23) remains the most pessimistic, with only 4% of practices expecting a rise in workload (compared to 7% in May); 80% of practices predicted that workload would remain the same, compared to 77% in May.

The statistical analysis of the survey enables the RIBA to regularly report on two key confidence tracking indices relating to future workloads and staffing levels. For June 2011, the RIBA Future Trends Workload Index is +4 (compared to +2 in May), and the RIBA Future Trends Staffing Index is -3 (compared to -8 in May).

Adrian Dobson, RIBA Director of Practice said:

‘The RIBA Future Trends Workload Index for June 2011 is +4, a slight increase from +2 in May 2011, suggesting little overall change in confidence levels this month but remaining in positive territory.

‘Small practices (1 – 10 staff) see the best short term growth prospects in the housing sector, whilst larger practices (51+ staff) predict growth in the next quarter to come mainly from the commercial sector. Medium sized practices (10 -50 staff) see their future growth being in both the housing and commercial markets. No practice size category currently perceives immediate growth opportunities in the community and public sectors. Our practices report that 59% of their current workload involves conservation, refurbishment or adaptive re-use of existing buildings; this illustrates the significant role that work to existing buildings plays in the market for architectural services.

‘In their anecdotal comments, our practices continue to report intense economic pressure, resulting in a very competitive fee environment and evidence of reduced levels of specification for many of those projects which are progressing. Uncertainty of funding in the public sector remains a significant concern. Some conservation specialists noted the negative impact of the changes to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, which means that VAT can no longer be re-claimed in relation to professional fees on these projects. A number of smaller practices cited the importance of detailed knowledge of local markets and local reputation in maintaining workflows. Some larger practices commented on an increase in the requirements for BIM capability as a pre-qualification criterion on larger projects.’

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We all saw the images of FEMA’s fleet of specialized trucks traveling along in a miles-long caravan during Hurricane Katrina. But for those of you who are interested in what exactly each truck was, here’s a tour of FEMA’s Mobile Emergency Response Support (MERS).

The MERS mission is to “provide mobile telecommunications, operations support, power generation, and life support required for the on-site management of disaster response activities.” The group falls under the Tactical Emergency Communications Branch of the Disaster Operations arm of FEMA. MERS provides communications options ranging from “fly-away packages” to tractor-trailers full of communications equipment.

The smallest vehicle option is the Incident Response Vehicle (IRV), which comes with a crew of 1-5 people and can support 10 more outside. The IRV is used as an incident command post for forward operations, with a videoconferencing room on the inside.

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Ho trovato questo primo test di una ripresa effettuata utilizzando un mini helicopter e una Canon 7D. Girato nello skatepark di Austin per la BMX company Mutiny Bikes. Il risultato è niente male.
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Heli Test #1 from Mutiny Bikes on Vimeo.

Celo o Manca?
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