This iconic building is a great place to visit and it will always stay a big part of Australian history and maybe American as well.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
The Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a well known multi-venue performing arts center in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The architects ( Jørn Utzon and Ove Arup) followed the architectural styles of Danish design and expressionist architecture to construct this building. The Sydney Opera House is Australia's most recognizable building and is an icon of Australia's creative and technical achievement. Since its completion in 1973, it has attracted worldwide attention for its design and internal features, enhanced by its location on Bennelong Point within a superb harbor setting. It has been internationally considered as an architectural icon of the 20th century. The Sydney Opera House is alluring on its interior as well as exterior; here are some examples...
This iconic building is a great place to visit and it will always stay a big part of Australian history and maybe American as well.
This iconic building is a great place to visit and it will always stay a big part of Australian history and maybe American as well.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
The Eiffel Tower
I would say everyone knows the Eiffel Tower but I don't think everyone knows the details and history of it. The Eiffel Tower (in French: "La Tour Eiffel") is an iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France . It was named after Gustavo Eiffel, whose company built and designed the tower. The construction was started in 1887 and ended in 1889. Because of the addition of the antenna atop the Eiffel Tower in 1957, it is now taller than the Chrysler Building by 17 ft (5.2 meters).When the construction was ended, the Eiffel Tower was used as an entrance arch to 1889's world fair. It was initially criticized by some of France's leading artists and intellectuals for its design, size and being ahead of its time in terms of looks. But now it has become a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world.
The Eiffel Tower as seen from
the Champ de Mars
the Champ de Mars
Monday, April 21, 2014
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Ole Scheeren
Hello, I am V's Mom and I am so excited I was asked to write a post on this blog!
I want to write about an architect named Ole Scheeren, who happens to be a very old friend of mine. Ole was born in Germany, studied in Great Britain and the Netherlands, and worked in New York with the famous architect Rem Koolhaas. But he spent his childhood vacations in Umbria, and you can see in all his projects how much he loves nature and he always leaves, in his big urban structures, some space for gardens and trees. He now leads his own company called Buro OS and usually designs HUGE buildings that soar over the skyline of cities like in Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok. They are really huge. Take a look:
This skyscraper is called the MahaNakhon, it's in Bangkok. It's very tall (77 stories) and it includes a lush urban oasis with public gardens and a major transportation hub, luxury retail, residences, a new public square, and a five-star hotel.
This building is an icon now of Beijing, it's called the CCTV Tower. My favorite part is the transparent floor in the horizontal part, so you feel like you are walking on air...
This skyscraper is called Angkasa Raya, and it's located directly across from the famous Petronas Twin Towers in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. It looks like it was broken in different parts to insert elements of surprise like terraces and public gardens.
The name of this residential complex in Singapore is "The Interlace". You can tell Ole liked to play with blocks when he was a kid, right? Some things never change.
But my favorite project designed by Ole is ... a floating movie theatre. I love going to the movies, but can you imagine going to a theatre like this one? How much would you be willing to pay for the ticket? And what movie would you like to see?
He actually presented this project in Venice, at the 2012 Biennale, which is a very important international art show. As you know, the whole city of Venice, Italy, is built on water, on a group of little islands connected by bridges, so a floating theatre over the water is actually a very good and practical idea.
All the structures are built as modular pieces, loosely assembled, like a group of little islands. All the material used is recycled, and this project was truly perfect for Venice. Too bad this movie theatre would not do well in an area like the Caribbean, or in the open ocean, because the waves would make it hard to ... watch the movie! You need to position it in a lagoon, where the water is calm.
And make sure no pop-corn ends up in the water.
I want to write about an architect named Ole Scheeren, who happens to be a very old friend of mine. Ole was born in Germany, studied in Great Britain and the Netherlands, and worked in New York with the famous architect Rem Koolhaas. But he spent his childhood vacations in Umbria, and you can see in all his projects how much he loves nature and he always leaves, in his big urban structures, some space for gardens and trees. He now leads his own company called Buro OS and usually designs HUGE buildings that soar over the skyline of cities like in Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok. They are really huge. Take a look:
This skyscraper is called the MahaNakhon, it's in Bangkok. It's very tall (77 stories) and it includes a lush urban oasis with public gardens and a major transportation hub, luxury retail, residences, a new public square, and a five-star hotel.
§
This building is an icon now of Beijing, it's called the CCTV Tower. My favorite part is the transparent floor in the horizontal part, so you feel like you are walking on air...
§
This skyscraper is called Angkasa Raya, and it's located directly across from the famous Petronas Twin Towers in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. It looks like it was broken in different parts to insert elements of surprise like terraces and public gardens.
§
The name of this residential complex in Singapore is "The Interlace". You can tell Ole liked to play with blocks when he was a kid, right? Some things never change.
§
But my favorite project designed by Ole is ... a floating movie theatre. I love going to the movies, but can you imagine going to a theatre like this one? How much would you be willing to pay for the ticket? And what movie would you like to see?
He actually presented this project in Venice, at the 2012 Biennale, which is a very important international art show. As you know, the whole city of Venice, Italy, is built on water, on a group of little islands connected by bridges, so a floating theatre over the water is actually a very good and practical idea.
All the structures are built as modular pieces, loosely assembled, like a group of little islands. All the material used is recycled, and this project was truly perfect for Venice. Too bad this movie theatre would not do well in an area like the Caribbean, or in the open ocean, because the waves would make it hard to ... watch the movie! You need to position it in a lagoon, where the water is calm.
And make sure no pop-corn ends up in the water.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Record Breaking Buildings
These are two graphs I found on Google Images which I thought would be interesting to share since I've posted a bit about tall and bizarre looking buildings. They also have very interesting features and looks that are a shock to the eye! You probably won't be able to see that words and numbers so just click the red captions which are links to the full graph.
These are the highest buildings in 2013:
These are the tallest buildings currently under construction and expected to be complete before 2020:
These are the highest buildings in 2013:
 |
| World's Tallest Buildings 2013 |
These are the tallest buildings currently under construction and expected to be complete before 2020:
 |
| Skyscrapers under Construction |
Friday, April 4, 2014
Saturday, March 29, 2014
5 Popular Architecture and Design Sites/Magazines
Monday, March 24, 2014
Friday, March 21, 2014
The Basket Building (Ohio, United States)
The Basket Building is an interesting piece of architecture featuring heated handles that warm up during cold weather to prevent ice from forming. Providing space for 500 employees, the unofficial world's largest basket is organized around a 30,000 square foot atrium that floods the interior with natural light. This and 84 windows ensure that the least possible electricity has to be used during the day. Almost all the wood used for this construction was harvested in Hanover and then dried, milled, sawed and shaped in one mill.
See more at:
http://www.architravel.com/architravel/building/the-basket-building/
See more at:
http://www.architravel.com/architravel/building/the-basket-building/
Monday, March 17, 2014
Greenland Group Suzhou Centre in Wuijang, China
At approximately 350 meters, Greenland Group Suzhou Center marks the Wujiang waterfront with an aerodynamic form that has a unique presence, with economy and efficiency of lines and space. The design incorporates passive ventilation techniques through a unique interior “lung,” creating an incredible “breathing” tower. With a total building area of more than 300,000 square meters and 78 stories, Greenland Group Suzhou Center will be the defining visual landmark for the new Wujiang lakefront development and, by extension, for the city as a whole, when it will be completed in 2017. Located along Lake Taihu in the Jiangsu province of China, the building will host a hotel, offices and residential abodes; the public areas and lobbies will be ventilated by the 30-story tall opening which is quite amazing, allowing 60 percent savings in energy consumption as compared to a conventional American high-rise building. Talk about beauty and efficiency...
This beauty is designed by the American architecture firm SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill).
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Burj Khalifa, Dubai
The Burj Khalifa is the world's tallest building with a height of 2,717 ft. (828 meters). The Burj Khalifa skyscraper is a world-class destination and the magnificent centerpiece of Downtown Dubai, a true urban masterpiece. The world's tallest building is surrounded by hotels, stores and a world of entertainment. The construction of Burj Khalifa began on the 21th of September in 2004 and ended on January 4th, 2010, and it carries the signature of SOM (Skidmore, Owings & Merrill), the famous Chicago-based architecture firm.
More about the Burj Khalifa at:
http://www.som.com/projects/burj_khalifa
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