It seems like it's award time for us!

We at 'Design Atelier' were delighted to hear that "Sufi Park" project in Chandigarh is chosen as the winning entry in the Emerson Cup Award 2013 under “New Buildings” category from emerging cities. Very recently, the Chimes Building, Gurgaon designed by us got LEED/IGBC Gold Rating. Chimes building has also been awarded the "Green Project of the Year" by Construction Week Awards 2013.

We consider ourselves as a thinking firm that has a cool and collaborative process that gracefully combines the voices and skills of architects, designers and artists, with a strong delivery orientation. We create dynamic solutions through meticulous planning, knowledge and services. Through design leadership, expert knowledge and services excellence, Design Atelier's clear focus is to be an exemplary influence on the design of Indian built environments.

Campus Architecture: How important are buildings to learning?

 

Does architectural design play any role in improving educational outcomes? Can a building design improve student creativity? Experts believe that the size and shape of our school buildings can shape the way we teach and learn. The learning process or building technologies may change, but the campus will always remain a serene place to think and dream. A study by University of Salford, UK, suggests that well-designed classrooms could improve pupil performance by 25%. The innovative campus designs can impact both the students and teachers. The buildings can support behavior, which in turn will support the teachers.

Design Atelier believes that through design up-gradation campuses can be responsive to continuous re-invention. The focus should be on integrating campus functions, technology, landscape and, urban life and ambiance, ensuring social, economic and environmental sustainability.

Is there a building with scorching effect near you?

Photograph: Amer Ghazzal/Demotix/Corbis

A new office building on London's skyline has been reflecting intense sunlight from its glass exterior. The building is nicknamed as the Walkie Talkie and is being blamed for melted car parts. In a broadcast for Sky News one reporter has even proved that it is possible to fry an egg in the reflected sunlight. The concave side wall of the 37-storey skyscraper at 20 Fenchurch Street, is reflecting intense sunlight and heat on to the street below. 

Local businessman Martin Lindsay said his high-spec Jaguar XJ, parked on Eastcheap, had warped panels along one side. The wing mirror and badge had also melted from the heat of the reflection, he claimed while speaking to Sky News.

As the news spread about the tower which is due to open early next year, people and media have now been saying that the London skyscraper isn't the only building magnifying the sun's hot rays to streets below. Buildings in Dallas and Las Vegas have also been found to create a similar phenomenon - some even burning residents below reports Guardian.   

How many other buildings in the UK or for that matter in the world were having the scorching effect? Have you being experiencing similar skyscraping nightmares in your locality? Share with us!

Business Importance and Market Demand Driving Green Building Growth

With sustainability and energy efficiency initiatives taking an upward swing around the world, business firms are finding business value and opportunities from green building, including the opportunity for new environmentally responsible products. This is the outcome of a study "World Green Building Trends SmartMarket Report" published by McGraw-Hill Construction.

"The acceleration of the green building marketplace around the world is creating markets for green building products and technologies, which in turn will lead to faster growth of green building," said Harvey Bernstein, vice president of Industry Insights and Alliances at McGraw-Hill Construction. "And the fact that green is growing in all parts of the world indicates that there are market opportunities in both established markets as well as developing countries." 

The construction firms all over the world now believes that more than 60 percent of their work will be green. From 2012 to 2015, it is assumed by the firms that work will go green more than triple in South Africa, double in Germany, Norway and Brazil and will grow between 33 and 68 percent in the United States, Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and Australia.

"This report confirms that the green building movement has shifted from 'push' to 'pull' - with markets increasingly demanding no less than green buildings," said John Mandyck, chief sustainability officer, UTC Climate, Controls & Security. "By promoting greater efficiency for energy and water, green buildings lower building costs while conserving the earth's precious resources. This powerful combination of built-in payback with environmental stewardship creates a new value proposition that is accelerating green building in all regions of the globe." 

For more key findings from the World Green Building Trends SmartMarket Report, visit http://analyticsstore.construction.com/index.php/world-green-building-trends-smartmarket-report-2013.html