New Zealand or Bust - update3

nbi request for clarification documents

tama ba namang may kaso pala ko sa maynila back in 2005 ng di ko alam - "grave physical injuries", buti na lang wala ko duon at that time hehehehehe. delayed tuloy ang pagrelease ng aking nbi clearance, i had to get an affidavit of denial ( sample) from the embassy.

they call it the "BIRD's NEST"

The main stadium for next year's Beijing Olympic Games, the $400 million "bird's nest", will open to the public for the first time in April 2008.

other renderings 1 2 3 4 5

Herzog and DeMeuron’s Olympic Stadium, fondly referred to by some as the “Bird’s Nest,” is a feat of engineering, an aesthetic marvel, and an uber-green machine to boot. What we love most about the stadium’s design is its integration of a myriad complex systems all rolled into such an aesthetically and conceptually simple and stunning object. The Swiss architects describe it best, saying, “The spatial effect of the stadium is novel and radical and yet simple and of an almost archaic immediacy. Its appearance is pure structure. Facade and structure are identical.”

The structure itself is composed of a grid-like formation that serves as both structure and facade, integrating the stairs, walls, and roof into one cohesive system. Instead of form being dictated by function, Herzog and DeMeuron’s design effectively removes the distinction, making function and form one in the same.

Such a large-scale and highly-trafficked building raises questions of waste, efficiency, and cost, but the “Bird’s Nest” seems to pose innovative, green solutions to a variety of potential building issues. Its green features include a rainwater collection system, a translucent roof that provides essential sunlight for the grass below, and a natural, passive ventilation system.

Perhaps the most unique feature of the structure is its “cushion” system which strategically fills the spaces within the building’s facade to regulate wind, weather, and sunlight. On the rooftop, the inflatable cushions fill gaps to weather- and waterproof the stadium. “Just as birds stuff the spaces between the woven twigs of their nests with a soft filler, the spaces in the structure of the stadium will be filled with inflated cushions.” Coincidentally, the cushions will be made from ETFE, the same material used to create the translucency of the “bubble building” across the Olympic park.

Sculptural rather than an architectural sensory overload like many a contemporary stadium, “it meets all the functional and technical requirements of an Olympic National Stadium, but without communicating the insistent sameness of technocratic architecture dominated by large spans and digital screens.”

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anton santos pics

New Zealand or Bust - update2

waiting...waiting...waiting...

- for the meeting to start at Chang'An Spa, clients showed up two hours later. After only fifteen minutes our meeting ended. Wish i could say the same for my NZ visa. Got an email from the visa officer, says it's already approved "in principle". Problem is - i have to wait almost a month para sa feedback from their medical assessor in NZ regarding my medical tests. Kaya i'm back to waiting....

one moment in time...

- fullsize dioramas.

a scene from "enemy at the gates"?

moonlighting as a scout for the great genghis khan.

...handing the chairman a scarf.

a day at the museum

...the military museum.

.....ahhhhhh!

-nooohhhh!

standing tall...literally.

stuck between a rock (marx) and a hard place (lenin).

missiles of november

me in foreground to show scale

parked outside the military museum in beijing is this obsolete IRBM (intermediate range ballistic missile), the DF-2 was part of the Dong Feng/Julang missile series.

business end of an IRBM

tail section - upclose and personal

iphone and me

visited bisazaa showroom today, thought it would be a nice place to test the iphone's camera.

...my hands were'nt steady.