regular canal locks are for wimps.

the beasts below are needed when a simple solution just won’t do and are relatively unknown examples of engineering brilliance that are still being used on our waterways on a daily basis.

in no particular order…

1. saint-louis-arzviller inclined plane, moselle, france






the saint-louis-arzviller inclined plane is used to bridge a height change of 138ft on the marne-rhine canal. pre-1969, before this machine was introduced, that same change in height was tackled using 17 seperate locks, each journey taking anywhere from 8 to 13 hours. thanks to the inclined plane it now takes a whopping 4 minutes. boats enter the compartment at the bottom and are then dragged up the lifting ramp sideways thanks to the 900 tonne counter-balance weights.

google maps link here.

2. the falkirk wheel, falkirk, scotland





the falkirk wheel is the world’s only rotating boat-lift and was opened in 2002 by a woman called ‘the queen’. the phrase ‘engineering marvel’ definitely applies to this £17.5m monster.

it’s used to connect the union canal with the forth & clyde canal and consists of 2 water-filled compartments which rotate around a central axle that is perched 25 metres above the lower body of water. the wheel can transport 8 boats at a time (4 up & 4 down) and each compartment contains 300 tonnes of water.

by far the best way to understand how the lift works is to watch the timelapse video below.



3. big chute marine railway, ontario, canada




located at lock 44 of the trent-severn waterway in ontario is the big chute marine railway, the only inclined plane of its kind in north america. the difference between this one and most others is that the cradled used to transport the boats is free of water. the height bridged by the ramp is 17.4 metres.



4. ronquieres inclined plane, wallonia, belgium






the ronquieres inclined plane is absolutely huge, the total length of the ramp coming in at 1432 metres. it’s even got a huge control tower at the top and each of the 2 caissons can carry a vessel weighing anything up to 1350 tonnes through a height difference of 67.7 metres. the total time taken to get through the short journey is 50 minutes.

check out the size of one of the caissons in this clip…



google maps link here.

5. strepy-thieu boat lift, hainaut, belgium





until the three gorges dam is completed (see below) this is the tallest boat lift in the world. it lifts boats 73 metres to the next water level using 2 counterweighted caissons and was only opened in 2002, replacing the old system of locks and boat-lifts used to connect the meuse and scheldt basins. the bulding as a whole weighs 200′000 tonnes.

google maps link here.



6. montech water slope, montech, france






this strange looking beast is called a water slope and like an inclined plane uses a slope to traverse the change in height. the difference is, with a water slope there’s a channel of water in the middle of the slope and on either side of this a track. locomotives on each track push a huge gate behind the boat through the water channel, in turn forcing the boat up the slope on a cushion of water.

to see a non-confusing animation explaining the process, click here and then click on ‘comment ca march’.

7. niederfinow boat lift, brandenburg, germany





this is the oldest working boat-lift in germany and lifts approximately 11′000 boats each year a height of 60 metres. it opened in 1934 and will soon be replaced by a new, bigger boat-lift which is planned for completion in 2012. the current lift is such a huge tourist attraction that around 500′000 people visit each year.
google maps link here.



8. three gorges dam ship lift, china





when completed, the three gorges dam on the yangtze river will be the largest river dam in the world, more than 5 times the size of the hoover dam. it will also be home to the tallest ship-lift on earth - more than double the height of any existing lift in the world - capable of lifting vessels weighing up to 3000 tonnes.
google maps link here.

sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

designed by architects emilio ambasz & associates, the acros fukuoka building in fukuoka city, japan houses a number of offices, retail space, a 2′000 seat theatre and a museum. it was built on the last available green space in the city so the design needed to keep as much of that greenery as possible whilst still delivering a building big enough to hold the necessary facilities.

the result is an amazing building which from the back end appears to be a normal glass fronted construction. it’s only when you approach the other side that you see the huge sloping front, home to around 35′000 plants and 76 different species. the roof also enables the building’s energy consumption to be lower than other buildings of a similar size as the greenery keeps the inside temperature at a comfortable level.









google maps link here.

there’s a seemingly unreadable vegitation map here.

the top-notch photo above was taken by robert b haas and shows a shrimp farm in ecuador covered in coloured flags - apparently one of the more effective methods available to ward off birds. click on the little bugger for a larger version. i also demand that you check out his other photos on the national geographic site here.

when you’re done, use your eyes to look at these ‘creative’ scarecrows…



above: a retired astronaut stands firm in aberdeenshire, scotland.



above: any clever bird would realise that the bastard’s legs are tied together. he’s not running anywhere.



above: it’s good to see disabled scarecrows in work.



above: the least threatening scarecrow on earth in japan.



above: a scarycrow in hull.



above: is scarecrowporn.com taken?



above: an extremely non-scary robot scarecrow in the peak district.



above: creepy isn’t the word. the ronald macdonald midget outfit seals it.



above: a britney spears lookalike in north yorkshire.



above: a scarecrow in kentucky. if you didn’t fill your pants after looking at this you’re doing well.



above: bodyless scarecrows guard a field in japan.

from a distance you could be fooled into thinking this is a thin skyscraper, until you get close enough to realise there are handles on one side and only enough interior space to accomodate ‘little people’.

officially the largest filing cabinet in the world, this 65 ft tall office monster actually serves a purpose, of sorts. inside it is a dismantled mg sports car, the parts organised, labelled and filed in the drawers, heaviest to lightest.

it stood in napa valley, california and was created by ‘artist’ sam yates in 2000. i’ve no idea whether it still stands.

remember, the following jaw-dropping pictures are of paintings or sculptures.

even if you think photorealistic art is pointless (which i’m sure some people do) there’s no denying the skill and patience involved in these creations.

(click on pics for fatter versions)

1. duane hanson [sculptor, 1925 - 1996]

(hanson on artfacts.net)

 
traveller - fibreglass & mixed media, 1988

 
queenie II - polychromed bronze, 1988


2. robert bechtle [painter, 1932 - present]

(bechtle on artfacts.net)

 
‘61 pontiac - oils on canvas, 1968

 
alameda gran torino - oils on canvas, 1974


3. ron mueck [sculptor, 1958 - present]

(mueck on artfacts.net)

 
untitled (big man) - pigmented polyester on resin, 2000

 
mask II - sculpture, 2001

4. raphaella spence [painter, 1978 - present]

(homepage)

 
the poet - oils on canvas, 2004

 
mirror of hope - oils on canvas, 2004

5. gottfried helnwein [painter, 1948 - present]

(homepage)

 
untitled (modern sleep) - oils & acrylics on canvas, 2005

 
epiphany - mixed media on canvas, 1996

6. denis peterson [painter, 1944 - present]

(homepage)

 
don’t shed no tears - acrylics on canvas, 2006

 
dust to dust - acrylics & oils on canvas, 2006

7. dru blair [airbrush expert, 1959 - present]

(homepage)

 
painting of tica - airbrush on unknown surface, 2007

 
power - airbrush on unknown surface

8. ralph goings [painter, 1928 - present]

(homepage)


cream pie - oils on canvas, 1979


safeway interior - oils on canvas, 1974

9. peter maier [painter, d.o.b. unknown - present]

(homepage)


sand beach - waterborne automotive paint on unknown surface


really red - waterborne automotive paint on unknown surface

if you know of any others let me know.