Each skyscraper in Chicago is continuation of History of Skyscrapers which has begun for a city in 1885 with building Home Insurance Building. "Tower" in height of 42 meters (plus two floors have been completed in 1891, having finished height to 50 meters) became the first-ever building exceeding level in five floors. New Aqua Tower — height of 250 meters, the sculptural facade of a structure creating illusion of waves is unique.
Calcareous rocks, characteristic for area of Great Lakes became a prototype of a wavy facade.
Such architectural decision it has not only visual value, and is functional; waves are used as viewing platforms, and also a shadow veil.
Building parameters; 82 floors, 250 meters in height, 215 hotel rooms (with 1 on 18 floor), 476 apartments (with 19 on 52 floor), 5,100 sq. m. trading and office areas, an underground parking, a 8-storeyed cellar a total area of 32,000 sq. m., a terrace with gardens, pools, arbors, paths for walks and run.
New Fine Arts Center becomes the first public building constructed in a small Texas city for last thirty years. Local artists and active workers, parents and teachers, historians and collectors of national creativity participated in center building. All of them thought over what should be their place for public meetings
Project by Kell Muñoz Architects is almost 2000 sq.m., a hall 975 places and an audience completed with the hi-tech audio-visual equipment.
The project budget has been limited enough, $5.7 million dollars. This building of time declaring a multicultural modernism, traditional for district (Rio Grande Valley), mixed with the international modernism associating with Mexico.
To allocate a new public place, the construction facade has been raised. The front composition from the bright vertical strips organized according to a color spectrum, very brightly allocates a building in a silent and harmonious landscape.
Dear All,
The recent snub by the British government to UNESCO's offer to mediate in the issue of the Parthenon Sculptures dispute and the arrogant wording directed at the Greek government's often repeated offer to negotiate the matter by discussion confirmed our position that Britain never had the intention to enter into good faith discussions. As we had said in recent fora, the only road we saw to possible success was one of legal action, with a direct and dynamic confrontation with Whitehall.
The recent response by Britain dissolved any illusions we had regarding the powers in the UK to be brought to do the right thing, and to right a historical wrong. We too had hoped that Britain would succumb to worldwide public opinion to correct an outrage, the stripping and vandalising of the Parthenon of 60% of its famous millenia-old Sculptures , a crime committed when Greeks were under occupation and unable to defend their archaeological heritage and national symbols of identity.
The latest declaration by the new minister of culture in the UK continues with the hard line of his predeccesors, namely that "The marbles were legally acquired according to the laws of the time. " So Mr Minister were 3 million African slaves, captured, transported and sold, "according to the laws of the time." Opium too was purchased and sold, in tons "according to the laws of the time". Those who did not agree to buy your opium had two wars declared on them, and so China paid with the loss of Hong Kong and a treaty to buy your Indian grown opium. This, Mr Minister, is NOT that time. We are disputing your CURRENT possession of symbols of our heritage, removed from Athens and held by you in a totally government financed and controlled museum institution (all the board is appointed directly, or indirectly by the UK government or by the Queen).
This, though, is not the issue.
One more British government acting like an infant petulantly hugging another child's toy, saying "It is mine, mine!" is understandable, because there is no home-made item that can compare in beauty, artisanry, historic or other value to those created by a superior ancient civilisation. We may understand the feeling, and commiserate, but that does not justify the possession of the looted Greek scultures taken from the Parthenon. There is no justification for it. We sympathise with the situation the British Museum is in, but our sympathy doesn't extend to giving up iconic and defitive items of our heritage, nor did our illustrious and talented predecessors in Ancient Athens build the Parthenon to have its facade torn off and damaged by a British ambassador to decorate his Scottish residence. The Parthenon was built by Pericles and the Greek city states to commemorate the victory of Greek civilisation against the very type of barbarity and lack of respect that Elgin indulged in 2300 years later.
The British position is well known and is in keeping with how official Britain has acted in the last few centuries. To win in a contest the basic rule MUST be to understand your opponent and create your game strategy around this knowledge.
Anyone who has studied British history and politics will know that Britain NEVER, but NEVER, gives anything back unless forced to do so. India, Cyprus, as well as dozens of colonies of the Empire, and other possessions acquired without the consent of the people, often with great bloodshed caused by British troops were only given back by Britain after a bitterly contested conflict, on the field of battle, in courts, or with a series of extended non-violent political actions by those who had lost their heritage, freedoms, or historical archaeological treasures. Britain today in its museums and in the Tower of London still holds numerous purloined and pillaged items as well as those taken by reason of military superiority from a vanquished foe defending himself on his own soil. The Kohinoor Diamond in the so called Crown Jewels taken from a defeated 15 year old prince in India, is but one example. Manifest Destiny demanded it. We oppose this way of thinking.
This lengthy introduction, and I will apologise, was to emphasise my conviction that dialogue for the return of the Parthenon Marbles, after so many valiant and polite efforts by Greece, and its overseas friends in all walks of life, is not a viable option, and only incurable romantics or people without an understanding of the official British character and its limitations can insist that this dead end is the road to the Restitution in Athens.
The problem is not the obduracy and intransigence of British officialdom. It is a given, and we have to act with that in mind. It is with the very knowledge of the historic failure of Greek diplomacy, both cultural and political, and that of our own self-financed voluntary Parthenon organisations, to bring about the return, that it was encouraging when the Greek government, that for 40 years has not asked Britain officially for the Sculptures return, not long ago decided to involve an experienced and prestigious British legal firm Doughty Street Chambers led by George Robertson QC, to represent our interests and to write a report regarding what options were open for Greece to act.
Overall public awareness of the issue and additional sympathy for the Greek case was given very welcome boosts, human nature being what it is, by declarations of public support by celebrities such as George Clooney, Matt Damon and others, while a visit to Greece by Mrs Clooney with her senior colleagues at the UK law office created a media frenzy and a heightening of public interest in the Parthenon issue. The Doughty Chambers law group produced a 140 page confidential report for the Greek government describing, as leaked to the press, 5 options. The one considered to have the highest chance of success was, and this is no surprise to us, for Greece to go immediately to the European Court of Human Rights where, according to the report, there was the greatest chance of a Greek legal victory. The lawyers were specific: it is now or never, if the opportunity is not to be lost with issues such as statutes of limitations in the near future killing Greek chances of recovery of the items through international court decisions.
In Greece, as we all know there is a new government, and the report was delivered to them. With the understanding of the British penchant for intransigence, fortified by the recent snub to UNESCO, and the history of failed attempts, the new minister had a detailed road map in his hands, to move forward, with of course the support of millions around the world and at home. Expecting his decision to do this, using the British law firm and their international expertise and experience in cross border cultural issues we were stunned to hear the announcement of Under Minister Mr Nickos Xidakis, a former journalist, who announced, in more words than these, that " We will not go against Britain in court... This is a matter to be settled politically and diplomatically...this issue will be settled, bit by bit over, time..."
Looking at what the minister said let us examine the viability of his declared course of action over that which the British lawyers and we ourselves at IPSACI believe, and we all want the same thing , the return of the Parthenon Sculptures.
A) Mr Xidakis rejects the expert opinion of the British legal experts. Claiming we may lose in court. But for 200 years we have lost! We can only win, or if we lose here, we can initiate a new legal action in another court.
B) Mr Xidakis says the issue can be won diplomatically. The question is, after 200 years of failed diplomatic initiatives, is the government of Mr Xidakis in such a powerful international position to impose a solution using diplomacy? Does he know of Greek diplomats who can force Mr Cameron to sign a new law allowing/directing the Return of the Parthenon Sculptures?
C) Mr Xidakis told the press that the issue should be dealt with "politically" . This is indeed one way countries settle disputes. The assumption by lay persons like myself, on hearing the Minister, is that Greece at this moment has the political clout to bring the British Museum to its knees and to force Mr Cameron to sign the document of repatriation of the Sculptures to Athens. With all our goodwill towards Mr Xidakis, where does he draw this feeling of current Greek political power and superiority over Britain from?
D) Finally the minister says that this issue is being slowly resolved, "little by little".
But it has already been 200 years from the stripping of the friezes and metopes and Britain has not moved one centimetre in the direction Greece demands!
If the minister does not tell us why he feels his/our government has the diplomatic and political power to solve the issue, I very much fear that his position looks like a hot potato shifting of the issue to a future government because of reluctance to take the bull by the horns, as recommended by the UK lawyers, and get into court with his British counterpart.(Apologies for the mixed metaphors!)
I have a great fear that we are about to lose the Parthenon Sculptures for ever, and that the work of all our organisations, ministries, diplomatic missions, our volunteer supporters, and decades of dedicated work by people such as yourselves around the world, and in Greek and international organisations are about to be lost down the drain.
I therefore beg those who believe that we must recommend to Minister Xidakis and his staff to listen to the recommendations of people and experts who know the issues well, and understand the mindset of those walking the halls of Russell Square and Westmister, to express their concern to the authorities in Greece.
Thank you for your patience in reading this long analysis of where I believe we are today, in view of the recent, and disturbing developments.
Best to all,
Alexis Mantheakis
Chairman of the International Parthenon Sculptures Action Committee Inc.
Athens office.
www.ipsaci.com
+(30)22990 47566
The actual laser modeling is done by mounting a laser from a tripod and shooting the gallery, taking time to measure the distance between the scanner and every point it hits. Each one of these points represents a distance — by mapping millions of points from a single location, historians can measure how the building expands and contracts during the day, as well as how it shifts over longer periods of time. By combining the point cloud data generated by the laser scanner with on-site photographs taken at the same time, Tallon has created extremely accurate models of the underlying structure and design of the cathedral, and identified points where the cathedral’s masons either deviated from the original plan or paused work to allow the ground to settle.
Tallon’s research, for example, has found that the Gallery of Kings — the massive, three-doorway facade that dominates one side of the cathedral, had shifted almost a foot out of plumb. Researchers had previously suspected that work had stopped on the area for up to a decade, and this new work suggests why that might have occurred. The masons, realizing that the building was shifting in the thin, sandy soil, halted progress to give the ground time to settle and resumed a decade later.
Other findings from Tallon’s work include data that shows the internal columns of Notre Dame don’t align perfectly, and that workers likely incorporated existing structures in the area as part of the cathedral rather than tearing them out altogether. The flying buttresses, which were often thought to be a later addition to the architecture, were likely installed from the very beginning to counterbalance the effect of the vaulted ceilings (which tended to force the walls outward). External support from flying buttresses would push the walls inward, counterbalancing the vaults. The walls of Notre Dame have scarcely moved since they were constructed — a testament to the exquisitely balanced and counterbalanced supports.
National Geographic has a full update on the process and technology used to create the laser point models and a discussion of the work done at Notre Dame and other Cathedrals. Laser and LIDAR-assisted mapping has become more prominent in recent years, thanks to its ability to show us where long-buried structures or archaeological remains may still exist. Thermal maps and subtle gradation variations can also show remnants of mankind’s activity in an area, even when shifting sands or jungle terrain has obscured the more obvious visual reminders. Human buildings and structures absorb heat differently than surrounding terrain even when buried, which gives us a window into the past when conventional methods or other records come up short.
Author: Joel Hruska | Source: Extreme Tech [June 24, 2015]
But four years after the uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak and nearly ended his own career, Zahi Hawass can be found in a cramped Cairo office, lamenting the state of the antiquities bureaucracy he once ruled like a pharaoh and dreaming of a new museum whose fate lies in limbo.
His trademark wide-brimmed hat and safari vest may be hung up for now, but he is brimming with ideas on how to revive Egypt's antiquities and bring back tourists after years of unrest.
A long-planned new facility out by the pyramids, called the Grand Egyptian Museum, was intended to open this year, but the government says it is short the one billion dollars needed to complete the project.
"Government routine cannot work for museums," Hawass said in an interview in his office, asserting that state bureaucracy is one of the main reasons the current Egyptian Museum has fallen into disrepair. For the new museum, "the directorship, the curatorship, it can be from America, from Germany, from England, from any place in the world. You need this museum to be international."
He also says private, international sponsorship is needed.
"If you pay $10,000, I put your name, written on the wall of the museum. If you pay $100,000, I put your name on the facade of the museum. If you build a whole gallery, I will name (the gallery after you)," he said, adding that the government should announce that Egyptian monuments belong to the entire world, not just Egyptians.
As to the challenge of moving artifacts from the current museum in downtown Cairo over bumpy roads to the site of the new facility on the city's outskirts, Hawass says "any TV channel" would pick up the tab in return for exclusive rights to document the artifacts' restoration and transport. "They will run in competition to do this," he said.
Hawass knows TV. He was once a staple on the Discovery Channel and had his own reality show on the History Channel called "Chasing Mummies," the promo for which introduced him by saying "100,000 years of history belong to one man... Only he holds the key to the world's greatest ruins."
The productions earned him droves of fans abroad but led to accusations of grandstanding in Egypt, where he was seen by many as a self-promoter who mistreated subordinates and abused his position for personal gain. He lost his job as head of antiquities after the 2011 uprising and faced corruption charges, of which he was later cleared.
But his swashbuckling antics gave a boost to Egyptian archaeology, with fundraising efforts and international tours of King Tut artifacts generating tens of millions of dollars.
His name is still associated with many of Egypt's most famous digs, including grand discoveries such as the Valley of the Golden Mummies in Bahariya Oasis in 1999 and the mummy of Queen Hatshepsut almost a decade later. He has long campaigned to bring home ancient artifacts spirited out of Egypt during colonial times, and once said he had managed to recover 5,000 pieces.
Zahi was an outspoken supporter of his longtime patron Mubarak, and has praised President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who led the military overthrow of an Islamist president in 2013 and was elected last year. But that support has not translated into an official role other than promotional work for tourism in Egypt.
When asked about the state of antiquities today, Hawass says things have improved over the last year, carefully avoiding direct criticism of anyone in particular. But he points out that there is still theft, mismanagement and corruption - noting two incidents in recent months in which artifacts were found to have been replaced with replicas.
"This did not happen before," he said, adding that in order to prevent such abuses, "we need to restore the people before we restore antiquities," by boosting employees' salaries and providing them with health insurance.
Hawass insisted during the interview that he is focused on writing and has no desire to return to his previous position as head of the country's antiquities. "People come here every day and ask me to come back... I think I did my duty, and it's time for me now to publish all that I discovered."
But at the glitzy launch of his latest book earlier this month at a ceremony at a five-star hotel attended by hundreds of Cairo's elite, he was less guarded about possible ambitions to return.
"Maybe," he said, as a torrent of fans pressed to take photos next to him.
Author: Brian Rohan | Source: The Associated Press [June 30, 2015]
This offer of architectural bureau Foster + Partners became the winner in competition. The centre was necessary for this industrial region for motivation of local population, youth to positive development, and also creations of the regional cultural centre which would advance an image of region as a whole.
The Egyptian-style pyramid-shaped tomb of Gaius Cestius, an Augustan era general, reopened to the public this week following an extensive restoration initiated in March 2013. Japanese fashion mogul Yuzo Yagi who funded the project said "It is extraordinary to return it to the white city like [it was] two thousand years ago. It was a great job with an incredible team led by two women", referring to Rita Paris and Maria Grazia Filetici, Italy's archaeological superintendency directors who oversaw the project.
The 120 foot-high pyramid, according to Paris, was constructed in 330 days, made of white Carrara marble. The 21st century restoration of the 2000-year-old tomb took a cumulative 327 days, 75 days less than projected.
Yagi donated two million euros to the innovative internal and external restoration that required a mix of traditional and non-tradition conservation in areas such as vegetation removal, marble facade protection, marble panel stabilization and damage prevention, and a handicap-accessible entrance ramp.
The restoration was much needed after centuries of wear and tear, which included, as Paris detailed, the tomb's incorporation into the 3rd century AD walls, looting in the Middle Ages, mid-17th century restoration, and use as a meeting spot in the 19th century.
Present at the invitation-only inauguration was Umberto Vattani, president of the Italy-Japan Foundation, cultural and foreign affairs undersecretaries Francesca Barracciu and Benedetto Della Vedova, Rome Cultural Heritage superintendent Francesco Prosperetti, and Rome Mayor Ignazio Marino.
Barracciu said that the restoration was "a brilliant best practice that strengthens our belief that the public and private collaboration is a way to go again with more determination. And since last July's Art Bonus, we are very confident ".
When asked if Yagi would finance future heritage projects in Italy, the fashion mogul said "we have a long list of aid to Japan, for the tsunami-affected areas. But I would be happy to return in the coming years".
Author: Erica Firpo | Credit: ANSAmed [April 21, 2015]
The Australian architectural studio «Lyons» has finished building a ultra-modern medical complex «John Curtin School of Medical Research». The unique architectural building expressively reflects progressive methods of work and aspiration to innovative processes.
In the medical center based on base of the Australian National University in Canberra are based: research laboratories, medical clinics, health care offices, hall for teaching lectures and the world seminars.
Dynamical architectural forms of a building draw attention of the public and personify development and movement. The translucent structure provide premises with necessary quantity of natural illumination in stylistics of fine style of Art Deco. However especially effectively unusual building to the evening.
The impressing effect amplifies contrast of black elements of a facade and snow-white internal panels, which simultaneously open to a sight at certain points of view of it unique building.
The developer of the project is international exhibition company Abu Dhabi (Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC).
