this incredible building no longer stands but was so brilliant that it deserves another look.

resembling a huge cloud hovering just above water level at the end of a jetty, the blur building was constructed for the swiss expo in 2002 by architects diller & scofidio. the massive construction was constantly shrouded in a body of thick mist, produced by 31′500 seperate high-pressure water jets which propelled lake water droplets so small that they remained suspended for an extremely long time. the structure was controlled by a computer which constantly checked external temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction in order to adjust the water pressure and direction accordingly, also allowing the cloud’s size to be controlled at the touch of a button.

following on from the original list, here’s another small bunch of natural phenomena notable for their rare and bizarre beauty. (oh, and a belated merry christmas / premature happy new year to everybody who deserves them).

1. the spotted lake

the spotted lake (kliluk), situated in osoyoos, canada, contains one of the highest concentrations of minerals in the world (mainly epsom salts, calcium and sodium sulphates). the lake’s healing waters were used by native indians to alleviate aches and pains and during the first world war the salts were skimmed from the surface in huge amounts to be transported to eastern american munitions factories - sometimes as much as a ton per day.

the pattern you see below appears during hot sunny days as the water evaporates and the minerals crystallize to form hundreds of incredible yellow pools.


photo credit: liembo

2. red tide

red tide, the common name for ‘algal bloom’, is caused by high levels of phytoplankton accumulating to form dense, visible clouds near the surface of the water. due to the varying colouring of the phytoplankton’s pigments, these algae blooms range in colour too. although aesthetically stunning, this naturally occuring phenomena sometimes results in a high death rate amongst certain marine life due to an increase in karenia brevis algae.




3. penitentes

these amazing ice spikes (generally known as penitentes due to their resemblence to processions of white-hooded monks) can be found on mountain glaciers and vary in size dramatically: from a few centimetres to 5 metres in height.

‘initially, the sun’s rays cause random dimples on the surface of the snow. once such a dimple is formed, sunlight can be reflected within the dimple, increasing the localised sublimation. as this accelerates, deep troughs are formed, leaving peaks of ice standing between them’ - new scientist




sources: 1, 2, 3

photo credit: csstudios

from 1915 onwards these huge eerie concrete structures started popping up along the uk coast, all built with one purpose: to provide the military with an early warning system in relation to incoming aircraft. their construction was pretty much limited to the uk and arrived just before radar technology as we know it became widespread.



photo credit: get down

the majority of sound mirrors actually built were large concrete parabolic or hemispherical dishes tilted at a slight angle towards the sky, manned by an operator either behind or underneath the dish in a special chamber. the dish would reflect the incoming engine sounds onto a large movable microphone placed at the focus of the mirror and enable the operator to judge the distance and direction of the approaching aircraft.



photo credit: feersumendjinn

in 1930 the military also decided to build a massive 200ft long sound mirror wall at denge, a then raf base in kent. obviously its size resulted in greater accuracy and range with an unaided ear able to detect aircraft from 6.5 miles on a clear day. that coupled with the use of the microphones gave the operator a range of over 20 miles.



here’s the direct google maps link to the old air base where you can still see the mirror wall and 2 other more common sound mirror dishes. the original plan was to place the mirror walls along the entire coast, every 25 miles or so, with a couple of smaller dishes in between each one. in the 1930s radar reared its head and aircraft became too fast to make this method of detection advantageous so the military dropped the idea and left the mirrors intact. many of them remain to this day, scattered along the south east coast.
for more info about sound mirrors…

1, 2, 3, 4

this is ‘prada marfa’, an unusual building located in the desert near marfa, texas on an otherwise desolate stretch of highway 90. behind the glass a selection of shoes and bags, presumably more expensive than the structure itself, have sat untouched since 2005.



very few people have ever been inside prada marfa and money has never been handed over inside the premises as it’s actually a spooky piece of art / clever promotional stunt erected by michael elmgreen and ingar dragset, 2 berlin artists seemingly intent on playing with the public’s minds.



from the artists…

‘..the combination of a vast, open desert landscape in an un-populated area and a luxury goods store is completely unthinkable. nature suits fashion as a visual backdrop, as one often sees in advertisement. the minimal, corporate prada design and the desolate surrounding ranch land make a great impression together, but simultaneously the two forces also render each other useless.’

sources: 1, 2

call it a presumption but i’m certain we’ve all used doors before. without them life would be tough: either there’d be a lot of cold building interiors due to uncovered holes in the walls or we simply wouldn’t be able to enter the building in the first place. what we don’t seem to come across very often are doors which are creative or just intriguing enough to catch our attention for more than a split second. here are some doors that would…

1. the neutron source door



at a hefty 97′000lbs, this is the world’s heaviest door on a hinge. it can be found at the lawrence livermore laboratory guarding the ‘rotating target neutron source-II’, the most intense source of continuous fusion neutrons on earth (hence the weight). due to a special bearing in the door hinge it is actually possible for one person to push the beast open - alternatively a remote control will give the same result.

2. nasa’s vehicle assembly building doors





the ‘vab’ is located at the kennedy space center and was originally constructed to accomodate the saturn v rocket, vertically. for that reason the building has an internal volume equal to 3.5 empire state buildings and boasts the 4 largest doors in the world, each 138.99 metres high. you’d be out of luck if you needed to move the doors quickly: each takes 45 minutes to open or close.

3. st. nicholas’ cathedral door



photo credit: mr jez


photo credit: trahern d

possibly the creepiest door i’ve ever seen is the fascinating one above, located in slovenia at st. nicholas’ cathedral. to be fair, all of the building’s doors are strange but none more so than this example, built in 1996 to commemorate a visit to the cathedral by pope john paul II. the design on this bronze door is apparently meant to ‘represent the history of the diocese’.

4. technoimport’s ridiculously secure door



supposedly the most secure residential door on earth, this colombia-made, indestructible monster claims the following features…

1. bullet-proof.

2. fire-proof.

3. explosive-proof.

4. ‘cutting machine’-proof.

5. 10 locks (3/4 inch pins).

6. biometric lock system (first analyses fingerprint and then checks for bloodflow to ensure the finger is attached to a living human).

7. ip camera integration (photo of waiting visitor can automatically be emailed somewhere every time the bell is pressed).

the price? considering all the above, a suprisingly low us$2500. just make sure the rest of your house is just as secure - there’s no point attaching it to a shed.

5. the tanaka auto door



could this be the future of door systems? the tanaka auto door opens automatically when someone stands in front of it, the opening exactly the correct size and shape to let that particular person walk through. each of the horizontal sliding slats which make up the door contain sensors which calculate the shape of the person walking towards it and retract accordingly. have a look…



6. the power pet door

it was only a matter of time before someone invented an automatic door for pets. the ‘power pet door’ seen in the clip below opens as the animal approaches to exit the house / urinate on the door and will only allow animals wearing a special microchip in the collar to use it.



7. secret bookshelf door



unless you’re a villain, own a batcave or have a huge stash of pornography to hide there isn’t really any practical reason to have a secret door. but i still definitely want one. there are a few companies who’ll do the hard work for you and create one in your home: here are 2. below is a 12 minute clip of a guy talking about his extremely cool ’secret bookshelf door’ in a monotone voice. i bet you can’t watch for more than 2 minutes.



8. automatic iris door


photo credit: dreamedstate

the 6ft automatic iris door above is the handywork of inventor benjamin skora and serves as the entrance to his revolving living room in palos hills, illinois. at the touch of a button it opens like a camera shutter and resembles something from the set of a dodgy sci-fi film. unfortunately no footage of the door in action could be found.

9. the disappearing car door

an incredible looking invention but wasted on the cars in this clip…



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

believe it or not, the photo above is of a train interior in japan.

with the results looking nicer than most nurseries, the japanese have taken the idea of ‘child-friendly public transport’ to the next level with these 2 beauties, both designed by eiji mitooka. he was the artistic force behind ‘omoden’ (toy train) and ‘ichigo ec’ (strawberry train), a couple of regional trains which travel on a daily basis on the 14.3km kishigawa line in japan. the japanase are intent on making train travel a more comfortable experience for everyone, women and children especially, and the results are incredible.
both trains contain hundreds of toys, tv screens showing cartoons, immaculately clean wooden flooring and cots for younger children. call me cynical but i can’t imagine anything like this emerging in the uk unless it was an attraction at a theme park.

here’s more of the stunning ‘toy train’…





and here’s the ’strawberry train’ which runs on the same line…





incidentally, the last station on the kishigawa line (kishi station) has a stationmaster named ‘tama’. he’s a cat. here he is…



only in japan.

sources: 1, 2

i didn’t realise there were so many architecturally incredible fire stations until a few days ago when i lost hours looking into it. turns out there are more than a few. here are, in my humble opinion, the 7 best…

1. vitra fire station, germany
architects: zaha hadid
completed: 1993
current status: inactive

this aesthetically stunning fire station was designed in order to serve the vitra furniture manufacturing complex in weil am rhein due to all surrounding fire stations being out of range. this was rectified years later, disappointingly resulting in the station being used to showcase the company’s chair collection.


 
photo credit: danrocha

 
photo credit: nickehret

2. cologne fire brigade hq, germany
architects: bfm architekten
completed: 2005
current status: active

the circular building houses the local fire brigade whilst the other sections of the complex are home to the training and management departments of cologne fire brigade. the whole thing seems to resemble a smaller, redder version of the forthcoming bird’s nest in china.





3. ave fenix fire station, mexico
architects: at 103 architects
completed: 2006
current status: active

the amazing ave fenix fire station in mexico city contains a standard fire station, ‘fire library’, recruitment centre and other private & public spaces. the front end of the building is elevated above the ground whilst the interior is filled with a huge array of intriguing spaces and shapes.





4. hill street fire station, singapore
architects: municipal council of singapore
completed: 1908
current status: active

built in 1908 for s$64′000, this is the oldest existing fire station in singapore and when opened it signalled the end of horse-drawn firecarts. dotted with classical arches and columns, the building has been preserved and recently restored perfectly and is still used today.

 
photo credit: petrst

 
photo credit: ozlady

5. berlin fire station, germany
architects: sauerbruch hutton
completed: 2004
current status: active

this building was designed in 2002 by sauerbruch hutton architects and won the riba award in 2004. the station houses police cars, fire engines, control equipment and administrative offices and the red & green slats on the station’s exterior represent the emergency services within the building: green for the police, red for the fire brigade.


 
photo credit: janorama

 
photo credit: janorama

6. parque de bombas, puerto rico
architect: maximo meana
completed: 1882
current status: inactive

this beautiful gothic fire station was originally used as an exhibit pavilion for a trade fair in 1882 - soon afterwards the fire brigade moved in and served the town of ponce until 1990. mostly made of wood, the building is now an extremely popular firefighters’ museum. the bottom photo shows the station in the 1950s and looked nearly identical to its modern self.

 
photo credit: michael dillingham

 
photo credit: bflaccus

 
photo credit: lulubrian

7. houten fire station, netherlands
architects: samyn and partners
completed: 2000
current status: active

the implementation of the curved shell roof at the fire station in houten was ‘the result of the search for elegance of form’. the wall at the back of the open half is covered in pictures painted by local children from all 22 of the surrounding schools, a technique used in order to deter the kids from vandalising the station.





note: as always, any photos found on flickr are linked to the relevant user’s page.

is it just me or are these immense structures slightly scary?

the 3 largest flagpoles on earth…

gijeong-dong flagpole, north korea

in the 80s, the south koreans built a huge 328ft tall flagpole in daeseong-dong, an area extremely close to the north korean border. the north koreans then proceeded to build their own larger version about a mile away at the entrance of ‘propaganda village’ in the dmz. it’s still recognised as the tallest supported flagpole in the world and measures 525ft. apparently when it rains the flag must be lowered as the structure can’t take the weight of a humungous wet flag. here’s the google maps link.





aqaba flagpole, jordan

at a whopping 430ft, the world’s tallest free-standing flagpole sits on the coast of jordan and can be seen from israel, saudi arabia and egypt. i can’t for the life of me spot the bugger on google maps. have a look at the area here and see if you have more luck.





raghadan flagpole, jordan

jordan can also claim the title of ’second largest free-standing flagpole on earth’. at 416ft the ‘earthquake resistant’ raghadan flagpole can be seen up to 16 miles away and holds a flag measuring 200 x 130ft. the carbon steel pole weighs 190′000lb, design and construction took 2 years and it can withstand winds as strong as 90mph. ogle it on google maps.





(all photos from flickr link to the user’s account) 

sources: 1, 2, 3

1. tankchair



the tankchair is a custom made off-road wheelchair designed by a guy whose wife was growing increasingly frustrated by the limits of her normal electric wheelchair. this treaded beast can wade through mud, streams, sand, snow and gravel. on his website the creator says, “turns out that other people want a tankchair so i’m going in debt and am going to build them”. order yours here.

2. custom-built segway wheelchair



spanish designer josep mora decided to adapted a standard segway pt for people with reduced mobility. he added a seat, a handbrake to ensure the machine stays upright whilst still and a fold-away handlebar. it looks like a really functional modification. video below…



3. ibot



for ingenuity you can’t beat the ibot, an incredible self-balancing wheelchair designed by segway inventor dean kamen. as well as the 2 small wheels at the front, the ibot has 2 pairs of motorised wheels at the back, one of which the whole chair can balance on using a gyroscope. the first advantage to this system is extra height for the user, the second advantage the spooky ability to climb stairs…



4. porsche p’gasus



at present only a concept, the ibot-inspired porshce p’gasus also relies on a gyroscope based balancing system. however, whereas the ibot raises the user whilst remaining seated, the p’gasus slowly stands you to a near vertical position, seemingly strapped in just at leg height. technical details are thin on the ground at the moment but let’s hope something good comes from this minimalist design.

5. toyota i-real



touted by toyota as a ‘personal mobility vehicle’, this concept seems to be aimed at disabled people and able-bodied humans who have too much money and not enough sense. the back end of the i-real lowers automatically as speed increases towards its maximum of 18mph and sensors alert the user to upcoming collisions by way of noises and vibrations. video below…



extra

the future of ‘wheel’chairs?



sources: 1, 2, 3, 4

(click on pic for mightier version or go here for mightiest version)

this is incredible.

published in 1884, the diagram above shows the 77 tallest buildings of the old world (europe, asia and africa) at that time. strangely, the 78th and tallest structure shown is from the new world: the washington monument. it stood/stands at 555ft and was completed the year the diagram was made. the tallest of the old world was number 34, cologne cathedral, at 510ft. the buildings were colour coded depending on the construction materials used…

red tint = brick ; stone colour = stone ; pink = granite ; purple = bronze, copper or lead ; yellow = gold

just as a comparison, here are the current tallest buildings on earth…