FALKRIK WHEEL

The Falkirk Wheel is a rotating boat lift located in Scotland, UK, connecting the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal, opened in 2002. It is named after the nearby town of Falkirk which is in central Scotland. The two canals were previously connected by a series of 11 locks, but by the 1930s these had fallen into disuse, were filled in and the land built upon.

The plan to regenerate the canals of central Scotland to reconnect Glasgow with Edinburgh was led by British Waterways with support and funding from seven local authorities, the Scottish Enterprise Network, the European Regional Development Fund and the Millennium Commission. It was decided early on to create a dramatic 21st century landmark structure to reconnect the canals, instead of simply recreating the historic lock flight. Designs were submitted for a boat lift to link the canals, with the Falkirk Wheel design winning. As with many Millennium Commission projects the site includes a visitors' centre containing a shop, café and exhibition centre.

The difference in the levels of the two canals at the wheel is 24 metres (79 ft), roughly equivalent to the height of an eight-storey building. The Union Canal, however, is 11m higher than the aqueduct which meets the wheel, and boats must pass through a pair of locks to descend from this canal onto the aqueduct at the top of the wheel. The aqueduct could not have been positioned higher due to conflicts with the historically important Antonine Wall.

The structure is located near the Rough Castle Fort and the closest village is Tamfourhill. On 24 May 2002, Queen Elizabeth II opened the Falkirk Wheel as part of her Golden Jubilee celebrations. The opening had been delayed by a month due to flooding caused by vandals who forced open the Wheel's gates.

The wheel has an overall diameter of 35 metres (115 ft) and consists of two opposing arms which extend 15 metres beyond the central axle and take the shape of a Celtic-inspired, double-headed axe. Two sets of these axe-shaped arms are attached about 25 metres (82 ft) apart to a 3.5 metres (11 ft) diameter axle. Two diametrically opposed water-filled caissons, each with a capacity of 80,000 imperial gallons (360,000 l; 96,000 US gal), are fitted between the ends of the arms.

Bahá'í House of Worship

The Bahá'í House of Worship in Delhi, India, popularly known as the Lotus Temple due to its flowerlike shape, is a Bahá'í House of Worship and also a prominent attraction in Delhi. It was completed in 1986 and serves as the Mother Temple of the Indian subcontinent. It has won numerous architectural awards and been featured in hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles.

All Bahá'í Houses of Worship, including the Lotus Temple, share certain architectural elements, some of which are specified by Bahá'í scripture. `Abdu'l-Bahá, the son of the founder of the religion, stipulated that an essential architectural character of a House of Worship be that it requires to have a nine-sided circular shape Inspired by the lotus flower, its design is composed of 27 free-standing marble clad "petals" arranged in clusters of three to form nine sides. While all current Bahá'í Houses of Worship have a dome, they are not regarded as an essential part of their architecture. Bahá'í scripture also states that no pictures, statues or images be displayed within the House of Worship and no pulpits or altars be incorporated as an architectural feature (readers may stand behind simple portable lecture stands). The nine doors of the Lotus Temple open onto a central hall, capable of holding up to 2,500 people. The central hall is slightly more than 40 meters talland its surface is made of white marble. The white marbles are from Penteli mountain in Greece, the very same from which many of the ancient monuments were built and also many other Bahai temples. The House of Worship, along with the nine surrounding ponds and the gardens around comprise 26 acres (105,000 m²; 10.5 ha).
The site is in the village of Bahapur, in the National Capital Territory of Delhi. The architect was an Iranian, who now lives in Canada, named Fariborz Sahba. He was approached in 1976 to design it, later oversaw its construction and saved money from the construction budget to build a greenhouse to study which indigenous plants and flowers would be appropriate for the site. The major part of the funds needed to buy this land was donated by Ardishír Rustampúr of Hyderabad, who gave his entire life savings for this purpose in 1953
AWARDS

• 1987, the Architect of the Bahá'í House of Worship, Mr. Fariborz Sahba an Iranian born was presented the award for excellence in religious art and architecture by the UK-based Institution of Structural Engineers for producing a building "so emulating the beauty of a flower and so striking in its visual impact".
• 1987, the Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art and Architecture, Affiliate of the American Institute of Architects, Washington, D.C., gave their First Honour award for "Excellence in Religious Art and Architecture" 1987 to Mr. F. Sahba for the design of the Bahá'í House of Worship near New Delhi.

A pond surrounds the Lotus Temple

• 1988, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America conferred the Paul Waterbury Outdoor Lighting Design Award - Special Citation for Exterior Lighting
• 1989, the Temple received an award from the Maharashtra-India Chapter of the American Concrete Institute for "excellence in a concrete structure".
• 1994 edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica, in its 'Architecture' section gives recognition to the Temple as an outstanding achievement of the time.
• 2000, Architectural Society of China as one of 100 canonical works of the 20th century in the recently published "World Architecture 1900-2000: A Critical Mosaic, Volume Eight, South Asia."
• 2000, GlobArt Academy in Vienna presented its "GlobArt Academy 2000" award to the architect of the Lotus Temple, Fariborz Sahba, for "the magnitude of the service of [this] Taj Mahal of the 20th century in promoting the unity and harmony of people of all nations, religions and social strata, to an extent unsurpassed by any other architectural monument worldwide."

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KVLY-TV mast

The KVLY-TV mast (formerly the KTHI-TV mast) is a 628.8 m (2,063 ft) tall television-transmitting mast in Blanchard, Traill County, North Dakota, United States, used by Fargo station KVLY channel 11. Completed in 1963, it was the tallest structure ever built until succeeded by the Warsaw radio mast in 1970; that mast collapsed in 1991, making the KVLY-TV again the tallest structure in the world until the Burj Khalifa overtook it in 2008. It remains the second tallest structure in the world. It is a guyed mast, not a self-supporting structure, and is therefore not included in lists of tallest buildings. The height of the transmitting antenna itself is 113 feet and is included in the height of the tower as the lattice tower itself ends around 1950 feet. The tower weighs 864,500 pounds altogether and takes up 160 acres of land with its guy anchors. The 113' antenna alone weighs 9,000 pounds. In 1989, daredevils climbed the tower and BASE jumped from it

The tower is located three miles west of Blanchard, North Dakota, halfway between Fargo and Grand Forks. It became the tallest artificial structure, and the first man made structure to exceed 2,000 feet in height, upon the completion of its construction on August 13, 1963.
The tower was built by Hamilton Electric Company of York, South Carolina and Kline Iron and Steel, and took thirty days to complete, at a cost of US$500,000.
Owned by Hoak Media of Dallas, Texas, the tower broadcasts at 365 kW for television station KVLY-TV (channel 11 PSIP, an NBC affiliate) which is based in Fargo. The tower provides a broadcast area of roughly 30,000 sq mi (78,000 km²) which is a radius of about 97 miles (156 km).
Its height above mean sea level is 3,038 ft (926 m). Some time after its completion, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) imposed a policy that states, "Although there is no absolute height limit for antenna towers, both agencies have established a rebuttable presumption against structures over 2,000 feet above ground level."^[5] The FCC and FAA may approve a taller structure in "exceptional cases."
When the mast was built the call letters of the television station for which it was built were changed to KTHI, the "HI" referring to the height of the mast. The top is reachable by a two-man service elevator or ladder.

MACHU PICHU

Machu Picchu was constructed around 1450, at the height of the Inca Empire. It was abandoned just over 100 years later, in 1572, as a belated result of the Spanish Conquest It is likely that most of its inhabitants were wiped out by smallpox before the Spanish conquistadores arrived in the area, and it appears that they were aware of a place called Piccho although there is no record of the Spanish having visited the remote city. The Conquistadors defaced sacred rocks in other locations but they are untouched at Machu Picchu

One of the earliest theories about the purpose of the citadel, by Hiram Bingham, is that it was the traditional birthplace of the Incan "Virgins of the Suns". Research conducted by scholars, such as John Rowe and Richard Burger, has convinced most archaeologists that Machu Picchu was an estate of the Inca emperor, Pachacuti . In addition, Johan Rein hard presented evidence that the site was selected because of its position relative to sacred landscape features such as its mountains, which are purported to be in alignment with key astronomical events that would have been important to the Incas.

Machu Picchu was an Inca "llaqta", a settlement built to control the economy of these conquered regions

An area of 325.92 square kilometers surrounding Machu Picchu was declared a "Historical Sanctuary" of Peru in 1971. In addition to the ruins, this sanctuary area includes a large portion of adjoining region, rich with flora and fauna.

Machu Picchu was designated as a World Heritage Site in 1983 when it was described as "an absolute masterpiece of architecture and a unique testimony to the Inca civilization".

The World Monuments Fund placed Machu Picchu on its 2008 Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites in the world because of environmental degradation resulting from the impact of tourism, uncontrolled development in the nearby town of Aguas Calientes that included a poorly sited tram to ease visitor access, and the construction of a bridge across the Vilcanota River that is likely to bring even more tourists to the site in defiance of a court order and government protests against it.

Another theory maintains that Machu Picchu was an Inca "llaqta", a settlement built to control the economy of these conquered regions. Yet another asserts that it may have been built as a prison for a select few who had committed heinous crimes against Inca society. An alternative theory is that it is an agricultural testing station, the purpose of which is to test different types of crops in the many different micro-climates afforded by the location and the terraces, which were not enough to grow food on a large scale, as much to determine what could grow where. But one theory suggests that the city was built for the gods to live in or for kings to be crowned there as an event^. Although the Citadel is located only about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Cusco , the Inca capital, it was never found by the Spanish and consequently not plundered and destroyed, as was the case with many other Inca sites. Over the centuries, the surrounding jungle grew over much of the site, and few knew of its existence. On July 24, 1911, Machu Picchu was brought to the attention of scholars by Hiram Bingham, an American historian employed as a lecturer at Yale University. Bingham was led up to Machu Picchu by a local 11 year old Quechua boy named Pablito Alvarez. Bingham undertook archaeological studies and completed a survey of the area. Bingham coined the name "The Lost City of the Incas", which was the title of his first book.

Bingham had been searching for the city of Vilcapampa, the last Inca refuge and spot of resistance during the Spanish conquest of Peru. In 1911, after years of previous trips and explorations around the zone, he was led to the citadel by Quechuas. These people were living in Machu Picchu, in the original Inca infrastructure. Bingham made several more trips and conducted excavations on the site through 1915, carrying off artifacts. He wrote a number of books and articles about the discovery of Machu

PALM JUMERIAH

Description

 

The Palm Jumeirah is in the shape of a palm tree. It consists of a trunk, a crown with 16 fronds, and a surrounding crescent island that forms an 11 kilometre long breakwater. The island is 5 kilometres by 5 kilometres and its total area is larger than 800 football pitches^[1]. The crown is connected to the mainland by a 300-metre bridge and the crescent is connected to the top of the palm by a subsea tunnel.^[1] Over the next few years, as the tourism phases develop, The Palm Jumeirah is touted as soon to be one of the world’s premier resorts. The Palm Island is the self-declared 'Eighth Wonder of the World'. The island will double the length of the Dubai coastline.^[2]

According to the developer's publicity material^[3], the Jumeirah Palm island will feature themed hotels, three types of villas (Signature Villas, Garden Homes and Canal Cove Town Homes), apartment buildings, beaches, marinas, restaurants, and a variety of retail outlets. ^[1] including:

Hotels proposed, under construction, or completed include:

§                     The Trump International Hotel & Tower

§                     Atlantis, The Palm Opened in September 2008.

§                     The Taj Exotica Hotel & Resort

§                     Palm Grandeur

§                     Ottoman Palace Hotel and resort. Expected to open in 2010.

§                     Essque Palm Jumeirah - Part of the Tiara Residence project. The Residence has been handed over. The hotel will open in 2010.

§                     Oceana Resort & Spa

§                     The Fairmont Palm Residence

§                     The Fairmont Palm Hotel & Resort, Fairmont Hotels and Resorts

§                     Royal Amwaj Resort and Spa

§                     The Dubai Estates Hotel & Park

§                     Hotel Missoni Dubai

§                     Radisson SAS Hotel Dubai, The Palm Jumeirah

§                     The Emerald Palace Kempinski, Dubai (Delivery Scheduled Mid 2011)

§                     Kempinski Residences Palm Jumeirah Dubai (Handing Over From 01/01/10)

Two F-100 Super Sabre fighter jets have been stripped and sunk near The Palm Jumeirah to create an artificial reef, intended as an additional attraction for divers^[4].

On 18 June 2007, the Cunard Line announced that it had sold its former flagship, RMS Queen Elizabeth 2, to Istithmar for use as a floating hotel at The Palm Jumeirah beginning in 2009.^[5]However, as at July 2009, it appears as if the ship will rather relocate to Cape Town for use in an unrelated Nakheel development^[6].

Transportation

The 5.4 km (3.35 mile) Palm Jumeirah Monorail, connecting the Atlantis Hotel to the Gateway Towers at foot of the island, opened on May 6, 2009.

^Construction

Construction began on the Palm Jumeirah island in June 2001 and the developers announced handover of the first residential units in 2006.^[1] The island has been created using 94 million cubic metres of sand and 7 million tons of rock. The Palm Jumeirah was created by pouring sand fill onto the 10.5 metre-deep seabed using dredgers. Above sea level, 3 metres of the reclamation were achieved by a dredging technique known as "rainbowing", in which the sand fill was sprayed over the surface of the rising island. Calcareoussand was used for the reclamation. The island includes a curved breakwater using natural rock, intended to encourage the creation of a naturalreef and provide habitats for sea life. The land form was reclaimed by the Dutch company Van Oord, who are world experts in land reclamation. Total cost reached US$12.3 billion and maintaining the island is a costly expenditure^{[citation needed]}. Approximately 40,000 workers, mostly from South Asia, have been involved in the construction of the island^{[citation needed]}.

In early October 2007, the Palm Jumeirah had already become the world's largest man-made island.^[8] Also at this time, 75% of the properties were ready to hand over, with 500 families already residing on the island.^[8] By the end of 2009, 28 hotels were opened on the Crescent.^[8] One of the first people to reside on the Palm Jumeirah was Masood Naseeb, international property industrialist and investor.

Residents

The Palm Jumeirah has numerous A list celebrities as owners of the luxury residences that in 2010 were priced between 8.5 and 30 million AED. Celebrities include David Beckam, who was an original owner of a villa on the Frond now known as K Frond, widely considered the most exclusive part of the Palm Jumeirah. This area was offered to celebrities on launch which helped to drive attention to this incredible project.

The Palm Jumeirah is also home to many property industrialists of Dubai, and is considered widely as the premier location for a home in Dubai.Masood Naseeb of the elysian Group is one such industrialist, who is reported to own as many as 10 villas and numerous apartments on the Palm Jumeirah.

 Controversy

The complexities of the construction have been blamed, in part, for the extended delays to the completion of the project, the date of which has been pushed back multiple times and is now nearly two years late. Further controversy was engendered when it was revealed that after launching the project, Nakheel increased the number of residential units on the island (with a concomitant reduction in the amount of physical space between individual properties) from the originally-announced 4500 (comprising 2000 villas and 2500 apartments) to an estimated 8000 without recompense to those investors who had purchased early in the expectation of greater separation between properties.^[9] This increase was attributed to Nakheel miscalculating the actual cost of construction and requiring the raising of additional capital, although Nakheel has never commented publicly on the matter.^{[citation needed]}

Doubts have also been expressed about the quality of the construction and finishing of the properties on the island and the real ability of the infrastructure on both the Palm and the mainland to cope with the stresses of the sheer number of people leaving from and returning to the development every day once complete.^[9]

Furthermore, there are numerous concerns about the environmental impact of the Palm. As originally constructed, the breakwater was a continuous barrier, but it was realized that by preventing natural tidal movement, the seawater within the Palm was becoming stagnant. The problem was corrected by adding an additional gap in the barrier.^[10] As explained in the National Geographic Channel's documentaryImpossible Islands, part of its MegaStructures series, the breakwater was subsequently modified to create gaps on either side, allowing tidal movement to oxygenate the water within and prevent it stagnating, albeit less efficiently than would be the case if the breakwater did not exist.^[10][11] This same episode addressed the issue of marine life as well, but stated that the breakwater has actually encouraged marine life and that new marine species are moving into the area.

In a 2009 article describing the collapsing Dubai economy, The New York Times reported was that the Palm was sinking and this is been confirmed now by geological surveys, at the moment it is 5 mm per year but this could increase rapidly. Furthermore there are many reported cases where people had bought houses before they were built and are furious about the space available now and the way they seem to be living on top of each other.^[12]

LA PAZ AIRPORT

La Paz is served by El Alto International Airport (IATA code: LPB), which is situated eight miles (14 km) south-west of La Paz. At an elevation of 4,061 metres (13,323 ft), it is one of the highest major airports in the world. Airport facilities include a bank, bars, car rentals, restaurants, free wi-fi internet and duty-free shops. The runway has a length of 4,000 metres (13,123 ft) (or 2.5 miles). Additionally, it is the second airport in the Western Hemisphere, and the third airport in the world, to successfully pass the International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) Universal Security Audit Program (USAP).

NAKHEEL TOWERS

 

The tower was proposed in 2003 as the centerpiece of Palm Jumeirah  It was to be named "The Pinnacle" and rise from the centre of a canal on the trunk of the island. The height was to be 750 m (2,461 ft) and the building was to consist of 120 floors of luxury apartments. It was replaced by the Trump International Hotel and Tower and moved to the Dubai Waterfront.
The tower would have been serviced by 156 lifts at sufficient speeds and capacities to allow for travel from the ground floor to the observation deck in four minutes

 

The original design conceived by Pei Partnership Architects was to have 631,000 m2 (6,792,000 sq ft) of floorspace comprising ultra-luxury apartments, restaurants, a large health club, and an observation deck.

With Woods Bagot replacing Pei Partnership as the architectural partner,[1]  the latest released design had named the development Nakheel Harbour and Tower.