National Building Museum in Washington D.C. has offers a spectacular structure. It was designed civil engineer and U.S. Army General Montgomery C. Meigs in 1881. It was finished and firstly operated in 1887. Actually, it was built and functioned as the office of the Pension Bureau but then was occupied by some government agencies, including National Museum of the United States since 1980 until today. . This building is popular as an engineering marvel after then.

The National Building Museum or also called the Great Hall has an ingenious system of vents, windows and archways. It makes the building becomes an accommodative reservoir for air and light from the outside. Bringing impressive design of Italian Renaissance; it has eight Corinthian columns and one central fountain between the interior columns. The interior columns itself are the tallest in the world. The Great Hall was also familiar with gala events, including Presidential Inaugural Balls from 1885 until present day.

The Great Hall uses 400 ft. by 200 ft. in plan of exterior dimensions. The Corinthian columns in the great hall are 8 ft. in diameter and 75 ft. of high. Each of the columns is made from about 70.000 bricks. With the history and style, the National Building Museum becomes an iconic building in the capital city of U.S.

Designed by Italian architect, Domenico da Cortona, Chateau de Chambord is one of the most exciting and interesting chateaux of Loire both from structure and plan. Cortona as architect, created a wooden model as the original but it was altered during the process. Some parties predicted that the greates Italian artist and scientist, Leonardo Da Vinci might be involved in this project. It happens because according to history record, Da Vinci was the architect who created the palace for Francois at Romorantin.

From the outline, we can easily see that Chateau de Chambord typically brings Renaissance design. Its four towers that surround square inside a rectangular with four towers is the proof. Each floor on this great building brings four vaulted halls in rectangular shape where people can descend and ascend without have to meet each other. It meets in the center part with spectacular double-helix open-work stair.

The subsidiary staircases are decorated with lanterns, which make it more monumental. However, there are other opinions related to the building process of this Chateau de Chambord. Some critics said that Domenico de Cortona was only the supervisor of the design. There are also some analysts said that Chateau de Chambord was designed by French architect Pierre Nepveu.

Fagus Works is the first large building designed by Walter Gropius. Fagus Works located in Alfeld an der Leine, Germany. To complete the whole structure, this building took almost two years to complete, which was 1911 until 1913. When designing and building the building, Gropius was still young but he could realized it with some existing supports, such as the ground plan, existing site plan and plans of construction from architect Eduard Werner that have been laid.

To realize the Fagus Works, loan from the American United Shoe Machinery Corporation was applied. It made the construction process was possible to continue in 1911. It was continuously running step by step under the new Walter Gropius’s concepts until 1912. At that time, what applied by Walter Gropius on this building was including new. The owner of this project asked for a unique facade; it was solved by Walter Gropius with a very different solution.

Today, Fagus Works is a very famous building in the world. It still used as factory. The different style of application of brick, steel masonry and glass makes it unique and interesting. Walter Gropius as architect and builder seemed understand well how to make a great unique building.

When we heard about Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center, our opinion would be directly guided to an amazing simple and elegant building in Berkeley, California. This is a great building that has been renovated few times. Historical renovations given to the Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center makes it better along the time. Some common accessories such as ceiling fans, thermal mass and natural ventilation belong to the building give so many advantages to the operation of the building and the maintenance.

The renovation done by ELS Architecture and Urban Design looks special because what they have given to the MLK Civic Center makes it looks and feels better. The decision to replace existing perimeter steam radiators with hot water radiators means better efficiency. It can be felt also from the concrete structure in the open corridors. This building also applies green building strategies, includes installing high efficiency fluorescent lighting, photometric control, central ceiling fans, programmable thermostat and motion sensors.

With additional public space on the penthouse level, this MLK Civic Center provides a magnificent view directly to the bay. Because of the renovation, Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center has given some awards, including from Saving by Design Honor, California Historic Preservation and Special Recommendation Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association. Read the rest of this entry »

The building of the factory of AEG in Moabit, Berlin is the great master piece from the architect of Peter Behrens. It is the great building architecture that uses the unusual designs. The system of the construction is also great by using the steel and glass as the great combination even it is the unusual thing. It is the great master piece of the architectural for the factory or working place that grab the attention of some people to give their comments.

Behrens give the great effects by designing the great truss construction for this factory building. The trusses are pulled outside and through the iron truss and the glass area that is drawn inside. The façade which is monumental with the corner pylon that is built from the thin shell of concrete grab the criticism and comments from another architects, such as Ludwig Hilberseimer. The use of the corner pylon can be said as the unnecessary construction.T2C77G7X5MS4

Behrens actually produce the great structure for the building that can be the great attention of this building. He does not use the tradition from the architecture that is commonly used. He combines the art and the architecture as well. Read the rest of this entry »