The biggest obstacle with construction work is to reduce fatigue as well as other physical stress that might lead to illness. In this post we will observe some of the symptoms as well as possibilities to prevent and cure the problem with traditional Chinese massage that we have learned in Shanghai. With it’s connection to work place safety, it’s good to consider not only in building design but also to design the workforce and it’s operations in a way that promotes physical as well as mental wellbeing.

However it is not easy to measure levels of fatigue or other dress and connect the statistics with rates of injury and accidents. According to studies, a worker who sleeps less than five hours or works more than sisxteen hours is considered prone to mistakes that can lead to unfortunate results.

According to the WorkSafeBC (Workers’ Compensation Board of BC):

• 17 hours working time equals to 0.05 content of blood alcohol
• 21 hours working time equals to 0.08 content of blood alcohol
• 24-25 hours working time equals to 0.10 content of blood alcohol

In canada for example, the legal limit is at 0.08 which is the most likely time for accidents when workers are wanting to sleep. This kind of sleep deficit has been linked to major accidents.

The causes of fatigue can be related to:

• Disruption of sleep or sleeping disorders
• Improper working hours, stressful shift/night work
• Both physically and mentally demanding tasks
• Individual emotional state

Battling fatigue with Chinese Massage:

Our interest in Chinenese massage started in the city in Shanghai which is home to some of the most advanced techniques to prevent fatigue through this ancient old form of medicinal practice. It is common for construction workers to receive whole body massage, either in blind masseur places or smaller massage parlors scattered around the city. Also it is not uncommon to have cheap practice on the streets and outdoors for workers. China is in an exclusive position to provide highly affordable services to cure all kinds of mental and physical stress to overcome long working hours. Also it is very common for tourists as well as visitors both western and chinese to visit parlors and spas. Those interested in a first hand experience while visiting the city are adviced to contact Massage Shanghai service which can advice on some of the best establishments in nearby locations.

Luckily there are even self-therapy programs that are possibly to practice by yourself. By dedicating five minutes to enhance your meridian energies, one can naturally reduce fatigue and increase work safety. Giving much needed energy and consentration for construction work which often requires a coordination of heavy lifting and strategic thinking. The meridian is a system of energy pathways in your body which have been accurately observed by the school of traditional chinese medicine. This network of insivible energy known as “Qi”, is connected with all parts of the body to carry out the important tasks of keeping you in balance. A disturbance in this energy field can create anything from mental, physical stress to even illness. The energy consists of the well known Yin & Yang energies, which can be brought to balance my massaging accupuncture points within the meridian line. While there is philosophy involved in the practice, it is proven by thousands of years of practice that the points do help to promote wellbeing. The great thing about massage in China is that there is no need to “believe in it”. By learning specific massage points that help workers to operate well in stressfull situations with complicated architecture projects and constructions we are able to improve performance in significant amounts.

For more details about specific therapy methods that are suitable for a targeted, international work force, please contact the Massage Shanghai service for more information.

Beijing is a rapidly changing with new buildings and constructions appearing to the cityscape. It seems that each new structure is designed to surprass the previous creation with no end in sight. In fact, the city is booming with economic development that was unimaginable during the times of the cultural revolution. Visitors to are enjoying both the traditional and modern face of the city with Beijing tour guide services that are tailored to please the curiosity of any construction enthusiasts.

Here are some of the most popular and interesting achivements from the city horizon:

New CCTV Tower

The tower building became more than famous when the adjacent TV Cultural Center was burned down due to fireworks. It detailed the construction in 2009, but this curious looking structure nicknamed “Toilet Seat” was completed in 2012. It became the new head quarters of the CCTV state run television company. This area right in the middle of Beijing’s Center Business District is filled with modern buildings of which the tower is one of the most visible in it’s huge 470,000m2 wide area that it covers. Also the building has a total of 52 floors as well as several floors under ground.

Location: East Third Ring Road, Chaoyang District
Architect: Office for Metropolitan Architecture

Capital Museum

Probably the most modern museum structure in Beijing and only comes second in size in the whole city, riviling to the National Museum. While the museum itself has been around since 1981, it moved to this new super structure in 2006 after being completed. The city wanted a structure that would house the more than 200,000 relics related to chinese culture in a safe as well as a modern environment. The over 1 billion mega structure covers an area of 60,000m2. The outside of the building is equally impressive.

Location: Xicheng District
Architect: Beijing Municipality

National Indoor Stadium

From the olympic structures built for the 2008 festival, the most known are probably “Water Cube” and the “Bird’s Nest” that hosted the majority of the events. Just nearby an equally magnificent achievement is the indoor stadium, which resembles a traditional Chinese fan. In fact thanks to it’s stricking appearance the building received a nickname “Fan”, with a steel roof that’s almost 150 meters long. It is estimated that the construction used steel totaling to an amount of 2,800 tons. 2.5 years of construction came to an end in 2007 just before the olympic games started. Thanks to it’s impressive interior, it’s now used for not only sporting events but also cultural and other local events.

Location: Olympic Park, Beijing
Architect: Beijing Olympics Commission

What other structures, both modern and traditional would you like to see on your tours to Beijing? Or perhaps you have an experience with a tour guide that you went to see a building with? Let us know in the comments and share! Thank you.

This time, I am taking the time to introduce a slightly controversial topic. That is, the world of Chinese manufacture and e-commerce for art & construction. I know not everyone is a fan of stuff that is ‘made in China’, but this kind of thinking can turn out rather narrow minded. While supporting local is something well worth supporting, it is not a realistic objective at all times. And when it comes to look for international suppliers, it’s better to make your choices wisely. Finding manufacturers that you can really trust and get connected with has become increasingly easy with well designed e-commerce shopping platforms. One that has definitely caught our attention for the Chinese market has been AliExpress! That’s why we are taking this time to introduce to you something that is dear in our hearts, even though most of the sellers are not suitable for our mindful purposes. But it’s always a quest to find the very seeds, that bring about great things in the construction of life.

Important notice for readers! – See AliExpress in English to get to grabs with the shopping site in your own language!

Aliexpress.com

AliExpress or Aliexpress.com is a worldwide retail marketplace that serves customers across the globe, especially in countries like the US, Russia, and Brazil. Aliexpress.com allows consumers from all over the planet to directly purchase a wide variety of items, including but not excluding construction and art related products. They are from manufacturers and wholesalers, mostly based in China, at reasonable and discounted prices. The company is a global leader in the wholesale business-to-consumer marketplace and is managed and operated by the Alibaba Group.

The Alibaba Group

The Alibaba Group Holding Limited is one of the biggest group companies in China with a network that is spread across 240 nations. The e-commerce giant offers C2C, B2C, and B2B sales services through web or internet portals. Other additional services include data-based cloud computing, search engine for shopping, and e-payment. In 1999, Jack Ma launched the B2B website Alibaba.com for connecting Chinese manufacturers and international buyers; this was the beginning of the group.

Alibaba offered its IPO in September 2014 and raised $25 billion, thereby making it the biggest IPO ever. After the IPO, market value of Alibaba was estimated to be $231 billion.

The Story of Aliexpress.com

Aliexpress.com was started by the Alibaba Group in 2010 after it realized the potential and importance of wholesale business-to-consumer marketplaces. It is currently a dependable online shopping community where customers can easily buy high-quality Chinese products at competitive wholesale prices.
From the time it was launched, nearly 4 million suppliers and buyers from across the globe have registered at Aliexpress.com; it is ample proof of the satisfaction levels of the elite customer and the trustworthy online services provided by the company. The website is now available in English.

AliExpress has been one of the most rapidly growing businesses in the Alibaba Group. And not just in the art & construction category, but in total the sales of the company have recorded an average growth of 300 percent every year. In the 12 months before June 2014, it generated cross-border sales of $4.5 billion. Also, since inception, Aliexpress.com has traded a total of $81.6 billion worth of goods till June 2014.

AliExpress earns by charging sellers on the portal for marketing services as well as by taking a 5 percent commission on all sales. This has resulted in huge earnings over the years. The revenue nearly doubled from $29 million to $58 million by June 2014.

Some of the salient features of Aliexpress.com are listed below:

• Customers can order products of any number and purchase even one product at wholesale prices.
  AliExpress has put more emphasis on medium and small entrepreneurs. It is a huge employer and has about 24,000 workers in different cities of China, UK, Japan, India, US, and Korea.
• The ‘Buyer Protection’ feature along with express delivery ensures that sellers only get paid after customers have received the products in a timely fashion and are fully satisfied with it.
• Aliexpress.com offers nearly 6000 types of different products in 44 varied categories, including home, apparel, computers, shoes, electronics, toys, automotive, bags & luggage, jewelry, and lights, etc. Each product comes with specifications, overview, pictures, and other detailed information that helps customers make the correct choice before placing an order.
• AliExpress bought a 25 percent stake in One97-owned Paytm and thus entered the e-commerce marketplace in India.
• Aliexpress.com offers shipping to 220 overseas nations as well as translation into eighty languages, including English, French, German, Spanish & Italian.

I think that anyone who makes anything, it can be related to architecture or not, should think about what they are doing. This what, contains the why, the how and all the motives that go behind the construction. For someone it could be money, for others it could be a certain sense of accomplishment. Everyone has a reason for doing something and for most people it’s not really about the money. What is common however, is that people are doing things without being aware of this background. Even if you start from a financial motive, eventually if you really want to grow in your career.. the truth will come out and maybe you will move on to something else or find the right way to do things in what you are focusing on at the moment. In construction we can see this all the time and I know many people who have simply transformed after they have really found their inner calling in architecture.

I tend to be a bit philosophical at times but so is my work when I go out there and explore my possiblities. I like to go the roots of things and find an essence, a starting point in everything. There are many things in life that can remind me of these kinds of circumstances, for example my recent visit to a Drum Show in Beijing. Always mixing pleasure with work as they tell me. But who would go to China without having a bit of fun, right! This is an intense show, where they use the ancient Chinese Jiangzhou drums to make the performances. In fact, it is performed by the most famous and popular “Jiang Zhou Drum Troupe” who have come far from the mountains to perform right in the capital city of Beijing. A place I go frequently for work and architectural meetings. Anyway, this show truly had an effect on me, both physically and mentally. Because the music is so impressive and really goes deep into your being, where it penetrates and gives you a sort of an enlightement.

For me, this enlightement was our roots and how my inspiration is at the very core of human consciousness itself. When there is a construction project, I like to make sure that the basis of the work is perfect in so many ways. The Chinese drum is just the same, where the beat is the same as the beat of the heart. Something that gives life to things, from buildings to apartments, to anything that wants to become alive through the medium of a human being. This indeed, is my mission in architecture! To go into the beat of the ancient drum that controls our hearts. The Beijing drum show was exactly and even more that, a connection with your being that wants to create beautiful things. It wants to preserve nature, to unite people with knowledge and tune with the drum that gives us direction and meaning in our work.

If you want to see the intensity and impressiveness for yourself. Well, I would suggest visiting Beijing like I do frequently. If that’s not an option for you, just see the drum show trailer and you will at least get a sneak peak of the jiang zhou drum performance. Exploring YouTube has indeed been the second best inspiration source for me after travelling. At least, when I am at home of course!

See you in China! <3

Chinese architecture started from ancient cave-dwellings, that are still inhabited on the flat yellow plains in varioust parts of Northern China. You ca be sure not to find any kinds of modern accomidites from these caves, but they don’t come without their benefits of course. For example, they are very warm in the winter as well as cool in the hot summer time. This and the also classic nest dwellings date back 7,000 years. If you want to look at where all this has lead up to, you only need to look into direction of the modern capital of today know as Beijing.

While largely the construction scene has been fully evelated to the current century, you can still see traces of the historical past. And even some, that has been erected only recently. While such examples are unfortunately few, we are lucky that there are some which reflects the genius behind Chinese architecture. In the old days, constructions were made to please the eye and sooth the soul on top of convenience and sustainability. Now the economic profit model has come into play, which is something that simply has to be accepted. There is no way turning back as China has become the rich country it is today. Instead, it’s better to focus on what is still revining the structural environment with respect to tradition. Another such place, is definitely the Chaoyang Theatre in Beijing that houses a nation-wide, as well as world famous acrobatic show.

As it is with most constructions, it is equally important what is happening inside the building than how it is constructed within it’s outer core. The best way to combine all these necessary elements into one, is through tourism. Chinese acrobatic troupes have provided this kind of a basis for traditional development for years now with occational but huge scale success. Just look at the times they have show at the Chaoyang Theatre, which is now a whopping four times a day. There is simply no way to look over this venue, as obviously there are important variety arts being acted out. To fascilitate such an amazing acrobatic show, they equally needed a building that would represent the venue itself in a traditional and respectful way. A theatre building that connects with something as ancient as Chinese acrobatics itself was the outcome.

As was the peak of Chinese architecture, during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Now it was time for Chaoyang District to show it’s capabilities. While boasting with several modern structures already, such as the CCTV Headquarters, a traditional flavor brought in exactly the kind of spirit that the place lacked. Best of all, with the right kind of sustainable mentality amongst all the beauty created over the years, we can expect the theatre construct to stay standing for centuries to come.

For those interested you can find the building at the location below, and don’t forget to go and watch the show too if needed. There are discount tickets available for advanced bookings. Check it out at the link within the article.

Address: 36 North East Third Ring Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
Venue: Chaoyang Theatre | The Flying Acrobatics Show

More China construction news coming later!

One of the favorite subjects on architecture is China. Because it just shows you all the great examples of how things can be achieved in a traditional way, while now exploring the extreme heights of modern architecture. What interests us is the more traditional part, which is still prevalent even in modern building projects. Although many might have forgotten these old styles, without a doubt such a long history has it’s effect on every day lives of the Chinese people.

One important element is symmetry, which is just everywhere. From palaces to old farm houses, symmetry has been practiced with one exception however which is the Chinese garden. After all, you need to have balance even with symmetry and what better way to bring that into reflection than embracing what nature provides. Something however which is strikingly common from a very old age, is that just like in the modern days houses were fenced off to protect the inhabitants.

While it’s not all Fengshui, of course it’s an important part especially in the ancient times. But basically the goal is the same as in most constructions, which is to create an environment that is well fitted for living, for everyone. The way in which this is achieved however is very down to earth. Taking into account three elements (sancai), which are the heaven, earth and humans. When you think about it, it pretty much sums down everything that is needed for any design of the construction project. Except now they have different names and terminologies. If you have never heard of the doric order, lancet window or the martyrium, not to worry. Everyone has heard of happiness, well-being and health. Might sound obvious, but seems that in modern day architecture it is not. Or rather, as if the most necessary elements are so hidden in modern terminology that these ideals that should be true to any designer, are becoming lost and forgotten.

For us, architecture is all about prioritising. And whenever we feel like if there is any change that we might ahve lost our way. We look upon Fengshui and the basic elements of Chinese architecture. It gives us not just path, but our roots for those things that should not be forgotten. Architecture is more of a science than a profit machine. While we must accept the economic principles that govern much of the business around it, it is no excuse to make constructions that do not bring forth harmony in our planet and well-being in our selves. This is the value that IFAC teaches day and night, just to remember and bring awareness.

The problem with our industry is it’s size. Without a doubt, the most creative and benefitial projects of our times within art and construction, are the ones that are smaller in scale. When you make something with dedication, it’s hard to stay focus when you have a corporation on your neck to worry about. It’s understandable, but that choice is a free one for all which I encourage everyone to think properly.. if it is something that they truly want or not.

Havin met with so many industry leaders through our conference and my travels in different countries, I can say that there is one thing that unites us all. Everyone wants to do the good thing. Never have I actually met someone in the construction business who wanted to do a bad work. Yet unfortunately this is often enough how things turn out in modern day industrialised environments. It is as if creation and passion has been left out of the equation, and design has become something mass produced. Mass perfected to create a low cost environment for those who want living solutions fast and now without thinking about long term consequences.

This is the very unfortunate outcome of today’s industrial leadership, and at IFAC we have always brought awareness towards that very issue. In a nutshell, the biggest responsability is of those who are in head positions of such companies. Lower workers are understandably subject to the command from above so to say. Which doesn’t mean that those people in executive positions are any more bad, it’s just that awareness has dissapeared. Decision making is based on economics, rather than the dozen or so other important factors that make up the big picture. By being aware of each step, one falls down and no longer wants to be competitive on the market. This over competitive attitude has become one of the biggest problems today. But there is hope, as people understand to invest in sustainability and beauty. Being in harmony with nature is worth every penny and we don’t need such competitive, nature destructive attitudes.

Spreading the word.

There are many architectural achievements, in fact so many that it is simply impossible to list even a fraction of them. That’s where passion of interest comes in handy. One that we have developed over the years. It didn’t always go as expected, indeed our passion for theatre buildings is something that took a sudden turn on our visit to China. One that has kept us busy for the past few years in our career of being an architecture. Since 2013 in fact, when we visited the capital city of Beijing we have been investigation several theatre venues which will be covered in future posts, including this one.

The international plainfield has always been the most rewarding. Just add in a colorful bunch of people from different backgrounds, cultures and add in a sense of tradionalism from the country natives. What you often get is a suprising effect of the original, as well as tradition that manages to touch peoples hearts. Yet, take them to new horizons which have are unexplored for the most part. The very recent which we had an honor of visiting in Beijing, was the theatre construction that hosts the fantastic show of golden mask dynasty. Every great story such as this, needs a magical construction to accompany the show. One which preferably has proper funding, so as not to prevent creativity to bloome at it’s fullest. China is an extremely exciting playground for architecture, especially when it comes to brilliant theatre venues as this one, where expressionism and individualism is at a new level. It’s all an odd mix to say the least, because China is far from individualism in it’s core.. yet you have these theatrical constructions that simply bloom with original ideas in peculiar Chinese contects. To understand this fantastic “OCT Theatre” building, at the lively happy valley in beijing, we need to look closer.

The strong relationship that we developed with this round and majestic building, is mostly thanks to the Golden Mask Dynasty Show that was presented to us within it. While we had heard much about the construction and how much money was put into it.. we had little idea about the performance we were about to see. In this ball shaped audience, you surround the stage from a 280degree angle. So that depending on where you are sitting, the show will look different. Now that is a design that is not new in China, but what has seen a new concept is how the stage performance takes that into advantage. Creating scenes that are very up and close to the spectators, and depending on the seat, it takes turn to give that special up and close moment to the viewer.

In a sense, we felt that the environment was like three dimensional. From the entrance, and the more you went inside the theatre building itself.. the more you felt like going deep into a three dimensional field. And don’t get us started on the stage.. which of course was bumped up with the latest equipment and technology money can find. Well that construction really feels like something special to us.. just like China is one of the most important countries to watch out for in terms of international architectural achievement. That’s the way we like it, and the nightlife in Beijing is simply magnificent! Check it out if you are interesting.. and we will cover more theatre and show venues soon!

We strongly believe in having a clear motive, as well as a goal in construction. This does come with a warning however. Because we have seen so many architects just sticking to the one thing, and refusing to change their style even after finding out that it might not be the most benefitial. For us, change is always an important element of design.. one which even us who embrace it have a difficult time with. But it’s exactly the reason that we are ready to change whenever we find our ways going to the wrong direction. It takes a lot of discipline and even courage to face oneself and the authorities breathing down your neck.

It’s really an endless battle between those who fund architectural projects and those who create them. One thing of course is that there needs to be balance between the two, and whoever is behind the project needs to respect the wishes of the paying customer. But this should never be a one way situation, and in fact we feel that the goals and motives should be the baseline of the work. If they match with the client, then work can start with a gracefull pace.

But then comes to financial motive, which makes us work for projects that don’t exactly fit the motive why we started in the profession in the first place. That’s why even that needs to be balanced out.. as everything it seems. So what can one do to tackle with so many issues and keep them in a good harmonious path all the time. At the IFAC 2013 we gave this issue a lot of thought since we want to encourage architects to make something that they are passionate about.

Over the course of so many years and so many mistakes, the answers were right in front of us. In those very mistakes are the answers, and ever since we have even encourage people to do them. Only that way one can find the right path, because each one is extremely individual. This must be the goal of the architect, one that takes the career to heights never seen before that everyone can enjoy because we can say..

Creativity has blossomed. Artistic beauty is here.

Those are the humble, yet ambitious Goals & Motives of the IFAC.

In todays world, we have a so called “green revolution” going on. Where people focus on producing things in an ecologic way so as to bring a more benefitial way of living to the world. While all this is something that is greatly needed in our world, it does have it’s problems. In fact, such approach has huge limitations in actually bringing architecture back into it’s natural and ecological form.

By boxin onself into the concept of ecology, there are limits to what you can do and how much of an influece you can have on the world. Instead, we believe that we should be focusing on mattes that really matter to all of us in the world. Rather than creating divition, we should be creating unity. And what better way, than education that is benefitial for everyone. From industry leaders, to corporate owners, or even individual carpenters.

We do this, by not having an ecological approach but a practical one. Because we truly believe that practical is ecological by nature and you don’t need to even put that much thought into the ecology of it. In stead, when one realises that practical sollutions are better for us in so many ways.. and that the currect consctruction industry is far from anything practical. It is exactly that realasation, that we can connect with and everyone has the potential to understand.

And this is not thinking less of anyone. In fact, this is something I believe to more of an natural. You could almost say, that green revolution often times is far from natural. Because it creates divition. We need to make things sustainable and convenient so that everyone can benefit. Not just those who enjoy putting effort into the green side of things.