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The World’s Most Stunning Lighthouses

August 11th 2010 02:39

Lighthouses are used to mark dangerous coastlines and hazards, safe entries to harbours and can also assist in aerial navigation. Once widely used, the number of operational lighthouses has declined due to the expense of maintenance and replacement by modern electronic navigational aids.

Lighthouses have a rich history on our planet, the most famous of which is the Lighthouse of Alexandria was built in 280 BC.

As seen on the WebUrbanist, here are some stunning lighthouses from around the world in high definition. See the full set of 43 images here.

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Longest Single Span Bridges in the World

August 2nd 2010 02:05

The Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge in Japan is the world's longest single span bridge.

Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, Japan – 1,991 m

The Great Belt Bridge in Denmark currently holds the title as the longest single span bridge in Europe, although it may loose this title if plans for a bridge between mainland Italy and Sicily are given the go ahead.

Great Belt Bridge, Denmark – 1,624 m

The Tsing Ma bridge which connects Hong Kong to China, has the longest span for a bridge with both road and train traffic.

Tsing Ma Bridge, China – 1,377 m

China has a number of massive single span bridges. The longest being the Xihoumen Bridge.

Xihoumen Bridge, China – 1,650 m

The Verrazano Narrows Bridge in New York takes out the title in the USA. Connecting Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York City, it beats the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco by just 18 metres.

Verrazano Narrows Bridge, USA – 1,298 m

*Information and images sourced from The Wondrous here.

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Nature Laughs Last

June 23rd 2010 02:43

Humans are the only creature to have such a dramatic impact of the environment around them. What happens then, when the humans leave?
Nature takes back what was once theirs of course!

This photoset from Environmental Graffiti is entitled "Nature Conquers All In the End".

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Crumbling Wonders of the World

May 31st 2010 02:27

This article on Newsweek takes a look at various popular ancient sites around the world which for various reasons are slowly crumbling away.
Here are the top conservation concerns at some of the sites, alternatively view the full article here.
Comments are by Doug Comer, a president at archaeological management organization ICAHM, and Gustavo Araoz, who heads up ICOMOS, an association of conservation professionals working on cultural heritage sites.

Petra - Jordan

Petra has two main enemies: people and water. Named one of the wonders of the natural world in 2007, it now attracts hordes of tourists, up to 800,000 a year by some estimates, who sit on the steps of the theater and rub up against the walls of the Siq (the narrow gorge leading to Petra’s most famous temple), eroding inscriptions carved by stone masons thousands of years ago. “These are embellished with symbols of various deities—both from the Arab and Hellenic traditions. The ones at human height are going to be eradicated because people rub up against them and erode them,” says Comer. Without adequate toilet facilities at the site, he adds, people have been known to wander off and use the tombs to do their business, producing problematic (and unseemly) chemical reactions with the stones. On the structural front, the development of massive tourist infrastructure in the nearby town of Wadi Musa has disturbed ancient water systems, a big danger in an area prone to flash flooding. Where terraces used to carry water away to be soaked up by the soil, now the surfaces near Petra are being turned into less-absorbent parking lots. Since Petra is made of sandstone, which acts like a sponge, it soaks up the minerals in that backed-up water, which can then form crystals and ultimately push the stone itself apart.

Taj Mahal - India

The Taj Mahal is in good shape structurally, says Araoz, but has been plagued by another annoyance: Agra’s incredible traffic jams. Since the Taj Mahal was built with pristine white marble, air pollution that creates acidic rain can stain and then eventually erode the stone. Once the problem is spotted, it can be fixed with various stone repair tools, but the original can never fully be restored. At the Taj Mahal, the damage isn’t yet visible to the average tourist’s eye, but scientists have noted enough of a problem for the World Monuments Fund to put the site on its watch list.

Angkor - Cambodia

Once an imperial city, Angkor has fallen into disrepair. After the Khmer Rouge killed nearly all the country’s intellectuals in the 1970s, the country’s archeology experts were reduced from about a thousand to merely two. Without anyone to protect the site, says Comer, the jungle reclaimed it. Now humongous tree roots have overtaken entire buildings, a difficult problem to correct, since killing the tree can damage the building’s structure. In recent years, the government has put notable efforts into revitalizing Angkor, recognizing it as an asset as it builds up its tourist economy. But without the resources to manage the urban development around it--or to keep tourists from climbing all over the structure--there are questions as to whether the new attention has done harm or good. The government isn’t the only one eying the site as a cash cow. According to Comer, poor management has left much of Angkor’s invaluable antiquities wide open to looting. In the markets in neighboring Bangkok, he says, vendors have tourists select knick-knacks from a book, then send someone over the border to grab the items and sell them off. Carved reliefs are especially popular; in many cases, the faces are simply chiseled off.

Great Wall - China

The report card on the Great Wall is mixed--by necessity, since the wall isn’t a single structure, and construction varies from place to place. The areas where tourists usually go tend to be in good shape, since they are built of solid stone. But large segments of the wall were built with earthern architecture, like adobe, and are more vulnerable to the elements. Some areas have begun to look more like a long mound than a wall. Araoz says Chinese authorities are on top of the problem, as much as they can be, given the epic length of the wall. They’re applying treatments called sacrificials, coatings that can be replaced as they wear away, preserving the structure inside from erosion. But even this must be handled with care, says Araoz, since it can defeat the purpose if excess water ends up being trapped inside.

Preservation at Giza. Great Pyramids and the Sphinx

Giza - Egypt

The pyramids at Giza are not the structures conservationists spend their time fretting about. Rather, says Araoz, the biggest issue is the urban encroachment of the city of Cairo. At one point, the Egyptian government proposed building a road that would have gone straight through the site, but UNESCO objections put a halt to the plan. “When you are at the back of Sphinx, looking in direction Sphinx is looking, you’re staring right at the edge of the city,” he says, arguing that such development destroys the spirituality of the visit. Such development can have unintended consequences, too. Three years ago, Egyptian authorities realized sewage dumped in a nearby canal was causing a rise in the water table underneath the Sphinx, reaching only 15 feet below the statue. Flakes of limestone began to peel of the surface as moisture was drawn up into the stone. Workers installed pumps to divert the water, but the Sphinx remains the top concern.

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Architectural Photography

February 22nd 2010 01:09

What is Architectural Photography? In a broad sense it involves photographing the exteriors and interiors of domestic, commercial, religious, institutional, engineering or any other structures.

Like all photography the master practitioners capture and amaze us with their brilliance, imagination and creativity.

SmashingDownloads produced this article showcasing 60 brilliant examples of Architectural Photography. Below is just a small sample.

Rotterdam Cubehouses – Photography by Guus Vuijk

Subway by theo peekstok

Clean Glass by Vasudha Donnelly

Architectural Photography by Tomasz Przetacznik

Round And Round by Scott Crouse

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Monasteries Around The World

January 25th 2010 01:26

Monasteries may vary greatly in size. In most religions the life inside monasteries is governed by community rules that stipulates the gender of the inhabitants and requires them to remain celibate and own little or no personal property.

The life within the walls of a monastery may be supported in several ways: by manufacturing and selling goods, often agricultural products such as cheese, wine, beer, liquor, and jellies; by donations or alms; by rental or investment incomes; and by funds from other organizations within the religion which in the past has formed the traditional support of Monasteries

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Constructing The Empire State Building

December 21st 2009 01:22

Empire State Building 1930

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The Guggenheim Turns 50

November 18th 2009 01:38

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum opened its doors on October 21, 1959 and is one of the best-known museums in New York City and one of the 20th century's most important architectural landmarks. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the museum––which is often called simply The Guggenheim––is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art, and also features special exhibitions throughout the year. Located on the Upper East Side in New York City it is the second museum opened by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation which was founded in 1937. The 50th year anniversary of the Frank Lloyd Wright building occurred on October 21, 2009. The Museum recently underwent an extensive, three year renovation

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Building The Twin Towers

September 30th 2009 13:11

Life.com presents a tribute to the World Trade Center Twin Towers in New York and those who were involved in its construction. See the full story here.

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Statue of Liberty Reopening

July 8th 2009 11:24

The Statue of Liberty, closed since 9/11 reopened on the 4th of July 2009. Thanks to the National Geographic, here is some rare pictures and information from inside the statue. Read more here.

Photographed from a rare vantage point, several of the Statue of Liberty's 25 observation windows look out over New York Harbor

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Motels of America

July 1st 2009 10:49

From Thomas Hawk's collection on Flickr, here are some of the sights you will find when road tripping over the USA. See the remainder of the collection here.

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Bridges of the World

June 12th 2009 11:23

Thanks to darkroastedblend.com, here are some of the most interesting bridges in the world. See more spans here.

Sanhao Bridge over Hunhe River in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China.

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Hallgrímskirkja Church in Iceland

March 18th 2009 01:52

The Hallgrímskirkja (literally, the church of Hallgrímur) is a Lutheran parish church in Reykjavík, Iceland. At 74.5 metres (244 ft), it is the largest church in Iceland and the fourth tallest architectural structure in Iceland. The church is named after the Icelandic poet and clergyman Hallgrímur Pétursson (1614 to 1674), author of the Passion Hymns.

State Architect Guðjón Samúelsson's design of the church was commissioned in 1937. It took 38 years to build the church. Construction work began in 1945 and ended in 1986, the landmark tower being completed long before the church's actual completion. The crypt beneath the choir was consecrated in 1948, the steeple and wings were completed in 1974. The nave was consecrated in 1986. It is situated in the centre of Reykjavík and is visible throughout the city. It has become one of city's best known landmarks. It is similar in style to the expressionist architecture of Grundtvig's Church of Copenhagen, Denmark, completed in 1926

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1950s Kitchens

February 4th 2009 05:56

Kitchens sure have changed a lot over the last half century or so.
Take a look at what was fashionable back in the 1950s.
Which design would you choose

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