Realtors see six month delay in revival

Any revival in the real estate sector is expected to be delayed by at least six months as the interim budget did not announce any sops to the housing sector as anticipated by many companies.

“Sentiments of home buyers have not completely improved yet. The government should have taken some steps to improve sentiments for Aam Admi, which has not happened. Now we have to wait for the new government to assume charge in June,’’ said Pradeep Jain, chairman of Parsvnath Developers.

Realty players, who are battling slowing sales, were expecting a two percentage points cut in home loan rates to 6-6.5 per cent, priority lending status for loans up to Rs 35 lakh from Rs 20 lakh earlier, increase in rebate on home loan interest from the current Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 3 lakh, abolition of service tax on sale of units and rentals, reduction in excise duty on steel and cement among others.

Though most of the banks have cut home loan rates, realty experts said the home buyers were still deferring new purchases in anticipation of a drop in the prices and also due to stagnant income, which have led to slower sales. In the December quarter, sales of property companies have fallen by 70-80 per cent, putting pressure on their finances and execution skills.

“Though this was an interim budget, the government could have made an exception and announced some sops for reviving the market, given the adverse conditions in the market. Benefits for housing would have created a ripple effect and helped in giving a positive push to the economy,’’ said Rohtas Goel, chairman of Delhi-based Omaxe.

Both the government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had already announced a slew of measures, including a refinance facility of Rs 4,000 crore available against the National Housing Bank’s loans and advances to the housing finance companies (HFC) at eight per cent for loans up to Rs 20 lakh, and capped interest rates for home loans.

But experts said the earlier stimulus packages have not helped much. “Though the government has come out with a stimulus packages in the past, they were not enough to revive the sector. A lot many things were expected, now the industry has to pass through 5-6 months in the absence of any new incentive in place. Falling interest rates and inflation are only the comforting factor for developers now,’’ said an analyst from Religare Securities.

Though the BSE Realty Index, which tracks realty stocks, touched a high of 1,650 points in the anticipation of sops to the sector, ended the day at 1,519 points, over 4.5 per cent lower, than its Friday close.

Indiabulls Real Estate (IBREL) fell 9.62 per cent, Ansal Infrastructure slipped 6.28 per cent, Orbit Corp was down 6.73 per cent were the major losers in the category.

“Though some government measures should have helped developers, in the long term, property companies should build houses that can be afforded by home buyers. Buyers should buy houses or private equity funds should invest keeping long term perspectives,’’ Subhash Bedi, partner of Red Fort Capital, which runs private equity funds, said.

(via Business Standard.)

Inferno destroys Beijing tower

A massive fire engulfs a tower in the soon-to-be completed headquarters complex of China's national TV broadcaster. WSJ's International News Editor Rebecca Blumenstein provides more details and speaks with colleague Adam Najberg about China's fire safety amid a rapidly growing city.



A fireman is reported dead and six others injured after a huge fire consumed part of China Central Television's new building complex in Beijing on the last day of the Lunar New Year holiday. An initial investigation showed that the fire had been caused by illegal firecracker launches. Video courtesy of Reuters

William Baker presents Burj Dubai

William Baker presents Burj Dubai from The Architecture Foundation on Vimeo.

What do you do when you need to transport a great number of people up a 636+ metre mixed-used tower? How do you deal with condensation that builds up when the heat of the desert meets the cool of the air-conditioned interior? As it turns out, you develop a 40 mph elevator - the world’s fastest; and collect the moisture and pump it into the site’s landscape plantings. Yet there are so many more questions still to be asked regarding the Burj Dubai, the tallest building on earth and surely one of the most ambitious projects the world has ever seen. This talk is a unique opportunity to do so.

MMRDA plans iconic tower at Wadala, Mumbai

With a height of 526 m (1725.28 ft), MMRDA mandarins say it will be the world's third tallest building after the under-construction Burj Tower in Dubai and Freedom Tower in New York.

The project, if it ever gets through with approvals, is expected to fetch the government an annual lease rent of Rs 1,800 crore. The project, to be submitted to chief minister Ashok Chavan for approval, will cost Rs 4,128 crore. The tower will have five floors reserved for parking and 16 for other essential services.

The remaining 80 floors will house office spaces and other commercial, recreational, academic and entertainment facilities.

"The one we have planned at Wadala will be bigger than that of Taipei's 101-floor structure; ours will have more height than that. While the cost of construction will be Rs 3,600 crore, that of developing infrastructure in and around will be Rs 500 crore," said an MMRDA official, adding that it would require no state funding and would be built on a build-operate-transfer basis.

The state is keen to rope in a global firm to attract MNCs and corporates to hire spaces in the building.

Proposed on a 1.4-lakh-sq-m plot, its built up area with 4 FSI will come to around 60,00,000 sq m. The concession period for the private firm will be a maximum of 35 years.

Anand Gupta, honorary general secretary of Builders' Association of India, said such structures were "feasible in terms of location and financial viability". Told that factories (such as RCF) were located nearby, he said such factors could not be constraints.

Aniruddha Paul, director of Raheja College of Architecture, said even though there was no need for high-rises to brand Mumbai abroad, the project was feasible. "Such skyscrapers can be green buildings as well. I will suggest that proper environmental care be taken," he added.

(via Times of India)

Top 10 picks: The greatest architecture of the past 1,000 years

What are the most significant, most beautiful, or most interesting buildings of the past 1,000 years? Some art historians choose the Taj Mahal, while others prefer the soaring skyscrapers of the 20th century. There is no single correct answer. Perhaps the most innovative buildings are not grand monuments, but obscure homes and temples. In this quick list, we'll take a whirlwind tour through time, visiting some of the most popular buildings ... and a few forgotten treasures.

1. 1137 : St. Denis Church in Saint-Denis

During the middle ages, builders were discovering that stone could carry far greater weight than ever imagined. Cathedrals could soar to dazzling heights, yet create the illusion of lace-like delicacy. The Church of St. Denis, commissioned by Abbot Suger of St. Denis, was one of the first large buildings to use this new vertical style known as Gothic. The church became a model for most of the late12th century French cathedrals, including Chartres.

More: St. Denis Church

2. 1205 - 1260 : Chartres Cathedral Reconstruction

In 1194, the original Romanesque Chartres Cathedral in Chartes, France was destroyed by fire. Reconstructed in the years 1205 to 1260, the new Chartres Cathdral was built in the new Gothic style. Innovations in the cathedral's construction set the standard for thirteenth century architecture.

More: Chartres Cathedral

3. 1406 - 1420 : The Forbidden City , Beijing

Occupying a rectangular area of more than 720,000 square meters, the Forbidden City was the imperial home of 24 emperors of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. The Forbidden City is one of the largest and best-preserved palace complexes in the world. There are over a million rare and valuable objects in the Museum.

More: The Forbidden City

4. 1546 and Later : The Louvre, Paris

In the late 1500s, Pierre Lescot designed a new wing for the Louvre... and popularized ideas of pure classical architecture in France. Lescot's design laid the foundation for the development of the Louvre over the next 300 years. In 1985, architect Ieoh Ming Pei stirred great controversy when he designed the stark glass pyramid entrance to the palace-turned-museum.

More: The Louvre

5. 1549 and Later: Palladio's Basilica, Italy

During the late 1500s, Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio brought new appreciation for the classical ideas of ancient Rome when he transformed the town hall in Vicenza, Italy into the Basilica (Palace of Justice). Palladio gave the remodeled building two styles of classical columns: Doric on the lower portion and Ionic on the upper portion. Palladio's later designs continued to reflect the humanist values of the Renaissance period.

More: Palladio's Basilica

6. 1630 to 1648 : Taj Mahal, India

According to legend, the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan wanted to build the most beautiful mausoleum on earth to express his love for his favorite wife. Or, perhaps he was simply asserting his political power. The Taj Mahal may have been designed by Ustad Ahmad Lahori, an Indian architect of Persian descent. Persian, Central Asian, and Islamic elements combine in the great white marble tomb. The Taj Mahal is just one of many architectural wonders in a land of majestic tombs and erotic temples.

More: The Taj Mahal

7. 1768 to 1782 : Monticello, Virginia, USA

When the American statesman, Thomas Jefferson, designed his Virginia home, he combined the European traditions of Palladio with American domesticity. Jefferson's plan for Monticello resembles Palladio's Villa Rotunda ... With a few innovations. Jefferson gave Monticello long horizontal wings, underground service rooms, and "modern" conveniences.

More: Monticello

8. 1889 : The Eiffel Tower, Paris

The Industrial Revolution in Europe brought about a new trend: the use of metallurgy in construction. Because of this, the engineer's role became increasingly important, in some cases melding with or rivaling that of the architect. The Eiffel Tower is the tallest building in Paris, and reigned for 40 years as the tallest in the world.

More: The Eiffel Tower

9. 1890 : The Wainwright Building, St. Louis, Missouri

Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler redefined American architecture with the Wainwright Building in St. Louis, Missouri. Their design emphasized the underlying structure. Except for the large, deep windows, the first two stories are unornamented. Uninterrupted piers extend through the next seven stories. Intertwined ornaments and small round windows form the upper story. "Form follows function," Sullivan told the world.

10. Great Buildings of the 20th Century

During the twentieth century, exciting new innovations in the world of architecture brought soaring skyscrapers and fresh new approaches to home design. Keep on reading for Top Picks of the modern age.

More: 20th Century Giants

(via About.com)

The cement that eats carbon dioxide

Cement, a vast source of planet-warming carbon dioxide, could be transformed into a means of stripping the greenhouse gas from the atmosphere, thanks to an innovation from British engineers.

The new environmentally friendly formulation means the cement industry could change from being a "significant emitter to a significant absorber of CO2," says Nikolaos Vlasopoulos, chief scientist at London-based Novacem, whose invention has garnered support and funding from industry and environmentalists.

The new cement, which uses a different raw material, certainly has a vast potential market. Making the 2bn tonnes of cement used globally every year pumps out 5% of the world's CO2 emissions - more than the entire aviation industry. And the long-term trends are upwards: a recent report by the French bank Credit Agricole estimated that, by 2020, demand for cement will increase by 50% compared to today.

Making traditional cement results in greenhouse gas emissions from two sources: it requires intense heat, and so a lot of energy to heat up the ovens that cook the raw material, such as limestone. That then releases further CO2 as it burns. But, until now, noone has found a large-scale way to tackle this fundamental problem.

Novacem's cement, based on magnesium silicates, not only requires much less heating, it also absorbs large amounts of CO2 as it hardens, making it carbon negative. Set up by Vlasopoulos and his colleagues at Imperial College London, Novacem has already attracted the attention of major construction companies such as Rio Tinto Minerals, WSP Group and Laing O'Rourke, and investors including the Carbon Trust.

The company has just started a £1.5m project funded by the government-backed Technology Strategy Board to build a pilot plant. If all goes well, Vlasopoulos expects to have Novacem products on the market within five years.

Jonathan Essex, a civil engineer at the building consultancy Bioregional who also sits on the environment and sustainability panel for the Institution of Civil Engineers, welcomed Novacem's ideas to tackle the carbon impact of cement. "In the UK the climate bill commits us to reduce CO2 emissions, and every sector should play its part. The construction industry needs to take greater responsibility for its own environmental impact." Essex said that, if Novacem can make their cement at a competitive price, the next step could be to take even more CO2 emissions out of the process by using renewable energy to fire the furnaces.

According to Novacem, its product can absorb, over its lifecycle, around 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of cement. This compares to carbon emissions of about 0.4 tonnes per of standard cement. "From that point of view, it's attractive," said Rachael Nutter, head of business incubators at the Carbon Trust. "The real challenge is what is the supply chain, who do you need to partner with to take it to market? The million-dollar question is what are the applications of it? If it ends up as decorative applications such as floor tiles, it's quite interesting but not as much as if you get into load-bearing structural stuff."

Previous attempts to make cement greener have included adding more aggregate to a concrete mixture, thereby using less cement. But this still does not tackle the problem of the carbon emissions from making the cement in the first place. Other systems use polymers in the mix, but none have yet made a significant impact on the market.

A spokesperson for the British Cement Association expressed a sceptical note, saying that though there was much ongoing laboratory work on new types of cement, there were also problems. "The reality is that the geological availability, and global distribution, of suitable natural resources, coupled with the extensive validation needed to confirm fitness-for-purpose, make it highly unlikely that these cements will a be realistic alternative for volume building."

Vlasopoulos responded that magnesium silicates are abundant worldwide, with 10,000 billion tonnes available, according to some estimates. "In addition, the production process of our cement is of a chemical nature, which means it can also utilise various industrial byproducts containing magnesium in its composition." He is confident the material will be strong enough for use in buildings but acknowledged that getting licenses to use it will take several years of testing.

Explainer: Ecofriendly vs traditional cement

Standard cement, also known as Portland cement, is made by heating limestone or clay to around 1,500C. The processing of the ingredients releases 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of cement. When it is eventually mixed with water for use in a building, each tonne of cement can absorb up to 0.4 tonnes of CO2, but that still leaves an overall carbon footprint per tonne of 0.4 tonnes.

Novacem's cement, which has a patent pending on it, uses magnesium silicates which emit no CO2 when heated. Its production process also runs at much lower temperatures - around 650C. This leads to total CO2 emissions of up to 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of cement produced. But the Novacem cement formula absorb far more CO2 as it hardens - about 1.1 tonnes. So the overall carbon footprint is negative - ie the cement removes 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per tonne used.

(via The Guardian.)

CIOs take lead in building management

Chief Information Officers (CIOs) are beginning to take a more commanding role in the development of “smart” building management systems, reports Network World.

As new buildings are designed to be more energy efficient - and old ones are retrofitted with new, integrated management systems - the IT department is being called in to converge its infrastructure with a building management system (BMS).

BMSs can “hang” off of IP networks, creating huge operating efficiencies. For instance, heating systems can communicate with air-conditioning systems, so windows open and close automatically to adjust to temperature. Failed light bulbs get replaced by a remote system. Vending machines on the IP network can be replenished quickly when low supplies are detected.

Large IT and networking suppliers (e.g., IBM, Cisco) are working with BMS suppliers to provide the technology for the integration. BMS providers have their own protocols that are not always IP-based, and CIOs are encouraging them to convert them, thus setting up a future of integration.

And because IT executives are accustomed to change and a short cycle of innovation, they are perfectly poised to push companies to embrace new ways of operating, said Rajesh Sinha, technical director of building services company NG Bailey Teswaine, the ICT arm of the UK’s NG Bailey.

(via Environmental Leader.)

How to buy cement

There are two types of cement: Grey cement - used only for construction purposes, and White cement - for a variety of uses like mosaic flooring, in cement paints, and as a primer for paints, etc. Grey cement costs more than white cement because the production costs and excise duty are higher. White cement also sets faster. For grey cement, the strength after 28 days of setting is taken as the final strength. White cement achieves this strength in about three days time.

The cement has to be fine in texture. It should be smooth, dry and cool to touch. Fineness gives more strength to cement because the chemical reactions take place faster. Do not buy cement which is in rough, granular lumps. This indicates it has been exposed to moisture. Cement is now available in grades and is easier to buy . For eg: 53 grade cement implies that a cube of cement can withstand a pressure of 530 kgs per square centimetre. You can check this on a compressing machine. This is called the breaking strength of cement. Good cement hardens faster. You can therefore remove the scaffolding / formwork sooner than usual. You save on centering and labour costs, and your building is ready much faster.

(via ChennaiBest.com)

Top 10 ugliest buildings and monuments

Travel can open your eyes to some of the world's most beautiful sights and buildings-and to some of the ugliest.

Web site VirtualTourist.com (www.virtualtourist.com) has come up with a list of The World's Top 10 Ugliest Buildings and Monuments according to their editors and readers.

"Some of these picks have all the charm of a bag of nails while others are just jaw-dropping in their complexity. Love them or hate them, the list is certainly entertaining," said general manager Giampiero Ambrosi.

• Boston City Hall, Boston

While it was hip for it's time, this concrete structure now gets routinely criticized for its dreary facade and incongruity with the rest of the city's more genteel architecture. Luckily, it's very close to more aesthetically pleasing attractions.

• Montparnasse Tower, Paris

While it's almost universally agreed that this ominous stick is a blight on the landscape of the world's most stunning city, its detractors admit that there is one very good reason to take in the view from the building's observation deck: it's the only place you can go to get a view of the city without it.

• LuckyShoe Monument, Tuuri

It may be over-the-top, but there is something to be said for the giant, golden horseshoe that looms over Finland's second-largest shopping center. The shoe, and, in fact, the entire town in which it is situated, is said to bring good luck.

• Metropolitan Cathedral, Liverpool

The people who work here must be sick of the space capsule jokes. Even those who find the building's shell a bit "spacey," have to admit the circular interior is pretty spectacular.

• Port Authority Bus Terminal, New York City

Those who pass by this iron monstrosity might be tempted to ask about a completion date, but alas, this is the finished product.

• Torres de Colon, Madrid

Like a set of giant salt-and-pepper shakers, these matching towers loom over the city to the dissatisfaction of many area residents. The buildings are also known as "El Enchufe" or "The Plug" for the plug-like structure that holds them together.

• Liechtenstein Museum of Fine Arts, Vaduz

Some feel the building's minimalist box design is a triumph, others say it's an eyesore.

• Scottish Parliament Building, Edinburgh

Stone, oak, and bamboo are part of the make-up of the Scottish Parliament, a building that is the subject of much debate.

• Birmingham Central Library, Birmingham

One look and it's easy to see how this genre of architecture came to be known as the "Brutalist" style. Not surprisingly, the issue of its possible demolition has been looming for years.

• Peter the Great Statue, Moscow

Some 15 stories high, the larger-than-life monument was designed by controversial artist, Zurab K. Tsereteli, whose statue of Christopher Columbus was repeatedly rejected by the United States.

(via Yahoo)

Top 10 skyscarper movies

1. The Fountainhead

Adapted from Ayn Rand's bestselling potboiler, The Fountainhead combines architecture with drama, romance, and sex. Gary Cooper plays Howard Roark, an idealistic architect who refuses to create buildings that violate his aesthetic values. Patricia Neal is his passionate lover, Dominique. 1949

2. The Towering Inferno

An architect (Paul Newman) and a fire chief ( Steve McQueen) race to rescue the occupants of a burning San Francisco skyscraper, which is touted as the "world's tallest building." 1974

3. Die Hard

When a dozen international terrorists take over a Los Angeles highrise, a tough New York cop (Bruce Willis) saves the day. 1988.

5. Metropolis

Directed by Fritz Lang, this silent film classic interprets Le Corbusier's plans for the future, imagining a mile-high city built by slaves. For this DVD version, producer Giorgio Moroder speeded up the pacing, restored the tints, and added a rock and disco soundtrack. 1926

6. Entrapment

An aging thief (Sean Connery) becomes enmeshed with a beautiful insurance agent (Catherine Zeta-Jones). The real stars of this film are the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 1999

7. Jungle Fever

A rising black architect (Wesley Snipes) has an adulterous affair with a working class Italian American (Annabella Sciorra) in present day New York. Directed by Spike Lee. 1991

9. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

OK, you won't see skyscrapers, but The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a must-have for anyone who is serious about studying the relationship between film and architecture. In this German Expressionist masterpiece, the evil Dr. Caligari (Werner Krauss) hypnotizes an innocent villager to commit murder. Director Robert Wiene set the eerie tale in a surreal world of twisted angles and contorted buildings. Silent, with music track, 1919

10. Skyscraper

Former Playboy Playmate Anna Nicole Smith is a helicopter pilot who becomes a hostage after flying a terrorist to the top of a skyscraper. Sex and skyscrapers -- what more could you want? 1996

12 great examples of modern architecture

The Guardian newspaper has put together a special series that showcases the best modern architecture around the globe.

Empire State Building - “the architectural pivot around which Manhattan appears to turn”

Sydney Opera House - “redefined the way we saw and thought about its host city”

Guggenheim Museum - “a glorious exhibition of itself, an architectural gesture, and urban eye-catcher”

Pompidou Centre - “it made Paris seem instantly modern”

Le Corbusier

Jewish Museum - “a building that was most effective when newly complete and emptya building that was most effective when newly complete and empty”

Fallingwater - “what Modern house is more compelling?”

30 St Mary Axe - “the “Gherkin”, is one of the most charismatic of contemporary city of London’s towers”

Casa Mila - “a magnificent example of seemingly willful organic design”

Eden Project - “a sea of bubbles from old Cornish chalk pits”

Phaeno Science Centre - “a wonderfully confident structure in which floors become walls, walls become floors”

Arnos Grove - “a utilitarian construction that is, nevertheless a Roman civic temple brought up-to-date”

OK, ok - so the list is full of the classics but read this article to understand why.

[via Archinect]

The world's largest building

New plans for world's tallest skyscraper unveiled in Dubai

The Dubai developer Nakheel – the company that created man-made islands in the shapes of a palm tree and the world – said the structure would be the centre-piece of an inner-city harbour planned as the emirate's unofficial capital.

It would not comment on the exact height or cost of the Islamic design-inspired Nakheel Tower. The building will have "more than 200 floors" and be part of "a multi-billion pound development", the company said.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, a cautious Nakheel chief executive officer, Christopher O'Donnell, said: "From our perspective, we are building a tower that's going to be over a kilometre in height. This is a complete iconic development. It may be the tallest."

The tower and harbour project will take more than 10 years to complete. Apart from the landmark structure, there will be another 40 towers, ranging in height from 20 floors to 90 floors. The entire development will be home to more than 55,000 people and a workplace for more than 45,000.

(via The Telegraph)

Architecture timeline

This page provides a quick history of architecture in the Western world, from prehistoric megaliths to modernist skyscrapers. Follow the links to find articles and photos for each period and style. Please note that architecture is a fluid art. Architectural styles do not start and stop at precise times, and the dates listed here are approximate.

Architecture in Prehistoric Times¹
Before recorded history, humans constructed stone circles, megaliths, and other structures.

Ancient Architecture²
3000 BC to 337 BC In ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, civilizations built enormous temples and shrines.

Early Christian and Medieval ³
373 to 500 AD. European architecture moved from the rectangular basilica forms to the classically inspired Byzantine style.

Romanesque⁴
500 to 1200 AD As Rome spread across Europe, heavier, stocky Romanesque architecture with rounded arches emerged.

Gothic Architecture⁵
1200 to 1400 AD Innovative builders created the great cathedrals of Europe.

Renaissance Architecture⁶
1400 to 1600 AD A return to classical ideas ushered an "age of "awakening" in Italy, France, and England.

Baroque Architecture⁷
1600 to 1700 AD In Italy, the Baroque style is reflected in opulent and dramatic churches with irregular shapes and extravagant ornamentation. In France, the highly ornamented Baroque style combines with Classical restraint. Russian aristorcrats were impressed by Versailles in France, and incorporated Baroque ideas in the building of St. Petersburg. Elements of the elaborate Baroque style are found throughout Europe.

Rococo Architecture8
1650 to 1790 AD During the last phase of the Baroque period, builders constructed elegant white buildings with sweeping curves.

American Colonial Architecture⁹
1600 to 1780 AD European settlers in the New World borrowed ideas from their homelands to create their own breed of architecture.

Georgian Architecture¹⁰
1720 to 1800 AD Georgian was a stately, symmetrical style that dominated in Great Britain and Ireland and influenced building styles in the American colonies.

Neoclassical / Federalist / Idealist¹¹
1750 to 1880 AD A renewed interest in ideas of Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio inspired a return of classical shapes in Europe, Great Britain and the United States.

Greek Revival Architecture¹²
1790 to 1850 AD These classical buildings and homes often feature columns, pediments and other details inspired by Greek forms. Antebellum homes in the American south were often built in the Greek Revival style.

Victorian Architecture¹³
1840 to 1900 AD Industrialization brought many innovations in architecture. Victorian styles include Gothic Revival, Italianate, Stick, Eastlake, Queen Anne, Romanesque and Second Empire.

Arts and Crafts Movement in Architecture¹⁴
1860 to 1900 AD Arts and Crafts was a late 19th-century backlash against the forces of industrialization. The Arts and Crafts movement revived an interest in handicrafts and sought a spiritual connection with the surrounding environment, both natural and manmade. The Craftsman Bungalow evolved from the Arts and Crafts movement.

Art Nouveau Architecture¹⁵
1890 to 1914 AD Known as the New Style, Art Nouveau was first expressed in fabrics and graphic design. The style spread to architecture and furniture in the 1890s. Art Nouveau buildings often have asymmetrical shapes, arches and decorative surfaces with curved, plant-like designs.

Art Deco Architecture¹⁶
1925 to 1935 AD Zigzag patterns and vertical lines create dramatic effect on jazz-age, Art Deco buildings.

20th Century Trends in Architecture¹⁷
1900 to Present. The century has seen dramatic changes and astonishing diversity. Twentieth century trends include Art Moderne and the Bauhaus school coined by Walter Gropius, Deconstructivism, Formalism, Modernism, Structuralism, and Postmodernism.

(via About.com)

Cass Gilbert, Skyscraper pioneer

Cass Gilbert Birth:

November 29, 1859 in Zanesville, Ohio

Cass Gilbert Death:
May 17, 1934

Cass Gilbert Education:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, 1878-1879

Important Buildings by Cass Gilbert:

• 1900: Broadway Chambers Building, New York City
• 1902: Essex County Courthouse, Newark, New Jersey
• 1904: Festival Hall and Art Building, St. Louis, Missouri
• 1905: , St. Paul
• 1907: US Custom House
• 1913: F.W. Woolworth Company Building, New York City
• 1915: Completed the Arkansas State Capitol Building
• 1917: Allen Memorial Art Museum at Oberlin College, Ohio
• 1921: Detroit Public Library
• 1926: Plans for George Washington Bridge, New York
• 1928: New York Life Insurance Building
• 1935: U.S. Supreme Court Building, Washington D.C.

Quotes by Cass Gilbert:

• "In conducting business (especially for the office) never forget that the greatest danger arises from cocksure pride."
• "Beware of over-confidence; especially in matters of structure."
• "It is only the young and callow and ignorant that admire rashness. Think before you speak. Know your subject."

^{-from Maxims for My Office Organization}

Related People:

• William LeBaron Jenney
• William Sullivan
• William Holabird

Why Cass Gilbert is Important:

Although Cass Gilbert's name is rarely mentioned today, he exercised enormous influence on the development of architecture in the United States. He is perhaps best known for his gothic skyscraper, the Woolworth Building, which was the world's tallest building at the time. Combining modern technologies with historic ideas, Gilbert designed numerous public buildings, including the state capitols of Minnesota, West Virginia, and Arkansas. He was consulting architect for the George Washington Bridge, which crosses the Hudson River in upper Manhattan, New York City.

(via About.com)

Lunchtime atop a skyscraper

These 1932 photo by fearless photographer Charles C. Ebbets shows workmen eating lunch and relaxing (one is a night picture) on the 69th floor of the GE Building during the construction of Rockefeller Center. The photo was originally published in the New York Herald Tribune.

In additions to his daring work as a photographer, Ebbets worked as a pilot, a race car driver, and a professional wrestler.

Rotating skyscrapers planned for Dubai and Moscow

Plans have been revealed for the world's first skyscrapers that will constantly change shape due to dozens of rotating floors.

The Italian-based architect David Fisher wants to build the dynamic towers in Moscow and Dubai by the end of 2010.

A 70-storey building has received planning approval for Moscow, and an 80-storey building in Dubai is awaiting approval.

The skyscrapers will be powered by the sun and wind and continuously change shape as each floor rotates around a central axis.

Occupants of an entire floor will be able to control the rotation by voice command, with speeds varying from an hour to three hours for each full rotation.

The buildings will also be fitted with car lifts so that residents can park right outside their homes.

Russian real estate developer Mirax Group is behind the Moscow tower, while the planned Dubai building is backed by Fisher's Rotating Tower Technology Company.

India's tallest skyscraper

One of India's most famous architects, Hafeez Contractor, presented a design concept to the Noida Authority for building what he hopes will be the tallest building in the World. At a proposed 135-storeys it is truly a revolutionary concept for urban planning in India, where the current record is held by the MVRDC World Trade Centre I in Mumbai at a 156m/35 floors, while the Shreepati Arcade is 152.5m/45 floors. The proposed height of the Noida skyscraper is not known, but Hafeez intends it to be bigger than current record holder, the Taipei 101 at 508m, and, the Guardian reports, bigger than even the proposed Burj Dubai tower in Dubai.

The Burj Dubai is being built with only one intention - to be the tallest tower in the world. So while current plans of its exact proposed height when it is ready in 2007 or 2008 are being kept a secret, speculators have claimed anything from 492m to even 900m. Even those claiming the same 160 floors are varied in their estimates from 700 to 800 meters. It is widely believed however that the foundation of the building would be made extra strong to accommodate future floors, to ensure supremacy in the numbers game. (Just a passing thought, but the exterior design does not look conducive for future enhancements of that kind.) With that background, it remains to be seen how exactly Hafeez (who is also building a 120 floor tower block in Dubai) plans to beat the Burj Dubai tower.

Building for a smaller planet

In the fall of 2002, a young Dutch architect named Winy Maas came to Yale to give a lecture on designing and building the 21st-century city, the challenges of which he illustrated by showing a 30-second video that could have been shot above any American metropolitan airport: a view of the tops of several buildings and then, as the camera rose, more and more buildings, more roads and bridges and asphalt lots, until an ugly concrete skin of low-rise development spread to all horizons.

Maas was not the first architect to protest the unsightly sprawl that humans have left over much of the earth’s surface, but he may have been the first to suggest that we preserve what’s left of our finite planetary space by creating “vertical suburbias” — stacking all those quarter-acre plots into high-rise residential towers, each with its own hanging, cantilevered yard.

“Imagine: It’s Saturday afternoon, and all the barbecues are running,” Maas said, unveiling his design for a 15-story building decked out with leafy, gravity-defying platforms. “You can just reach out and give your upstairs neighbor a beer.”

He turned next to agriculture. Noting that the Dutch pork industry consumes huge swaths of land — Holland has as many pigs as people — Maas proposed freeing up the countryside by erecting sustainable 40-story tower blocks for the pigs. “Look — it’s a pork port,” he said, flashing images from PigCity, his plan for piling up the country’s porcine population and its slaughterhouses into sod-layered, manure-powered skyscrapers that would line the Dutch coast.

Maas is the charismatic frontman for the Rotterdam-based architecture, urban-planning and landscape-design firm known as MVRDV, which brims with schemes for generating space in our overcrowded world. With his messy, teen-idol hair and untucked shirt, Maas strolled the stage extolling the MVRDV credo — maximize urban density, construct artificial natures, let data-crunching computers do the design work — while various mind-bending simulations played across the screen: skyscrapers that tilted and “kissed” on the 30th floor; highways that ran through lobbies and converted into “urban beaches”; all the housing, retail and industry for a theoretical city of one million inhabitants digitally compressed into the space of a three-mile-high cube.

The Netherlands, prosperous and progressive, has long been one of the world’s leading exporters of architectural talent. By the mid-1990’s, not only Rem Koolhaas and his Office for Metropolitan Architecture but also a whole new generation of designers — MVRDV, West 8, UNStudio — were trying to enlarge Le Corbusier’s definition of architecture as the “magnificent play of volumes brought together under light” and arguing for a process driven by research, information and a greater social and environmental awareness. Fighting their battles not just building to building but on a sweeping, citywide scale, Holland’s architects and designers were, in the words of the Dutch culture minister, “heroes of a new age.”

Still, paradigms tend to fall only under pressure, and at the start of the new millennium an audience at the Yale School of Architecture could be forgiven for greeting vertical suburbs, pig cities and the rest of MVRDV’s computer-generated showmanship with the same slack-jawed disbelief that once greeted Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis” or the 1909 Life magazine cartoon that promised an urban utopia of country villas perched atop Manhattan skyscrapers while double-decker airplanes whizzed through their atria.

When Maas came to New Haven, MVRDV was barely 10 years old and had hardly built outside its native Holland. And yet there he was with his straight-faced scheme to “extend the globe with a series of new moons” — send up food-producing satellites that would orbit the earth three times a day. “Can you imagine,” he said with a boyish, science-fair enthusiasm that indulged no irony, “if we grew our tomatoes 10 kilometers high?” On the lecture-hall screen, New York’s skyline appeared just as the MVRDV satellite passed overhead, darkening Gotham with a momentary eclipse of the sun.

Who were these Dutch upstarts? And in the so-called real world, would anything actually become of their grand, improbable visions?

The 45 architects and designers who make up MVRDV (the name is formed by the surname initials of Mass and his two founding partners, Jacob van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries) work out of a converted, loftlike space in an old printing plant in Rotterdam, a dull but industrious port city whose historic districts were leveled by the Nazis and whose jagged skyline of new office towers and construction cranes attests to its still-restless effort to rebuild.

Inside MVRDV, a liquid northern light pours through a wall of high arched windows, and the occasional cries of foghorns and seagulls confirm its location just blocks from the city’s main shipping lane. But otherwise, the mostly 30-something architects who sit with a slouching intensity at rows of long communal tables, surfing Google Earth or manipulating blue-foam architectural models, seem to have their minds in other places.

Read more.

The world's tallest building

An exclusive video of the world's tallest building, the Burj Dubai.