Monday, June 9, 2008
The Colosseum,Rome ,Italy
The Colosseum - the greatest amphitheatre of the antiquity - was built in Rome, Italy, about 1920 years ago. It is considered an architectural and engineering wonder, and remains as a standing proof of both the grandeur and the cruelty of the Roman world.After the splendour of imperial times, the Colosseum was abandoned, and in turn it became a fortress for the medieval clans of the city, a source of building materials, a picturesque scenery for painters, a place of Christian worship. Today it is a challenge for the archaeologists and a scenario for events and shows.More architectural facts can be found at: http://www.the-colosseum.net/architecture/descriptio_en.htm
Friday, June 6, 2008
Royal Ontario Museum,Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The program of the Royal Ontario Museum provides a wonderful opportunity for dramatic new architecture and the creation of a great public attraction. The centrality of the site intensifies the profound relationship between history and the new, between tradition and innovation. The historical buildings, complemented by forward-looking and bold architecture, form an ensemble which regenerates the urban significance of the Museum, solves the complex functional issues, and dramatically improves exhibitions, facilities, programming and amenities. The Crystal, a structure of organically interlocking prismatic forms, asserts the primacy of participatory space and public choreography. Its image, function and structure turn this important corner of Toronto into a luminous beacon, a veritable showcase of people, events and objects, transforming the entire museum complex into a world-class destination.Burj Al Arab, Dubai

If there's one thing Dubai excels at it's building magnificent hotels. The Burj Al Arab exemplifies this talent. It is ideally situated to take advantage of the natural beauty of the area by providing spectacular views in nearly every direction. Nature returns the gesture by lighting up its glass exterior with awe-inspiring sunset reflections. Inside, the views are just as spectacular with gold leaf, extravagant art, and sumptuous marble at every turn. As if building a spectacularly beautiful hotel wasn't enough, the Burj Al Arab rests on its own man-made island. The effect is to surround its visitors with the sea, and from a distance to make the building's arched form seem like a sail, allowing the hotel to break away from the land and take voyages through the Arabian Gulf on its own. For those who choose to travel by air, a helipad projects from the building 200 meters off the ground. The people of Dubai are proud of their creation. Proud enough that at one time its image adorned the emirate's license plates.
The atrium is 180 meters tall.
One of the restaurants is accessed via submarine.
Donghai Bridge,Shanghai/Yangshan, China
A key phase in the development of the world's largest deep-sea port was completed when China's first cross-sea bridge—the 20-mile, six-lane Donghai Bridge.Stretching across the East China Sea, the graceful cable-stay structure connects Shanghai to Yangshan Island, set to become China's first free-trade port (and the world's largest container port) upon its completion in 2010. To provide a safer driving route in the typhoons and high waves known to hit the region, Donghai Bridge is designed in an S-shape. The structure, reported by Shanghai Daily to have cost $1.2 billion, will hold its title of China's—and the world's—longest over-sea bridge.Wembley Stadium, London
With 90,000 seats, the new Wembley Stadium will be the largest soccer arena in the world. The signature 98.3-foot-tall twin towers of the original Wembley, built for the British Empire Exhibition in 1924, are being replaced with a dramatic 436-foot arch that will support 5,000 tons of the 7,000-ton movable roof. This structural solution eliminates the need for pillars that could obscure visitors' views. (With a span of 315 meters, the arch will be the longest single-span roof structure in the world and will be visible from all parts of London.)
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Apple Store ,New York

Just as Apple strives to outdo itself with every product release, each new retail space seems to overshadow the last. The store that opened this year on Fifth Avenue—a 32-foot-tall glass cube that beckons consumers down a glass staircase to a subterranean computer heaven—ups the ante on its predecessors. And, of course, it comes with genius service and a well-engineered retail experience—lots of hands-on stations, for instance—to leave the typical big-box retail experience in the dust.
Hearst Building,New York

Hearst Corp.'s new 46-story headquarters is a wonder of green building. The structure's grid-like frame required 20% less steel than would be used for a similar conventional perimeter frame. Sensors control lighting, dimming, or turning off interior electric lights when natural light is available. For most of the year, a state-of-the-art HVAC system uses outdoor air for cooling and ventilation. As a result, the energy used and carbon dioxide emissions are slashed to 22% less than an average office building of comparable size in New York.
Davies Alpine House,Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, England

Kew Gardens built its first structure to house alpine plants in 1887. But the Davies Alpine House that opened in March is an entirely different kind of building. Its innovations lie in a combination of “smart” technology (for instance, the vents close automatically when it rains) and just plain smart design solutions. For instance, a subterranean concrete labyrinth cools the air before it is pumped into space—no AC required. Even the gorgeous form of the glass-and-steel structure has a purpose: As warm air rises through the vents at the top of the structure, cool air is drawn in through the vents at the base.
Las Vegas Boulevard, Nevada

Considered the entertainment capital of the world and America's most visited cityHome to all ten of the world's ten largest hotels, Las Vegas has the tallest structure in the western United States - the Stratosphere Tower. The tower even has a roller coaster at the top, making it yet another 'only in Vegas' attraction!
Check out: http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/ci/bu/mf/?id=101318 for more details on the Las Vegas' famous buildings
Check out: http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/ci/bu/mf/?id=101318 for more details on the Las Vegas' famous buildings
Thursday, June 5, 2008
La Defense Business District, Paris

140 000 people work and 30 000 people live in La Défense, Europe's largest business center with its 80 hectares of skyscrapers a few kilometers West of Paris.
With headquarters of companies such as SFR, IBM, Société Générale, Total, Axa, La Défense is a French and European economic powerhorse.
A pedestrian district with underground car traffic, La Défense offers splendid architecture including the CNIT exhibition center and the Grande Arche.Add to it a huge and nice shopping center, Les Quatre Temps, the Dome Imax hemispheric movie theater, many hotels and restaurants, all within walking distance of the RER A La Défense/Grande Arche metro station. La Défense is Paris' district most similar to what we thought the third millenium would be.
With headquarters of companies such as SFR, IBM, Société Générale, Total, Axa, La Défense is a French and European economic powerhorse.
A pedestrian district with underground car traffic, La Défense offers splendid architecture including the CNIT exhibition center and the Grande Arche.Add to it a huge and nice shopping center, Les Quatre Temps, the Dome Imax hemispheric movie theater, many hotels and restaurants, all within walking distance of the RER A La Défense/Grande Arche metro station. La Défense is Paris' district most similar to what we thought the third millenium would be.

The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. It is 5,989 feet (1825 m) long and connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Bridge is also the largest suspension bridge in the world.It was the first suspension bridge to use steel for its cable wire.The construction for the bridge began in January 3, 1870 and was completed thirteen years later on May 24, 1883. The bridge cost $15.1 million to build and more then 27 people died during its construction. The bridge is built from limestone, granite, and Rosendale cement. The architectural style of the bridge is Gothic, with pointed arches above the passageways through the stone towers.Roebling designed the Brooklyn Bridge to have a load capacity of 18,700 tons. He planned to run two elevated railroad tracks, which were to connect to elevated railroad systems in New York and Brooklyn, down the center of the bridge. On both side of the tracks, he designed four lanes two lanes on two outer roadways for carriages and horseback riders. Directly over the tracks, he provided an elevated promenade for pedestrians and bicyclists. Today the Brooklyn Bridge no longer carries carriages, horseback riders, railroads, and streetcars.
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