Tag Archives: knowledge
For the love of the language
For the love of the language (voskouc@gmail.com) / 24 July 2013 SPOKEN IN 22 countries by over 200 million people, Arabic is the fifth most spoken language in the world. In the Middle-East and North Africa it is the common shared language but in each of the countries it is used in, there is a local element attached to it. For instance, the Arabic spoken here is very different to the Arabic spoken in Egypt. That can seem a little frustrating to those who thought they can easily pick up the language while living here. It takes a lot of dedication, effort and time to be able to speak correctly. Interactive game to help expand Arabic knowledge Four Khalifa University students have developed an interactive computer game to encourage school kids to learn about their national identity and expand their knowledge of Arabic. Fatima Al Muhariy, Maitha Barrak, Halema Al Naqbi and Eman Khalifa, who are all Computer Engineering students at Khalifa University, developed the game that won the third place in the recent Innovative Cultural Project Competition 2013 held by the Ministry of Culture and Youth. The competition aims to develop the talents, energies and competencies of creative young people, students and university clubs in the UAE in order to strengthen national identity and to sponsor creative students currently enrolled in the UAE universities. The game, designed for kids aged nine to 12, follows the adventures of two characters, Rashed and Aisha, and requires students to identify the UAE wildlife, solve problems presented in Arabic and answer questions about the history of the UAE. “We aimed our project to involve all of the seven Emirates, and each game shows each emirate and what it is known for. This just shows how rich our culture is,” Barrak said. “We are very pleased with our students’ achievement in the Innovative Cultural Project Competition, as well as, their dedication to enhancing knowledge of the UAE and its culture among school children,” commended Khalifa University’s executive vice president Dr Arif Sultan Al Hammadi. Staff Reporter news@khaleejtimes.com The popular columnist and media personality Ali Al Saloom, is known for his efforts to share cultural, linguistic and general knowledge about the UAE. He thinks that learning Arabic while living in the region can help people get a better understanding of the local culture. He often says that if he had the capacity to do so, he would offer free Arabic lessons to those willing to commit to learning the language. “I appreciate it when expats choose to learn Arabic because it shows that they are hungry for our culture and our language. In fact I encourage my Emirati friends and family to promote our language by practising with those who are learning it,” he commented. Paola Zagni, an Italian living in Dubai, admits that Arabic is hard both in writing and in speaking. “The grammar is not difficult compared to my native language but the alphabet and the spelling make writing extremely difficult but charming at the same time. It is like a challenge and a personal satisfaction when you start writing full sentences and read paragraphs,” she says. A passion for languages and for the Arabic culture appears to be a common theme amongst students in the UAE. Alessandro Mirabella, another Italian expatriate was first exposed to the Arabic language at university in his home country and relocating to the UAE provided him with an opportunity to continue learning. He says, “I want to have a better understanding of this language that’s so different than mine. I like the letters and it pleases me so much to write in Arabic. But I am still in a beginner level and have a lot to learn.” Interestingly, Alessandro also points out to the fact that the Sicilian dialect, which he speaks, contains Arabic influences. For Ioanna Oikonomidou, a Greek architect, who has only recently moved to the UAE, learning Arabic has provided her the chance to discover a language she has always found interesting and could, potentially, benefit her career prospects in the region. However, she admits that “it is quite hard. I thought the most difficult thing would be the letters, but the letters are just the beginning.” Interactive game to help expand Arabic knowledge Four Khalifa University students have developed an interactive computer game to encourage school kids to learn about their national identity and expand their knowledge of Arabic. Fatima Al Muhariy, Maitha Barrak, Halema Al Naqbi and Eman Khalifa, who are all Computer Engineering students at Khalifa University, developed the game that won the third place in the recent Innovative Cultural Project Competition 2013 held by the Ministry of Culture and Youth. The competition aims to develop the talents, energies and competencies of creative young people, students and university clubs in the UAE in order to strengthen national identity and to sponsor creative students currently enrolled in the UAE universities. The game, designed for kids aged nine to 12, follows the adventures of two characters, Rashed and Aisha, and requires students to identify the UAE wildlife, solve problems presented in Arabic and answer questions about the history of the UAE. “We aimed our project to involve all of the seven Emirates, and each game shows each emirate and what it is known for. This just shows how rich our culture is,” Barrak said. “We are very pleased with our students’ achievement in the Innovative Cultural Project Competition, as well as, their dedication to enhancing knowledge of the UAE and its culture among school children,” commended Khalifa University’s executive vice president Dr Arif Sultan Al Hammadi. Staff Reporter news@khaleejtimes.com Similarly, Ali Ayhan Fidanci, a Turkish expat also admits that while he enjoys learning the language, “the biggest challenge is pronunciation. The language depends on the correct pronunciation of the words very much.” For Rachel Dunn, a British expat and Public Relations professional, the decision to learn Arabic was purely personal: “I am married to an Egyptian, so for me it was important to try and learn the language — we have just had a baby and we’d like him to speak both English and Arabic so I wouldn’t want to feel left out.” Dunn says that the differences between Arabic and English while many, make it all the more interesting and challenging to learn. She loves how rich and descriptive a language it is and the fact that “there are so many words which could be used to describe the same thing in different situations. Plus it’s incredibly satisfying to be able to read even the headline in a newspaper.” Although these students live in an Arabic speaking country, it isn’t easy to make conversation and practice the language. As Oikonomidou points out, “recently in an exhibition I took part in, there were many Arabic-speaking people. They were very pleased I knew some things but they were speaking to me in English. Overall though, I think all people are flattered when you appreciate and respect their culture and language. ” However, Mirabella who is part of a conversation team at his school feels that he still cannot hold a conversation in Arabic. He thinks it’s hard because “native Arabic-speakers perhaps don’t have the patience to speak to you, as they are fluent in English, and they simply switch to that with non-Arab speakers. But they are happy to listen.” Continue reading
Timber
21 May, 2013 | By Laura Mark This month’s overview focuses on recent changes to EU Timber Regulation. We also take a look at what is being done to encourage the use of home-grown timber, and a number of recent product developments that have come out of this. Timber Regulation Introduced in March 2013, the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) aims to tackle illegal timber supplies, forming part of a wider European initiative. It is there to ensure illegal timber does not enter local markets. The new legislation places a legal obligation on those putting timber products on the market for the first time, including manufacturers, importers and distributors. ‘Although the obligation will be with the operators to adopt a due diligence system to minimise the risk of illegal timber being imported, traders further down the supply chain – including both merchant branches and even housebuilders – must ensure they have systems in place to be able to trace timber purchases to sales,’ says George Watson, product manager at SmartPly. He adds: ‘Although it is unlikely that the harshest penalties such as seizure of goods and suspension of authorisation to trade will be enforced on the end of the supply chain, a housebuilder for example, should be aware of the reputational downside of having been found to use illegally harvested timber. This could be significant and the best way to avoid this situation is to purchase only no-risk materials’. Malcolm Ellis of International Timber adds: ‘You might be forgiven for initially thinking that EUTR does not affect architects as most products will have already passed through operators and traders down the supply chain before reaching the architect or specifier. However, seizure of timber (a potential penalty) along the supply chain will have significant impacts on all involved and, from the architect’s perspective, could result in a direct cost to the bottom line of the project. So it is clearly vital that all participants in the supply chain, including architects, take due diligence seriously to ensure the credibility of the materials they source.’ For architects this new legislation could mean greater security and less risk when specifying timber products Timber will also be affected by changes to the Construction Products Regulation coming in during July 2013. This will require all wood products that are used in construction in the UK to carry a CE mark. Supporting documents will need to be provided with all timber specified, proving the environmental and legal derivation of the products. For architects this new legislation could mean greater security and less risk when specifying timber products. Watson believes: ‘The changing landscape of timber supply is driving all parties in the supply chain to work in a more integrated way, sharing the responsibility for compliance. The result of this will be a much more robust approach to sustainable and legal timber products’. Encouraging the use of UK timber Many new initiatives are being developed that aim to increase the use of home-grown timber in the UK construction industry. The UK timber industry primarily grows softwoods. The Forestry Commission estimated that in 2011, 10.4 million tonnes of roundwood was removed from UK forests, and 95 per cent of this was softwood. Wood for Good is an initiative working on behalf of the UK timber industry to campaign for the increased use of wood in construction. Chaired by architect Craig White, the group promotes the carbon sequestration properties of timber and therefore its suitability as a sustainable building material. It is also campaigning for the government to introduce a ‘wood first’ policy into local planning legislation. Wood First, as the campaign is known, aims to raise the status of timber to being a first-choice, primary building material. This would require sustainably sourced wood to be considered, where feasible, as the primary construction material in all new-build and refurbishment projects. The organisation states that this will help the UK meet both local and national targets for carbon reduction. Increasing forest cover is one of the most effective weapons in the battle against climate change David Hopkins from Wood for Good explains: ‘Increasing forest cover is recognised as one of the most effective weapons we have in the battle against climate change, and the best way to achieve this is to stimulate demand for sustainable timber products. The introduction of a ‘wood first’ rule will help to make this happen. ‘Introducing the rule would bring multiple benefits to local authorities. It will help drive efficiencies by increasing the speed of construction, while timber’s exceptional thermal insulation properties will enable them to create homes and buildings that consume less energy.’ The Grown in Britain programme, headed by BRE chief executive Peter Bonfield, emerged in July 2012 from the government’s independent panel on the future of UK forestry and woodland policy. Grown in Britain aims to boost levels of woodland management through demand for home-grown timber. It has partnered with various organisations on a number of timber construction projects including the University of East Anglia Enterprise Centre, due to complete in January 2015, and the extension to the Coed Y Brenin visitor centre in Wales, designed by Architype. Both of these projects are pioneering a renaissance in the use of Brettstapel. This construction method, increasingly being called Dowellam in the UK, is a solid-wood, structural panel system that can be manufactured using UK grown softwoods. The visitor centre at Coed Y Brenin is considered to be one of the first applications of this method using home-grown timber, and is seen as a significant breakthrough in the campaign to manufacture Brettstapel from home-grown timber. Source: Architype Sketch of the Coed Y Brenin visitor centre with the new building shown highlighted in grey The 400m² extension to the existing visitor centre will include a new bike shop, a conference room and meeting room facilities. Brettstapel will be used for the load-bearing external walls, internal partitions and the first floor construction. Brettstapel was first used in the UK by Gaia Architects on Acharacle Primary School in Scotland, in 2009. This highlighted the construction technique and, although not made from local timber, it could be credited with beginning the future developments of this method within the industry. The use of Brettstapel on the Coed Y Brenin visitor centre has been boosted by investment from initiatives encouraging the use of local Welsh wood, including Wood Knowledge Wales, Wales Forest Business Partnership and the Forestry Commission Wales. There are currently no commercial manufacturers of Brettstapel panels in the UK, and this investment could encourage it to become a commercially viable product. As the desire to use prefabricated systems increases, we could see a rise in the number of architects looking to use the Brettstapel system. A modular housing company was set up by the Coed Cymru sawmill in Wales to explore the use of low-grade timber. Named Ty Unnos, meaning ‘house in a night’, the company draws on ancient traditions of building houses quickly in order to claim common land. This parallels the system’s ease and speed of construction. At present, most timber-frame manufacturers in the UK use imported softwoods due to their greater stability and superior strength, but Ty Unnos is working to develop ways of using home-grown timber to its full potential. More than 70 per cent of Welsh forestry production is Sitka spruce, yet it is rarely used for UK construction due to its poor structural strength qualities. Ty Unnos has developed a modular building system using entirely Welsh timber. The system, based on simplified beams and standardised kits, uses local Sitka spruce in standardised, readily available lengths. Using coppiced willow, engineer Smith and Wallwork worked with Cambridge University architecture students to develop a timber bridge structure that would not decay over time. The bridge at Cow Hollow in Cambridgeshire uses a deck created by planting willow into the riverbanks. This method negates the need for any steel or concrete and shows how small bridges can be created using entirely local wood. http://www.architect…l-Ramag_380.JPG Source: Michael Ramage Continue reading
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