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Tag archives for | Washington D.C.

Tag archives for: Washington D.C.

A Tale of Two Cities…

Cherry Blossom

… Washington D.C. and New Delhi

The more you travel, the more you realize the similarities between different parts of the world. Each time I visit Washington D.C. it reminds me of New Delhi. So I thought of penning down these similarities and share them on this blog.

To begin with, both are capitals of two democratic nations (U.S.A. and India), that have many buildings housing government offices. The urban scale on which they were built and the urban image that they present, have many strikingly beautiful similarities. These include low-rise structures, tree-lined avenues, round-abouts and plenty of well-maintained green open spaces. In New Delhi Rajpath connects Rashtrapati Bhavan and India Gate. It provides a strong axis of symmetry with green parks and water bodies on both sides. In Washington D.C. the open space between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington monument is symmetrical with a large water body in the middle and green parks beyond.

The government buildings in both the cities have a regal grandeur created with classical architecture and the choice of the building materials (beige and rust sandstone in New Delhi, white marble in Washington D.C.). Both cities house very elegant memorials in the midst of serene landscapes. New Delhi has Raj Ghat, Shantivan, Vijay Ghat and Shakti Sthal. Washington D.C. has the Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Korean War Memorial etc.

Well, I am sure there are many more similarities but the most delightful similarity is in the choice of its trees. Both have lovely trees that were thoughtfully chosen and planted. Washington D.C. has Cherry trees with an abundance of blossoms (see above) that attract many visitors. New Delhi has Jamun trees that bear jamun fruits. The suburbs have plenty of Gulmohar (Delonix Regia) and Amaltas (Golden Shower) trees. These are a visual feast with flowers in orange and yellow colors respectively.

Before I wrap up, here is a bit about the Cherry blossom festival in Washington. Its normally from March 27 to April 11. It transforms the outdoors in Washington D.C. into heaven. Cheers to Spring!

Ratna Dalal

Architect | Author | Artist | Blogger

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Architecture jobs start to bounce back

Online job ads for architects up 20% over year

arch model 4 Online job advertisements for architects rose 20 percent during the last 90 days compared to the same time period in 2012, according to Wanted Analytics, a firm that tracks online job ads. There were a total of more than 16,000 architect jobs advertised in the past 90 days.

New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., San Francisco and Houston topped the list of metropolitan areas with the most job ads for architects.

“Autodesk AutoCAD” was the most commonly required skill in architect jobs. In the past 90 days, 5,500 jobs required CAD skills, representing about 35 percent of all hiring demand.

The most commonly required skills in architecture jobs include:

Autodesk REVIT Architecture

Oral and written communication skills

Detail oriented

Self-starting/self-motivated

Project management

Organizational skills

Bentley MicroStation

Microsoft Office

Adobe Photoshop

Watch a new CCTV America video from the AIA.org website that highlights 7 consecutive months of gains in the industry

Temporary hiring takes center stage

U.S. temporary employment jumped by 20,300 jobs in March, compared with the previous month, and the year-over-year growth rate ticked up, according to seasonally adjusted numbers released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In addition, the number of temp jobs added in February was revised upward by 22,000 jobs.

Year-over-year growth in temp jobs had been decelerating since November. However, the number of temp jobs rose by 6.4 percent year over year in March, up from the 5.3 percent increase in February.

Further, the U.S. temp penetration rate rose to 1.94 percent in March from 1.93 percent in February.

However, the U.S. added fewer jobs overall in March than February. Total non-farm employment rose by 88,000 jobs in March compared with an increase of 218,000 in February –  Sending a clear signal that firms are exercising caution, temporary hires outpaced permanent hires for the same period.

The U.S. unemployment rate still fell to 7.6 percent in March from 7.7 percent in February. The college-level unemployment rate, which can serve as a proxy for professional employment, was unchanged from February at 3.8 percent.

In other industries, construction added 18,000 jobs in March. The BLS reported construction has added 169,000 jobs since September.

Click on the chart below to enlarge.

temp_growth_130405_overlay_large

Click on the chart below to enlarge.

temp_numbers_130405_overlay_large
This post is a composite of articles from Staffing Industry Analysts and AIA.org websites

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