BTN5-2 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

BTN5-2 - Coursework ExampleAnalyzing the progress of the two firms as far as stock list turnover is concerned, it can be concluded that Apple improved its livestock turnover by 33.7% (111-83)/83 *100. On the other hand, Google inventory turnover trim back drastically by 89% (377-41)/377*100. The analysis shows that in the current year Apple had efficient control measures on inventory as compared to Google.According to (Messmore, 52), inventory turnover and twenty-four hourss sales inventory are interlinked and inverse proportion to each other. He further elaborate that, an increase in inventory turnover reduces days sales in inventory. This can be evidenced in the changes that occurred in the two inventory control measures for Apple and Google. Prior year 1 Google had an inventory turnover of 377 and days sale inventory of 1 day, in the current year inventory turnover reduced to 41, thus increasing days sales inventory to 9 days. Days inventory gives the number of days a firm tak es to transform its inventory into cash. Apple has reduced the period from 10 days (prior year 3) to 3 days (current year) this shows its sales have increased. Google, on the other hand, has increased the number of days it takes to transform inventory into cash from zero days (prior year 2) to 9 days (current year). This shows its sales have been reducing

DEPRESSION Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

DEPRESSION - Article Exampleression is a rigorous state that engages mind and body altering thoughts and mood of a person, a mental condition which hinders day-to-day work, studies, sleep, eating habits and pleasure. mental picture could be severe called dysthymia, or neurological, it generates negative thoughts, gloom, dejection and diverse behavior which argon responsible for gradual physiologic and behavioral alterations. Such acts could have lasting implications on the psychology (Depression).Depression is inviting public concern as it is impact millions of people. Almost 10% of the adults are victimized by this disorder. Observation reveals that individuals who suffer with depression are likely to develop obesity, arthritis, hypertension, chronic lung diseases, diabetes, asthma and coronary artery disease etc., thereby affecting mental state and well existence of the individual. Under severe condition, a feeling of committing suicide could be observed in depressed individual (Depression).Depression is mostly influenced by the economic condition of the family, up-bringing, violence, stress level, nutrition, decisions taken in life, convictions etc. which directly display the cultural milieu and, hence, modulate the individuals life. The consequences of being diagnosed with the depression are further grave but some of the cultural settings pay attention to the total eradication of the problem.With the augmenting competition, individuals have to meet with the new challenges. In order to meet these pursuits and to be ahead in competition, promotion and amenities, every single person is striving hard to fulfill the cropping struggle. Those who are capable elicit do miracles and wonders but those who are unable to meet the challenges are likely to suffer with depression. This is one of the biggest reasons about depression gaining prevalence, irrespective of the class, color, age or either social standing, affecting females to the greater extent (Depression ).Genetic predicaments

Seven Ancient Wonders Of The World Essay Example for Free

Seven Ancient Wonders Of The World EssayMan fears Time, yet Time fears the PyramidsThe Great Pyramid of Giza lies next to Cairo.It is today in great Cairo.According to the wonders of the ancient world, the pyramid of Khufu is the but pyramid included in the list of the wonders. The other two of the pyramids of Giza are excluded from the list. This is the only monument of the seven wonders to locomote till today in perfect condition and managing mere escapes from fires, earthquakes and other common disasters that hold a threat to anything other large artifact stands on earth. It today is in perfect condition despite its loss of height and its unperfected preservation of outside rock smoothness and quality. It was constructed by the Egyptian pharaoh Khufu of the fourth dynasty. It held its direct as his tomb, and a few years later its purpose came into use. It is the only surviving ancient wonder.The Hanging gardens of Babylon was located on the east coast of the river Euphra tes. It is soon located 50 kms south of Baghdad in Iraq.These hanging gardens were create in the Babylonian empire at the time of the neo-Babylonian dynasty and built by the renowned king Naboplashars son Nebuchadnezzar II. Its purpose was to please the wife of Nebuchadnezzar, whom liked mountain, surrounded areas. The only remains of the gardens were the foundations excavated in more recent archaeological projects in Iraq. except the gardens were accurately reconstructed with many positive and negative arguments about the artificial social organisation. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were very s tumesce renowned for its system of water fountains, pipes and irrigation structures, which take sustenance of the garden leaving the grass permanently green and the trees and bushes regularly watered.The statue of Zeus at Olympia was located in the ancient town of Olympia, on the sophisticated map the monument is located on the west coast of Greece, approximately 150 km west of Athe ns.The construction of the statue was completed in 450 BC. It was built in honor of the god Zeus. As the importance of the ancient Olympic Games in Greece became more demanding, historic, and cultural, the Greeks needed a tabernacle that was new, large, one worthy of the king of the gods. so they built the statue of Zeus. It was do a wonder of the ancient world due to its magnificent interior statue. It is well renowned for the statues sandals and robes which were made of gold and the temples Doric styled design. As the years passed, several natural disasters such as earthquakes, landslides and floods did immense damage to the structure. Later on, the inner statue of Zeus was transported to Constantinople. There it suffered from a fire and today the only remains of this temple are rocks and debris.The Ancient temple of Artemis is located in the ancient city of Ephesus near the modern city of Selcuk 50kms south of Izmir in Turkey. It was built in honour of the divinities of huntin g, wild nature and fertility the goddess Artemis. The structure was believed to be the most beautiful structure on Earth and was built around 550BC. The temple was both a market place and a religious institution. It was a temple built of the greatest marble and consisted of bronze statues of the goddesses.The temple was later on burned to the ground by Herostratus who wanted to immortalize his name under the name of history and existence and he was very successful. Then a right had been created that whoever spoke of him shall be executed. It was a coincidence that Alexander the great was born on the same night of destruction of the temple, and the goddess Artemis was too busy taking bid of the birth of Alexander to save her temple. Though the temple was rebuilt and now named temple E, the temple which was actually the wonder is now nothing but foundations and rock.The mausoleum at Halicarnassus is located in the city of Bodrum (Halicarnassus) on the Aegean Sea in south west Turkey . It was built as a tomb for the king of the empire Caria. It was well renowned for its extreme beauty and the finest marble of which it was built with.it is also known for its beautiful inner statues. Later on in the early 16 century, the structure faced an end. The knights of st John built a massive crusading castle and decided to fortify it. Thus they used the mausoleum to supply theirmaterial. They displaced every block from the mausoleum to build their walls. By 1522, the mausoleums foundations were also incomplete, it had been cleared.The Colossus of Rhodes was located at entrance of a harbor in the Mediterranean island of Rhodes at Greece. In 304BC, after the peck of Rhodes came to a calm agreement with the Antigonids, they cool their leftover weapons from outside their territory where the Antigonids have been trying to siege Rhodes in order to break their alliance with Ptolemy I from Egypt. They sold the weapons and collected the money and built the statue in symbol of th eir freedom. It took 12 years to construct the structure, and it lived for only a mere 56 years. It was broken by an earthquake at its weakest point, its knees. Around AD654, it was sold to a Jew. The statue was well known for its amazing shape of it standing on two pieces of land which were joined the major island. Each mini peninsula had a leg on it and the statue lifting a torch into the sky. The statue was a divinity the sun god of Rhodes-Helios.The Lighthouse of Alexandria was located on the island of pharos currently in Alexandria in Egypt. It was built in honor of the savior gods. It was necessary that they built that lighthouse because of the dangerous and rough rocked coastline of Alexandria. So they built it to save the ships from danger. It was very well renowned for its mirrors which could reflect light for over 50 miles. It was the only wonder of the seven wonders of the ancient world that had a purpose that would serve several people with an additional purpose other th an religion. It was the most important of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient world.The list of the seven wonders of the ancient world was originally compiled around 200BC.many suggestions, arguments and changes have been made to the list when finally during the middle ages the list was recompiled, even though most of the monuments didnt even co-exist. For the ancient people and workers who built and saw the wonders being built to them was a celebration of either religion, peace, burial or afterlife ceremonies, freedom or simply the beauty of the structure like the hanging Gardens ofBabylon. others had a more important and divers purposes such as the Lighthouse of Alexandria which was built in honor of the savior gods and was built to help the ancient sailors to a peaceful trip rear or to the harbor. Some structures like the Great Pyramid of Giza were spectacular and complicated structures with several passageways, corridors, traps and escape shafts to confuse tomb raiders. However, e very single wonder was genuinely spectacular and the ancient world wouldnt have been able to support its massive reputation without these structures.Bibliographyhttp//ce.eng.usf.edu/pharos/wonders/pyramid.htmlhttp//www.unmuseum.org/ztemp.htmhttp//ce.eng.usf.edu/pharos/wonders/zeus.htmlhttp//www.cnn.com/TRAVEL/DESTINATIONS/9705/seven.wonders/http//www.crystalinks.com/seven.html

Into Thin Air Paper Essay Example for Free

Into Thin Air Paper EssayTrusting others is a very difficult topic to do. It is important to trust others because humans cannot do everything by themselves. For example, Krakauers group had to rely on each other, so if one member is in trouble, another somebody had to help as soon as they could. If they do not trust each other, everyone would not make it up to the top of the mountain alive. Krakauer was afraid to be able to trust others because he felt very uncomfortable relying on inexperienced crampoons, but he had to learn to trust them because he needs to support the climb up the mountain. To climb a mountain, all climbers must have a group and a guide. Loyalty/respect of others on the mountain is inherent because one can help another survive the journey. One must be willing to risk their own life and save another. The climbers lives are in the guides hands. Loyalty/respect is required for the guide because they give important information on how to climb properly and how t o survive. An example from the book is how the guide, Rob Hall, helped an injured climber get down safely.At this point, it does not matter whom acts like what because the most important thing is for the hoi polloi to survive the climb on Mount Everest. raise a mountain involves hard work, trust, and loyalty/trust. If one was not working hard or listening to the guide, his or her life is in danger. For example, one mortal did not listen to the guide when he was ill, so he was on the verge of dying because of his careless decision. This books highlights an important lesson always trust and respect the people around you because they can always help you. People can make very poor decisions, and those who can help, help others to survive.

Crim 101 Notes Essay Example for Free

Crim 101 Notes EssayWhat is criminology? A social science studying iniquitous offence and related phenomenon such as law making, deplorable behavior, victimization and punishment Discipline of criminology is a recent development Most ideas and concepts we now have about shame and criminals emerged over last 2 or 3 centuries Modern criminology is multi-disciplinary (inter-disciplinary) Influenced by sociology, psychology, and biologyThe fascination with crime Crime is popular topic for wordpapers, TV shows , books and movies There is little relationship between crime news and wreakual amount of crimes Media focus primarily on violent crimes, even though such crimes forms only smart part of all criminal activity Appears as though police solve more crimes and arrest more cirminals than they do in reality The appeal of crime stories and crime newsCrime related stories are often dramatic and lurid Deal with moral questions of good vs evil Criminals appear in stories as insane or da ngerous psychopaths Stories happen in short time span- between newscasts or newspaper editions Easy for the public to understand Felsons 10 fallacies about crime Book 1. the dramatic Fallacy o keep ratings high, media seek strange/violent incidents to report/create dramas around tally makes up less than 1% of all crime, yet from watching TV or reading the papers, it seems like a commonplace events seems that most murders are well-planned, grisly affairs, or they happen just by random chance in fact, most murders start as arguments that escalate into violence most crimes are relatively minor property crimesActus Reus a real event, in which somebody has committed or failed to commit an act b. Men Rea criminal intent you must have the intent to commit the act c. No legal defense or justification d. Must be contrary to a provision of criminal law Crime as prescriptive violation pictures Mala in Se Mala in se something bad or evil in itself Laws that criminalize acts most societies and cultures agree are inherently wrong, e. g. , murder and incest Mala ProhibitaMala prohibita something that is deemed to be wrong or criminal only because it is prohibited Acts where there might be considerable disagreement from society to society re their truth Concensus vs. conflicy * consensus * conflict * decree as a functional organism * Society and social transformation rooted in social conflict * Norms/expectations based on shared values/interests * Society not organic or natural. But forced upon us * Those who are different (e. g. ,criminals) are deemed to be abnormal * Society/laws based on values and interests of those with the power

Examining The Dangers Of Social Networking Media Essay

Examining The Dangers Of favorable Networking Media EssaySocial networking websites atomic number 18 web based services whither one post create a unexclusive write within almost virtual community. one(a) can have a list of early(a) users (friends) with whom they overlap a get togetherion with, as well as view information on friends of friends. The main purpose of social networking sites is to build relations between friends who share similar interests. Most of these sites fork up instant put across and email services precisely are on a high level so that at that place is an element of complexity eg special software coat tools are available in facebook which increase the users presence on that website. .Social networking recently has become a major part of the internet. In fac,t social networking sites are everywhere, nearly every person who has access to the computer and internet indulges with social network related sites on day by day basis. Commom sites such as fac ebook, MySpace, hi5, Bebo and YouTube have millions of visitors daily. Facebook alone, has everywhere 500 million users which make it the most popular social network website on Earth. According to Facebook , 50 % of their users are active users who log on facebook daily and People spend over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook. The rapid increase in popularity of social network such as facebook has further organisations to allow access to these sites within their networks. However many people now question social networks, the popularity of these sites has raised both security and privacy issues of its users. Millions of teenagers and adults exchange and share their personal interests and personal information such as photos, videos etc, therefore one can learn almost anything about someone or stranger (If the profile page is open to anyone) who they maynot have met before, from their birthday to who their friends are and other personal information such as relationship status. thither are many problems and dangers in utilize social networks however in contrasts there are considerable benefits of using social networks. Social networking is undisputedly one of the easiest way to keep in regard with family and friends as well as a channel in meeting new people with similar interests. One can make connect with people not presently in conact, for example staff in an organisation, students or alumni. Thus, social networking has make it very easy to make new friends or even meet old friends, which is a major benefit of social networking.Now, within the business world, social networking sites can withal provide easy chance for anyone to elevate. This could either mean advertise an upcoming event or any other form of business advertising. The most important benefit of social networking sites exchangeable facebook or MySpace is that it gives an individualan opportunity to create an image of themselves through their profile, in a way he or she wants to be repr esented. It also gives them the chance to express themselves.There is a strong sense of being able to express ones own creativity. For this reason people find the sites almost personally fulfilling to be part of.Social networking sites have considerable benefits in allowing users to keep in pass on with one other. Before social networking, people were only able to stay in touch with friends, families via phone, emails letters or online messengers, but it was very awkward and tight to maintain contact due lack of communication tools. But sites like facebook have made staying in touch with people much easier where user can also emails as well as do live chat. Use of mobile phones and rack upice computers with cheap internet has opened the doors for users all over the world, thus social networking has rose more(prenominal) than ten fold in the last decade.There is more pressure on people to use the sites because it has becaome almost part of modern living. The benefits somewhat se em to outweight any disadvantage even though the general public may not know at length where significant dangers lie in not setting appropriateUser boundries for the applications or not using the applications with care and security.Social networking allow individuals to express themselves. The most popular way for an individual to express them self is by creating a profile which gives basic expound about their personality such as personal interests, hobbies and education etc. One can add there exposit of hobbies and interests which might envoke other users to hold on contact with similar interests and create social network between them. Social network sites, such as MySpace allows user to be creative by permit them design their own profile with different colour schemes and background pictures as well as using their own html codes for different layouts. Users such as music artist or writers can also show their creative side by writing blogs to let people know what is going on in their life. Creative artists such musicians, actors etc often use social networking to expand their fan base by using their profile in effect to advertise themselves. They can also get rapid feedbacks on any expressedtype of new ideas from their fansHowever despite all the positives of social networking the negatives overshadow the positives. Social networking has completely changed the temper of privacy by allowing individuals to obtain information of one individual without much effort. Social networking sites do not educate their users of apparent or hidden dangers in publishing their personal information on the World Wide Web. Even if a user is cautious about nurseing their privacy it is very difficult for them to absolutely control who can view what on their profile pages. Most of the social networking sites have privacy tools which are not flexible enough to protect users data. This is because they have limited options of just to make the profile private (only friends can vie w it ) or public ( every one can view)..Social networking has also provided a new way for phishing and scamming to fraudsters. Scams can be posted as comments on an individuals profile or sent as private messages. This could encourage users to flick on links that might link to fake version of that social networking site asking to enter logging detail or any other personal detail. This site might have no functionality apart from redirecting the user back to the original social networking site after the user has entered his/her login detail. That way, the scammer can use the login detail to have full access to the victims profile, which then can be used to scam more users and sell their personal detaisl on dusky market. According to Symantec monthly report 10 on spam phishing, 92 % of phishing scams were carried out through social networking sites. This shows that social networking is a leading area for scammers to either dislocate personal details or send spams. Figures from fish tank.com 11 show that FaceBook is the 7th most targeted website of phishing scams in 2009, this figure might have increased in 2010. According to the hold in the guardian paper, lately many phishing attacks have been carried out through Facebook , fraudsters have sent spam messages to users which link to the fbstarter.com or fbaction.net. These sites were phishing scams which looked as if they are Geneon sites, but were used to steel login details of facebook users. However facebook has announced that they have blocked the fbaction.net links from facebook website and messages that links to fbaction.net.Social networking is very common in teenagers or minor users. Most of these teenagers dont take into account or acknowledge the dangers of social networking sites. To them, all the social sites seem innocent. Most of these kids use these sites only to stay in touch with friend. Social networks are a hub for paedophiles and perverts. This is because majority of the children post too much personal imformation. Not just their name, but they post their photos, addresses and the school that they attend. Social networking sites provide neccessary information that these criminal predators need in order to target vulnerable kids. Majority of the parents are also not aware of common dangers in convolute of the sites. Also they may be unaware that their child has access to them or worse still is addicted to them. There are reports, worldwide, of grave concequences of children being knobbed in such incidents where sites have provides a main medium of communication with the children putting themselves in dangerous situations.Facts show that out 10 teenagers, at least one has posted a nude/semi nude photos of them self on their profile 15. An adult can become aware enough and postponement all ofl the dangers of posting personal information on a social networking site but it might not be obvious to children, since they simply are not mature nor have developed enough,in m ind, to comprehend the complexity of social networking. However, this danger could be prevented if children not only educated about what they should post on the profile and how they should post restricted material but also protected. Carers or parents should know what children are exposed to and what activities they conduct. The use of privacy settings on sites such as facebook can also help to prevent these dangers.One interesting aspect is when an employee can overlook his /her posting on any social networking site and talking about themselves for example to a potential employer. Thay may present a picture of themselves completely differnt to that of the one on thir social site. How are they to know that these details have not been viewed by that person. One example is that they may tell a lie about their whereabouts to someone only to discover that they have found the truth about them on a social site eg on holiday or out shopping instead of sick, at home and off work .It is cle ar that there is evidence suggesting that social networking is very dangerous indeed, but it is very difficult to ignore sociall trends locally and on a global scale. Can we live without a system that has breeded into our golf-club so rapidly and deeply that it has an impoact on our day to day habits, even ease is effected. Some people are suffering from an insomnia syndrome due to addictions on ef facebook poker and Farmville and the worrying issue is that the users are now the very young ones, small children.One great disadvantage is the impact on verbal and communication skills for children. The findings are is that children are missing out on being verbally competent, thay are learming to say properly later in life due to chatting on the internet, thay are more shy or reserved. This danger is one of the impact on society and the future generation. Insead of talking and reasoning verbally, they are typing into the keyboard. Perhaps talking on the phone is better for humans bec ause true emotion can be expressed and maybe we use a different parts of our minds. How much control do you think we will have over this.Social networking is here to saty becauseSuch a big user levelNo one person has control over itToo many usesWill always be delveopingToo much meny to be made in itMay be part of our future jobsMay need it forDangers have to be managedAre there but its have they are controlled/stopped/Have to have a deeper understanding of what danger is, its impact on us today and toimarrow.. learn from mistakes and incessantly work together to protect people and educate themFace10http//eval.symantec.com/mktginfo/enterprise/other_resources/b- state_of_spam_and_phishing_report_02-2010.en-us.pdf11 http//www.phishtank.com/stats/2009/03/12 http//www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/apr/30/facebook-phishing-scamhttp//www.yourteenager.co.uk/facebook-your-teen.htmlhttp//life.familyeducation.com/teen/internet-safety/57657.html?page=215http//articles.sfgate.com/2009-08-10/ne ws/17175229_1_social-networking-sites-social-networking-teens

Wabi Sabi And Tadao Ando

Wabi Sabi And Tadao AndoWe commode easily now conceive of a time when there leave alone be only peerless polish and one civilization on the entire surface of the earth. I dont believe this will happen, because there be contradictory tendencies always at get going on the one hand towards homogenization and on the other towards new distinctions.In the 1970s and 80s, architecture in Japan was developed as a quick imitation of nigh indistinct international style or much worse disneyfication of Nipponese cities littered with out-of-place, or downright quirky, architecture. Attempts to be yeasty were easily blurred by sublimated ideas from pre-WWII period, as Nipponese architects are lost in translating Western aesthetic social classs for a Japanese public. Likewise attempts to be impostal remains most often restricted to the production of experimental skyscrapers with cut-outs and occasional pagoda roofs (note need to find examples, images). M whatsoever Japanese architect s of that period struggle to plant an individuality for themselves in an increasingly homogeneous world (Isozaki, 2011 35)Asahi Beer Building, Asakusa district, Tokyo, by renown product designer Phillip Strack, 1989.The same struggle is evident at the beginning of Tadao Andos go as he seeks to reconcile aspects of forward-looking construction with aspects of Japanese tradition. His travels to the West in his late 20s, taught him extensively on the precedents of red-brick masters such(prenominal) as Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe and Louis Kahn (Dal Co, 1997).Yet, remarkably, Ando has neer been described as a neo-Corbusian, a neo-Miesian, or a neo-Kahnian. His concrete surfaces save textures as smooth and delicate as fine Japanese craftwork. His root words are spare and clean. By these means, Andos architecture embraces a contemplative, ascetic realm of stillness and abstraction. His works embodies a rare mastery of materials and lessen that seeks to reconnect mankind with nature, with a monastic sense of plainness. Kenneth Frampton in his essay Tadaos Andos hypercritical Modernism (Frampton, 1984) tho celebrates Tadao Ando as a critical regionalist.So, how did Ando overcome his struggle for an identity?To answer this question, this speaking begins with a look back into Japanese history. In the region of Kansai during the 16th century, the warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi and his protg, tea master Sen No Rikyu, laid the bag for the discipline of wabi-sabi a strict adherence to the virtues of simplicity, poverty and modesty, in direct resistance to the unrefined pretention of wealth. It also reflects the dissatisfaction with institutional power and resistance to tyranny. Osaka, Kansais regional capital, is Tadao Andos indigene city. Thus, by birth and inclination, it is no coincidence that he belongs to wabi-sabi aesthetic which is still alive today, as do many of his clients.This dissertation therefore argues, for the first time, that the implicit i n(p) key to lowstanding Andos capacity for abstraction must be found in wabi-sabi aesthetics. This line of credit may best be illustrated by a equality of his work with that of Sen no Rikyu (1522-91), one of the greatest of all tea Lords Supper masters, and an outstanding architect of tea notice pavilions.This dissertation will then provided discuss the role of wabi-sabi in making Ando a critical regionalist. By briefly exploring the design of critical regionalism , its greatness in contemporary architecture discourses and its criticism, the dissertation shall further reflect upon how Critical Regionalism functions within Japanese culture, in which its architectural past is often more of abstraction rather than physical.Wabi-sabi A ContextThe Japanese aesthetic tradition, like any other cultural tradition, encompasses diverse tastes and arts. They range from the ordinariness of Noh theatre to the lavishness of Kabuki theatre, the severity of monochrome brush ink paintings t o the opulence of gold-gilded screen paintings, and the primary rusticity of tea huts to the august majesty of castles.Among the variety of aesthetic pursuits, one theme stands out for being somewhat unconventional. It is a jubilancy of qualities commonly regarded as falling short of, or deteriorating from the optimal condition of the object (De Mente, 2006). While such works may appear somewhat unmingled and rough, at the same time they impart a sense of elegance and tranquillity, a kind of unsophisticated sophistication, like the moon obscured by clouds. (Koren, 1994).This study will refer to this Japanese aesthetics of the imperfection and insufficiency as wabi-sabi. The discussion in this chapter will briefly review the aesthetic, social, historical, and philosophical dimensions of this Japanese aesthetic taste.Wabi and sabiWabi is derived from the verb wabu (to deteriorate) and the procedural wabishii (solitary, comfortless). The essence of wabi has been described as nonatt achment and subtle profundity (De Mente, 2006 45). The nonattachment essence of a wabi is part of the social disease School of Buddhism that teaches detachment from all material things and the ability to commence the essence of things (Koren, 1994 12). On the other hand, the original meaning of sabi is rust or patina, but it also connotes loneliness and desolation as reflected in the adjective sabishii (lonely), peculiarly with reference to old age (1994 13).Koren (1994 21) primarily suggests wabi-sabi as the most conspicuous and mark feature of what we think of as traditional Japanese beauty, comparing its splendor in Japanese aesthetics to the Greek ideals of beauty and perfection in the West.The essence of wabi aesthetic is perhqaps best captured in Sen No Ryikus words never leave alone that the way of tea is nothing more than boiling water, making tea and drinking tea. And the tea ceremony conducted in the smallest of spaces serves primarily the practice of meditation and its purpose is enlightenment.Originally, the meanings of neither wabi nor sabi were specifically related to aesthetic qualities. The development of the wabi-sabi aesthetic began in earnest during the Kamakura Period (1185-1333) coinciding with the spread of Zen Buddhism in Japan (Koren 1994 12). Zen ideas about transcending the mundane world and conventional ways of looking at things through concepts like emptiness, impermanence and renunciation inspired a kind of savvy of negative experiences such as old age, poverty and loneliness (Suzuki, 1972 42). Hermits, priests and poets leading a solitary wandering life in search of spiritual cortical potential incorporated this sense of postponement in their works and teachings. As these ideas gained momentum, people tried to resign themselves to the sufferings of life and began to see a kind of beauty in them. Expressed in artistic forms, this in turn evolved into the aesthetic appreciation of wabi-sabi (Koren, 199414).Later, the dev elopment of the tea ceremony in the 16th century marks an important step in the evolution of wabi-sabi. Sen no Rikyu, credited with establishing the tea ceremony in its current form, was also influential in establishing wabi-sabi as an aesthetic concept (Okakura, 2005 33). He extolled the use of simple, indigenous home-style tea utensils over the expensive and highly decorative tea utensils imported from China, placing objects expressing wabi-sabi at the pinnacle of aesthetic appreciation (200534).Initially, these new aesthetics could only be discovered in the humble utensils used by the common people, or in a neglected gem lantern overgrown with moss. However, as time progressed, design works were intentionally created to reflect wabi-sabi, for example, raku earthenware tea bowls or the design of the tea-house, which took on the style of a simple rural hut, with space inside for only two tatami mats (around 3.5m) (De Mente, 200645).Futhermore in art and design, two other elements that are often associated with sabi objects are asymmetry and austerity. Kakuzo Okakura (200515), the Japanese tea master, labelled this asymmetry beauty as the art of imperfection. Surprises are achieved by the unbalanced by the apparent randomness of things that allows the observer to complete the image. This stands in melodic line to the Western compulsion to symmetry and mathematical balance, leaving no surprises and nothing for the viewer to add.Also worth nothing is that in raw Japan, the definition of a wabi-sabi style of living evolves into the elimination of things which that are inessential. The tranquillity aspect of wabi dictates a look and feel that radiates an aura of calm and solace. The natural aspect of sabi results from avoiding machination of any sort. This includes making an object or area look as if it were created by nature, not by human or machine (Koren, 1994).Wabi-sabi and Tadao Andofurther writing here on Tadao Andos background and why Tadao Ando his sign ificance in Japanese architecture since the 1980sSeveral themes related to wabi-sabi can be identified in Andos works, and these will be discussed under the following distinct but interrelated headings light, overlapping spaces and materials. This study will engage the expression of these themes through the analysis of his better known works, alongside an trial of similar principles in traditional Japanese exemplars.LightThe spaces in Andos works are typified by light within darkness. Common features among Ando works are their meditative calmness and dimness. While describing Andos Church of Light in Ibaraki, Jodidio (2004) sums it up If the enclosed world is a microcosm, the shaft of sunlight penetrating it is a ray of take to rendered vivid by the enclosure and the surrounding darkness.On the other hand, the fragile beauty of shadows that marked the Japanese cultural identity, as were praised by novelist Junichiro Tanizaki (1977), are use by Ando to infuse his buildings with a n uncanny mood which enrich the void with darkness. In Andos Shiba Ryotaro Memorial Museum in Higashiosaka, visitors experience a space saturated with a strained darkness, yet make significant by the sudden burst of light in the south-west elevation.Spatial EnclosureThough set in an urban environment, in true spirit of wabi-sabi, Andos buildings strive for the mood of a good deal retreat. Andos buildings are often described as an enclosed world, shut off from the outdoor environment (Jodidio 200410). It shuts out the exterior world but introduces nature, in symbolic form. The symbolic representation of nature is a major expression of wabi-sabi aesthetic, and is prevalent in all Japanese art. superstar outstanding example is the Zen rock gardens of the Ryoan-ji, a 13th century Buddhist temple in Kyoto, where stones and white sandpaper are used to depict islands and the sea.In Andos Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art, lift Kobe, visitors are greeted with a deceptively closed, minim alist volume of raw concrete. Dal Co (1997125) describes the form of the museum as one which is radically new, yet there is still the old feeling of seclusion, of an architecture that creates another world remote from the e very(prenominal)day. He further describes the boilers suit spatial structure is as closed to the outside yet sacrifice within, the former tempered by a few slits and the latter by layer planes (1997125). One can argue that this is suggestive of the wabi-sabi blast in older, traditional Japanese architecture, where buildings are enclosed with a simple mud wall and made inwardly porous by layered screens.Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art, outside KobeThus, spaces which overlap and figuratively fold in on each other add attainment and richness to the composition and stimulate excitement and expectation in the person experiencing the space. The effect is achievable through the approach to the building. For example, the approach to a tea ceremony pavilion often lea ds through a garden space called a roji. This is exemplified in tea-ceremony huts in Kyotos Katsura Imperial Villa, one of Japans best known architectural heritage. In the course of traversing this garden, the visitor must pass through several gates, usually intentional delicately and minimally, before finally reaching the pavilion where the tea ceremony will be performed. Detours are deliberately included in the stepping-stone notchway to generate similar anticipation and excitement. The same kind of indirect approach is characteristic of Andos buildings.MaterialsTraditional Japanese house architecture often employs unfinished logs, simply split bamboo, and walls made of clay with an admixture of chopped straw, as in Katsuras tea-ceremony hut. One can notice that materials were deliberately used without finishes for the sake of creating an aesthetically pure, ideal world of sobriety, calm and refined rusticity (Okakura, 2005). One can conclude that designers of tea ceremony archi tecture carefully selected only those materials conducive to production of a microcosm compatible with the aesthetics of wabi.Designers of such architecture tend to use natural materials, to have them look as natural as possible, and to employ muted -almost monochrome colour schemes. One could argue that Andos works severely limits the range of interior colours. In Andos buildings one could observe almost entirely unfinished concrete with the exception of floors and furnishings, which are of natural materials. Window sashes, which, though steel, are always painted gray, never bright self-assertive colours. This approach used both by designers of tea ceremony buildings and by Ando, is determined by a concern for the materials themselves and for spatial composition (Baek, 2008).Furthermore, in the spaces in Andos works, one can observe the same peaceful, almost desolate spirit of wabi-sabi that informs the design of a teahouse or lonely mountain temple. Apart from warm touches of woo den flooring and nature beyond, every surface of concrete, steel or mass presents a chilly monotonous grey. These black-and-white tonalities are distinctly Japanese, apparent in traditional buildings in silvery roof tiles, grey-weathered boards, neutral plaster and white paper screens.Tadao Andos Critical ModernismThis chapter of the dissertation begins with a brief overview of critical regionalism, its importance in contemporary architecture discourse in Japan, and the criticisms against. Building on the discussion of wabi-sabi in chapters before, the chapter further discusses the role of wabi-sabi in making Ando a critical regionalist.Critical regionalism and JapanIn history, regionalism is a manifested concept since the times of the Romans. Regional variations has been extensively discussed in Vitruvius treaties De Architectura (Ten Books on Architecture). The Romantics further propounded beautiful regionalism during the 19th and early 20th century. (Nesbitt 1996 486)Critical reg ionalism, on the other hand, was first coined as an architectural concept in the early 1980s in essays by Alexander Tzonis, Liane Lefaivre and, subsequently, Kenneth Frampton.Tadao Andos works are situated within this backdrop of a newly defined focus on regionalism. This new focus is seen as a reaction to the authority of modernism and the imitating scenography of postmodernism, both of which were thought to have failed to address the human condition in their extreme stances towards historicism.The core question which arises is how to become modern and to return to sources?. In their 1981 article The Grid and the Pathway, Tzonis and Lefaivre hypothesise critical regionalism as the solution. In the context of architecture in Greece, they defined the term critical regionalism as the third and latest type of regionalism, following the English picturesque of nationalist regionalism, and the Neoclassical historicist regionalism. They further argued that modern architecture is impersona l and monolithic, destroying the humanistic qualities in architectural expression which would be reinstated by a new form of regionalism. (Tzonis Lefaivre, 1981)Frampton later followed their lead in propounding critical regionalism. In his 1983 seminal essay Towards a Critical Regionalism, he embeds the concept with a higher sense of urgency and highlights its critical nature against placeless monotony.Frampton saw critical regionalism exemplified by Jrn Utzons Bagsvaerd Church (1973-76) near Copenhagen, which represents, according to Frampton, a self-conscious synthesis of universal civilization and world culture. The combination of universal elements like the concrete outer shell of the church, with an organic and individualist interior and a roof shape reminiscent of pagodas as a reference to world culture, make, in the eyes of Frampton, this architecture simultaneously resistant and modern (Frampton, 1983 16)This resistance, one could argue, is also apparent in 1980s Japan in t he midst of an economic boom. There exists a typified reaction against universal standards, western culture homogenisation and placeless modernism, but at the same time the reaction is critical in its outlook. Likewise, one could also argue that critical regionalism in Japan is self-evaluating such that it is confrontational with not only the world but also to itself.Although the Japanese (like the Chinese) had developed doctrines relatively early that emphasised the necessity of space essence, ma, and Western functionality and aimed, at least sporadically, at a reconciliation of Chinese and Western elements in architecture, regionalism has never been established as a critical architectural movement (Isozaki, 2001 131). (note further elaboration needed)On the contrary, Peter Eisenman argued there is no tradition of resistance in Asia. Thus, he concludes, rendering architecture in Asia, in principle, conservative and accommodating. Eisenman refers to the importance attributed to crit ical thinking in late 18th century Europe developed, in particular, by Kant and Giovanni Battista Piranesi that strongly contributed to the formation of a critical consciousness among European architects. Eisenman pointed out that such tradition cannot be traced in Asia. (Eisenman, 1995) (note further elaboration needed)Tadao Ando a wabi-sabi Critical RegionalistFrampton celebrates Tadao Ando as a critical regionalist. This is most evident in his essay Tadaos Andos Critical Modernism (Frampton, 1984) in which Frampton uses the label to discuss Andos architectureOne of Framptons criteria for critical regionalism is a direct dialectical relation with nature, a talks with the environment that Andos architecture embodies in the articulation of structure through the changing impact of terrain. This is exemplified in Andos Chikatsu-Asuka Museum outside Osaka. The work is characterised by the valley which surrounds the site. Ando decisively situated the museum on the severe slopes to mak e it a quiet building standing quietly in nature (Ando, 1989a 46). In contrast to the modernist clean slate approach of levelling the site, Andos approach is in true adherence to the spirit of wabi-sabi of preserving the tectonic quality of the nature. In Chikatsu-Asuka, the work is tactile, another component of Framptons (198328) definition which resides in the fact that (the building) can only be decoded in terms of experience itself. Indeed, Ando professes that a building exists to be seen and experienced and not to be talked about (eds. Knabe Noennig, 1999 118).It could also be argued that, in abidance to the tenets of wabi-sabi, Ando is seeking to tackle the tactile range of human perception. This romanticised emotion of wabi-sabi can be seen in the way Ando describes his buildings and context, which he refers to as cruel urban surroundings (Ando, 199712). As discussed earlier, within his territorial walls and spatial enclosure, Ando is determined to establish a natural, Zen-l ike relationship between the person, material and natural phenomena. His works are designed to be experienced in body and spirit. (eds. Knabe Noennig, 1999 118)At the same time, Ando often speaks of the spirit and emotional contents which he has translated from the Japanese vernacular and the richness of the tradition of sukiya1 and minka2 which is lost in urban chaos and economic growth (Ando, 1982). In fact, his architecture is largely influenced by the nostalgia of his childhood memoriesWe all have had certain experiences in our childhood that have stayed with us for our entire lives. The house that I grew up in was very important to me It is very long, and when you come in from the street you walk through a corridor and then into a small courtyard and then another long space that takes you deeper into the house. The courtyard is very important because the house is very long and the amount of light is very limited. Light is very precious Living in a space like that, where ligh t and darkness are constantly interacting, was a critical experience for me. (Auping, 2002 22)Ando (Auping, 2002 22) speaks of himself, I value cultural treasures and would like to develop them in a creative way, revealing his, and many Japanese architects, fondness for cultural artefacts and a related lament at the loss of such an environment due to unrelenting urban development.On the other hand, the argument that posits Ando as a critical regionalist lies in this very statement by Frampton (199512), in which Ando is described as at once both an unequivocally modern architect and a figure whose values lie embedded in some archaic moment. In the same text, he further argued that Ando is committed to some other time before the machinations of progress has turned into an every present nemesis.Hence, one can conclude that Ando is critically opposed of the chaotic Japanese urban context and reproduction traditional Japanese physical elements. In his work there are none. One can hardly find the traditional open pavilion, bare timber skeleton, deeply overhanging roofs, or sliding shoji doors of spotless white paper (Jodidio, 2004 21). Nevertheless Ando has transmuted these properties into something new, grounding his architecture in an ancient culture composition freeing it of depiction.Wabi-sabi as a representation Japanese architectural identity.One could argue, like wabi-sabi itself, the notion of Japanese identity is perceived sensually rather than visually.NotesSukiya is a type of Japanese architectural style. It can be literally translated as sophisticated, cultivated experience, often a reference to delight of the elegantly performed tea-ceremony.Minka are esoteric dwellings of farmers, artisans, and merchants, constructed in traditional Japanese building styles.Illustration creditsLeonard Koren, from his book Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets Philosophers, fig. 2-3Author, fig. 1, 4-10Word count3493