Burj Dubai

Today marks the grand opening of the $1.5 billion dollar Burj Dubai, total height of 2,684 ft. Dubai overcame its $26 billion dollar debt, completed construction, now 90% of the building space has already been sold. Meanwhile the skilled laborers and construction workers took home between $4-$8 dollars an hour. The $217 million musical fountain, largest in the world (completed April 2009), led the grand opening for the worlds tallest building. The fountain was designed by WET Design and the Burj was designed by SOM Architects.


Fountains remind me of a scene out of a Disney movie.

Sigh of Relief?

US News has listed Landscape Architecture as one of the 50 best jobs for 2010 with an expected increase over the next 10 years. sounds good to me, but this part of the article seems wrong -

Stress level:
Reasonable. The hours are pretty regular.

By regular do they mean regular for an insomniac.

New Year Reflection

What better way to start the new year than with a post. The blog hasn't been as active as it should have been and I apologize to the 4 or 5 committed viewers who have been complaining.

The start of the new year is a great time for reflection. What changes to lifestyle will be your New Year's Resolution? How long until you break the commitment? We must all learn to self reflect to understand and examine our decisions and actions. We must know where our weaknesses lie and how we can strengthen them. Setting goals, practicing, and positive thought can all assist.
Here are a few resolutions that seem like great suggestions for students.

This is the only time your allowed to break a resolution.

Time

Sometimes you wish there was just more time or an extra day in the week or a way to freeze time, but sadly there isn't.

“Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't
own it, but you can use it. You can't keep
it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it
you can never get it back.”
-Harvey MacKay

“The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once.”
-Albert Einstein

"It's not how much time you spend, but how you spend it that matters".
-What a professor said to me earlier today, not sure who said the original.

Capturing Climate Change

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34238661/ns/multimedia-picturing_climate_change/?gt1=43001
9 photographers from the NOOR photo agency have captured climate stories from around the world. The photos and captions combined deliver powerful messages and imagery.

The Maldives faces the risk of being the first nation to dissappear due to the risk of sea level rise.

Bing 3D Mapping

Microsoft has released a beta version introducing 3D imagery to Bing maps. Especially interesting is the new photosynth technology which allows users to upload images to create 3D experiences. According to the partner architect from Microsoft, the company no longer views maps as an application, but as an empty canvas. I'm ready for the Google come back now.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10410320-2.html

Flood Designs

The future of New York and Tokyo if they were to flood.
http://bldgblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/city-and-its-flooded-double_13.html

Otherworldly Landscapes

http://www.bing.com/travel/content/search?q=Otherworldly+Landscapes%3a+Blue+Lagoon%2c+Iceland

A slide show of amazing natural landscapes.

Sea Level Rise

At a lecture yesterday on "Urban Climate Change Adaptation Planning: Lessons from the Global South", I was guided by JoAnn Carmin, associate professor of Environmental Policy at MIT, to take a look at steps being taken by Oregon and Maryland to address the sea level rise issue. So far all I have been able to discover is Oregon's "Goal 20" plan and some stuff here and there about Maryland, but still no major regional plan or design stuff. If any one has come across any information or can find anything else I would love it if they shared it on here. It would definitely be useful to take a look at some other initiatives being taken as our studio class begins designing for sea level rise in Cape May County.

Confucius Say

By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest. - Confucius

New Satellite

Europe launched a new satellite, the Soil Moisture and Salinity (SMOS) probe, which is expected to be able to pinpoint the future location and intensity of floods and droughts. The probe will be able to monitor the amount of moisture held in soils to a depth of up to 7ft, the quantity of salts dissolved in the oceans, and photosynthesis and plant growth. With studies suggesting and supporting that global warming is disrupting and altering weather conditions and patterns the data collected by this probe will aid in furthering our knowledge.
http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/11/02/satellite-makes-near-real-time-predictions-of-floods-and-droughts/

Google Sketchup

With the release of Google Sketchup 7.1 many may have realized that the DWG/DXF importer isn't available. This has caused many users to be shocked and upset by the loss of the tool, especially Rutgers senior, Benjamin Heller. To those that have downloaded or upgraded to the latest version have no fear there is a plug-in available. This plug-in will only be around for a short period of time and won't be available for any future releases. So sleep easy at night Ben, Google does care.

Mark Your Calander

Mark your calanders for November 17th to witness the annual showing of the Leonid meteor shower. Those of us along the east coast we should expect the shower between 3:30 and 5:30 a.m. EST in the southeastern sky.

Future Mapping

Future mapping technology..

Sustainable Site Initiative

The American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and the United States Botanic Garden united to put together the first national ratings and guidelines for sustainable and eco-friendly landscape design, construction, and maintenance practices. Today marks the official date of release of the Sustainable Sites Initiative. They will be accepting pilot projects to demonstrate the application of The Sustainable Sites Initiative: Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks 2009.