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Riken Yamamoto, a Tokyo architect, has been awarded the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize. Yamamoto's work focuses on the importance of community and communal living, which he developed through his travels and experiences in various countries. His designs aim to make community visible in modern cities, and he prioritizes long-lasting architecture with durable materials. Yamamoto's projects include private residences, public-housing projects, museums, fire stations, schools, and university campuses. He is currently working on the Taoyuan Museum of Art in Taiwan and has plans to design small communities and townships in the future. [Extracted from the article]

Vincent Tirado's novel, "We Came to Welcome You," explores the challenges of homeownership through the story of Sol Reyes and Alice Song, an Afro-Dominican and Korean interracial couple who have just moved into a gated community in Maneless Grove, Conn. The couple, one of the few queer couples in the neighborhood, feels the pressure to conform to the community's strict rules enforced by the Home Owners Association. Sol, dealing with alcohol addiction and a plagiarism accusation at work, becomes increasingly paranoid as she starts experiencing strange occurrences in their new house. The novel delves into themes of class, sexuality, and race in suburban life, although the climax introduces unexpected elements that may leave readers disoriented. Overall, "We Came to Welcome You" offers a thought-provoking exploration of homeownership and its complexities. [Extracted from the article]

Tessa Fontaine's novel, "The Red Grove," explores the coming-of-age journey of sixteen-year-old Luce Shelley within an intentional community for women in Northern California. Luce has lived in the remote commune, Red Grove, for eight years with her mother, Gloria, and her aunt, Gem. When a client of Gloria's dies on the premises and a reporter suspects the commune's involvement, Gloria disappears, prompting Luce to uncover the secrets of Red Grove. Fontaine skillfully portrays Luce's growth and her complex understanding of her community and family, although the ending may stretch believability. [Extracted from the article]

A recent study by Point2 ranked the top 10 U.S. cities where Gen Z individuals have a better chance of becoming homeowners. The study considered factors such as home price-to-income ratio, median sale price difference, inventory, share of homes sold above listing price, days on the market, homeownership rate, and unemployment rate. The results showed that Gen Z individuals may have better options in the Midwest and the South, rather than coastal areas. This information can be helpful for young people looking to buy a home and considering their options. [Extracted from the article]

The article focuses on nearly 30 councils planning to use new powers under the Levelling Up & Regeneration Act 2023 to increase council tax on second homes, potentially generating 100 million euro in additional income, with 27 councils expressing interest and expecting to raise 104 million euro annually, but revenue collection starting only in 2025-26 due to the one-year notice requirement.

The article focuses on various issues in local government, including concerns about Nottingham City Homes causing stress by giving abrupt eviction notices, calls to extend the household support fund, raising premiums on second home owners.

This article reports that Simon Condor Associates sculpted Vista House as a direct response to its rugged. London, England-based architect Simon Condor designed the house with materials available from the local store in the manner of other nearby homeowners. The result fuses the language of neo-vernacular with a modestly Modernist bent. Condor, whose practice has never exceeded four people, has designed some exceptional residences and workplaces in England, the U.S., Germany, and Japan. While its footprint remained intact, all other aspects of the house changed. Internally, priority was given to maximizing the public areas, which are clad in a modestly priced Finnish spruce plywood that is knottier than birch but that Condor made sure was fitted to the highest standards.

The article focuses on homeowners and business owners cleaning up after the flooding that happened from Hurricane Matthew.

The article focuses on Gradual Home Ownership(GHO) . Topic discussed include private markets solution to a financing market problem by temporarily sourcing the missing equity from pension funds under GHO; working principle of GHO and how an aspiring homeowner can buy a home; and Investors are able to partner with occupiers whose interests are better aligned with theirs than under short-term letting arrangement.

The article features Nexus 21, an American company known for its urban camouflage solutions. Nexus 21's customers span 33 countries, ranging from homeowners to hotel designers. One of its products is the L-90 TV Lift which allows a 90-inch television to be concealed from view when not in use. Nexus 21 collaborated with igus for its cable management system.

Inventories of homes for sale have been slow to bounce back since the 2007-09 recession, despite steady house price appreciation since January 2012. One probable reason why many homeowners are not putting their homes on the market is that their properties may still be worth less than the value of their mortgages, which would leave them owing additional money after a sale. In other cases, homeowners may simply be hoping that house prices will continue to rise, allowing them to recover lost equity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses the firefighting situations in which forcible entry is appropriate, noting that firefighters should avoid damaging property whenever possible. He presents an example of a firefighter entry through a door with a quarter turnkey lock without damaging the door or compromising security. Several considerations for building entry decision making are offered, including the amount of time required, costs of potential repairs, and the cooperation of the property owner.

Most homeowners policies, including the "ISO standard" HO-3 examined in this paper, cover damage to the dwelling on the "residence premises" shown in the policy declarations. The term "residence premises" is defined to include the dwelling "where you reside." According to some interpretations and court decisions, if the named insured and/or resident spouse no longer reside in the dwelling, coverage on that structure immediately terminates. If this school of thought is correct, this gives rise to a number of circumstances that may lead to a catastrophic coverage gap for such insureds. The purpose of this article is to explore these circumstances, the rationale for/against coverage and possible solutions to avoid potentially catastrophic coverage gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on underwater mortgage which occurs when house prices reduce to a point where house value is smaller than the existing loan balance. It mentions that a homeowner at an underwater point, in which the house value is equivalent to outstanding mortgage balance, still has incentive to live in the house. It says that the default point refers to the house price at which the benefits and costs of staying are equal to benefits and costs of leaving.

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast, causing massive suffering, injury, death, and property damage from wind and flooding. Katrina was a catastrophe of unprecedented magnitude, creating the largest storm surge ever recorded in the United States and the largest insured hurricane loss in U.S. history. On September 15, 2005, the insurance industry was jolted when Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood filed suit against all insurance companies with homeowners losses from Katrina. The purpose of the lawsuit was to void the flood exclusion in the homeowners contract and force the companies to pay all damages resulting from wind as well as flood. This article reviews the homeowners coverages for wind, the flood and concurrent cause exclusions, and the theory of efficient proximate cause. The coverages under the standard flood insurance policy are also reviewed. The article then analyzes the attorney general lawsuit from a legal perspective, the characteristics of the Mississippi homeowners market, and the potential impact on the Mississippi market if the lawsuit is successful. The article concludes with a call for innovative solutions to increase homeowners availability and affordability in hurricane-prone areas and to provide greater certainty in handling future claims involving both wind and flood damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the impact of economic downturn on the earnings of various mortgage firms in the U.S. Decrease of consumer spending; Factors affecting the refinancing decisions of the homeowners; Increase on the costs of houses.

If you are a veteran of the insurance industry, you may be puzzled by the current state of the homeowners line of business. How did the line that is close to being a "commodity" turn into such a difficult and unprofitable one? While this article does not have solid answers, it provides a multitude of opinions. Our project reveals what a group of insurance professionals believes are the factors and problems surrounding the homeowner product and how those beliefs shift according to different demographics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports that few creatures rival the pigeon's ability to divide the world into two opposing camps: lovers of the bird and sworn enemies. Across the globe, attempts to cull pigeon populations have led to countless creative methods of extermination. But in the small French town of Caudry, near Cambrai, a temple of sorts has been erected in homage to this familiar fowl. Twenty feet high and 16 feet wide, the pigeonnier, or dovecote, is a wood-and-resin-paneled capsule built to house domesticated pigeons and, in its role as an educational center, to rekindle interest in the dying tradition of raising and training the birds. The unique demands and constraints of a pigeon loft helped determine Crasset's approach to the project. Before setting to work, she spent several months talking with pigeon fanciers and observing life inside a typical pigeon loft, which in northern France is usually located in a homeowner's attic. To further help pigeons feel in their element, she punched out small, circular windows that mimic the effect of light filtering into an attic, and outfitted the interior with a treelike, galvanized-steel structure and a wood skeleton resembling house framing.

Discusses how to encourage homeowners to participate in creating a safe to stay environment prior to incidents caused by wildfires. General plan and protection planning; Creation of a section dedicated exclusively to wildfires under the land use portion of the general plan; Development of subdivisions; Preplanning existing subdivisions; Fuel modification and construction techniques.

Focuses on the financial losses incurred by homeowners and lenders in the United States. Purchase of homeowners insurance coverage from private property and liability insurance companies; Reluctance of insurers to write policies in disaster-prone areas; Predictable expansion in the residual markets; Government catastrophe loss financing through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

It offers increased reliability, ultra-quiet operation, and compatibility with the most popular smart home systems nd Hunter Douglas styles including Designer Roller Shades, Designer Screen Shades, Pirouette® Window Shadings, and Silhouette® Window Shadings. A unique addition to the smart home, smart shading not only adds an interior design opportunity but encourages homeowners to complete the circle of smart technology within their home. 17 TWICE.COM | MARCH 2021 Feature: Sm@rt home Hunter Douglas PowerView Automation Levels Shades To Homeowners' High Expectations Benefits from smart shading go beyond automated privacy H ome improvement projects are on the rise as more Americans stay home than ever before. [Extracted from the article]

Automated shading can be more difficult to add in synergy with design, as many of these products are manufactured by technology companies and don't offer the breadth of color, fabric, and style options designers are used to for "dumb" shades. Lighting is at the center of design and technology synergy: It's critical to the room's design and it can also support circadian rhythms and routines. [Extracted from the article]

The article informs on an announcement made by Great Britain Chancellor according to which homeowners will be able to claim a three month break from their mortgage repayments if they are unable to repay because of Covid-19. It mentions that government's approach aligns with the Financial Conduct Authority's expectation that lenders will grant flexibility on mortgage repayments as a way of protecting consumers.

The article asserts that the popularity and appeal of supersized houses in the U.S. may be declining. Ecoconscious consumers reject big houses with their burdening energy costs. Younger buyers steeped in cool design are not going to live in supersized mansions, because they want their homes to reflect their values. Examples of residences fit for the modern not so big mindset are listed.

The article reports on the decision of architect Hadrian Predock to design two almost identical hillside residences in Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles, California. Cedar and dark metal roofs are used in the houses. They will be built with small courtyards within the house. Owner of the houses are said to become the project coordinator.

The article ponders on the security needs of homeowners and the role of architects in designing homes that meet such needs. Today, global change and the challenges to domestic order are creating undercurrents of fear that came from unexpected places. Films including Safe Room and Hostage portray the U.S. house as a fortress assaulted by crime and is powerless in the face of authorities. During a crime incident, the individual homeowner and strangers are the best defense.

The article reports that architects in the United States are designing high-density housing projects that respond to the market's demand for modern homes and shorter commutes. Homeowners are fed up with the long commutes inherent in sprawling suburbs. Young professionals, downsizing empty nesters, single parents, and couples without children prefer to live in high-density locations, where vibrant community activities take place.

This article presents information on Hurd FeelSafe windows and patio doors. These doors give homeowners along the Guff and Atlantic coasts a storm-resistant window or patio door that meets Energy Star requirements in their area and suits their local architectural style. New Hurd FeelSafe windows and patio doors incorporate both an outside pane of impact-resistant laminated glass and an inside pane of tough tempered glass to perform in hurricane conditions and optimize strength and energy efficiency. The added strength also gives protection from intruders, reduces the harmful effects of ultraviolet rays, and blocks out more exterior noise than ordinary glass.

This article focuses on a plasma TV, which is a home owner's dream, but it can be a design nightmare when the TV is off. Solar Shading Systems solves the blank canvas problem with VisionArt, a motorized shade printed with fine-art images. VisionArt offers 100 limited-edition fine-art prints in eight frame styles and 32 original works of art and photography.

Evaluates the Homeowners Against Deficient Dwellings Web site at www.hadd.com.

Reports on how home owners in New South Wales, Australia must ensure that officially recorded land values are kept to a minimum in the face of the introductions of land tax on family homes. Experience of Jeremy Bingham, historic home owner; Best defence seen as a case giving reasons for considering a valuer's figure as excessive; Importance of an independent valuer; Reasons for lowering the value of a home.

The article focuses on homeowners which are driving demand for appliances and home furnishings. It mentions equities analysts in this sector see unaffordable home prices, rising costs for home-building materials, and rising interest rates as three of the most significant factors. It also mentions U.S. inflation-adjusted residential fixed investment in home improvements.

The article presents the author's views on the Woolsey Fire, a destructive fire that started on November 9, 2018 in California. Topics include the catastrophic effect of the fire that killed and injured several people while leaving millions of the residents homeless, the guidance and building codes that homeowners need to follow and the need for the government to implement incentives to reward building new houses and knocking down the old ones.

The article discusses opposition to quarries based on home valuations. Topics discussed include complaint by Not in My Backyard (NIMBY) in the siting and expansion of quarries as a result of the operations on nearby home values, report by Professor Patricia Hite revealing quarries reduce home values and use of data on home sales on same.

The article focuses on the concentration of California Energy Commission on commercial buildings after approving building code requiring homes in the state to have rooftop solar panels. Topics include views of Bob Raymer, technical director at the California Building Industry Association (CBIA), on the same, increase in the price of residential and commercial buildings, and homeowners credit for installing batteries to store energy.

The article offers information on certification of the Home Technology Association as a new, independent organization created to educate and empower homeowners in their technology purchases, recognize exceptional businesses, and elevate the technology integration industry's status.