Forbidden City

Built in 1420 this huge complex covering a total area of 72 hectors with 980 wooden buildings and nearly 8000 rooms served as Imperial Palace of 24 Chinese emperors. This complex was the most mysterious palace in the world for centuries and no ordinary citizen was allowed to step within its walls.

CLAIM TO FAME

It is the largest collection of Antient Woodstructure in the world and houses priceless pieces of chinese history including Ceramic, Paintings, Bronzeware, Timepieces, artifacts and Jade artifacts.

It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987

Taj Mahal

Designed and built by Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mahal, this tomb has now considered as a symbol of eternal love by many across the world. This beautiful building is an excellent example of Indo-Islamic architecture and is listed as a Wonder of the World. More than 20,000 workers toiled for 22 years to complete this beautiful mausoleum. It covers a total area of 1,902 ft × 1,002 ft.

Arc de Triomphe

This triumphal arch was commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1885 to comamorate the military victories of French armies. It is located at the end of the Avenue des Champs Elysées in Paris. The arc is used as a War memorial since World War II.

Eiffel Tower

Eiffel Tower is perhaps one of the first things that come to our mind along with Arc de Triomphe, perfumes and fashion destinations whenever we talk about France. This 300 meters high iron tower was designed for 1889 Paris Exposition so that visitors could get a complete view of the city. Soon it became one of the most prominent landmarks in France.

Interesting fact:
Alexandre Gustave Eiffel was the man who designed this tower and it was later named after him. An expert in metal structures, he also designed the inner structure of the Statue of Liberty.

Skyscraper of the Month

Empire State Building The Empire State Building was built in 1931. Containing 102 stories with a total height of 381 meters it was the world’s tallest building for many years. Built in an era when global economy was recovering from the great depression, it became the sign of American prosperity, economic revival and one of the most important land marks in New York.

Interesting fact:

A US army B-25 bomber crashed into Empire State Building on July 28, 1948 resulting in 141 deaths. The Building however held on which shows the excellent structural design and standards of the building. It was the first incident of an aircraft crashing into a skyscraper.

The Potala Palace

This magnificent palace covering about 32 acres of land is located in Tibet, China. Originally built in 7th century it was destroyed many times by wars and natural disasters. It was rebuilt by the 5th Dalai Lama in 1645 on the red hill of Lhasa and since then it has remained the seat of Dalai Lama and the political centre of Tibet.

Dubai Real Estate Market

This is a question that perturbs many in real estate market; is the Dubai property dream over? My question is would it ever be over? Dubai Govt. has been investing heavily in many mega projects that ensure excellent standards of living and despite the current recession the Dubai market is most likely to recover. Here’s why
· The Strategic location of Dubai as a gateway to middle east
· Investor friendly policies
· Huge infrastructure to support all sorts of businesses
· Excellent quality of life (if you can afford it)
· And Dubai as a Brand itself
Lastly, that’s the beauty of real estate market, even when it’s down it still stays there and if you wait long enough it always pays off, if you have invested in the right place to start with and Dubai was and is still a right place to invest in.

Fort of The Month

CHITTORGARH FORT, RAJISTAN, INDIA



Located on a 180m high hill and covering almost 280 hectors, this fort is one of the largest in all of Asia. the magistic fortress was an important strategic fortress throughout history and is famous for seiges od Alla-Ud-Din Khilji and Emperor Jalal-Ud-Din Muhammad Akbar. Home to many Rajput Rajas, it houses a number of palaces and temples.

(courtesy rajastantourindia)

PALACE OF THE MONTH

And this is how the beautiful palace looks from inside. Interestingly, only fourteen rooms of the huge palace were comleted by the time Louise II died and remaining rooms still lay bare and are uncomplete.

PALACE OF THE MONTH

Here are some more pictures of the picturisque Palace Neuschwanstien.

PALACE OF THE MONTH

THE NEUSCHWANSTIEN CASTLE
This castle is one of the most famous palaces of Germany. It was built by Louis II of Bavaria in 1886 and was unfinished by the time of his death. Only fourteen rooms had been finished then and most rooms were left unfinished.
Still this beautiful palace seems to have come out of a fairytale and is a true embodiment of 19th century romanticism.

Building of the Month

BAHRAIN WORLD TRADE CENTER


Built in 2008 and standing at 240m and total of 50 stories this is an eligant and beautiful twin building structure. The twin towers are connected to one another by three bridges. It is located in Bahrain’s financial district facing the sea.




CLAIM TO FAME:
· its three bridges hold a large wind turbine each which provide it with all its energy.
· A precident for all large scale green buildings to come.
· Sustainable energy and LEAF awards for est use of green energy technology in large scheme

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References for Pics

• http://trendwatching.com/img/briefing/2007-12/bahrainwtc.jpg
• http://hawtaction.com/2008/07/01/2139274930_5c7be4866d.jpg
• · http://img0.liveinternet.ru/images/attach/b/3/26/897/26897312_1213111471_bahrain_world_trade_center.jpg

Historic Building of the Month

THE LEANING TOWER OF PISA:




The tower is situated in the catherdal square of Pisa, Italy. It was build as a bell tower of the cathdrel aroud 1170 and depicts the usual architecture of that time with hundreds of pillars and arcs and carvings.





CLAIM TO FAME:

· What makes this tower standout is that its not standing properly [;)].
· That’s the tower from which famous scientist Galileo Galilei dorped two cannon balls of diferent masses and proved that gravity’s pull is constant on objects of different masses. This was also the beginning of experimentation in scientific research.
· Listed as world heritage site by UNESCO in 1987.

References to Pics

• http://parametricformations.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/duomo_and_leaning_tower__pisa__italy1.jpg
• http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200805/r255115_1053896.jpg

What this blog is all about

This blog is a tribute to thousands of years of human ingenuity and brilliance due to which we have such a great treasure of beautiful marvels that we simply call buildings.

JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT I MEAN:

Hello Everyone

Take a look around and all you’ll see are buildings. All sorts of them but are all of these buildings worth noticing? Well I guess not but we have plenty of buildings (old and new) that standout and leave us staring at them with admiration and awe.
So here I have started this blog to gather everyone who love such buildings and have an admiration for the ingenious people that built them.
Here you’ll find all sorts of buildings and structures starting from CASTLES, PALACES and UNIQUELY DESIGNED HOUSES to SKYSCRAPERS and BRIDGES.
I’ll try to find as many as I can but IF YOU KNOW ABOUT ANY SUCH BUIILDING OR HAPPEN TO LIVE NEAR SUCH A BUILDING (or in it [;)] ) I’LL REALLY APPREACIATE YOUR CONTRIBUTION. THANKS