in the dutch village of lijnden, arjen reas architects has realized house akerdijk for a single family. due to the site position on the akerdijk dyke, the project challenged the design team to create a building that embraces views out across the water and works with the level difference that is present because of the embankment.

early evening shot of the front faade

all images luc buthker

the form of the building has been designed by arjen reas architectsto reflect the context and conditions of the site. a steeply pitched roof mirrors the adjacent house but the new intervention also takes on a more contemporary expression by means of the black wooden ventilated faade and the black metal standing seam clad roof. the front elevation is punctured by two large protruding windows, which offer views over the water.

the entrance from the dyke

to the rear of the house, a large glazed faade opens out to a deep garden and the city of amsterdam in the distance. this expansive window works to emphasize the horizontality of the broad ground floor while also blurring the line between indoor and outdoor space, effectively making the interior of the house feel larger than it actually is.

back view of the terrace

the program of house akerdijk is split over two storys. due to the difference in ground elevation, the first floor is split in two levels, with an office and tv room on the dyke level and through a wide staircase you can reach the sitting area with the kitchen, where there is a view of the deep back garden and adjoining terrace. on the first floor, the family has two kids rooms, two bathrooms and a large master bedroom with a view out across the dyke.

room to read/watch tv or just to relax

height differences because of the dyke

main stairway with a direct entrance to the living

open connection from the bedroom to the bathroom

bedroom view

view from the dyke

early evening view from the dyke

view from the rear

view of the front elevation across the water

project info:

project name: house akerdijk

location: lijnden, netherlands

architect: arjen reas architects

client: private

phase: build

year: 2019

photographer: luc buthker

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readershere.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom

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blackened timber clads arjen reas architects' dyke house in the netherlands - Designboom

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Chinatown LA. Photo by flickr user Raymond Yu

A group of architects atNAC Architecture in Chinatown LA have come together to raise money for the students at Castelar Elementary School located just a few blocks from their office.

We are a community-focused practice, and we love the community were in. So a chance to help our neighbors and learn from each other is a valuable investment of our time, said Helena Jubany, FAIA, a Principal at NAC Architecture, There are lots of talented artists at design firms, so why not mobilize them for a cause?

After identifying a need for laptops at his kids' school, Edwin Fang, an architect at the firm, foundedBoundary/Threshold,an art show and silent auction that will be held at the Eastern Project Gallery in Chinatown. As its name suggests, the theme of Boundary/Threshold centers around an idea of transition.

The art for the event explores this notion by examining aspects such as geometry, rhythm, color, materiality, and more. In addition to NAC's staff, the exhibition will also feature the donated work of Taiwanese-American visual artist James Jean, Hong Kong native and LA local illustrator Victo Ngai, and international artist/painter/muralist Tommii Lim.

The exhibition and auction will be on December 11 @6pm.

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Los Angeles architects band together to raise funds for local elementary school - Archinect

TimeofWater: Water as a dimension of time.The theme of the third Pisa Biennale has really hit the nail on the head right now, with so many parts of Italy suffering from the consequences of so much rain with floods, mudslides and landslips.Alfonso Femia, guest director of the organisation LP - Laboratorio Permanente per la Citt - said, in fact, that the theme was defined on the basis of the full awareness of a critical situation that has a huge impact on the territory and on the environment, on buildings and on future - and present - prospects.This sets the scene for the contribution of the Rome-based studio,SET Architects, completed in collaboration with theMuseum of Architecture and Design (MAO), Ljubljana, which had developed the Living with Water installation for the Slovenia pavilion at the 16th Architecture Biennale in Venice. For Pisa, SET Architects further developed its Floating Life project, conceived for Ljubljansko Barje, a former marshy area along the Ljubljanica river, in reference to the cyclical nature of water. They used high-end technology to transform these dried out wetlands into amphibious-hybrid buildings.The installation by SET Architects evolves the concepts of Floating Life intoThe Cyclical Time of Watertherefore focuses not so much on harnessing the forces of an increasingly unpredictable nature caused by the climate crisis, but on how we can tenaciously respond to a changing environment. So,we should be able to develop habitats based on synergy between man and nature ... that are capable of adapting to changing environmental conditions.On the one hand, these ideas have been transposed into the project for the Barje district in the southern part of thecity of Ljubljana, where the idea is to turn these existing dried-up wetlandsinto an active system of liveable and navigable bases thanks to innovative urban development. On the other, to reach a wider audience, SET Architects worked with multi-award winning director and Visual Designer,Miruna Dunuto create a really outstanding brief that addresses this cyclical time of water.Mirunu Dunu uses her creativity as a storytelling device for the idea of the cyclical nature of this element that brought life to our planet, and to get across the thoughts of the design team in less than 3 minutes:Water nourishes all things; it is a matrix, a mother, and the principle of genesis. Everything is born from water and returns to water, while it remains eternal, the source and end of all things.She didnt resort to harrowing images of disasters, which were all used to seeing in a world where photography is the order of the day. She works withthe apparent simplicity of the graphics created ad hocfor the video to get across the importance of water and its effect on our future.The viewer is mesmerised by the primordial charm of the water and this almost playful approach to one of the major issues that will decide the future of the human species: are we capable of adapting to the rhythms of the Timeofwater?Christiane Brklein

Biennale di Pisa Tempodacquafrom 21 November to 1 December 2019Arsenali Repubblicani, Pisa, ItalyImages: SET Architects, screenshots Miruna DunuContribution ofSET ArchitectswithMiruna DunuFind out more:https://www.biennaledipisa.com/

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SET Architects with Miruna Dunu at the Pisa Biennale Tempodacqua | Livegreenblog - Floornature.com

Financial Architects Inc grew its stake in shares of iShares Gold Trust (NYSEARCA:IAU) by 168.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 13,406 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after buying an additional 8,420 shares during the quarter. Financial Architects Incs holdings in iShares Gold Trust were worth $189,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of IAU. First Allied Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in shares of iShares Gold Trust by 17.2% during the third quarter. First Allied Advisory Services Inc. now owns 106,183 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $1,499,000 after acquiring an additional 15,584 shares in the last quarter. Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. increased its position in shares of iShares Gold Trust by 51.3% during the third quarter. Signet Investment Advisory Group Inc. now owns 478,490 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $6,747,000 after acquiring an additional 162,290 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC increased its position in shares of iShares Gold Trust by 29.1% during the third quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 235,017 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $3,319,000 after acquiring an additional 52,960 shares in the last quarter. Tiedemann Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of iShares Gold Trust by 15,407.9% during the third quarter. Tiedemann Advisors LLC now owns 1,550,788 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $21,867,000 after acquiring an additional 1,540,788 shares in the last quarter. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its position in shares of iShares Gold Trust by 35.0% during the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 124,578 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $1,757,000 after acquiring an additional 32,268 shares in the last quarter.

Shares of IAU stock opened at $13.98 on Friday. iShares Gold Trust has a 52-week low of $11.66 and a 52-week high of $14.90. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $14.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $13.78.

iShares Gold Trust (the Trust) is to own gold transferred to the Trust in exchange for shares issued by the Trust (Shares). Each Share represents a fractional undivided beneficial interest in the net assets of the Trust. The assets of the Trust consist of gold held by the Trusts custodian on behalf of the Trust.

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Financial Architects Inc Buys 8,420 Shares of iShares Gold Trust (NYSEARCA:IAU) - Mitchell Messenger

A new drilling technology that is expected to enable ground-source heat pumps to be installed faster than traditional equipment while cutting costs has been granted funding.

Dandelion Energy claims its Sonic Drill Suite technology reduces the time it takes to install geothermal systems from up to one week to one day, with its research and development aiming to reduce the cost of drilling by up to 50%.

Its smaller design also enables installations at homes where traditional, larger drilling equipment cannot be used, expanding access to 25% more locations throughout New York and can help reduce costs for homeowners by 20%.

Ground-source heat pumps, or geothermal systems, operate by harnessing the Earths ground temperature as a heating and cooling source.

During the winter, heat is extracted from the ground through an underground pipe system and distributed throughout the building via a compressor and circulation pumps. The process is reversed during the summer and the cooler ground temperatures are tapped into.

The new technology was developed and tested by Dandelion as part of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authoritys (NYSERDA) challenge, which supports clean energy companies looking to develop, commercialise and demonstrate new technologies for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.

The heating and cooling of buildings are currently responsible for around one third of the greenhouse gas emissions in New York State.

Co-Founder and CTO James Quazi said: Dandelion Energys mission is to make geothermal available and affordable for everyone. Our new Sonic Drill Suite expands access to cleaner, more affordable home heating and cooling. Thats good for our planet and our economy.

Weve focused on developing technology that lowers cost, increases speed, and reduces the size and disperses the weight of the drilling equipment so more people can access this vital clean technology.

Alicia Barton, President and CEO, NYSERDA, added: This new technology is a game-changer for the clean heating and cooling industry and will significantly help scale up the number of homes using geothermal systems, which is critical to meeting Governor Cuomos nation-leading clean energy goals.

We applaud forward-thinking companies such as Dandelion for bringing their cost-effective and innovative solutions to the marketplace, expanding consumer options and helping us reduce harmful emissions and stewarding the environment for generations to come.

Continued here:
New York backs tech that cuts installation time for ground-source heat pumps - Energy Live News - Energy Made Easy

The Massachusetts legislature is considering a bill that would allow utilities to buy geothermal energy instead of natural gas for heat and hot water. The Act for utility transition to using renewable energy (FUTURE) was proposed after a September 2018 explosion in the natural gas system in the Merrimack Valley in northeast Massachusetts.

At a Nov. 12 legislative committee meeting, proponents testified about a system that would use geothermal energy in neighborhood-scale district heating systems. A nonprofit organization is collaborating with utility companies to move ahead with whats being called the GeoMicroDistrict system.

Under a contract with Boston-based nonprofit Home Energy Efficiency Team, U.K.-based BuroHappold Engineering conducted a feasibility study for development of the GeoMicroDistrict system. The feasibility study concluded that the system re-purposes the existing public utility structure, financing, workforce and customer base to deliver safe, clean and affordable heating and cooling.

The GeoMicroDistrict system would be installed and operated using existing right-of-way, says Alexan Stulc, BuroHappold sustainability specialist. It would consist of vertical boreholes for the ground-source heat pump and an ambient water loop that would connect to a customers building. At the legislative hearing, gas utility Eversource described a geothermal network demonstration it has proposed to the state Dept. of Public Utilities to see whether the geothermal network loops could be used as an alternative or as an addition to the natural gas system, says Michael Goldman, director of regulatory, planning and evaluation for Eversource. It would run over the next three years.

The utility proposes to install the network loops in three distinct settings: multifamily buildings, dense urban or mixed-use, and purely residential. The system will use ground-source heat pump technology, which uses electricity to transfer heat from the ground to a network of hot water pipes, to provide heating, and potentially cooling, for the buildings within each district, BuroHappold officials say.

The rest is here:
Massachusetts Considers Replacing Gas With Geothermal | 2019-11-27 - Engineering News-Record

The town of Brookline, Massachusetts voted to ban gas and oil piping in future construction projects in hopes of reducing its carbon footprint, the Boston Globe reports. Brookline joins Berkeley, California and a handful of other cities in California as the first places in the U.S. to ban the use of fossil fuels to supply utilities like heat and cooking gas in new construction. Berkeleys ban only applies to new construction, while Brooklines also applies to substantial renovations closing a potential loophole.

Brookline and Berkeleys ordinances could signal a new trend in local climate action. To date, cities have mostly focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from generating electricity, but the votes in Berkeley and now Brookline show that the carbon footprints of heating and cooling buildings are receiving increased attention.

The numbers for the state of Massachusetts suggest this attention is warranted: commercial and residential buildings account for 24.5 percent of the states greenhouse gas emissions, while power plants are responsible for just 20 percent.

Tommy Vitolo, a Massachusetts state representative and Town Meeting member, told Boston.com that the decision that Brookline made...not only signals to our community that clean heating and cooling are possible and practical, but also shows residents and policymakers throughout the state, the nation, and the world that they can do it, too.

Despite local support for the new bylaw, it may prove a tough sell for the Northeastern U.S. more broadly. The regions cold winters and hot, humid summers, will make its transition away from natural gas and fuel oil more challenging than the comparatively temperate climes of California.

The electric heating pumps that would replace existing utilities are also costly to install and operate, especially compared to natural gas which is cheap, plentiful and can be easily installed even in old buildings. Natural gas industry groups offered up a federal estimate showing the cost of supplying the average Northeastern home with electric heating this winter would be $1,391 and just $712 for natural gas.

Steve Dodge, who leads the Massachusetts Petroleum Council, told E&E News, I understand their passion and the concern, but this is not the way to address it. This does nothing except cost Brookline property owners money and stifle new development. Dodge and others argue replacing dirty heating and fuel oils with biodiesels could offer another way of making the built environment less carbon intensive that doesnt upend existing infrastructure.

But supporters of the ban argue that natural gas short-term savings belie its true cost. Expanding and maintaining the regions gas distribution lines would cost billions, according to Greg Cunningham, who leads the energy and climate program at the Conservation Law Foundation. There are also safety considerations: a ruptured gas line exploded into flames in Massachusetts Merrimack Valley in 2018.

But undergirding this debate, and myriad others around the world, is the urgency of the climate crisis and the resistance to the systemic changes necessary to address it.

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Natural gas bans spread to East Coast - The Hill

Microsoft have registered a patent to try and help reduce the problem of overheating in their laptops; and possibly even their future foldable devices.

At this point the idea is only a patent and theres no indication that when or if well ever see this idea implemented in any of Microsofts devices.

The idea is an interesting one, though; it could see more manufacturers looking for innovative ways to reduce the heat thats generated by our laptops

PC cases have a lot more going for them when it comes to heat management. Without the need to be portable form is far less important than function. Added to that PCs have much more room to circulate air and install heatsinks and fans.

For a laptop the first and most important job of the designer is to fit it on your lap and in your laptop bag. As a result laptops are typically pretty poor at dealing with high temperature.

High-end gaming laptops are able to look at more advanced cooling solutions but these come at a cost. When you start looking at things like liquid cooling you sacrifice portability and start pushing the price up.

Also read Five ways to keep your laptop cool during summer

Designing an efficient laptop is not easy; theres only so much you can do with the space available in the base section of a laptop. Microsoft have clearly been applying their mind to this problem. The patent was unearthed by Mayank Parmar.

Microsofts patent looks to address this by implementing a vapor chamber which would run from the base of the laptop to the screen portion. This chamber will connect the base section with the screen section.

This could change the way manufacturers approach the idea of heat management. The screen and the base where the CPU and GPU are housed are generally thought of separately; the majority of cooling focuses on the heat generating base.

The idea of making use of the screen section to help dissipate the heat would give designers more space and materials to use to try and solve heating problems.

Microsoft notes in their patent that the screen section of a laptop may provide an effective surface area for passive heat transfer.

The proposed vapor chamber design is focused on providing efficient cooling without affecting the integrity of the laptop hinge it will need to cross. This is most likely why the vapor chamber is has been preferred to a heat conductive material.

If the solution proves successful Microsoft is likely to find applications for the patent in their foldable mobile devices as well as future headsets.

Also read Microsofts Cortana will soon read emails on Outlook for iOS and Android

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Microsoft patents solution to prevent laptops from overheating - The South African

The prevailing narrative following the recent public hearings to consider impeaching President Donald TrumpDonald John TrumpHouse Intelligence Committee to review impeachment investigation report Monday Comedian Rosanne Barr to speak at Trumpettes' Gala at Mar-A-Lago Israeli, Palestinian business leaders seek Trump boost for investment project MORE is that Democrats may have made the legal case but did not make the political one. They did not alter the political landscape and Republican support for Trump. That says more about the political environment than the substance, because Trumps culpability is greater than that of former President Richard Nixon. I can attest to that because I led the Watergate and Cover-up Task Force on the staff of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee Impeachment Inquiry in 1974.

Nixon was the subject of a formal impeachment process but was not impeached by the House, having resigned in the face of dwindling political support. Ironically, he is the only president ever to have been removed by such a process. Presidents Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton were impeached by the House of Representatives (in 1868 and 1998, respectively) but were not convicted by the Senate.

The fact that Nixon was removed from office by the impeachment process makes the substance of his case especially relevant. With the House widely expected to impeach Trump, the core question is whether his offenses are enough to deserve removal by the Senate.

Before turning to the question of comparative harm caused by the two presidents, it is important to note three important differences between them.

First, in Nixons case, the Watergate break-in utterly failed to achieve its purpose of planting bugs to gather dirt on Nixons reelection opponents. In Trumps case, the Russians were successful, with Trumps encouragement, in using cyber-espionage to gather information that could be harmful to Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonStill upset by Trump's historic win? Beat him if you can in 2020 Michael Bloomberg's billions can't save an unserious campaign Fears mount about Biden's South Carolina firewall MOREs campaign. They also were successful in waging a pro-Trump disinformation campaign through social media.

In Nixons case, the cover-up of the break-in failed, in large part because of a legendary whistleblower. Associate FBI Director Mark Felt, whom White House Chief of Staff H.R. Haldeman had assured Nixon would be cooperative, turned out to be the famed whistleblower known as Deep Throat, whose identity Felt revealed himself in 2005, 31 years after Nixon left office. In Trumps case, he sought to end the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election as well as of his or his campaigns potential criminal liability as an accessory to that interference.

The effort to obstruct the Russian interference investigation was not successful the Mueller Report found that Russian interference was widespread and systematic but, with respect to the complicity investigation, witnesses close to the president have failed to cooperate, and we dont yet know Trumps role, if any, in that lack of cooperation or what the information being withheld would disclose.

Third, in Nixons case there was never any credible evidence that Nixon approved or knew about the break-in in advance. Trump, on the other hand, apparently not only welcomed and encouraged this Russian cyber-espionage activity, he was the prime mover in soliciting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate the son of his leading presidential election rival, former Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenHouse Intelligence Committee to review impeachment investigation report Monday Biden canvassers join Teamsters union California Rep. John Garamendi endorses Biden MORE, as well as the Russian claim that Ukraine, rather than Russia, had hacked the emails of the Democratic National Committee and had taken possession of the DNC server.

These three differences all point in the direction of Trumps greater culpability, but consideration of the relative harm caused to the nation makes Trumps greater culpability clear. That is because the word high in the phrase high crimes and misdemeanors denotes serious offenses that harm our system of government under the Constitution.

Nixons misconduct harmed the rule of law, and the principle that no person is above the law, by using the powers of his office to obstruct justice. He violated the Constitution by failing to take care that the laws be faithfully executed. That harm was serious, and it was important that Nixon was held accountable. But had his misconduct not been sanctioned, there would not have been ongoing harm to our democracy or our national security. A failed cover-up of a failed burglary lacks the force to alter our constitutional democracy or imperil the safety of the state.

Trumps misconduct has harmed the rule of law and violated the Constitution, which bars solicitation or encouragement of campaign assistance from foreign governments. Public confidence in the fairness of U.S. elections is critical to our democracy. If a president is not held accountable for using the power of his office to solicit and encourage campaign aid from a foreign government, foreign interference in our campaigns will continue and increase, and our ability to steer our own course through fair elections will be greatly impaired.

Failure to hold Trump accountable also will cause harm to our national security. Normally, we can have basic confidence that the president is making national security decisions in the interest of the nation. That is not the case with Trump, when his judgment is conflicted by gratitude for Russian campaign aid, or, as in the case of Ukraine, a willingness to subordinate our national security in supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression to his apparent desire for campaign assistance.

Based on a comparison of facts and the extent of the continuing harm, it is more important to hold Trump accountable than it was to hold Nixon accountable. The question now is: Will Congress be accountable?

Evan A. Davis, an attorney, was a member of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee Impeachment Inquiry staff in 1974 and led the Watergate and Cover-up Task Force. He also is a former counsel to New York Gov. Mario Cuomo and was president of the New York City Bar Association (2000-2002).

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Trump's culpability is greater than Nixon's | TheHill - The Hill

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

The latest crop of phones like the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus, OnePlus 7 Pro or Google Pixel 4 have cameras on board that can snag the sort of beautiful photographs you'd normally expect to see coming from pricey DSLRs. I've already put the iPhone 11 Pro to the test on a road trip around Scotland and was amazed by the results I could get.

In this guide, I'm going to take you through how to take landscape photos with your phone, whether you're heading into the rural countryside or deep into the heart of the mountains. While some of the tips apply to recent handsets with multiple lens options, many are relevant whether your phone is three months or three years old, Apple or Android.

Some shots require some additional hardware; getting a slow shutter shot of a waterfall, for example, required Lee Filters neutral density filters, Moment lenses and a stabilising tripod. You can see the finished picture from the phone a little lower down this article.

While of course you can take great landscape photos with just your phone, there are some extra bits of kit that could help you snag something really special.

Clip-on phone lensesIf your phone doesn't have a built-in wide-angle mode (as you'll find on the iPhone 11 ($815 at Amazon) series or Galaxy S10 Plus), you should take a look at Moment's range of clip-on phone lenses, available for all recent iPhones, Galaxy phones, Pixels and OnePlus phones. They're made from high-quality glass, and the wide-angle lens lets you capture an amazing, sweeping vista in a way that's simply not possible with the standard view on your camera.

Filter adapters for your phoneMoment also makes filter adapters for screw-in 62mm filters, such as polarizers, which can help reduce reflections on water or boost the blues in the sky. Filter adapters also let you use professional-quality square Lee Filters, which slide into a holder connected to the adapter via a 62mm adapter ring. They're something I normally use on my Canon 5D Mk4 and can make all the difference in turning an image from a simple snap into a professional-looking work of art. Of particular importance are the graduated neutral density filters, which selectively darken only the top half of the image -- making it perfect for bringing those bright skies under control when you're shooting wide landscapes.

By using a Lee Filters graduated neutral density filter, I was able to darken the sky, emphasising the moody drama of the storm clouds.

Portable phone chargerA portable phone charger is also a great idea if you're going out hiking into the wilderness and plan on shooting all day. I use the Anker PowerCore 20,100, which has enough juice to recharge my phone several times over -- perfect for a weekend in the hills when power points may be scarce.

Outdoor wearFinally, don't underestimate the importance of correct clothing. If you're hiking into the hills for your photographs, sturdy boots are essential to avoid a twisted ankle as you clamber over loose ground. I use the North Face Hedgehog Trek boots (now updated to the Hedgehog FastPack boots), which are sturdy enough to tackle any of the UK's hills and also have the benefit of being waterproof, meaning I don't return home with soaking wet, freezing cold feet. Speaking of which, a good waterproof coat is a must if you want to keep the elements at bay, and a lightweight, packable midlayer -- like the Arc'Teryx Cerium SL down jacket -- is great to keep stuffed in your bag in case the temperature starts to drop.

Your phone is probably capable of taking a cracking landscape photo in its default auto mode, but let's take things a bit further.

If your phone has a "pro" mode that gives you manual control of settings, switch into that. If it doesn't, apps like Moment, Lightroom or MuseCam let you take control of settings like ISO, shutter speed and white balance.

By using the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus's Pro mode, I was able to select a slow shutter speed, blurring the motion of the water as it cascades over the rocks.

Crucially, these apps also let you shoot in raw format. Raw images don't save many of the automatic camera settings that your phone would normally apply to a jpeg image, such as white balance or sharpening. The result is an image that lets you change the white balance, alter colour tones and rescue detail from the highlights and shadows much more easily -- and with less image degradation -- than you can do from a simple JPEG. I'll come back to this more in the editing section below.

In landscapes, altering white balance is often crucial. Being able to tone down some of the highlights from a bright sky or bring up the shadows in the foreground is important, and being able to alter your white balance after you've taken the shot gives you much more flexibility in your editing (particularly those occasions when you want to warm up the tones in a beautiful sunset, for example).

The downside to shooting in raw is that your images will need some work in an editing app like Lightroom or Snapseed before you can share them. Photographing landscapes is often a slower, more methodical process, and spending time in editing is all part of the experience of crafting a beautiful image.

Time of day is everything in landscape photography. By finding my location earlier in the afternoon, I was able to capture this great sunset shot when the time came.

Time of day is everything in landscape photography, because the lighting changes completely as the sun passes overhead. The best time of day for really dramatic light is either at sunrise or at sunset. The sun is low in the sky both times of day, resulting in directional light and long shadows cast over the scene.

Midday is typically the worst time to shoot, as the overhead light doesn't create much in the way of shadow detail, resulting in scenes that can look flat and lifeless.

If you have a particular location in mind, it's worth setting your alarm and getting out early to see what you can capture during the sunrise. If time allows, try and return to shoot the same scene at different times of day to see when it looks best.

Weather plays a huge part in any outdoor photography, but none more so than with landscapes. Different weather conditions will transform your scene, completely altering its mood, lighting and colours. But don't think that bad weather means bad photos.

The rain clouds overhead add a real sense of drama to this scene.

Personally, I love the foreboding, moody atmosphere of a landscape with dark storm clouds billowing above. It's often the light that comes after a storm that can look particularly dramatic. So while the hike to your chosen location might be a miserable slog in pouring rain, keep your spirits up by imagining the beautiful photo you might get at the end.

The worst weather for landscapes is that plain, miserable grey sky where there's no texture to the clouds, no interesting light on the land and no contrast to the scene in front of you.

Keep an eye on your favourite weather app and make the decision based on what's predicted. As long as you've packed the right clothing, then you can brave the worst of the weather, and if it gets too bad then navigate Google Maps to the nearest pub to sit it out with a good drink.

If your phone has a wide-angle mode then now's the time to give it a try. And as mentioned before, if you don't have a wide mode on your phone as standard, you can use additional lenses to get the same effect.

I used the Galaxy S10 Plus's super wide angle lens to capture as much of this scene as possible, but I made sure to use this millstone as foreground interest.

Super-wide landscapes can be particularly dramatic, as they capture so much of a scene in a single image. Mountain tops that would otherwise be out of frame are suddenly captured in all their majesty, while beautiful rivers can now been seen in their entirety, snaking their way into a scene.

But once you've had the excitement of seeing the scene in full, try using the telephoto zoom lenses on your phone to focus in on some of the details within it. Look out for interesting rock formations, patterns in the landscapes or unusual shapes in the scene all things that can suddenly stand out when you zoom in and crop out other distracting elements.

It's easy to think that just using as wide an angle as possible is a guarantee of a cool landscape photo, but that's not the case. In fact, to get the best out of your wide shots you need to think about composition even more.

Foreground interestLook for foreground interest in your scenes. Tree stumps, moss-covered rocks, even some pretty wildflowers can all be used to draw the viewer's eye into a scene. When you're at the top of the hill taking your shot, spend a couple of minutes having a look around for something you can place in your shot to help bring the scene together.

The road is an obvious leading line here, drawing your eye into the image.

Leading linesLeading lines are also great elements to look for for a brilliant landscape composition. Keep your eye out for pathways, nice walls or other long elements that wind their way further into the scene -- it's exactly that winding perspective that allows your viewer's eye to follow along that line and into your image.

Straight horizonsIf your phone shows grid lines or a leveling tool on the screen, use that to make sure your horizon line is straight. Then double-check you're not accidentally chopping the top off your subject, be it a mountain, a building or some trees. Remember, you can do a lot to improve a mediocre image with editing, but you can't do anything to rescue bad composition.

Your image isn't finished once you've hit that shutter button; a few tweaks in an editing app is all it can take to transform a simple snap into a beautiful piece of art.

My favorite editing app is Adobe Lightroom Mobile, but I also get great results from Google's Snapseed, which you can get for free on Android and iOS. I tend to start with tweaking the white balance so the colours look accurate -- or to give a warmth boost to a beautiful sunset. It's here that shooting in raw becomes particularly beneficial.

Taken on the Galaxy S10 Plus, this shot of Solomon's Temple in Buxton, England is a fine snap, but it's uninspiring and the rusted drainpipe on the outside of the tower doesn't look good.

But with some work in Lightroom to adjust the colour balance, darken the sky and foreground and remove the drainpipe, the image has a lot more impact.

I'll tweak the exposure levels, particularly the highlights and shadows in order to bring a bright sky a bit more under control or to boost shadows in the foreground. A bit of additional contrast can help add some punch to the scene as well.

My advice is to make a coffee, sit back and play with the sliders in your chosen app to your heart's content. Try out the different filters, experiment with layering different effects on top of each other by saving and re-importing your image. Remember that there's no right or wrong way to edit an image, so enjoy the fun in playing around -- you can always go back to the original image if you don't like what you've come out with.

Hopefully this gives you some good inspiration to get out there and get shooting. If you're looking for more tips on taking great photos with your phone, check out our macro guide, our guide on how to snag great photos of cars with your phone or get inspiration from our supercar tour of Scotland, shot entirely on the iPhone 11 Pro.

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Use these tips to take jaw-dropping landscape photos from any phone camera - CNET