Hi everyone

A happy New Year to those using the Gregorian calendar and apologies for the
fuss for those using calendars in advance and behind this particular date
system.

A couple of items caught my attention recently.

The first was a novel concept for a revolving room. An architectural
practice have devised the innovative room segments. The web page describes
them as a series of revolving modules - like giant hamster-wheels - contain
all living-programs. no distinction anymore between wall, floor or ceiling -
just one transitional space, all in one, all at the same time! while cooking
the couch becomes the ceiling, the dining table a wall. living all around -
the easiest way to shift furniture. the interior space changes constantly
with the endless positions of each ring. a new flat every day?
 You have to go to their web site to get the full picture, but imagine a
slice of a square room in which each wall has a different function and the
outside of the room is circular. BY revolving it through 90 degrees the
seating area is replaced with a bed. Just go there and be amazed at such
fertile minds.

http://www.alleswirdgut.cc/turnon

the down side is a set of 5 would set you back £40,000, but you have to give
it to them for novelty value. Although I think the practicalities of them
might be a bit difficult to live with. The idea of the lavatory being upside
down over your head when you are in the bath section would unnerve me, even
though they do say the lavatory works on the suction principle used in
aircraft toilets and the lid locks shut when revolved!

The other item I thought was interesting but had not heard of before is the
£100,000,000 development in Vienna of 4 brick gasometers built in 1899. Each
one is 230 feet high and has been capped with a glass roof and converted
into houses, shopping complex, cinema, restaurants etc. From the picture I
saw it looked quite an interesting redevelopment.

could not find many good pictures but this gives some idea of it

http://www.gasometer.cc/gallery.php
http://www.g-town.at/s1/journey/journey.php
http://www.poeschek.com/Gasometer/gasometer.shtml

anyway all for now

catch you later folks

marcus

Marcus Ormerod
Director of SURFACE
(Salford Research Focus on Accessible Environments)
Tel +44 (0)161 295 5405
Textphone +44 (0)161 295 5405
Fax +44 (0)161 295 5011
webpage http://www.scpm.salford.ac.uk/surface/
discussion list on access in built environment at
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/accessibuilt.html

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