World’s Tallest 48-Meter Buddha Statue in Eastern China
A statue of Amitabha, also known as the Buddha of Infinite Light, is going up in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province, Nov 4, 2011. The 48-meter statue is one of the world’s tallest. (CFP) Continue reading »
The World’s Highest Lego Tower
People look at the world’s highest Lego tower, at a stand at Kidexpo, a fair dedicated to games and leisure for children, in Paris (FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP/Getty Images)
Facebook’s New Server Farm in Sweden
An architect’s drawing of Facebook’s new server farm in Lulea, Sweden. The plant on the edge of the Arctic Circle is Facebook’s first outside the US and is aimed at improving the performance for European users of the social networking site. Facebook confirmed it had picked the northern Swedish city of Lulea for the data centre partly because of the cold climate, which is crucial for keeping the servers cool, and the access to renewable energy from nearby hydropower facilities. (EPA/SWECO/THE NODE POLE)
“Passing Cloud” Reimagines What 21st Century Travel Can Be
Architect Tiago Barros proposes an intriguing new travel concept that would really slow things down: “The Passing Cloud.”
For those who saw the Pixar hit “Up,” the concept may sound familiar. Passengers float up into the sky and drift over the Earth. In a world where everything operates at hyper-speeds, Barros has come up with a luxurious form of slow travel: a giant inflatable cloud that can travel from place to place, riding on the predominant winds. Oddly enough, the design proposal was an entry in a competition for a high-speed rail network, called Life at the Speed of Rail, promoted by the Department of Cultural affairs of New York City. Continue reading »
Architect Daniel Libeskind’s Steel Wedge Bursts Through the Redesigned Museum in Dresden
A metal wedge designed by U.S. architect Daniel Libeskind protrudes from the Bundeswehr Military History Museum in Dresden, Germany, Oct. 13. After seven years of renovations according to his plans, the new exhibition with 10,500 exhibits from 700 years of military history opens tomorrow, Oct. 14. (Matthias Hiekel / EPA) Continue reading »
Container Community for Migrant Children
Migrant children play games in Heiqiao “Magic cube” community in Beijing on Sept 28, 2011. The community, located in Chaoyang district in Beijing, has become a study and playing center for migrant children living nearby. Classrooms in the community are all remodeled containers. For migrant children who used to play or study on the roadside, the community is a good place where they are taken care of and taught by volunteers. There are six container communities funded by Compassion for Migrant Children in Beijing and Shanghai, benefiting more than 7,000 migrant children. (CFP) Continue reading »
See the Ancient City of Pergamon in 360 degrees
The viewing platform is fixed on cargo containers in the ‘Panorama of the Antique City’ at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, Germany, Sept. 29. The 360 degree round image is a representation of the antique Pergamon. On display until Sept. 30, the reconstruction is based on the current state of archaeological research. (Soeren Stache / EPA) Continue reading »
Shakhti 360 Leti: Luxury Hotel in Himalayas
Shakti was founded by Jamshyd Sethna, whose love of the mountains began during his schooldays in Darjeeling and thereafter as a young tea planter in Upper Assam. A Parsi from Bombay, Jamshyd is one of India’s leading travel professionals and his travel experiences, love of food and art, combined with a passion for the Himalaya is the creative force behind the foundation and evolution of Shakti.
Early morning casts a pink glow over the snow-covered peaks; very soon the sun burns off the cool of the night. Energised by the crystalline air, you may already be out walking with your guide, through the ancient rhododendron forests. Or you may choose to linger over a long, slow breakfast. Continue reading »
China’s Richest Village Building Lavish Skyscraper
A construction worker looks at a golden bull weighing one ton with a worth of 300 million yuan ($46.9 million) in the hall of a skyscraper under construction in Huaxi village, the richest village of China, located in East China’s Jiangsu province. The 328-meter-high 74-storey skyscraper cost more than 1.5 billion yuan and is scheduled to go into operation in October, 2011 to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the village. It ranks as the 15th tallest skyscraper in the world and the eighth tallest in China. (CFP) Continue reading »
Origami Cave Puts a Stylish Spin on Emergency Shelter
Australian architecture firm LAVA exhibited its inhabitable “Origami Cave” as part of The Emergency Shelter exhibition, which was held in Sydney earlier this month. The exhibition featured architects from around the globe including Ateliers Jean Nouvel, PTW Architects, Tonkin Zulaikha Greer, Cox, Koichi Takada Architects, Sou Fujimoto and Terunobu Fujimori. Each architect was asked to create a shelter that would not only protect people from the elements during an emergency situation, but would also provide a space that was secure and comfortable in the aftermath of a disaster.
Sydney architecture firm LAVA has recently exhibited its inhabitable “Origami Cave” as part of The Emergency Shelter exhibition (image by LAVA) Continue reading »
Most Awesome Wall of Air Conditioners Appears in Fuzhou, China
The outer wall of the Fuzhou Dalijiacheng Building is densely covered with air conditioner compressor units, the entire building’s outer wall having over 500 air conditioning compressor units attached in total and still increasing, and has been called the most “Air Conditioner Wall” in Fuzhou history by city residents. Continue reading »
Cute Chinese Cargo Van Apartment
A car owner in Kunming, China has converted a cargo truck into a mobile home. There is 8.5 square meters of usable area, and one can cook, sleep, go online, and watch television in the car. This mobile home including the vehicle and renovations cost under 130,000 yuan, and because of its low cost and comprehensive features. It features a small kitchen with a sink and electric stove, bunk-beds, refrigerator, flat screen TV and a computer. (chinaSMACK) Continue reading »
Chinese Drug Maker’s Deluxe Office Building Comparable to Imperial Palace
“This is not Versailles; this is office building of 6 Pharmaceutical Factory of Harbin Pharmaceutical Group!” September 5, a group of luxury office building photos of Harbin Pharmaceutical Group spread in major Chinese forums, according to the post person, its lavish degree surpassed magnificent imperial palace,” Photo shows the main building’s decoration is Versailles style, in the corridors are wood carvings, and assembled with gold foil, each angel is vivid.” These photos are found from the medicine factory’s official website. Continue reading »
Libyan Leader’s Life of Luxury Overrun by Rebels
A Libyan rebel fighter walks inside the house of Saif al-Islam, son of Libyan fugitive leader Moammar Gadhafi in Tripoli. Normal life began returning to the Libyan capital Tripoli, almost a week after rebels swept into the city. (Ciro Fusco / EPA) Continue reading »
Richard Branson’s $70 Million Caribbean Mansion on Necker Island
Branson first became aware that some of the islands in the British Virgin Islands were for sale in 1979. In 1978 he went to the British Virgin Islands for a holiday in order to investigate the prospective real estate. On first observing the islands, he envisioned using them to put up rock stars for his record label. Upon arrival, they were given a luxury villa and travelled around islands for sale by helicopter. Continue reading »
Singing Ringing Tree
The Singing Ringing Tree is a wind powered sound sculpture resembling a tree set in the landscape of the Pennine mountain range overlooking Burnley, in Lancashire. Continue reading »
The New Sava River Bridge in Belgrad
Serbian state officials attend a ceremony as workers building the new Sava River Bridge in Belgrade near the Ada Ciganlija river island connect the river banks of Belgrade and New Belgrade. The first vehicles will cross over the bridge on December 15. (Andrej Isakovic—AFP/Getty Images)
‘Slinky Springs to Fame’ Bridge Built in Oberhausen, Germany
The new “Slinky Springs to Fame” bridge is illuminated at night in the western German city of Oberhausen. The 350-meter-long bridge was designed by German artist T. Rehberger. (Roland Weihrauch/AFP/Getty Images) Continue reading »
Six Shortlisted: Buildings up for the RIBA Stirling Prize
The shortlist for the Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba) Stirling Prize has been announced. Among the nominees is the new Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-Upon-Avon. The newly renovated building combined Elizabeth Scott’s grade II listed theatre facade and foyer with a larger theatre and a 1000 seat thrust-stage auditorium. (BBC News) Continue reading »
Magic Architecture of Stéphane Malka
It was first through graffiti, a technique he adopted for over 10 years, that Stéphane Malka discovered the city and its untapped potential. He then began studying architecture in his home town of Marseilles before completing his studies at the school of Paris-la Villette. Continue reading »
How One Japanese Village Defied the Tsunami
The man on the picture is Kotaku Wamura, who died in 1997 at age 88.
Until March 11, 2011, – he did not live, but it turned out to show the big tsunami a big “fuck”: being from 1945 to 1987 the mayor of the Fudai town, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, he has invested more than $ 30 million in building a protective wall height of 16 meters, which saved the lives of more than 3000 people. Nearby villages have decided that 10 meters is enough, and were washed away into the ocean. Continue reading »
Man Cave With a View
Alexandre de Betak’s (a French fashion and furniture designer) house in Majorca was built with indigenous materials by local artisans, but the results, like the terra cotta R2-D2 ashtray, are out of this world. Photographs by Jason Schmidt. Continue reading »
MVRDV Architecture Bureau for the China Comic and Animation Museum
Hangzhou urban planning bureau has announced MVRDV winner of the international design competition for the China Comic and Animation Museum (CCAM) in Hangzhou, China. MVRDV won with a design referring to the speech balloon: a series of eight speech balloon shaped volumes create an internally complex museum experience of in total 32.000m2. Part of the project is also a series of parks on islands, a public plaza and a 13.000m2 expo centre. Construction start is envisioned for 2012, the total budget is 92 million Euro. Continue reading »
Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura in Barcelona
In 1973 Ricardo Bofill, famous Spanish architector, discovered a cement factory, part of an industrial complex from the turn of the century, comprising over 30 silos, underground galleries and huge engine rooms. He decided to transform it into his head office. Continue reading »
Cubicle? No. That’s Bubblicle!
“Bubble” office space created by French architecture bureau Christian Pottgiesser Architecturespossibles for Pons+Huot architecture company. Continue reading »
