Archetype

Five Longest Buildings in the World

2014-01-29T15:44:00.000-08:00

This is a list on the five longest buildings in the world (this does no include bridges). An interesting fact about these buildings, only one of them was built in the 21st century.

Dubai international Airport Cargo Gateway

5: Dubai International Airport Cargo Gateway

This building in Dubai built in 2008 is the first in the list, being 1774m long.

Moldin Fortress

4: Moldin Fortress:

It took from 1832 to 1862 to build this building. The 4th place of the list is a Fortress located in Poland, it's 2.25km long!

Klystron gallery, above the Standford linear accelerator

3: Klystron gallery, above the Stanford linear accelerator:

The 3rd place of the series is pretty easy to understand what and where it is based on the name. Menlo Park, California, USA. This enormous gallery & accelerator are 3073.72m (scientist are very precise). 8 years (1962-66) took to build this 3km monster.

Rainkot Fort

2: Ranikot Fort:

Pakistan, home of the more than 8km monster. The Ranikot Fort was built in the 17th century, for protection obviously. It is 8600m long giving him the 2nd place in the list.

The next building has a similar number in length, only in another measurement...

1: Great Wall Of China

Probably you imagined this was the first place, because it's famous for it's more than 5000km!

The great wall of China, built in an east to west line across the northern borders of China. It was used to protect the civilization of China from the various northern attackers. Other duties of the wall was to prevent commerce without asking for tax in return, so then all the routes of the exchange of silk, would bring incomes.

Here they are some photos of the great wall of China

Fun fact:

If you walked the whole wall of China it would take 1716hrs, that's about ten weeks and a day!

By car (at 100k/h) it would take 3days!

Feeling like for an adventure?

The great wall of China was officially started named as the Great Wall Of China in 200BC. But, it was finished as we know it now (this is also due to reparations of the wall, expansions & fortifications) in the 17th Century! This means it took more than a millennium to finish the Wall!

The Great Wall, has an actual size of 8851.8km long! That's what makes this the winner on The Five: Longest buildings in the world.

Architecture in Space

2014-01-22T15:43:00.000-08:00

Space architecture, in its simplest definition, is the theory and practice of designing and building inhabited environments in outer space. The architectural approach to spacecraft design addresses the total built environment, drawing from diverse disciplines including physiology, psychology, and sociology as well as technical fields. Like architecture on Earth, the attempt is to go beyond the component elements and systems and gain a broad understanding of the issues that affect design success. Much space architecture work has been in designing concepts for orbital space stations and lunar and Martian exploration ships and surface bases for the world's space agencies, chiefly the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The practice of involving architects in the space program grew out of the Space Race, although its origins can be seen much earlier. The need for their involvement stemmed from the push to extend space mission durations and address the needs of astronauts including but beyond minimum survival needs. Space architecture is currently represented in several institutions. The Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture (SICSA) is an academic organization with the University of Houston that offers a Master of Science in Space Architecture. SICSA also works design contracts with corporations and space agencies. In Europe, International Space University is deeply involved in space architecture research. The International Conference on Environmental Systems meets annually to present sessions on human spaceflight and space human factors. Within the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the Space Architecture Technical Committee has been formed. Despite the historical pattern of large government-led space projects and university-level conceptual design, the advent of space tourism threatens to shift the outlook for space architecture work.

Amazing Antarctic Research Posts

2014-01-15T10:32:00.000-08:00

THE BRITISH ANTARCTIC SURVEY'S HALLEY VI

Halley VI Research Station

Ice Lab commissioned by British Council and curated by The Arts Catalyst. A.Dubber, British Antarctic Survey

We've covered the Seussian Halley VI station before, and out of the research stations listed here, it's probably the most well-tested: the first in the line of Halley stations is from the late 1950s, and VI opened up in February. This variation has hydraulic legs (it can ski!) and houses up to 52 researchers.

PRINCESS ELISABETH

Princess Elisabeth

e Lab commissioned by British Council and curated by The Arts Catalyst.René Robert - International Polar Foundation

The Princess Elisabeth Research Station, built in 2009, is notable for being crazy green: it's the first zero-emissions antarctic research station, running solely on wind and solar power. Plus, through the miracle of passive architecture--designing to take advantage of the environment to minimize heat loss--it doesn't require any internal heating.
Yep. No heating. In Antarctica.

THE BHARATI RESEARCH CENTER3>

Bharati Research Station

NCAOR (National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research). Ice Lab commissioned by British Council and curated by The Arts Catalyst.

This one actually almost looks like a multi-million Pacific coast beach house. Except, you know, with snow instead of surf out the window. India's Bharati Research Center (the country's third Antarctic station) is made from 136 prefab containers, but you wouldn't know from looking. The station's designed to keep a minimal carbon footprint and is wrapped in an aluminum case to protect against wind and cold.

JANG BOGO ANTARCTIC RESEARCH CENTER

Jang Bogo

Space Group and KOPRI. Ice Lab commissioned by British Council and curated by The Arts Catalyst.

This station, scheduled to open in April 2014, is still under construction, to be occupied and managed by the Korea Polar Research Institute. The design 1) is meant to aerodynamically fend off polar winds, and 2) looks nutso, in a great way. Do you know that flying-saucer carnival ride that spins and sticks you to the wall? Sorta looks like that, with wings. It'll be big, too, able to comfortably hold as many as 60 researchers at a time.

ICEBERG LIVING STATION

Iceberg Living Station

MAP Architects. Ice Lab commissioned by British Council and curated by The Arts Catalyst.

The Iceberg Living Station is still a purely speculative design from Denmark's MAP Architects, but it's well worth mentioning. Basically, it's a gigantic igloo: an iceberg gets hollowed out and everything necessary for research (including people) is placed inside. But won't that melt? you ask. Yes, which is the idea: after seven to 10 years, it'll be gone, and the researchers won't have to worry about removing the discontinued research center, as is usually the case.

Ancient Churches

2014-01-08T10:31:00.000-08:00

1. Dura-Europos church

The Dura-Europos church is the earliest identified Christian house church. It is located in Dura-Europos in Syria and dates from 235 AD. The site of Dura-Europos, a former city and walled fortification, was excavated largely in the 1920s and 1930s by French and American teams. Within the archaeological site, the house church is located by the 17th tower and preserved by the same defensive fill that saved the nearby Dura-Europos synagogue (Wikipedia).

The designation of the oldest church in the world requires careful use of definitions, and must be divided into two parts, the oldest in the sense of oldest surviving building, and the oldest in the sense of oldest Christian church congregation. Even here, there is the distinction between old church buildings that have been in continuous use as churches, and those that have been converted to other purposes; and between buildings that have been in continuous use as churches and those that were shuttered for many decades. In terms of congregations, they are distinguished between early established congregations that have been in continuous existence, and early congregations that ceased to exist (Wikipedia).

2. Megiddo church

Megiddo church in Tel Megiddo, Israel is one of the oldest church buildings ever discovered by archaeologists, dating to the 3rd century AD. In 2005, Israeli archaeologist Yotam Tepper of Tel-Aviv University discovered the remains of a church, believed to be from the third century, a time when Christians were still persecuted by the Roman Empire. The remains were found at the Megiddo Prison, which is located a few hundred meters south of the Tel. Among the finds is an approx. 54-square-metre (580 sq ft) large mosaic with a Greek inscription stating that the church is consecrated to “the God Jesus Christ.” The mosaic is very well preserved and features geometrical figures and images of fish, an early Christian symbol (Wikipedia).

3. Monastery of Saint Anthony

The Monastery of Saint Anthony is a Coptic Orthodox monastery standing in an oasis in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. Hidden deep in the Red Sea mountains, it is located 334 km (207 miles) southeast of Cairo. It is one of the oldest monasteries in the world, and was established by the followers of Saint Anthony, who is considered to be the first ascetic monk. The Monastery of St. Anthony is one of the most prominent monasteries in Egypt and has strongly influenced the formation of several Coptic institutions, and has promoted monasticism in general. Several patriarchs have been pulled from the monastery, and several hundred pilgrims visit it each day (Wikipedia).

4. Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains basilica

Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains basilica is a historic church building in Metz, France that was built in 380 AD and is one of the oldest churches in Europe. The building was originally built to be part of a Roman spa complex, but the structure was converted into use as a church in the 7th century becoming the chapel of Benedictine monastery. A new nave was constructed in the 1000s with further interior renovations. In the 16th century the building became a warehouse and remained so until the 1970s when it was restored and opened for concerts and exhibitions (Wikipedia).

5. Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion

Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is the most important church in Ethiopia. The original church is believed to have been built during the reign of Ezana, the first Christian emperor of Ethiopia, during the 4th century AD, and has been rebuilt several times since then. The church is in the town of Axum in the Tigray Province. Its first putative destruction occurred at the hands of Queen Gudit during the 10th century. Its second, confirmed, destruction occurred in the 16th century at the hands of Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi, after which it was rebuilt by the Emperor Gelawdewos, then further rebuilt and enlarged by Fasilides during the 17th century (Wikipedia).

6. Cathedral of Trier

Cathedral of Trier is a church in Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the oldest cathedral in the country. The edifice is notable for its extremely long life span under multiple different eras each contributing some elements to its design, including the center of the main chapel being made of Roman brick laid under the direction of Saint Helen, resulting in a cathedral added on to gradually rather than rebuilt in different eras. Its dimensions, 112.5 by 41 m, make it the largest church structure in Trier. Since 1986 it has been on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites (Wikipedia).

7. Church of Saint Simeon Stylites

The Church of Saint Simeon Stylites is a well preserved church that dates back to the 5th century, located about 30 km northwest of Aleppo, Syria. It is built on the site of the pillar of St. Simeon Stylites, a famed hermit monk. It is popularly known as Qalat Seman the ‘Fortress of Simeon’ (Wikipedia).

8. Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. From the date of its dedication in 360 until 1453, it served as the cathedral of Constantinople, except between 1204 and 1261, when it was converted to a Roman Catholic cathedral under the Latin Patriarch of Constantinople of the Western Crusader established Latin Empire. The building was a mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1934, when it was secularized. It was opened as a museum on 1 February 1935 (Wikipedia).

9. Saint Catherine’s Monastery, Mount Sinai

Saint Catherine’s Monastery, Mount Sinaiies on the Sinai Peninsula, at the mouth of a gorge at the foot of Mount Sinai in Saint Katherine city in Egypt. The monastery is Orthodox and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to the UNESCO report (60100 ha / Ref: 954), this monastery is one of the oldest working Christian monasteries in the world together with the Monastery of Saint Anthony, situated across the Red Sea in the desert south of Cairo, also lays claim to that title (Wikipedia).

10. Church of the Nativity

The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is one of the oldest continuously operating churches in the world. The structure is built over the cave that tradition marks as the birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth, and thus it is considered sacred by Christians. The site is also revered by followers of Islam (Wikipedia).

10 Out of This World Subway Stations

2014-01-01T10:24:00.000-08:00

Toledo Station by Andrea Resmini

Beneath a city’s streets lie endless tunnels that transport people from A to B seamlessly and efficiently. Some tunnels lie deeper than others, crisscrossing each other like veins in the ground. Some of these tunnels are wide, some narrow, some strewn with rubbish and lonely, partnerless winter gloves, some polished and endlessly captivating. Depending on where your travels take you, you'll come across infinite subway stops on your journey — and some may even leave you a lasting impression. Subway stations are designed to serve public transit users in the most effective way possible, but there are some that also captivate their audience of migrants on their journeys of work and pleasure. Here are some of the most beautiful and breathtaking subway stops in the world.
Bockenheimer Warte Station (Frankfurt, Germany)

This subway station will drive your senses wild! Originally constructed in 1986 but expanded by architect Zbiginiew Peter Pininski in 2001, the entrance to this station baffles locals and tourists alike on a daily basis. It appears as a vintage train spewing itself out of the concrete, evoking some sort of horrific transit crash. Pininski has stated that he was strongly influenced by popular surrealist artist René Magritte — and the influence shows! Upon entering the bowels of the decrepit train on street level, transit users are carried downwards into the station proper, where they're greeted by a straight-lined, minimalist environment evocative of a space-age laboratory. Blue tinted glass, polished steel frames, and porcelain-white subway tiles lend the space a really clean and powerful edge.

Unique Entrance to Bockenheimer Warte Station

This Looks Nasty!

City Hall Station (New York City, United States)

Not all subway stops are dark and foreboding. Some can be exceptional and blessed with actual rays of sunlight penetrating the tunnel ceilings. How do designers achieve this effect? City Hall subway station in New York City is located closer to ground level and incorporates steel-rimmed glass skylights on the tunnel’s ceiling, bathing the station in natural light during the day. It makes a nice change and calms those transit users who feel uncomfortable in confined spaces. Constructed in October 1904, City Hall Station was designed with Victorian architecture in mind — and many of its original fittings remain in place to this day.

Rays of Sunlight Penetrating the Tunnel Ceiling at City Hall Station

City Hall in NYC was Designed with Victorian Architecture in Mind

This Doesn't Look Like a Subway Station, does it?

Formosa Boulevard Station (Kaohsiuna, Taiwan)

Chances are if you’ve had the pleasure of visiting Taiwan’s Formosa Boulevard subway station, you‘ve walked away knowing that you'll never see anything quite like it again. This transit stop underwent extensive remodelling in the late 2000s in time for the 2009 World Games. It’s best known for its massive Dome of Light, designed by Italian artist Narcissus Quagliata. The dome is the largest piece of glass work in the world and now hosts weddings underneath its spectacular scenes of nature and wildlife. Vivid colours and stunning wrap-around views grace the station’s ceiling, and circular columns offer a splendid feast for the eyes during both day and night.

Dome of Light at Farmosa Boulevard Station

What Is This Reminding You Of?

Kirovsky Zavod Station (St. Petersburg, Russia)

Stepping into Kirovsky Zavod subway station feels as if you're stepping into a marbleized crypt dedicated to the memory of Russian revolutionary and communist leader Vladimir Lenin. Natural light floods the marble and porcelain station, where skylights running along the tunnel’s roof ultimately guide all transit users to a giant bust of Lenin sitting proudly at the end of a hallway. A museum-like hush fills the station’s busy platforms as locals and tourists navigate their way in and out of Kirovsky Zavod station. This particular subway stop is an architect’s symmetrical dream in that all archways, columns, and floor tiles line up precisely, forming clear passageways through the underground mecca. Opened in November 1955, Kirovsky Zavod station is part of the St. Petersburg Metro line.

Kirovsky Zavod by Wiki Media Commons

Muenchner Freiheit Station (Munich, Germany)

Originally opened to the public in October 1971, this subway station was extensively renovated by lighting designer Ingo Maurer from 2008 to 2009. Despite the fact that most of the station’s major structure was left intact, the station now evokes a very modern, sci-fi feel with lighting panels installed in the walls, columns, and ceiling tiles. Pops of colour emerge intermittently amid the station’s main colour scheme of light grey and porcelain white. Muenchner Freiheit subway station serves as a major junction between the U-Bahn U3 and U6.

Sci-fi? No, Muenchner Freiheit Station!

Look Up!

Futuristic and Old School at the Same TIME

Museum Station (Toronto, Canada)

Museum Station originally opened in 1963 and was named for Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum (the ROM). Extensively remodelled in April 2008, the new design incorporates popular exhibits from the ROM and takes on a more minimalist and streamlined look. The station’s structural columns were modelled after the ancient Egyptian deity Osiris, Toltec warriors, Doric columns found in Greece’s mighty Parthenon, and First Nations house posts. Steel, aluminum, and polished subway tiles replaced the somewhat tired-looking décor of the 1960s, allowing a truly modern look to bring the city's underground to life.

Explore ROM right at the Museum Station in Toronto!

Meet the Past

Olaias Station (Lisbon, Portugal)

Stepping into Lisbon’s Olaias Station is like stepping into a kaleidoscope of colour! It was recently voted ninth on British newspaper The Telegraph’s list of the 22 most beautiful subway stations in Europe. Designed by architect Tomas Taveira and opened in May 1998, this station is part of Lisbon’s busy red subway line. Steel and aluminum escalators carry transit users down into the station’s depths, bypassing spaces filled with coloured glass panels and intricately decorated structural columns. The station’s multi-coloured floor tiles are haphazardly placed but still look like they line up perfectly. Veins of colour run from the floors and walls all the way up to the ceilings. In the evenings, the station lights dim and bathe pedestrians in a calming, soft yellow glow.

Olaias Station was Designed by Tomas Taveira

Kaleidoscope of Colour at Olaias Station in Lisbon

Stadion Station (Stockholm, Sweden)

Feel like stepping into a rainbow? Then your best bet is to pay Stadion Station a visit. Opened in 1973, this cavernous underground hub serves the busy Stockholm metro red line. Colourful ceilings, stone walls and glossy grey tiles lead transit users down to the station’s platforms, which are drenched in bright white light courtesy of modern track lighting fixtures. The tunnel walls pulse with colour, making pedestrians feel as if they’re floating above the clouds and into a rainbow. The real question is whether they'll find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow — but chances are they already have.

Rainbow at Stadion Station in Stockholm

Toledo Station (Naples, Italy)

Opened in September 2012, Toledo subway station is one of Europe’s newest metro stops. It's also one of the deepest, at 50 metres below street level. Designed by Spanish firm Oscar Tusquets Blanca, this station was modelled after water and light. Just below street level, transit users immerse themselves in what almost seems to be an art museum. Intricate tile mosaics adorn the walls, blue-tinted skylights and spotlights cover the ceiling, and reflective steel-covered staircases lead passengers to the terminal’s turnstiles. Visitors are then taken down into the station’s depths via glass-framed steel escalators that are bathed in a bluish glow. As you descend to the bottom level, you'll feel as if you’re diving deeper and deeper into a Mediterranean sea, surrounded by aquatic-themed walls and glass panels. This subway station earned the distinction of being one of the only Metro Art stations in Europe.

Can You Count the Tiles?

Step into the Universe!

Toledo Station was Designed by Oscar Tusquets Blanca

Zoloti Vorota Station (Kiev, Ukraine)

Never before or since has a subway station seemed as cavernous and medieval at the same time! Zotoli Vorota's arched ceilings are hung with giant, steel-rimmed chandeliers that evoke a medieval banquet. Intricate tile mosaics adorn each archway, and dark grey slate tiles cover the floors. Giant circular columns stand throughout the station, supporting the thick tunnel walls. A cool, crisp breeze fills the inside of Zoloti Vorota thanks to all the marble used in its construction, and echoes of footfalls, conversation, and laughter fill the air. Zoloti Vorota Station opened in December 1989, and it remains one of the most popular (and busiest) subway stations on the Kiev Metro line.

Zoloti Vorota Station by Wiki Media Commons

For many city dwellers and tourists, using public transit is a real eye-opener. Let’s be honest — when you enter the depths of a subway tunnel, the last thing you’re expecting is to be blown away by architecture and design. Have you visited any impressive subway stations lately?

Stockholm Tunnelbana (Sweden)

`Subway stations are usually designed in a clean and modernistic style in order to make people forget they are traveling deep underground. It is different in the Stockholm subway though, in which several of the deep underground stations are cut into solid rock which were left with cave-like ceilings. Oldnature meets nextnature. The fine ‘cave paintings' make the finishing touch. (Link | Photo)

Munich U-Bahn (Germany)

Munich Public Transport System (MVV) is a splendidly constructed system consisting of dozens of S-Bahn (suburbian trains), U-Bahn (subway), Tram-Bahn / Straßenbahn (streetcar) and bus lines, connecting all parts of the city perfectly. This metro system has been opened in 1972 and has spacious and clean stations. The earlier ones are rather minimalistic in design while the later ones got more interesting architectural features and some works of art. (Link | Photo 1 | Photo 2)

Shanghai Bund Sightseeing Tunnel (China)

This has to be one of the most surreal, psychedlic and fun forms of public transport. The Tunnel connects East Nanjin Rd on the Bund, and Pudong near the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, running under the Huangpu river. It's a psychedelic trip in a glass capsule along the 647 metre flashing, strobing tunnel.
Read more at http://www.oddee.com/item_97031.aspx#t4RHah8BgRI2IJiJ.99

Five Amazing Underwater Structures

2013-12-27T12:00:00.000-08:00

Poseidon Resorts, Fiji

While construction has been on hold for years, Poseidon will have no trouble hooking guests if it's ever completed. Plans call for 24 undersea suites with 4-inch-thick transparent plexiglass windows to let guests take in the world under the sea. Although all the suites will be connected to a permanently fixed main corridor, they'll be detachable stand-alone modules that can resurface if necessary.

Visitors would access Poseidon's suites airlocks with carbon fiber doors. This form of entry and exit allows the resort to keep its interior at surface pressure, lessening the possibility of any physiological side effects such as decompression

Water Discus Hotel, Dubai

Dubai is no stranger to extreme feats of engineering, and its Water Discus Hotel aims to become the first underwater lodging in the emirate. The structure will include both an above-water and below-water section (both are disc-shaped like something out of Star Wars, but their actual sizes aren't yet determined). The above-water disc will be connected to a series of satellite discs housing the hotel's spa, garden, and swimming pool. The below-water disc features 21 two-person rooms, a dive center, and a bar that will let you drink with the fishes. A vertical shaft containing an elevator and a staircase will offer access between the two.

Design mechanics call for five solid legs to extend down from the lower disc and stabilize the structure on the seabed, while keeping it easily mobile in case the undersea portion needs to resurface for repairs. In the unlikely event of flooding, the hotel's satellite discs are buoyant and can be released and used as flotation devices. Additional high-tech perks include underwater internet and an upper-deck landing pad for helicopters. Oh, and the hotel rotates.

Undersea Restaurant, Maldives

Seafood takes on new meaning at Rangali Island's underwater restaurant, a 14-seat eatery located 16 feet below the water's surface. The boat-size structure is encased in a transparent acrylic tunnel offering 270-degree exterior views, so it's almost like dining in a fish tank. Visitors descend into the restaurant via a spiral staircase that's located in a thatched pavilion at the end of a jetty.

Ithaa was built in Singapore and then transported to the Maldives, where workers situated the 175-ton structure on the sea floor by filling it with 85 tons of sand ballast. They then attached the restaurant to four steel piles (each of which had been vibro-hammered approximately 15 feet into the seabed) with concrete.

Jules' Undersea Lodge, Key Largo, Fla.

What began in the early '70's as La Chalupa Research Laboratory has been an undersea lodge for the past 30 years. Guests dive down to the submersed hotel and enter via a 5 x 7–foot moon pool at the bottom of the structure, 21 feet below the sea's surface. Compressed air keeps the lodge from flooding.

Despite the lodge's lack of above-water entry you don't have to be a certified diver to stay overnight. While noncertified divers once descended to the lodge by breathing air pumped through a large hose, Jules' now offers a 3-hour course to assure safe entry.

Cancun Underwater Museum (MUSA), Mexico

Opened to the public in November 2009, the Cancun Underwater Museum features more than 400 life-size sculptures sitting on the sea floor in 28 feet of water. It's a museum without walls, and each work of art is made from pH neutral clay that encourages the growth of corals and attracts sea life so the sculptures will grow and change over time.

Artist Jason de Caires Taylor plans to add 63 new pieces to the museum this July, including a kinetic sculpture boasting wings made of living fan coral and The Listener, which features an underwater device that projects nearby sounds. MUSA is accessible to divers and snorkelers.

Underground Structures

2013-12-26T12:00:00.000-08:00

At the end of the 19th century, HG Wells imagined a future in which industry had been completely located underground, whilst above ground all was green and leafy.

Instead, something very different has happened to the building of structures beneath our cities...

The sunlit dome of the Mansueto library. It is immediately adjacent to the Brutalist Regenstein library designed by Skidmore Owings Merrill and completed in 1970

In The Time Machine, HG Wells wrote: “there is a tendency to utilize underground space for the less ornamental purposes of civilization.” In that book, Wells imagined a future in which industry had been completely located underground, whilst above ground all was green and leafy. At the end of the 19th century, it was perhaps understandable to imagine a future where this was the case. After all, as Wells put it, referring to the working class areas of London: “Even now, does not an East-end worker live in such artificial conditions as practically to be cut off from the natural surface of the earth?”

The libraries key innovation is its subterranean automated storage and retrieval system, extending 15m underground and which can hold 3.5million volumes

Something very different has happened to the building of structures beneath our cities. Certainly Wells was right to identify it as a place modern civilisation would travel to but our cities are free of industry below ground as well as above and whilst we still travel beneath the ground, at the beginning of the 21st century we are also building important cultural facilities there. The phenomenon is particularly pronounced in the USA, although it is becoming increasingly common elsewhere. So why are we putting our theatres, libraries and museums beneath our feet? And how are designers and architects facilitating and making the best of this new trend?

Designed by Helmut Jahn, the Library is effectively an above grade reading room with the book stored beneath. The University of Chicago wanted to keep all its books on campus

The National Law Enforcement Museum (NLEM) in Washington DC is a case in point. Having designed a memorial to the police forces of the United States in Judiciary Square in Washington DC, architect Davis Buckley was charged with subsequently finding a Museum. Wishing to create continuity with the monument, he suggested Judiciary Square itself. Judiciary Square however, is one of the most historical squares in the United States. Pierre L’Enfant, the original planner of the city fought bitterly with George Washington over the laying out of the square, with Thomas Jefferson interceding on his behalf. Abraham Lincoln held his inaugural ball on the site. It has tremendous historic worth.

In architectural terms there is a strong relationship between The Museum of Law Enforcement and Law Enforcement Memorial which sits in the square. Both are designed by Davis Buckley architects

Furthermore Judiciary Square is lined with important buildings and there is only really room underground. The square is home to several specialist courts including the United States Tax Court, the Court of Appeal for the Armed Forces and several courthouses for the District of Columbia. In addition there are number of important government buildings. The square, however, is being refocused away from simply its role as the heart of the US judiciary. It is also becoming an area of museums. The former Pension building is now a museum of architecture called the Museum of Building. The NLEM fits nicely into this dual role of the square.

The entrance pavilion of the Museum of Law Enforcement is set in the historical context of Judiciary Square in Washington DC

However there is no room for it to fit nicely into the square! At least, above ground. Davis Buckley’s proposal for the Museum which has just broken ground, is for two 4,000-square foot, above-ground glass-entry pavilions. These are supposed to symbolize the visibility of law enforcement but also provide an unobtrusive entrance on the historic square. The visitor then descends into the Museum, where the space will open to reveal the full expanse of the Museum. Architecturally its not dissimilar to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum albeit that the latter is a response to the ruins of a former building. Still the form is similar, a glass pavilion at ground level, a ramp down, and a vast. (Indeed the NLEM will contain a structural beam collected from Ground Zero.)

Rendering of the low slung roof of the entrance pavilion for the Shanghai Cultural Plaza Theatre, is as much a part of the landscaping as a separate structure

According to architect Davis Buckley he’s had to “convince everyone from the National Capital Planning commission to the Secretary of the Interior’ that the subterranean site was the best place for the largest museum in the world dedicated to police. The real reason for submerging the NLEM though is to deal with conservation issues in a historic part of the city. As even young cities like Washington DC age, valuable space is being found underground. They are being made available by the architectural application of the engineering techniques that built what Wells called ‘the less ornamental purposes of civilisation.

A rendering of the Shanghai Cultural Plaza from an aerial view. The entrance pavilion for the Theatre is part of landscape plan dominated by gentle curves

The architectural relationship between a glass pavilion and a subterranean store or vault is the primary relationship here. The former has a number of uses: it can provide a means for natural light to pass into lower levels and it can advertise the function of the subterranean structure. This is partially the case with the Joe and Rika Mansueto Library at the University of Chicago which is immediately adjacent to the Regenstein Library - an important brutalist building. The domed reading room, sits modestly next to the Skidmore Owings and Merrill building. Not only is it possible to see what the building is for through the glass structure but conversely when one is inside one can enjoy reading in the natural light. Beneath it a five-storey chamber contains 3.5m books, which are retrieved and delivered to the main desk by one of five massive cranes.

The entrance canopy is a huge space-frame structure which will be colonised by plantlife

So in this new emerging typology we can see an architectural relationship between a glass pavilion which advertises the function and a lower chamber where the cultural delights are stored. We can also see the move underground as being a means of preserving particularly treasured architectural conservation areas - be that a historic downtown or a more recent university campus. We can also see that an architectural language previously reserved for metropolitan transport - small pavilion structures both signaling to and sheltering entrances underground have been expanded and become less incidental, more architectural structures with the use of full glazing. Others existing in the USA: the refurbished underground museum at Franklin Court in Philadelphia; a new underground addition by Frank Gehry to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The entrance canopy is a huge space-frame structure which will be colonised by plantlife

It isn’t just the USA though were this subterranean response to sensitive sites is being seen. The Shanghai Culture Plaza is within the former French Concession on a site that previously housed a dog-racing track, then an auditorium for political and cultural events during Mao’s time and, latterly, a central flower market. Its main feature is a theatre which has 570,000 sq m of its full floor space of 650,000m sq m underground thereby making it the largest underground theatre in the world. Although anything generally goes in Shanghai with development, digging down was the only way to get around high limitations in this rare conservation area in the city.Typically for such subterranean structures a sculptural relationship is established in the underground spaces with the entrance above. Here it is a funnel of glass which introduces day light into lower levels of the theatre.

Parts of the 9/11 Memorial Museum are artifacts themselves. The so-called ''slurry wall,'' was built to hold back flood waters of the Hudson.

Indeed, ornament is a feature of these expensive buildings, in contradiction to the feature of late 19th Century life that HG Wells noted. The NLEM has a budget of $80m and the Mansueto Library designed by Helmut Jahn, fresh from designing the Veer Towers in Las Vegas, cost $68m to build. These cultural buildings feature highly wrought steel forms, with full glazing in the pavilions above and beneath crowded cities, vast amounts of circulation space - a rare luxury in todays crowded cities. As we turn more of our cities into conservation areas, the underground option for new cultural institutions is becoming more and more attractive.

The west chamber which will house some of the largest artifacts from the twin towers, including the “last column,” removed from the site during a funereal ceremony in 2002. The slurry wall is to the right.

The 10 Oldest Buildings In The World

2013-12-25T12:00:00.000-08:00

10. The King’s Grave, Sweden

Via en.wikipedia.org

Constructed during the Nordic Bronze Age, this is an “unusually grand” double burial tomb from about 3,000 years ago.

9. Naveta des Tudons, Spain

Via en.wikipedia.org

Built 3,200 years ago and discovered in 1975, this tomb contains at least one hundred men and their prized possessions, like bronze bracelets and ceramic buttons.

8. Treasury of Atreus, Greece

Via johnjmcgraw.com

This tomb was constructed during the Bronze Age, over 3,250 years ago. For over a thousand years it contained the tallest and widest dome in the world, until the completion of the Pantheon.

7. Caral, Peru

Via cba.k-state.edu

A large ancient settlement in Peru, currently the oldest known city in the Americas, constructed in over 4,600 years ago.

6. Pyramid of Djoser, Egypt

Via en.wikipedia.org

Built to contain Pharaoh Djoser after his death almost 4,700 years ago, the complex is the oldest stone-cut construction in the world.

5. Hulbjerg Jættestue, Denmark

Via en.wikipedia.org

Built 5,000 years ago, when this burial was discovered, there were forty individuals inside, one of which showed some of the earliest examples of dentistry work.

4. Newgrange, Ireland

Via en.wikipedia.org

A prehistoric monument and the oldest building in Ireland, built circa 5,100 years ago.

3. Monte d’Accoddi, Italy

Via en.wikipedia.org

Built somewhere in-between 5,200-4,800 years ago, this remarkably preserved building was either a temple or an altar.

2. Knap of Howar, Scotland

Via en.wikipedia.org

Originally part of a farmstead, this is the oldest stone house in Europe, standing since 3,500-3,100BC, or up to 5,500 years ago.

1. Megalithic Temples of Malta

Via en.wikipedia.org

These free-standing structures were all used as religious temples, and are the oldest of their kind in the world, constructed between 3,500-2,500BC, also over 5,500 years ago.

The Most Expensive Buildings In The World

2013-12-24T19:18:00.001-08:00

10. Antilla, Mumbai, India – $2.53 billion

Antilla is a building in Mumbai in India that has 27 floors and rises up to 173 meters. It was designed by Perkins & Will and was built in 2010 at an original cost of $2 billion. Believe it or not, this is not a commercial building. This is the house of Mukesh Ambani, the Chairman of Reliance Industries. The house has a full time staff of around 600 people serving the family around the clock.

9. City of Dreams, Macau, China – $2.75 billion

The City of Dreams is a casino located in Macau. Arquitectonica created and design the building that has 37 floors and rises up to 164 meters. Its original cost pre-inflation in 2009 was $2.4 billion. The building is located at the Cotai Strip in the Cotai reclamation area that the city had built. Melco Crown Entertainment owns the building, which is its second mega property in Macau.

8. The Venetian Macau, Macau, China – $2.97 billion

The Venetian Macau is a luxury hotel and casino resort. Designed by Aedas, the building has 39 floors and rises up to 225 meters. The building was completed in 2005, with its cost running at that time to $2.4 billion. It is owned by Las Vegas Sands and serves as the anchor of the seven hotels in the Cotai Strip. It covers 10.5 million square feet and is largely modeled after its sister casino in Las Vegas.

7. Wynn Resort, Las Vegas – $3.26 billion

Wynn Resort is a 45-story building that rises up to 187 meters high. Designed by Butler Ashworth Architects and Jerde Partnership, the building was completed in 2005, with its cost at that time running up to $2.7 billion. The building is considered as the flagship property of Wynn Resorts Limited. It is located on Las Vegas Boulevard directly across the Las Vegas Strip from the Fashion Show Mall.

6. One World Trade Center, New York – $3.8 billion

One World Trade Center in New York is a 104-story building that rises up to 541 meters up in the air. David Childs did the architecture while Skidmore, Owings & Merrill designed the building that was completed in 2012 at a cost of $3.8 billion. It is the primary building of the new World Trade Center Complex in lower Manhattan. It is currently the tallest building in New York City, surpassing the height of the Empire State Building.

5. The Shard, London, England – $3.9 billion

The Shard is an 87-story building in London that rises up to a height of 310 meters. The building forms part of the London Bridge Quarter development. It was completed in 2012, with the observation deck being opened to the public in February 2013. It is the tallest building in the European Union and the second tallest freestanding structure in the United Kingdom. Designed by the renowned Italian architect Renzo Piano, the building is jointly owned by Sellar Property and the state of Qatar.

4. The Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas – $4.16 billion

The Cosmopolitan is a 52-story building that rises up to 184 meters. The Friedmutter Group designed the building together with Arquitectonica. The building was completed in 2010 at a cost of $3.9 billion. This luxury casino and resort hotel at the west side of the Las Vegas Strip actually consists of two high-rise towers. The acclaimed building has been awarded as the best hotel in the world in 2013.

3. Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi – $4.46 billion

The Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi has only six floors and rises up to 72.6 meters. John Elliott did the design and architecture. The building was completed in 2005 at a cost of $3 billion at that time. It is considered a seven-star luxury hotel, with its own marina and helipad. It covers 850,000 square meters of floor space. The hotel is located on 1.3 kilometers of private beach and surrounded by 85 hectares of gardens, with 114 domes approximately 80 meters high.

2. Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore – $5.38 billion

Resorts World Sentosa was completed in 2010 at a cost at that time of $4.93 billion. It has 10 floors and rises up to 50 meters high. Michael Graves designed the building. It is basically an integrated resort in Sentosa Island off the southern coast of Singapore. It has a casino, a Marine Life Park, the largest oceanarium in the world, and Universal Studios. Genting Singapore developed the property and is considered as one of the most expensive casino properties in the world.

1. Marina Bay Sands, Singapore – $6 billion

Marina Bay Sands is a 57-storey building that rises 194 meters into the air. Moshe Safdie designed the building that was completed in 2010 at a cost of $5.5 billion at the time. It is actually an integrated resort that fronts Marina Bay in Singapore, covering 20 hectares of property. It has the world’s largest atrium casino, a 340-meter long SkyPark, and a 150-meter infinity swimming pool on top of the largest public cantilevered platform in the world. It features a mall, museum, two large theaters, seven celebrity chef restaurants, two floating Crystal Pavilions and an ice skating rink.

Van Egeraat, Dynamo Stadium, Moscow

2011-04-04T11:36:00.000-07:00

Dutch architect Erick van Egeraat has won a competition to redevelop the Dynamo Moscow Stadium and surrounding park in Moscow.

Called VTB Arena Park, the project comprises the redevelopment of the Dynamo Moscow stadium and its surrounding park Erick a contemporary multifunctional urban regenerator, that will play a key role in transforming its wider surroundings.

Erick van Egeraat’s 300,000-m2 multifunctional culture, health and sports centre will be developed on a 116,000-m2 site and will comprise a 45,000-seat Stadium Arena for Dynamo Moscow, a 10,000-seat Arena Hall, a Retail and Entertainment complex, restaurants, parking and other facilities.

VTB Arena allows the existing park to be completely preserved as a public, green area. Parking facilities will be included underground, and horeca and sports training facilities will be included above ground, with the park continuing over the roof of these functions.

Erick van Egeraat partnered with Russian architect Mikhail Posokhin for the project.

Frank Gehry, Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, Las Vegas

2011-04-03T11:36:00.000-07:00

Frank Gehry’s newest project, the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, in Las Vegas, is a leading research centre for degenerative brain diseases.

The sculptural building cost almost $100 million and consists of two wings connected by an open courtyard.

In the ordinary northern part of the building is a research center and hospital, in the creative south part – the life activity center.

In this project the architect manipulates space and materials to create stunning structures that captivate the imagination and although the two parts of the building differ from each other, they also act like two parts of the whole.

The Gehry teams have created a masterpiece of architectural design, blending strong visual impact with superior efficiency in patient care.

According to WAN, Gehry decided to design the building because he, like founder Larry Ruvo, has been affected by degenerative brain diseases. Ruvo’s father had Alzheimer’s and Gehry’s analyst’s wife had Huntington’s disease.

Therefore, this building is like a tribute to those they lost, and also a beacon of hope for finding treatments or cures for these unfortunate ailments.

Christian de Portzamparc, Carnegie 57, New York City

2011-04-02T11:35:00.000-07:00

The $1.3 billion skyscraper is actually the first major property development to come after the global financial crisis put hundreds of projects in the Big Apple on hold and upon its completion in 2013, will be the tallest residential building in the city, at 1,005 feet, eclipsing the Trump World Plaza.

There will be 136 apartments in the tower, above the 210-room Park Hyatt hotel which will sprawl over the first 20 floors. Gary Barnet, the project’s developer, seems confident that his tower will attract both design kudos and deep-pocketed buyers.

Carnegie 57, is a new “ultraluxury” condo building, designed by French starchitect Christian de Portzamparc, on 57th Street across the street from Carnegie Hall, in New York.

Sky Bridge Petronas – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Sky Bridge Petronas Kuala Lumpur

2011-02-28T12:00:00.000-08:00

Sky Bridge Petronas Kuala Lumpur

Source

The beautiful Patronas Tower, also known as the Twin Tower stand proudly in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. These towers were the world’s tallest buildings from 1998 to 2004. The towers have the most amazing and unique bridge in the world, connecting the two towers on the 41st and 42nd floors. This is the highest 2-story bridge in the world.

Brooklyn Bridge – New York, USA Brooklyn Bridge of New York USA

2011-02-14T12:00:00.000-08:00

Brooklyn Bridge of New York USA

Source

The bridge was originally known as the New York and Brooklyn Bridge. Being one of the oldest bridges in United States, it was completed in 1883. It links the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River.

The Wind and Rain Bridge – Chengyang, China The Wind and Rain Bridge of Chengyang China

2011-02-10T12:00:00.000-08:00

The Wind and Rain Bridge of Chengyang China

This unique and beautiful bridge is in Guangxi province of China, built by people from different ethnic groups including Miao, Zhuang, Dong and Yao. The Chengyang Wind and Rain Bridge is also known as Yongji Bridge or Panlong Bridge. It’s built on the Linxi River. The bridge was built in 1916. The bridge is constructed with wood and stones. It is 64.4 meters (73.43 yards) long, 3.4 metes (3.72 yards) wide and 10.6 meters (34.78 feet) high.

Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, USA

2011-02-07T12:00:00.000-08:00

Construction on the Walt Disney Concert Hall began in 1992, after a $50 million donation from Walt’s widow, Lillian Disney. Pritzker Prize winner Frank Gehry delivered the designs a year earlier but some of his initial plans were changed to improve acoustics. The building’s exterior of stainless steel, mirror-like panels had to be sanded to reduce sunlight beaming into adjacent apartments. If you love Gehry’s iconic Guggenheim Bilbao, you’ll fall for Disney Hall in turn.

Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Canada

2011-02-05T12:00:00.000-08:00

Designed by French architect Roger Taillibert and built for the 1976 Summer Olympic Games, Montreal’s much-maligned and costly Olympic Stadium is the perpetual brunt of jokes and indeed, clandestine affection. Alternatively known as the “Big O” or “Big Owe”, due to the exorbitant price-tag, the stadium was not completed in time for the Olympic Games and had to be used without a tower or roof. The retractable roof arrived from Paris in 1981 and stood unused because of insufficient funds but more likely, municipal corruption. Even after it was installed, the roof ripped and needed expensive repairs. For these and many other misfortunes, the Olympic Stadium is Montreal’s most notorious skylime attraction. Still, the Big O is the largest stadium in Canada by seating capacity and at 175 m, the distinctive, inclined tower is the highest in the world. For a great view of the city, ride up to the observation deck.

National Stadium, Beijing, China

2011-02-04T12:00:00.000-08:00

Designed for the 2008 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, Beijing National Stadium is considered to be the world’s largest enclosed space, with a volume of three million cubic metres. The design created by Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron inspired by Chinese art and culture is more commonly known as “Bird’s Nest Stadium” due to the web of steel beams that compose the roof. The 91,000-seat stadium weighs 42,000 tons and measuring 294 m from east to west and 333 m from north to south. Beijing National Stadium will host the IAAF World Championships in Athletics in 2015.

Federation Square, Melbourne, Australia

2011-02-03T12:00:00.000-08:00

This civic centre in the heart of Melbourne, Victoria was built as a focal point for the city, to mask the unattractive railway lines that ran through the city centre. The railway had to be covered with 3,000 tons of steel beams and 4,000 spring coils to absorb vibrations. The unusual design of the square makes copious use of sandstone, zinc and glass. Taking 8 years to design and build, Federation Square hosts several shops, restaurants and coffee shops, as well as the Ian Potter Centre, the first major museum dedicated exclusively to Australian art.

Casa Batlló, Barcelona, Spain

2011-02-02T12:00:00.000-08:00

Built in 1877 and restored by Antoni Gaudí and Josep Maria Jujol, the Casa Batlló is a perpetual Barcelona highlight and part of the Gaudí UNESCO World Heritage Site. Referred to by locals in Catalan as Casa dels ossos (House of Bones), the building’s exterior indeed has a remarkable skeletal appearance. The façade is made from broken ceramic tiles in hues of orange, green and blue. In his design, Gaudí was inspired by the shapes and colours found in marine life.

Palais Idéal, Hauterives, France

2011-02-01T12:00:00.000-08:00

The Palais Idéal or the Ideal Palace is a testament to how far you can get if you doggedly pursue a dream. The castle was built by Ferdinand Cheval, a French postman who dedicated 33 years of his life inspired by a stone he tripped over on his rounds. He stopped to examine this rock and found it so bizarre that he decided to take it home with him and returned the next day to gather more rocks. After noticing the amazing way time had shaped the rocks, Cheval decided to become an architect and built his castle from little rocks and pebbles. This fine example of “naïve art” architecture with influences from the Bible and Hindu mythology is now open to the public.

The Crooked House, Sopot, Poland

2011-01-31T12:00:00.000-08:00

Built by Szotyńscy & Zaleski and inspired by a children’s illustration made by Jan Marcin Szancer and Per Dahlberg, the Crooked House (Krzywy Domek) was built in 2004 as part of the Rezydent shopping centre in downtown Sopot. It was built to fit in with the other surrounding buildings but to appear melted or exhausted. The three-story house features several bars, restaurants and tourist shops and is the most photographed building in Poland.

Kunsthaus, Graz, Austria

2011-01-30T12:00:00.000-08:00

Built to celebrate European Capital of Culture recipient Graz in 2003, the Kunsthaus was designed by Peter Cook and Colin Fournier in an organic shape with a skin made of iridescent blue panels. With its large protruding nozzles, a concept known as “blob architecture”, the building has been nicknamed the “Friendly Alien” by its designers. The unusual museum hosts a variety of contemporary art from the last 40 years. At night, the museum is an amazing sight with its computerized lighting system that glows beneath the acrylic skin.

Cathedral of Brasília, Brazil

2011-01-29T12:00:00.000-08:00

This Roman-Catholic church in Brazil’s capital was designed by Oscar Niemeyer to symbolize two hands pointing to heaven. The cathedral is made up of 16 concrete columns, representing hyperboloid structures with asymmetric sections. In the square outside the cathedral, four bronze sculptures representing the Evangelists greet visitors. Three suspended angel sculptures decorate the building’s interior, weighing 100 kg, 200 kg and 300 kg.

The Atomium, Brussels, Belgium

2011-01-28T12:00:00.000-08:00

Built for the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair, the Atomium is a 102 m-tall structure in the shape of an elementary iron crystal enlarged 165 billion times. The Atomium is made up of 9 steel spheres, out of which 3 are closed to the public since they lack virtual support; the remaining spheres are connected via escalators, the top one offering a breathtaking view of the city of Brussels. The construction symbolizes peace between nations, faith in progress and a positive view on the future of humanity.