From significant business changes to noteworthy product launches, theres always something new happening in the world of design. In this weekly roundup, AD PRO has everything you need to know.

Kips Bay Decorator Show House and the Invisible Collection Step Up

The Kips Bay Decorator Show House generally raises significant funds for the Boys and Girls Club. But with the showcase unable to take place this spring due to COVID-19, the organization is looking for ways it can still fundraise. Now, it is organizing a raffle, with donated pieces from businesses such as The Shade Store, that will run through May 6. Meanwhile, drawing on their extensive network, the Invisible Collection is staging a charity auction of 25 works that have been approved of by the likes of Charles Zana, Atelier Vime, Osanna Visconti, and Ashley Hicks. The profits from the sale, which will run through next Thursday, will go to support emergency funds in New York, London, and Paris.

Prouv and Ponti and Parisi, Oh My!

Auction houses may not be hosting in-person sales, but their online ones are marching on. Earlier this month, the Sotheby's design sale exceeded estimates. Now, Phillips is set to bring a slew of striking pieces to the virtual block, including a Jean Prouv model 305 Chair, a set of eight Gio Ponti chairs, and an Ico Parisi modular bookcase. A Brge Mogensen chest and sideboard and a Heikki Orvola glass vase are two additional items open to bids through April 30. Also of note, Christies shared plans for a particularly special sounding sale. Titled Handpicked, the auction running from May 12 to 28 features 100 artists chosen by Saatchi Gallery. A wonderfully supportive collaboration, and a creative one at that.

Orior to Host Covid-19 Relief Auction

Oriorwhose products have been spotted in the projects of Martin Brudnizki and DesignAgency, among othersis partnering with the Mayors Fund to Advance New York to support the city that welcomed it last summer, when the Northern Irish furniture maker debuted its first U.S. showroom in Tribeca. From April 27 through May 3, the company is auctioning off nine of the bestselling pieces in its current collection and donating all the proceeds to feed the frontline staff in the New York City Health + Hospitals system.

Give Back by Beelining for Robert Stilins Book

Those in search of inspiring quarantine reads may want to place an order for Robert Stilins monograph. The AD100 designer has announced that both he and the books publisher, Vendome Press, will each donate $10 from every sale placed through BookHampton to Gods Love We Deliver. During this crisis, Gods Love We Deliver is feeding people who would otherwise have nothing to eat, Stilin tells AD PRO. This is an essential service and Vendome Press and I feel donating $20 from the sale of each book sold is the right thing to do. And we chose BookHampton to partner with because small businesses like theirs are really struggling right now to survive.

The Tree of Life Blooms Anew

Marika Meyer's new collection, timed to the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, has a fitting theme: The Tree of Life. The two-colorway collection, in sage and pale blue as well as the brand's signature navy, was designed prior to the coronavirus crisis. But, Meyer points out, the theme has proven to be especially relevant: "The Tree of Life has always been about the cycle of lifethe connection between all living things, the role we play in our community, and our impact on the planet. We had originally approached this collection as a way to call attention to the interconnectivity of all life, and the importance of making sustainable choices. But it's meaning is even more powerful now in light of the current crisis," she says. The brand is also launching two re-colorings of one of its popular small prints, called Edward.

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Kips Bay Decorator Show House Hosts a Raffle, Auction Houses Stay Busy, and More News This Week - Architectural Digest

This article originally appeared on VICE India.

A few days ago, under the ongoing lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus in India, Diipti Jhangiania resident of Bandra in Mumbai, Indiawas walking through a 50-square-meter [538-square-feet] patch of land inside her building complex. In it were robust hedges of tomatoes, carrots, okra, spinach, papayas, chikoos, drumsticks, bitter gourd, and other vegetables. She dug up some fresh turmeric to take back home. During a crisis like [this pandemic], there will always be a shortage of food for those who cant afford it, says the 34-year-old urban farmer and the founder of an agricultural startup called Edible Gardens. And even for those who can, there are some shortages. Weve run out of haldi (turmeric) in the stores nearby. But Ive been growing haldi in my community farm in my society, so were using that instead. And its so much fresher.

A few years ago, when Jhangiani started converting barren public spaces to community gardenslike the one she created in her building complex three years agoshe mostly heard people calling it a silly gardening hobby. Right now though, I have to say, its very gratifying to see that people are talking about growing your own food and managing your own waste. There are elderly people who come to take bitter gourd from the farm, which is excellent for purifying blood, she tells VICE. The real interest in urban farming will only show once the lockdown is over. It will show if people really mean to change. But its good to have started this conversation, finally.

Diipti Jhangiani at her community farm in Mumbai. Photo via Diipti Jhangiani

Across the world, the pandemic has brought to our notice many falloutsfrom the failing public health systems to our fragile mental health to the economic slowdown to the glaring rich-poor divide. But theres another aspect that is slowly bringing the world to its knees: the fear of food shortage. In every country where lockdowns have been imposed in order for the people to maintain social distancing to contain the spread of the virus, there have been reports of panic buying and hoarding in literally every country possible. While many faced empty shelves at supermarkets and stores, others found a huge segment of their population not able to feed itself. And this is despite the fact that some reports say there is really no major concern for global food security yet.

The perception of food shortage and fears of inflated prices, along with disruptions in food supply chains subsequently point to the fact that there is a high possibility that were on the verge of, or are heading steadily toward a breakdown. This trend even led global agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations (UN) to predict massive food shortages across the globe. Uncertainty about food availability can spark a wave of export restrictions, creating a shortage on the global market, said a joint statement by UNs Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), WHO and World Trade Organization.

In fact, developing countries are currently at risk of facing famine as well as food riots. Dominique Burgeon, the director of emergencies at the FAO, even warned that the rich should not see food shortages arising from the pandemic as a problem for only the disenfranchised. If food shortages begin to bite, the impacts will reverberate across the globe, he said. In fact, in agrarian and rural pockets of the world, farmers are facing huge losses since the lockdowns forced them out of their farmlands, and shortage of labour drove up costs as well as fall in demand.

In India, where the lockdown is currently seeing a huge displacement of migrant workerswho make up 37 percent of the countrys population, and depend on daily wages for survivalfood shortages are predicted to cause violence and unrest. This is something new and very difficult to predict, Abdolreza Abbasian, a senior economist at FAO, said. It is that uncertainty that right now is the biggest danger.

And its at an uncertain time like this when the concept of grow-your-own-food is increasingly gaining traction. Jhangiani, who has been growing her own food in the form of community farms, is one of the many advocates of self-sufficiency. In fact, the pandemic has barely made much difference to the way she lives. My own process started with processing our own waste, and from that we started growing our own food. In urban spaces, there is so much potential to have these farms on literally every street or garden out there, she says. And you dont even need acres and acres of land for this. Im currently growing chikoo and mulberries in containers! You dont need a lot of space, you just need the right technique. Kitchen gardens, which are perfect for the ridiculously tiny apartments that dot most big cities, are seeing a boost as well.

At the moment, the internet is full of DIY kits to help people grow their own pantry literally anywhere. Look around you and find the spaces that could be filled with food: lawns, verges, community gardens, the end of the cul-de-sac; and if you live in an apartment, a shared communal areathey all work, writes Palisa Anderson, an Australian restaurateur and farmer. Adds Los Angeles Times writer Jeanette Marantos, Food banks are already seeing double the demand. Planting food now can help you and others get through the uncertain days ahead.

The conversation around self-sufficiency in terms of growing your own food has been around for a while, but it appears that the coronavirus lockdowns have pushed many people to do so as an emergency measure. "More people are thinking about where their food comes from, how easily it can be disrupted, and how to reduce disruptions," landscape architect Kotchakorn Voraakhom, who designed Asia's largest urban rooftop farm in Bangkok, told Thomson Reuters Foundation. "People, planners and governments should all be rethinking how land is used in cities. Urban farming can improve food security and nutrition, reduce climate change impacts, and lower stress.

The trend is also interesting considering a UN prediction that two-thirds of the worlds population will be living in cities by 2050. In many countries, self-sustenance practices such as permaculture, hydroponic farming or urban farming are an exercise to reap many benefits, from choosing chemical-free food, to bringing farm-to-table concepts in commercial settings, to maintaining mental health and creating an aesthetically pleasing terrace/garden. But in countries such as Singapore, where there are no local sources for food and therefore ends up importing a large chunk of their edibles, self-sustainable farming trends such as vertical and rooftop farms, hydroponic farming, or farm fishing, have become a way forward for economies facing food shortage.

In fact, some experts feel that the pandemic could actually set off a few trends, probably for good. Now more than ever, its important to focus on a hyperlocal food system. Growing our own food is the best way to guarantee access to produce throughout the year, Anusha Murthy of Edible Issues, a platform that fosters a dialogue around food systems, tells VICE. Urban gardens can be a great solution for those of us who can afford it and access it. A community-driven approach to growing food would be a smart solution as well. For us to reach towards self-sufficiency in food, knowing at least where our food comes from is a crucial first step.

Anusha Murthy (right) runs Edible Issues with co-founder Elizabeth Yorke

Jhangiani adds that while there will always be some reliance on stores for urban dwellers for items such as grains or oil, self-sufficiency can also extend to other everyday thingslike making your own detergent (with orange and lemon peels), or utensil-cleaning solution (featuring water, soap nut water and lemon water) or even toothpaste (includes baking soda and coconut oil). Self-sufficiency should extend to other aspects of living as well, says the urban farmer.

Its also interesting to see how the pandemic is radically driving conversations on self-sufficiency as opposed to several years of activism by climate crisis activists. Perhaps its got to do with our collective vulnerabilities, which is pushing us to seek measures that would save us from a whole lot of anticipatory anxiety about the uncertain future. In the U.S., Google searches for home farming jumped by 50 percent last month, along with (and curiously so) a 75 percent jump in searches for how to raise chickens. Food security and sustainability are a very hot topic right now, Phyllis Davis, the president of Portable Farms Aquaponics Systems in the U.S., told The New York Times.

In India, Murthy observes that the pandemic has forced urban dwellers to look at their local food systems, and understand them better. Resources to cook have become limited and people are going back to traditional recipes and learning to cook with ingredients they normally wouldnt use, she says. Theres another section of people creating and innovating on dishes with what they have. This could perhaps explain a whole lot of baking and cooking on social media, while Murthy also adds that the pandemic is pushing more men into the kitchens.

But the pandemic could actually not be so bad for the small and marginal farmers, who are still the biggest providers of food to Indias 1.3 billion population. In fact, the pandemic and its impact would probably spare them, and the shift to local foods could potentially even help some of them. Farm to table is tradition in India, not hipster fad, journalist and author Samrat writes in his column Indian digital website, Firstpost. It may also help build resilience in societies and economies to the vicissitudes of globalization, of which the present global pandemic is an example.

In the end, sure the world is in a deep mess, and yes, we have yet to see the final fallouts, but perhaps its worthwhile to remember that every crisis has a lesson. And this one is in the kitchen.

VICE is committed to ongoing coverage of the global climate crisis. Read all of our Earth Day 2020 coverage here, and more of our climate change coverage here.

Follow Pallavi Pundir on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on VICE IN.

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The Pandemic Is Teaching People One Important Lesson: Grow Your Own Food - VICE

Nestled between West Rock and the West River, a plot of land on Valley Street is being transformed from nondescript park land into a memorial garden that will be the first of its kind in the United States. The Memorial Garden for Victims of Gun Violence in New Haven set to open late this summer will be the first space to serve explicitly as a memorial garden for victims of gun violence, as a space to mourn, reflect and heal.

The cohort of mothers in New Haven who spearheaded this project wanted more than a cemetery to memorialize and honor their children who were taken by gun violence. They believe that this garden will be a gift not only for their childrens legacy, but to a city badly beaten by decades of bloodshed. They hope that it may even force people to lay down guns for good.

As a mother, when you get the phone call that says your child has been shot and is on the way to the hospital, or if you make it to the hospital and they walk out and say, We lost him, youre hopeless, Marlene Pratt, one of the women behind the memorial, said in an interview with the News.

Pratt teaches science at Career High School on Legion Ave., one block from Yales Medical Campus. Pratts son met a similar fate to nearly 800 other New Haveners since the 1970s when he was shot and killed in 1998 at the age of 20. Pratt has since connected with other New Haven women who, like herself, have had to confront life without their child as a result of gun violence. Pratt and her sisterhood of bereaved mothers begin planning the memorial in 2017. Now, they are a few months away from the opening of the New Haven Memorial Garden to Victims of Gun Violence.

The Nucleus

This past week, Pratt and two other mothers mourned the loss of Winnifred Phillips-Cue after a yearlong fight with pancreatic cancer. Winnie, as she was known, had been friends with another core group mother, Pam Jaynez, since they were eight years old. Both women grew to share the same fate become mothers of children taken from them and have fought diligently for a better future. This diligence is characteristic of what a representative from the architectural firm Svigals and Partners which designed the memorial garden in collaboration with the nucleus called truly remarkable women.

Pratt, borrowing from the vocabulary of a science teacher, called the core group of mothers The Nucleus.

So, its the three of us now but it was four of us, Pratt said. I came up with nucleus because we were the center of the project as far as getting it together. The fact that the nucleus controls the cell, we were more like that, working with the body.

This nucleus of women formed in 2017 when Pratt first engaged with a support group for bereaved parents of gun violence victims organized by the New Haven Police Department. Since then, Pratt, Jaynez, Cue-Phillips and Celeste Fulcher have worked to put an end to the problem that has caused them so much pain.

Pratt recalled a memory of driving past a scene marked by yellow police tape. A bystander commented that another person got shot, unfazed by the public carnage before them. This indifference to suffering prompted Pratt to reimagine how people look at gun violence in her hometown.

Its not a park, its a garden

More than once, the mothers encountered obstacles that made them question whether their garden would ever come to life.

As they searched for a site, Pratt recounted that some neighbors feared that the garden would be used for public drinking or barbecues. Pratt recalled that Cue-Phillips often responded to misinterpretations of the nucleus vision by saying its not a park, its a garden.

The difference between a park a public place where one might drink in public or anticipate a barbecue and a garden, Pratt explained, was that the garden was a site for purpose and reflection.

Architectural firm Svigals and Partners, which designed the revamped Sandy Hook Elementary School, partnered with the nucleus to develop the memorial garden.

I think [the Sandy Hook community] actually chose our firm because of our reputation of being able to involve people in the process, the firms associate principal Julia McFadden said. I think they rightly recognized that their whole community was going to need a process that was going to be very sensitive and respectful to a whole range of emotions and feelings that they might be experiencing.

McFadden said that the Sandy Hook project involved incorporating narratives from the community such as photos and knowledge about the personal story of a place. The firms experience in incorporating narratives of trauma and hope informed their approach to the gun violence memorial project.

Svigals Director of Art Integration Marissa Mead said that her involvement began with a sketch pitched by Pratt. Pratt said that the sketch came from a student of hers who had heard about the nucleus vision for the garden and then rendered it in a drawing. That drawing served as the foundation for the spatial landscape of the garden, Mead said. Features such as a magnitude walk and the tree of life anchor the garden persisted until the final design that is currently under construction.

In an interview, New Havens Chief Landscape Architect Katherine Jacobs reflected on the narrative arc of the memorial garden as it relates to the Elm City.

I really think that there is something to just the spirit of everyone having a collective sense of care for our shared space and our shared community, Jacobs told the News. And also a sense of investment and empowerment and that this is a place that is loved and that we think, by as a corollary we care about each other, and having spaces that are neglected and broken down, kind of adds to a sense of disinvestment, and disempowerment, and lack of care. So my hope and my vision for landscapes is that we can get to a place where we have amazing parks and public spaces, and we just want them to represent how much we care about this place.

This care for New Havens public spaces aims to bridge not only intertwining family narratives, but also the divide between town and gown.

From Hillhouse Avenue to Valley Street

A common preconceived notion about Yale University is that its host citys violent reputation undermines its students safety. Yalies, lifelong New Haveners and those well acquainted with the Elm City know that New Haven is acutely affected by gun violence a problem the city shares with countless other urban areas in the United States. While the number of violent crimes in the city has vastly decreased in recent years, decades marked by deadly violence still cast a shadow on the citys future.

Violence, like many of the citys urban realities, has a less prevalent, but not immaterial, effect on the Yale campus. Gun violence is no exception to that rule. The New Haven Register quoted then police spokesman David Hartman in 2011 saying that there were 36 murders in New Haven in 1991, one of the 36 being Christian Haley Prince, a 19-year-old Yale student fatally shot on the steps of St. Marys Church on Hillhouse Ave. This murder brought national attention to New Haven, even prompting a book in 1995 profiling the opportunity gap between Prince who was white and his killer. It located the Yale community in a problem that has abated but is ongoing, and linked Christian Princes legacy to a community of New Haven mothers committed to planting the seeds of a nonviolent future in the Elm City.

Princes legacy lives on in institutional memory and in the everyday life of Pierson College where his niece Haley Prince 22 is now a sophomore.

Haley Princes grandmother Christians mother owns a collection of boutiques in the Washington, D.C. area where she preferentially hires women who have lost children, Prince said. Haley Prince reflected on an anecdotal family history surrounding Christian. Then President George H.W. Bush 48 called the Prince family to offer his condolences and then University President Benno Schmidt 63, LAW 66 resigned within a year.

I see a systematic issue in the stark contrast between the coverage and tribute my uncle received versus other men, and sons, in New Haven who have suffered the same fate, Prince told the News.

Prince said that her uncles murder has influenced much of her activism surrounding gun violence. She hopes that Yale students elect to form a relationship with the memorial garden and the city so that all New Haveners can heal.

Seven hundred-sixty names including Christian Princes will be featured in the memorial garden, according to Pratt.

John Besche | john.besche@yale.edu

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Planting a nonviolent future: New Haven mothers honor victims of gun violence - Yale Daily News

Today, he stars in blockbuster action comedies and plays one of the most beloved characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Drax the Destroyer. But few will remember that WWE star Dave Bautista's first big acting break outside the wrestling ring came in a long-forgotten straight-to-DVD movie that he didn't even star in -- and that was so bad, he signed up for acting lessons after finally seeing the finished version of the film.

Bautista's first major acting role -- if "major" is the right term to use -- came in the 2010 straight-to-video production Wrong Side of Town, which technically starred fellow WWE alum Rob Van Dam. For Van Dam, who had been out of WWE for a few years at that point, it was his first lead acting role, and his first film since appearing in the similarly straight-to-video Black Mask 2: City of Masks in 2002 opposite future Jigsaw actor Tobin Bell. Despite featuring prominently on the poster, Bautista only shows up for a few scenes inWrong Side of Town, but it was his first large film role in an acting career that up until that point had mostly consisted of a one-off appearance on an episode ofSmallville.

Related: WWE's Vince McMahon is the Thanos of Professional Wrestling...Or Is He?

The film is B movie to its core, with Van Dam starring as Bobby Kalinowski, a mild-mannered ex-Navy Seal-turned-landscape architect, who simply wants to enjoy a quiet life with his wife and teen daughter. Unlike the hard-partying Van Dam, Kalinowski has to be dragged out against his will for a night on the town by his new neighbors, where he runs into trouble trying to protect his wife from being assaulted by the drugged-up ne'er do well son of the club's owner, Seth Bordas. The son is killed in the struggle when he falls on his own knife, and Bordas -- who also just so happens to be a local crime lord -- puts a bounty on Kalinowski's head before kidnapping his daughter. With the local police in Bordas' pocket, Kalinowski must use his Navy Seal training to dodge the criminals and corrupt cops looking to take him down, as well as a knife-wielding assassin played by rapper Ja Rule, before rescuing his daughter.

Bautista plays Big Ronnie, a.k.a. B.R., a former Navy Seal associate-turned-strip-club-owner who Kalinowski turns to for help. He only appears in a handful of scenes late in the movie, but his appearances are certainly memorable. In his first scene, Kalinowski visits him in his strip club, where Bautista spends the entire scene seated next to a silent -- and topless -- Stormy Daniels, best known now as a porn star and future presidential mistress. Bautista's character declines to help Van Dam's character, but then shows up unexpectedly to provide back-up in the climactic fight scene anyways.

In the cinematic battle that the world didn't know that it needed, Bautista squares up against Ja Rule's character to give Van Dam time to take on the lead villain. The bout between Bautista and Ja Rule is about as absurd as one might expect, and involves Ja Rule whipping off his shirt, getting bodyslammed and ground-and-pounded by Bautista, the two engaging each other in an elaborate knife fight, and, at one point, appearing to slap at each other's hands like frightened middle schoolers thanks to some confusing sound foley work.

Related: Undertaker's New WWE Gimmick May Swipe From Mick Foley...And Marvel's Hulk

The match ends in a draw, as Ja Rule makes his escape to menace Rob Van Dam a little more. Bautista shows up just in time to seemingly save Van Dam, quickly announce that he's leaving Van Dam to a crowd of criminal bounty hunters, then just as quickly swerve back into hero mode to gun down Ja Rule and save the day. The movie closes with Van Dam and Bautista trading quips about friendship before Van Dam reunites with his family and Bautista walks off into the proverbial sunset.

While the movie exists now mostly as the answer to the trivia question "What was Dave Bautista's first significant film role," its greatest legacy might be in how it affected Bautista on a personal level. The WWE star later stated that he was so embarrassed after seeing his performance in Wrong Side of Town that it motivated him to hire an acting coach to try to improve his performances in the future. The course of history is often determined in the most unexpected ways -- and for Dave Bautista, it appears that there could be no Drax the Destroyer without Rob Van Dam, Ja Rule, and the terrible glory of a little-seen straight-to-video movie called Wrong Side of Town.

Further Reading: American Badass Undertaker Actually Debuted In a Bar Fight With a Werewolf

Endgame Confirmed the Strongest Avenger Isn't Thor, Hulk OR Captain Marvel

Wrestling Features Editor for CBR.com

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Before He Was Drax, Dave Bautista Took on Ja Rule in WWEs Wrong Side of Town - CBR - Comic Book Resources

Before he became Bruce Banner, Mark Ruffalo was perhaps best known for indie movies and the odd whimsical rom-com. The year was 2005 and Reese Witherspoon was stilla few months away from winning an Oscar for Walk The Line, andlighter love stories were still very much in her wheelhouse. Just Like Heaven does not share the same beloved legacy as 13 Going on 30 or Legally Blondebecause it is not as funny or charming as either of these movies. However, it is an appealing and comforting rewatch, twistingthe falling-for-a-ghost narrative with predictable but fun results.

This tale of a love that must triumph over adversity dont they all? is a solid viewing optionfor these trying times. It doesnt sound like much of a selling point to call something aggressively fine (it has55% on Rotten Tomatoes), but sometimes that is the idealmovie experience, not to mention that Witherspoon and Ruffalo dosell the fantasy-infused narrative with gusto.

Based on a French novel, Elizabeth (Witherspoon) and David(Ruffalo) are polar opposites. Elizabeth is a dedicatedER physician, spendingso much time ather work that her social life is nonexistent, whereas Davidstruggles to leave the house preferring his own company to being with the living. The movie begins with Elizabeth on a monster 26-hour shift, emphasizing how she prioritizes herjob over everything else. Her loneliness sets her apart from thecolleagues who manage tojuggle it all.

At the end of her shift, Elizabeth is told she has been awarded the attending physician positionshe has been busting her gut to land, but in an attempt to open up her lovelife she has agreed to go on ablind date that evening. On her way home from the hospital she is involved in a car accident, which suggests it is lights out for Lizzy. Her long hours at work have contributed to her crash and this is a reminder of the pressure medical professionals are under even when there isn't a pandemic.

Meanwhile, Davidis looking for a place to rent. The San Francisco market is notoriously expensive so it is a miracle when a flyer with adream place sublet announcement landsdirectly on his face. What forces could be doing this? His biggest concern is finding a furnished apartmentwith the perfect couch because he doesnt plan on moving from it. Davidis a social distancing king whose behavior in 2005 is a concern to his one friend, but in 2020 we all need to be more like David.

Taking a different approach to a meet-cute, Elizabeth is horrified to find Davidin her apartment particularly as he has takeout containers and beer cans scattered everywhere but disappears as quickly as she entered. Convinced he has a ghost haunting his solitude, Davidtakes measures to exorcise this malevolent spirit, but heis plagued by a different specter from his past. His reluctance to leave his very comfy apartment the size, view and roof access makes this a very appealing location stems from the sudden death of his wife two years ago. A brain aneurysm killed her, and therandomness of the event and his inability to do anything to save her has led to this life of hiding away.

Elizabeth's predicament is somewhat more complicated as she is separate from her actual body. It turns out that she isn't deadbut in acoma. The rules of her existence are fuzzy, much like her ability to sit in a car andlie on a bed, and yetshe can't pick up a phone. Hanging out in the refrigerator to berate Dave about his choices also turns her into a buzzkill presence.She also can enter David's body, which sounds far kinkier than it is. Instead, she just wants him to drink less.

What links the pair is a shared theme ofmissing out on life Elizabeth because she works too hard and Davidbecause he is still consumed by grief. Again, David'sstay-at-home mantra is actually ideal for right now but in the world of the movie,people keep telling him to get out. Stay in your pajamas, Mark Ruffalo. It is a good look and I'm not just saying that because the cut of jeans in 2005 wasvery bad.

The antagonistic undertones are replaced by a newfound connection and while they can't physically touch each other much like any other new relationship right now they fall in love despite this huge obstacle. The other major bump in the road they have to overcome is the fact that Elizabeth's life support machine is going tobeturned off. If you have read this far without having seen the movie, you can guess what happens next.

Another discovery cements their destined to be with each other status: Davidwas the guy Elizabeth had been set up with on the night of the crash. Who could have seen that coming? OK, everyone could.

Love moves in mysterious ways and the pair wereconnected before this crash and even the blind date. In her moments of catnappingwhile at work, Elizabeth envisioned a beautiful heaven-like garden on her roof. David's job? A landscape architect! After she wakes from her coma, she doesn't remember him, but all it takes is for a trip to her roof to see what he has done (along with a graze of their hands) for it to all come flooding back. He has somehow designed and created the exact garden she pictured during those quieter moments at the hospital. While Elizabeth's non-corporeal rules are all over the place, nothing is more set in stone in rom-coms than the notionofkismet.

Peak mid-aughts Mark Ruffalois, of course, a big selling point to this movie. It also ticks all therom-com real estate dream home boxes. At the moment it is hardto watch something and not consider how it would rank as a shelter-in-place location, butElizabeth (and David's) palatial apartmentand fantasy rooftop garden score pretty highly. Just Like Heavenis incredibly predictable; nevertheless, the familiarity and warmth is a welcome change of pace, andsometimes that is all you need.

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The cozy appeal of romantic comedy Just Like Heaven - SYFY WIRE

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon admitted distancing measures were likely to extend beyond 2020 but said schools and some businesses could re-open if their workplaces were redesigned.

It may be that some businesses in some sectors can reopen, but only if they can change how they work to keep employees and customers 2m distant from each other, she said.

With schools, classrooms may have to be redesigned to allow social distancing, so maybe not all children can go back to, and be at, school at the same time.

In a Framework for Decision-Making document published yesterday, the Scottish government confirmed it would work with partners across society to redesign workplaces, education settings and other premises so they are places where spread is minimised.

The announcement by Scottish government is the first official acknowledgement that public and business spaces may have to be adapted for a new normal after lockdown is eased.

The Royal Incorporation of Scottish Architects responded to the announcement by writing to the chief architect at the Scottish government and offering assistance in developing design solutions and adaptions required to address the likely future changes.

A spokesperson for the Scottish government told the AJ: We very much welcome the offer of assistance from RIAS to assist with classroom re-design and we will explore all potential options as we take forward our exit strategy from lockdown.

Jude Barber, director at Glasgow-based Collective Architecture, said: Given the spatial and behavioural challenges surrounding the pandemic, it seems only right that architects, landscape architects and planners should be central to the discussion and share their ideas and expertise.

But Alan Dunlop, visiting professor in architecture at the University of Liverpool, told the AJ: It is not a great idea to redesign classrooms, lecture theatres, or studios.

Dunlop described the cost of the measure as prohibitive and said: Even if you could compartmentalise classrooms, there is the issue of common areas, such as stairways, corridors, toilets etc and the no small matter of parents and carers collecting and dropping off children at the same time.

He added: I have never seen a retrofit school that works particularly well and certainly none that would promote learning.

Chris DobsonHaving spent years analysing our workspaces (and concluded they need to be deconstructed and re-imagined to create more collaborative, comfortable and communal environments), how do we reconcile the need for human interaction with the presence of a highly contagious virus?

If we are not to recreate the isolation of working from a kitchen table, or a make-shift desk in a bedroom, great care must be taken. A simple thinning of workstations would not seem to cut it. And what about the contained vessel of the passenger lift, communal kitchens and the imposed proximity of many shared sanitary facilities?

Beyond the immediate and the make-do, there are fundamental questions to answer and creative responses required to some of the most challenging briefs that we are likely to receive within the profession. Our societal health and wellbeing is truly on the line.

Chris Dobson is a director at 3D Reid

Robin LivingstoneNicola Sturgeons announcement yesterday on redesigning the spaces we share to pull us apart and seek greater isolation goes against the purpose of our craft, to gather people together and keep each other close. In the short term we will need to come together to use what we have more flexibly and creatively for all our collective safety.

This would seem as much about logistics as it is design, but architects have the skills to make the most of what we have available. But longer term, my hope is this will reignite debates on the ever decreasing space standards in our homes, work places and schools, the quality of the outdoor spaces we provide, the importance of light and natural ventilation in our buildings and the need for generous, accessible civic space in our cities.

Robin Livingstone is a director at Fraser/Livingstone Architects

Peter DrummondThe market, and austerity, has been squeezing space standards throughout the sector for a very long time. As a consequence we find ourselves with very many buildings which will require significant adaptation if we are facing a medium to long-term requirement for even modest social distancing, be it in the school or in the workplace. Meanwhile, many in social and large-scale housing provisions will have found the current isolation and staying in requirements extremely difficult to deal with, to say the least.

It is in everyones interests for a return to the new normal whatever that might be. I therefore very much welcome the first ministers recognition that adaptation is required, and hope that our sector works together as a matter of urgency to bring the expertise from science and design/construction together to provide not only solutions for working now, but how we might need to work and operate in our buildings going forward.

Peter Drummond is a director at Peter Drummond Architects

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Scottish govt says offices and schools need redesign for lockdown to be eased - Architects Journal

The Sling Chair by Clement Meadmore is arguably the best Australian chair ever. At least the cleverest design. This is the argument.

Clement Meadmore was born in Australia in 1929, his father a toy model salesman and mother an avid lover of modern art. He trained for 2 years as an aeronautical engineer at Melbourne Technical College (later RMIT) before swapping to the inaugural industrial design course.

He graduated in 1949 and he began designing furniture (in black steel and cord), lights (the Calyx range) and interiors (Legend Espresso and Milk Bar) under the brand Meadmore Originals. He gained early recognition (the Good Design Award in 1952), worked with rising artists of the time (Leonard French) and opened his own Gallery A (with 2 friends) in 1955.

He worked in Melbourne throughout the 50s, before leaving for Sydney in 1960 for a position as art director for the Cond Nast magazine Vogue Australia. In 1963 he designed the Sling Chair as his last creation before he left Australia to settle permanently in New York, eventually as a US citizen.

Steel chairs manufactured by Michael Hirst (courtesy Curve magazine)

He had a lifelong love of chairs, collected his favourites, made photos and measured drawings, which culminated in his writing one of the great furniture reference books: The Modern Chair: Classics in Production, published by VNR in 1975 (not 1974 or 1977 as often referenced we checked our much worn first edition).

Included in the book is his own finest design: the Sling Chair, designed 12 years earlier, as homage to the chrome steel and leather chairs he had documented by Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe and Marcel Breuer, and those that form the bedrock of the book.

The Sling Chair of 1963 (image by +one)

The sling is made from 2 pieces of thick leather (usually brown) stitched together and slung between 2 frames made from 3 chromed steel pieces. Who better to describe the chair than Meadmore himself; this is the description of the chair taken from his book:

The design of this chair grew out of an interest in the possibility of using the sling principle in an anatomically correct fashion and in a way which would intrinsically include armrests. The steel structure consists of three parts, the back brace and uprights welded into a single unit and the two front elements, each of which is attached with two screws thus locking the leather sling in place.

The extended flat steel strips seamed into the leather swing at each side repeat the principle of the base and it is this construction method that distinguishes this chair from others using a similar base but supporting a conventionally upholstered seat and back. Because the leather is in a loose sling form seamed between the seat and back contact areas there is no stretching in use and no restriction of body movement, even though the sling is virtually form fitting. It is as comfortable as many more complex padded and upholstered chairs. Both functionally and aesthetically the metal and leather elements are sufficiently close integrated to form a unified whole.

The Sling Chair of 1963 deconstructed for transport or cleaning (image by +one)

His appreciation of chairs in his book centres on elegance of idea, simplicity of execution and comfort. This last is unusual as most descriptions of chairs (as for most designed objects) are of the history or design characteristics and importance, not their success in use.

Every one of the chairs was seemingly personally tested over a period of time by made more before he wrote his piece. The description of all the classics from 1870 to 1975 included faithfully transcribed dimensions of every chair at 1/8th scale, providing details of the structure and proportions and, inter alia, the ergonomic performance of each chair.

1/8th scale drawing of the Sling Chair of 1963 from The Modern Chair book.

We regard the Sling Chair so highly as it embodies the desire for a design to be stripped back to the bare essentials, both out of need, given the scarcity of materials post WW2, and the desire to meet the aesthetics of the age of modernism.

The best Australian design from the fifties and sixties seems to cleverly make beauty from nothing more than a 4x2 and fencing wire. Here the chair has few parts and is held together with just 4 bolts, disassembled in a matter of minutes for cleaning, transport or repairs.

So good was his original reference book that it was republished by Dover some 22 years later, but interestingly, nine very unusual chairs at the end of the original are omitted: one shaped as a baseball glove called Batting Joe, and a large pair of sittable lips called Marilyn. Seats by different designers presumably celebrating star crossed lovers Joe Di Maggio and Marilyn Monroe.

The lesson here is that Meadmore was more inclusive and progressive in the 70s, celebrating design variations that are the beginnings of postmodernism, than the conservative publishers 20 years later making a book for the rich persons collectable passion.

After arriving in the USA in 1963 he concentrated his practice on large sculptures, particularly in the then novel pre-rusted steel called Cor-Ten. His interest in chairs waned, and he became known, and still is entirely known on the net, for his sculptures. Substantial and significant Meadmore sculptures can be found in art galleries around the world.

In 1970 the Australian National Gallery (the ANG as it was then and should still be known) in Canberra commissioned Virginia, a piece also found in the USA, although not in that named state, but in Detroit. Similar to many of Meadmore's sculptures it is a twisted cubical form, of massive proportions.

Virginia Sculpture by Clement Meadmore at the ANG. (image courtesy of the NGA)

Harry Howard, landscape architect of ANGs garden, designed its siting as carefully as a master curator in an indoor gallery, thus contributing to Australias most beautiful made landscape. More subjective superlatives deserving of an argument.

In 1975 Meadmore published the book How to Make Furniture Without Tools, a guide that included tear out sheets to take to a lumber yard (we are in the USA) which could then be assembled to create chairs, wardrobes, bookshelves, bureaus and desks. The elegance and simplicity of these designs match the earlier work, like the sling chair, but how do these plywood and glue chairs turn out? Thats another episode of +one designs.

plus 1 / plus one / +one is a collective of designers and artists promoting sustainability and Australian design. You can contact them at [emailprotected]

Read more here:
The 'Sling Chair' by Clement Meadmore - Architecture and Design

He is certainly no stranger in the conservation circle, being a figure behind great projects like the restoration of the renowned Cheong Fatt Tze mansion in Penang. In fact, for the past 26 years, architect Laurence Loh has been promoting conservation efforts in Malaysia.

The Cheong Fatt Tze building, also known as the Blue Mansion, won Most Excellent Project in the 2000 Unesco Asia Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Preservation. Another notable project of Lohs was the restoration of Stadium Merdeka, which won an Award of Excellence in the 2008 edition of the above-mentioned awards.

In the same year, the Suffolk House in Penang received an Award of Distinction while in 2002, the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple in Melaka received an Award of Merit (both in the same awards). Loh is also known for the restoration of the Lunas Rubber Smokehouse in Kedah, which was shortlisted for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture (2008-2010). Besides transforming the formerly abandoned structure into an important town landmark, the project also united the different communities in the area and created a sense of shared history.

As recognition of his work, Loh was recently awarded the Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysias (PAM) Gold Medal for his lifetime contribution to the architectural community and landscape. The PAM Gold Medal award is the highest honour that can be bestowed on an architect to acknowledge the persons accomplishments and contributions to the architectural community both locally and abroad.

The Suffolk House in Penang also received an Award of Distinction in the 2008 edition of the awards. Photos: Filepic

(The award) represents a watershed moment because, by acknowledging my contributions and achievements, PAM has turned the spotlight on the promotion and practice of conservation. By implication, the Institute recognises that conservation is an integral part of its mission and objectives. Until recently, I always had the feeling that conservation practice was a marginal concern and not seen as a powerful tool and symbol to be celebrated in local architectural circles, shared Loh via email.

He feels that one of the key challenges hampering conservation efforts in the country is the lack of funding. An indicator of the emphasis and importance that has been placed on conserving Malaysias heritage, or the lack of it, is the quantum of national funding allocated in comparison to other sectors of government, be it at the federal, state or local levels.

Many of the major heritage buildings and sites are government-owned. Right in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, major heritage icons are being totally neglected and falling into disrepair. There is no accounting for the lack of shame about what the poverty of respect for our past signifies in terms of public relations and international reception, he said.

In 2002, the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple in Melaka received an Award of Merit in the same Unesco awards.

Education, Loh added, has a major role to play in creating love for, and awareness of, local heritage, coupled with the understanding and skills to conserve, manage and sustain it.

The manner in which national cultural policies are framed and promoted also contributes to conflicting views and approaches, with many being left behind. Conservation truly works when there is collective ownership, shared values and shared histories, he emphasised.

Loh has been a jury panel member of the Unesco Asia Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation for the past 20 years.

In all this time, Malaysia has won only six awards. Whilst I helped set the pace in Malaysia in the early years, other countries are performing exceedingly well now. It is frustrating for me because, year in year out, my fellow panellists ask me why there are so few entries from Malaysia, which in the face of very stiff competition, never make the grade. Even smaller countries like Singapore and Hong Kong do better than us.

Ever since the management of heritage became mainstream as a result of the creation of a Department of Heritage in Malaysia, advocacy groups have taken a backseat. The system suffers from a lack of cohesion, transparency, inclusiveness and a sense of priority. There are practically no financial incentives and support given to the private sector, except under special circumstances.Loh was recently awarded the PAM Gold Medal for his lifetime contribution to the architectural community and landscape.

Heritage should not be for the privileged. It should be conserved and protected to reflect Malaysias cultural diversity and to be shared by all communities, he opined.

Commenting on the Covid-19 pandemic, he believes that it is turning the focus on inclusiveness, resilience, environmental protection and climate change, some of the targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The message is strong and clear. We have to look for new ways to engage with the natural and cultural world. It can no longer be big business as usual, dictating how the rest of us consume, produce and service it.

I am advocating that we place heritage at the heart of sustainable development. By doing so, we will start to return the right to survive to all living things, and in the end, save ourselves.

Beautiful transformations are taking place because of the global lockdown. Rivers and seas are clean. Animals are reclaiming their original habitats. Temperatures are dropping. Reversal and repair of sites should be the new norm, he said.

Read this article:
Award-winning Malaysian architect says heritage is the core of sustainable development - The Star Online

With more and more homeowners wanting to grow their own vegetables and tend their own gardens, it may lead you to wonder whether installing a greenhouse on your property would hurt or help your property value. Before you build, here's what you need to know about having a greenhouse at your home.

A greenhouse is an enclosed glass structure primarily used for gardening that can either be free-standing or attached to a home. Greenhouses extend the growing season and allow gardeners to grow plants that would otherwise not grow well in their climate as well as increase the production of any outdoor gardens.

But there are secondary uses as well, especially if the greenhouse is attached to your home. It can expand your functional living space, with many homeowners choosing to use it as a living or dining room. It can also passively heat your home during the day during the winter and can create a more humid environment that can be beneficial in arid climates or for those who suffer from respiratory issues.

One potential negative to having a greenhouse on your property is the upkeep required to keep the structure from falling into disrepair. Just like with a pool or roof in need of maintenance, some buyers may not be interested in fixing this big-ticket item themselves or may offer a significant amount below your asking price to compensate for the added expense.

Greenhouses can also require a lot of energy to keep warm in the winter, which is an added cost some homebuyers may not find worthwhile. Additionally, in contrast to the welcomed warmth in the winter months, if a greenhouse is not well built with proper ventilation, it can also provide unwanted heat in your home during the summer months.

A number of studies have determined that well-designed landscaping can increase the value of a home. One study in particular conducted by Virginia Cooperative Extension stated that home values were found to increase between 6% and 11% with a sophisticated landscape design. However, little data has been gathered to identify whether a greenhouse specifically adds value to a home. For this reason, it's unclear whether a greenhouse would add monetary value to your home when it comes time to sell, but it can still add value to your home while you live there.

Adding a well-designed greenhouse to your property could possibly increase the value of your home, but it could also narrow the interested pool of buyers, as some may not want the added maintenance and expense. Some buyers, however, may see value in having a well-built, well-maintained greenhouse, and this could be seen as a unique selling feature, especially if the potential buyer also enjoys gardening or sees the attached greenhouse as a bright and cheery sunroom.

There's no guarantee that a greenhouse will add value to your home when it comes time to sell, but if it enhances your enjoyment or use of the home while you live there, it may be a worthwhile investment.

Before building, carefully weigh the advantages and disadvantages that come with having a greenhouse on your property. If you decide to move forward, consult an architect, landscape architect, or contractor to help you design and build a functional, attractive greenhouse for you and any future property owners.

You can build your own greenhouse to save on cost; just make sure it is well thought out and well-built and that all of the proper permits were pulled for the construction, if needed for your county or structure. This way you can reduce the chance of the greenhouse being viewed as a burden rather than a selling feature to later buyers.

More:
Should you Install a Greenhouse on your Property? - Motley Fool

Landscape architect Ernest W. Bowditch, who was born on this date in 1850, has been overshadowed in his field by Frederick Law Olmsted and sons. But he was a key figure in establishing the profession in the 19th century and had a major impact on the design of estates, such as The Breakers and Chateau-sur-Mer.

In fact, he designed the landscape for The Breakers' predecessor on the same site, then owned by Peter Lorillard IV, as well as the grounds of adjacent estates Vinland and Wakehurst. As Jim Donahue, our Curator of Historic Landscapes and Horticulture, puts it: In laying out all three, he created a unified landscape along Ochre Points seaside. Combining private estates was an innovative approach that was scarcely repeated anywhere and not at all in Newport.

Today, the Preservation Society continues the major effort to rehabilitate Bowditchs landscape plan for the existing Breakers, including the Serpentine Path that was a key element of his vision.

#NewportMansionsFromHome#MuseumsFromHome#NewportMansionsStrong#AloneTogether

Source: Preservation Society of Newport County

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Landscape architect Ernest W. Bowditch, who was born on this date in 1850, has b... - Portsmouth Press