After losing a set to little-known Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver, to the consternation of his mother Judy and girlfriend Kim, the Scot recovered to win by three sets to one beneath the Centre Court roof, in use for the first time.

Sign of the times: Hardy fans on Murray Mount sit around a bench in the dying hope that there might be some more tennis for them to enjoy
Rain stops play? Not for these boy who slide down Murray Mount enjoying the slippery surface
Spectators cover up to try and keep dry on one of the courts in the vain hope that play will eventually be resumed
Sitting it out: A couple shelter from the rain in Centre Court before the retractable roof kicks into action while others huddle under an umbrella and waterproof
Andy Murray's girlfriend, Kim Sears reacts as she sits alongside his mother Judy while he takes Centre Court against Spain's Gimeno-Traver

Ball boys tied and swept water from the covers last night to stop the grass from getting wet in the hope that play can resume today
Making a dash: These spectators cover up as they leave the stadiums after heavy rain stopped play
Furious tennis lovers deprived of the chance to cheer him on from Murray Mount said they would have been happy to take their chances with the slippery conditions and accused tournament organisers of bowing to the modern culture of inflating potential risks beyond likely reality. Others showed how it was possible to slide down the hill, even head-first, without injury.
This is the first time in the tournament history the screen has been deliberately blanked out since it was installed. Countless throngs have enjoyed second-best views from this spot, which can accommodate up to 4,000. When the roof is open, you can easily hear the roar of the Centre Court crowd while watching the action on screen.
I've got it covered: Andy Murray returns a shot in his match against Spain's Daniel Gimeno-Traver of Spain on Centre Court
Among the disappointed fans was Katie O’Brien, the British hopeful who was knocked out yesterday after losing her first-round match and took her family to the hill to ‘drown my sorrows with a Pimm’s’, as she phrased it on Twitter. Shortly afterwards, the screen went blank.
Wimbledon spokesman Johnny Perkins said: ‘This is the first time we have had to shut off the big screen as this is the first time the roof has been used in these conditions. Previous to the roof, of course there would have been no play to watch on Centre anyway if it was rained off.
‘The hill has been closed because of the slippery nature of the grass while it is so wet. It is a health and safety issue. We just can’t have people slipping and sliding and falling off the thing and breaking their ankles.
‘It’s different on the courts if there is a drizzle as they can sit on seats. We could have large numbers of people slipping and sliding all over the place.’
'Even if the rain stops we won't turn the big screen back on - that's it I'm afraid. It's regrettable but wise in view of the circumstances. We always anticipated that we would have to turn off the match for those on the hill if it rained.'
Those who were lucky enough to get onto the show courts were treated to a mesmerising display from Venus Williams - in the form of a strange white playsuit.
It was so wet on Murray Mount that fans took the opportunity to enjoy the atmosphere and slide their way to the bottom of the hill, but it has now been shut over health and safety fears.
Lovely weather for ducks... and flowers: This young spectator was totally absorbed by the tennis action - while it lasted
Full of anticipation: Crowds begin to assemble on 'Murray Mound' ahead of the British number one's first round match against Daniel Gimeno-Traver yesterday afternoon

Star turn: Dakota Fanning, left, was among the visitors to SW19 on the opening day of Wimbledon, while Kirsten Dunst was enjoying the day with fashion editor Leith Clark (in the black boots)
source :dailymail

VIA Elf 'n' safety shuts Murray Mount: Fans might slip on the grass, warn officials

Emergency workers say thunderstorms are hampering efforts to find survivors as 1,500 rescuers search for missing
Family and friends of the missing post moving appeals for information on Facebook and blogs
Storm Prediction Center says more violent weather expected with further tornadoes through the middle of week
Devastation: Destroyed homes and debris cover the ground as a second storm moves in on Monday in Joplin, Missouri
Thousands of people were left without homes to go tonight after the deadliest single tornado to strike the United States in over 60 years touched down on Missouri, reducing the city of Joplin to rubble, ripping buildings apart and killing at least 116 people in a 6-mile path of destruction.
Authorities said they had rescued seven people alive on Monday, but emergency warned that the death toll could climb higher as heavy winds, strong rain and hail quarter-sized hail stones hampered the search effort.
Meteorologists issued a new tornado warning for the devastated city as forecasters warned large swathes of the country to brace for more big storms on Tuesday.
Path of destruction: No house escaped the wrath of nature in some of Minneapolis
A tornado watch was issued on Monday for Oklahoma and parts of southern Kansas due to an 'evolving tornado threat', said Russell Schneider, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Prediction Center.
'We are currently forecasting a major severe weather outbreak for Tuesday over the central United States with strong tornadoes likely over Oklahoma, Kansas, extreme northern Texas, southwest Missouri,' Mr Schneider said.
The National Weather Service said the tornado packed winds of up to 198 mph.
The weather service's director, Jack Hayes, said the storm was given a preliminary label as an EF4 - the second-highest rating given to twisters. The rating is assigned to storms based on the damage they cause.
Hayes said the storm had winds of 190 to 198 miles per hour. He said survey teams from the National Weather Service are on the scene and will make a final determination on the rating Tuesday.
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard to help out after one of the worst disasters in the state's history.
Homeless: Ted Grabenauer sleeps on his front porch the morning after a tornado ripped off the roof of his home when it hit Joplin, Missouri
Ruins: A view of the devastation after a tornado blew the roof off the St John's Regional Medical Center, rear, where about 180 patients cowered and were eventually evacuated
Desolation: A residential neighbourhood in Joplin is seen after it was levelled by the tornado
President Barack Obama called Nixon and offered his condolences to those affected, assuring the governor that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would provide whatever assistance was needed.
'Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to the families of all those who lost their lives in the tornadoes and severe weather that struck Joplin, Missouri, as well as communities across the Midwest today,' the President said in a statement sent from Air Force One as he flew to Europe.
Map: Infrared image of the powerful tornado that spun through a densely populated part of Missouri
'We commend the heroic efforts by those who have responded and who are working to help their friends and neighbours at this very difficult time.'
Caring for the injured was made more difficult because the main hospital, Saint John's Regional Medical Center, had to be evacuated after suffering a direct hit - the tornado ripped off its roof and smashed all its windows.
Cries could still be heard early Monday from survivors trapped in the wreckage.
Despair: A tree stripped of bark and leaves frames St John's Regional Medical Center
Eye of the storm: The tornado tore a 6-mile path across southwestern Missouri
Relief: Maggie Kelley and her husband, Trey Adams hug their dog, Saint, after finding him amid the rubble of her home in Joplin
Mr Nixon said he feared the death toll would rise but also expected survivors to be found in the rubble.
‘I don't think we're done counting,’ he said. ‘I still believe that because of the size of the debris and the number of people involved that there are lives to be saved.’
Crews found bodies during the night in vehicles the storm had flipped over, torn apart and left looking like crushed cans.
Triage centers and shelters set up around the city quickly filled to capacity.
At Memorial Hall, a downtown entertainment venue, nurses and other emergency workers from across the region treated critically injured patients.

Efforts: Rescue workers in lime-green jackets search for bodies and survivors inside St John's hospital
Re-united: A man carries a young girl who was rescued after being trapped with her mother in their home
Devastation: Emergency personnel walk through a neighbourhood severely damaged by a tornado near the Joplin hospital. There are are no firm details on the number of dead or injured, as the hospital is out of action
Memories: Evelyn Knoblauch looks at a picture in what is left of her daughter's house
At another makeshift unit at a Lowe's home improvement store, wooden planks served as beds.
Outside, ambulances and fire trucks waited for calls. During one stretch after midnight on Monday, emergency vehicles were scrambling nearly every two minutes.
On Monday morning, survivors picked through the rubble of what were once their homes, salvaging clothes, furniture, family photos and financial records, the air pungent with the smell of gas and smoking embers.
Others wandered through the wreckage with nowhere to go, their homes or apartments destroyed.
Kelley Fritz, 45, of Joplin, rummaged through the remains of a storage building with her husband, Jimmy.
Search: An emergency vehicle drives through a severely damaged neighbourhood in Joplin
They quickly realised they would never find the belongings they stored there, and that they had lost much of what was in their home after the tornado ripped away the roof.
Their sons, aged 20 and 17, went outside after the storm and saw that every home was destroyed.
‘My sons had deceased children in their arms when they came back,’ Mrs Fritz said. ‘My husband and I went out and saw two or three dead bodies on the ground.’

Soul destroying: Jean Logan surveys the damage to her home in Joplin after the tornado. She had taken refuge in her laundry room with her granddaughter
A total mess: Rachel Hurst picks through her belongings that were strewn about from her garage that was blown away in Minneapolis on Sunday
Mrs Fritz said she was surprised she survived. ‘You could just feel the air pull up and it was so painful. I didn't think we were going to make it, it happened so fast.’
Tornado sirens gave residents about a 20-minute warning before the tornado touched down on the city's west side.
Staff at St John's Regional Medical Center rushed patients into hallways before the storm struck the nine-storey building, blowing out hundreds of windows and leaving the facility unusable.
The hospital was among the worst-hit locations.
Emergency: Extensive damage can be seen at the St John's Regional Medical Center in Joplin, Missouri. An emergency agency spokesman says fatalities had been reported but was unsure of the exact figure
The Joplin twister was one of 68 reported tornadoes across seven Midwest states over the weekend, stretched from Oklahoma to Wisconsin, according to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center.
One person was killed in Minneapolis. But the devastation in Missouri was the worst, eerily reminiscent of the tornadoes that killed more than 300 people across the South last month.
Residents said the damage was breathtaking in scope.
‘You see pictures of World War II, the devastation and all that with the bombing. That's really what it looked like,’ said Kerry Sachetta, the principal of a flattened Joplin High School.
‘I couldn't even make out the side of the building. It was total devastation in my view. I just couldn't believe what I saw.’
Emergency management officials rushed heavy equipment to Joplin to help lift debris and clear the way for search and recovery operations.
Governor Nixon declared a state of emergency, and President Barack Obama said the Federal Emergency Management Agency was working with state and local agencies.
Raised to the ground: Blocks of homes lie in total destruction after the devastating tornado
Unbelievable: Destroyed vehicles are piled on top of one another in the parking lot of the Joplin Regional Medical Centre

Desperate: Amy Langford carries items from her house that she was in with her husband Mark when the tornado hit their home in Joplin
Jeff Lehr, a reporter for the Joplin Globe, said he was upstairs in his home when the storm hit but was able to make his way to a basement closet.
The storm tore the roof off his house, but he was safe. When he emerged, he found people wandering through the streets, covered in mud.
‘I'm talking to them, asking if they knew where their family is,’ Mr Lehr said. ‘Some of them didn't know and weren't sure where they were. All the street markers were gone.’
Justin Gibson, 30, huddled with three relatives outside the tangled debris of a Home Depot. He pointed to a black pickup that had been tossed into the store's ruins and said it belonged to his roommate's brother, who was last seen in the store with his two young daughters.
Mr Gibson, who has three children of his own, said his home was levelled and ‘everything in that neighbourhood is gone. The high school, the churches, the grocery store. I can't get hold of my ex-wife to see how my kids are.
‘I don't know the extent of this yet,’ he said, ‘but I know I'll have friends and family dead.’
In Minneapolis, where a tornado killed one person and injured 29, authorities imposed an overnight curfew in a 4-square-mile area, including some of the city's poorest neighbourhoods, to prevent looting and keep streets clear for emergency crews.
Levelled: Red Cross representatives say 75% of Joplin is gone - here, vehicles and houses in the vicinity of Twenty-fourth and Main Streets are a jumble of rubble after a the tornado swept through
Condolences: President Barack Obama talks on the phone with Missouri Governor Jay Nixon during his visit to Dublin, Ireland. The President extended his condolences to all impacted by the deadly tornadoes
Widespread devastation: Another tornado in Minneapolis damaged at least 100 homes, toppling hundreds of trees and injuring at least 29 people
Community spirit: Residents of Joplin help a woman who survived in her basement after a tornado tore a path a mile wide and four miles long destroying homes and businesses
Mayor RT Rybak said one liquor store was looted right after the tornado hit late Sunday and a few burglaries took place overnight.
He said it wasn't immediately clear how many homes were affected, simply saying: 'It's a lot.'
Though the damage covered several blocks, it appeared few houses were totally demolished. Much of the damage was to roofs, front porches that had been sheared away and fences.
The tornado left part of a garage door in a tree and many large trees were left leaning against houses.
Pat Trafton said her family escaped unharmed after a tree was left leaning against her house.
Mrs Trafton, 67, said: 'It's been a crazy day.
'They say it was a monster tornado. It all just happened so fast.'
It was the first tornado to hit the city since August 2009. 'There was no doubt right away,' the meteorologist said.
North Minneapolis resident Tiffany Pabich was taking a nap just as the tornado blew through.

Bettered streets: Debris is scattered about in Minneapolis. On Sunday night a tornado warning was issued for several areas in central states
Crushed: Vehicles were picked up and dumped across the city by the tornado which left 30 people dead and dozens injured
In the north-east Kansas, powerful storms spawned funnel clouds and hail that ripped limbs off of trees and shattered windows.
About 200 homes were damaged in and around Reading with the tornado sweeping through the small town around 9:15pm Saturday night, said Kansas Division of Emergency Management spokeswoman Sharon Watson.
A man was pronounced dead shortly after being taken to Newman Regional Hospital in Emporia, about 20 miles from where the tornado hit, hospital supervisor Deb Gould said.
Ms Gould said two other people were brought in with injuries but she had no further details.
Five people were injured in all, along with the person killed, said Ms Watson.
Reading, a town of about 250 people is 50 miles south of the Kansas capital city, Topeka.
Carnage: Rescue vehicles line up along northbound Rangeline Road in Joplin, Mo. after a fatal tornado swept through the city
Reverend Lyle Williams, who is a pastor for about 10 worshippers at the Reading First Baptist Church, said the church suffered extensive damage: 'Yeah, it's pretty bad,' he said. 'My daughter was out there and told me about it.'
'I'm not going to be able to have church today that's for sure,' he added, saying he's been a pastor at the church for 21 years.
In Jefferson County, a mobile home was destroyed with an elderly couple was trapped inside, Ms Watson told CNN. She said responders cleared the debris and rescued the couple unhurt.
Wreckage: A man stands amid the remains of a Wal-Mart store, after it was hit by the tornado, in Joplin
Power had been restored in the town by early Sunday and a shelter was being set up at a local school.
The National Weather Service confirmed that a tornado also touched down in Topeka and northeast of the city near Lake Perry, where damage was reported at a nearby campsite, Ms Watson said.
While many states have been struck by severe storms this spring, Kansas has been having one of its lightest tornado seasons in decades, according to the National Weather Service.
A taste of spring? Trees were stripped of branches and many were left resting against houses
Flattened: Reading - a town of about 250 people, 50 miles south of capital city Topeka
Twister tragedy

Joplin Missouri 2011 Tornado May 23rd 2011 Massive Monster Killer Twister Tornado EF 5 MO 2011

I WILL PRAY ~Joplin Missouri Tornado Tribute~ (5/22/11)

source:dailymail

VIA America's deadliest tornado for 64 years: Terrifying twister cuts six-mile swathe through a Missouri town, leaving up to 116 dead

Musical Zenith

VIA «Foster + Partners have reincarnated in Zenith»

Original college in London

VIA «New building for Royal College of Art»

Short shorts: The back of the playsuit was featured an on-tend cutaway, but one that is much more suited to black tie evening wear than to a sporting event
It also had a curiously baggy, and very unflattering top-half, which made her chest look saggy as she ran around the court.
But far from being something a sponsor forced the player to wear, this was an outfit from Venus' own clothing line, EleVen.
The back of the playsuit featured an on-tend cutaway, albeit one that is much more suited to black tie evening wear than to a sporting event.
In action: Venus' outfit showed off her enviable figure - and the gold hot pants she was wearing underneath
Venus did not get everything wrong though - the cotton material had a pretty leafy design woven into it which could have made a lovely sun dress.
The short cut also showed off the tennis star's enviably long legs as she took huge strides towards the net. And the strange outfit clearly did not hold the 31-year-old back, she won her sets 6-3, 6-1.
Cut above: Another view of the outfit from the rear
Yesterday, Venus' little sister, Serena, made her return to Wimbledon following a serious foot injury and blood clots in her lungs that almost ruled her out of tennis for life.
She made sure to stand out in fit form during warm ups by wearing some skin-tight pink and white tie-dye leggings.
And by the looks of the fiery stare in her eye, the US player about to give it her all during her comeback.
Serena, who is a fan of flamboyant on-court ensembles, combined her Nike leggings with a white long-sleeved T-shirt and a Nike black cap.
On-court ensemble: Serena brightened up the court during her warm ups by wearing the tie-dye leggings
She is currently ranked World No. 25 in women’s singles, but has admitted that her and her sister Venus haven’t been able to train as much for the competition as they would have liked.
Serena said: ‘We spent a lot more time together because we were both off.
‘We both haven’t played pretty much at all. It’s been good because, sometimes I hate to say it, but, when you’re down, it’s always good to see someone down with you.’
Letting her hair down: Serena of the USA was talking to the media at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club yesterday ahead of the Wimbledon Championships
Last year Serena won her fourth Wimbledon championship but afterwards suffered a serious foot injury from stepping on broken glass at a restaurant – preventing her from playing for the remainder of 2010.
In March this year she then suffered a hematoma and a pulmonary embolism but has still returned as the defending champion at Wimbledon this year.
While her sister Venus suffered from a hip muscle injury this year.
On top of Serena's medical complications, she may also have to face a showery start to Wimbledon.
Sisters in white: Serena and Venus both wore all-white tennis outfits while training over the weekend
Weather forecasters have predicted torrential rain for the first three days .
But tennis fans still braved the weather to camp outside the All England Lawn Tennis Club in south London last night.
Luckily for the players, officials are preparing to shut the £100million retractable roof on Centre Court, to prevent the rain interfering with the match.
World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, 25, of Spain will open this year’s 125th Wimbledon Championship on Centre Court.
Off-court glamour: Serena looked elegant in a green silk dress at the WTA Pre-Wimbledon Party at the Kensington Roof Gardens in London last week

source :dailymail

VIA No Venus! Another Williams sister fashion disaster as tennis player wears ghastly playsuit at Wimbledon

It doesn't matter how big your house is (even if it's the size of this one), how much it costs or even how much you are worth — the same rules for tree felling apply to everyone.

We're not just talking about the mechanics of lining up a cut and making sure it doesn't drop into your 24ft luxury swimming pool either, there is more to removing a tree than meets the eye.

The above will not make pleasant reading for a lot of property owners, who will have been looking for an excuse to fell a cumbersome tree on their land for years. Yes, they can add privacy, but they can also prevent development whether this is in relation to your garden or the house itself.

Therefore, if you are looking to rid your land of a troublesome tree, read on. The following checklist has been put together for any UK homeowner out there, but it's very likely that the same rules apply for most countries.

Rule #1 — Are you even allowed to fell the tree?

First and foremost, it’s all about legalities. You might own the most exclusive plot in town, but that doesn’t mean to say that you can do whatever you please with the tree. The UK has thousands of Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) and this means that permission has to be sought before you do anything that will drastically change the tree. The fact that this even includes pruning will tell you that most of the time, the thought of felling one is absolutely out of the question.

This is an occasion where bending the rules is pretty much unthinkable as well. It’s an offence to fell, or even do any work for that matter, on a tree protected by a TPO. Therefore, it doesn’t matter where you live, it’s generally not worth the aggravation and you’ll have to live with the tree for the foreseeable future (i.e., forever).

Rule #2 — Is it going to cause half your house to fall down?

In felling a tree, you also want to ensure that you don't fell your house. This might sound a bit over the top, but it really isn't. Additionally, we're not talking about the risks of the tree crushing your great big roof lights (although that's an obvious concern, as well).

Instead, we’re referring to the perils of subsidence. It’s an insurer’s worst nightmare and a lot of the time it’s related purely to the actions of the homeowner. Remove a tree anywhere near your home and you’ve just allowed an enormous amount of water, which the tree was previously using, to re-enter the soil and subsequently swell it. This can cause a whole host of problems and in the worst situations, it’s not been uncommon for houses to have to be rebuilt.

Rule #3 — Who will manage the whole process?

Once upon a time the only option would have been to take advantage of a professional tree felling service, as it simply wasn’t possible to source the specialist equipment on a domestic level. However, there are now numerous companies offering arborist clothing and machinery and this means that the DIY approach is entirely doable.

Whether you fancy getting your hands dirty is up to you. It will work out significantly cheaper to take this approach, although you’ll also have to factor in all of the calculations that are necessary when felling trees. On this note we should also remind readers that if you do get a calculation wrong, there’s every chance that one side of your house could be completely flattened. Therefore, make sure you read the appropriate literature before whipping out your chainsaw.

Rule #4 — What happens next?

No, this final rule isn’t like the famous part of ‘A Question of Sport’, but rather what is going to happen to the felled tree now? The answer to the above issue might have already covered it, as some companies will dispose of the tree for you.

However, if they don’t, you have a giant piece of lumbar in your back garden. Unless you need wood for your stove, it’s a nuisance to say the least. Moving it in one go is probably out of the question, while even sawing it up into tiny pieces will be too much for some. Unfortunately, it’s something else that has to be covered and this is exactly why, no matter what type of house you reside in, tree felling is never a simple topic and there is a boatload of planning required before even considering it.

VIA «Tree Felling 101 for the Lavish Property Owner»

House in Seattle, Washington, USA

This mansion was designed by Peter Cohan Architect in 2008 and built in Seattle, Washington, USA. The house located in an area with high rainfall, it's formed by two concrete walls and a sloping roof, directing rainwater to three tanks for storage and subsequent use in the home.

VIA «Smart House in Seattle, state of Washington»

Architectural Factory of Pipes

The building for company T Bailey Inc is made as factory expansion on manufacture of steel pipes. The architect of the project — Tom Kundig from studio Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects — used huge pipes as a design element.

We Make the Pipes!

Total area of office of 1,100 sq. m. For construction of office architects used directly that product which is made by the customer. Visitors will get to a building on huge pipes. In a huge vertical pipe the large fan which will condition air at the main office is placed. The conditioner will be charged by energy of the sun.

The interior corresponds to stylistics. The concrete floor, open structure, a covering minimum. The roof inclination will direct streams of rain water to a garden, for watering of trees growing there.

VIA «Huge Pipes, As an Architectural Element»

Tornado was rare 'multivortex' twister, reveals National Weather Service
Obama to visit region on Sunday as he says tornado was 'devastating and heartbreaking'

The way things used to be: This Google Street Map view shows the same place as the above picture, before the horrific tornado struck
As shell-shocked residents of tornado-hit Joplin braced themselves for another powerful storm system this evening, new aerial images emerged showing in terrifying detail the path of the twister which destroyed the Missouri city.
The shocking photos reveal for the first time the true extent of the damage caused when the mile-wide tornado that killed at least 122 people blasted much of the city off the map and slammed straight into its hospital.
Forecasters warned residents on Tuesday to prepare themselves for a looming storm system that has all the early signs of spawning more deadly tornadoes.
Devastated: Aerial photo shows 26th street, the main route through the centre of Joplin, Missouri. On the right is St Mary's elementary school
Housing: Whole residential neighbourhoods were destroyed by the powerful tornado when it went straight through the centre of the city that has has 50,000 people
Tonight the stunned residents of Joplin faced the horrifying possibility of more storms - but a tornado warning was cancelled later in the evening.
‘This is a very serious situation brewing,’ said Russell Schneider, director of the Storm Prediction Center.
About 1,500 people are still unaccounted for, it was announced Tuesday, leading to fears that the death count could rise much higher.
Tonight tornadoes touched down in Kansas and Oklahoma - including one on the outskirts of Oklahoma City, which reportedly tore a 50-mile long path through rush-hour traffic.
Blown away: The remains of this apartment block surround what was once a swimming pool. Around 2,000 homes are thought to have been destroyed
Closed for business: The Home Depot do-it-yourself store was where many dead bodies have been recovered. Many of the shop shelves are still intact though
Grocery store: The city's Walmart superstore is barely recognisable in this photo from after Sunday's tornado that killed over 100 people
Shopping mall: This line of shops was severely damaged by the storm system when it struck on Sunday evening at around 6pm
Hospital: The St John's Medical Center was at the heart of the tornado's path through the city. Hundreds of patients had to be evacuated
Fire chief Robert Daus said that 500 people had been injured by the tornado, in addition to the 1,500 people who remain unaccounted for.
But he said the high number of people still recorded as missing could be a reflection of the widespread breakdown of communication systems in the city.
Thunderstorms that are moving across southeast Kansas, central Oklahoma and north Texas this afternoon are forecast to move into the Joplin area between 10pm and 2am tonight.
Destroyed: This incredible aerial image reveals how the tornado tore off the roof of Joplin's Home Depot
Flattened: This aerial photograph shows the scale of the destruction to the Home Depot store

Flattened: Damage is seen a day after the tornado tore through Joplin killing at least 122 people in Joplin, a town of about 50,000
Decimation: Residential buildings are shown flattened in this aerial shot over Joplin
Razed to the ground: Joplin's Walmart store was completely destroyed by Sunday's devastating twister
Wasteland: The horror of Sunday's tornado is laid bare by this harrowing panoramic shot of Joplin
Horseshoe: A destroyed neighbourhood is seen in Joplin on Tuesday after a big tornado moved through much of the city

Ruins: The winding path of the devastating tornado is seen in this aerial picture of Joplin, Missouri
Savaged: The path of the powerful tornado is seen in an aerial photo over Joplin, Missouri
Destroyed: The tornado ruined thousands of houses in Joplin, Missouri
From the sky: Uprooted trees and building without roofs lie devastated in Joplin, Missouri after the tornado hit on Sunday
Flattened: Members of Missouri Task Force One search-and-rescue team work at the tornado-damaged Home Depot store in Joplin
Shock: Joplin residents are still coming to terms with the loss of their homes as rescue workers continue efforts to find survivors
Recovery: Beverly Winans, left, Debbie Spurlin and Austin Spurlin look for what they can salvage from their home after it was destroyed
Lost: Carra Reed looks at a friends home that was destroyed when the massive tornado passed through Joplin, Missouri
Missing: Rescue workers and neighbours search for victims and survivors
The President says he wants Midwesterners whose lives were disrupted by the deadly storms last weekend to know that the federal government will use all resources at its disposal to help them recover and rebuild.
Obama spoke in London, the second stop on his four-country, six-day tour of Europe.
Obama is due back in Washington Saturday night.
Little hope: Ryan Harper pauses in the shadow of a splintered tree as he searches for a missing friend after who may have been pulled away by the twister

A time for coming together: A couple drenched by the heavy rain walk arm-in-arm towards a building ravaged by the killer storm, and right, a woman whose life has been shattered overnight by the tornado breaks down in tears and has to be comforted by a friend
Frantic: Volunteers claw through the rubble in search of survivors, but grey storm clouds loom overhead threatening to disrupt the efforts
'Heartbreaking': Barack Obama, speaking in London today, vowed to visit Missouri on Sunday to console victims
President Barack Obama called Nixon after details of teh tragedy emergedand offered his condolences to those affected, assuring the governor that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would provide whatever assistance was needed.
'Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to the families of all those who lost their lives in the tornadoes and severe weather that struck Joplin, Missouri, as well as communities across the Midwest today,' the President said in a statement sent from Air Force One as he flew to Europe.
'We commend the heroic efforts by those who have responded and who are working to help their friends and neighbours at this very difficult time.'
New dawn: The sun rises over devastated Joplin on Tuesday as the search for survivors continues
Heartache: Two women fight back the tears as they hug in front of a house ripped apart by the tornado. In a symbolic show of strength, the U.S. flag flies from a tree behind them
Wiped off the landscape: Meghan Miller stands in the middle of a destroyed neighbourhood as she checks on her sister-in-law's home, which only days before had stood in the same spot
source: dailymail

VIA Shocking before and after images reveal how giant tornado ripped apart Joplin's city landmarks

The Shadow Concrete

As it is simple and as it is healthy! So it would be desirable to exclaim, looking at the simple object created by Portuguese architectural bureau Ateliermob. Under an amusing canopy the cafe disappears.

Shadow Surface consists of the concrete roof placed on three walls, creating a courtyard filled with sunlight spots, or even the whole hares getting through drawing from round apertures. Through the same apertures rain water inside gets, creating an original show. The one-storeyed cafe is between this canopy and a children's playground on which there are high windows.

The Project Purpose: to unite apartment houses

On the lift or on steps from under a canopy it is possible to go down in an underground parking.

VIA «The Concrete Romanticism in Lisbon»

Entrust repair to professionals!

VIA «Home builder in Sydney»

Car factory in Paris

AREP builds on city's historic legacy with redevelopment of former car factory in Paris. AREP has redeveloped the former Panhard car factory in Porte d'Ivry, Paris, applying exciting design choices to work with the city's existing heritage.

The Panhard and Levassor workshops were partially demolished in 1967 to create the Olympiades district. They are the last remnants of a thriving industrial past, after the demolition of all the automobile plants in Paris: the Renault facilities on Ile Séguin, Citroën in Javel and part of the Panhard factory at Porte d'Ivry.

Between 2007 and 2013, AREP extended and entirely refurbished the building to create 21,000 sq m of office space as well as public facilities (a nursery and the premises of a non-profit organisation running a day centre for the homeless). The firm worked with architects Jean-Marie Duthilleul and Etienne Tricaud and with Benoît Ferré and Serge Caillaud (Phase 1 and Building Work Management).

In an environment dominated by the verticality of high-rise residential blocks, the project keeps the former factory alive, sustains its horizontality and unique architectural style and relies on the ornamental features of the existing façades: materials, dominant chromatic palette and contour line.

The brick façade provides a mineral base extending the current façades while the openings are in line with the rhythm of the original building. Each, partially or entirely, new façade forms a coherent whole with the reinforced mineral angles providing the framework for a more open sequence in the centre.

Two large industrial-style statuesque boxes loom above the roof-top mouldings, clad in a double semi-transparent layer of glass and perforated coppery metal and echoing the tiles on the saw tooth roofs. These are intended as a metaphor of the former industrial features.

The adjacent cut of the Petite Ceinture (an abandoned railway line) was decked over to create a garden. Planted with ground covering plants, shrubs and trees, the garden slopes down from Rue Regnault to the new garden level, reflecting the characteristic bucolic image of the embankments of the Petite Ceinture, where vegetation takes over any available space.

The new extension houses a nursery in its north-east corner and a day centre for the homeless in its north-west corner, both situated on the garden and ground-floor levels.

The work spaces inside the building are designed to facilitate contact, interaction, formal and informal relations. This result is achieved through clearly designed spaces (atrium and vertical access flows), quality of the working environment (natural light, acoustics and ergonomics) and green spaces.

VIA «Redevelopment of the Car Factory In Porte d'Ivry [France, Paris]»

The interventions mainly concerned the plaster and the Basilica's columns, which were starting to show cracks.

Walls and columns have been restored to their old form adding material in nearly invisible ways, as in the case of the access steps to the building which were restored using mortar lime.

The Basilica is one of the highlights of any visit to the popular archaeological site.

Built in the second half of the second century BC, it was used for the administration of justice as well as for trade negotiations.

The magnificent building has a rectangular plan with three aisles, a pitched roof supported by central columns and half columns from the top of the walls, where original decorations are still visible.

In the back of the Basilica is the court, which can be reached by wooden stairs.

Visitors will have access to the Basilica only through the side entrance of the building.

Source: AGI [July 29, 2015]

Time is now growing worldwide popularity of so-called a rain chains, which are much more beautiful option for accumulation rainwater than conventional gutters. Among the many original ideas for the house, they are quite ancient, their motherland is Japan.

Usual Chain, but Unusual Look

The rain chains are spread all over the world, presenting an opportunity for all people to use the unusual design of the usual things. Such chains rain — offer many opportunities for developing imagination and realization of creative ideas. It can be like a normal chain of traditional weaving, mounted directly below a roof of house.

Also, the accumulated rainwater can be used for watering house plants. Functional and beautiful rain chains will be real gem of country house and garden plot. They will help make the exterior of house as something incredible.

Simple mounting makes easy fixing to any system for effective rainwater accumulation. And sending the water directly into beautiful bowls, vessels, bright colorful barrels for water will be directly to the target.

The rain chain may consist of a variety elements in the form of funnels, bells, fish, tea cups and saucers, teapots, umbrellas, flowers, flowery different weaves, etc. Just look what a beauty!

VIA Simple Chains Magic

Burnham Pavilions by Ben van Berkel & Zaha Hadid

VIA «Burnham Pavilions in Millennium Park»

Rain chain — made in Japan

VIA «Rain chains instead of drains»

Hirshhorn Museum (Washington)

Hirshhorn Museum soon will cardinally change appearance, and without especial and cardinal changes. The New York architects from bureau Diller Scofidio + Renfro will add an existing complex with two easy structures in the form of blue spheres which will allow a museum to open additional spaces during a season. The sphere on a roof precisely reminds eggs on a museum of El Salvador of the Distance.

The Unusual Museum in Washington

In one of spheres the audience on 1,000 visual places will take places. Through transparent walls of a sphere spectators can enjoy not only a show, but also possibility to peep for the visitors of a museum walking on galleries. In the friend, a smaller sphere on the size there will be a cafe.

Estimated cost of realization of 5 million dollars, now the project is in a stage of study of the concept. Under plans, pavilions will open in 2011 year. However, if statements Fine Arts Commission) be required and National Capital Planning Commission, realization will be postponed for couple of years.

VIA «Temporary Pavilion For the Hirshhorn Museum»

The Association for the Protection of Syrian Archaeology said the museum "suffered serious damage caused by two explosive-packed barrels dropped Monday by Syrian army helicopters."

The non-governmental organization published pictures of the museum, located in an ancient Ottoman caravanserai, showing entire walls once covered with mosaics collapsed into rubble.

It said that several mosaic panels had been damaged in the eastern portico of the museum, including at least two that were knocked off their display by the force of the blast.

Other pieces were damaged by shrapnel and the pictures published by APSA on its website showed large holes gouged into an oval mosaic with a zig-zag pattern.

The museum building and surrounding complex, including a historic mosque, were also badly damaged, according to the APSA, with pictures showing several pillars destroyed and sections of roof that had caved in.

Reached by phone in Damascus Saturday, the head of Syria's antiquities, Maamoun Abdulkarim, acknowledged the damage at the museum, but declined to say who was responsible.

This is "a new tragedy for Syrian heritage," said Abdulkarim and called for the country's museums to be "neutral zones" in the war.

"No one, from any side, should harm that which forms our country's history," he said.

The United Nations last year warned that nearly 300 sites of incalculable value for Syria and human history have been destroyed, damaged or looted in the country's conflict.

The warning, based on satellite imagery, followed repeated statements of concern from archaeologists and other experts about the damage being done to Syria's historic sites and the rise in looting of antiquities.

More than 230,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government demonstrations before spiraling into a war after a regime crackdown.

Source: AFP [June 20, 2015]

In a unification — force!

“Symbolising idea of accessible knowledge, a building openly city”, — is spoken Thom Mayne, by the author of the concept.
“The visual transparency of public zones connects institute to a physical, social and cultural component of a city”.

VIA «Interior on service at knowledge»

VIA Michael Jackson Happy 2008 top