Thomas Heatherwick was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Arts by Manchester Metropolitan University - his alma mater - on July 21, 2007. It is in recognition of his design work across a broad spectrum of architecture, engineering and public art, achieving national and international acclaim for his innovative use of materials, his eclectic range of projects, and the resolution of them in new and exciting ways.
Louver
A louver (American English) or louvre (British English), from the French "l'ouvert"; "the open one") is a window, blind or shutter with horizontal or, less often, vertical slats. They are angled to allow light and air in. They also keep out rain, direct sunshine, and noise. The angle of the slats may be adjusted.
Louvers come from the Middle Ages as lantern-like constructions in wood that were fitted on top of roof holes. They were put in large kitchens to allow ventilation while keeping out rain and snow. They were originally rather rough constructions consisting only of a barrel. Later they became more elaborate designs made of pottery. They took the shape of faces where the smoke and steam from cooking would pour out through the eyes and mouth. They also became more like modern louvers, with slats that could be opened or closed by pulling on a string.
More modern louver windows are made of slats of glass, opened and closed with a metal lever. They may also be shutters of wood, plastic or other material.
Some modern louver systems serve to improve indoor daylighting. Fixed mirrored louver systems can limit glare and of redirect diffuse light. Such louvers may be put in between two panes of double glazing.
Louvers are rarely seen as primary design elements in the language of modern architecture. They are rather simply a technical device. However, there are examples of architects who use them as part of the overall aesthetic effect of their buildings. The most well-known example is Finnish modernist architect Alvar Aalto who would create aesthetic effects in the facades of his buildings through the combination of different types and sizes of louvers. Some are fixed and some are moveable. They are made mostly from wood (e.g. the various buildings of the Helsinki University of Technology). A second example, taking influence from Aalto, is the second-generation modernist architect Juha Leiviskä.
Additionally, louvers are used as semi-passive means of thermal control on spacecraft. They are also available as an accessory for some automobiles.
Lost (season 6)
The sixth and final season of the American television series "Lost" began broadcast in the United States and Canada on February 2, 2010. In the final 18 TV episodes, the writers showed the fate of the remaining survivors, and explained the powers which the Island held in their lives. The sixth-season premiere was the first to climb in the ratings year-over-year since the second season, drawing 12.1 million viewers. The series finale aired on May 23, 2010. The final episode ran 2.5 hours starting at 9/8 CDT, pushing the late-night news back a half-hour. It was followed by the previously announced post-finale special, "Jimmy Kimmel Live: Aloha to Lost", at 12:05 a.m. (11:05 CDT). The season continued the stories of the survivors of the fictional September 22, 2004 crash of Oceanic Airlines Flight 815, on an unknown island in the South Pacific. The survivors must deal with two outcomes of the explosion of a nuclear bomb on the island in the 1970s. While the on-island story continues, a set of "flash sideways" scenes show a second timeline, in which Flight 815 never crashes. The season is scheduled to be released on DVD and Blu-ray on August 24, 2010, alongside a complete series boxset.
For a summary of the final season's storyline, see below: ""Season 6 plot summary"".
On May 7, 2007, ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson announced that "Lost" would end during the 2009–2010 season with a "highly anticipated and shocking finale". "We felt that this was the only way to give "Lost" a proper creative conclusion," McPherson said. Beginning with the 2007–2008 television season, the final 48 episodes would have been aired as three seasons with 16 episodes each, with "Lost" concluding in its sixth season. Due to the 2007-2008 writers' strike, the fourth season featured 14 episodes, and season 5 had 17 episodes. Season six was planned to have 17 episodes, too. However, on June 29 it was announced that the final season would feature an additional hour, making the number of episodes 18.
Executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse stated that they "always envisioned "Lost" as a show with a beginning, middle, and end," and that by announcing when the show would end that viewers would "have the security of knowing that the story will play out as we've intended." Lindelof and Cuse stated that securing the 2010 series-end date "was immensely liberating" and helped the series rediscover its focus. Lindelof noted, "We're no longer stalling." The producers also planned to wrap up long-standing mysteries, such as the nature of the smoke monster, the reason the Dharma periodic resupply drops continue after the purge, and the "bird" from "Exodus Pt. 2" and "Live Together, Die Alone Pt. 1". While the destruction of the four-toed statue of Taweret was revealed in the ninth episode of the final season, Lindelof hinted that the identity of the statue's builders would not be addressed. The producer also indicated that Walt's unusual abilities may be explained, although not necessarily with the character's direct involvement. In a podcast, Cuse and Lindelof stated that they would explain the "Rules" first stated in an episode in season four, but only those that are "important for the narrative they are telling." Matthew Fox said in an interview that in the final season, the characters of Jack Shephard and John Locke "will come head to head." It was also claimed that a third of the way through the final season, the two timelines would be "solidified into one" and "will be very linear – no more flashbacks, nothing;" however this was still not the case by the season midpoint. He also claimed to be the only cast member to know the ending of the series, though Lindelof has clarified that Fox only knew things that were relevant to his character.