Architect and Designer working on low-cost, sustainable design with a special interest in energy and water conservation. Fascinations include science & technology, photography and natural history.

• If You Really Must Have a Glass Façade, Read This
  I’ve been a strong critic of glass buildings in hot places like Mumbai or Delhi but recognise that it may be appropriate in more temperate climates. One thing that had escaped my attention, though, was the hazard that such buildings have become for birds.  The thing is, birds don’t see glass façades the way we [...]

  GoTo :: If You Really Must Have a Glass Façade, Read This

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• Energy Calculator for Air-Conditioners in India
  More and more people are installing air-conditioners in their homes these days thanks in large part to the concrete hot-boxes being constructed in our cities and the heat-island effect. Added to that is the fact that many commercial buildings have senseless glass façades – which makes them even-hotter-boxes. Net result: the amount of energy being [...]

  GoTo :: Energy Calculator for Air-Conditioners in India

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• Is Rowan Atkinson’s House Really That Bad?
  This subject has been blogged and tweeted all over the place but few seem to have seen any photographs of the proposed house or, if they have, they’re keeping it well under wraps. The architect’s website doesn’t seem to list it and I finally managed a glimpse of the proposed “futuristic petrol station” in an [...]

  GoTo :: Is Rowan Atkinson’s House Really That Bad?

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• LEED and Indoor Air Quality
  This is an interesting and a whole new angle on the LEED debate. Essentially what is being said is that tightly sealing a building (to make the air-conditioning system more energy efficient) also locks in hazardous chemicals with complete disregard for indoor air quality. Ideally, in our climate, we’d have less “sealed” buildings and more [...]

  GoTo :: LEED and Indoor Air Quality

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• Dassault Making an Assault on AutoDesk?
  Dassault has released the beta of a free 2D drawing editor that works like AutoCAD. It’s based on ARES from Graebert and is currently available for Windows with Mac and Linux versions in the pipeline for later in the year. So far, all AutoCAD clones have remained marginal players so it is to be seen [...]

  GoTo :: Dassault Making an Assault on AutoDesk?

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