Call upon Me in the day of trouble Psalm 50:15

I cried at the Mexican restaurant last Saturday. Normally a place of chips, salsa, and laughter, I was reflecting on the day. I tried to describe it to my beloved through the tears.

My friend Paige and I wanted to help in some way. We had baked cornbread and cake to be given out with meals in areas devastated by recent flooding but hoped to do something hands on. We found that a neighbors family in Knott County had been hit hard by rising water on July 28.

Travelling to the Beaver Creek area Saturday morning, we saw first-hand what an ocean of raging flood water could do. Pictures and videos had not done the devastation justice. We were stunned. Cars stood on end in the creeks and were smashed into guardrails. Mobile homes were torn in half. Enormous piles of debris were at every household. There was much to take in.

When we arrived at our destination, we found that the bulk of mud-out had already taken place. We could see the water line on the outside; everything on the inside had been deconstructed, down to the studs.

The lady of the house, a beautiful retired teacher, told us her husband had longed to live in that very house since he was a little boy. When it came on the market last year, they had jumped at the chance to buy it but were not able to begin remodeling then because her mother was dying. After caring for her and her death earlier this year, they were finally able to completely renovate the dream house.

Theyd just moved in.

We saw her brand-new gas stove and refrigerator that had been delivered nine days before the flood. Now filled with gunk, they sat in a wall-less kitchen.

Paige and I cleaned with brushes, brooms, and shop vacs, trying to get mud out of each nook and cranny. Everything had to be pristine before building back. It will be awhile.

I was glad I had a mask on and was on my knees so no one could see my tears. Tears for the homeowner and the magnitude of the task before them.Mud was still wet in some corners. There is a constant fight against the black mold that comes after floods. So much had been lost. They were so tired.

The homeowner shared that she had experienced many things since the flood: fear, anger, disappointment. She knows the Lord but admitted that it is still hard getting through it all. I thought of the story of Naomi in the book of Ruth. Her loss had been great. She was full of heartache and other emotions, yet the Lord helped her start a new chapter in her life. An amazing chapter that was more than she could have ever dreamed: beauty from ashes. In our area, it will be beauty from mud. Somehow, He can do that here.

She shared another tragic story: The flood had come at night. They received a surprising call to check outside and were stunned to find that they were already surrounded by water. As they hurried to safety, she saw small lights and could hear yelling from a few houses down. A man was being swept away in his trailer. Neighbors were yelling for him to jump out of his home, into the water. It was scary yet the only way he would survive. He saw their flashlights waving. He heard their cries. But he was too afraid to leap.

I cried on the way homea place with walls and no mud. As of Sunday, Samaritans Purse still had a work order for 471 homes. Each one filled with sludge and heartache.

Call upon Me in the day of troublearound these parts, the day of trouble was July 28, 2022.

View post:
FIRST-PERSON: In the day of trouble | Perspectives | kentuckytoday.com - Kentucky Today

LEADVILLE A coffee shop downtown finally got fed up with the question and posted an answer: No, you cannot leave your bicycle in here. Everyone has a $10,000 bike.

The sign got laughs from the locals, whove earned the right by living year-round at 10,000 feet to poke fun at Front Range and out-of-state tourists and their fancy bikes.

Gobs of them flooded this mountain town during the pandemic, bought second homes to work remotely for the summer, drove up property taxes and the cost of breakfast burritos, and pinched out the workers who commute over the hill to clean hotels in Vail and Frisco.

Just a few years ago, Leadville was a quiet place where houses were affordable, workers were available and business was slow compared to nearby mountain towns. Folks who live here figure the high elevation kept people away.

Thats over now.

Leadville has gained international notoriety with its Leadville 100, a grueling, 100-mile ultra-run at high elevation that happens this weekend. Its mountain bike race, 100 miles topping out at 12,424 feet, attracts competitors from around the world, including Lance Armstrong, who won in 2009. Theres also skijoring, in which a horse pulls a skier down the snow-covered main street, and burro racing, in which a donkey and a trail runner take turns pulling each other up and down a 3,000-foot mountain pass.

The extreme-terrain events have been amping up Leadvilles profile for years, yet unlike all the resort towns around it where tourism fueled a booming economy over the past few decades Leadville still felt like a quiet, old mining town.

The coronavirus pandemic, though, shoved Leadville and Lake County full speed into the kind of vacation-rental economy thats now common in Colorados high country. While second homes in the county sit vacant or are listed as short-term rentals, a housing shortage has doubled or even tripled home prices. Half of all home sales in 2020 and 2021 were to second-home owners. Some restaurants have had to close a couple of days a week because they cant find workers who can afford to live there.

Town leaders at least had the advantage of seeing the affordable housing crises unfold in Vail, Breckenridge and Aspen, and they jumped ahead of the curve in passing an ordinance that caps non-owner-occupied vacation rentals at 12% of all housing in the city limits. Now theres talk of lowering the cap, which the city quickly reached and had to put want-to-be landlords on a waiting list.

County commissioners, for their part, made it easier for homeowners to build garage apartments and other so-called accessory dwelling units, simplifying the permit process.

We want growth on our terms, said Jeff Fiedler, one of three Lake County commissioners. We want to keep whats special about this place. We have one school district, one Safeway, one post office. We all know each other. Nothing against people who visit, but we dont want to be 70% short-term rentals and second-home owners.

Of course there is grumbling about property taxes and Texas license plates in the county of about 8,000, as well as plenty of opinions usually expressed in Safeway aisle No. 7 or at the coffee shop on historic Harrison Avenue rather than in public meetings, Fiedler said. The long-time residents pine for quieter times, before their property taxes doubled and the streets were packed with people who drove in for the weekend to watch a racing event and eat a fry-bread taco.

Most, though, are talking about how to deal with the growth in a thoughtful way, trying to figure out how to keep the old-time charm but create affordable housing and more child care options.

On the bright side, the boost in tax dollars is helping Lake County begin to catch up on gaps in services left lingering for decades. County commissioners have moved ahead with plans for a $45 million justice center after major liability and safety concerns about the dilapidated jail. The jail in Leadville hasnt been updated in 65 years and, before closing two years ago, had cell doors so rickety that deputies had to ask inmates to help wiggle them open.

The county has been driving criminal offenders all the way to the eastern plains, at a cost of about $250,000 per year.

You could get arrested for a DUI or drunk and disorderly on Saturday, and you wake up Sunday morning on the Kansas border, Fiedler said. And then you have no way home.

Growth brings plenty of problems, but at least there are more tax dollars flowing into the city and county to fix some of them, he said. Commissioners recently boosted salaries so now the lowest-paid county workers make a minimum of $40,000 per year. Construction on the new justice center is expected to start next year.

We are catching up on that kind of deferred maintenance. We are able to provide raises to county staff, said Fiedler, who became a commissioner a year and a half ago. We havent had the money to consider doing that.

Vanessa Saldivar moved to Leadville about a year ago after accepting a job with a local nonprofit. She and her husband had dreams of buying a home and settling into the small-town life. Except there were no homes, to buy or even to rent.

The move from Denver was delayed by months as Saldivars new coworkers networked through friends to find a rental house. They took the rental and kept looking for a home to buy, watching as the prices were inflating at an alarming rate, Saldivar said.

At this point, we have given up hope, she said. It impacts our long-term plans and our ability to put down roots here.

To add to their stress, the couple had a baby last fall but hasnt found child care. They are 12th on a waitlist and Saldivars husband is staying home to take care of their daughter.

Its such a lovely place to live that we just keep pushing through, she said.

The price for Leadvilles growth is being paid for by the families that live in this town who, by and large, are not super affluent, Saldivar said. Weve reached a point where people cant innocently own a second home in Lake County and Airbnb it and think theyre not hurting people. If we cant house teachers, health care workers, our nonprofit leaders, our families that live here are the ones that pay for that. Not the vacation-home owners.

Ted Green, who moved to Leadville from Chicago with his wife and three kids a year ago, spent the first few months dismantling suspicions about his intentions. Green left behind what on paper was the picture-perfect life, spacious home and a job at Facebook to open a candy store on Leadvilles main street.

Locals who walked into the new Blueflower Candies & Provisions suspected Green was some rich guy who opened the store and then intended to live elsewhere and pay someone minimum wage to run it. Hes had to win them over, one by one, by explaining that his wife is a teacher at the local school and his family is living full-time in Leadville.

Residents are fed up with people with money coming into town and buying buildings and turning them into swanky things that they had where they were from, said Green, who admits he used to wear tailored clothes and tried to keep up with the Joneses and was miserable. They walk in and say, Where do you live? What else do you do? Theyre waiting for me to say that I live in Denver and Im going to have somebody run the store for 12 bucks an hour. Im super sensitive to that. Thats why Im so cautious and welcoming to everybody in the community.

The Greens were lucky, buying three acres south of town about four years ago, before the rush. Theyre living in a rental while building a house on their property, which has a view of the Mosquito Range and access to Mount Sheridan from a backyard that touches a national forest. Its like 360 degrees of awesomeness, said Green, a cyclist. Our backyard is basically infinite.

He quickly got involved in Leadvilles economic development corporation and ended up bailing on his initial plan of opening an ice cream shop when he learned a nearby hotel was putting in an ice cream parlor.

With the candy shop, Green is trying to make sure he fills a need for locals, not just tourists with kids. In the summer, tourists raid the grocery store and leave the shelves bare, so Green added some basic groceries and granola bars to his inventory. He also keeps a running list of nostalgic candy mentioned by locals, including Boston Baked Beans and Black Jack chewing gum.

I didnt want to be the guy that came in from the big city and said, I know what is going to work, he said. I wanted to support the community first and the tourists second.

The reasons Leadville took off so fast stem from how it was doing before coronavirus showed up.

Interest in the town was growing, thanks to the race series that goes all summer, building up to the Leadville 100 in August. But the town was still low-key and affordable, the 10,000-foot location a deterrent to many. Its harder to breathe, obviously, but also harder for some to sleep and a more difficult place to grow old. Vacation homes were under $200,000 only a few years ago.

Also, theres no huge resort, only the family-oriented Ski Cooper about 15 minutes away. The tourism was never centered on a ski resort, but on a combination of smaller attractions hiking trails, ultra running, mountain climbing and cycling, and the museums focused on the history of the mining town that stretches back to the 1850s when miners discovered gold.

All of it meant Leadville was set up to blossom when the pandemic sent tourists outdoors and remote workers in search of mountain homes.

It hadnt bloomed yet, and why? asked Francisco Tharp, who has lived in Leadville for 12 years. The towns surrounding Leadville Vail, Aspen, Salida went through the booms long ago. But Leadville was a depressed mining town into the 1990s. It hadnt blown up in that way.

Leadville was still considered a bedroom community, where many residents traveled to work in nearby resort towns, cleaning hotel rooms and serving food. About 70% of the workforce was going over the hill to work in Summit and Eagle counties, said Tharp, who recently stepped down from the city council after moving out of his ward. Thats beginning to shift as there are more construction and tourism jobs in Lake County, he said.

Its not a bedroom community anymore, Tharp said. And people have nowhere to go. Leadville was the last place that people got pushed out of, and thats going to affect Summit County and Eagle County.

In 2016, Tharps family bought a three-bedroom home in downtown Leadville for $175,000. You couldnt even get a closet in Vail for that, he said. Now, his house, which he uses as a long-term rental, could sell for four times that, Tharp said.

The population in Lake County hasnt actually gone up that much, but the shift has brought in more second-home owners and pushed out lower-income residents, local leaders said. And the divide between the wealthy and the poor is widening, which has caused a kind of geographic segregation. Many of the countys working class are Latino, concentrated in some of the last available affordable housing mobile home parks. About 70% of the school district is Latino.

Tharps partner, Elsa Tharp, owns a hotel in town on the grounds of an old train depot. Freight has a group of cabins for rent, plus an events venue to host weddings and quinceaneras. Finding workers has been a challenge.

Francisco Tharp said that while Leadville and Lake County leaders are doing what they can to manage the growth, he hopes state lawmakers take action, too. He wants a mechanism for counties to charge a vacant-home tax, as well as better documentation so that communities can keep track of second-home ownership.

While some question whether the racing series, which was sold by its founder to Life Time Fitness in 2010, got too big, brought too much notoriety, Tharp disagrees. When the series began in Leadville, the town was impoverished, suffering from the closure of the mines in the 1990s. People were moving away; houses were selling for cheap.

What was the alternative? Just wallowing in poverty, he said. Its a complicated story, and people might have different opinions about whether we are better off now or could we have taken a different tack.

Trail running, including the Leadville 100, is mainly what made Greg Labbe fall in love with the town. He moved to Leadville full time 11 years ago and now hes the mayor.

Labbe, 74, hasnt run a whole 100 and doesnt plan to, but hes joined his sons in the race for as long as 34 miles.

The mayor says the last couple of years have been weird, to say the least. While other towns and counties were suffering during the pandemic, tax collections were up 46% in 2020 in Leadville, he said. Businesses were reporting a 30% increase in sales.

It was stunning. At the same time, our affordable housing was diminishing, Labbe said. A restaurant that had plenty of staff now has 70% of staff so they have to close on Tuesday and Wednesday.

In 2020 and 2021, about 50% of all home sales were to second-home owners, the mayor said. A new housing development on the north end of town is expected to add about 300 homes, though the 10-year project is just beginning.

Its not just the housing crisis thats exhausting, the locals say. The towns vibe has changed as tourism has grown more intense.

We used to have mud season,said Nathalie Eddy, wife of commissioner Fiedler and director of the annual burro race. There was this quiet time in the fall where you just felt the energy go down. You only saw friends and family in town. Weve lost those shoulder seasons. There is almost never a time when youre like, ahhh. Its good for the businesses, but its just a different rhythm that we are adjusting to.

Still, its not entirely fair to judge others who want to escape to the mountains just because they didnt get there first, said Eddy, who moved to town 14 years ago. We were all new here at some point. Most of us arent old Leadville, she said. Everybody is trying to figure out how to embrace this change.

And the whole town is trying to figure out how to deal with its popularity.

There is a difference between what the races bring to town in terms of commerce and in terms of identity, Mayor Labbe said.

This is a small, mountain city. We are known around the world and I take pride in that. I want people to value Leadville the way I value it, but I dont want them to feel like they need to move here to do that.

We believe vital information needs to be seen by the people impacted, whether its a public health crisis, investigative reporting or keeping lawmakers accountable. This reporting depends on support from readers like you.

More:
Leadville was an old mining town until COVID brought the tourists - The Colorado Sun

When we last spoke in March, Bonny Doon resident Ann McKenzie, whose home burned down in the CZU Lightening Complex fires, was waiting on the county permits so she could start rebuilding her homeand lifeafter the fires.

Not much has changed.

McKenzie is going on her third year of living without a permanent home. She shares an RV with her husband on the property where their home once stood, and she expects it will be nearly another year before they are able to move into their rebuilt home.

One of the most frustrating parts, says McKenzie, is that they havent even been able to break ground. Thats due to the permitting process, which she says has been slow and tedious. McKenzie and her husband originally applied to get pre-clearance permits on April 14, 2021. They finally received them in May of 2022, over a year after they started the process.

McKenzie is now waiting on different permitsand so are the majority of CZU fire survivors.

Two years after the fires, 187 permits are still being processed, and the county has issued 152 pre-clearances.

Out of the 911 homes that were destroyed in the fires, only 11 have been rebuilt.

That leaves a gap of almost 600 homes that are not currently in the process of rebuilding legally. The remaining homeowners could still apply for permits, but in March, Good Times spoke with multiple people who were fed up with the lengthy permitting processafter living for two years in tents or mobile homes, in many casesand admitted they planned to rebuild illegally, without permits.

County officials say the county has tried to pare down the process as much as possible, by cutting permitting costs, setting up the Office of Response Recovery as a resource to help homeowners rebuild, and hosting informational town halls to help with the permitting process.

As for why only 11 homes have been reconstructed, a county official speculates that contractor scarcity and supply chain issues could be to blame for the large discrepancy between people with permits in hand and finalized homes. CZU fire survivors are looking at higher residential construction costs, a labor shortage problem in construction and building material shortages.

McKenzies story illustrates another reason: that even after all pre-clearance permits are issued, theres still lag time to receive the other necessary permits.

After pre-clearances, owners like McKenzie submit applications for their dwelling units building permit, which includes construction documents, geotechnical engineering report, along with any other required technical material.

McKenzies designers submitted those additional permits to 4Leaf, the countys permitting agency, on July 29.

But to her dismay and frustration, 4Leaf notified her that the Single Family Dwelling permit must be submitted separately from the Additional Dwelling Unit permit, a detail she says no one mentioned beforehand. Her designers are still separating the documents.

The whole permitting process was riddled with small (and not-so-small) setbacks like this one, according to McKenzie. 4Leaf has a processing timeline of 10 days, but McKenzie says the reality tends to be closer to a few weeks, and even sometimes a month.

McKenzies story is not unique, especially because the areas hit the hardest by the fires were in the more rural parts of Santa Cruz County. Bonny Doon, Ben Lomand and other areas of the Santa Cruz Mountains were home to the majority of the 911 houses that were burned during the fires.

Those communities have struggled the most to get up to code, according to Michael Renner, Executive Director of 4Leaf. Pre-clearances take into consideration fire access, environmental health-sewage disposal and potential geologic hazards. But the requirements to receive those permits have changed in the time that these more rural communities developed, and many people have lived in the areas homes for generations.

McKenzie just hopes that she can get all the permits soonas the rainier months loom, she knows getting the foundation done as soon as possible will be crucial, so that construction can continue throughout winter.

The day she does break ground, McKenzie plans on celebratingeven though it marks the start of another months-long journey,

Im gonna have a ceremony and a ribbon cutting, and Im gonna stand there with a shovel, she says.

Follow this link:
Two Years After CZU: Still Tangled in Red Tape | Good Times - Good Times

Beautiful, sustainable, modular architecture built and delivered in just 12 weeks.

Our in-house design team of architects, draftspeople and interior designers will create your new home specifically for your site, matching needs, budget and sustainable values. Design and finish options are limitless but what is certain is that every design is the result of our design teams genuine collaboration with you.

With over 14 years experience, Modscape has delivered over 500 projects for our happy clients including family homes, forever homes and holiday homes in all kinds of locations.

Building at our innovative modular construction hub inBrooklyn means we never have to worry about the weather and our tradesmen can work side-by-side to get the job done faster. Weve optimised every step in our construction process to the point where we can guarantee that your new modular home will be constructed in just 12 weeks from the time weve received your building permit. We can also guarantee you afixed upfront price, providing you with peace of mind knowing that there wont be any cost overruns.

To enquire about building your home with Modscape, contact us today.

Original post:
Modscape Modular Homes - Innovative Prefab Homes Australia | Modscape ...

CHICAGO (PRWEB) August 19, 2022

As communities face wildfire smoke, power outages, and extreme heat this summer, US infrastructure is not equipped to protect us. Federal tax credits soon to come from the newly passed Inflation Reduction Bill aim to reduce the cost of environmentally-friendly changes and set the stage for widespread adoption and Phius-certified passive homes are emerging as a model for how to adapt. Phius (Passive House Institute US), a non-profit and locally tailored, globally applicable passive house building standard accounting for the vast majority of all passive projects in North America, has certified more than 7.4 million square feet of passive building projects that are optimized for adaptability and resilience as climate change redefines living standards.

For example, as residents in Houston struggle with rising temperatures and potential for loss of electricity, the Fly Flat infill pocket neighborhood, designed with ever-unpredictable and more extreme weather in mind, integrated Phius passive house standards to be ready. The housing project, led by a student-driven design team, utilized modular home designs and implemented energy-outage prevention tools such as community solar and FEMA 499 strategies to design weather-resilient homes the community can thrive in for years to come. New federal tax credits will reduce the cost of solar panels and other necessary tools for preparing the homes for resilience putting more funding back to the neighborhood.

Theresa Passive House is another Phius-certified project that weathered last years snowstorm and this years summer heat in Houston, Texas with comparable ease, enjoying a key benefit of passive buildings -- the ability for the home to maintain internal temperatures for longer periods of time, even without heating and cooling. Located next to a busy highway and train line, filtered, clean air inside was a priority. Today, the ERV circulates fresh, filtered air and a dehumidifier minimizes excessive moisture.

In California, Sol Lux Alpha, developed by John Sarter, is the first Phius-certified passive house with a multi-unit nanogrid structure introduced in the U.S. housing market. This six-story, four-unit housing development offers carbon-neutral living plus a transportation system! Inhabited units generate twice as much energy as they consume. Excess energy is sent to the grid, where it can be reused for EV charging another increasingly important perk of building to Phius standards as the electric car market heats up and tax credits emerge, especially in a state where the grid is already struggling to keep up with demand during peak summer hours.

And, when wildfire smoke fills the air, one family in Seattle, Washington will breathe easy in their Phius-certified passive home, named Park Passive. The home uses an advanced HVAC system to provide the home with continuous filtered fresh air even when the air outside is thick with smoke from nearby fires. At the first sign of smoke, the family closes all windows and doors and lets the house take over from there.

These homes all share mitigation of climate change and adaptability as a result of climate change designing and building for resilience, habitability and passive survivability during power outages, fires, and other climate-driven events, said Katrin Klingenberg, executive director of Phius. In certain regions, this provides a way forward for building and home design that offers an even more important outcome: reducing electricity load for heating and cooling - critical during heat waves.

Images of the projects are available HERE. Visit http://www.Phius.org for more information.

About PhiusPhius is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization committed to decarbonizing the built environment by making high-performance passive building the mainstream market standard. We train and certify professionals, maintain and update the Phius climate-specific passive building standard, certify and quality assure passive buildings, certify high-performance building products and conduct research to advance high-performance building. ###

Share article on social media or email:

The rest is here:
New Climate Bill to Accelerate Phius-Certified Passive Home Adoption Driven by Need for Extreme Weather Resilience - PR Web

Architecture is no longer a discipline that deems only the physical as 'sacred'. The digital is fast taking over the discourse and opening avenues to new ways of thinking and experimentation, and with much acceleration by the COVID-19 pandemic, a new world has already propped above the horizon. London-headquartered Zaha Hadid Architects needs no introduction when it comes to their pioneering engagement with the built and the speculative realms. The brainchild of late British-Iraqi architect Zaha Mohammad Hadid, the practice, since the 80s, has stood out for delivering timeless architecture that fuses technology with design, and for perennially pushing the envelope to create new tools to enhance our spatial experiences.

The firm is presenting its adventures in the cyberphysical space and metaverse through an exhibition hosted at the Dongdaemun Design Museum in Seoul, Korea. Meta-Horizons: The Future Now marks the opening of the new museum which is located within the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, a cultural hub and meeting place in Seouls Dongdaemun district completed by ZHA in 2014. The exhibition offers a peek into ZHAs illustrious repertoire spanning across multiple fields, from digital technology to artificial intelligence and virtual reality. One gets to experience the sheer breadth of work through three main zones of the showcase - Innovation, Imagination, and Interaction - where these categories reveal the firms recent designs, process, and research that incorporates immersive technologies, participatory design, and new fabrication techniques.

Within the first section titled Innovation: Process & Research, the exhibition focuses on collaborations across disciplines which rely on a research-based approach towards the design process and physical prototyping. The presented projects include a platform used to create customised modular homes, and a recent 3D-printed concrete bridge named Striatus, which was assembled without mortar in Venice as a result of a collaboration between ZHA and ETH Zurich. The various projects that fall under this zone represent the three ongoing research strands of the architectural practice, namely robotic technologies, folded geometries, and digital timber construction.

Within Imagination: Design & Virtual, the exhibition delves into the digital realm of things and how it continues to become more established as an activated destination integrating with the physical world. Presented within this section is ZHAs increased presence in the designing of the metaverse, with projects such as the cyber urban incubator 'Liberland', and 'NFTism' a virtual gallery space experimenting with architecture and social interaction.

The third section titled Interaction: Technologies & Collaboration puts a spotlight on technologies that enhance the seamless user experience across the world of cyber-physics, mixed reality, augmented and virtual reality. Projects presented within this section include Project Correl 1.0 a collaborative experiment in multi-presence virtual reality that illustrates the development of complex assemblies inside virtual space; and New Worlds a LOOP mixed-reality experience created by ZHVR. It is revealed as an immersive soundscape by artist Halina Rice which visitors could experience using HTC headsets.

A highlight of the overall exhibition is an immersive art project conceived by ZHA in collaboration with Refik Anadol Studio (RAS). The result of a six month-long collaboration, the artwork titled Architecting the Metaverse "extends RAS Media Labs ongoing research project and visualises their entire database of architectural documentation in the oeuvre of ZHA". Expressed as an immersive room, visitors are exposed to an infinitely reflecting mirrored tunnel that creates a perception shift by merging the boundlessness of space with the endless permutations of machine learning. Speculating on the future of architecture in the digital realm, the installation was specially conceived for the exhibition and it marks the first collaboration of media artist Refik Anadol with a pioneering architectural studio. Architecting the Metaverse is also stated to be the first of its kind in realising the machine dream of ZHAs architectural works around the world.

Meta-Horizons: The Future Now is on view at the DDP Design Museum in Seoul till September 18, 2022.

See more here:
ZHA's showcase in Seoul presents new directions of the metaverse - STIRworld

MALMESBURY: Permission is wanted in principle for the development of a self-built home on undeveloped land adjacent to the property known as Marden House, onThompsons Hill, Sherston, Malmesbury.

The proposed development will seek to provide a new access off Thompsons Hill and will provide onsite parking to meet the needs of the future residents.

The planning documents say theplanning statement demonstrates that the development is "broadly in accordance with the Development Plan as a whole".

It adds: "The Council cannot currently demonstrate a five-year housing land supply, andthe application site can be developed without harming the character andappearance of the area.

"Only limited weight should be attributed to the conflict with the housing policies of the development plan, taking account of the housing shortfall, and if any harm is identified by the technical conflict with the settlement policies this would not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits when assessed against the policies in the Framework taken as a whole. The tilted balance clearly therefore indicates that the application should be approved."

MELKSHAM: An application has been submitted for the proposed conversion of an existing barn near Melksham to form a holiday let.

Little Thornham Farm is a private dwelling on Trowbridge Road, Seend.

The barns that form this application are made up of three linked structures, two of which are two storey and a third smaller single storey lean-to on the northern end.

The application says: "The property is no longer suitable for modern farming methods and has suffered some deterioration due to lack of use. There are signs of cracking, and the original chimney has been lost. The applicants and their family occupy the main farmhouse adjacent to the barns, and work on the surrounding farm. A family member occupies an adjacent annexe in an unlisted, converted barn."

It adds: "Simeon and Amy Plumb, the applicants, have lived in the property for many years, alongside extended family and are now raising the next generation at Little Thornham Farm. Evidently it has been, and is intended to be, a long-term home for the Plumb family. There is inevitably maintenance and repair matters to attend to, particularly with the older buildings which are no longer in regular use. Therefore this presents an opportunity to diversify this element of the farm to find a new use for these buildings to ensure that they remain viable and in use for future generations to enjoy."

NETTLETON: There are plans to convertNettleton Baptist Church into holiday accommodation.

The applicants saythe conversion or re-use of a heritage asset, in this case the church, would lead to its "viable long-term safeguarding".

The site is located in the open countryside where residential development is strictly controlled.

WARMINSTER:Plans have been submittedfor a new neighbourhood of "innovative modular homes" at Bore Hill Farm near Warminster.

The revised plans have been tabled byLegal & General Modular Homes, part of the UK financial services group.

It follows the withdrawal of a previous 2021 planning application for 95 new homes on thesite, to enable further work to be carried on the layout of the development.

The revised plan features 84 homes and the provision of more green open space including a play area, and measures to promote biodiversity, such as wildflower meadow and fruit trees.

EXTENSIONS: Applications have been lodged to build extensions to houses, or to build or convert outbuildings and lofts atFlorida House, Hardenhuish Lane, Chippenham;45 Stockwood Road, Chippenham; Silverdale, Cleverton, Chippenham;6 South Street, Corsham;48 Park Lane, Chippenham;33 Bremhill, Calne;31 Golden Road, Devizes;Bourne House, The Old Severalls, Milton Lilbourne, Pewsey;67 Hawkstreet, Bromham, Chippenham;Beech Cottage, Golding Avenue, Marlborough.

Originally posted here:
Wiltshire planning applications: Plans to convert an old church | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald - Gazette & Herald

LAS VEGAS (KTNV)On any given night, over 5,000 people are living on the streets in Southern Nevada.

More than 10,000 will experience homelessness at some point each year.

13 Investigates continues with more on how a solution that's helped thousands of people in dozens of other cities has been rejected here in our valley.

PART ONE: Officials in Nevada demolish tiny homes built for homeless in Las Vegas

"I can put my belongings down. I'm safe," says Angela who's been homeless for several years. "I don't have to be around pimps. I don't have to be with dope pushers."

A roof over your head, a door you can lock, and a sense of safety is what advocates say is fundamental to breaking out of homelessness.

"Well, being homeless is a struggle," says Angela.

Many exist in constant survival mode.

"Homelessness itself is a full time job," says Erik de Buhr, co-founder of Community Supported Shelters in Eugene, Oregon.

"You have to think about where you're going to eat that day," de Buhr explains. "How are you going to clean your clothes? How are you going to move around your stuff? How are you going to protect your stuff? Where are you going to sleep? How are you going to rest?"

"And it's tough, you know, because you're treated like nothing in the streets," says Angela.

The idea of providing tiny shelters to the homeless isn't new. They've been doing it in Eugene, Oregon for nearly a decade.

"By providing for people a place--to have a locking, safe place where they can have some stuff and sleep," says de Buhr. "That eliminates a lot of the work of being homeless and people can start to get their head on straight and thinking about, 'Okay, What next steps can I take to improve my situation?'"

Eugene's first tiny home community was established in 2013.

And now from coast to coast, dozens of cities are embracing a variety of tiny home solutions.

There are numerous sites in the Los Angleles area. Denver has them too.

They're in Kansas City, Detroit and Nashville. Tampa, Florida and Syracuse, New York.

Pallet Shelter, one of several companies producing small modular homes, tells 13 Investigates they provided structures to 76 sites in over 40 cities.

There's even one in Reno but here in Clark County, on April 12th, the city of North Las Vegas bulldozed a group of tiny homes built on private property owned by Joseph Lankowski and his group, New Leaf. It's where Angela, Savage and Allen were beginning to rebuild their lives.

"It was a blessing. It was a blessing," says Angela.Darcy Spears: "What did it mean to you to have this opportunity? What did it represent for you looking forward in your life?"

Angela: "For one, achievement. Being human. And loved."

The destruction cost them the key things they need to get out of homelessness.

"Social Security card, birth certificate. It took me forever to get these things," says Savage.

There was no complaint filed by nearby residents or businesses. Code enforcement took action after a city employee saw a fence made from recycled pallets and reported it.

North Las Vegas code enforcement officials got a warrant that gave them the go-ahead to, "remove, demolish and dispose of all non-permitted or deteriorated structures" according to a warrant signed by a judge.

North Las Vegas declined multiple requests for an on-camera interview, providing a statement instead

"We had first aid kits. We had water," Angela says. "They were going to install showers."

Lankowski says he tried to find the process for zoning and permits.

"And we ran into a dead end because there is no zoning," Lankowski says. "There is no zoning for what we're trying to do."

With donated materials, he and his group of volunteers decided to build first, ask forgiveness later.

"The need is just too great out here," says Lankowksi.

He was hit with several code violations in April of this year, saying his group was fixing some and appealing others. The group was expecting due process but getting demolition instead.

"I'm angry! I'm hurt! Mad. It's sad," says Angela. "The whole damn thing is just sad. You take us from something and put us back. It's just sad."

Having consulted with Community Supported Shelters in Eugene, Lankowski thought North Las Vegas would see he could make something similar work for the homeless here.

"Walls, roof, carpeting," says Allen. "Everything was right. It was right."

13 Investigates talked with the Mayor of Eugene, Lucy Vinis. She says tiny home sites there haven't blown up into shanty towns or became a major safety problem.

"The opposite has been the result because we've made a commitment as a city to invest in the facilities that we need in order to enable these to be safe places," says Mayor Vinis.

An investment mayor vinis says actually saves tax dollars.

"Just health cost alone, just visits to the emergency room alone," says Mayor Vinis. "When you consider the costs of public safety."

And there is cost for public works to clean up encampments.

"We have to make those investments now because the costs just keep building," Mayor Vinis explains. "It doesn't go away."

Mayor Vinis says it's also a huge relief for law enforcement.

"This is absolutely what our police department wants," says Mayor Vinis. "These sites, once they're established, they're clean, they're safe, they're well managed. There is no negative impact on the community at all."

It's important to note, officials here tell us the city's homeless outreach team has connected with Angela, Savage and Allen.

"All they give you is bullsh*t. Excuse my language," says Angela.

Angela is beyond frustrated with the seemingly endless wait for real help and approval for housing.

"We're going to put you on this list and we're going to go and check on you. But it's always pending," Angela explains. "They give you a granola bar and a bottle of water and just, 'Have a nice day,' you know."

Advocates say that points to the overall problem of how homelessness is approached in the valley.

Darcy Spears: "They need a leg up to be more productive citizens. And it sounds like the city cut that leg off at the knee."

Lankowski: "Absolutely. You know, they need a....not a handout, but a hand up. And that's what we're trying to do is help lift them up. And what the local government's approach is, unfortunately, is kicking people while they're down, you know, by criminalizing homelessness, making it illegal to be homeless."

No one expects tiny homes to be the solution for everyone who is homeless. It's just one piece in a mosaic.

"It's not just a hope and a prayer," says Mayor Vinis. "It is confidence in human beings, that if you give them an opportunity and you support them, they can begin to build a better life for themselves."

A message the folks who briefly lived here hope our city will take to heart.

"We had so many dreams and opportunities and plans," says Angela. "And they just took it like, you know, we are trash. And that's how I feel they they they're treating us... like we're trash and we don't deserve to have a place to live."

For more information about New Leaf and their efforts to address the homeless crisis, click here.

In addition to North Las Vegas, we reached out to the City of Las Vegas and NDOT. Both were involved with destruction of shelters near I-15.

NDOT provided the following statement:

The decision to pursue this abatement was intended to ensure the safety and welfare of both the homeless and surrounding community due to significant biohazard concerns, including bodily waste, debris and intravenous drug paraphernalia accumulating inside drainage channels that feed into the Las Vegas Wash.

Other concerns included potential pedestrian-vehicle hazards from crossing the interstate, walking alongside the shoulder and/or encamping within the Union Pacific Railroad corridor, as well as obstructed driver sightlines.

We will continue to work with government and community partners to ensure that any necessary clean-up efforts are conducted responsibly.

City of Las Vegas provided this statement:

We also reached out to elected officials who say this is an opportunity to find a process to make this work in Clark County.

Read more:
Dozens of cities embrace tiny homes for the homeless; officials in Southern Nevada bulldoze them - KTNV 13 Action News Las Vegas

Jessica Anuroff'sgreentarp tent still stands on East Hastings Streeta week after the City of Vancouver ordered the cleanup of sidewalks along several city blocks of the Downtown Eastside.

But home feels different.She says most of her belongings were taken by city staff and she faces increasing uncertainty about where to go next.

"Where else do they want us to go?" said Anuroff."I'm just mainly tired and exhausted from everything."

In July, Vancouver's fire department ordered the immediate removal of tents and structures along East Hastings due to "numerous urgent safety concerns."

Last week, city staff began the process of removing tents and other structures, forcing dozens of people living in the area to move without other housingand shelter options.

Anuroff says she has little choice but to stay put, while othersin the homeless community say those who were displaced are returning because they havenowhere to go.

While the city saidthe cleanup was needed for the safety of residents, advocates say they disagree with its approach because it isbreaking apart the community anddriving people into isolation and more alternative housing optionsare needed.

Since the start of the tent removal,at least one or two people are showing up every day at the Bloom Group Community Services Society, which offers housing support for residents in the Downtown Eastside

But there is no space for them,executive director Elizabeth Barnett says.

"We are doing our best to support folks, but if the programs are full there's not really anywhere people can go," saidBarnett, adding that she feels disappointed and angry with how the city has dealt with the encampment.

"I've noticed more people in the alleys, in darker corners, people on their own, more than I've seen before," she said.

Advocates worrythe displacement means more people will use potentially toxic drugs alone.

"They have nowhere to go. So they're going to be in alleyways using alone and increasing exponentially the chance of death," said Vince Tao, a community organizer with theVancouver Area Network of Drug Users support group.

Tao said without sufficienthousing, "they're just going to move right back right to the same place the next day, or just down the block."

He said the only solution to the issue is more housing options.

According to the city's website, since 2019more than 550 social and supportive homes have opened in Vancouver which provideaffordable housing and connections to off-site services such ashealth care, mental health, or substance use services.

The city says its also working with B.C. Housing to createapproximately 350 new permanent supportive homes.

Permanent shelters and temporary modular homesalso exist to provide relief to hundreds of people living without a home, according to the website.

But there'snot enough space to help the people who have just been displaced from East Hastings, Barnett said.

"Right now, you sort of have three choices: you couch surf until you can't anymore;you live in subsidized housing if you can get in; or you live on the street. There's not enough choices there," she said.

The condition of some housing options like single-room occupancy hotels (SROs) and shelters makes it preferable for some to sleep on the streets, saysLorissa Thordarson, who lives rough in the East Hastings area.

"The buildings are disgusting.They're riddled with bugs, or rats I don't want to live in something like that," she said.

When CBC News asked the City of Vancouver where it expects displaced people to go, a spokesperson saidstaff are in daily conversations with B.C.Housing to advocate for housing and shelter needs.

"City staff have been encouraging and supporting voluntary removal of tents and belongings, and regularly sharing information in person with those sheltering outdoors," an email statement said.

It said the city's outreach team is also working with B.C. Housing to bring forward people to be considered for housing.

In a previous statement to CBC News, B.C. Housing said it does not have the spaces necessary to provide shelter for people who are being displaced in the Downtown Eastside.

"We have been clear with the City of Vancouver and Vancouver Fire Rescue Services that, on short notice, we do not have access to large numbers of new spaces in Vancouver to accommodate the timing of the emergency order," it said.

Barnettsays she'd like the city to embrace a wider range of housing alternatives such as a campground andmore harm reduction facilities, as well as subsidies for landlords to support people.

In the short term, she says she'd like to see police team up with mental health and social workers when officers are sent into the community.

And in the meantime, she emphasizes the need for compassion.

"You can't deprive people of this community they built with no other option. It's just illogical," she said.

The city did not specify if it plans to remove tents that have remained or reappeared on East Hastings.

Read more:
'Where else do they want us to go?' Downtown Eastside residents face uncertain future in wake of tent removals - CBC.ca

Once youve successfully transitioned from an apartment to a house, you may find that all your belongings fit into one room. In most cases, moving to a house will bring more space and more rooms to furnish. Theres also home maintenance and yard work to consider.

Alleviate stress later by planning and budgeting for some essential items now. From furnishings and decorative accessories to outdoor dcor and maintenance, this list will help you to start off on the right foot.

You wont regret creating a thoughtful organization plan from the start. From cabinets and pantries to bedroom and linen closets, storage bins and baskets can help you stay organized. Get started with these plastic containers from Amazon, rated the best overall in our guide to the best storage bins for getting organized. Available in seven different sizes to accommodate a range of storage needs, these bins are both stackable and versatile.

When your square footage increases, so does your floor space. Covering floors and even plain carpeting with accent rugs is a simple way to make your home more attractive and comfortable. Not sure where to find the best area rugs for your home? Try one of our reviewed and recommended selections, such as the Flourish Rug from West Elm, which we love for its sustainable construction and attractive design.

Whether its to increase privacy or to block out sunlight, youll likely need some blinds and curtains for your new home. An effective set of blinds or shades will filter out light and provide soundproofing, thermal insulation, and style. These cordless, darkening blinds from Home Decorators Collection topped our list of the best blinds of 2022 due to their faux wood design and versatility, with sizes available to suit any room.

Gaining outdoor space is a significant perk of moving into a house. Youll want to make the most of it with some outdoor furniture for alfresco dining and lounging. The Devoko 9-Piece Outdoor Patio Set will have you covered with a dining table, four chairs, storage ottomans, and included zippered cushions. Dubbed the best overall in our patio furniture guide, this set gets good reviews for its modular design with seat backs that fold down and ottomans that easily tuck under the table for storage.

The fun part of moving into a new house is making it your own. One easy way to do that is by creating a color scheme that reflects your personality. Whether your walls need a refresh or you just want to add some color to your space, a new coat of paint can make a big difference. Soothing blues and greens are popular this year. Try Behrs color of the year, Breezeway, for your next project. The sage green color is both cheerful and relaxing.

Apartment living rarely requires cutting the grass. Youll likely need to invest in a lawn mower for a new home, so you can keep your yard in good shape. Greenworks Self-Propelled Lawn Mower will make the job simple. It tops our list of the best push mowers for its cutting deck size, self-propulsion, battery power, oversized wheels, push-button start, storage, and adjustable height.

Unlike an apartment, a house wont come with a landlord to make repairs. A good tool kit will go a long way in keeping things running smoothly. Be sure your set includes a hammer, screwdriver, Allen wrench, level, utility knife, and drill. At the top of our list of recommended tool kits, the Black + Decker 8V Drill and Home Tool Kit includes all these items and more to make assembly and repairs a cinch.

A smart thermostat will not only add convenience to your home, it can also save you money on heating and cooling. Dubbed a top pick for 2022 by our experts, the Google Nest Thermostat is about as advanced as it gets. It memorizes and repeats temperature adjustments throughout the day and uses geofencing to reduce energy waste. An easy-to-read display screen and compatibility with Alexa and Google Assistant make it simple to adjust.

Avoid solicitors and other unwanted visitors by installing a smart doorbell. Adding one to your home will add both convenience and security. Most options allow real-time video and two-way audio, so you can even talk to visitors when youre not home. Chosen by our editors as the best smart doorbell, the Ring Video Doorbell 3 includes versatile installation options, a broad range of security features, and a high-definition camera.

Gone are the days of fire escape herb boxes. Its time to think bigger. A house offers the opportunity to plant your favorite flowers or try your hand at fruit and vegetable gardening. Unsure if youve got a green thumb? You can start gardening without making a considerable investment. Try our best budget pick gardening set from Abco, which includes all the necessary tools for planting and maintenance, including a transplanting tool, a weeder, a trowel, a fork, a rake, a cutter, a 25-ounce sprayer, and a pair of glovesall packed into a sweet floral gardening bag.

Keep your lawn looking green and your vegetables ripening with a good sprinkler. Dubbed as one of our favorite sprinklers, the 9-Pattern Turret Sprinkler from Gardeners Supply Company features nine optional spray patterns for the utmost control over where youre watering. Reviewers report that it is easy to adjust with ample coverage and solid construction. Bonus: The kids get to enjoy it on hot days.

Trust us, you wont regret this one. Purchasing a new shower head is a simple way to add comfort to your homeand you dont have to spend a lot either. We tried the most popular showerheads and found the Couradric Handheld Shower Head to be a keeper. During our testing, we found it to have the perfect amount of pressure and loved the six optional spray settings. The handheld sprayer makes it especially useful for families with kids and pets.

More square footage means more rooms to clean. Investing in some cleaning tools from the outset will start you off on the right foot. If theres one tool that is sure to make your life easier, its the Dyson V8 Cordless Vacuum. In fact, I described it as the most useful cleaning tool I own, in this review. If you generally hate vacuuming, the V8 is a must-have. The cordless lightweight option is small enough to tuck away in a closet, but powerful enough to clean your whole house. We think its a worthwhile investment, especially for homes where food crumbs and pet hair make a regular appearance.

Continued here:
13 Things You Need When Moving From an Apartment to a House - Bob Vila