Category: General (Page 27 of 29)

Simon Open Door 2010

March 30, 2010 / aoife / 0 Comments

28.04.2010 Update:

The Simon Open Door event has been extended for two more weeks. Please contact RIAI to find out who are the Architects participating in your area.

To book a consultation with Isabel Barros Architects in Wexford just ring our office 053 91 789 57.

We are delighted to announce our participation in this year’s “Simon Open Door 2010”.

The Simon Communities of Ireland work with people who experience homelessness and housing exclusion in Ireland. Simon has a vision of society where no one is homeless. All people who are homeless, or at risk of facing homelessness, are given every opportunity to realise their potential to live fulfilled lives in appropriate homes of their own. Simon is recognised for providing innovative solutions to ending homelessness and for influencing government policy and public opinion.

This year will be the sixth year that the Simon Communities of Ireland has been in partnership with the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland. Over the course of this wonderful partnership almost €200,000 has been raised for the Simon Communities of Ireland through the R.I.A.I. Simon Open Door initiative.

Anyone hoping to build, renovate or extend their home may be interested in this initiative. Isabel Barros Architects will offer an hour long consultation in return for a donation of €50 to charity. All of the money raised goes towards the work of the Simon Communities of Ireland.

You can sign up for an appointment with Isabel Barros Architects on either Saturday 24th April or Sunday 25th April, just log in at www.simonopendoor.ie.

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Why You Should Check Your Site or House for Geopathic Stress Lines

October 21, 2009 / aoife / 1 Comment

If you are planning to build a new home or finding your sleep and health disturbed in your current house (or office) you may want to consider having your property checked for Geopathic Stress Lines.

Geopathic Stress is said to be the result of spending long periods working or sleeping above any building or place where the Earth’s natural energy is disturbed by weak electromagnetic fields created by underground streams, certain mineral concentrations, fault lines and cavities.

Some classical symptoms often experienced are related to restless sleep, headaches, insomnia and fatigue.

Geopathic Stress Lines

While we are asleep our body should be resting so it can repair body cells, fight infections and absorb nutrients from food. However, it is believed that if we sleep in an area affected by Geopathic Stress, our body has to use all its energy just to keep its vital organs going. As a result our immune system becomes weakened, which means it has difficulty in absorbing nutrients or fighting off infections as efficiently as it should. Then in the long term the stresses on our bodies will emerge as more serious conditions. Cancer is the most notorious of these, and tumours are known to develop almost always at exactly the spot where two or more GS lines cross a person’s body as they lie asleep in their bed. Other diseases often associated with GS lines are: leukaemia, lymphomas, multiple sclerosis, infertility, miscarriage, cot death, etc.

Read this article for a good insight on Geopathic stress lines with many case studies and examples. Click here.

On the other side, Geopathic Stress has been described as a pseudoscience by those skeptical of the concept. Many argue that it has no basis in legitimate science and that a variety of modern devices cause the same problems. I let you decide what to do but as they say in Portugal : “I don’t believe in witches, but that they exist, they exist ”.

If you need someone with good experience in GS lines in the Wexford area give a look at Brendan Murphy’s website.

There is also a quite interesting discussion with some testimonials here.

For me, as an Architect, it’s important to know about my client’s concerns regarding this issue so I can address them at an early stage when sitting the building on the site or when re-styling their house or office.

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10 Questions to Ask Your Architect

September 22, 2009 / aoife / 1 Comment

You finally did the big step and decided to appoint an Architect to be responsible for the design of your dream house or so much expected extension, renovation or any other project.

Architects have the most appropriate training and experience to design, co-ordinate and manage your building project, you surely did the right decision.

But before you appoint an Architect these questions should help you to select the right candidate. They are not exactly 10 but in reality you should be asking many more.

1. Are you a member of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI)?

2. Can I look at examples of your work?

3. When can you start and how long do you estimate the design process will take for our project? What will be the key milestone dates for the design stage, planning and construction?

4. What is going to be your approach to our project? What do you consider to be the most important issues on our project, and the biggest challenges?

5. What is your approach to sustainable strategies and green architecture?

6. Will you be doing the work personally? If not, can we meet the staff who will and see some of his or her work? Will we be meeting directly with the person who is doing the design work?

7. How do you establish fees for a project? When do they have to be paid?

8. What is included in your services? What is excluded from your services?

9. What services will you provide during construction for our project?

10. Do you carry professional indemnity insurance?

The answers for the above questions should tell you how compatible his/her style, approach and personality are with your own. And should give you an indication of whether the chemistry between you is right.

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