photography
Japan in April & May 2010 – Special Moments
The Golden Pavilion in Kyoto … no flowery language … no exotic words …
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Colour photograph showing The Golden Pavilion in Kyoto, Japan. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2010-04-24. Click to enlarge.
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Mahatma Gandhi – Last Footsteps at Birla Bhavan (Dilli) in 1948
Click To Enlarge
Mohandas K. (also known as Mahatma) Gandhi was assassinated at 17.17 hrs. in the evening … on Friday, 30th January 1948. The location was the Birla Bhavan (Birla House), now known as Gandhi Smriti … www.gandhismriti.gov.in … in Dilli (Delhi), northern India.
These photographs were taken on 7th January 2010. Local people regarded the weather as being particularly chilly (8 to 9oC) for the time of year. As can be seen, there were still traces in the air of that morning’s heavy fog.
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The Last Footsteps at Birla Bhavan … as he walked to the Place of His Assassination …
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Mahatma Gandhi - His Last Footsteps I
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Mahatma Gandhi - His Last Footsteps II
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Mahatma Gandhi - His Last Footsteps III
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Mahatma Gandhi - His Last Footsteps IV
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Mahatma Gandhi - His Last Footsteps V
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Mahatma Gandhi - His Last Footsteps VI
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Mahatma Gandhi - Place of His Assassination VII
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Accessibility-for-All at the Brussels European Parliament ?!?!
Last Wednesday (2010-02-24), I was very pleased to be in Brussels to attend the Inaugural Meeting of the European Parliament’s URBAN InterGroup for the New Parliamentary Term. Being very curious, however, there was no way … no way at all … that I could enter the Parliament Building without checking on a specific part of the Early Parliamentary Complex on Rue Wiertz … for any improvements to its past, woeful ‘accessibility’ performance. Please note that I am not referring, here, to transport issues … but to ‘accessibility’ for people with activity limitations.
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Colour photograph showing the same dangerous external ramp/stair combination near the Main Public Entrance to the European Parliament Building, on Rue Wiertz, in Brussels. During rush hour periods of the working day, this ramp/stair combination is a very busy public pedestrian route. Click to enlarge. This photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2010-02-24. For more photographs of this architectural 'gem', dating from 2000-2001, see SDI's Corporate WebSite.
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Since the 2006 United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities became an International Legal Instrument on 3rd May 2008 … people with activity limitations now have a clearly defined right, under international law, to be able to access and use the Built Environment. They also have the right to receive an equal and meaningful consideration in situations of risk, e.g. when there is a fire in a building. The language of the Convention is unusually strong.
Once upon a time … 9 or 10 years ago … at the beginning of this decade/century/millennium … a Properly Accessible Built Environment could only be wishful thinking. Yes, there was some legislation … usually very weak … at national level in the E.U. Member States … but nobody paid much attention to implementation. The least that could be expected, however, was that Iconic Buildings purposefully intended and designed for occupation by Institutions of the European Union would be examples of ‘good accessibility’ … as so much emphasis has always been placed in the E.U. Treaties, including the New Lisbon Treaty … on the foundation of the European Union being robustly rooted in Human and Social Rights for All … not just a privileged few, or a self-contented majority.
At this Page on Sustainable Design International’s Corporate WebSite … www.sustainable-design.ie/arch/inaccesseubuildings.htm … I recorded the dismal and depressing evidence on the ‘inaccessibility’ of both the Brussels and Strasbourg Parliament Buildings at that time.
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Colour photograph showing the 'special' entrance reserved for 'personnes a mobilite reduite' in another part of the Brussels European Parliamentary Complex. It's too bad if someone who must use this facility cannot understand the incorrectly printed French ! Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2010-02-24.
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So … what has changed in the intervening years ? Have there been any improvements to a situation which I originally described as being ‘stupid and ridiculous’ ? [I won't bore you with all of the reasons why.] Or, are things worse ? Have we, in fact, entered into some unknown region of The Twilight Zone ? Arise again GUBU (Grotesque, Unbelievable, Bizarre and Unprecedented) !!
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Colour photograph showing the Main Entrances associated with the 'special' entrance in the photograph above. They are located approximately 10 metres around the corner on a different side of the building. If the nosings of those steps have been highlighted in yellow, does that mean that these clumsy entrances are 'safe' ?? Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2010-02-24.
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Pinch yourselves, a few times, as you examine the photographs closely ! Try to remember that these buildings are not renovated or refurbished existing buildings. They were all designed and constructed, as ‘new’, on cleared sites within the city !!
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Although Architects, the Brussels Local Authorities and the E.U. Institutions are primarily responsible for ‘inaccessibility’ of the Brussels European Parliament Building … we cannot afford to be smug or complacent in Ireland. Just look around you !
Again, once upon a time … towards the end of the 1980′s this time … I submitted the following Proposal for a Resolution on Accessibility-for-All to the Council of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) … please forgive the pre 2001 WHO ICF use of language and terminology …
Preamble
The elimination of architectural barriers to mobility of the disabled is an essential and preliminary condition for successful implementation of the principal that all people should be fully integrated into society, participating in and contributing to all aspects of economic and social life.
Resolution
Celebrating the 150th year of its establishment, Council of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland asks all Members:-
(i) to note the principal that all people should be fully integrated into society, participating in and contributing to all aspects of economic and social life ;
(ii) to eliminate as far as reasonably practicable, in the design of buildings, architectural barriers to mobility of the disabled.
Was this Resolution passed ? I’ll give you one guess ! The reason given, at the time, was that the Profession might be viewed as being culpable … which it was … and remains to this day. The source of this culpability, however, is most definitely the Schools of Architecture.
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BER Certificates – A Major Infra-Red Survey in Paris (VIII)
Still recovering from the shock of the 2009 Copenhagen Accord (!!!) … something has to be said before talking about Paris or France again. It’s funny looking back, now, to last November …
Wednesday Evening (2009-11-18) – Soccer World Cup Play-Off – Ireland v France – Stade de France
I admit it … I was not a believer before the match … and was expecting that Ireland would be blown out of the stadium. However … at the kick-off, I found myself glued to the television. It was a blatant, intentional and obvious handball by Thierry Henry. There might be a simple explanation … perhaps, he is a fan of Gaelic Football and somebody gave him a present of a DVD last Christmas !
Après le Match en Irlande
There is nothing so boring as listening to the English go on … and on … and on … and on … about that 1986 Diego Maradona Goal. Pay-back time for Las Malvinas ? Let’s stop the whinging … and move on. We can be a great team – not just a good team – at the next European Championships in 2012 !
Anyway … back to Paris …
Colour photograph of a Multi-Storey Paris Apartment Block (1975-81). Click to enlarge.
Early last spring (2009) … as a Special Project in preparation for Copenhagen … some very intelligent people in the Office of the City Mayor (who understand the value, but also the limitations, of marketing campaigns !) … organized that 500 typical buildings of the city, from each of the different historical periods up to the present day, would be surveyed using Infra-Red Thermography. To complement the building surveys … an aerial survey of the whole city was also carried out. The results will be placed in the public domain … for all in Paris to see … during 2010.
Colour thermograph of the Same Multi-Storey Paris Apartment Block (1975-81). Parts of the building where most heat is being lost are shown in red. An accompanying vertical surface temperature scale is also shown on the right of the image. Click to enlarge.
The following Project Description was contained in the French Design e-Newsletter ‘Maison à Part’ (www.maisonapart.com), dated Friday 23rd October 2009. This description is more interesting and informative than a similar description on the City Mayor’s WebSite (www.paris.fr) !
Une Thermographie Parisienne Instructive …
Colour photograph of a Multi-Storey Paris Block of Flats (1945-67). Click to enlarge.
A l’occasion des Journées Parisiennes de l’Énergie et du Climat du 22 au 25 Octobre 2009, la ville de Paris présente pour la première fois les résultats de la campagne de photographies en infrarouge de la capitale. Cette carte thermographique permet d’analyser les bâtiments énergivores.
Colour thermograph of the Same Multi-Storey Paris Block of Flats (1945-67). Parts of the building where most heat is being lost are shown in red. An accompanying vertical surface temperature scale is also shown on the right of the image. Click to enlarge.
A six semaines de l’ouverture de la Conférence des Nations-Unies sur le Changement Climatique à Copenhague, la ville souhaite montrer son engagement dans la lutte contre le réchauffement climatique. C’est tout l’objet des deuxièmes journées parisiennes énergie et climat, qui se tiendront du 22 au 25 Octobre au Palais Brongniart à Paris. L’occasion également de découvrir pour la première fois, lors d’une exposition, une carte thermographique des immeubles parisiens. Réalisée sur 500 bâtiments de style et d’âge différents, elle permet de se rendre compte de toutes les déperditions d’énergie et de trouver ainsi les solutions adéquates. Chaque Parisien pourra ainsi découvrir sur une carte géante de Paris, son immeuble et sa performance énergétique.
Des Prises de Vue Révélatrices …
Colour photograph of a Large Paris Residence (Before 1850). Click to enlarge.
Mais d’où viennent ces photos ? “La nuit du vendredi 6 mars 2009, l’ensemble du territoire parisien a été thermographié depuis un avion” est-il expliqué. “La thermographie aérienne est une technique qui permet de mesurer la température à la surface des toitures à l’aide d’une caméra infrarouge et d’analyser la déperdition de chaleur des constructions.” Ainsi, “plus le toit apparaît rouge, plus il est chaud, ce qui signifie qu’une partie de l’énergie dépensée pour chauffer le logement est en fait perdue dans l’atmosphère.” Une campagne de prises de vue des façades à l’aide d’une caméra thermique – l’hiver en début de soirée, lorsque le thermomètre est en dessous de 5°C – réalisée par la ville permet de compléter l’ensemble.
“Chaque grande période de construction à Paris est analysée sous l’angle architectural et thermique, avec des préconisations de travaux pour chacune” précise les organisateurs de l’exposition.
Colour thermograph of the Same Large Paris Residence (Before 1850). Parts of the building where most heat is being lost are shown in red. An accompanying vertical surface temperature scale is also shown on the right of the image. Click to enlarge.
Courant 2010, un Site Internet représentant chaque type d’immeuble devrait être mis en place, grâce auquel chacun pourra “tirer des préconisations générales” en matière d’économies d’énergie pour son propre immeuble, même si “cette photographie ne remplace pas un diagnostic thermique”, a précisé à l’AFP l’adjoint à l’environnement de la Mairie de Paris, Denis Baupin. Le Site montrera quatre photos de façade par bâtiment, la couleur rouge symbolisant les pertes d’énergie les plus importantes.
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Autumn Scenes At Glendalough – Ripples Through Time ?
The beauty of the Irish countryside is hard to beat. A few dry days are all we need … and to be able to see the sun occasionally ! Make that … more than occasionally !!
Colour photograph of 'Upper Lake at Glendalough' - Autumn Scene. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2009-10-26.
It is breathtaking to imagine the Climatic & Geological Upheavals – hundreds of thousands of years ago – which created the Valley of the Two Lakes: ‘Gleann Dá Locha’ in Irish, or ‘Glendalough’ in English.
Colour photograph of 'Autumn Trees' at Glendalough, County Wicklow, Ireland. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2009-10-26.
It is comforting to know that we once had – hundreds of years ago – a Better System of Law: ‘Féineachas’ in Irish, or more commonly known as ‘Brehon Law’ in English.
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A Clean, Fresh Mountain Stream in Glencree, Co. Wicklow
And now … for something completely different …
Well worth a visit, whenever you are passing, is the War Cemetery in Glencree, County Wicklow … about 20-25 Km south of Dublin City in the Wicklow Mountains.
I passed by last Monday (2009-10-26) … a public holiday … in the late afternoon …
It is a calming, restful place.
Ever present in the background … is the sound of a neighbouring stream …
Colour photograph showing the Mountain Stream beside the War Cemetery in Glencree, Co. Wicklow. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh in the late afternoon. 2009-10-26 T 16:11
Sounds of a Clean, Fresh Mountain Stream in Ireland. WAV File. 1.08Mb.
Click above to listen to and/or download WAV File
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9-11 World Trade Center Incident – Institutional Inertia ?
Yesterday afternoon, following the post upload of Concrete Testing Fraud in New York – 1 World Trade Center … I received an e-mail message from a close member of our extended family in New York State, USA:
” Another year goes by …
I’m sending this on to people who are an important part of my life – either then or now. Some of you are friends since 9/11/01 and may or may not know that Barry and I (Mary-Ellen) worked at the Trade Centers – others of you supported us through this difficult time. It was a single, cataclysmic event that changed our lives, and the lives of our colleagues and many others, forever. These images are poignant.
It’s worth remembering.”
These are the Images which Mary-Ellen sent …
‘WTC 9-11 Incident – Declassified Photographs (June 2009)’
Click above to download PowerPoint Presentation 4.46MB
The Recommendations contained in the 2005 & 2008 National Institute of Standards & Technology (USA) Reports on the 9-11 WTC Building Collapses (WTC 1, 2 & 7) provide an essential and invaluable empirical basis for the competent, ethical and professional practice of Effective Fire Engineering Design in today’s complex Built Environment.
8 Long Years After 9-11 … A Pattern Confirmed in Mumbai (November 2008) …
Why are so many Key Institutions & Organizations in the International Building Sector still desperately trying to ignore and/or deny the Recommendations in those 2 NIST Reports ?
Why have National Building & Fire Codes/Regulations & Standards not yet been revised to respond, properly and satisfactorily, to the NIST Recommendations ?
Why can we not yet use All Lifts (Elevators) in a Building during a fire incident ? Why are Lift (Elevator) Manufacturers still actively resisting this necessary change ?
I could go on … and on …
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Short Interruption in Service – Apologies to All
On Tuesday morning last, 28th April 2009 … this Site crashed … ‘went down’ … a blank screen with just a short, cryptic message in computer jargon at the top … it was no more … it had expired … but briefly, and temporarily !
The reason was traffic overload … too many visitors. For this, we humbly apologise. And apologies to Monty Python for mangling their ‘dead parrot’ sketch ! I couldn’t help it ?!?
That was the bad, bad news.
The good news behind the interruption, however, is that I was away in Lund … one of the big university towns in Sweden … attending an important meeting of CIB Working Commission 14 : Fire. CIB stands for ‘Conseil International du Bâtiment’ (International Council of Building Research).
CIB W14 is an international, multi-stakeholder, trans-disciplinary, pre-normalization forum for discussion on research and innovation in Built Environment Fire Engineering.
Colour photograph showing the Dinner for participants at the CIB W14 & ISO TC92 Meetings which were held in Lund University during Week 17. Our very friendly Host was Mr. Robert Jönsson, Head (and Associate Professor) of the Department of Fire Safety Engineering & Systems Safety at Lund University. 30 of his students also attended the Dinner. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2009-04-23.
Successful meetings in Lund … and, on the return journey home, successful business in Stockholm … the weather was marvellous throughout …
Colour photograph showing Kungsträdgården, a principal piazza in Central Stockholm lined with Cherry Blossoms, on a beautiful, sunny April evening. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2009-04-25.
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day from Dublin !
The day was beautiful … there was no rain … the sun was shining … it wasn’t cold … temperatures between 10-12 oC … a light breeze, with a slight chill !
The company was mighty.
Foreign Bands were from Germany, Italy, USA & Canada … from what I could see anyway.
The best efforts were from Donegal. The best drummers were from Italy !!
What is it to be Irish … now ? Answers for another day … later !
Colour photograph. Scene 2. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2009-03-17.
Colour photograph. Scene 3. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2009-03-17.
Colour photograph. Scene 4. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2009-03-17.
Colour photograph. Scene 5. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2009-03-17.
Colour photograph. Scene 6. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2009-03-17.
Colour photograph. Scene 7. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2009-03-17.
Colour photograph. Scene 1. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2009-03-17.
Europe Pretending to Lead the Way on Climate Change ?
In August 2008 … I travelled to Bengaluru (Bangalore), in the south of India, to attend a Fire Conference organized by the Fire & Safety Association of India (FSAI). A year earlier, I had been with them in Chennai (Madras), also in the south. My own father, Con, had been a teacher in the north of the country from about 1930 onwards, so I had always wanted to see the country for myself. He was caught there, by the way, during the 2nd World War and could only travel back home, to Ireland, in 1947.
Much to the amusement of local people, the means of transport I decided to use … guaranteeing a vivid experience of the varied local sights, sounds and smells … was an Auto-Rickshaw … a three-wheeled scooter, with an open yellow cab on the back. It is a common form of transport in the large cities of India. This was a serious effort … no messing around in the sealed cocoon of an air-conditioned taxi !
These 2 Photographs were taken during the rush hour traffic, early one morning, in Bengaluru. The roads were jammed solid with traffic … every type of vehicle … crawling along at a snail’s pace. The driver of my Auto-Rickshaw was bent over the handlebars … always coughing … heaving a loud, jagged-rough, deep cough …
Colour Photograph showing the View from Inside an Auto-Rickshaw during Morning Rush Hour Traffic in Bengaluru, Southern India. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2008-08-07.
The reason for his coughing … you can see an actual pollution haze to the right of the frame below … a haze so thick, that it almost had to be parted with your hands in order to see ahead …
Colour Photograph showing the Pollution Haze during Morning Rush Hour Traffic in Bengaluru, Southern India. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2008-08-07.
This is the reality of everyday life on the ground in one of the economically more advanced ‘developing’ countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China & South Africa (BRICS) – where far too many people are chasing the dream of our reality in Europe … a reality created from the plunder, over hundreds of years, of those same ‘developing’ countries.
This is why the European Union must lead by ‘real’ example when it comes to Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation. But, is it ‘real’ ????
This is why Ireland must begin to properly face up to its responsibilities under Kyoto I, the EU 2020 Targets, and a probable Kyoto II International Agreement to be finalized in Copenhagen towards the end of 2009.
This is why the United States of America must stop prancing around our fragile planet like a spoiled, immature child … and engage seriously with the rest of us. We have lost all patience !
Copenhagen & the European Union …
On 28th January 2009, the European Commission issued COM(2009) 39 final …
Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee & the Committee of the Regions – Towards a Comprehensive Climate Change Agreement in Copenhagen.
On Page 2 of the Communication, the Executive Summary commences …
‘ The successful conclusion of the international climate change negotiations in Copenhagen at the end of 2009 is a key priority for the European Union (EU). Now that the Climate & Energy package has been adopted, the EU must step up its contacts with third Countries, both in the UN context and beyond.’
A paragraph later, it continues …
‘ In order to limit the global average temperature increase to not more than 2°C above pre-industrial levels, developed countries as a group should reduce their emissions to 30% below 1990 levels in 2020. The EU has set the example by committing to a 20% reduction in its emissions compared to 1990 levels by 2020, irrespective of whether or not an international agreement is concluded. This is by far the most ambitious commitment by any country or group of countries in the world for the post-2012 period.
The EU is willing to go further and sign up to a 30% reduction target in the context of a sufficiently ambitious and comprehensive international agreement that provides for comparable reductions by other developed countries, and appropriate actions by developing countries. Developing countries as a group should limit the growth of their emissions to 15-30% below business as usual.’
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