Tips for Wearing a Mask to the Gym

As director of a Johannesburg based residential property development company, Laurence Grigorov enjoys various forms of exercise and activities including gym work and mountain-biking. 

Laurence Grigorov firmly believes that a healthy work-life balance should include regular exercise as well as a healthy, well-balanced diet which not only is good for your health but also for your mind and body. With the recent Covid-19 pandemic upending a lot of our usual life and work habits, exercise is no exception.

As the world starts to make its way out of stay-at-home orders, increasingly more gyms are opening their doors so diligent gains-makers can get back to work. There’s a massive amount of information available from sources like the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization about whether wearing a mask is right for you, so we’re going to leave that advice to the pros. Today, we’re assuming that you have chosen to wear a mask to the gym. Many gyms are requiring that their members wear some sort of face covering, so here are some helpful tips to know before you mask up!

What Is The Best Kind Of Mask?

There has been an incredible amount of creativity when it comes to homemade masks. Some people are using bandanas, folded T-shirts, and even custom-sewn masks. The finer the fabric—that is, the smaller the gaps in the threading—the better the mask will be for capturing any moisture from your breath. You can also get this effect by folding fabric over itself multiple times. Masks made by folding fabric may also be useful for gym-goers because if you get too sweaty, you can quickly remove your mask, refold it, wash your hands, and get back to your workout feeling fresh.

For now, it seems that homemade masks are the best bet considering that true surgical masks are at a premium for those who need them most: frontline medical workers. Since doctors and nurses require these masks to provide care safely for people who are actively sick, do your part and leave the medical-grade masks for the professionals and home caretakers.

Reasons For Wearing A Mask

Based on our initial understanding of COVID-19, wearing a mask may potentially reduce the spread of any moisture exhaled from your mouth via breathing. If you are sneezing or coughing, it’s probably not the time to be going to the gym anyway. Since your breath is projected outward with less force thanks to the mask, there’s a decreased likelihood of spreading any pathogens outside of your small bubble. This is potentially a way to help protect those around you, should you be sick without knowing it. Everyone at the gym is going to be working hard and breathing heavy, so keeping all that breath from moving around may be helpful.

Reasons Against Wearing A Mask

We’re still learning more about COVID-19 every day. The unique nature of this virus means that plans will change, policies will evolve, and we’ll have to be flexible. One thing we have learned is that wearing a mask may not be an end-all solution. First, the moisture from your breath can move in particle sizes smaller than the weave of many fabrics. So you could still get sick and cause others to get sick while wearing a mask. Keeping a safe distance from others and being smart about social interaction are still important things to remember.

Second, human behavior is a funny thing. Experts studying people wearing masks found that they seemed to feel almost too safe. When wearing a mask, users would resume touching their face more often, neglect washing their hands as often, and more. Having a strong but false sense of security could be dangerous. It’s important that wearing a mask is only your first step in staying safe.

Finally—and this is for all you high-intensity exercisers out there—wearing a mask may decrease your ability to work out at your peak. Your muscles’ ability to function is directly tied to how much oxygen they can get to make energy. If you’re wearing a face covering, you’re decreasing the amount of air you can pull in with each breath and increasing the amount of work it takes to get each breath due to resistance. Without even knowing it, you may be simulating high-altitude training (but that’s a conversation for another day).

For now, life is going to be a bit different. Going to the gym with your face covered will feel odd, but don’t feel ashamed. We’re all in this together, and if by wearing a mask you have the chance to help others, we say it’s worth it. Just make sure to continue keeping your distance from others, clean your bench when you’re done lifting, and wash your hands regularly.

Words and image courtesy of www.bodybuilding.com 

Studio Gang Completes Twisting Tower in San Francisco

Studio Gang Completes Twisting Tower in San Francisco

As director at a residential property development company based in Johannesburg, South Africa, Laurence Grigorov has a keen interest in international architectural news and design trends. Laurence Grigorov subscribes to several online architectural and design websites that showcase leading developments and projects around the world. 

A project that Laurence Grigorov highlighted in May 2019 has recently been completed. The Mira residential building in San Francisco.

The interiors of Studio Gang’s Mira residential building have been revealed in these new photographs, as the project is finished in San Francisco.Photos capture the interiors and exterior of the 40-storey apartment complex, whose facade is formed by twisting rectangular columns punctured with windows. Balconies are nestled within the spirals and scale the tower with glass railings.

Studio Gang, which has an office in the city, designed the 400-foot-high (122-metre-high) structure for developer Tishman Speyer in the Mission Bay neighbourhood. The twisted and curved windows that form the exterior of Mira are intended to be a reinterpretation of the city’s bay windows. Inside, they offer views of San Francisco Bay and the Bay Bridge that connects to Oakland.

Mira has 392 apartment units as two- and three-bedroom condominiums. In the photos, apartments have white walls, wood floors, white counters and dark wood kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities. Structural pillars have angular shapes with eight or six sides.

San Francisco’s Jeff Schlarb Design Studio has decorated model units at Mira, and Mexico City studios Esrawe and EWE also collaborated on custom-made pieces to furnish the lobby and lounge. Other amenities include a rooftop deck, fitness centre, children’s playroom, attended lobby, conference room and valet parking. There are also shops located on its ground level.

Mira, which was first unveiled in 2018 and topped out last year, is among a series of buildings Studio Gang has designed for San Francisco. Others include a proposal for a 23-storey dark grey building for the city’s Mission Rock development and a centre for California College of the Arts.

Studio Gang has offices in San Francisco, New York and Chicago and was founded by American architect Jeanne Gang in 1997. Gang was named world’s most influential architect of 2019 by Time magazine.

Words and photo courtesy of www.dezeen.com 

The Signature in Cape Town

Laurence Grigorov, as director of a leading residential development company, keeps abreast of local international design trends. This guides the company in upcoming projects they are involved in. Laurence Grigorov is involved in luxury residential projects in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Developed by Signatura and designed to accommodate their new head office, this distinctive mixed-use building in the vibrant heart of Green Point’s De Waterkant Village offers city living whilst still respecting the character of the neighbourhood.

The brief to Darryl Croome Architects was to design Signatura’s flagship project that would house their new office as well as a mix of high-end one to three bedroom apartments with exclusive penthouses, tenanted commercial area and appropriate parking. The sloped site posed level challenges that were overcome by careful design and planning of the programme that responded to the street and urban interface. The site’s location on the Fan Walk offered an opportunity to enhance the unique streetscape The property has a Mixed Use 2 zoning, which is basically one of the most “use permissible” zonings within the City. Therefore, it was proposed that the development utilise mostly existing rights as afforded by the Municipal Planning By-Law. Only some relatively minor land use applications were required to ensure an appropriate built form and to ensure an appropriate reduction in parking requirements due to the location of the property. A facilitative and practical working relationship with the City contributed to the success of the project in terms of the timeous delivery of a well-designed project.

The building was conceived as two independent but integrated blocks, joined with a multi-volume and multi-levelled atrium, providing for public access to commercial spaces at street level. The front block, comprising of commercial space and luxurious flats facing Table Mountain, shares a pedestrianised forecourt with Somerset Road, whilst the lower block, predominantly residential facing the harbour, stretches to Prestwich Street and responds to the Victorian scale and character of Liddle and Cobern Streets. The perimeter podium envelope helped to reduce the scale of the street façade and reference the historic row housing and warehouse massing which allowed generous terrace areas above.

The Victorian docklands architecture, unique to the area, has been expressed in a raw industrial aesthetic, while recognising the contemporary demands of high-end, inner-city living. Face brick, off-shutter concrete, black steel, expansive glass, with perforated aluminium screens, provide a distinctive language for this iconic building. The residential tower blocks are set back and developed in brick, concrete, steel and glass with recessed balconies, Juliet ledges and sun screening elements give articulation to the façades. 

Reminiscent of the world-renowned V&A Waterfront with its distinctive dockland settings, The Signature experience is all about combining an industrial aesthetic with a contemporary edge. This approach has directly influenced the carefully selected palette of materials with floor-to-ceiling glazing, off-shutter concrete and floating white bulkheads. The warmth of timber vinyl floors is complemented with designer kitchens, vanities and BICs, while track and LED strip lighting illuminate the living spaces. Natural materials, as in timber decking, are used for all balconies and terraces, while planted terraces and roof gardens are a distinctive feature of the building. The interior planning was designed to maximise the views and natural light. Open plan kitchens and living rooms read as larger spaces that flow into one another and are visually linked to the outdoors.

This project’s unique location allows residents to access the CBD easily as well as the surrounding retail, nightlife and distinct landmark locations that make Cape Town such a dynamic environment.

Words and photo courtesy of Architect & Builder magazine

A third of UK musicians are considering ‘abandoning’ their music career due to the pandemic

As director of a residential property development company based in Johannesburg, Laurence Grigorov is involved in all aspects of the development process, including land acquisition, rezoning applications, architectural design as well as the finance and legal components of these complex projects.

Laurence Grigorov enjoys listening to music in his downtime with a particular preference for electronic music.

A new survey conducted by Musicians’ Union reveals the toll the coronavirus pandemic has taken on UK artists, with one-third “considering abandoning their career in music.”

The poll of about 2,000 of the union’s members, as reported in the Guardian, found that 87 percent of musicians will earn less than £20,000 in 2020—the average annual UK income is £29,600. The same percentage of artists said they will face financial hardship if the UK government does not extend its furlough and income support schemes after October.

The survey also found that nearly half of musicians have been “forced” to look for work outside of music. 70 percent of artists have been unable to secure “more than a quarter of their usual work,” while 36 percent “do not have any work at all.”

88 percent of respondents believe that the UK government hasn’t done “enough” to provide support for musicians and the arts. In July, the government announced a £1.57 billion relief package for the arts and cultural sectors, though it wasn’t until the #LetUsDance campaign by the nightlife industry and community that it was clear that clubs and festivals would be eligible for grants. Aside from independent funds and grants and the furlough and self-employed income support schemes, there’s not been much else in the way of direct aid for musicians and artists from the government.

The Musicians’ Union is encouraging UK citizens to write to their MP asking them to provide more support for artists and music industry.