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This article informs that when architect Aldo Celoria began designing a home for his sister in Castel San Pictro, within the Swiss canton of Ticino, he was still a student at the Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio, Switzerland. Although the 3,770-square-foot house would look completely unlike the neo-Tuscan home next door, town authorities apparently recognized the merit of Celoria's scheme, and accepted it over a din of protest. Castel San Pietro — near the Italian border and not far from Mendrisio, where Celoria was born in 1969 — is a sleepy town with a population of 1,800.

The article focuses on environmental aspects of wiring in buildings. Architects generally, do not pay attention to this aspect of building. The term wire refers to an individual strand of material that conducts electrical current, whereas cable refers to two or more wires twisted together. Virtually all wire and cable used in buildings is wrapped in plastic insulation, and most of these components are made by bundling multiple insulated wires together, sheathing them in an additional outer jacket. In general terms, power cables in commercial buildings must be either sheathed in metal armor or protected within metal conduit. INSETS: The Fluorine Debate;Greener Wiring: A Checklist for Action.

In the early 1990s, architects and engineers at the forefront of the preservation movement were troubled by the problems still faced by historic buildings, particularly historic house museums. Unfamiliar with the dynamics of old construction and eager to satisfy a range of often conflicting requirements for artifacts and occupants, many well-intended owners and designers unwittingly undermined historic fabric when they inserted new systems into existing buildings. While this approach should be applied to any historic project, the complexity will be different for each building, depending on its construction and function. By starting with what the building delivers and intervening only to eliminate the extremes, those buildings that do require additional adjustments will be subjected to less stress and the mechanical equipment will be smaller that will be an advantage in old buildings, which typically have little service space to spare.

Known for his spare, austere forms, Dutch architect Wiel Arets's work has been referred to as" industrial poetry." Lensvelt, the Dutch manufacturer of office furniture dedicated to contemporary design and production methods, enlisted Arets to design both its headquarters and a new product line. Echoing the rigid geometric forms of his buildings, the Stealth collection incorporates conference furniture, storage, and benches. The storage system was specifically designed to divide space while maintaining acoustic integrity to the open plan.