Tag: Architecture
The Return of Airport Glamour?
by Eva Holland | 10.31.08 | 10:29 AM ET
Amid all the bad news about air travel, it’s nice to hear someone striking a positive note. In this Globe and Mail story, Ivor Tossell argues that we just might be seeing a new golden age in airport design. The proof? Flashy new terminals in New York, Beijing, Dubai, London—and Winnipeg. (Maybe it’s not so Scranton-esque after all.)
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Yahoo! BuzzThe Problem With ‘Iconic’ Buildings
by Michael Yessis | 10.22.08 | 4:21 PM ET
Or, as the headline on Jay Merrick’s piece in the Independent reads, “eye-con architecture.” Merrick writes about today’s obsession with new buildings such as the China Central Television building (pictured) and Kazakhstan’s Peace Pyramid: “Too much of the apparent concern about architecture actually reveals a profound lack of interest in any discussion that might suggest that architecture, and our relationship with it, is not only complex but is in a crucially debatable condition.”
Night at Hearst Castle to be Auctioned on eBay
by Michael Yessis | 09.11.08 | 4:03 PM ET
Photo by mbtrama, via Flickr (Creative Commons)
I’m sure the bids will be astronomical, as they should be. Hearst Castle‘s beds haven’t seen overnight visitors in 50 years, and the winner of the auction—and his or her companion—will have the run of Julia Morgan‘s hilltop masterpiece in San Simeon, California. Among the things the top bidder will be able to do: Screen a movie in William Randolph Hearst’s private theater. Of course, only one movie should top everyone’s must-watch list: Citizen Kane.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa: Only the Third Most Leaning Tower in Europe?
by Michael Yessis | 09.02.08 | 11:47 AM ET
A Dutch mathematician claims a 12th-century building in the Netherlands town of Bedum leans more than the storied Italian attraction, Reuters reports. Big deal, says another authority: Guinness. Last year, it named the world’s true leaning masterpiece: Germany’s Schiefer Turm von Suurhusen. National Geographic News has side-by-side photos.
Bridging the Divide: Hong Kong to Macau
by Valerie Conners | 08.07.08 | 10:47 AM ET
The long-awaited Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge may soon become reality, thanks to additional funding for the project from the central Chinese government in Beijing. Financing details were announced yesterday. Construction is expected to begin by 2010.
The New Acropolis Museum: Ready to Take on the British Museum?
by Eva Holland | 07.10.08 | 10:15 AM ET
There’s a new museum opening in Athens this year, but as the Times of London’s Mark Hodson writes, it’s not just another tourist attraction: It’s also “the latest gambit in a 200-year campaign for the return of the Elgin Marbles,” currently housed in the British Museum.
Berlin Embassy: Critics Not Impressed
by Julia Ross | 07.07.08 | 11:27 AM ET
German architectural critics are having a field day with the new U.S. embassy in Berlin (pictured), skewering the design as “banal” and “monstrous.” It’s an unfair rap, says University of Maryland architectural historian Jane Loeffler.
When Microbes Attack… World Landmarks
by Joanna Kakissis | 06.26.08 | 12:37 PM ET
Photo by gbaku via Flickr (Creative Commons).
Historical sites from the temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia to the Parthenon in Athens are under siege from bacteria, which are blackening, cracking and defacing monuments, The New York Times reports. Can scientists stop them? Many are optimistic, others not so much. “We have to accept that at some moment [the monuments] will disappear,” said Thomas Warscheid, a geomicrobiologist based in Germany. “But we know a lot about how to conserve them for the next 20, 30 years.”
Russians Express Their Fondness for Colon Cleansing
by Elyse Franko | 06.20.08 | 11:13 AM ET
A spa in southern Russia has unveiled a monument to enemas. Apparently based on Botticelli’s Venus and Mars, the bronze statue features three cherubs carrying an enema bulb. According to Svetlana Avakova, the sculpture’s artist, “An enema is an unpleasant procedure as many of us may know. But when cherubs do it, it’s all right.” Agreed, Ms. Avakova. Agreed.
Are New York’s Skyscrapers Outdated?
by Julia Ross | 06.11.08 | 10:32 AM ET
That’s the argument this Der Spiegel piece makes, pondering the architectural clash of civilizations between East and West. I, for one, can live without a Burj Dubai in the middle of Manhattan.
Brad Pitt to Help Design Eco-Friendly Dubai Hotel
by Jim Benning | 06.04.08 | 12:29 PM ET
Oh, Brad Pitt, is there nothing you can’t do?
Seven New Wonders of the Architectural World
by Julia Ross | 03.31.08 | 11:21 AM ET
Although the “seven wonders” concept has seen a lot of play in the last year, I was happy to see Condé Nast Traveler take an edgier approach in its April new seven wonders list, which includes one of my favorite spots in Washington, D.C.: Kogod Courtyard.
Renzo Piano, Museum Maker Extraordinaire
by Jim Benning | 03.11.08 | 3:52 PM ET
Travelers who love architecture and museums are well aware of Renzo Piano’s work. He has 12 museums or additions under his architectural belt—including Paris’ must-see Pompidou Centre, pictured—and several more in the works.
‘Feng Shui-Inspired’ McDonald’s Opens in California
by Michael Yessis | 02.15.08 | 1:57 PM ET
A press release touts the “water elements, earth tones, red accents and exotic fauna” in a design by “Feng Shui Grand Master” Dr. Chi-Jean Liu. Eater LA and the San Gabriel Valley Tribune have photos, if you want to see the Grand Master’s work for yourself. Me? I just want to see if this influences the next Big Mac Index.
Fury Grips South Korea in Wake of Namdaemun Gate Burning
by Michael Yessis | 02.15.08 | 8:41 AM ET
Turns out South Korea’s “National Treasure No. 1” was burned Sunday by 69-year-old Chae Jong-gi, a man with a grudge against the country’s government. Ever since, South Koreans have been reacting with grief, anger and finger-pointing.
Fire Destroys Seoul’s Namdaemun Gate
by Michael Yessis | 02.11.08 | 10:23 AM ET
“People’s hearts will ache,” South Korea’s President-elect Lee Myung-bak said. Namdaemun was a South Korean national treasure, a 610-year-old wooden gate located at the center of Seoul. Police have arrested a suspected arsonist, a 70-year-old man identified only by his family name, Chae. Before the fire, Namdaemun looked like this:
The Ryugyong Hotel: ‘The Worst Building in the History of Mankind’?
by Michael Yessis | 02.05.08 | 10:14 AM ET
Longtime World Hum readers will be familiar with the Ryugyong Hotel, a sad icon of North Korea. “It’s a hotel that stands 105 floors, has 3,700 rooms and is crowned with five revolving restaurants,” we wrote in 2005. “No one has ever stayed in it. In fact, it has stood derelict since 1989.” Esquire recently dubbed the building the worst in the history of mankind.
Italian Officials Consider Moving Michelangelo’s David
by Michael Yessis | 01.18.08 | 9:09 AM ET
It’s because of the tourists. The gobs and gobs of tourists. Tuscany’s cultural official Paolo Cocchi says Florence’s city center, particularly the Galleria dell’Accademia where David has resided for the past 135 years, has become overwhelmed by travelers wishing to see Michelangelo’s masterpiece. He has proposed moving what the Independent calls the “world’s most famous image of manhood” to a not-yet-built cultural center at the edge of Florence. That may relieve some congestion in the city center, but it’s not sitting well with Florence’s “art elite,” according to the Independent.
A Vagabond Finds a Home
by Rolf Potts | 11.18.07 | 11:41 AM ET
Photo by Rolf Potts Rolf Potts finally has a place to call his own -- a double-wide overlooking the Kansas prairie. It's infused with the lessons he learned from 13 years living out of a backpack.
Observing Istanbul’s Evolving Skyline
by Joanna Kakissis | 11.13.07 | 11:30 AM ET
Centuries of rich architecture define this city straddling two continents. But to understand how the new constantly challenges the old in Istanbul, the Boston Globe’s Tom Haines considered its architecture piece by piece: its minarets and mosques, its skyscrapers and soccer stadiums, even its bathrooms. For example, the public restroom in Kadikoy Park, designed by architect Gokhan Avcioglu, has “historical identity, looks nice and does its job,” he writes.