Green Ideas - School of Art , Design and Media, Singapore

University constructs a green roof as a gathering place.

Green design is an enormously popular trend in modern architecture, just take a look at this amazing green roof at the School of Art , Design and Media at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore . This 5-story facility sweeps a wooded corner of the campus with an organic, vegetated form that blends landscape and structure, nature and high-tech and symbolizes the creativity it houses. The roofs serve as informal gathering spaces challenging linear ideas and stirring perception. The roofs create open space, insulate the building, cool the surrounding air and harvest rainwater for landscaping irrigation. Planted grasses mix with native greenery to colonize the building and bond it to the setting.

The curving green roofs distinguish the building from among the other structures on campus but the line between landscape and building is blurred. The roofs serve as informal gathering spaces challenging linear ideas and stirring perception. The roofs create open space, insulate the building, cool the surrounding air and harvest rainwater for landscaping irrigation. Planted grasses mix with native greenery to colonize the building and bond it to the setting.

Finishes are intentionally raw to act as a backdrop for the art, media and design projects. Concrete walls and columns, cement-sand screened floors, timber railings and a neutral palette define the interior spaces which vary in shape and size. This amazing design seems to offer a new experience at every elevation or perspective fulfilling the intent that a school for art should inspire creativity.

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Green Ideas - Bar Surya, London

Disco pub gets electricity produced by people dancing at specially modified dance floor.

All the flashing strobes and pounding speakers at the dance club are massive consumers of electrical power. So Bar Surya, in London, re-outfitted its floor with springs that, when compressed by dancers, could produce electrical current that would be stored in batteries and used to offset some of the club's electrical burden. The club's owner, Andrew Charalambous, said the dance floor can now power 60 percent of the club's energy needs.

Certainly gimmicky, Club Surya reflects how aware everyone is becoming about global issues. It's really quite surprising that nobody thought of this earlier. This club is cool as an idea if not in substance.

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Why fee hike by IIMs is condemnable

Citizens of India should come out of stupor and brainwash created by a corrupt and obliging media about pseudo liberalisation and globalisation. Madness,loot and plunder and irrational increase in prices is going on led by governments and their organisations. Never in history of India such outrageous extravaganza and loot was witnessed as under government of Man Mohan et.al.

Why IIM fees are not at all justified?

1. If a state affiliated college which is duly approved by AICTE or even an accredited college can successfully operate for fee of Rs 60 to 90 thousand per year, why IIM needs Rs 6 lacs per year almost 8-10 times of that
2. IIMs specially IIMA,IIM Kolkata and IIMB have been given free land and their huge assets have been already amortised.These are virtually free of cost.
3. These institutes are trying to continue Victorian age luxury and opulence somehow.They have huge land and other assets which is sheer waste in current urban realities. For MBA program the core facility is just two class rooms,one library,one computer lab,a couple of seminar rooms and one auditorium for a 60 students batch.Why IIMs need 130 acres of land and buildings worth 60 crores for just 200 seat intake is a riddle.It is sheer opulence and luxury.In fact IIMs are most unproductive set ups in country even much more than IITs.
4. The value addition in IIMs is questionable. It is the input of students each year that is their strength.
5. The budget of IIM-A for example of around Rs 80 crores is huge figure pointing to wastage and luxury.
6. IIMs are state promoted institutes and have to act as benchmark and control points in liberalised economy to check exploitation and price rise. But they are doing opposite.
7. What has happened that in last 6 years they have increased fee from 30,000 to Rs 6 lac or 20 times? It means inflation of 333% each year.
8. The fee hike in IIM is not the only concern.Comparing to their fee all fraudulent setups in private sector also hike fees to mint money and exploit markets.Now that fee has been increased,fraudulen t institutes will also hike fees quickly. This a criminal and negligent act on part of central government and IIM boards.It is anti national act and inflation causing phenomenon.IIMs have failed to get donations like in USA from society and Alumni who are stinking rich guys to fund their education cost.In fact these institutes are pseudo centres of excellence with only self claims and very low productivity of manpower and assets.
9. GOI should come out with a white paper on how to cost technical education in India with various metrics and norms and their reasonable cost currently so people of India know what is bare minimum cost of education.The madness of fraudulent liberalisation must stop.
10. India's GDP per capita is hardly Rs 40,000 and by that figure not even best Institute shoudl have fee more than rs 1.5 lacs.This is figure in USA. Education is as a policy a no-profit work in society.
11. The argument of IIMA board recently announced by Samir Barua that salary will hike by 2011 so student can payback fees is a pervert argument making education a commercial sale and a commission business.More salary- more my fee argument.What education has to do with salaries of students and their placements?are these placement shops taking their percentage?It is shameful and illogical argument.

It is time government of India intervene to restore sense in Indian economy management and put effective control on price hike of property,medicines, education and commodities to stop loot,plunder and mismanagement.

We are heading for crisis.

There is no recession in India having 120 crore population and unsatisfied demand.Just that by ridiculous and criminal rise of prices by 300-500% on almost everything in last 7 years has made people poor and unable to buy things.

The growth is being restricted to 5 % guys making rest poor.

Couple this with terrorism, failure of law and order and nion fucntiong judciary and Indian society has been taken to brink of disasaster by currtent governmmetn run by capiotalists and brainless people.

People shoudl ensure that congres sis wiped out from elections to punish them for several sins.

Indians must learn to reverse pice rise trend and come back to sensible levels as soon as possible.

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Green Ideas - Crown Plaza Hotel, Copenhagen

Hotel offers free meal to guests who are willing to generate electricity

The Crown Plaza Hotel in Copenhagen , Denmark , is offering a free meal to any guest who is able to produce electricity for the hotel on an exercise bike attached to a generator. Guests will have to produce at least 10 watt hours of electricity - roughly 15 minutes of cycling for someone of average fitness. They will then be given meal vouchers worth $36 (26 euros).

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