Herzog and de Meuron-Caixa Forum

Forum Madrid implements a new concept in social and cultural centres, offering a comprehensive and innovative programme that enhances the integrating capacity of culture and its importance for people’s communication and well-being. Part of that being the combination of old and new form. The visibility of the Tate Modern(a power station turned into a museum) led the director of the Caixa Foundation, Luis Monreal, to commission Herzog & de Meuron for the renovation that emerges as a live space opening its doors to the public.The la Caixa Foundacion wanted the CaixaForum Madrid to be a living centre that opens its doors on the Paseo del Prado to place itself at the service of citizens. Within the la Caixa’s cultural initiatives, the CaixaForums provide permanent building venues where some of their cultural activities such as exhibitions of ancient, modern and contemporary art, music and poetry festivals, multimedia art, debates on contemporary issues, social seminars, educ ational and family-oriented workshops may be housed, as well as their ongoing and, typically, permanent exhibits.Knowledge is promoted and personal growth enhanced for citizens of all ages. Though the building’s exterior performs sculpturally, the programmatic desire is to be an experiential system. Along with the cultural operation and importance to the program, the experience of the space is carried through in how it affects the senses. Each program perfoms differently, playing with materials, shapes, and lights. Pleated and welded steel continues from the lobby ceiling and wraps up through the entrance staircase that leads the people into the building through the pattern and re? ection.The lobby walls are made of concrete, but the lights mimic the pattern of the staircase pulling one in and enlarging the space. The foyer and auditorium are covered by a deploye type expanded sheet metal mesh, creating an undulating, dynamic structure. Being underground, this opens the space and lifts the feeling of con? nement. The ? oors of the foyer and auditorium are laid with American oak making an inviting environment. The art gallery ? oors are a continuous white terrazzo paving, made from powdered marble, cement, resin and ? bres lighting the space and making it continous, making visitors more drawn in.The main stairs are a continous ruled surface that invites occupiers through. The lower ? oor of the new expansion acts as a transition that is labyrinthe-like in the material movement and change that pulls one up into the upper ? oor. The upper ? oor consists of the irregular, perforated cast iron panels that coincidewith the glass surfaces create a sort of release from the rest of the building, allowing views across the roofscapes of Madrid. CaixaForum Main Gallery- 4 CaixaForum- 3 Smaller exhibition halls – 6 Chidren’s workshop- 5 8 CaixaForum Madrid 06 05

A Brief Note On Slash And Burn Agriculture Essay -- Agriculture, Sociolo

Slash and Burn Agriculture is a widely used method of cultivating crops in usually temperate or tropical regions. It is the process which forested land is clear cut and any remaining vegetation is burned, the ash remains contain a nutrient rich top soil that helps fertilize crops. After years of cultivation the fertility of the soil decline and weeds increase, causing the farmers to shift to a new plot. Traditionally the old plot was left uncultivated, reverting itself into a secondary forest of bush and within a decade it could be reused. By the early 21st century the plot is usually maintained in a permanent deforested state, causing farmers to move to new plots and aiding to the destruction of Earth’s resources. Slash and Burn Agriculture is a significant step in history because it leads to more early human settlements and the destruction of natural habitats. Groups of hunters and gathers turned to slash and burn agriculture and domestication of various animals, which provides more nutrition per hectare then hunting and gathering on their own. Thus leading to more deforestation to convert forests into crop fields and pastures as the need for more nutrition grew as the population steadily rose. Early slash and burn agriculture wasn’t done in excessively large areas as it is today, the land was controlled by a family till the resources were exhausted and it was left to refurnish itself over time. Now slash and burn agriculture is particularly destructive. Now the land is being burnt down in excessive amounts; leading the loss of habitat and species, increase of carbon into the atmosphere, soil erosion, water contamination, and landslides. All of which is contributing to the dwindling of earth’s na the creators of the AP World Civilization book by Pearson’s by Peter N. Stearns (Author), Michael B. Adas (Author), Stuart B. Schwartz (Author), Marc Jason Gilbert (Author). II. What is the author’s point of view? The author’s point of view seems unbiased, factual writing depicting a few reasons why early man would leave cave paintings depicting the first conscious historical accounts of human experience. III. What is the intent or purpose behind the document? The intent behind the document is to inform and explain the theories behind why they left cave paintings. IV. Who is the intended audience? The intended audience can range from school students to those who are interested in learning about how Paleolithic cave paintings can teach us about the past; more precisely their culture, way of life, tools used to make the art work, and give us a glimpse into the past.

Organisational design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Organisational design - Essay Example Noncompetitive businesses and institutions such as government controlled administrations mostly thrive on centralised structures. The managers need to consider if they want to achieve the same results where they follow a rigid work routine then they can comfortably rely on a centralised control system. However, if they seek to get the competitive edge, especially if they are in the technology business, then they need to give more autonomy to respective departments and teams. â€Å"†¦a routine technology and a stable environment all tend to be associated with organizations that have greater formalization, specialization and centralisation† (Daft, Murphy, & Willmott, 2010, p. 26) If the managers are in a business that feeds on creative ideas then they need to make their departments autonomous. The tech industry is a prominent example of highly decentralised model because the more innovative and creative their ideas the better their competitive edge. Comparing a government operated tax department with a highly mobilized and competitive firm such as Apple or Samsung would reveal a centralised versus a decentralised business structure. The government department needs to be centralised while tech companies perform better when they are decentralised. Taking the same example a step further where marketing and TV commercials are made for any business. The process needs to be highly decentralised for the initiation of innovative ideas and creative pitch for customers. One thing that bears prime importance in this whole debate is that there are no black and white areas when the managers make a decision. Many organizations usually step on gray areas where there exists a mix of centralised and decentralised chain of command. In fact, decentralised structure poses a paradox for the managers. Giving too much autonomy to a department can be detrimental for the ultimate organizational goals. The head of the business cannot lose control

Health Care Reform Bill Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Health Care Reform Bill - Essay Example Health Care Reforms According to Swan and Haas (2011), PPACA initiatives listed were favored by several national reports. First, the healthcare reform bills were put in place to enhance transparency and integrity in the program. Secondly, ensure all Americans have access to quality health care. Thirdly, make considerations to the providers of health care such as the hospital workforce. Fourthly, provide for public health improvement and prevent chronic diseases. According to the Thomas official website (2011), employers were expected to provide their employees with health insurance or take the option of subsidizing their employees’ healthcare by paying the government. This was the healthcare reform bills as at 2009 while they were still pending. H.R. 3590 Senate Bill and H.R. 3962 House Bill were proposed to provide Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and Affordable Health Care for America Act respectively. As healthcare responds to the trends in cost, there would be a continuous catalyze on distribution and supply of healthcare. Problems are argued to arise in the post reform era on management of the trends of cost by deflecting the distribution network downwards and that of the supply chain. For example, between 1960 and 2008 the national expenditure healthcare cost grew from $28 billion to $2.34 trillion at an average growth of 10% annually, (Obamacare, 2011). The main difference with the House bill was its lack of surtax on wealthy individuals. H.R. 3590 has been described as having slow effects on different reforms. For example, the individual mandate has been schedule for 2014, a delay of a year. In that, if an individual does not obtain insurance coverage, they will face a penalty of $750 individually or the options of paying 2% gross income depending on the greater option. Regardless of the employees not mandatorily responsible for provisions of insurance to their employees, they are likely to face the same effects. In support of the Senat e Bill H.R. 3590, legislators argued that consumers were to benefit through the protection from unjustly practices by insurance providers. Also, the major advantage of the passed bill was the health accessibility and affordability to a larger population. As such, these legislators argued that U.S. deficit as at 2020 was likely to have reduced by approximately $100 billion. However, despite the above advantages, different groups opposed these reforms. First, they argued that the health care quality will be affected negatively yet its costs would have been increased. Different representatives from the congress approximated that the cost of the law at $2.5 trillion at a span period of 10 years and as a result, U.S. will most likely get into higher debts as noted by Coleman, Checkland, McDermott & Harrison, (2011). The Senate Bill was opposed by few stakeholders in the healthcare such as health insurers who argued that the private insurers were expected to maintain a minimum of 8% in pr emiums. Secondly, they opposed it in recognition that there will be reduction of insurance costs among small businesses. Thirdly, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce there was lack of principles in the reform that affected health status, food and drugs cases and fragmentation in the market as such they opposed this bill. On the other hand, pharmaceutical industries, physicians and AARP went in favor of the

A Very Different Age - Americans of the Progressive Era Essay

A Very Different Age - Americans of the Progressive Era - Essay Example During this era, the American society experienced various changes socially, economically and politically. The bulk of the book deals with how American people felt during the revolution and to what extent their lives changed. The book focuses on society as a whole, and does not emphasize on a particular person or event alone, there was a lot of struggle and opposition between people, as Diner writes "living increasingly in an interdependent society comprised of large institutions, individual Americans made numerous choices and competed with each other as never before to control their lives"( 3). A very different age narrates the efforts of and lives of different groups of people during the progressive era, including, businessmen and industrial workers, small businessmen and big businessmen, industrial workers and farmers, European immigrants and African migrants, middle class women and men, industrial workers and middle class workers, businessmen and professionals. The reform included the growth of "labour unions joined mostly by businessmen"(47), but these unions removed the "African Americans", women joined the workforce, immigrants accepted low paid jobs for the sake of improving their overall status, they were mostly employed in factories and mills. Inhabitants of America felt superior to the immigrants; farmers mostly had to depend on the vague capitalist system to earn a respectable income, "African American" had to fight for their rights to freedom, most of them flee the country, but it was the middle class that appeared to be the most powerful during the progressive era. According to Diner, despite the progress, there were many setbacks that occurred during the revolutionary era. Thousands of Americans still lived in poverty; African Americans struggled for their identity and "racism" (125) existed. The writer skillfully includes the work of many historians in his book; he praises some of the reformers of the time but criticizes many renowned progressives like "Teddy Roosevelt" (229) and "Woodrow Wilson (219)" who worked for their selfish motives instead of bringing change, Diner disparagingly asserts that "progressives, like other Americans, joined a contest for control under rules set by industrial capitalism" The author explains in his book that the "historians"(199) believe that the political behaviour of many Americans during the progressive era changed widely as fewer votes were cast and citizens no longer remained linked to their political parties as strict laws prevented them to cast votes. Furthermore, many social historians believed that common people were victims of intolerance and inequality, and there were many people who faced the harsh circumstances bravely and travelled from place to place in search of better jobs. People who left were mostly farmers and industrial workers, whereas, most of the urban came to America and urban population in South increased by 900,000(131), "Midwestern farmer's children went further west to buy more lands" and "African Americans" moved to rural areas. A diner is of the view that the progressive period though brought many gains but it at the same time ruined the lives of many. The "Industrial Revolution" had a different impact on different people; with its many accomplishments, it also created problems for many people. The revolution affected women’s lives most negatively and their lifestyle changed significantly.     Ã‚  

New Perspective in Organisation Management Essay

New Perspective in Organisation Management - Essay Example Writers have disagreed to the ways in which organizational cultures can be changed. There are primarily two schools of thought based on the concepts of organizational culture. One of them is based on shared values while the other is based on working practices. According to Waterman and Peters, shared values form the basic component of organizational cultures. However, Hofstede has suggested that shared perceptions of the daily practices and not the shared values form the basic components or the core of organizational culture. Incorporating changes in the shared value is considered to be more difficult as compared to changes in working practices as people remain more deeply rooted with the values rather than the practices (Black, 2003, p.16). Business management consultants and organizational socialists have increasingly stressed upon the role of soft skills in organizations. This has been the case as organizational culture is the label for the shared mental software shared by the peo ple in the organization. Organizational culture can be deviated from the conventional national culture for creating a competitive advantage of the firm. This is supposed to be especially true when organizational culture reinforces the company strategies. Studies conducted at IRIC has revealed that there is a significant correlation between the cultural strength i.e. the homogeneity of the culture and the orientation of results in the organization (Black, 2003, p.16). ... Organizational culture can be deviated from the conventional national culture for creating a competitive advantage of the firm. This is supposed to be especially true when organizational culture reinforces the company strategies. Studies conducted at IRIC has revealed that there is a significant correlation between the cultural strength i.e. the homogeneity of the culture and the orientation of results in the organization (Black, 2003, p.16). The best organizations are those which have their cultures as customer driven and also performance oriented. One of the organizations with strong organizational cultures is Disneyland. The strong culture of the organizations is depicted through all its activities like the actions of employees, running of parks and the consistency and positivity with which visitors were treated in the organization (Schermerhorn, 2009). Because this study focuses on the constructs of organizational culture it is important to make reference to the iceberg model whi ch makes a strong depiction of the organizational culture. Literature has repeatedly focused on the terms organizational climate and organizational culture. Researchers have often made the two terms interchangeable. Martin (2002) has written a book on organizational culture providing a comprehensive review of the literature on organizational culture and interesting perspective on the various issues which are related with the subject (McLean, 2005, p.3). Looking at Schein’s iceberg model, this includes all the elements of the iceberg which are under the level of water and all that which are visible. This is demonstrated in the figure below. Figure 1: The iceberg model in organization culture (Source: Schermerhorn, 2009) On

Teen Sex Trafficking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Teen Sex Trafficking - Essay Example According to an article published by the San Francisco Chronicle, the united States of America is one of the top three countries in this world that engages in the trafficking of young girls for sex (May). This is due to the fact that the country is affluent, and this affluence is the tool that the pimps use to entice the girls into coming into the country to perform as sex slaves. Most of the time, these girls live in places where the government is corrupt, the families are suffering from starvation and poverty, and life is gloomy. Trying to make things better for themselves, these girls search for jobs in the wanted ads. May states in her article that these ads are of hostess and waitressing positions in the United States. Excited that they are going to be able to be saved from a life in poverty and have an opportunity to live in a country that is full of wealth, these girls quickly respond. It is only when they arrive that they find out that they have been tricked. Then, it is much too late. There is no escape for them, as their captors keep them locked up in their place of business. Their captors instill tremendous fear in them, so they will not even think of escaping (May). San Diego New 6 states that these pimps take things a step further by destroying their identity documents and telling them that if they try to escape, their families back home will be murdered (San Diego 6). Sex trafficking does not only involve girls that are foreigners, it also involves those who are born and raised on our home soil. One might wonder how these girls are tricked into sexual slavery, since this country is not in the same condition as those of the third world. These pimps have different tactics. An ABC News report tells us that predators go wherever the children are, whether it is at the mall, the beach, or any other place that is frequented by young people. These men are so obsessed with targeting young girls that they spend time keeping up with modern trends so as to appear cool, as well as to stay up to date on all the hot hangout spots. These predators study children so much that they are able to read them and know all of their weaknesses. Some are even offered fraudulent opportunities of modeling that are promised to pay good wages (ABC News). Like the women in the third world countries who jump for the chance to come to America to make a fruitful living and enjoy a ffluence, these domestic women are enticed by the money that they will receive through modeling off top-of-the-line clothes. And just like the women overseas, they, too, are tricked and can do nothing about it, as they find out when it is too late to do anything. And because the sex slavery operation is so well hidden, many of them are never rescued from their plights. One might wonder why these teen girls continue to suffer this gross injustice and why little seems to be done about the matter. One might even reason that since we are in a developed nation, crimes such as these should be minimal. Sadly, they are not, and little protection is offered to these youngsters. One article from the Tampa Tribune explains why law enforcement does not protect these teen prostitutes as much as they should. The article states that rather than viewing these girls as victims, they are viewed as criminals who have chosen to have a complete disregard for the laws against prostitution. Social workers make the problem even worse. Rather than trying to understand these