The Grand Canyon Skywalk

The Grand Canyon in the Southwest state of Arizona is one of the seven natural wonders in the world. Carved out by the Colorado River over millions of years, the colorful gorge is over 400 kilometers long and is 24 kilometers across at its widest point. Now visitors to this popular tourist destination have a new way to experience the breathtaking views of the canyon.

The horseshoe-shaped skywalk extends 21 meters over the Grand Canyon's edge, creating a unique vantage point for visitors to look deep down into the chasm and the winding Colorado River 1200 meters below.

David Jin, the developer of the skywalk project, recalls his Grand Canyon experience that brought about the idea. "It was back in 1996," says Jin. "I took a helicopter tour at (the) Grand Canyon from the bottom to the top. After that, I wondered what it would be like to walk among the cliffs. Therefore, the idea of skywalk was born."

While Jin will profit from the $30 million project for 25 years, the Hualapai Indians, who agreed to building the skywalk on their land along the Grand Canyon's western rim hope income from tourists will help alleviate poverty in their community. Sheri Yellowhawk is the CEO of the Grand Canyon Resort Corporation, which oversees the tribe's tourism business.

Skywalk is expected to be the centerpiece of the Hualapai Indians' tourism industry which includes helicopter tours, river rafting, a cowboy town and a museum of Indian replica homes.

World's Biggest Fake Fish Tank

A 250m by 30m LED screen has been installed in the ceiling of a new mall in Beijing. That's an impressive 7,500 square meters of viewable area, and comes with an impressive $32 million price tag to match. It hangs 80 feet in the air, and is actually five screens combined.

Green Pix Zero Energy Media Wall

It’s called the GreenPix Zero Energy Media Wall, and with 2,292 individual color LEDs, comparable to a 24,000 sq. ft. monitor screen, it’s said to be the largest color LED display in the world. The wall is solar-powered too — photovoltaics are integrated into the wall’s glass curtain, and it harvests power during the day, to illuminate the display at night. Designed by, Simone Giostra & Partners Architects, the GreenPix wall is part of the Xicui Entertainment Complex in Beijing, near the site of the 2008 Olympics.



The polycrystalline photovoltaic cells are laminated within the glass of the curtain wall and placed with changing density on the entire building’s skin. The density pattern increases building’s performance, allowing natural light when required by interior program, while reducing heat gain and transforming excessive solar radiation into energy for the media wall.

The building will open to the public in June 2008, with a specially commissioned program of video installations and live performances by artists.

The Great Wheel of China

Jaws were dropping all around when our own Adam Frucci brought back video of his harrowing 377-foot-high ride in a glass-bottomed car on the Odaiba Ferris Wheel in Tokyo, but now the Chinese are going to top that wheel with the tallest one in the world. Today, construction began on the Great Wheel of China, a $99 million Ferris wheel that will tower over Beijing at a stupendous 680 feet when construction is complete in 2009. This is not just any Ferris wheel, though.

You won't be sitting in swinging and swaying benches on this baby. Each one of its 48 cars is like a gondola, air-conditioned and holding 40 passengers, for a total of 1920 stomachs pressed against the top of their abdominal cavities as the big wheel keeps on turnin'. Nobody's talking about how long it'll take to load this beast. Too bad there was so much bickering over the design of the gigantic wheel, because originally the plan was to complete construction in time for next summer's Beijing Olympics. [MSNBC, via Spluch]

30 St Mary Axe - Gherkin

30 St Mary Axe, also known as the Gherkin and formerly the Swiss Re Building, is a skyscraper in London's main financial district, the City of London, completed in December 2003 and opened on 28 April 2004. It is 180 metres (591 ft) tall, with 40 floors. Its construction symbolised the start of a new high-rise construction boom in London. The building's name is its address, St Mary Axe being the street it is on.

The building was designed by Lord Foster, his then partner Ken Shuttleworth,and Arup engineers, and was constructed by Skanska of Sweden in 2001–2003.

The gherkin name dates back to at least 1999, referring to that plan's highly unorthodox layout. Due to the current building's somewhat phallic appearance, other inventive names have also been used for the building, including the Erotic gherkin, the Towering Innuendo, and the Crystal Phallus (also a pun on Crystal Palace).

The building uses energy-saving methods which allow it to use half the power a similar tower would typically consume. Gaps in each floor create six shafts that serve as a natural ventilation system for the entire building even though required firebreaks on every sixth floor interrupt the "chimney." The shafts create a giant double glazing effect; air is sandwiched between two layers of glazing and insulates the office space inside.

Architects limit double glazing in residential houses to avoid the inefficient convection of heat, but the Swiss Re tower exploits this effect. The shafts pull warm air out of the building during the summer and warm the building in the winter using passive solar heating. The shafts also allow sunlight to pass through the building, making the work environment more pleasing, and keeping the lighting costs down.

The primary methods for controlling wind-excited sways are to increase the stiffness, or increase damping with tuned/active mass dampers. To a design by Arup, Swiss Re's fully triangulated perimeter structure makes the building sufficiently stiff without any extra reinforcements.

Despite its overall curved glass shape, there is only one piece of curved glass on the building — the lens-shaped cap at the very top.

On the building's top level (the 40th floor), there is a bar for tenants and their guests featuring a 360° view of London. A restaurant operates on the 39th floor, and private dining rooms on the 38th.

Whereas most buildings have extensive lift equipment on the roof of the building, this was not possible for the Gherkin since a bar had been planned for the 40th floor. The architects dealt with this by having the main lift only reach the 34th floor, and then having a push-from-below lift to the 39th floor. There is a marble stairwell and a disabled persons' lift which leads the visitor up to the bar in the dome.

The building is visible from a long distance: from the north for instance, it can be seen from the M11 motorway some 20 miles (32 km) away while to the west it can be seen from the statue of George III in Windsor Great Park. The view from the A10 has been obscured by the new buildings on Bishopsgate

The Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House is located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, who in 2003 received the Pritzker Prize, architecture's highest honour. The citation stated

“

There is no doubt that the Sydney Opera House is his masterpiece. It is one of the great iconic buildings of the 20th century, an image of great beauty that has become known throughout the world – a symbol for not only a city, but a whole country and continent.

”

The Opera House was made in 1959, World Heritage Site on 28 June 2007. It is one of the world's most distinctive 20th century buildings, and one of the most famous performing arts centres in the world.

The Sydney Opera House is situated on Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour, close to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Contrary to the implication of the name, it houses a multi-venue performing arts centre, rather than a single Opera theatre. As well as hosting many touring productions in a variety of performance genres, the Sydney Opera House is a major presenting venue for Opera Australia, The Australian Ballet, The Sydney Theatre Company and the Sydney Symphony. It is administered by the Sydney Opera House Trust, under the New South Wales Ministry of the Arts.

The Beijing National Aquatics Center

The Beijing National Aquatics Center (北京国家游泳中心;北京國家游泳中心), also known as the National Aquatics Center (国家游泳中心), better known as the Water Cube (水立方), is an aquatics center that was built alongside Beijing National Stadium in the Olympic Green for the swimming competitions of the 2008 Summer Olympics.Despite its nickname, the building is a cuboid (rectangular box), not a cube.

The Water Cube was designed and built by a consortium made up of PTW Architects, Arup international engineering group, CSCEC (China State Construction Engineering Corporation), and CCDI (China Construction Design International) of Shanghai. The Water Cube's design was initiated by a team effort: the Chinese partners felt a square was more symbolic to Chinese culture and its relationship to the Bird's Nest stadium, while the Sydney based partners came up with the idea of covering the 'cube' with bubbles, symbolising water.

Comprising a steel space frame, it is the largest ETFE clad structure in the world with over 100,000 m² of ETFE pillows that are only 0.2 mm (1/125 of an inch) in total thickness. The ETFE cladding allows more light and heat penetration than traditional glass, resulting in a 30% decrease in energy costs.

The outer wall is based on the Weaire-Phelan structure, a structure devised from the natural formation of bubbles in soap foam. The complex Weaire-Phelan pattern was developed by slicing through bubbles in soap foam, resulting in more irregular, organic patterns than foam bubble structures proposed earlier by the scientist Kelvin. Using the Weaire-Phelan geometry, the Water Cube's exterior cladding is made of 4,000 ETFE bubbles, some as large as 9.14 meters (30 feet) across, with seven different sizes for the roof and 15 for the walls.

The structure had a capacity of 17,000 during the games that is being reduced to 6,000. It also has a total land surface of 65,000 square meters and will cover a total of 32,000 square metres (7.9 acres). Although called the Water Cube, the aquatic center is really a rectangular box (cuboid)- 178 meters (584 feet) square and 31 meters (102 feet) high.

The Carré d'art

The Carré d'art at Nîmes in southern France houses a museum of contemporary art and the city's library. The building was designed by the British architect Norman Foster and inaugurated in May 1993.

Constructed of glass, concrete and steel, it faces the Maison Carrée, a perfectly preserved Roman temple that dates from the first century AD.

The building is a nine storey structure, half of which is sunk deep into the ground, keeping the building's profile low in sympathy with the scale of the surrrounding buildings. The lower levels house archive storage and a cinema.

The building was constructed as part of a project to refurbish the square in which the Maison Carrée stands, and provide a new setting for the ancient temple.

Citroen CG Garage

Citroen has unveiled an exclusive garage designed by London-based Neutral architecture studio for the C6 model. The transparent concrete construction features coloured LCD layers allowing for opacity to be changed by the car owner.

NRGi’s Headquarters

NRGi’s new corporate headquarters is situated in an area marked by a number of freestanding buildings. NRGi stands out from its neighbours in the surrounding area in virtue of its visually light, metallically gleaming built volume. Distinguished by an angular and distinctive façade, the building forms a crisp contrast to the mellow, scenic context. Moreover, the building is situated and oriented so as to accommodate the path of the sun, and set at an angle so that it provides sun shading – hence, energy efficiency is built into construction design.

Architect: Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects
Location: Dusager, Aarhus N, Denmark
Client: NRGi a.m.b.a.
Ingeneering: Consult - Consulting Engineers
Contractor: H. Hoffmann & Sønner
Project Year: 2005
Construction Year: 2006-2007
Constructed Area: 5,067 sqm
Architect homepage: http://www.shl.dk/

The Atomium

The Atomium is a monument built for Expo '58, the 1958 Brussels World's Fair. Designed by André Waterkeyn, it is 102-metres (335 ft) tall, with nine steel spheres connected so that the whole forms the shape of a unit cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times.

Tubes which connect the spheres along the 12 edges of the cube and all eight vertices to the centre enclose escalators connecting the spheres which contain exhibit halls and other public spaces. The top sphere provides a panoramic view of Brussels. Each sphere is 18 metres in diameter. Three spheres are currently (2008) closed to the visitors, others are easily reachable with escalator. The vertical vertex contains a lift which was considered very fast and advanced at the time of building (the speed is 5 m/s)^[1].

The Solar Ark

In Gifu Prefecture, Japan, there is an unusual solar building called the Solar Ark, built by Sanyo. It’s one of the most impressive solar buildings in the world. Passengers on high-speed bullet trains can’t help but notice the edifice as they ride past on a nearby railway line. The building was built to symbolize the goal of becoming a “clean energy society” and it houses a solar museum inside. The Ark incorporates 5,046 solar panels, and produces about 630 kW of power, which means 530,000 kWh of clean energy is produced annually by the structure.

For those interested in the exact dimension: the Solar Ark is 315 meters (1,033 feet) long and weighs 3000 tonnes. It includes 412 lighting units between the solar panels, each with 51 red, green and blue LEDs. The entire system is computer-controlled and can create a variety of images and characters.

De Brug (The Bridge)

The office building De Brug (The Bridge) in Rotterdam was built above part of the existing Unilever Bestfood Nederland buildings on the Nassaukade. The building rests on three supports, 25 m above ground level. The total project consists, besides De Brug, of a parking block integrating offices and other functions as well. Unilever Bestfood Nederland will be housed in the building.

De Brug project is characterized by two great challenges. First of all, the dimensions of the building (rectangular ca.130 m x 32 m x 4 storeys) does not make it easy to achieve maximum flexibility. The layout of the building is such that modern office concepts (e.g. movable partitioning, open-plan offices, relaxation rooms, etc) are possible. On the other hand, the design of the building offers other possibilities that a standard building lacks.

The second challenge was not to disturb Unilever Bestfood Blue Band factory operation during construction. This was achieved by prefabricating the skeleton under conditioned circumstances at a works site. De Brug was mounted on top of the existing factory, which remained in operation during construction.

The Queen Sofia Palace of the Arts

The Queen Sofia Palace of the Arts, or El Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia is a uniquely designed opera house and complex located in the city of Valencia in Spain. It is actually a part of the grand City of Arts and Sciences and the last completed structure of the said large scale design concept developed by noted Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.

The El Palau, as the opera house is sometimes known, was first built in 1995 and was opened on October 8, 2005. the structure is composed of a huge curving roof about 230 meters in length and 75 meters tall. Under the roof, a 14-story building can be found, with an additional 3 stories built below ground. There are four auditoriums housed inside this 40,000 square meter building.

Stade Olympique of Montreal

The Olympic Stadium(French: Stade olympique) is a multi-purpose stadium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada built as the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics. It subsequently became the home of Montreal's professional baseball and Canadian football teams. Since 2004, when the Montreal Expos relocated to Washington, D.C., the stadium has no main tenant, and with a history of financial and structural problems, is largely seen as a white elephant.

It currently serves as a 56,040-seat multipurpose facility for special events (e.g. concerts, trade shows) during non-winter months, and continues to serve as a 66,308-seat venue for late-season, playoff and Grey Cup games hosted by the Montreal Alouettes. La tour de Montréal, the tower incorporated into the base of the stadium, is the tallest inclined tower in the world at 175 metres, and is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers. The stadium's nickname The Big O is a reference to both its name and to the doughnut-shape of the permanent component of the stadium's roof.

The Egg

The National Centre for the Performing Arts (国家大剧院; literally: National Grand Theatre), and colloquially described as The Egg, is an opera house in Beijing, People's Republic of China. The Centre, an ellipsoid dome of titanium and glass surrounded by an artificial lake, seats 5,452 people in three halls and is almost 12,000 m² in size. It was designed by French architect Paul Andreu. Construction started in December 2001 and the inaugural concert was held in December 2007.

The exterior of the theater is a titanium accented glass dome that is completely surrounded by a man-made lake. It is said to look like an egg floating on water. It was designed as an iconic feature, something that would be immediately recognizable, like the Sydney Opera House.

The dome measures 212 meters in east-west direction, 144 meters in north-south direction, and is 46 meters high. The main entrance is at the north side. Guests arrive in the building after walking through a hallway that goes underneath the lake. The titanium shell is broken by a glass curtain in north-south direction that gradually widens from top to bottom.

The Cybertecture Egg

Architecture through out the course of time has seen some serious changes in styles, building techniques, and even scale. Coming into the 21st century, architecture is evolving at incredible rates, due to the advancement of computers and software programs. Architects have really started to push the limits, and in return have created some outrageous buildings. One of the most notable architects that has pushed design is Frank Gehry, with his chaotic organizations of titanium, and his buildings could only be designed with computer aid.

Now there is a new architecture firm in town, and they have started to use technology in a different manner. James Law Cybertecture International Ltd., a firm based in Hong Kong, has created a new language and this is called cybertecture, which is the idea of blending technology into our rigid building structures, giving them the chance to evolve with its inhabitants. In order to do this, the firm looks to blend tangible materials (concrete, steel, and glass) with intangible materials (technology, multimedia, intelligence, and interactivity).

This new principal is demonstrated in their newest creation The Cybertecture Egg, which is under construction in Mumbai, India. The concept is planet earth working as an ecosystem that allows life to evolve. The egg uses cybertecture allowing the building to evolve providing its inhabitants the most optimal work space (did I mention this amazing structure is an office building). The building is meant to look like a planet that has been stretched and skewed, which gives the building its egg shape. The complex shape allows the building to reduce surface area by 10 to 20 percent, which cuts down the buildings solar gain. The Egg’s unique structure relies on the complicated skin, which allows the building’s floors to span up to 30 meters with no interior supports. The most important element of cybertecture design is going to be how the building’s built in systems allow the building to morph over time, using technology to provide interaction and evolution. The Egg is a completely unique building for its complicated shape and structure, which gives us a glimpse of 21st century architecture. Its not a bird, nor a plane it is cybertecture, a term that may soon become an element in future buildings to come.

Fog Tower

Coastal Fog Tower that may potentially be erected on the northern coast of Chile. Standing 400 meters tall, the tower is a seaside spire that traps airborne water molecules and channels them into the Huasco River valley — one of the driest places on the planet.

The Precinct 4

The Precinct 4 was designed by Studio Nicoletti Associati and Malaysian-based Hijjas Kasturi Associates, also responsible for the Putrajaya waterfront.

Their idea was to design sustainable residential buildings destined to fit in well with the landscape and their inspiration came from a fleet of ships. The buildings will be powered using alternative energy and they will emit about 50 percent less CO2 than any other projects like this residential.

Beijing National Stadium

Beijing National Stadium (北京国家体育场; 北京國家體育場), also known as the National Stadium (国家体育场), or colloquially as the "Bird's Nest" (鸟巢), is a stadium in Beijing, China. The stadium was designed for use throughout the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.

Located in the Olympic Green, the US$423 million stadium is the world's largest steel structure. The design was awarded to a submission from the Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron in April 2003, after a bidding process that included 13 final submissions. The design, which originated from the study of Chinese ceramics, implemented steel beams in order to hide supports for the retractable roof; giving the stadium the appearance of a "Bird's nest". Ai Weiwei, the artistic consultant, played a critical role in pushing the design to have unique Chinese characteristics. Ironically, the retractable roof was later removed from the design after inspiring the stadium's most recognizable aspect. Ground was broken in December 2003 and the stadium officially opened in June 2008. A shopping mall and a hotel are planned to be constructed to increase use of the stadium, which will host football events after the Olympics.

Shanghai World Financial Center

The Shanghai World Financial Center (SWFC; 上海环球金融中心; 上海環球金融中心) is a supertall skyscraper in Shanghai, China. It is a mixed use skyscraper which consists of offices, hotels, conference rooms, observation decks, and shopping malls on the ground floors. Park Hyatt Shanghai is the hotel component containing 174 rooms and suites. On opening, this hotel will become the highest in the world, surpassing the Grand Hyatt Shanghai on the 53rd to 87th floors of the neighboring Jin Mao Tower.

On 14 September 2007 the skyscraper was topped out at 492.0 meters (1,614.2 ft) and became the second tallest building in the world; as well as the tallest structure on mainland China, including Hong Kong. It is currently the world's tallest completed building by roof.

On 28 August 2008, the SWFC officially opened for business. On August 30 the Observation Deck opened with a view from 3 levels. The highest view is at 474 m (1,555 ft) above ground level.

The Binary

The Binary is located in Business Bay on Sheik Zayed road between interchanges 1 & 2. This magnificent building is designed as a pair of towers with variable heights, 25 storeys and 21 storeys, hence the name. The dual towers have a superb aspect in Business Bay with waterways on two sides. 4 podium levels provide for a medical centre, commercial and retail. The top two levels will allow for unique duplex offices, all of which will have waterfront views.

The office are Freehold, as per the Dubai property law and start from 980 sq ft up to 1935 sq ft. Underground and podium parking provide 1200 spaces with one space every 1000 sq ft and there will be a car spa. Two entrances into the lobby with its superb naturally lit atrium provide ease of access to the seven high speed lifts.

The building will be finished to the highest standards utilizing quality materials of marble and veneers as well as quality workmanship throughout ensuring a modern, contemporary ambience which is easily maintained. State of the art, tried and tested technology which allows for an efficient, secure and high tech working environment. For example voice over IP Telephony, RFID access, Biometric access and visitor access via mobile telephone, high speed internet connectivity, robotic cleaning, intelligent lighting and energy management systems.

The Binary will provide inspirational surroundings and a workplace which you do not have to leave. It offers all the essential necessities of life and some luxuries.

• The Binary @ Business Bay is Designed as a 25 storey and 21 storey building which has a superb aspect in Business Bay set with waterways on 2 sides.
• It has 4 podium levels with commercial/retail on the first level and the top 2 levels will allow for unique Duplex offices, all of which have waterfront views.
• Facilities will include: an exquisite members only Executive Club with roof terrace, A Tranquility Zone with Nap shells, A Juice bar, An Oxygen Bar, Aqua massage unit, a roof top beach deck and even a Library corner. In the lobby and retail areas there will be a robot to serve you drinks as you arrive.
• All this together with cafes, restaurants, chocolate shop, florist, banking facilities, pharmacy make for a perfect office

Burj Al Alam

Not just any tower. The world's tallest commercial structure. Designed by award winning architects! Burj Al Alam - The World Tower. A whole new Business District With a breath taking presence in Business Bay!

A stunning architectural masterpiece.And one among the finest Properties in Dubai.

Burj Al Alam will be an iconic addition to the skyline of Dubai and an architectural masterpiece that will be acclaimed the world over. Rising up to 108 storeys, it will offer uber-modern offices, a five-star hotel, a high-end shopping plaza as well as the world's first roof top spa. Engineered by Arup Japan and designed by none other than Nihon Sekkei Japan & TAK (Teo A. Khing of Singapore), it will be 484 mtrs high (1588 ft) making it the tallest commercial tower in the world. Construction will begin in 2006 and the project is expected to be completed by 2009.

Burj Al Alam will offer offices and residencies of uncommon beauty and style - as well as the most enticing array of amenities, recreation and pleasures. The tower is strategically designed to accentuate the view of Business Bay Creek on the South side and the Burj Dubai super-high rise tower on the North. An extensive podium design, with specialty design retail spaces that feature luxury designer brands, will serve as the first point of approach.

• The tower will be a world landmark – one that will dominate the top of the tallest list globally.
• The iconic tower with state-of-the-art crystal design will be the most prestigious business address in Dubai.
• Burj Al Alam will feature a 6-storey `crown’ comprising a sky garden, club facilities, and a helipad.
• An extensive podium level will have specially designed retail spaces that will house some of the world’s top brands.
• BBurj Al Alam will feature 108 storeys, of which 74 storeys will be dedicated to office space while 27 storeys will be taken up by the hotel and service apartments.

One Business Bay

Access and visibility are important factors in a business location. One Business Bay has the advantage of both. Standing proud at the entrance of Business Bay, the tower occupies the best location in the development. Its prime position is further enhanced by its immediate proximity to Dubai's growth corridor Sheikh Zayed Road, and to the Business Bay Metro. The tower's impressive neighbours include Burj Dubai - the world's tallest building, Dubai International Financial Centre, Emirates Towers and has views of the famous Burj Al Arab.

The tower's distinctive futuristic form gives it the appearance of a skillfully cut diamond. Enhancing the elegance of its wall-to-wall glass facade, are three projected storeys that seem suspended in mid air. Dramatically rising up to embrace the sky with outstretched arms, the tower's design also seems to reflect the exuberance of human emotion. Water features and beautifully landscaped surroundings add to the aesthetics of this unique structure.

• One Business Bay is on a corner plot and will have excellent visibility and accessibility.
• The Design is such that each floor plate increases in size. The first floor is 8334 sq ft and going up to 15287 Sq ft on the 29^th.
• Facilities will include: Restaurants with terraces, Coffee shops with terraces, A health club & Beauty Salon, Gymnasium, Steam and Sauna, Plunge Pool, Hair salon and Nail Spa. Children’s Nursery and Various selectively chosen Retail outlets
• The Building will have state of the art voice over IP telephone technology, wireless internet technology, intelligent fully integrated Business and Energy Management systems and Fully integrated V.A.V Air Conditioning System