Modern Architecture

Buy Your favorite Coffee Maker and Pans Online from Shopwiki

admin — Thu, 27 May 2010 15:32:34 +0000

It is a normal tendency for modern people like us to find information and buy many things using a help of our favorite search engine. If you have no time for shopping and look around in some stores around you to buy many things you need, you can shop at Shopwiki.com too.

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For you who are looking for new pots and pans, ensure yourself that you already read pots and pans buying guide that will tell you some things to consider when you buy a pan. Coffee lovers can be happy because you can save time buy shop coffee makers online from Shopwiki.com now. You can find espresso machine, vacuum coffee maker, automatic drip products and more. You can also buy coffee like Italian roast or French roast online from this site. So, visit now!

Top 10 Architecture Wonders

admin — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 13:08:46 +0000

By the end of 2005, top 10 architecture wonders in China have been chosen by Businessweek, USA, through public appraisal, 8 in Beijing and 2 in Shanghai. The development of Chinese architecture industry has been creating a stage for today’s toppest architecture and its technology.

1. National Gymnasium (Bird Nest)

It was in the National Gymnasium where 2008 Beijing Olympic Games was opend and closed over one month ago. It looks like a bird nest externally, not completely closed but solarization and rain can be avoided good for the audiences and the athletes. With 91000 seats inside the Bird Nest, all the audiences are in natural ventilation.

2.National Theatre (Bird Egg)

The National Theatre looks like a bird egg floating on the manmade lake, it was designed by Paul Andreu, French designer.

3. National Swimming Center (Water Cube)

It was here that Phelps won 8 swimming gold medals. It was designed and built in accordance with the theory of bubble so that this unique structure can resist almost all the earthquake.

4. Beijing International Airport

The largest airport around the world, covering 1 million square meter, its shape is similar with the enlarged Pentagon Building USA.

5. Shanghai Global Financial Center – Presently the highest structure in the world

6. CCTV New Building, Beijing

7. Congming Dongtan Eco City, Shanghai

Like Manhattan and its scope, it is located on an Island, Congming Island, third biggest island in China. The first stage will be completed before 2010 Shanghai Expo and totally finished in the year of 2040.

8. Commune by the Great Wall

21 villas, Kempinski, Germany, is responsible for the operation.

9. Beijing MOMA

10. Donghai Sea Link Bridge, Shanghai

It is 20 miles long, actually the longest bridge in China is Hang zhou Bay Sea-link Bridge, 22 miles.

By: Xu Shaojun

Feng Shui Architecture

admin — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 15:59:14 +0000

Feng Shui is a Chinese philosophy focusing on the relationship between humans and the environment. It is a natural earth science which reveals how people are affected by their immediate surroundings. Since everything is connected, certain geographical, architectural and planetary conditions have the power to either improve or worsen our well-being.

Feng-Shui is based on the laws of nature and provides us theories that explain why certain things happen in our lives. These theories stem from logical conclusions about natural cause and effects that have endured through time The Chinese philosophy dictates that everything is made of chi, or energy which is further broken up into the five basic elements of metal, fire, water, wood and earth. Each of these physical elements has energies that have frequencies with a unique wavelength which react with each other in different ways, either positive or negative. Humans are affected by cosmic and earth energies and feng shui is a way for us to harness this power and use it for our good.

Based on the Taoist philosophies of nature which include the Yin-Yang Theory, Five Element Theory and the Yi-Jing Trigrams, feng shui helps us determine which frequencies work positively with our own personal energy as well as the energies of our family members and co-workers. By using this knowledge we can create an environment of comfort that allows us to live efficiently and progressively. Everything can be designed keeping the principles of feng shui in mind – feng shui decorations, feng shui bedrooms, fengshui living rooms etc.

However, the phenomenon of Feng-Shui as passed down from the generations is complex to understand in its entirety and mastered by only a privileged few.

Today, feng shui is a multi-disciplinary study encompassing architecture, urban planning, geography, astrology, electromagnetism, landscape design, environmental psychology and much more.

Using the ancient science and philosophy of feng shui we can design, build, remodel, and decorate our homes successfully so that they will become environments that support our lives and our well-being. In today’s fiercely competitive world, architects have thus succumbed to the needs and demands of the clients and started incorporating principles of feng shui to harmonize with the spiritual forces that inhabit it, and their application in architecture through planning principles, services, building elements and materials. The architect well versed in feng shui can also use its benefits to match structures and land, forecast development related concerns such as cost overruns, quality issues, worker injuries and trade disputes.

By: William Brister

Journey to the Magical City of Architecture – Prague

admin — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 08:00:52 +0000

As the capital city of the Czech Republic, Prague attracts over three million visitors every year, making it the sixth most visited city in Europe. Prague is known as one of the best cities in Europe in which to view buildings from nine different architectural periods, built over the past 1000 years.

The city’s biggest architectural boom occurred in the 14th Century, as the city became the cultural and political hub of Europe. Many buildings and monuments were erected in the Gothic style during this time, including the world famous Charles Bridge and much of the Old Town area.

The Old Town draws a large number of visitors seeking to explore the windy, narrow streets and the elaborately designed gothic buildings. The prize in the Old Town’s Gothic jewel is the Astronomical Clock, built in 1410, and which chimes every day at midday over a crowd of tourists. Legend has it that once the clock maker had finished his work, the town officials blinded him so he could not reproduce the same masterpiece in other cities. The clock has been modified and added to over the years, including the addition of a Grim Reaper in the 17th Century, who still tolls the bell today.

The 17th and 18th Centuries also brought a new style of architecture into fashion in Prague. Baroque architecture features lavishly ornate buildings and, in particular, churches. Large residences, with generous gardens, began appearing in Prague as Europe’s wealthy classes and cultural elite washed over the city. Cultural activities such as opera and music grew in popularity and Mozart even premiered The Magic Flute at the Baroque Church of St Nicholas in Prague.

As time wore on, further architectural styles came into fashion and were adopted by the city’s planners and architects. They were influenced by movements in the art world and architectural styles from other European cities. Elements of Romanesque influences can be seen in the Basilica of St George and Art Nouveau architectural styles were used to design the main railway station and the New Jewish Cemetery.

The best way to view all of Prague’s architecture is to visit Prague Castle. Originally built in a Gothic style, the St Vitus Cathedral in the heart of the castle grounds is now surrounded by structures from the Baroque, Renaissance, Romanesque and Art Nouveau periods. What’s more, many hotels in Prague were built in these traditional styles of architecture also.

It is from the vantage point of Prague Castle that you are able to view the city in all its splendour, including the breathtaking city skyline which is created by the maze of architectural styles across the great and beautiful city that Prague is today.

Disclaimer: Matthew Pressman writes for a wide variety of commercial clients. This article is intended for information purposes only and readers should seek additional information before taking any actions based on its content.

By: Matthew Pressman

Information Architecture – Building Blocks For Techies!

admin — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 10:49:50 +0000

What can be more frustrating than having loads of information but not knowing how best to arrange it?

Information Architecture is the art of building a structure for managing information. For example, you might use it to organize your company website’s content into groups and create an interface to support those categories. Information architecture has unlimited application in the knowledge universe – you can use it to organize data on your system, make your email more manageable or simply compose a document. The ultimate objective is to provide users a smarter and easier way of assimilating information.

Metadata and classification are part and parcel of information architecture. Classification might sound dull as ditchwater, but it imparts the cutting edge to data retrieval. While expert classification takes years to master, there are a few simple ground rules that can be put into practice right away.

o Arrange the information in a document in such a way that it communicates rather than informs. Merely loading data does not do the trick.
o Structure the content in a manner that the user finds important points quickly.
o Having classified mountains of data, provide a facility whereby the user can easily create a new document by extracting information from several sources at one time. You would need tools such as Extensible Mark-up Language (XML) for this kind of work.

Information architecture has been the subject of many books, including “Information Architecture: An Emerging 21st Century Profession” and “Information Architecture for the World Wide Web: Designing Large-Scale Web Sites”. However, if we were to peel away the technical nuances of designing information architecture and focus on the practical aspects, we would be left with the following invaluable insight.

Set unambiguous goals: Clearly define the purpose of the information. Is it mainly for personal or business use or both? This will determine the level and type of classification you need to develop.

Don’t be in a hurry: Consider each classification carefully and take time to review it objectively. Examine it from the users’ perspective. Is this the way they are likely to look for information? Are there too many confusing categories? Too few? Also, design it with an eye on the future, and not based only on current requirements. This will require a broader perspective of the subject under study. Remember, speed is the enemy of quality classification, and you’ll get nowhere if you don’t get it right. Do not classify for the heck of it.

Don’t change ships midstream: Once you’ve devised your master plan, stay with it. Don’t keep changing your classification rules at every opportunity, as that only wastes effort and creates confusion.

Put it to test: The proof of the pudding is in the eating, and it is best that the chef lead by example! Take a trial run yourself before you spring it on others. Did you find what you wanted easily? Did it match your expectations? Was the time it took you to find the information justified? Software development templates like “Verification and Validation Plan” and “Test Plan Template” can also be of help. And most important, don’t be satisfied until you receive good feedback from the actual end users.

By: Akhil Shahani