House of Shelves

The innovative 'Shelf-pod' house in Osaka, Japan can hold 10 tons of books. Photo: Kazuya Morita Architecture Studio

Floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall shelving defines a compact, 557-square-foot home in Osaka prefecture, Japan, designed by Japanese Architect Kazuya Morita.
Designed for a young historian with an extensive book collection in Islamic history, Morita designed the house with interlocking laminated pine boards that slot together to form a lattice of towering shelving units.


 Every element -- from the stairs to the windows -- were scaled to the individual shelf unit, "with the aim of achieving geometrical harmony which is comparable to Islamic architecture," Morita's website notes.
The shelving had to be strong enough to support the entire house. "This is an unusual structure. I never experienced this kind of architecture," said Morita, who declined to disclose the cost to build the house. Numerous tests and experiments were run on models to ensure the structural integrity and convince city planning officials to issue a building permit. The home's exterior features a painted clay and bamboo wall, with cedar exterior wall plate. The interior is finished with plaster.

Exterior of the shelf-pod house in Osaka. Photo: Kazuya Morita Architecture Studio

"It can support 10 tons of books," said Morita, who opened his architecture studio in 2000. And, he added, "it can survive earthquakes."
The shelving even extends into the home's bathroom, covering a wall above the toilet and bathtub.
Construction of the shelving for the "Shelf-Pod" home began in mid-2006, and the home was completed in March 2007. Morita's website details the many stages of construction, including the preconstruction of the large shelving units, which were assembled and structurally tested in a massive laboratory at Kyoto University's Katsura Campus.
He commented in a blog post that the client "was not entirely (sure) how to use this," when he saw the design. Morita also commented that he was "rather pleasantly surprised," during a visit to the home in 2008, to see how the client had furnished the home and was using the space.

A good place for knick-knacks. Photo: Kazuya Morita Architecture Studio

Considered part of a new generation of architects, the 39-year-old Morita has wowed interior design and architecture critics with the Shelf-Pod and some other innovative and unique housing designs, including the "Pentagonal House." He noted that the Shelf-Pod was one of his most ambitious and challenging projects.
For Morita, the Shelf-Pod embodies a movement toward smaller, greener houses, and the increasing need to build more compactly in crowded big cities and retrenching suburban communities. He describes his work as a harmonious marriage of traditional and modern architecture, which incorporates sustainable materials and eco-friendly amenities. His homes blend indoor and outdoor environments and demonstrate that comfortable living can come in small spaces.
"Japanese architecture always has to be smaller. We have to live more efficiently," he said in an interview from his office in Kyoto, Japan. "Many big cities have the same problems. They are sprawling and sprawling. It's a very international situation." His smaller home designs, he said, are "very useful in China, New York, London and other big cities."

comment : it's beautiful. I think that's very good.

Suanluang Rama IX Flower Park

          The Suanluang flower park in Bangkok was unveiled in 1987, the flower park was built in celebration for the 60th birthday celebrations for His Majesty King Rama IX’s 60th Birthday.

This park is a famous place for running and exercise, Bangkok inhabitants usually jog around this park and you can normally see individuals performing athletic training, yoga and training martial arts in this park.

This flower park is the largest public park in Bangkok. This Bangkok flower park is an oasis in an urban metropolis and is somewhere often ignored by tourists that do not take the time to explore the recreation areas in this park. The park is part botanical garden and partly for entertainment. It is a fantastic place to go running early every morning or late in the evening to mix your fitness program with relaxing following a hectic day working and driving in Bangkok.

Suanluang represents the finest of the flower gardens in Thailand. You will find four primary areas in the Botanical flower gardens in this park, they are the Rommaniya Garden, The Reservoir, Sanam Rasdara, and the Water Garden. You can go running in the park, then row a boat out to the center of the stunning Water Garden and then finish up with a relaxing outdoor picnic between the wonderful flowers in the Botanical Flower gardens.

Rommaniya Garden: In December annually you can see the renowned Bangkok Flower Show within the date of His Majesty The King’s Birthday. There are lots of flower booths, where Bangkok florists will meet to display and sell their flower arrangement and potted plants. You can purchase a potted orchid plant for as little as $2.

The Reservoir: The man-made lake in The Reservoir is a popular spot for boating and water sports , on Buddhist holidays you may usually see free cultural events and public exhibits and if you are lucky and see the Loy Krathong Festival with wonderful candles and sky lanterns over the lake you’re definitely in for a treat. 

Sanam Rasdara: This Botanical garden features hundreds of species of orchid plants. The Golden Shower Flower garden presents the Ratchaphruek flowers which are the national flower of Thailand. 

Water Garden: This flower garden presents many types of lilies, that are very popular flowers in Thailand. It is possible to rent a boat and float aimlessly amongst the lovely and really fragrant lilies and admire the giant carp. Fishing is totally prohibited. 

Getting There: to visit Suanluang flower gardens grab any Bangkok taxi, the term is pronounced “Sooang Laarm” if you might need to speak clearly to the taxi driver. You may also ask for “Park Seri Center” and they should understand.

Traveling by bus take public bus 206 or 511, disembark at the Seri Center and cross the road and stroll to the left right until you start to see the sign for Bangkok Flower park.

HOW TO LEARN ENGLISH!

Here are some tips which may help you to master the English Language!

Speak without Fear

The biggest problem most people face in learning a new language is their own fear.  They worry that they won’t say things correctly or that they will look stupid so they don’t talk at all.  Don’t do this.  The fastest way to learn anything is to do it – again and again until you get it right.  Like anything, learning English requires practice.  Don’t let a little fear stop you from getting what you want. 

Use all of your Resources

Even if you study English at a language school it doesn’t mean you can’t learn outside of class.  Using as many different sources, methods and tools as possible, will allow you to learn faster.  There are many different ways you can improve your English, so don’t limit yourself to only one or two.  The internet is a fantastic resource for virtually anything, but for the language learner it's perfect. 

Surround Yourself with English

The absolute best way to learn English is to surround yourself with it.  Take notes in English, put English books around your room, listen to English language radio broadcasts, watch English news, movies and television.  Speak English with your friends whenever you can. The more English material that you have around you, the faster you will learn and the more likely it is that you will begin “thinking in English.” .

Listen to Native Speakers as Much as Possible

There are some good English teachers that have had to learn English as a second language before they could teach it.  However, there are several  reasons why many of the best schools prefer to hire native English speakers. One of the reasons is that native speakers have a natural flow to their speech that students of English should try to imitate.  The closer ESL / EFL students can get to this rhythm or flow, the more convincing and comfortable they will become. 

Watch English Films and Television

This is not only a fun way to learn but it is also very effective.  By watching English films (especially those with English subtitles) you can expand your vocabulary and hear the flow of speech from the actors.  If you listen to the news you can also hear different accents. 

Listen to English Music

Music can be a very effective method of learning English.  In fact, it is often used as a way of improving comprehension.  The best way to learn though, is to get the lyrics (words) to the songs you are listening to and try to read them as the artist sings.  There are several good internet sites where one can find the words for most songs. This way you can practice your listening and reading at the same time.  And if you like to sing, fine.

Study As Often As Possible!

Only by studying things like grammar and vocabulary and doing exercises, can you really improve your knowledge of any language. 

Do Exercises and Take Tests

Many people think that exercises and tests aren't much fun.  However, by completing exercises and taking tests you can really improve your English. One of the best reasons for doing lots of exercises and tests is that they give you a benchmark to compare your future results with.  Often, it is by comparing your score on a test you took yesterday with one you took a month or six months ago that you realize just how much you have learned.  If you never test yourself, you will never know how much you are progressing. Start now by doing some of the many exercises and tests on this site, and return in a few days to see what you've learned. Keep doing this and you really will make some progress with English.

Record Yourself

Nobody likes to hear their own voice on tape but like tests, it is good to compare your tapes from time to time.  You may be so impressed with the progress you are making that you may not mind the sound of your voice as much.

Listen to English

By this, we mean, speak on the phone or listen to radio broadcasts, audiobooks or CDs in English. This is different than watching the television or films because you can’t see the person that is speaking to you.  Many learners of English say that speaking on the phone is one of the most difficult things that they do and the only way to improve is to practice.

Finally

Have fun!

My self

Hello ! My name is Punnawich Prabpal.
My nickname is Petch.
My birthday is on 12 October 1995
I'm 15 years old.
I live in Nakhonpathom.
I study at Kasetsart university laboratory school kamphaeng saen campus educational research and development center.
I'm grade 10.
I have one sister.
I like ponyo.
My favourite sport is table tennis.
My favourite color is white.
My E-mail is petch_z_z_z_z_@hotmail.com
In the future I want to be a Architect.