World Architecture
World Architecture is a art or practice of designing and constructing buildings.
161. San Paolo fuori la Mura St Pauls outside the Walls
Rome, Italy
Perhaps the most demanding question that can be asked of any architect is to invent a building to suit a new purpose, and the provision of an adequate, even seemly, answer is indeed an architectural feat. From the beginning of the fourth century a.d., congregational worship by large numbers of people needed a hall, and the Roman basilica a civil law court became one model for churches in western Europe. The early Christian architects ingeniously combined the vast, articulated open spaces of the basilica with the familiar layout of the Roman domus to produce a new architectural type: the basilican church. San Paolo fuori la Mura, begun soon after 314 and completed in the thirteenth century, although completely rebuilt after 1823, is the clearest example, simply because the others have been modernized
Perhaps the most demanding question that can be asked of any architect is to invent a building to suit a new purpose, and the provision of an adequate, even seemly, answer is indeed an architectural feat. From the beginning of the fourth century a.d., congregational worship by large numbers of people needed a hall, and the Roman basilica a civil law court became one model for churches in western Europe. The early Christian architects ingeniously combined the vast, articulated open spaces of the basilica with the familiar layout of the Roman domus to produce a new architectural type: the basilican church. San Paolo fuori la Mura, begun soon after 314 and completed in the thirteenth century, although completely rebuilt after 1823, is the clearest example, simply because the others have been modernized
162. Seikan Tunnel Seikan Tonneru
Japan
After two decades of planning and construction, the 33.5-mile-long (53.85-kilometer) Seikan submarine tunnel was opened to traffic on 13 March 1988. Part of a railroad between Aomori City and Hakodate City, it links Honshu, the main Japanese island, with Hokkaido to the north, passing under the 459-foot-deep (140-meter) Tsugaru Strait. The tunnel runs 328 feet (100 meters) beneath the ocean bed for 14.5 miles (23.35 kilometers); thus, at 787 feet (240 meters) below sea level, it is the deepest railroad line in the world. The journey between the terminals takes two and a half hours. It has been called one of the most formidable engineering feats of the twentieth century.
After two decades of planning and construction, the 33.5-mile-long (53.85-kilometer) Seikan submarine tunnel was opened to traffic on 13 March 1988. Part of a railroad between Aomori City and Hakodate City, it links Honshu, the main Japanese island, with Hokkaido to the north, passing under the 459-foot-deep (140-meter) Tsugaru Strait. The tunnel runs 328 feet (100 meters) beneath the ocean bed for 14.5 miles (23.35 kilometers); thus, at 787 feet (240 meters) below sea level, it is the deepest railroad line in the world. The journey between the terminals takes two and a half hours. It has been called one of the most formidable engineering feats of the twentieth century.
163. Semmering Railway
Austria
The 26-mile-long (41.8-kilometer) Semmering Railway climbs through an altitude of 1,400 feet (439 meters) over the Semmering alpine pass, at an elevation of 2,930 feet (898 meters), between Gloggnitz and M
The 26-mile-long (41.8-kilometer) Semmering Railway climbs through an altitude of 1,400 feet (439 meters) over the Semmering alpine pass, at an elevation of 2,930 feet (898 meters), between Gloggnitz and M
164. Shell concrete
In 1919 Dr. Walter Bauersfeld of the Carl Zeiss optical works in Jena, Germany, proposed a planetarium. Following his 1922 success with a 52-foot-diameter (16-meter) iron-rod dome built on the roof of the companys building the first lightweight steel structural framework in the world Bauersfeld consulted the structural engineers Dyckerhoff and Widmann about a larger version. Then, together with their designers Franz Dischinger and Ulrich Finsterwalder, he built the worlds first lightweight thin-shell concrete dome for Zeisss sister company, Schott and Partners. It was 131 feet (40 meters) in diameter and only 2.4 inches (6 centimeters) thick. The new structural technology, honed in later structures, made possible clear spans of lighter weight than had ever been imagined. Because concrete shells depend on configuration rather than mass for their strength, and because they exploit the fact that concrete is essentially a fluid, they have been characterized as the ultimate concrete form.
Some of the most exciting examples have come from Spanish engineer-architects. Eduardo Torroja y Miret (1899 1961) was perhaps the most innovative engineer of the early twentieth century, notable for shell concrete roof designs that employed continuous surfaces and eliminated the need for ribs. Three examples should suffice. Torrojas first thin-shelled concrete roof was for the Market Hall in Algeciras, Spain (1933 1934), designed in conjunction with the architect Manuel Sanchez. The low-rise dome, supported at six points on its perimeter, spans 156 feet (48 meters); it is only 3.5 inches (9 centimeters) thick. In 1935, working with the architects Carlos Arniches Molt
165. Shibam
Yemen
Surrounded by a 23-foot-high (7-meter) mud-brick wall, the Yemeni city of Shibam lies at the southern edge of the Rubal-Khali Desert at the junction of several wadis and the Hadramawt Valley. Popularly known as the Manhattan of the Desert,
Surrounded by a 23-foot-high (7-meter) mud-brick wall, the Yemeni city of Shibam lies at the southern edge of the Rubal-Khali Desert at the junction of several wadis and the Hadramawt Valley. Popularly known as the Manhattan of the Desert,
166. Shwedagon Pagoda
Yangon, Myanmar
The most spectacular building in Yangon (formerly known as Rangoon) is the Shwedagon Pagoda, a great bell-shaped, solid brick stupa covered with an estimated 55 tons (50 tonnes) of gold. It rises 368 feet (112 meters) on Theinguttara Hill, above the city. The sixteenth-century English adventurer Ralph Fitch wrote that it is of a wonderful bigness, and all gilded from the foot to the top
The most spectacular building in Yangon (formerly known as Rangoon) is the Shwedagon Pagoda, a great bell-shaped, solid brick stupa covered with an estimated 55 tons (50 tonnes) of gold. It rises 368 feet (112 meters) on Theinguttara Hill, above the city. The sixteenth-century English adventurer Ralph Fitch wrote that it is of a wonderful bigness, and all gilded from the foot to the top
167. Sigiriya Lion Mountain
Sri Lanka
Sigiriya (Lion Mountain), about 130 miles (210 kilometers) from Colombo in central Sri Lanka, is a ruined ancient stronghold built on a sheer-sided rock pillar. It rises 1,144 feet (349 meters) above sea level and 600 feet (180 meters) above the surrounding plain. On the summit King Kasyapa I (reigned a.d. 477 495) built a palace. Together with the surrounding gardens, it is the best-preserved first-millennium city in Asia, combining symmetrical and asymmetrical elements, changes of level, and axial and radial planning. The central rock is flanked by rectangular precincts on the east 234 acres (90 hectares) and the west 104 acres (40 hectares), all surrounded by a double moat and three ramparts. The city plan, based on a square module, extends 2 miles (about 3 kilometers) from east to west and over 1,000 yards (1 kilometer) from north to south, with precincts set aside for hunters, scavengers, foreigners, and even heretics. There were separate cemeteries for high and low castes, hostels, and hospitals. As well as the city within the inner and outer ramparts, suburban houses spread beyond the walls. Sigiriya demonstrated a sophisticated level of urban design at a time when Europe was in its Dark Ages. The origins of this remarkable architectural achievement are obscured by legend. A romantic if grisly tradition has it that Kasyapa murdered his father Dhatusena and usurped the throne. Seven years later, full of paranoia, arrogance and delusions of divinity,
Sigiriya (Lion Mountain), about 130 miles (210 kilometers) from Colombo in central Sri Lanka, is a ruined ancient stronghold built on a sheer-sided rock pillar. It rises 1,144 feet (349 meters) above sea level and 600 feet (180 meters) above the surrounding plain. On the summit King Kasyapa I (reigned a.d. 477 495) built a palace. Together with the surrounding gardens, it is the best-preserved first-millennium city in Asia, combining symmetrical and asymmetrical elements, changes of level, and axial and radial planning. The central rock is flanked by rectangular precincts on the east 234 acres (90 hectares) and the west 104 acres (40 hectares), all surrounded by a double moat and three ramparts. The city plan, based on a square module, extends 2 miles (about 3 kilometers) from east to west and over 1,000 yards (1 kilometer) from north to south, with precincts set aside for hunters, scavengers, foreigners, and even heretics. There were separate cemeteries for high and low castes, hostels, and hospitals. As well as the city within the inner and outer ramparts, suburban houses spread beyond the walls. Sigiriya demonstrated a sophisticated level of urban design at a time when Europe was in its Dark Ages. The origins of this remarkable architectural achievement are obscured by legend. A romantic if grisly tradition has it that Kasyapa murdered his father Dhatusena and usurped the throne. Seven years later, full of paranoia, arrogance and delusions of divinity,
168. Skellig Michael
Ireland
Skellig Michael (Sceilig Mhichil), or Great Skellig, is the larger of a pair of forbidding limestone pinnacles the other is Small Skellig jutting from the Atlantic Ocean about 7 miles (12 kilometers) off the Valentia peninsula at the southwest tip of Ireland. Skellig Michael, only 44 acres (17 hectares) in area, is dominated by two crags, one of 712 feet (218 meters) and another of 597 feet (183 meters). On top of the latter, reached via steep, winding stairways cut from the rock, there is an artificial platform with a cluster of six circular drystone huts (clochans), two boat-shaped oratories, some stone crosses, and a cemetery all that remains of a monastery established, possibly by St. Fion
Skellig Michael (Sceilig Mhichil), or Great Skellig, is the larger of a pair of forbidding limestone pinnacles the other is Small Skellig jutting from the Atlantic Ocean about 7 miles (12 kilometers) off the Valentia peninsula at the southwest tip of Ireland. Skellig Michael, only 44 acres (17 hectares) in area, is dominated by two crags, one of 712 feet (218 meters) and another of 597 feet (183 meters). On top of the latter, reached via steep, winding stairways cut from the rock, there is an artificial platform with a cluster of six circular drystone huts (clochans), two boat-shaped oratories, some stone crosses, and a cemetery all that remains of a monastery established, possibly by St. Fion
169. Skyscrapers
Chicago
Only seldom for ideological, political or pragmatic reasons has a society called for a new building type. Ecclesiastes asserts There is nothing new under the sun,
Only seldom for ideological, political or pragmatic reasons has a society called for a new building type. Ecclesiastes asserts There is nothing new under the sun,
170. Snowy Mountains Scheme
Australia
The Snowy Mountains Scheme, one of the largest engineering and construction projects in the world, extends over 2,700 square miles (7,000 square kilometers) in Australias Snowy Mountain Range. The Snowies,
The Snowy Mountains Scheme, one of the largest engineering and construction projects in the world, extends over 2,700 square miles (7,000 square kilometers) in Australias Snowy Mountain Range. The Snowies,
