18 frames on how built Ostankino tower

April 30, 1967 was put into operation the Moscow Ostankino TV Tower. Now it seems that it was once the tallest building in the world, survived a fire in 2000, has always been. But once it was just starting to build! Introduce you to a very interesting, in our view, a report on the construction of a television tower - with the technical details, based on historical photographs.

Tower, weighing more than 32 tons, built on a monolithic reinforced concrete foundation ring width of 9.5 meters, 3 meters in height and diameter (the circumscribed circle) of 74 meters. In decagonal concrete foundation tape with the help of hard reinforcement ring (it consists of 104 beams, each beam 24 wire with a diameter of 5 mm each) created prestressing - each bundle is tensioned by hydraulic jacks with a force of about 60 tons.

New Sustainable Modular Buildings Open At New York's Beaches

After Sandy, the lifeguard stations on New York’s beaches were destroyed. But these new versions are built to withstand a storm--and might be a model for how to think about building better for the future. Designed and built at a breakneck pace, prefab comfort stations by Garrison Architects. The restrooms, lifeguard stations and offices were designed to replace structures washed away by Hurricane Sandy in October.

The Most Beautiful Buildings in the World - 2

Dresden Frauenkirche

The Most Beautiful Buildings in the World - 1

Angkor Wat

The Landscape Laboratory in Portugal

Completed last year, the Landscape Laboratory in Portugal is a modern restoration of an old stone factory. The renovation was designed by Porto-based Cannata & Fernandes Architects, who sought to preserve the existing structures as much as possible. Many features - including the original stone walls - have been left untouched, while the interior was adapted to new times and uses. Located southwest of the historic city center of Guimarães, Portugal, the Landscape Laboratory stands in a rural area near the National Ecological Reserve (REN). The architects preserved the original factory typology, which consists of a series of modules surrounded by green spaces, water channels and trails. The stone façade was recovered, cleaned and fixed with bricks, while new concrete volumes were added to adapt the building for modern use. Its interiors are contemporary, bright, open and filled with natural light. Some areas (like a small kitchen) mimic the building’s exterior factory typology. Set next to the Ribeira de Selho canal, the Landscape Laboratory is a beautiful renovation that blends history and modernity under one roof

Galata Tower, Istanbul - Turkey

The tower was built as Christea Turris  in 1348 during an expansion of the Genoesecolony in Constantinople.The Galata Tower was the tallest building in Istanbul at 219½ feet (66.9 m) when it was built in 1348.  One of the city's most striking landmarks, it is a high, cone-capped cylinder that dominates the skyline and offers a panoramic vista of Old Istanbul or  Constantinople and its environs. The nine-story tower is 66.90 meters tall (62.59 m without the ornament on top, 51.65 m at the observation deck), and was the city's tallest structure when it was built. The elevation at ground level is 35 meters above sea-level. The tower has an external diameter of 16.45 meters at the base, an 8.95 meters diameter inside, and walls that are 3.75 meters thick. There is a restaurant and café on its upper floors which command a magnificent view of Istanbul and the Bosphorus. Also located on the upper floors is a night club which hosts a Turkish show. There are two operating elevators that carry visitors from the lower level to the upper levels.

Twisted Skyscrapers Around The World

One of the latest design trends that seems to have found appeal among some architects is a towering skyscraper that twists its way up to the top. Possibly the first, modern, twisted skyscraper constructed was the Turning Torso in Malmö, Sweden. The residential building is constructed in nine segments of five-story pentagons that twist as it rises, with the topmost segment twisted 90 degrees with respect to the ground floor. The construction of this building was featured on Discovery Channel's "Extreme Engineering" TV program. The tower received some more publicity when on 18 August 2006, Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner jumped off it and parachuted to the ground.

After the successful completion of the Turning Torso, designers started proposing similar audacious structures elsewhere. Many projects got shelved, others were passed and built, and a handful of them are currently under construction. Here we explore some of the most twisted skyscraper designs around the world, but first, a few pictures of the tower that started it all.

Tropical island under the dome

Sandy beaches, clear blue water, palm trees ... I think we're talking about a tropical island? Well, in a sense, this is an island, but it is located under the dome in the indoor leisure and entertainment complex, which is located on a former Soviet air base in Krausnike, Germany.

Backyard Dream

I think everyone of us mere mortals, do not dream of a beautiful cozy house somewhere in a quiet area, away from the hustle and bustle of the city? Moreover, such a "dream house" must be back yard "in the subject." For example, as this court in the Netherlands, designed by «Centric Design Group». Not the yard, and just a dream!