WOW 
Saturday, 01. November 2008
Windmills in Eastern Germany
This documentation tries to list all still available windmills in eastern Germany. It was created from 1992 to 1998. After an analysis of historical maps and literature, as well as countless excursions, still 704 windmills in all possible preservation statuses could be found and photographed. The pallet reaches from a heap of rubble, up to affectionate restored, still grinding systems. It shows varietys of windmill types in all modifications, the aesthetic charm even of a ruin and in addition, the problems of the monument protection of a not longer used technology.Windmills in Eastern Germany by Reinhard Krause
And don't miss the quite excellent portfolio of photographer Reinhard Krause.
Saturday, 11. October 2008
Jacques Rougerie
Jacques Rougerie, a French architect, is one of the most interesting architects/designers I've come across. He has drawn space stations, sea vessels and underwater habitats.
Don't miss the projects:
- Aquaspace, a trimaran
Aquascope
The Galathée houses or the structures Hippocampus and Aquabulle.
Sea To orbit, in collaboration with the oceanographer Jacques Piccard and the astronaut Christian Jean-Wolf.
The underwater archaeological museum of Alexandria in Egypt
Musée d'archéologie sous-marine d'Alexandrie
Saturday, 20. September 2008
Grand Palais Virtual Tour
To mark the 25th European Heritage Days (September 20-21), the spotlight will be on heritage and creativity. From September 19, the Grand Palais will invite you to enjoy a very special computer animation.Grand Palais Virtual Tour - Fantastic!
Friday, 04. July 2008
Jeremy Levine Design
For example:
Green architect Jeremy Levine took an old run down Spanish style bungalow and transformed it into a modern eco-friendly gem that runs on solar power, reclaimed water and has a no-nonsense cooling system that looks more like a high end designer’s dream with a light eco-footprint. So take a tour of their Eagle Rock, California house that’s eco inside and out.
Jeremy Levine Design - a dynamic portfolio featuring the sustainable/green residential structures.
After:
Friday, 13. June 2008
Dubai - The Fastest Growing City on Earth
Dubai is the most populous and second largest emirate of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and is located in the Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia. The UAE was formed 1971 when the Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast (previously under control of the United Kingdom) merged.Today UAE's per capita GDP is on par with those of leading West European nations. Dubai has however received its world-wide attention as a result of numerous enormous innovative real estate projects such as:
- The world tallest hotel, Burj Al Arab.
The world's tallest building, Burj Dubai is under construction with a planned height of over 800 meters.
Dubailand, the world's largest theme park (280 square kilometers) is under construction (more than twice the size Walt Disney World in Florida).
Bawandi, a development of 31 hotels featuring 29,000 rooms, including the world's largest hotel with 6,500 rooms (MGM Grand in Vegas has 5,034 rooms).
Palm Jumeirah and Palm Jebel, the world's largest man-made islands.
Hydropolis, an underwater hotel.
Business Bay, a central business district under construction, will have upwards of 230 buildings.
and more ...
Enjoy this eye-popping city with it's highlights without leaving home!
Thursday, 29. May 2008
The Iceberg Project
Architects Julien de Smedt and CEBRA architects in collaboration with Louis Paillard and SeArch have won a competition to build a housing complex at the Aarhus docklands development in Denmark.
Called the Iceberg project, the development will create 25,000 sqm of housing and is due for completion in 2010.
The Aarhus Harbour development provides a huge opportunity for Denmark’s second largest city to develop in a socially sustainable way by renovating its old, out-of-use container terminal. The area is meant to become a living city quarter, comprised of a multitude of cultural and social activities, a generous amount of workplaces, and of course, a highly mixed and diverse array of housing types.
See also: Architects Julien de Smedt and CEBRA architects.
"Århus will get a fantastic harbour front with unique architectural buildings that both in appearance and functionality prove that we are a city of grand ambitions. Our desire for this area goes beyond just a façade without life and purpose. We want a living city where everybody thrives. Both those who live and those who work in this “City near the harbour / De Bynære Havnearealer”. Projects of this calibre are a big step towards this goal." -Mayor, Nicolai Wammen.
Saturday, 12. April 2008
Eiffel DNA: New look for Eiffel Tower?
It was an efficiently placed press release, good renderings and plausible arguments, all in all a great marketing coup by Serero Architects from Paris. They claimed they had won a competition to redesign the famous landmark and add temporarily an installation on top, on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the tower, so that it could double its capacities for visitors.Reports were published by The Guardian, The New York Times, Archinect or BauNetz among many others.
Plans have now been officially denied and the Eiffel Tower in Paris will keep its original shape and look.
Despite everything - its a very cool idea! Huh?
The Eiffel tower in Paris suffers from its success. Since its creation the amount of visitors coming to reach its top has increased to reach its limit capacity. 6.5 millions People wait between 35 minutes to 1H10 to reach the elevators. The floor area of each level decreases with the height because of the tower geometry resulting in very long waiting lines and crowd management problems.
In celebration of the 120th birthday of the tower, the Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel decided to restructure the public reception and access areas of the tower. The proposal of SERERO Architects aims to create a temporary horizontal extension of the third floor of the tower in order to increase the quality of the access of the public as well as experiencing the fantastic 360 degrees sight of Paris.
More here: Eiffel DNA.
Parisian-based Serero Architects have other great ideas too. Check it out.
Wednesday, 27. February 2008
Casa Elegante
The view across Sarasota Bay extends for miles to the north and south.
Spectacular sunsets create majestic silhouettes of Longboat Key along the horizon.
5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, and 1 powder room.
14,243 square feet under roof, situated on a 35,578 square foot lot.
Offered at $9,950,000
Casa Elegante
And don't miss the Virtual Tour
The home was built by Laughlin's Luxury Lifestyles in 2006. But it seems no one has the budget for the extreme extravagance ...
Wednesday, 20. February 2008
The Leaning Tower Of Pisa - Tower's Gallery
Between 1991 and 1994 a photographic survey of the leaning tower of Pisa was undertaken by the Committee for the consolidation and conservation of the tower. Every column, capital and decoration of the tower was accurately photographed and catalogued. The survey has produced 6400 photographs, and this site is intended to furnish interested users with the possibility to consult this material freely.The Leaning Tower Of Pisa - Tower's Gallery - every detail of the Tower in 6400 pictures.
See also information on the inclination and the restoration interventions in 14 displays.
Tuesday, 29. January 2008
World's Largest Moose
Northern Sweden have the all-clear for the construction of the world's largest elk, or moose as the animal is known in North America. Perched on top of a mountain, the 45-metre (148-foot) elk will double as a restaurant and concert hall that can seat up to 350 guests. From its antlers, more than 500 metres above sea level, visitors will be able to enjoy the spectacular view over the valleys below.World's Largest Moose
A junction in the nortern part of Sweden, a destination for people all over the world, a monument dedicated to wilderness, nature and the king of the forest. Our goal is for this giant moose to be "born" before the end of 2009.
- Situated on top of the mountain "Vithatten"
2 legs in the district of Arvidsjaur and region "Norrbotten".
2 legs in the district of Skellefteå and region "Västerbotten."
Construction completly made of gluelam wood with steeltubes in the legs and in the "pinetree".
Approx. 47 m long, 12 m wide, 35 m on the back, ca 45 m on the antlers. The antlers incl. tines approx. 100 m².
all inside the body of a wooden moose:
Sunday, 27. January 2008
MegaStructures: The Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge has been under constant attack from treacherous currents, fierce winds and sea fog laden with corrosive salts. But the worst is still to come. Seismic engineers are predicting a massive tremor within the next 50 years. In a $400 milmillion retrofit, state-of-the-art isolation bearings and absorption devices are being installed to soak up an earthquake's damaging vibrations. It is a race against time.-- Source National Geographic Channel
Duration: 47 minutes.
Have a nice sunday everyone and everywhere!
Friday, 18. January 2008
Nice Twist: Pluviae
What do you need to have a shower? The major ingredient is a spray of water, usually from above, plus a device to spray it and a system for conveying the water to the device.This beautiful shower is called the Pluviae. Simple and ingenious! The line curves smoothly into the showerhead and not a bit is superfluous.
Check out the other excellent architecture and design by Matteo Thun & Partners.
Wednesday, 16. January 2008
World Architecture: Top 100 Most Viewed Projects
World Architecture News (WAN) is the leading supplier of news to the global architecture. Unique! Check it out!
See also World Architecture News in Pictures - a wide range of architectural discourse and information.
Tuesday, 08. January 2008
J.S.K Architects
Kish Island, Iran
J.S.K is one of Germany's leading international architectural firms and is at the forefront of new developments in architecture for the 21st century.
The 'built transparency' that the JSK firm takes at its central theme puts human needs at its heart, creating architecture that manages to be ecologically sound, aesthetically beautiful, functional, and economic, all at the same time.
These architects shape urban environments in a forward-looking and positive way.
Check out the drawings, pictures and informations of all of their projects and buildings for high-rise buildings, train stations, airport hotels and more. This is vision and function: J.S.K Architects
Airrail Center, Frankfurt, Germany
Saturday, 05. January 2008
The Vertical Farm Project
"The Living Tower" by Pierre Sartoux
The Problem:
By the year 2050, nearly 80% of the earth's population will reside in urban centers. Applying the most conservative estimates to current demographic trends, the human population will increase by about 3 billion people during the interim. An estimated 109 hectares of new land (about 20% more land than is represented by the country of Brazil) will be needed to grow enough food to feed them, if traditional farming practices continue as they are practiced today. At present, throughout the world, over 80% of the land that is suitable for raising crops is in use (sources: FAO and NASA). Historically, some 15% of that has been laid waste by poor management practices. What can be done to avoid this impending disaster?
A Potential Solution: farm vertically
The concept of indoor farming is not new, since hothouse production of tomatoes, a wide variety of herbs, and other produce has been in vogue for some time. What is new is the urgent need to scale up this technology to accommodate another 3 billion people. An entirely new approach to indoor farming must be invented, employing cutting edge technologies. The Vertical Farm must be efficient (cheap to construct and safe to operate). Vertical farms, many stories high, will be situated in the heart of the world's urban centers.
The Vertical Farm Project
Vertical Farm Design by Chris Jacobs