Eideard

Proposed for the Aalborg Waterfront in Denmark, a new housing development would feature 60 apartments, from 4 to 12 stories high, all supplied with a 100 percent renewable energy source…

C.F. Møller’s architectural design features a south-facing roof-plane, fitted with 1,200 sq.m. of photovoltaic and solar thermal panels. The solar paneling is reportedly capable of producing 104,000 KWh of electricity annually, which is estimated to be enough to cover the yearly electricity demand of every apartment. In addition, four vertical axis low-noise wind turbines take advantage of strong western winds, creating an additional power supply to recharge electric cars. A rainwater collection system is used to irrigate the surrounding gardens, whilst the lush landscaping helps maintain a clean air environment. Tall window openings allow for natural light to filter through to the apartments’ living zones, an example of the passive-housing standards that are incorporated to ensure reduced energy consumption all round.

This slide-like shape of the building creates a distinctive silhouette, which is positioned between Aalborg’s main bridges. The roof-plane appears as if it is stretching into the water’s edge, where an underpass shelters a public gazebo and café. The extension of the roof is a visual display of the building’s power plant, and whilst it may take precedence over optimum, waterfront views, it’s essential to the building’s sustainable design.

Delightful. I can picture this design in a few comparable locales where I had clients back in the day. Most certainly in the vibrant waterfront of Portland, Maine.

Just keep their backwards governor from sticking his nose in. He’d probably insist on replacing the solar panels with coal-burning potbelly stoves.

Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world and on average nearly 100 people take their own lives every day. But where those deaths take place has a big impact on families left behind.

In a stuffy apartment in Sendai, the air blue with smoke from cigarettes, a father kneels in prayer…His daughter’s photograph is not inside alongside the other ancestors, it is still on the bookshelf.Putting it there would be a final acceptance that she has gone, that two years ago he found her body in her rented Tokyo flat…

“I could not take in what happened. I thought there is really no God in this world at all. That is what I remember from that day…”

It was not long after the death that he got another shock – this time a letter from his daughter’s landlord…”The bill for renovating the flat came in April, then a demand for compensation for lost rent in May. So it was one after another.

“The only thing I could think about was my lost daughter. So when I was getting those bills, I had no will or strength to negotiate or resist.” In all he paid more than $30,000…

Few would choose to rent an apartment where a previous occupant had taken their own life. So a death is frequently followed by a demand for money…”Mostly it’s compensation for loss of rent for flats…”

Many families are also required to pay for expensive purification rituals.

RTFA. Many details, twists and turns. I suppose much of this wouldn’t be surprising in many cultures.

The best rental deal I ever had was a lovely little house in the middle of acres of woods – that had been the site of a murder-suicide. Never bothered me in the least.