Monday, January 27, 2020

Development of the Urban Design Group

Development of the Urban Design Group Urban design Overview What is built-up design? Urban conceive is the method of forming the personal setting for life in towns, villages and villages. It is the art of making places. It engages the conceive of structures, assemblies of structures, spaces and countrysides, and setting up the methods that make thriving development possible. Why are so numerous locations so awfully designed? Why are the locations we are construction so distinct from the locations we like? So numerous new expansion snuff out what makes a location exceptional and give the effect of having been conceived (if that is the word!) by somebody with no sense of what makes a thriving place. Why is so much development so awfully designed? The detail that 84 percent of designing submissions are drawn up by somebody with no conceive teaching may have certain thing to do with it. But being taught in conceive does not inevitably signify that the individual to blame for the development will conceiving certain thing that might make a thriving place. After all, they may not have glimpsed that as their job. They may have been conceiving only of restricted and short-term aims: to construct certain thing that the developer can deal quickly; or to assist the buildings users, other than making a more pleasing know-how for persons transient by. The public interest is broader, and longer term. Urban conceive requests to persons who are involved in more than just the conceive of a lone construction or the concerns of a lone user. What gets built-up designers out of bed in the forenoon is the dispute of conceiving a location that will be utilised and relished by a broad variety of distinct persons for distinct reasons, not only now but in years to come. A new profession Urban conceive is one of the newest professions. The mark ‘urban designer is little more than 25 years old. Much of what built-up designers do – forming the locations where we reside – was finished by professionals of diverse types before then, but the job was glimpsed from the viewpoint of specific professions. Architects and planners utilised to contend about the functions of their two professions. Architects would accuse planners of hindering with aesthetic affairs about which they were not trained to judge. Planners would accuse architects of conceiving structures solely as things, with little try to take account of their context or of their expected influence on the surroundings. In 1978 some architects and planners called a truce. This expert sniping is pointless, they said. We have certain thing in common: we are all in the enterprise of making places. That should be the cornerstone of our employed together. People with a mission The Urban Design Group was formed, and shortly architects, planners, countryside architects, engineers, public creative individuals and a variety of other professionals were affirming their firm promise to built-up design. Their objective was to change how the natural environment was shaped. They contended that architects should be worried with the location, not just with conceiving a construction to persuade the clients claims alone. Planners should be worried, not just with land use, but with the personal pattern of development. Landscape architecture should be engaged in investigating and comprehending sites at the start of the designing and conceive method, other than being conveyed in at a late stage to disguise unattractive structures with some planting. Highway engineers should use their abilities to make locations that are pleasing to be in and to stroll through, other than focusing narrowly on holding the traffic moving. Modern built-up conceive can be advised as part of the broader control and esteem of Urban planning. Indeed, Urban designing started as a action mainly used by with affairs of built-up design. Works for example Ildefons Cerdas General Theory of Urbanization (1867), Camillo Sittes City Planning According to Artistic Principles (1889), and Robinsons The Improvement of Cities and Towns (1901) and Modern Civic Art (1903), all were mainly worried with built-up conceive, as did the subsequent City Beautiful movement in North America. Urban design was first utilised as a characteristic period when Harvard University hosted a sequence of Urban Design Conferences from 1956. These seminars supplied a stage for the commencing of Harvards Urban Design program in 1959-60. The writings of Jane Jacobs, Kevin Lynch, Gordon Cullen and Christopher Alexander became authoritative works for the school of Urban Design. Gordon Cullens The Concise Townscape, first released in 1961, and furthermore had a large leverage on numerous built-up designers. Cullen analyzed the customary creative approach to town conceive of theorists for example Camillo Sitte, Barry Parker and Raymond Unwin. He conceived the notion of serial vision, characterising the built-up countryside as a sequence of associated spaces. Jane Jacobs The Death and Life of Great American Cities, released in 1961, was furthermore a catalyst for interest in concepts of built-up design. She critiqued the Modernism of CIAM, and claimed that the publicly unowned spaces conceived by the ‘city in the park idea of Modernists were one of the major causes for the increasing crime rate. She contended rather than for an eyes on the street approach to village designing, and the resurrection of major public space precedents, for example roads and rectangles, in the conceive of cities. Kevin Lynchs The Image of the City of 1961 was furthermore seminal to the action, especially with considers to the notion of legibility, and the decrease of built-up conceive idea to five rudimentary components routes, localities, perimeters, nodes, landmarks. He furthermore made well liked the use of mental charts to comprehending the town, other than the two-dimensional personal expert designs of the preceding 50 years. Other prominent works encompass Rossis Architecture of the City (1966), Venturis Learning from Las Vegas (1972), Colin Rowes Collage City (1978), and Peter Calthorpes The Next American Metropolis (1993). Rossi presented the notions of historicism and collective memory to built-up conceive, and suggested a collage metaphor to realise the collage of new and older types inside the identical built-up space. Calthorpe, on the other hand, evolved a manifesto for sustainable built-up dwelling by intermediate density dwelling, as well as a conceive manual for construction new towns in agreement with his notion of Transit Oriented Development (TOD). Bill Hillier and Julienne Hanson in The Social Logic of Space (1984) presented the notion of Space Syntax to forecast how action patterns in towns would assist to built-up vitality, anti-social demeanour and financial success. The attractiveness of these works produced in periods for example historicism, sustainability, livability, high value of b uilt-up components, etc. become everyday dialect in the area of built-up planning.

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Personality Development Case Essay

Success in business and personal life is determined by one’s ability to communicate effectively with others. â€Å"Social intelligence,† or the ability to interact, converse, negotiate with, and persuade others, is the most highly paid and respected form of skill one can have, and this can be developed. Students participating in this program will experience a drastic transformation in terms of personality, communication skills, confidence level and the way of looking at life. The entire program is based on the concept of learning and acquiring skills most effectively when one is not under any pressure. The whole process of acquiring skills is like a game – entertaining and exciting. It is similar to the way a child learns to communicate and acquire skills, but with greater awareness. Basic Personality Development Workshop A wholistic workshop focused on the person’s appearance, social graces, and personality. This workshop will help the participants to project themselves in a corporate setting thru social graces and etiquette. Presence, Polish, and Power Workshop This workshop aims to help participants project a confident, professional and polished image. The Art of Business Dining This is a comprehensive session on everything one needs to know about fine dining: from use of basic tools to engaging in table talk. The objective of this course is to help the individual create a positive impression with others and enhance the image of the company he or she represents. Wellness in the Workplace This workshop was designed for leaders and persons who will eventually manage teams. Stress affects productivity and teamwork. It’s therefore important for a leader to address actual and potential stressors in the office and at home. Creating Lasting Connections This workshop serves as an introduction to the science of social intelligence – it will help you gain insights on human relations; how to better â€Å"read† people, situations and react accordingly. Key Topics * Personality Development * Confidence Building * Business Etiquette * Corporate Grooming * International Etiquette * Social Etiquette * Dining Etiquette / Table Manners * Gentlemen Etiquette * Ladies Etiquette * English Voice / Accent * Dress Code * Presentation Skills * Personal Counseling

Friday, January 10, 2020

Mythological Tricksters

The trickster deity breaks the rules of the gods or nature, sometimes maliciously like Loki, but usually, albeit unintentionally with ultimately positive effects. Tricksters are characterized as selfish, mischievous, impatient liars who show no remorse. Some tricksters have hidden meanings behind their rudeness that carry good intentions. All cultures have archetypal, male tricksters. In the Greek and African myths, Hermes and Legba are both messengers of god.Hermes, through is intelligence, makes a convincing appeal to Zeus who gives him the duties of â€Å"making of treaties, the promotion of commerce, and the maintenance of free rights of way for travelers on any road in the world† (165). Even though the myth started out with Apollo fiending to kill his cow-thief, Hermes trickery lands him a top position with the top dog Zeus. In the African myth, Legba was God’s donkey boy. He followed the orders of God and neither gained credit nor the respect of the people.When he finally revolted and turned to trickery, God, in his embarrassment, left the world but told Legba â€Å"come to the sky every night to give an account of what went on below,† making him an articulator of the divine (172). In the Indian and Native American myths, both tricksters possess selfish characteristics. The Indian myth, Krishna, tells of the girls of the Nanda village who are so obsessed with their Prince Krsna that they are blind to his trickery. One day the girls were worshipping their goddess Katyayani in the Kalindi (body of water) and their beloved prince robs them of their clothes.Krsna, after the girls devote themselves to him, tells them that â€Å"Since you swam in the water without clothes while you were under a vow, this was an insult to the divinity. Therefore you must fold your hands and place them on your heads and bow low in expiation of your sin, and then you may take your clothes† (168). The girls in their stupor did as he said and the pleased prince gave them their clothes before inviting them to spend their nights with him. Despite the prince’s selfish trickery, the girls obtained their â€Å"gorgeous prince† and the prince marveled in it every night.Similar to Krishna, Old Man Coyote gets to marvel at his young self every night. In the Native American myth, Old Man Coyote finds himself rotting away with age and wishing for a re-do. He comes across a young, strong, buffalo bull, who tells him he can make him young again, but there’s a catch, â€Å"You will look like a young strong buffalo, but you will still be Old Man Coyote inside. Don’t ever forget that† (170). The buffalo then proceeds to change the Old Man and before he knows it, he is a young, spring, buffalo calf all full of life. The Calf- Coyote enjoys the next four years of his life until he met a poor, old ragged coyote.The old coyote begged the Calf-Coyote to be â€Å"young and strong again,† and the Calf-Coyote reme mbering his second chance agrees. In his attempt to recreate what the buffalo did for him, he ends up returning to his former state. The Calf-Coyote, in his young state of mind, forgot that the buffalo did not transfer any of his powers reminding him not to â€Å"start anything unless you know you can finish it† (171). In most trickster myths, it works in their favor; however in this case, Old Man Coyote was not so lucky. Despite Old Man Coyotes good intentions, he failed, unlike Loki, who had bad intentions in the Norse (Icelandic) myth.Loki is known as a â€Å"contriver of fraud† who can shape shift into forms that benefit his terror. In the Norse myth, Loki disguises himself as an old woman and plots the death of Baldr. Just for fun, Loki tricks Baldur's blind twin, Hod, into killing him with a spear made of mistletoe. Loki is known for bringing about chaos, but by challenging the gods he brings about change. Without Loki’s problem-causing influence, the gods would be blind to the problems around them. The tricksters who contribute to the chaos of the mythological world have heroes who try to defeat the trickery in their extraordinary godliness.Some of the characters of the hero myths were born great and some achieved greatness. Unlike the tricksters, heroes prove to their people that they are miraculous without using devious maneuvering. However unlike the heroes, tricksters are not born miraculously with the ability to walk, talk, or slay beasts like in the Bantu Myth, Lituolone. The tricksters and the heroes actions differ greatly, but their outcomes are similar for both have hidden meanings. Trickster tales maybe outrageous in their actions but they provide a crude humor that the hero myths cannot.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Types of Fixed Price Contracts

Fixed price contracts are a bit self-explanatory. You propose a single price to accomplish the work being sought. Once the project is complete the government customer pays you the agreed to price. Your cost to complete the work does not factor into how much you are paid. Types of Fixed Price Contracts Firm Fixed Price or FFP contracts have detailed requirements and a price for the work. The price is negotiated before the contract is finalized and does not vary even if the contractor needs to expend more or less resources than planned. Firm fixed price contracts require the contractor to manage the costs of the work in order to make a profit. If more work than planned is required then the contractor may lose money on the contract. Fixed Price Contract with Incentive Firm Target (FPIF) contract is a firm fixed price type contract (as compared to a cost reimbursable). The fee can vary depending on whether the contract comes in above or below planned cost. These contracts do contain a ceiling price to limit the government’s exposure to cost overruns. Fixed price with economic price adjustment contracts are fixed price contracts but they contain a provision to account for contingencies and changing costs. An example is the contract may contain an adjustment for an annual salary increase. Computing Fixed Price Fixed price contracts can be lucrative or cause a big loss to a company. Computing the proposed fixed price follows a similar to cost plus contract pricing. Study the request for proposals carefully determining the scope of work to be completed, labor categories of personnel needed and materials to be procured. A conservative approach to scoping the work (resulting a higher proposed cost) is preferred to offset the risk level of the work taking more effort and money than planned. However, if you propose too high a price you could lose the contract by not being competitive. Start computing the fixed price you will propose by creating a general work breakdown structure (WBS) for the project. Using the work breakdown structure you can estimate the number of labor hours by labor category needed to complete each phase of the project. Add in the materials, travel and other direct costs to the labor (priced at your labor rates) to get the proposed contract cost. Add fringe, overhead and general administrative rates to the appropriate costs to get the proposed project cost. Fee is then added to the planned cost to obtain the final fixed price you will propose. When deciding the fee take careful account of the amount of risk you have in the project not going at least as well as planned. Any risk of cost overruns should be factored into the fee. If you feel confident you can complete the work in the proposed costs then you can reduce your fee to be more competitive. For example, if the contract is to provide mowing services on base then you can estimate the amount of labor that will be required fairly accurately since the amount of mowing is well defined. If the contract is to develop a new, renewable fuel type for tanks then your risk of incurring more costs than planned is much greater. Fee rates can range from a couple of percent to 15% depending on the risk level. Note that the government and your competitors are also computing the project risk level and the related fee so be reasonable and realistic in your computations. Proposing the Fixed Price Here is where the couple of fixed price contracts come into play. When finalizing the price you will propose know the fee type required in the request for proposals. If an economic adjustment is allowed then you will need to propose what this percentage will be for each year of the contract. This is also called the escalation. Modify the computed fixed price to match the request for proposals and submit your winning proposal.