Bogota: Building a Sustainable City ´ documentary by PBS e2 series. Narrated by Brad Pitt. During his tenure as mayor of Bogota, Colombia, Enrique Penalosa was both revered and scorned for his urban planning and transportation policies. His public works projects, which largely favored the pedestrian experience, were unlike anything previously built in Bogota. Penalosa describes the environmental and social importance of minimizing automobile culture.



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e2 energy — Coal & Nuclear: Problem or Solution? excerpt


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30 St Mary Axe (The Gherkin), London

One of the half a dozen or more City of London office schemes by Foster & Partners on site or planned in 2001. Yet it stands out from the rest of the other offices because if its shape and its technical and environmental innovation.  I see the building as the finest product of Sir Norman Foster, I’m not sure how he sees it but I think it’s his Fallingwater.

The top of the building is used as a bar and restaurant, it gives an stunning view of an open space of 360o degree

It's hard to miss the Gherkin when you're in London. Rising out of a tight pedestrian square in the City, it's become one of our most recognisable buildings. Designed by Norman Foster, Britain's most famous architect, it's the 6th tallest building in London at 180m (590ft) and 40 storeys. Despite its rounded shape, the only curved piece of glass in the Gherkin is the lens-shaped cap at the very top.

It's also one of London's most energy-saving buildings - gaps in each floor create 6 shafts that act as a natural ventilation system for the entire building. The shafts also insulate the inside office space and allow sunlight to flow through the building, reducing lighting costs. Although the Gherkin is a private building, it's stunning to look at from the outside.

It is worth knowing that the Gherkin building has been sold for £600 million in a deal thought to be the most ever paid for an office property in Britain. 

Insurers Swiss Re sold the three-year-old 41-storey office block, officially known as 30 St Mary Axe, to German real estate group IVG Immobilien. 

The Gherkin's sale price is double the estimated cost of construction and beats the £520 million sale last year of CityPoint in London. 

Swiss Re could make £250m profit and will remain as a tenant in the building, which can command £65 a sq ft in rent. 

IVG bought the building in a joint venture with investment bank Evans Randall. They are not planning any changes to the building or its use. Swiss Re chief executive Jacques Aigrain said: " IVG will preserve the superior quality of this property."

Also see:

•          Official website of the 30 st mary axe
  
•          Norman Foster's site about the project — including Quicktime movies illustrating the design process.
  
•          30 St Mary Axe at Emporis
  
•          30 St Mary Axe at SkyscraperPage.com
  
•          London Architecture.co.uk: 30 St Mary Axe
  
•          30 Saint Mary Axe in the Structurae database
  
•          About the Gherkin's energy usage
  
•          360x180 Panorama of St Mary Axe
  
•          Images of 30 St Mary Axe
  
•          Gallery, architecture images.
  

Selfridges at The Bullring, Birmingham:

The Selfridges store at The Bullring shopping centre is a great example of innovative and fun architecture in Britain. Designed by the Future Systems architectural practice, the design was inspired by a chain-mail Paco Rabanne dress - could this shopping mecca get any more fashionable? The building is covered with 15,000 shiny aluminium disks, which are cleaned once a year, and make the Bullring unmissable.

The Selfridges store cost £60million to build, and covers an area of 25,000m2. The store has won 8 awards including RIBA Award for Architecture 2004 and Destination of the Year Retail Week 2004.

The Eden project © Britainonview.com

Eden Project, St Austell, Cornwall:

The Eden Project is a large scale environmental project in Cornwall. Nicholas Grimshaw, one of Britain's most gifted architects, was responsible for Eden's biomes - the largest greenhouses in the country. The giant conservatories reach about 55m at their highest point and span 110m at their widest.

The very futuristic-looking bubbles were constructed in a disused China pit, and were designed to efficiently capture solar energy and make a controllable environment for the plants inside. The pillow-like structures making up the biomes are adjustable. On cold days they're pumped with more air for insulation, and on hotter days they're partially deflated to allow more cooling.

Entrance of the iconic Wales Millennium Centre with bilingual inscription reading 'Creu Gwir Fel Gwydr O Ffwrnais Arwen, In These Stones Horizons Sing' © Britainonview.com / David Angel

Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff:

The Wales Millennium Centre has become of Cardiff's iconic sites since it opened in 2004. Situated on Cardiff Bay, it's a centre for performing arts and is home to 2 theatres, shops, bars and restaurants, and 7 resident Welsh arts organisations.

The brief to the architects, Percy Thomas, was that the building had to be 'unmistakably Welsh and internationally outstanding'. In the dome at the front of the building are 2 poetic lines formed by windows in the upstairs bar. The lines were written by Welsh poet Gwyneth Lewis - the Welsh inscription reads 'Creu Gwir fel gwydr o ffwrnais awen' which means 'Creating truth like glass from the furnace of inspiration'; and the English inscription reads 'In these stones, horizons sing'. At night, the lights in the bar area are switched on, illuminating the letters and creating a spectacular sight.

Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, Liverpool:

This is one of 2 Cathedrals in Liverpool (the other is the Anglican Cathedral) – both are situated on Hope Street. In 1960, architects all over the world were invited to design a Cathedral for Liverpool which would relate to the existing Crypt, be capable of construction within 5 years, cost at the current prices no more than £1million for its shell, and most important of all, express the new spirit of the liturgy then being radically reformulated by the Second Vatican Council.

Of 300 entries from all over the world, Sir Frederick Gibberd's (1908-1984) design was chosen, and the Cathedral opened in 1967. Unlike most cathedrals, the layout of the pews is circular, with the altar in the centre. The most striking feature of the building is the raised dome in the centre, which is made out of stained glass, creating a stunning effect inside.

National Cold War Exhibition Building, RAF Museum, Shropshire:

The distinctive National Cold War Exhibition building at the RAF Museum (www.rafmuseum.org.uk/cosford/index.cfm) in Cosgrove is the world's first display dedicated to documenting the social, political and military conflicts of the Cold War. Designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Architects, it's a physical metaphor for the Cold War's opposing forces.

The landmark building cost £12.5million, and contains 17 aircraft, military transport, missiles, memorabilia and interactive kiosks and information hotspots. The architects used materials which emphasise the building's simple and strong statement: the smooth lines of the aluminium roof dominate the exterior, and the robust industrial interior provides a stark contrast.

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Zoo's dome from home
Nicola Dowling
27/ 1/2009
From Manchester Evening News

AN African rainforest teeming with exotic animals and birds is heading to Chester Zoo.

The £225m project will create a massive domed tropical eco-system - called Heart of Africa - over 138 acres.

Residents will include gorillas, chimpanzees and the rare giraffe-like okapi. Birds, amphibians, reptiles, fishes and invertebrates will move freely among lush vegetation.

Zoo bosses say the development, due for completion in 2018, would allow visitors to explore the jungle canopy on a massive interactive water ride.

Conservation

As well as benefiting the animals, the dome aims to make the already-popular zoo an all-year-round attraction.

Zoo boss Prof Gordon McGregor Reid said: "As well as the overall impact on conservation worldwide, here in the north west there will be a major increase in job creation and security and a positive impact on the regional economy.

"Our visitors will be immersed in the world of wildlife where we will engage, inform educate and amaze them in a truly thrilling and unique environment.

"New and exciting animal species will be introduced. This project is unlike anything in Britain and will offer a spectacular visitor experience and the highest standards of animal welfare."

The first phase includes the construction of a 90 bed hotel and a conservation college.

Flagship

A planning application is to be submitted in September this year and zoo bosses are talking to sources - including the North West Regional Development Agency - about possible funding.

NWDA's tourism boss James Berresford said the plan could transform the zoo into a `visitor experience of international importance'.

He said: "The Zoo has the potential to become a flagship visitor attraction for the north west, improving perceptions of the region and boosting inbound tourism."

Chester celebrates its 75th anniversary in May welcoming around 1.3m visitors a year - making it the most popular zoo in the country.

Bosses expect this to increase to 2m million on completion of the Heart of Africaproject.

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At its pinnacle, the British empire spanned every continent and covered one quarter of the Earth's land mass. Through the centuries, the rulers of this enormous powerhouse used extraordinary engineering feats to become an industrial and military titan, loaded with riches. Some of their many pioneering accomplishments include the world's first locomotive, a superhighway of underground sewers, the imposing and grand Westminster Palace, and the most powerful and technically advanced navy in the age of sail. Using cutting edge CGI, we'll take a look at the key leaders of the British empire--and explore the mark each left on society. Peter Weller hosts.

The British Empire expanded and contracted wildly over the centuries. It became fairly large with the ever expanding American colonies in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries, particularly after the defeat of the French in the Seven Years War. The American Revolution lost much (but not all) of this territory, but the expansion of British interests in India filled this vacuum. It really was the victory in the Napoleonic Wars that allowed the British to hoover up naval bases and toe holds across the world. These would generally provide the jumping off points for the massive expansion in the Victorian period. Advances in medicine and communications helped open up the last continent of Africa to European Imperialism in the latter half of the Nineteenth Century.

World War One appeared to add yet more colonies to the British Empire in the form of mandates. A historic called Stephen has produced a list of the populations and sizes of the colonies in 1924 a territorial highpoint of Empire - although economically the Empire would begin to enter its period of decline in this Inter-war years period. But it was still estimated at this time to cover between a quarter and a third of the globe and that it represented an area of over one hundred and fifty times the size of Great Britain itself.

The Second World War would see much imperial territory threatened or temporarily lost. Despite being on the winning side, the Empire would not recover from the geo-political shifts caused by this Second World War and would enter into a period of terminal decline. India was the first and largest area to be shed and then the Middle East and then Africa. Various Caribbean and Pacific possessions held on a little longer but most of these also went their seperate way. The last of the major colonies to be lost was that of Hong Kong in 1997.

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Chinese engineering and technology have developed rapidly since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. This growth has been especially dramatic following the adoption of national reform and openness policies nearly 20 years ago. Our nation has trained a large number of skilled engineers and technicians across a range of disciplines. These professionals have played a major role in the development of the national economy, in the continuous improvement of quality of life for all Chinese, and in the advancement of science and technology around the world.

The 21st century will usher in a new economic age based on knowledge and information. The energetic development of science and technology and the expeditious industrialization of high technology are essential strategies for success in this new era. While the Chinese engineering and technological enterprise has made rapid progress, compared with developed nations, China has a long way to go to meet its economic and industrial needs. To improve on the status quo, Chinese will have to work in a number of areas.

First, it is a matter of great urgency for the Chinese to pursue cooperation among three key sectors: industry, universities, and state R&D institutes. The engineering and technological sciences predominantly serve industry. HoChinesever, a great number of large and medium-size enterprises are struggling to make a profit due to poor product quality and the use of primitive production processes. The Chinese government has for years given top priority to reinvigorating these firms. Continued advances in engineering and technology as Chinesell as cooperation among the three sectors are regarded as essential to this task. By strengthening China's industrial base, which is the pillar of the national economy, Chinese will promote the further improvement of the country's engineering and technological enterprise.

Second, in order to ensure the quality of the engineering work force, Chinese need to vigorously pursue engineering education reform. Although there are more than 2.1 million engineers working in China, including 600,000 senior-level engineers, not all of these individuals are as Chinesell trained as Chinese would like. One reason for this is the traditional mode of engineering education in China, which has paralleled the approach for training researchers. A particular problem is that theory is overstressed while practical training is somewhat overlooked. As a result, there is a substantial shortage of professional engineers with integrated capabilities. In addition, efforts to provide continuing education for engineers have not yet materialized.

Third, the important role of the engineer in society is yet to be adequately recognized in China. If this situation does not improve, Chinese will have difficulty encouraging promising young people to consider engineering as a career.

This is how the Chinese looks at Civil Engineering, or as they call it Architectural Engineering, they came very far and as we have seen last summer (2008) in the Olympics, Chinese astonished the world with their innovation and inspired many Engineers to aim higher. This is a list of my favourite buildings so far:

• gymnasium tianjin Olympic gymnasium
• Beijing Olympic bicycle hall
• National swimming centre
• Nanjing Olympic centre gymnasium
• Shanghai fi international autodrome deputy stand
• Shanghai qizhong forest physical city tennis centre
• Haerbin physicalshow centre gymnasium
• Vietnam national centre gymnasium

National swimming centre










Engineering An Empire: China:



For over 4000 years, the world's greatest empires have come and gone--only China has survived the test of time. Century after century, China's regal emperors mobilized immense peasant armies to accomplish engineering feats unparalleled in human history. Among the groundbreaking innovations were the world's longest canal and a naval fleet mightier than all those of Europe combined. However, none can compare to the colossal 4,000-mile wall that stands as the most ambitious construction project ever built. From such heights came spectacular death spirals, as dynasty after dynasty, consumed by vanity and greed was stripped of power by the people it had ruled. Peter Weller hosts.

Inclusion of architectural rendering software and techniques in architectural design has led to a radical age in the process of marketing and visualization of architectural designs. It breathes new life into design by bringing in new designs to 3D life. Architectural 3D rendering enhances design value and communication. It helps clients, shareholders, contractors and others involved in the design and execution process to better understand the intent and beauty of the design.

Creating rendering of an architectural design is a more comprehensive way to explain and/or sell your design. In the schematic design phase, architectural renderings can serve as effective and aesthetic tools to communicate the intended design to the client or stake-holder as it would look after it has been built.

You can effectively incorporate realistic tools like vegetation, people, colour, texture and lighting to your renderings to help them seem as closer to life and reality as possible. 3D architectural rendering using software such as Revit Architecture, Sketchup, 3D Max or Photoshop and many other CAD 3D softwares are of critical use to architects, interior designers, clients, real estate developers and house builders to create a hype and virtual representation of their proposed developments. These architectural rendering are used as marketing and promotional material in advertisements and brochures.

These 3D architectural renderings hence, give a virtual insight into the layout and proposed look of the design to prospective tenants and home owners.

Traditionally architectural rendering entailed the artistic representation of the reality of the architect’s design. Now with digital technology and advent of rendering software, more accurate and realistic future reality of an upcoming building can be created. Hand drawn renderings are thus, being slowly phased out of the architectural design environment except for being used by architects and designers during the preliminary stages of planning and design development and primarily for their own use. For the purpose of expressing their designs to clients, stakeholders and others interested architects and designers are increasingly relying on architectural rendering technology to create digital, virtual representations by way of a photo-realistic visual 3D architectural rendering or a full scale architectural walkthrough.

Uncompromised quality, accuracy in fine details, and an ability to allow multiple vantage points are some of the quantifiable advantages of 3D architectural rendering. Varied arrays of architectural rendering techniques are in use today. Concept visualization focuses in realistic colour renderings, exterior renderings, floor plan rendition, interior renderings and site plan walkthroughs. These could be coloured, textured rendering or black and white conceptual sketches.

Also search for architectural rendering software in Google, you’ll find 2D and 3D softwares which will enhance your projects.

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