August 1, 2008
The world’s first sand castle hotel has recently opened at weymouth beach in the seaside town of dorset in the UK. The hotel was constructed from approximately 1000 tonnes of sand, built over 15sqm reaching a height of 4m. The open air family room with a sea-side view has a double and single bed made of sand which will set you back a mere $21 (£10) a night to sleep under the starry skies.
July 30, 2008
World Trade Center, or the Freedom Tower, is the main building of the new WorldTrade Center complex currently under construction in Lower Manhattan in New York City. The tower will be located in the northwest corner of the 16-acre (65,000 m²) World Trade Center site, bound by Vesey, West, Washington and Fulton streets. Construction on below-ground utility relocations, footings, and foundations for the 1,776-foot (541 m) Freedom Tower began on April 27, 2006. On December 19, 2006, the first steel columns were installed in the building’s foundation. Three other high-rise office buildings plus a residential tower are planned for the site along Greenwich Street, and they will surround the World Trade Center Memorial, which is currently under construction. The area will also be home to a museum, highlighting many of the different aspects of the past and future World Trade Centers. The Freedom Tower is expected to be completed in 2013.When completed it will be the second tallest building in the United States, after the Chicago Spire.
July 30, 2008
The house (called Antilla) is being valued at Rupees 4000 crores and will be 173 metre
Reliance Industries head Mukesh Ambani, will stand 27 stories high and is expected to cost $2 billion. Ambani, the fifth richest man in the world, his wife and three children currently live in a 22-story Mumbai tower .
Some other absurd facts about this ‘house’..
1. 3 helipads on top. Mumbai corporation has not given permission for making this operational yet.
2. Hanging gardens within the structure
3. Swimming pool within the structure
4. A two storey Health centre
5. Parking space for 168 cars (6 floors). I initially thought that meant there will be a mini office in the building but apparently that is not the case. All these cars will belong to Mukesh Ambani! Just in case you are interested, he drives a 5 crore Maybach now.
6. A floor exclusively for servicing these automobiles within the building.
7. A floor for Home theatre – sitting capacity of 5
Lobby
Nine elevators dot the lobby floor: Two are designated for parking areas, three for guest quarters, two for the Ambani family residences and two for service.
Ballroom
The most striking features of the Antilla ballroom are the crystal chandeliers that will take up approximately 80% of the ceiling. There is also a stage for entertainment or speeches, with a projection screen behind it. A kitchen, about the same size as the ballroom itself, can service hundreds of guests.
BathroomBathroom
One of Antilla’s key design themes is the mix of lavish features seen in worldwide homes and elements that are distinctly Indian.
Traditional Lounge
Ambani’s home features countless lounges, offering Reliance Industries guests a quiet escape. Chandeliers and mirrors are a common feature of these rooms, as are finely woven Indian area rugs.
Modern Lounge
Each space and floor uses materials not seen anywhere else. The idea is that spaces will blend into one another, giving the impression of consistency and flow
Entertainment Level
The Ambani’s theater is more like those seen in George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch or Frank Pritt’s Portabello Estate–a full-fledged theater, indistinguishable from a cinema. A wine room, snack bar and entertaining space, including couches and tables, fill out the room.
Health Level
The indoor/outdoor health level features a lap pool and Jacuzzi that take in views of the city skyline, as well as lounge chairs shaded by trees. Yoga and dance studios, changing rooms for men and women, gyms and a solarium with a juice bar fill out the interior space.
Garage
The first six floors of the residence will be dedicated to parking for the Ambani family, guests and employees. Hanging vertical gardens dot the exterior . The hydroponic plants, grown in liquid nutrient solutions instead of soil, lower the energy footprint of the home by absorbing heat and sunlight and providing shade that helps keep it cool.
Roof
The top floor features a covered, outdoor entertaining space with panoramic views of the Mumbai skyline as well as the Arabian Sea.
slide show - forbes
source- http://www.forbes.com
more -rediff \iloveindia\wikipedia \portfolio \ril
Mukesh Ambani Gifts His Wife $50 mn Airbus 319 on Her Birthday
The only trillionaire of the india -mukesh ambani
RICH MAN -POOR COUNTRY=Mukesh Ambani
July 29, 2008
The Eiffel Tower is an iron tower built on the Champ de Mars beside the Seine River in Paris. The tower has become a global icon of France and is one of the most recognizable structures in the world.
Named after its designer, engineer Gustave Eiffel, the Eiffel Tower is the tallest building in Paris and one of the most recognized structures in the world. More than 200,000,000 have visited the tower since its construction in 1889,including 6,719,200 in 2006,making it the most visited paid monument in the world.Including the 24 m (79 ft) antenna, the structure is 325 m (1,063 ft) high (since 2000), which is equivalent to about 81 levels in a conventional building.
When the tower was completed in 1889 it was the world’s tallest tower — a title it retained until 1930 when New York City’s Chrysler Building (319 m — 1,047 ft tall) was completed. The tower is now the fifth-tallest structure in France and the tallest structure in Paris, with the second-tallest being the Tour Montparnasse (210 m — 689 ft), although that will soon be surpassed by Tour AXA (225.11 m — 738.36 ft).
Key figures
• Initial height: 312 m (to the top of the flagpole)
• Current height (including antennas): 324 m
• The deepest foundations: (North and West) lie 15 meters
underground. In each of these foundations, four pillars of masonry
are built, which bear the four uprights of each leg of the Tower,
known as rafters.
• Total weight: 10,100 tons
• Weight of the iron structure: 7,300 tons
• Space between the pillars:
1st platform: 4,415 m2
2nd inner platform: 1,430 m2
3rd inner platform: 250 m2
• Height of the platforms:
1st platform: 57 m
2nd inner platform: 115 m
3rd inner platform: 276 m
• Lighting: 336 600-W projector lamps (sodium lamps).
• Number of bulbs for the Sparkling Tower: 20,000
• Number of steps in the East pillar to the top: 1,665
• Number of rivets (total): 2,500,000
• Weight of paint used: 60 tons for each repainting campaign
• Time required for painting: the Eiffel Tower was repainted
in its entirety every seven years.
• Number of elevators: From the ground to the second floor:
5 (one in the East pillar, one in the West pillar, one in the North
pillar, one private elevator in the South pillar for the “Jules Verne”
restaurant and one goods elevator in the South pillar). From the
second floor to the top: two sets of two duolifts.
• Elevator speed: 2 meters/second.
• Passenger flow and capacity of the elevators
North pillar: 920 persons/hour
East pillar: 650 persons/hour
West pillar: 650 persons/hour
Duolifts: 1,140 persons/hour
Jules Verne: 10 persons/ascent
Goods elevator in the South pillar: 30 persons or 4 tons/ascent
• Number of persons working on the Tower:
SNTE: 280
Restaurants: 240
Souvenirs: 50
Other: around 50
• Number of analogical TV stations: 6
• Number of free digital TV stations: 30
• Number of radio stations: 31
• Number of antennas: 120
How to build the Eiffel Tower
source -tour-eiffel.fr \wikipedia
July 28, 2008
A general view of the exterior of the National Aquatic Centre, also known as the Water Cube, lit up at night during the opening of the Good Luck Beijing 2008 Swimming China Open in Beijing, China, 31 January 2008. The National Aquatic Centre, located next to the National Stadium, is one of the main venues for the 2008 Olympics
The Water Cube was initially designed by PTW Architects , CSCEC International Design and Arup with structural Engineers Arup conceiving the structure. The structure was built by CSCEC (China State Construction Engineering Corporation). 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 eight one-thousandths 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 foam (structure formed by soap bubbles).The pattern is formed by taking a slice through the foam, and it was chosen in preference to the Kelvin foam because the more complex Weaire-Phelan structure results in more irregular, organic patterns than slices through the regular Kelvin foam.The structure will have a capacity of 17,000during the games that will be reduced to 6,000 afterwards. It also has a total land surface of 65,000 square metres and will cover a total of 7.8 acres.
July 28, 2008
CCTV’s new 550,000 square meter headquarters, to be completed for the Beijing Olympics in 2008, will be among the first of 300 towers to be constructed in Beijing’s new Central Business District. On the 10-hectare site in the new Central Business District in Beijing, the OMA proposal consolidates the program in an iconic configuration of two high-rise buildings.The design of the new Central Chinese Television (CCTV) headquarters defies the popular conception of a skyscraper and it broke Beijing’s building codes and required approval by a special review panel. The standard systems for engineering gravity and lateral loads in buildings didn’t apply to the CCTV building, which is formed by two leaning towers, each bent 90 degrees at the top and bottom to form a continuous loop.
The total development is 5 813 000ft² (540 000m²) consisting of two main buildings: the CCTV building and the Television Cultural Centre (TVCC).The new centre combines administration with news, broadcasting, studios and programme production – the entire TV process – in a sequence of interconnected activities.This first building is not a traditional tower, but a continuous loop of horizontal and vertical sections that establish an urban site rather than point to the sky. The irregular grid on the building’s facades is an expression of the forces travelling throughout its structure.It would be a significant structural challenge anywhere in the world, but is especially so as Beijing is in a highly seismic zone. Arup carried out a huge amount of work to demonstrate structural stability in order to satisfy local planning needs.A Media Park forms a landscape of public entertainment, outdoor filming areas and production studios as an extension of the central green axis of the CBD.Rem Koolhaas and Ole Scheeren will be partners-in-charge. The OMA design team will consist of Shohei Shigematsu, Adrianne Fisher, Hiromasa Shirai, Anu Leinonen, Charles Berman and many others. Qingyun Ma from Shanghai will be advisor to the project.
The CCTV Headquarters will be realized in collaboration with ECADI, the East China Architecture & Design Institute from Shanghai.Cecil Balmond and his team of Ove Arup & Partners will be responsible for the structural and mechanical engineering.OMA will collaborate with its media and research branch AMO.
July 25, 2008
Udaipur, in the heart of Rajasthan, is a city of majestic palaces and beautiful lakes. Here, adorning the banks of Lake Pichola and standing witness to the historic City Palace, The Oberoi Udaivilas captures all the romance and splendour of a royal era.The grand setting combined with palatial architecture and a beautiful spa offers an experience created exclusively for those who know there is nothing like too much luxury.
The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur (India) is designed to resemble a minature domed palace said to be “painted to evoke heaven.” This 200-year-old hunting lodge is know for its large airy treatment suites. Guests wanting to experience the ultimate in the art of healing can take advantage of the Ayurvedic therapies (based on the ancient Indian art of healing), at one of the of the Oberoi Udaivilas spa’s private therapy suites, many of which overlook Lake Pichola. Other treatments range from aromatherapy to massage therapy.
The hotel is adorned with hand- painted murals, arches and fountains. Landscaped terraces and acres of white marble. The resort’s 20-acre wildlife conservatory, houses peacock and Indian spotted deer.
source -hotel-ratesl / udaivilas / tripadvisor
July 22, 2008
A general view of the exterior of the National Aquatic Centre, also known as the Water Cube, lit up at night during the opening of the Good Luck Beijing 2008 Swimming China Open in Beijing, China, 31 January 2008. The National Aquatic Centre, located next to the National Stadium, is one of the main venues for the 2008 Olympics
The Water Cube was initially designed by PTW Architects , CSCEC International Design and Arup with structural Engineers Arup conceiving the structure. The structure was built by CSCEC (China State Construction Engineering Corporation). 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 eight one-thousandths 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 foam (structure formed by soap bubbles).The pattern is formed by taking a slice through the foam, and it was chosen in preference to the Kelvin foam because the more complex Weaire-Phelan structure results in more irregular, organic patterns than slices through the regular Kelvin foam.The structure will have a capacity of 17,000during the games that will be reduced to 6,000 afterwards. It also has a total land surface of 65,000 square metres and will cover a total of 7.8 acres.
July 22, 2008
A luxury flat in Hong Kong has sold for 225 million Hong Kong dollars (USD28.8 million), the most expensive apartment per square foot ever sold in Asia. The 80th floor penthouse with a private swimming pool and spectacular view of Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor sold for 41,000 dollars per square foot .The buyer, Jack Ma, is the chairman and founder of online business to business giant, Alibaba. Ma’s $900 million earned him 76th place on this year’s Forbes list of China’s 400 richest people, but since the recent public offering of Alibaba, Ma’s personal net worth is now an estimated $1.6 billion.
July 22, 2008
The World’s First Billion-Dollar Home
The house (called Antilla) is being valued at Rupees 4000 crores and will be 173 metre
Reliance Industries head Mukesh Ambani, will stand 27 stories high and is expected to cost $2 billion. Ambani, the fifth richest man in the world, his wife and three children currently live in a 22-story Mumbai tower .
Some other absurd facts about this ‘house’..
Lobby
Nine elevators dot the lobby floor: Two are designated for parking areas, three for guest quarters, two for the Ambani family residences and two for service.
Ballroom
The most striking features of the Antilla ballroom are the crystal chandeliers that will take up approximately 80% of the ceiling. There is also a stage for entertainment or speeches, with a projection screen behind it. A kitchen, about the same size as the ballroom itself, can service hundreds of guests.
BathroomBathroom
One of Antilla’s key design themes is the mix of lavish features seen in worldwide homes and elements that are distinctly Indian.
Traditional Lounge
Ambani’s home features countless lounges, offering Reliance Industries guests a quiet escape. Chandeliers and mirrors are a common feature of these rooms, as are finely woven Indian area rugs.
Modern Lounge
Each space and floor uses materials not seen anywhere else. The idea is that spaces will blend into one another, giving the impression of consistency and flow
Entertainment Level
The Ambani’s theater is more like those seen in George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch or Frank Pritt’s Portabello Estate–a full-fledged theater, indistinguishable from a cinema. A wine room, snack bar and entertaining space, including couches and tables, fill out the room.
Health Level
The indoor/outdoor health level features a lap pool and Jacuzzi that take in views of the city skyline, as well as lounge chairs shaded by trees. Yoga and dance studios, changing rooms for men and women, gyms and a solarium with a juice bar fill out the interior space.
Garage
The first six floors of the residence will be dedicated to parking for the Ambani family, guests and employees. Hanging vertical gardens dot the exterior . The hydroponic plants, grown in liquid nutrient solutions instead of soil, lower the energy footprint of the home by absorbing heat and sunlight and providing shade that helps keep it cool.
Roof
The top floor features a covered, outdoor entertaining space with panoramic views of the Mumbai skyline as well as the Arabian Sea.
source -http://www.forbes.com
|
