Architecture Tour: Emily House In Sydney, Australia

Working together, Aldini and Isaac Group have turned an abandoned warehouse into a modern dream home. Sitting on a small plot of land, the warehouse was in dire need of a contemporary lift – therefore the employment of organic shapes, elements and materials became the key focus for both interior designer and builder.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Modern Dream Home 00:25 – The Location of Emily House 00:38 – A Walkthrough of the Modern Dream Home 01:10 – Maximising the Previous Small Space 01:29 – The Builder 01:51 – Relationships and Working as a Team 02:14 – Utilising Natural Elements and Organic Shapes 03:10 – Elements of Softness and Curves 03:34 – Harnessing the Natural Light 04:02 – Favourite Parts of the Modern Dream Home 04:29 – Proud Moments

With a brief that only required the cathedral ceilings to be kept, the interior architecture was imbued with soft curves, natural shapes and materials, and a flood of natural light. In the end, the client’s home was turned into a modern dream home that would become a hub for connection, light and simple opulence.

Located in the inner west of Sydney, Emily House strikes an unassuming appearance with dark tones, leafy greens and a timber batten façade that hints at what is inside the modern dream home. Following the house tour inside, the front of the home contains the master bedroom and ensuite before offering a glimpse of the opulent kitchen – which is designed to be the hub for connection.

While using marble, granite and terrazzo throughout the modern dream home to add an opulence, the elements of curved bamboo, which is seen in the bathrooms and on the kitchen island bench, is used to soften the hardness of these materials. In the downstairs spaces, large steel windows, bi-fold doors and skylights have been installed to help bring more natural light inside while also adding to the sense of space inside.

Following the kitchen’s marble bench top and dark palette cabinetry, the dining and living room reference the same colours through the furnishings and marble that has been employed on the shelving and fireplace. To combat the hard lines of the steel and marble, the softening of elements has been encouraged throughout the interior design, which is seen in the soft curving of the Venetian plaster wall above the fireplace.

After the doors are opened, the courtyard helps to expand upon the liveable space and, with its terrazzo floor, curved seating arrangement and green wall the space, the downstairs living areas extend upon the client’s wish of creating a hub for connection. Upstairs, the inclusion of two more bedrooms and a bathroom further employs the use of stone, light and a natural colour palette.

Infused with natural light, the bedrooms offer guests an opulent stay that is reminiscent of five star hotels. Working together, the interior designer and builder established the modern dream home to become a space where the client could entertain. Additionally, the house is filled with a sense of softness – to which the client can find reprieve in the moments when it is needed.

News: Russia-Belarus Joint Military Exercises, World Economic Forum In Davos

January 17, 2023We head to Davos for a special show from the World Economic Forum. Plus: Russia and Belarus begin joint military exercises, and what next for Iranian-UK relations after the execution of Alireza Akbari?

Front Page: The New York Times – January 17, 2023

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A Florida School Received a Threat. Did a Red Flag Law Prevent a Shooting?

Judges in 19 states and the District of Columbia are issuing orders to keep guns out of the hands of people deemed dangerous, like a Fort Lauderdale teenager who threatened a school shooting.

Alarmed by A.I. Chatbots, Universities Start Revamping How They Teach

With the rise of the popular new chatbot ChatGPT, colleges are restructuring some courses and taking preventive measures.

Global Push to Treat H.I.V. Leaves Children Behind

Sub-Saharan Africa has made steady progress in delivering lifesaving medication to adults, but young patients are harder to reach and 100,000 are dying of AIDS each year

China’s Latest Source of Unrest: Unpaid ‘Zero Covid’ Workers

Companies that reaped windfalls helping the government implement strict ‘zero Covid’ controls are now struggling to pay and keep workers.

Cinematic Travel: A Tour Of Northern Albania (4K)

Pavel Ivo SedlacekAlbaniacountry in southern Europe, located in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula on the Strait of Otranto, the southern entrance to the Adriatic Sea. The capital city is Tirana (Tiranë).

Albanians refer to themselves as shqiptarë—often taken to mean “sons of eagles,” though it may well refer to “those associated with the shqip (i.e., Albanian) language”—and to their country as Shqipëria. They generally consider themselves to be descendants of the ancient Illyrians, who lived in central Europe and migrated southward to the territory of Albania at the beginning of the Bronze Age, about 2000 BCE. They have lived in relative isolation and obscurity through most of their difficult history, in part because of the rugged terrain of their mountainous land but also because of a complex of historical, cultural, and social factors.

Walks: Mutianyu Section Of The Great Wall, China

Walk East – Mutianyu Great Wall (慕田峪长城), built in 5400 m long, is regarded as the “Essence of Great Wall in Ming Dynasty”. This great wall, linking Gubeikou (古北口) in the east and Juyongguan (居庸关) in the west, was served as the vital military strategic point from the ancient time. Moreover, Mutianyu section is the “longest great wall in China” so far and since protection work is well done here, tourists can now see its original appearance and enjoy the real ancient culture of great wall. Also, spectacular natural scenery in Mutianyu Great Wall always impresses visitors here for its abundant vegetation.

History of Mutianyu Great Wall

Mutianyu was originally a small mountain village before with fluctuating mountains and lush trees. For its vital and special situation, Mutianyu had been an important martial barrier for long time. And till Ming dynasty, a series of war broke out. In order to protect the national capital and the imperial mausoleum of Ming dynasty, the Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang (朱元璋) ordered his general Xu Da (徐达) to build this great wall in 1368. Although Mutianyu Great Wall has experience damages and reparation for several times, it is the most-preserved section of great wall relics of Ming dynasty.

Preview: The New Yorker Magazine – Jan 23, 2023

A truck seen through fog drives down a city street.

The New Yorker – January 16, 2023:

Can 3-D Printing Help Solve the Housing Crisis?

A row of houses being printed by a large machine.

Standard construction can be slow, costly, and inefficient. Machines might do it better.

A Reporter at Large

The Getty Family’s Trust Issues

A family tree with with colorful coins as leaves, sprouting out of a base of tax forms.

Heirs to an iconic fortune sought out a wealth manager who would assuage their progressive consciences. Now their dispute is exposing dynastic secrets.

Has Academia Ruined Literary Criticism?

tiny books all stacked up to create a scholarly looking building

Literature departments seem to provide a haven for studying books, but they may have painted themselves into a corner.

Energy / Technology: How Close Is Fusion Power?

For the first time, US scientists have achieved a fusion reaction with net energy gain. But the dream of limitless zero-carbon energy is still a long way from reality.

Video timeline: 00:00 – What powers the universe 01:04 – ITER: the biggest experiment in human history 04:28 – What is fusion? 06:38 – Replicating the sun 08:38 – The US breakthrough 13:46 – The investors 20:40 – A new class of magnet 24:30 – Dream or reality?

The FT’s Simon Mundy meets scientists and investors in the UK, France and US, to see how close we really are to commercial fusion power.

Read more at https://on.ft.com/3GJl1JF

Opinion: Global Order In Danger, Insurrection In Brazil, Prince Harry Book

January 16, 2023 Three essential articles read aloud from the latest issue of The Economist: the destructive new logic that threatens globalisation, how Brazil should deal with the bolsonarista insurrection (11:55) and a review of Prince Harry’s autobiography (16:45).

Front Page: The New York Times – January 16, 2023

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A Year After a Fiery Voting Rights Speech, Biden Delivers a More Muted Address

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Dead, Alive or Devastated After Russian Strike on Apartments

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A Fake Death in Romancelandia

A Tennessee homemaker entered the online world of romance writers and it became, in her words, “an addiction.” Things went downhill from there.

If Affirmative Action Ends, College Admissions May Be Changed Forever

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AI Design Views: ‘Paris’

using AI, vincent callebaut reimagines 'haussmannian' paris architecture as green, breathable buildings

designboom – Taking their cues from Haussmann’s work, the architects at Vincent Callebaut Architecture continue to explore the concept of climate and energy solidarity by using new artificial intelligence tools. 

using AI, vincent callebaut reimagines 'haussmannian' paris architecture as green, breathable buildingsusing AI, vincent callebaut reimagines 'haussmannian' paris architecture as green, breathable buildings

The French architects draw inspiration from existing buildings, as well as ecosystem feedback loops and biomimetics, to create a series of green, organic structures distributed throughout Paris. Through a sensitive and contemporary dialog that preserves the historical heritage of the French capital, the project creates islands of urban freshness by reviving nature, biodiversity and permaculture urban agriculture in the heart of the city.

using AI, vincent callebaut reimagines 'haussmannian' paris architecture as green, breathable buildings

using AI, vincent callebaut reimagines 'haussmannian' paris architecture as green, breathable buildings

News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious