The project, designed by SmithGroup, involved conversion of the Maricopa County George Campbell Library into a mixed-use academic building. The facility spans 69,600 square feet and houses the math department, 23 classrooms, testing areas, offices dedicated to faculties, and support space. There is an atrium covering two floors. The building will also accommodate the Centre for Teaching and Learning and Continuing Education programmes.
The original atrium has been equipped with a mezzanine floor leading to the creation of a general study area while the North Porch incorporates the Q Cafe. The remodelled facility further features the Arizona Agribusiness and Equine Centre Charter School which encompasses 10,700 square feet with a capacity of 200.
The project involved relocating the charter school from the northwest portion of the facility to the southwest and shifting the main entrance of the building to the north side. This has made room for a north-south pedestrian axis which connects the building to the present campus. The original four-quadrant shape of the library was transformed to a square form following the facelift.
The exterior portion of the building has been wrapped up in pre-finished interlocking metal panel skin which creates interesting interplays with light and shadow. The entryways and walkways have been screened by custom perforated panels while corrugated panels have been fitted above slot windows.
Use of contemporary metal forms like furnishings and lighting donning a geometric design, patterned fabrics and carpet tiles, angles and cants showcase abstract mathematical features. There is a customised origami wall consisting of perforated metal panels in yellow tones. The signature origami element adorns the interior walls and ceiling and serves as a guidance.
The building has installed various advanced applications such as phone and data lines, audio-visual facilities, fire alarm and security systems. It has also been equipped with several solar tubes to maximise natural light penetration and has incorporated a new energy management system equipment substituting the outdated one. The facility is linked to an advanced campus central plant.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Prospective buyers have an eye for The M at Englewood South
The Pinnacle Companies, a developer of luxury homes throughout the New York Metro Area, recently announced that it is experiencing an extremely high level of buyer interest at The M at Englewood South, a new community of elegant condominiums in the heart of Bergen County. Since unveiling the exclusive enclave in August, Pinnacle has found The M at Englewood to be highly sought-after by a diverse group of buyers, ranging young professionals to empty nesters.
The M, which presents sophisticated urban living on Route 4 - close to the George Washington Bridge and within 12 miles of Midtown Manhattan - offers 125 one-, two- and two-bedroom plus den residences priced from $274,990.
"Pinnacle's quality and high style are impressive, but it's the price and value for the location that has truly cemented the interest at the M," said Mary Boorman, senior vice president of The Pinnacle Companies. "Nowhere else in Bergen County will buyers receive such an exceptional opportunity."
To help younger buyers accumulate the necessary down payment to purchase at The M, Pinnacle recently introduced a lease-to-purchase program. The program allows renters to place a portion of their monthly payment into as escrow account to eventually be applied toward the sales price.
The M's architectural style is sleek and urban, featuring modern kitchens with maple cabinetry, under-counter lighting, granite countertops, GE Profile stainless steel appliances, and many of the two-bedroom models have center islands. Laundry areas are spacious and include GE side-by-side washers and dryers. The spacious layouts have nine-foot ceilings (10 feet on the first floor), offer entire walls of windows and many of the homes have views of either the golf course or the central courtyards.
Additional features include elegant en-suite master bathrooms with granite countertops and double-sink vanities, oak hardwood flooring in the living area, ceramic tile flooring in the entry hall and kitchen, and plush carpeting in the bedrooms. A powder room is included in almost all of the homes. One garage space is included in the price and shuttle service to NJ Transit bus stop is also provided.
The M, which presents sophisticated urban living on Route 4 - close to the George Washington Bridge and within 12 miles of Midtown Manhattan - offers 125 one-, two- and two-bedroom plus den residences priced from $274,990.
"Pinnacle's quality and high style are impressive, but it's the price and value for the location that has truly cemented the interest at the M," said Mary Boorman, senior vice president of The Pinnacle Companies. "Nowhere else in Bergen County will buyers receive such an exceptional opportunity."
To help younger buyers accumulate the necessary down payment to purchase at The M, Pinnacle recently introduced a lease-to-purchase program. The program allows renters to place a portion of their monthly payment into as escrow account to eventually be applied toward the sales price.
The M's architectural style is sleek and urban, featuring modern kitchens with maple cabinetry, under-counter lighting, granite countertops, GE Profile stainless steel appliances, and many of the two-bedroom models have center islands. Laundry areas are spacious and include GE side-by-side washers and dryers. The spacious layouts have nine-foot ceilings (10 feet on the first floor), offer entire walls of windows and many of the homes have views of either the golf course or the central courtyards.
Additional features include elegant en-suite master bathrooms with granite countertops and double-sink vanities, oak hardwood flooring in the living area, ceramic tile flooring in the entry hall and kitchen, and plush carpeting in the bedrooms. A powder room is included in almost all of the homes. One garage space is included in the price and shuttle service to NJ Transit bus stop is also provided.
Sol Republic Amps Review
We have already reviewed SOL Republic’s over-ear Tracks headphones and were quite taken with them. Now we’re putting their in-ear Amps earbuds to the test. SOL, or Soundtrack of Life, Republic have an HD version of both their Tracks and Amps headphones, we are reviewing the regular Amps.
The Amps are in-ear headphones that feature Sol Republic’s ‘i4 Sound Engine’ and an in-line button and microphone. They have a curved design with a flat back that matches the natural shape of the ear. For an all-black pair of ear-buds, the design is quite flashy. The flat circular back is glossy with a swift looking SOL logo; the inline remote also has the same glossy finish. The Amps also come in a red model, which combines red and black features.
The remote has three buttons: volume up, volume down, and a universal button. The volume buttons may not work on all Android phones or Blackberrys, but they do work well with any iOS device. Depending on the phone, the universal button will pause and play music, skip tracks, take calls, end calls, and access voice commands. On the opposite side of the controls is the microphone, which works with most any Android, Blackberry, or iOS device. The headphone cable has a right-angle connector and is of a pretty standard thickness with a rubberized finish. The cable is actually pretty good with preventing tangles.
The Amps come with four silicone ear tip options for the buds. The headphones fit quite comfortably and don’t easily fall out. The curved design allows it to sit pretty nicely in our ears. While the buds are slightly larger than your standard ear bud, they’re quite light, which also helps them stick inside the ear.
Considering they play the Soundtrack of [our] Lives, how do they sound? They honestly sound pretty darned good. I am used to headphones compensating for mediocre audio with an influx of bass, this is very much not the case. At first I thought the bass was a bit light, but then I realized it’s pretty well balanced and shines through when it needs to. Voices are clear and the mids are detailed and crisp. This is a good pair of headphones for hearing finer details in your music that you may not have heard before. The high notes are rich and balanced. There was not a genre of music that we did not enjoy soundtracking our lives with.
The inline remote is one of the best we have used. There is no question whether or not you’re pressing the button you want; the universal button is raised with a volume button above and below it. You can clearly feel the button click so even double pressing and triple pressing is a piece of cake. Siri understood everything I had to say, as did all of my callers. Phone calls worked perfectly with the built in microphone.
The SOL Republic Amps are currently on sale for $59.99 (with free shipping from Amazon). SOL makes a similarly designed HD version of the Amps which are supposed to feature even better audio quality, as well as an actual “tangle-free cord” and a carrying case, for $99.99. Considering the regular Amps sound pretty darned good, we’re not sure the HD version is worth the extra $40, though we haven’t tried them. The SOL Republic Amps come with a one-year warranty and are available in black or red. For a good set of buds that sound good and come with an inline mic and remote, the Amps will make a great gift for the holiday season without breaking the bank.
The Amps are in-ear headphones that feature Sol Republic’s ‘i4 Sound Engine’ and an in-line button and microphone. They have a curved design with a flat back that matches the natural shape of the ear. For an all-black pair of ear-buds, the design is quite flashy. The flat circular back is glossy with a swift looking SOL logo; the inline remote also has the same glossy finish. The Amps also come in a red model, which combines red and black features.
The remote has three buttons: volume up, volume down, and a universal button. The volume buttons may not work on all Android phones or Blackberrys, but they do work well with any iOS device. Depending on the phone, the universal button will pause and play music, skip tracks, take calls, end calls, and access voice commands. On the opposite side of the controls is the microphone, which works with most any Android, Blackberry, or iOS device. The headphone cable has a right-angle connector and is of a pretty standard thickness with a rubberized finish. The cable is actually pretty good with preventing tangles.
The Amps come with four silicone ear tip options for the buds. The headphones fit quite comfortably and don’t easily fall out. The curved design allows it to sit pretty nicely in our ears. While the buds are slightly larger than your standard ear bud, they’re quite light, which also helps them stick inside the ear.
Considering they play the Soundtrack of [our] Lives, how do they sound? They honestly sound pretty darned good. I am used to headphones compensating for mediocre audio with an influx of bass, this is very much not the case. At first I thought the bass was a bit light, but then I realized it’s pretty well balanced and shines through when it needs to. Voices are clear and the mids are detailed and crisp. This is a good pair of headphones for hearing finer details in your music that you may not have heard before. The high notes are rich and balanced. There was not a genre of music that we did not enjoy soundtracking our lives with.
The inline remote is one of the best we have used. There is no question whether or not you’re pressing the button you want; the universal button is raised with a volume button above and below it. You can clearly feel the button click so even double pressing and triple pressing is a piece of cake. Siri understood everything I had to say, as did all of my callers. Phone calls worked perfectly with the built in microphone.
The SOL Republic Amps are currently on sale for $59.99 (with free shipping from Amazon). SOL makes a similarly designed HD version of the Amps which are supposed to feature even better audio quality, as well as an actual “tangle-free cord” and a carrying case, for $99.99. Considering the regular Amps sound pretty darned good, we’re not sure the HD version is worth the extra $40, though we haven’t tried them. The SOL Republic Amps come with a one-year warranty and are available in black or red. For a good set of buds that sound good and come with an inline mic and remote, the Amps will make a great gift for the holiday season without breaking the bank.
Get into holiday spirit at the Victorian House Museum in Millersburg
If during the next seven weeks you find yourself craving an antidote to the stress of shopping for the latest bank-account-breaking gadgets and taking your credit cards to the limit, "Holidays at the Mansion" at the Victorian House Museum in Millersburg could be just the right medicine.
"Holidays at the Mansion" opens with a lighting ceremony and tours from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, and runs through Saturday, Dec. 31.
For the past nine years, the 28-room mansion, completed in 1902 and featured in Victorian Homes Magazine and on HGTV's "Victorian America," has been swathed in holiday splendor thanks to Millersburg-area decorators.
The original character of the mansion -- glowing hardwood floors, fanciful fireplaces and old-fashioned lighting -- gets done up to remind us of children nestled in their beds with visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads, figgy pudding, carolers and other romantic images associated with Christmases of old.
The event begins with a free lighting ceremony and tours, 7-9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19. After that, the mansion is open daily for self-guided tours, 1-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 1-8 p.m. Friday and Sunday, through Saturday, Dec. 31. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Admission: $8, adults; $7, seniors 65 and older; $3, students; free; children 12 and younger.
"This started out small and has grown over the years," says Mark Boley, director of the Holmes County Historical Society. The society owns the mansion, which was built by steel industrialist L.H. Brightman, a father of 12 who had 56 patents when he passed away.
Each room will have a unique holiday flavor. The ballroom will feature the ceramic Santa collection of Greg Oswald of Millersburg. For many years Oswald's father, Marvin, hand-painted themed ceramic Santas as a hobby.
"They are very intricately painted," says the younger Oswald, who is a pharmacist. For example, he adds, the Scottish Santa wears plaid, and painting the kilt required a steady hand.
Every year his father painted custom Santas, from 7 to 12 inches tall, as gifts. There will be about 40 of them displayed in the ballroom.
"I know I'm a little prejudiced," Oswald says of the Santas painted by his father. "But everyone who sees them is impressed by them."
"Holidays at the Mansion" opens with a lighting ceremony and tours from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, and runs through Saturday, Dec. 31.
For the past nine years, the 28-room mansion, completed in 1902 and featured in Victorian Homes Magazine and on HGTV's "Victorian America," has been swathed in holiday splendor thanks to Millersburg-area decorators.
The original character of the mansion -- glowing hardwood floors, fanciful fireplaces and old-fashioned lighting -- gets done up to remind us of children nestled in their beds with visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads, figgy pudding, carolers and other romantic images associated with Christmases of old.
The event begins with a free lighting ceremony and tours, 7-9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19. After that, the mansion is open daily for self-guided tours, 1-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 1-8 p.m. Friday and Sunday, through Saturday, Dec. 31. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Admission: $8, adults; $7, seniors 65 and older; $3, students; free; children 12 and younger.
"This started out small and has grown over the years," says Mark Boley, director of the Holmes County Historical Society. The society owns the mansion, which was built by steel industrialist L.H. Brightman, a father of 12 who had 56 patents when he passed away.
Each room will have a unique holiday flavor. The ballroom will feature the ceramic Santa collection of Greg Oswald of Millersburg. For many years Oswald's father, Marvin, hand-painted themed ceramic Santas as a hobby.
"They are very intricately painted," says the younger Oswald, who is a pharmacist. For example, he adds, the Scottish Santa wears plaid, and painting the kilt required a steady hand.
Every year his father painted custom Santas, from 7 to 12 inches tall, as gifts. There will be about 40 of them displayed in the ballroom.
"I know I'm a little prejudiced," Oswald says of the Santas painted by his father. "But everyone who sees them is impressed by them."
A Great Twist on a Classic
Chillingo have come to the table again and this time it’s the poker table as they release Poker Pals HD for iPad, their twist on the traditional card game of poker crossed with a scrabble type card game.
While, thanks to the in game tutorial, it’s not required for you to know the hands of poker, it can certainly help with your initial understanding of the rules of the game and the tile placement that will earn you the most points.
The game is played on a 7×7 grid and you are dealt a hand of 5 tiles that represents cards from a standard deck to start with. Taking it in turns with either one of you virtual opponents or against a live competitor you take it in turns to place up to five tiles to make the best poker hands possible.
As you come to expect from a Chillingo title the game looks polished and is slick to use, while sounds are minimal yet effective. Moving the cards around the screen is easy whether it be around the board or on your tile rack.
As you place your tiles on the board the points that you will earn will be displayed on the tiles, this will enable you to decide on the best placement for your tiles to maximize your score. The key to your success will be the successful completion of multiple hands at the same time by combining multiple columns and rows of 5 cards.
While playing against the AI is fun enough the game comes into its own when you either use the pass-n-play option to play against a friend or via a random player via the Game Center integration. This online integration is so quick and simple it makes playing against real opponents a real pleasure and you can play against multiple opponents at the same time.
Thanks to the push notifications you also don’t need to be in the app at all times as while you are working in other applications or even away from your device you will be notified once it’s your turn again. Depending on your opponent games may last minutes, hours or even days.
Unfortunately, while their is Game Center integration that doesn’t extend to Leaderboards or Achievements, instead these are limited to the Crystal social gaming which also comes built into the game.
While the game is available for all iOS devices and is apparently the same on each of them it’s not universal meaning that if you want to play it on both an iPhone and an iPad you will need to purchase it twice. Poker Pals HD {$1.99} is an addictive game and one that will keep you entertained for quite a while.
While, thanks to the in game tutorial, it’s not required for you to know the hands of poker, it can certainly help with your initial understanding of the rules of the game and the tile placement that will earn you the most points.
The game is played on a 7×7 grid and you are dealt a hand of 5 tiles that represents cards from a standard deck to start with. Taking it in turns with either one of you virtual opponents or against a live competitor you take it in turns to place up to five tiles to make the best poker hands possible.
As you come to expect from a Chillingo title the game looks polished and is slick to use, while sounds are minimal yet effective. Moving the cards around the screen is easy whether it be around the board or on your tile rack.
As you place your tiles on the board the points that you will earn will be displayed on the tiles, this will enable you to decide on the best placement for your tiles to maximize your score. The key to your success will be the successful completion of multiple hands at the same time by combining multiple columns and rows of 5 cards.
While playing against the AI is fun enough the game comes into its own when you either use the pass-n-play option to play against a friend or via a random player via the Game Center integration. This online integration is so quick and simple it makes playing against real opponents a real pleasure and you can play against multiple opponents at the same time.
Thanks to the push notifications you also don’t need to be in the app at all times as while you are working in other applications or even away from your device you will be notified once it’s your turn again. Depending on your opponent games may last minutes, hours or even days.
Unfortunately, while their is Game Center integration that doesn’t extend to Leaderboards or Achievements, instead these are limited to the Crystal social gaming which also comes built into the game.
While the game is available for all iOS devices and is apparently the same on each of them it’s not universal meaning that if you want to play it on both an iPhone and an iPad you will need to purchase it twice. Poker Pals HD {$1.99} is an addictive game and one that will keep you entertained for quite a while.
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