Venice Biennale: photo

Before entering the exhibition hall of the Russian pavilion at the XI architectural Biennale in Venice written that the new Russia, which builds, the choice is between Western and Russian architects. The organizers of the exposition presented this choice in the form of chess parties - the two teams compete with each other for ensuring that work on the Russian market. A small "ceiling" Hall pavilion, built early last century on the draft Alexei Schuseva famous, turned into a chess board with white and red fields, which were separated models of buildings.
One of the curators of the exhibition Grigory Revzin said he has not understood that it will turn out from this idea, but what happened, he really likes. "I think that we have been able to show the audience that in our country has modern architecture, was able to show the image of a strong country," - said Mr. Revzin, showing the layout of the tower at the "Russia" architect Norman Foster, which appeared in the overall composition, of course , Queen. Revzin added that "such a dominant architecture in the city - is a strong move and the progress made this, of course, not so much an architect, but the developer", hinting at Mirax Group, which was among the nine major construction companies, sponsored the Russian exposition in Venice.
Russia at first showed no binnale "paper" is not conceptual projects, and real buildings, which are already built or will be built shortly. Because developers to show their desire to achieve no-cloth with the current Biennale titled "Out there. Architecture beyond building" (Not there. Architecture outside the building), curators decided to complement the exhibition of works remarkable demonstration of landscape painter Polisskogo Nicholas, who with the help of residents of the village of Kaluga Nikola - Lenivets, builds a semblance of architectural monuments from natural materials. Polissky came to Venice itself, and brought with him eight craftsmen who built the pavilion in the lower hall of wooden poles from the forest, they have done a makeshift arbor and arch at the entrance to the pavilion. If zhivenko, but looked in conjunction with the architecture schusevskogo "castle"
Prior to the opening of a small hall pavilion was beaten by people so tightly that it was hard to stay there. In the field of chess and red polatyami in two rows along the walls remained narrow passage where visitors closely.
Architects willingly posed in front of their works. Dutchman Erik van Egeraat, whose architectural design the buildings of the central district of Kazan and the National Library won at last year's contest, with its new hair and trousers with a stripe was like a pop star-80.
With American Thomas Lizerom designed museum mammoth and permafrost in Yakutsk, we'll find some common theme - the capital of the republic of Sakha and its residents. Someone said that the museum - the first "real", not on paper work Lizera.
Approximately one hour after the inauguration of the exhibition, which was made by Culture Minister Alexander Avdeyev, the ceiling just repaired for a lot of money building failed and the top water polo, rather fun gathering. Everything that is happening, coupled with red polatyami along the walls, heat and heated bodies of people from architectural party was to remind bath. In a corner, which is filled, put two plastic buckets, which, incidentally, helped little. What, incidentally, does not exhibit for the exhibition of contemporary art?
Outside, it was all too easy: wishing to enter and exit in the lower pavilion, which was exhibited Polisskogo exposition, it was necessary to go through the chain rasstavlennym chairs - deep pudWere among visitors and those who spared no his shoes, preferring to go barefoot in the pavilion.dle at the entrance had not done it differently.
The Japanese have made absolutely shocking - at the white walls of the pavilion for two days grifelnym simple pencil were drawn architectural drawings, consisting of the smallest natural elements - flowers, leaves, grass.
The Polish architects showed interesting project "The Afterlife of Buildings" - the "other" life of buildings through fifty years.

Time on the part Biennale, which was shown in the Arsenale - old military warehouses, remade under the exhibition halls, almost was not. To carefully examine all exhibited there, you need a week at least. Therefore, further - in a format slide show, to just an idea about the exhibition:

Liza Panina, Moscow
Photo by Rustem Adagamov
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Save money or not?

The winter comes each year and so does the cold. Luckily, the technology advanced so far that today, the houses are provided with heat and the owners get to stay warm even if it’s -12° outside.
Russians, however, always found a method to stay warm even without heat. In America though, they prefer to stay warm the old fashioned way: paying for the heat.
Because many Russians have good jobs, like owning their own businesses, they can afford keeping the houses around 70° during the winter and paying around $100 per months for the heat depending on the size of the home.
The trick to get some fresh air into the house and avoid stuffiness, however, is opening one of the windows.
“I usually close the vent in my bedroom, open a window for the night, and sleep like a baby,” said Alex Teltevskiy.
This way of avoiding stuffiness is very popular among Russians, but some of them rarely remember to turn off the heat and the price they pay is concerning.
“I guess because we have such a big house and we open some of the windows to et fresh air, our usual heat payment is around $1200,” said an anonymous source.
Therefore, to have a warm house during the winter can either be inviting or it can almost cause bankruptcy if the owner is not able to support that kind of living.
So this holiday season, don’t forget to pay those heating bills and spend time with your loved ones while not working on those sad days.
Inga Drani,
Buffalo Grove,IL

Happy New Year?

Dear readers,

First I just want to wish all of you great winter holidays and may all of your wishes come true! So, I'm Inga Drani, an aspiring young journalist with a mysterious background. I hope this little introduction can help you understand my stories, so here we go. Antoine de Saint-Exupery once said "A goal without a plan is just a wish." This quote has been my motivation for all of my life, no matter where and how I lived. Back in Scotland, as a kid, I once wished I would achieve something beyond my wildest dreams, and I guess I'm working towards it, slowly, but patiently. My life has been full of excitement lately, but now I'm just taking sometime to relax and spend time with my favorite cat Lorei and his girlfriend Rochelle. I hope you will enjoy my little story and will keep reading my work!
Love always,
Inga Drani,
Buffalo Grove, IL


The holiday season isn’t only filled with cheer, but house owner’s crazy over decorating their houses just in time for the jolly old man.
“We usually start decorating the weekend after Thanksgiving because we are all free and it’s a chance for us to spend some time together,” said Marsha Karey, a local housewife.
However, this traditional decorating is only a happy memory in some lives.
“I felt really close to my parents. This whole season was way better when we got to do everything together because the winter holidays are all about celebrating family,” said Ethan Klegerman, a 15 year old whose family stopped decorating 2 years ago because of family issues.
Christmas is that special time of the year when families bond over some string popcorn, eggnog, and the excitement. The decoration of the house, however, is not only quality time for everyone but that special piece of spirit even the neighbors can see.
“Since our street doesn’t have street lights, our house was so bright with all of the decorations, it was like a star!” said Klegerman.
Unfortunately, the holiday cheer doesn’t spread onto every house and some families never get to feel that special bond that can only appear over quality time.
“We don’t really get along so when my mom tries to make us ‘bond together’ over decorations and stuff like that, it’s just really awkward for all of us,” said 16 year old Bailey Davis.
There are also some families that just don’t have the time to decorate, and this is when house-decorating companies like GP Resources and Window Washing Services come in. These local businesses mostly focus on washing windows, cleaning gutters, and pressure washing for the decks, driveways, etc; but they always find the time to help the house owners with their annual decorating of the trees, roofs, and other unreachable areas of their property.
“We don’t really decorate houses on regular basis, but it’s a good way to earn money during the holidays,” said Tadas Mernarusis, the owner of GP Resources.
However, these Russian businesses barely ever get any Russian customers for the decoration service, but not many wonder about the reason.
“Russians never really use our services because they are pretty much used to doing everything themselves since childhood,” said Mernarusis.
The many immigrants in U.S. are amazed at this tradition.
“I think it’s just happiness finding a way out of our heads! Every time I pass a house with lights or decorations on it, I feel the magic of the true Christmas cheer and spirit,” said Olga Gudymiyne, an employee of the Window Washing Services.

10 Stages of Construction

A couple in Plainfield, IL, ask:

Our contractor has completed excavation and formed the foundation walls, and we are worried that the size of the basement is smaller than what we planned. Is it necessary to hire an inspecting architect to check these things during construction? If the dimensions are not right and it's not caught early, we may have no remedy or recourse later?

I have NEVER seen a building built PRECISELY to the drawing's measurements, as it's common for foundations and wall locations to be off by fractions, or even full inches without too detrimental a result. Because of variations in concrete forms and sizes of lumber, buildings are not built to as precise tolerances as automobiles or appliances, where even the tiniest of fractional errors could result in failure.

Many architects circle or otherwise highlight “critical dimensions” that must be kept, such as a bathtub recess or cabinet niche. And most people trust their contractor to keep in general conformance with the prints. Some retain their architect to continue to perform field inspections during construction. And occasionally a bank will require an inspecting architect to insure that the collateral they are lending on is what they approved in the original plans.

On rare occasions, I have seen buildings built substantially different from what the plans called for, leading to litigation or termination of the construction contract. But for the most part, with the ability of the contractors to follow plans and the local building department performing periodic inspections, it's pretty hard for a building size to stray far.

To help avoid needless panic during construction, here's a helpful “heads up” on the 10 cycles people experience:

1. Excavation. The hole is dug, and the building seems huge based upon the ground cuts, which are about 50% larger than the actual foundation. The client can't believe their good fortune.

2. Foundation. The walls are formed and poured, and the building seems to have magically shrunk. An optical illusion, probably based upon the difference between the over sized hole compared to the “shrunken” wall perimeter. The client demands that the walls be measured, because "it just can't be that small.”

3. Backfill. As the overdig is filled in, the site appears cleaned up a bit, and the apparent building size seems to have grown back to normal. The client breathes a sigh of relief.

4. Framing. The shell goes up, and the building seems HUGE and exciting. The client notices things they hadn't understood before; "Oh, THAT'S how that looks!" Mostly a positive period, with a few concerns and disappointments to work through.

5. Sheathing. As the outer walls and roof are covered, the building shrinks again. An optical deception because one cannot “see through the walls" anymore. The clients are in tears because the rooms are way too small. Flashlights can be seen at night as they attempt to measure the house with a 6' cloth tape measure they stole from their cleaners.

6. Mechanicals. As the walls fill up with piping, everyone gets accustomed to the layout. There's no more panic about small rooms, as the plan seems to have stabilized.

7. Drywall. As it goes up, panic reoccurs, because the now normal-feeling, “see-through” rooms just got closed in again. To compound the illusion, the color is a dreary grey, with random splotches of taping compound. The Builder hears from the client's divorce attorney, demanding an independent room size audit.

8. Painting. The rooms open up again, as the grey splotchy drywall is coated with soothing uniformity. The clients have sex again after 3 months of anxiety.

9. Trim & Finishes. With attention now drawn away from the room sizes, there's new focus on the details. Outlets that don't work, rooms that aren't properly lit, missing cabinet hardware, unfinished trim, all has to be "detailed out” as the finish line is in sight.

10. “Uncle Maury” stage. With the building completed and occupied, the Client can now drive up with their Uncle Maury and proudly boast, "See, Uncle Maury, I OWN and BUILT this!"

Kerry Levin is the award-winning Principal of Levin Associates Architects, a full service design-build firm with offices in Illinois and Wisconsin. He has specialized in residential and commercial construction, brokerage and development for over30 years, and can be reached at 847-297-1121, ext. 100, or emailed at Klevin@Levin4in1.com with questions or comments.

Ask the architect

Lifecycle Design

A couple in Lindenhurst, IL, ask:

We are beginning to plan our new home on vacant land we recently purchased. After reviewing hundreds of house plans, it seems the layouts we like are all too large for our budget. We have no idea how energy efficient they are, and don't want to get in over our head with monthly costs. Is there some sort of rating system for homes, like the EPA “Miles per gallon” ratings on new cars?

While I don't know of any energy rating system for homes, many building departments are now requiring an energy audit be completed by the architect prior to the issuance of permits, to be sure that the home meets minimum conservation standards. All materials that make up the building envelope have “R” values; a measure of the it's ability to contain (or keep out) heat, so it is possible to determine a home's heat retaining ability. And most appliances come with power usage information that gives you at least some comparison prior to purchasing.

Your question raises a good point about the “Lifecycle Costs” associated with buildings. When designing a house, most builders and homeowners focus on the immediate task at hand; satisfying the requirements of budget, curb appeal, interior flow, room sizes and proximities. But well-designed homes have to deliver much more: they need to provide efficiency and value on a long term basis. The home is often the single largest investment people make, so architects and contractors, whether they admit it or not, have become “asset managers,” similar to stock brokers, investment counselors, and accountants. They need to maximize the Lifecycle Design of the buildings they create.

Condominium Associations and Commercial Building Managers are well aware of the ongoing costs of maintenance, because they have to prepare and/or update an engineering study to as to budget for the appropriate amount of monthly assessments or cash reserves they need to have money in the bank when building systems age and fail. But individual homeowners don't have that knowledge readily available while they plan their home, leading to building's that become needlessly inefficient.
Lowering the ongoing cost of a building can occur by paying attention to these three categories:

1. Spatial Efficiency

With a house with a poor layout, it's tough to catch up on cost savings later. If it's larger than it need to be, with longer than necessary corridors. If there are odd room shapes that can't be properly furnished or utilized. If there are single-sided utility rooms that don't maximize the storage potential of the area. If the doors or windows are in the wrong location of a room so to prohibit efficient furnishing. All these lead to a wasteful plan that not only costs more initially, but costs more annually too.
There are some well-designed 2,000 square foot homes that have as much usable living space as a poorly designed 3,000 square foot one. Homes that carry extra space are more costly to heat and cool, to furnish, to maintain, and to insure. Other than being able to boast about the homes size to friends or potential buyer's, there is not much value in waste footage that a homeowner can derive.
When a building's overall shape is long and thin, more materials have to be used to enclose the same amount of usable space of a building that is more cube-like. A perfect sphere, in theory, contains the least amount of “skin” surface relative to the most interior area. Nature knows this, and that's why bubbles aren't square! This led futurist Buckminister Fuller's creation of the Geodesic Dome, the premise of which was to minimize exterior materials while maximizing interior space. While a sphere presents other building difficulties, it pays to keep a building's shape as close as possible to this pure geometric form.

A poor plan that wastes 500 square feet can cost $50,000 to $100,000 too much in today's dollars. That translates to $400 to $800 per month being paid for virtually no benefit, not to mention the loss of the initial expenditure when it comes to resale.

Energy Efficiency

It pays to design a home that naturally heats and cools as much as possible, rather than relying on mechanical systems for all the comfort. 40 years ago, the cost of “Active” alternative energy systems such as solar collectors or wind generators tended to be more costly than the savings they yielded. Although the costs are coming down and are now becoming more economically practical, “Passive” energy design, the kind that relies on the creativity of the designer rather than costly mechanical solutions, always pays.

Insulate walls and roofs to the optimum recommended for the area. Pay more attention to the ceiling, as 60% of the building's heat loss occurs through the roof. Seal all shim spaces, foundation sills, and other cracks that can steal energy. Don't forget to ventilate trapped air spaces where necessary, to prevent moisture accumulation in ceilings and walls that can diminish the effectiveness of the insulation.

Maximize south and southeast exposures for passive heat gain in the winter. Protect those south (and west) openings with overhangs, awnings, or brise-soleils to keep the sun's heat out in the summer. Minimize north and west facing windows to keep in heat and keep out the dominant northwesterly winter winds. Where possible, place garages and utilities on the northwest side of the building. Flow ventilation through the house, not only with opposing windows that encourage breezes, but with vertical airflow that allows heated air to rise and exit, while cooler air is drawn in from low openings. Retain or plant deciduous trees on the south to let the sun through in winter, but keep it out in the summer. And the more trees the better; each one can have an acre of leaf surface that vents moisture and can keep the air around the house 10 degrees cooler in the summer.

The closer a building's shape is to a sphere or cube, the more energy efficient the mass is. Cost efficient buildings are shaped the opposite of a car radiator; the fin-coils of a radiator are designed to MAXIMIZE the surface area of the metal so to cool the liquid inside, while a tight building tries to MINIMIZE the surface area while enclosing the most amount of interior space.

A well designed, energy efficient home can cost little or nothing more to build, but can save hundreds (even thousands for very large homes) of dollars a month.

Material Selection

The majority of the cost of construction of a building is labor, not materials. On average, about 2/3 of a building's costs is labor, with the other 1/3 materials. That means it often pays to increase the quality and durability of a material, often without any change in the installation price. Think about each material choice, not only for the initial dollar you are spending, but the annual amount needed to maintain, repair, and replace things.

Wood windows can look rich and warm, but require constant restaining and repainting, not to mention the inevitable warping. Consider vinyl's and clad assemblies that cost far less initially and are far lower in maintenance. Masonry and composite sidings require little or no upkeep, compared to real wood or synthetic stuccoes. Aluminum fascias and soffits cost far less to maintain than wood.

A standard lightweight shingle can last about 15 years. Heavyweight shingles, while costing more initially, can look richer and come with 25, 30, even 50 year warranties. For about 1-1/2 to 2 times the initial cost, the roof can last 3 times as long and require far less maintenance; a cost savings in the long run. Vinyl wall coverings cost more than basic painting, but can last 30 years or longer without replacement or upkeep; a fact well known to commercial designers. And “You get what you pay for” when it comes to hot water heaters, furnaces, appliances, garage door openers, and other items that can either fail after a few years, or last 30.

Remember, every design decision you make initially can either save money for, or cost the future occupants dearly over the life of the house.

This professional opinion is from Kerry Levin, the award-winning Principal of Levin Associates Architects, a full service design-build firm with offices in Illinois and Wisconsin. He has specialized in residential and commercial construction, as well as brokerage and development, for over 25 years, and can be reached at 847-297-1121, ext. 100, or emailed at Klevin@Levin4in1.com with questions or comments.

Green/Sustainable Architecture

Musings from CML Architects & Builders, LTD.

By Charles Lee

Before I begin, I’d be the first person to acknowledge that I don’t know much about Green Architecture; however, I am hopeful that I would sooner than later gather up enough knowledge on this matter to become a responsible and accountable global citizen.

What does it mean to build Green?

What is Green/Sustainable Architecture?

From November 7^th through 9^th, Chicago is hosting GREEN · BUILD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE AND EXPO at McCormick Place. I am hoping that attending this event will give me some insights as to what Green/Sustainable Architecture means.

The Industrial Revolution gave us the mechanical muscles to push us forward into the modern era of amazing technological advancement. However, it has also polluted our planet earth with an unprecedented scale and speed in the history of the earth. After working those industrial muscles since the 18^th century to mass produce and push goods for consumption, we’ve come to the realization that those muscles of production are slowly suffocating us and our planet earth and that if we don’t start doing something about it soon, we will all have to suffer dire consequences, and that our future generations are going to have to pay for our inaction in preventing the future eco-disasters.

The Industrial Revolution has proven to be not sustainable because of its very polluting nature for it depends heavily on fossil fuel as its primary energy source. We’ve come to the realization that we have to sooner or later abandon our old ways of doing business as usual and find some new ways that are eco-friendly and possibly self-renewable. Anything that is not sustainable will eventually wither out and come to its end. There have been many pioneering experiments about Going Green. I believe that Going Green, for it to be truly effective, has to turn itself into a kind of popular cultural movement based on the belief that this is something that we all must do for our sons and daughters and for our grandchildren and their children. People should want it, desire it and demand it. Where there a great demand, it is my feeling that Going Green has a better chance of attracting the attention of the profit-motivated market to adjust itself to take advantage of the demand.

What does it mean to be Green or Sustainable? When I hear or see the words Green or Sustainable, I think of Nature or Planet Earth in its natural state without much of our interference in its affairs. Throughout most of our human history, it has been our own comforts and conveniences that drove much of our profit-motivated industries and markets.

In today’s world, almost anything and everything that a modern man does will contributes to polluting the earth; to be absolute sure that he doesn’t pollute, he might as well do nothing. Of course this would be an impossibility. So what is the next best thing that we can do or don’t do? I leave this question for dear readers to decide for themselves.

Musings from CML Architects & Builders, LTD.

In Memory of One of My Old Bosses Who Just Passed Away.

By Charles Lee

It was Sunday, I was on McCormick Blvd. going north when my cell phone rang. It was a client for whom I had finished a new kitchen with a family room addition not too long ago. No sooner had I answered the call when he said, “Charles, did you hear what happened to Ken, your old boss?”

“No. What happened?” said I.

“He was found dead by somebody early in the morning last Tuesday in his office, probably a heart attack or something.” said Doug.

“No! I do not believe that! He is only about fifty years old! Thats still young!”

“I hear the funeral is today.”

“Do you know what time?”

“No, but here, hold on, Jim might know (another client of mine who lives right next door to Doug).”

“Hi, Charles. Jim here. Susan says the funeral is 12:30 this afternoon at St. Patrick’s,” said Jim. I looked at my watch. It was 11: 25. I called my client and canceled my appointment. I turned my car around and went home and changed my clothes to attend the funeral and got back on the road hoping to make it to the funeral not too late. By the time I got there, the funeral was almost over. I stayed around to get a chance to give my condolences to Ken’s wife and his only child, William, who looked about twelve years old now.

Ken was one of those few people I had worked for who had entrusted me with some heavy responsibilities. He was an architect and a general contractor, and time to time we would have our differences on certain matters. However, we always respected the other’s opinions and did not hold any grudges against each other.

Initially, there were just two of us in the office to do everything. We were our own architects, general contractors, project managers, engineers, and secretaries. What I’d learned during those first few years in his office, I’d learned more than all during the previous 10 years in other bigger offices combined. I had learnedand learned fastbecause, firstly, the opportunities to learn had been given to me, and, secondly, I had taken them and taken them eagerly. Also there were a lot of hands-on experiences as to dealing with the project from the initial client contact to the final walk through the project with the client. The projects might have been smaller than the ones I had worked on before but all the job phases that you would encounter in big jobs were there though smaller in scale. I was in charge of making a lot of critical decisions throughout most of the projects.

I know that not all offices could afford to take chances with their employees like Ken had with me. But I hope that more and more offices would be able to sincerely try to create the office environment of more positive reinforcement where employees would get more chances to learn and grow and do their jobs more efficiently, accurately, competently and with more self-confidence in performing their work.

Thanks Ken.
May you rest in peace.

Musings from CML Architects & Builders, LTD.

By Charles Lee
Evanstone, IL

In many home remodeling shows on TV, it is not often that we get to see an architect being portrayed as actively involved throughout all phases of a remodeling project. When you watch these shows, more often than not, you get the feeling that the work is being done as if there were no involvement of an architect at all from the beginning, when, in fact, for majority of these remodeling projects, an architect would have been required to design, to draw, to stamp the drawings in order to obtain the necessary building permits from the local authority.

Another important aspect of a remodeling project that is often absent on these shows are the inspections by the local building department. Many of these shows hardly mention anything about this aspect of a remodeling project. There are usually several inspections required for each trade during construction at different phases of a remodeling project.

For example, an inspector’s approval will be required before concrete can be poured for footings. And before concrete foundations can be poured on top of these footings, there will be another inspection to see whether the steel reinforcing bars have been properly laid out and tied correctly according to the architect*s specifications. If you are pouring a concrete slab floor in your basement, you will need an inspector’s go-ahead for that, too. Once the concrete is cured for the recommended number of days, then you can start the rough framing over the foundation walls. When the rough framing is done*before rough plumbing-and-electrical work can take place in the framed walls*an inspection for the rough framing needs to be done and approved. When the rough plumbing-and-electrical work is done,
yet more inspections will be performed on these works before you can cover up the walls with gypsum boards.
Another item on the list for inspection before the drywalls can go up is the insulation for exterior walls and roofs. The last inspection*so called the final inspection*is done after the job has been completed. Upon passing the final inspection, the certificate for occupancy is issued by the local authority. This certificate for occupancy allows the newly built space to be occupied for its intended use.

The rationale behind these inspections is to make sure that the work is done according to the local zoning ordinances and building codes. These regulations are enforced with public safety and health in mind. Another rationale behind these regulations is the idea of communal coexistence*whatever you do on your property should not adversely affect your neighbors’ properties.

I think it is not a bad practice to consult with the local inspectors before you start your project*and during construction, if deemed necessary, to avoid costly mistakes.