Go Green With Energy Efficient Kitchen Appliances

Using environmentally friendly cleaning products, recycling and using biodegradable bin liners are just a few ways families are going green in the kitchen. However one of the most important, and significant changes many households are making is buying and using energy efficient kitchen appliances.
For many families, the kitchen is the room in the house where the most energy is consumed. Refrigerators, cookers, ovens, dishwashers and other kitchen appliances can account for nearly 40% of the total energy consumed in some homes. Buying energy efficient appliances, and changing the way kitchen appliances are used on a daily basis can easily make the kitchen a greener place.
Once you make the decision to buy appliances, for your new eco-friendly kitchen, it's important that you consider the size of the kitchen appliances. Many families buy oversized kitchen appliances that they don't need and end up wasting energy in the process. Larger kitchen appliances with lots of features can be very tempting. However if you have a small family, it's best to buy energy efficient kitchen appliances that will fit your family's needs, rather than opting for larger models. You'll save space, money and you'll be helping to save the environment too.
Dishwashers are great for convenience, but it's important that you use them wisely. Did you know that many of the newer, more energy efficient dishwashers use less water than old models? Additionally, many of them are engineered so that you don't have to waste additional water rinsing your dishes before you place them into the dishwasher. When buying an energy efficient dishwasher, choose a compact model, and remember to run it only when it's full to help save both energy and water.
It's imperative for families that cook often to use energy efficient appliances. Using kitchen appliances such as cookers and ovens can require a great deal of energy. When possible, use microwaves or other smaller kitchen appliances to prepare or heat food. And if you need to boil water, try using more practical smaller kitchen appliances such as a cordless kettle, rather than utilizing the cooker.
Do you still use an oven that requires preheating? Most newer models have made preheating a thing of the past, thus just one of the ways energy efficient ovens can help you reduce energy consumption. And remember, when it's time to use the oven, always try to cook more than one dish.
Another great kitchen appliance to consider when going green is a range hood. A range hood can help with the ventilation in your home, and keep the air in your kitchen cleaner. Clean air is essential in any eco-friendly environment.
When considering buying new kitchen appliances, the first thing that probably comes to mind is the price tag. While purchasing energy efficient appliances can be a significant investment initially, you'll see the savings instantly on your energy bill and save even more in the long run. Energy efficient appliances can save you between 10 - 50% in monthly energy costs. So in reality, by purchasing energy efficient appliances you're not only doing your part to help protect the environment, you're also saving a substantial sum on energy costs too.
Internet Kitchen Appliances is a leading online retailer of branded, quality kitchen appliances. The company offers nationwide delivery, a dedicated aftersales team for peace of mind, and a comprehensive online buying guide for buy kitchen appliances. Internet Kitchen Appliances also has a trade division that sells appliances and fitted kitchens for new builds.
CompareBase. For more information and free, impartial advice on buying energy efficient appliances, visit Internet Kitchen Appliances (IKA) online.

By Braeg Heneffe

Green Building - New Ways To Beat High Energy Costs

Green building is becoming increasingly more popular with architects, builders and homeowners each year. Consumers' environmental awareness is growing and they have come to demand more naturally sustainable and recycled materials incorporated in the construction and renovation of their homes and favor homes that utilize construction and design techniques that improve energy efficiency and reduce indoor air pollution. These green building techniques not only let homeowners feel good about leaving a smaller environmental footprint, but can provide long-term savings in utility bills.
Does a greener house have to look like a yurt or geodesic dome like so many of the first-generation eco-houses of the 1970s? On the contrary, green-built homes are often indistinguishable from their traditional counterparts. Green buildings will, however, function much differently. Their heating and cooling costs will be lower if they are sited to maximize wind-sheltering trees and incorporate passive solar design principles.
Green building is a growing segment of the new home and home renovation market. Go to any Homebuilders Expo these days and you'll find plenty of vendors exhibiting green building products and services, from energy-efficient appliances to roof shingles made of recycled plastic to architecture firms that specialize in sustainable design. The hit television series Extreme Makeover: Home Edition has incorporated green building in many of its episodes, in part to help out its financially struggling families with lower energy and maintenance bills for the future, but also in recognition of this progressive trend in the building industry.
Realtors are finding that green architecture components are a good selling point for their listings. Homebuyers in this relaxed housing market can be more selective about their many housing options and the long-term economies of green homes make for an attractive real estate package. Banks and financial lenders are also recognizing the investment value inherent in green construction and are responding by offering more favorable terms for these loan customers.
There is also the social trend of environmentalism as a way of life. Just as consumers are veering away from sport-utility vehicles and snapping up hybrid and more fuel-efficient cars, so too are prospective home buyers thinking twice about the status of traditionally-designed houses and thinking more about building green.
If you are interested in learning more about green design, check out your next home builders fair in your area or contact a local architect to discuss this exciting home building and renovation option. You'll be happy you did.
Al blogs at http://www.bigblogmonkey.com/blog.
Also go here for more info on Green Building.

By Al Zan

Alternative Commercial Mortgage Lenders - Hedge Funds & Private Equity

Hedge funds and private equity firms are investment companies set up by Wall Street investment banks and funded by wealthy individuals and cash rich corporate entities. Unlike standard, publicly traded mutual funds, hedge funds are largely unregulated and have much more leeway in their investment choices. Many of these funds have recognized the opportunity that's emerged in commercial real estate lending, and have stepped in to fill the funding gap. The money managers in charge of these massive pools of capital are savvy investing pros, they know a good deal when they see it and can be very nimble. Hedge funds and private equity funds are not afraid of risk; in fact they thrive on it. If they like a deal, they make decisions quickly and can close loan or equity financing in just days.
There are many private funds that specialize in commercial real estate investing or have a commercial mortgage lending division. They are cash rich and actively seeking quality deals to fund. They can be an excellent alternative to banks and other traditional lenders. But, be aware, they are very professional and highly sophisticated. Do not approach hedge funds with shoddy or incomplete packages. They're pros and work exclusively with other pros.
Hedge fund and private equity people have a Wall Street mentality; they are traders art heart. When they look at a deal they want to be able to make decisions quickly.
When approaching a fund you'll want to have a complete, well documented package ready to show them at a moments notice, but don't give it to them all at once. Having worked for Wall Street firms for more than 20 years, I've determined that the best way to approach money mangers is with a concise, well written 1 page deal summary.
Sum-up the selling points of your deal on a single sheet of paper, stressing the profit potential, the investors level of experience, the strength of the location and some of the other strong points of the project. They'll appreciate the fact that you respected their time by being brief. If they like what they see they will ask for more. Give them precisely what they ask for; don't bog them down with documentation until they tell you they want to see it. Sell them the big story before you try to sell them the details.
If you want to secure funding from a big private equity shop or a hedge fund, I'd strongly suggest you utilize the services of a professional intermediary with Wall Street experience. They can speak the language of fund managers and know exactly what's important to highlight about a particular deal. These funds tend to operate like private clubs, it helps a-lot if you have an "in". If you are fortunate enough to develop a relationship with this unique type of lender, you will enjoy a seemingly endless source of capital.
MasterPlan Capital - Commercial Real Estate Investment Banking - Commercial Mortgage Loans - Equity Financing - Asset Management - Online at: http://www.masterplancapital.com Prompt, Professional Service - Quick Closings Available
The author, Glenn Fydenkevez, has more than 20 years experience working with Wall Street Investment brokerages firms. He is currently the President of MasterPlan Capital LLC. Contact him at: glenn.fydenkevez@masterplancapital.com

By Glenn Fydenkevez

Civil Construction and Engineering

Civil engineering is a concept that deals with the design, construction and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment. The act of civil construction and engineering includes bridges, roads, canals, airports, dams and buildings. These are merely just a few examples of what civil construction and engineering is about.

Civil engineering is one of the oldest engineering disciplines after military engineering. It has been an aspect of life since the beginning of human existence. Until modern times there was no clear distinction between civil engineering and architecture.

One of the main aspects of civil construction and engineering is structural engineering. With structural engineering a structure needs to be able to successfully support itself as well as being able to resist loads. It is the job of a structural engineer to ensure that the design and construction of aspects such as bridges, roads and airports etc are safe and successful for their function. Some of the design considerations that need to be kept in mind are the strength, stiffness and stability of the civil construction. All of these need to commit to safety checks so that the structure can hold itself. Other considerations that need to be kept in mind when it comes to the civil construction and engineering includes the cost, constructability, safety, aesthetics and sustainability of the proposed structure.
In the society that we live in today it is safe to say that society wouldn't work without civil construction and engineering. This is because the infrastructures that we use in our daily lives, the infrastructures that support our daily lives wouldn't be in existence if it wasn't for civil construction and engineering. We use aspects such as roads and harbours, railways and airports, hospitals, sports stadiums and schools, access to drinking water and shelter from the weather in our daily lives without a second thought to the construction and engineering that is behind them. We rely more than ever on building contractor teams and inventive people who design and build as well as maintain the sophisticated environment that surrounds our everyday life.
The job of a civil construction team/engineer is more than merely the building side of these infrastructures. They have many activities that they must do every day, including drafting, decision making, computer interaction, communication, documentation, creative thinking, organising, information collecting, estimating and analysing. It is the job of a construction engineer to draft and design structures and show others how to build them. A construction engineer has to analyse information and make the right decision to solve the problems.
If you are a business owner or the owner of property who wishes to expend and build civil structures such as a road to provide easier access or an extension is needed at an airport, it is essential that you enlist the help of a building contractor team who are highly skilled and experienced in undertaking all aspects of civil building and construction. The building contractor team should have structural engineers who are able to undertake the planning and safety aspects of the design to ensure that the finished product is up to standards.
Helen is the web master of ARCH Building Solutions, specialists in all aspects of the Civil Building Trade.
Please feel free to republish this article provided a working hyperlink remains to our site
By Helen Cox

Eco-hotel in a quarry

The Songjiang district, near the Chinese city Shangai, is a popular zone for recreation. Firm

Atkins, famous for their grandiose projects, proposed a set of hotels called Songjiang. The key factor of the design is the water, that is all around the building. The hotel is created in the deep quarry and this point reflexes on a simple look. The building has also underwater parts. The roof is grassy and whole complex will use geothermal energy for an electrical supply and heating, so the interference with the nature will be smaller. more

Posted by Modern Architecture Design news

Rucksack House - Parasite Perspective – New views on the city

Perched between art and architecture, form and function, the Rucksack House is a walk-in sculpture with its own spatial quality. A hovering illuminated space that looks like a cross between temporary scaffolding and minimal sculpture. As mobile as a rucksack, this mini-house is intended to be an additional room that can be suspended from the façade of any residential building.
The cube is a light and empty space, free from connotations and open to its user’s needs. While still being inside a private atmosphere, one has the impression of floating outside of the confines of the actual dwelling above the public space. Folddown furnishings and a multitude of built-in openings on the inside provide extra living space with direct daylight. Sections of the walls unfold, with the help of hidden magnets, into a desk, shelves, and a platform for reading or sleeping. The Rucksack box is suspended from steel cables that are anchored to the roof or to the facade of the existing building. The construction is a welded steel cage with a light birch veneered plywood interior cladding. The outside cladding is exterior grade plywood with an absorbent resin surface punctuated by plexiglas inserts.
The Rucksack house offers a way of improving housing quality on an individual basis.It is a direct visual sign and reactivates the idea of the self-built anarchistic tree house, but one that is more prominently placed and structurally engineered. New space gets slung onto an existing space by a simple,clear, and understandable method.

Posted by Modern Architecture Design news

Tate Modern goes urban

Graffiti alters facade of the Tate Modern

Following reports of vandals striking at Stonehenge, graffiti has been splashed all over Tate Modern’s riverside façade in London. But there is no controversy here: this is art.
In the gallery's first commission to tinker with the former power station’s façade, graffiti artists from cities around the world including Bologna, Spain and New York were invited to create 15-metre-tall art displays for the gallery's Street Art exhibition.

Artists Blu, Faile, JR, Nunca, Os Gêmeos and Sixeart were chosen to demonstrate “the more visual and engaging urban art as opposed to text-based graffiti and tagging”. To complement the exhibition, there is a walking tour in Southwark showcasing the work of five other Madrid-based street artists.
Tourists emerging from St. Paul’s Cathedral across the river were surprised to spot the large murals which featured diverse designs involving different topics. The exhibition’s curator Cedar Lewisohn observes that Parisian artist JR’s black-and-white portrait of a youth wielding a video camera as he would a gun, “challenges our preconceptions about the way that we digest images” while Sixeart’s comic book-inspired colourful drawings focus on the “interior landscape that he’s exposing”. Painted on a sugar-based coating on the walls, the artworks will be easily removed when the exhibition ends on 25 August.
The project illustrates a progression in the union of architecture and graffiti. Graffiti is historically the arch-enemy of architecture, but Tate Modern’s endorsement elevates the work to the status of art. Yet this project is almost inevitable in the street art’s evolution within mainstream society. In May, hundreds of people queued for hours to attend the graffiti ‘Cans Festival’ initiated by Bristol-based artist Banksy whose stencil was auctioned at a tag of £228,000 in a Bonhams auction.
Independent curator and writer Amos Klausner suggested that street art has succeeded in giving people a voice and identities where architecture has failed to do so. Lewisohn remarks: “What these artists are trying to do is to make the world a more beautiful place, a more human place.” He continues, “And architecture sometimes doesn’t do that.”
By leading exhibitions out of the building - in fact, directly on to the building - Tate Modern is responding to a call for the built environment to be personally meaningful, and signals how the building is no longer sacred territory for the architect’s own indulgence, but an art canvas for the masses to enjoy.
Zijia WongReporter

Taj Mahal in Agra, India

Press photo © 2000-2006 NewOpenWorld Foundation
The Taj Mahal in Agra, India

Built in 1648, the Taj Mahal in Agra, India has been named one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. The master architect was Ustad 'Isa.

Some twenty thousand workers spent twenty-two years constructing the glistening white Taj Mahal. Made entirely of marble, the structure was designed as a mausoleum for a favorite wife of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. Beautifully symmetrical, each element of the Taj Mahal is independent, yet perfectly integrated with the structure as a whole.
Facts about the Taj Mahal:
Top Dome - 213 feet high
Minarets - 162.5 feet high
Platform - 186 feet by 186 feet
Cost To Build - 32 Million Rupees

New Wonders of the World Photo Gallery: The Taj Mahal
From Jackie Craven, About.com

In Plans for Railyards, a Mix of Towers and Parks

The West Side railyards are the kind of urban development project that makes builders dance in the streets. A footprint bigger than Rockefeller Center’s and the potential for more commercial and residential space than ground zero: what more could an urban visionary want?


So the five proposals recently unveiled by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to develop the 26-acre Manhattan railyards are not just a disappointment for their lack of imagination, they are also a grim referendum on the state of large-scale planning in New York City.

With the possible exception of a design for the Extell Development Company, the proposals embody the kind of tired, generic planning formulas that appear wherever big development money is at stake. When thoughtful architecture surfaces at all, it is mostly a superficial gloss of culture, rather than a sincere effort to come to terms with the complex social and economic changes the city has been undergoing for the last decade or so.

Located on six square blocks between 30th and 33rd Streets and 10th Avenue and the West Side Highway, the yards are one of the few remaining testaments to New York’s industrial past. Dozens of tracks leading in and out of Pennsylvania Station carve through the site. A string of parking lots and old industrial buildings flanks the tracks to the south; the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center is a block to the north. To build, developers first will have to create a platform over the tracks, at an estimated cost of $1.5 billion; construction of the platform and towers has to take place without interrupting train service.

City officials and the transportation authority, which owns the railyards, have entertained various proposals for the site in recent years, including an ill-conceived stadium for the Jets. The current guidelines would allow up to 13 million square feet of commercial, retail and residential space; a building to house a cultural group yet to be named; and a public park.

All five of the development teams chose to arrange the bulk of the towers at the northern and southern edges of the site, to minimize disruption of the tracks below, and concentrated the majority of the commercial towers to the east, and the residential towers to the west, where they would have views of the Hudson River.

But none of the teams have fully explored the potentially rich relationship between the railyards and the development above them, an approach that could have added substance to the plans. Nor did any find a successful way to come to terms with the project’s gargantuan scale.

The proposal by the Related Companies would transform the site into a virtual theme park for Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, the developer’s main tenant. The design, by a team of architects that includes Kohn Pedersen Fox, Arquitectonica and Robert A. M. Stern, would be anchored at its eastern end by a 74-story tower. Three slightly smaller towers would flank it, creating an imposing barrier between the public park and the rest of the city to the east.

The plan also includes a vast retail mall and plaza between 10th and 11th Avenues, which could be used by News Corporation for advertising, video projections and outdoor film and concert events — a concept that would essentially transform what is being hailed as a public space into a platform for corporate self-promotion. A proposal by FXFowle and Pelli Clarke Pelli for the Durst Organization and Vornado Realty Trust is slightly less disturbing. Following a similar plan, it would be anchored by a new tower for Condé Nast Publications to the north, and a row of residential towers extending to the west. Sinuous, elevated pedestrian walkways would wind their way through the site just above the proposed public park. The walkways are meant to evoke a contemporary version of the High Line, the raised tracks being converted into a public garden just to the south. But their real precedents are the deadening elevated streets found in late Modernist housing complexes.

By comparison, the proposal by Tishman Speyer Properties, designed by Helmut Jahn, at least seems more honest. The site is anchored by four huge towers that taper slightly as they rise, exaggerating their sense of weight and recalling more primitive, authoritarian forms: you might call it architecture of intimidation. As you move west, a grand staircase leads down to a circular plaza that would link the park to a pedestrian boulevard the city plans to construct from the site north toward 42nd Street.

Mr. Jahn built his reputation in the 1980s and ’90s, when many modern architects were struggling to pump energy into work that had become cold and alienating. Over all, the design looks like a conventional 1980s mega-development: an oddly retro vision of uniform glass towers set around a vast plaza decorated with a few scattered cafes. (In a rare nice touch, Mr. Jahn allows some of his towers to cantilever out over the deck of the High Line, playing up the violent clash between new and old.)

Boston Real Estate Market Heats Up

(PRWeb) March 20, 2007 -- The Boston Real Estate Market is as hot as it has ever been. Sunday open houses have been jam packed and a multitude of 'over asking' offers are creating a buzz in this downtown real estate market.This past week condoDomain.com, the Boston based Internet marketing firm for condo developer's toured a dozen open houses to witness the commotion. "From new construction condo developments to re-sale open houses, the condo market seems to be back and bigger than ever," noted Anthony Longo, Founder of condoDomain.com.

Anthony even joined in on the frenzy and put an offer in on a unit in Boston's South End. However, his $5,000 above asking offer was not good enough and the condo was put under agreement later that day.This weekend there were numerous reports of condos that went under agreement for above asking in Boston. "It makes sense, the individuals who waited and did not purchase last year are now in the market and with very low inventory they are battling to get into the market" said Longo. condoDomain.com's nationwide network of real estate agents and bloggers also chimed in noting condo markets such as Seattle, San Francisco, Manhattan and Atlanta were experiencing similar trends.Last week, condoDomain.com put out a report detailing condo buyer demographics in which they had taken a poll on in the previous month. The statistics noted that the average condo buyer was searching for their new condo online. These online condo demographics stated that condominium buyers were young professionals (46%), looking to purchase and move into it the unit as a primary residence (78%), and they want to move into a high-rise (45%) under $450,000 (73%). For more information on this report please visit http://www.condodomain.com/. About condoDomain.comcondoDomain.com is a privately held, Internet marketing company serving the real estate industry that is dedicated to city living and the condominium lifestyle. Unique to the real estate industry, condoDomain.com is an independent resource, bringing together buyers, brokers and developers of condominiums in one place. Buyers benefit from a comprehensive resource that enables them to research market news, view properties and get relevant information about urban living. Brokers and developers have an additional, premier venue with multimedia options, to promote their properties to a sophisticated, highly targeted audience. condoDomain.com LLC also promotes Internet consulting and advanced Internet marketing initiatives for onsite sales & marketing companies supporting developers nationwide. Visit http://www.condodomain.com/ to learn more.condoDomain.com Condo Markets Atlanta ▪ Austin ▪ Baltimore ▪ Boston ▪ Charlotte ▪ Chicago ▪ Dallas ▪ Denver ▪ Detroit ▪ Ft. Lauderdale ▪ Hoboken ▪ Honolulu ▪ Houston ▪ Jersey City ▪ Las Vegas ▪ Los Angeles ▪ Miami ▪ Minneapolis ▪ Naples ▪ New York ▪ Orlando ▪ Palm Beach ▪ Philadelphia ▪ Phoenix ▪ Portland ▪ Providence ▪ San Antonio ▪ San Diego ▪ San Francisco ▪ Seattle ▪ St. Louis ▪ Tampa ▪ Washington D.C. ▪ TorontoCondo Markets Coming SoonVirginia Condos Atlantic City Condos Cincinnati Condos Cleveland Condos Columbus Condos Fort Worth Condos Connecticut Condos Indianapolis Condos Jacksonville Condos Palm Coast Condos Panama City Condos Kansas City Condos Louisville Condos Memphis Condos Milwaukee Condos Myrtle Beach Condos Nashville Condos New Orleans Condos Orange County Condos Pittsburgh Condos Salt Lake City Condos San Juan Condos Maryland Condos Virginia Beach Condos Calgary Condos Vancouver Condos Montreal Condos Contact:Huguette DiakabanaInformation Management, condoDomain.com877-852-6636Release placed by ANTH JAMES (http://www.anthjames.com/)

from : http://www.thepropertybest.com/article.cfm/id/163042

Real Estate Investing Produces Extraordinary Profits

Imagine making $5000 a year from real estate investing without recognizing you are real estate investing!
Real estate values are so dynamic. The marketplace is always fluid and changing. The only constant is the eventual escalation of value.
Suppose you had owned that little piece of property in your neighborhood years ago where McDonald's is located today. If you had owned it for 20 or 30 years, what would your profit be from that sale?

Real estate values fluctuate in cycles and according to a myriad of owner situations. However, the price of real estate almost always goes up.
Let me give you a real-life example. (And if you are old enough, you have your own similar story!)
In 1970 I bought a little house in the Green Hills section of Nashville for $27,000. You know it wasn't much because of the price. But it was home, and the location was respectable.
In 1978 I sold that house for a bigger house in Green Hills. The sales price for that little house I sold was $67,000.
That's when the light bulb went off in my head! I suddenly realized that I had profited $40,000 from that little house in only eight years. I hadn't added any more rooms or a patio. And I hadn't even painted. I was witnessing first-hand how property values increase, often drastically!
I made a $5000 profit per year from that house, just from living in it.
It was an amazing discovery to me. It had been a reality forever, but it was no longer a vicarious experience in my mind. It was alive, because it was happening to me. And it changed my view of the world. That personal experience led me to start a real estate investing career.
I still live in Green Hills, and I pass that house every day on the way to the post office. That house recently sold for $200,000. Same size. Same location. But a phenomenal increase in value.
Asset growth from $27,000 to $200,000 is pretty astounding. And while the asset growth ratio varies from property to property (and city to city), real estate values generally increase. Even owning and maintaining your personal residence is cash generation right under your nose. I can't believe I was so dumb not to see it before it became so apparent.
If even home ownership can be so profitable, can you fathom the profitability in real estate investing?
Phil Speer, Ph.D., started his real estate investing career 25 years ago. Without the availability of credit and using only a $10 bill, he purchased $1 million in properties in his first year, and had accumulated $10 million in properties by his fourth year. He was featured in a Wall St.Journal editorial as most successful investor in the Nothing Down Real Estate Movement, and was honored with a Caribbean cruise as top investor of the year. In his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, he has been a businessman and Human Resources Consultant for 30 years. He is an author, speaker and seminar director. To learn how to profit in real estate investing, even without cash or credit, read his report at at http://www.CashinHouses.com/. Subscription is free to his Fix-up Ezine. He and other contributing authors provide free articles and resources on real estate investing at his online "Academy of Advanced Real Estate Investing Techniques" - http://www.AAREIT.com/.

from : http://www.thepropertybest.com/article.cfm/id/22699