inspired by Ellers’ posts of bridges on the politics thread. Include pictures if this is of interest One of the high points of my visits to Japan for work is the trip on the Hanshin Highway from Kansai Airport in Osaka to Kobe. 70 Miles of flyovers, often double decked, bridges and interchanges, mostly along the waterfront.
I’ll keep this one going by myself if necessary. Loads of buildings in Chicago that I love, even the Trump hotel there is great, except for the giant TRUMP sign on it. But it’s the combined effect of skyscrapers from different eras that’s stunning. Highly recommend the architectural tour by boat on the Chicago River. Not a skyscraper but a a great addition is the new Norman Foster designed Apple store. Looks like a laptop from above, feels like a retail cathedral inside. If you are in the States good idea to buy Apple crap there. Their pricing is $ to £ - bought my daughter a phone for her birthday, $669 plus sales tax there, £669 here. Even after the (high) Chicago sales tax saved £120.
My favourite building anywhere, in the perfect setting Durham Cathedral. Amazing engineering achievement, using only human and horse/ox power starting in 1093, over 100 years to finish. But at least they got it done, unlike the slackers in Barcelona who have the advantage of modern technology.
Buzz, deviation. Undeniably true, but neither architecture nor engineering related. Beautiful landscapes thread would be welcome. As an aside I only recently found out that the famous Fall colours in the forests in that part of the world are a relatively new phenomenon. Apparently there were no forests because the land had been cleared for agriculture, it was all fields. The forests grew from the mid 19th century as farmers moved west on to better land, effectively abandoning their farmsteads, the ruins of which can be stumbled over in the middle of the now dense woods. Never seen this, clearly have to. Here’s a beautiful landscape which is also a feat of engineering, rice paddies in Vietnam. Another place I need to visit. Just thinking about the sheer effort and time needed to create these, presumably many years ago and with no mechanisation or formal engineering input, leaves me gobsmacked.
Personal favourite, been here quite a few times, and done the summer solstice three years ago, which was an experience. 5500 years old, took centuries to build, and no-one really knows how or why they did it....
Millau Bridge, have driven over it several times and it never ceases to amaze me, the height, the view,the feeling utterly stupendous, Funny thing is I have never stopped at the rest are below it and looked at it from there, maybe next time.
Another cathedral, the Duomo in Milan. A ridiculously over the top building squatting like a giant hedgehog in the centre of Milan, dominating everything, which is what cathedrals were meant to do I suppose, intimidate. The inside is equally nuts, including a great bronze statue of St Bartholemew carrying his own flayed skin over his shoulder. Took them 500 years to finish. 3rd largest church in the world.
Casa Batllō in Barcelona. The ingeniously crazy mind of Gaudi. Amazing on so many levels ... the floors, the exterior, the interior, the roof!
Brunel built this one at Maidenhead to carry the railway between London and the West Country.... please log in to view this image
A bit left field this one, the cruise terminal at Leixeos outside Oporto in Portugal..... please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Both the inside and outside are done in offset hexaginal tiles, stunning to look at.......
A few years back I stayed with a friend when they were building the bridges that went to the new Hong Kong airport...Seriously I was lost for words. I have never seen anything so spectacular that was man-made. At that time they were just putting in the structures for the leg supports, they were like mini Wembley stadiums in the sea. Massive ships were dwarfed by the size of this thing. Never forget it. Sorry have a problem with posting pictures please log in to view this image please log in to view this image
