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Top 10 Extravagant Fountain Designs in the World
Following on the topic explored in our previous blog post, a key usage of water in architecture – as you may have predicted – involves fountains. Read on to explore ten various different breath-taking designs around the world that may or may not inspire your future travel destinations. The magnitude of the fountain brings awe, yet its significance extends far beyond its grandeur. In Singaporean culture, wealth encompasses more than mere financial abundance; it represents prosperity across various facets of life, including happiness, health, and overall well-being. The Fountain of Wealth embodies this comprehensive understanding of prosperity, serving as a symbol of hope, aspiration, and communal achievement. Constructed in 1995…
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Inventive Uses of Water in Architecture
Being one of the most fundamental natural elements of our world, water has greatly impacted the aesthetics, formation and utility of buildings and structures. This natural element has been integrated throughout architecture in endlessly innovative ways, from indoor pools to soaring waterfalls. Read on to discover some of the inventive ways water is implemented into architectural projects...
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Jeanne Gang’s Architectural Career
Jeanne Gang is an American architect most widely known for her Aqua Tower and as the founder of her firm, Studio Gang, with offices based in New York, Paris, San Francisco as well as Chicago. Aside from the Aqua Tower, she is also known as a pioneering designer with innovative responses to issues of environmental and ecological sustainability. By employing sustainable design techniques, she and her firm has managed to conserve resources, decrease urban sprawl and increase biodiversity. Early Studies and Career Gang’s start in the field of architecture started with her architecture bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois in 1986. Shortly following this first degree, Gang was selected…
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Everything you need to know about avant-Garde architecture
Similar to modernism, Avant-garde architecture is a unification of art with life. Starting in the 19th to 20th century, it was rather disruptive, radical and controversial, fighting against consensus and looking for disruption. Taken literally, the avant-garde refers to the front of a marching army, the scouts that first head into unknown territory. Today, this form of artistic and architectural style radicalises the basic principle of modernity: the urge toward continual change and development. Origins of Avant-Garde architecture Political, economic and socialist theorist Henri de Saint-Simon was the first one who drew the analogy between radical art practices and an advancing military formation: “We artists will serve you as an…
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Aspiring Women Architects in the Coming Years…
Read on to discover a few remarkable women architects who are breaking barriers, defying stereotypes, and making their way into the spotlight of the industry of architecture.
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The Bauhaus School and the Modernist Movement
People living in Germany might nowadays associate the word Bauhaus with their local, popular retail stores next to Ikea. However, the Bauhaus was also an art school that played an important part in uniting art, crafts and technology in the years following the first World War. Through modern design and innovative ideas, this school’s main goal was to improve people’s living conditions. Read on to discover the unique curriculum offered to students, its prominent architecture, key figures, and artistic movements that followed the rise of Bauhaus. Origin and principles of Bauhaus The Bauhaus was founded in 1919 in the city of Weimar by German architect Walter Gropius (1883 – 1969),…
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Net-zero architecture: Concept, Design Strategies and Examples
In this article, the concept of net-zero and how it applies to architecture is explored. Read on to discover innovative ways architects and engineers construct energy-efficient buildings, and how they are contributing to our society nowadays.
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How hospital architecture can influence the health of patients
When one thinks of the determinants of health in hospital patients, equipment, doctors and staff are the key ones that come to mind. Although many may not be aware, the design of hospitals, its buildings and spaces also play a crucial role in determining the well-being of its patients. The size and layout of a room, whether a bed sits in the middle or against a wall, lighting and outdoor areas all need to be considered when building a hospital. In the past, these have not been considered predictors of health outcomes, but that is slowly changing. Read on to discover the importance of incorporating principles of social design into…
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How do civil engineers build wind-resisting skyscrapers?
With the numerous skyscrapers reshaping city skylines today, one can not help but wonder just how they manage to resist the horizontal force of the wind while withstanding the vertical force of gravity. Just what makes these structures so durable? What forces of physics are at play here? Read on to discover innovative ways and methods civil engineers and architects managed to make these towering structures withstand extreme weather and geological events such as high winds or earthquakes. The history of skyscrapers Due to the large number of people who moved from smaller towns to urban areas across the world, big cities sometimes struggled to accommodate this drastic increase in…
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The Mini Sky City – How architects built a 57-story skyscraper in just 19 days
In Changsha, China, one of the fastest built buildings is making history. The Broad Sustainable Building Co. – a prefab construction firm – managed to erect a 57-story skyscraper in just 19 working days. This shocking feat was discussed worldwide and took up top headlines in sites like The Guardian and New York Post. Continue reading to find out how a construction company managed to achieve this. What was the secret? The secret was modular construction. Noted by Xiao Changgeng – the vice-president of the Broad Sustainable Building Co. – the company put up the rectangular, glass and steel Mini Sky City, assembling three floors a day, using a modular…