Borobudur - The Ruins (4)

Borobudur

(Image from uviindustrialcenter.blogspot.com)

  Borobudur is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist monument in Magelang, Central Java, 


Indonesia. The area of the structure is 12,000㎡, the height is 31.5m, and consists of

8 floors; 5 floors has square shape, 3 floors is circle.

(Image from Google Map)

  Almost 55,000㎡ of stones were taken from neighboring stone quarries to build the 


monument. The stone was cut to size, transported to the site and laid without mortar. 


Knobs, indentations and dovetails were used to form joints between stones. 

(Image from Wikipedia)

  The monument is equipped with a good drainage system to cater for the area's high 

storm water run-off. To prevent flooding, 100 spouts are installed at each corner, 

each with a unique carved gargoyle in the shape of a giant or Makara.

(Image from travelandescape.ca)

Sagrada Familia - Unique Building (3)

Sagrada Familia

(Image from blog.best-bookings.com)

  Sagrada Familia is a large Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, Catalonia region of 


Spain. The formal name is The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família 


(Spanish: Basílica y Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia), Basilica and Expiatory 


Church of the Holy Family as English. 

(Image from Goolge Map Research)

 The width of the building is 150m, height is 60m, and the height of the central dome 


is 170m and it represents Jesus Christ. Most cathedral has facade (façade; the main 


entrance of the buildings), so Sagrada Familia also has it and it was planned three 


facade. However, only the Nativity facade was finished, Passion facade is still under 


construction, and Glory facade, the largest and most striking of the facade, is not 


started to construct. 

(Image from hispanicallyspeakingnews.com)

   Antoni Gaudi, The designer of the building, died in 1926, the basilica was between


15 and 25 percent complete. However, Although it is still not complete, the building is


UNESCO World Heritage Site.

(Image from Wikipedia)

Angkor Wat - The Ruins (3)

Angkor Wat

(Image from planetquest.org)

  Angkor Wat is the largest Hindu temple building in the world, located in Angkor,

Cambodia. The Ruin is the best-preserved temple in the world because it has been

in the jungle. 

(Image from asia-adventures.com)

  The ruin’s name, Angkor Wat, means "City Temple"; Angkor is a vernacular form of 


the word nokor, which comes from the Sanskrit word nagar. Wat is the Khmer form of 


the Pali word "vatthu", meaning "temple grounds". The temple was known as “Preah 


Pisnulok”, after the posthumous title of its founder.

(Image from activetravelcambodia.com)

  Angkor Wat consists of two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture. First one is 


the temple mountain and second one is the later galleried temple. It is designed to 


represent Mount Meru, home of the Devas in Hindu mythology.

(Image from http://www.photodharma.net)

  The outer wall is 3.6 km, and it has three rectangular galleries. Unlike most Angkorian


temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west; scholars are divided as to the significant


of this. The temple is admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its 


extensive bas-reliefs, and for the numerous Devatas adorning its walls.

(Image from antoniomeetsvietnam.blogspot.com)

  The first design and construction of the temple took place in the 12th century, during

 the reign of Suryavarman II (1113 – 1150). In the late 13th century, use of Angkor Wat 

was changed from Hindu toTheravada Buddhist use, which still remains in the present 

day. Finally, Angkor Wat is totally neglected its existence after the 16th century, and it 

hide in the jungle. 

(Image from Wikipedia)

  In the mid-19th Century, the French explorer found the ruins, and Henri Mouhot 

popularised the temple in the west. Today, the ruins is one of the most popular 

tourist attraction in the world. 

Petronas Tower 1,2 - Skyscraper (3)

Petronas Tower 1,2

(Image from giantbomb.com)

  Petronas Towers are in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia which is located in East Asia. The 


buildings are also known as  Petronas Twin Towers, Malay's name is  Menara Petronas,


or Menara Berkembar Petronas.The buildings are the landmark of Kuala Lumpur with 


nearby Kuala Lumpur Tower.

(Image from etawau.com)

  The height of the buildings is 452m, consisting of 88th floors and 6th basements. 


They were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004 until surpassed by 


Taipei 101, but remain the tallest twin buildings ever built, surpassing the World 


Trade Center.

(Image from worldfamousbuilding.blogspot.com)

  Characteristics of the buildings is the sky bridge between the two towers on 41st


and 42nd floors, which is the highest 2-story bridge in the world.The bridge is 170 m


above the ground and 58 m long, weight is 750 tons.

(Image from skyscraper.org)

  Tower 1, the west tower was built by a Japanese consortium Hazama Corporation. 

Tower 2, the east tower was built by Samsung C&T Corporation and Kukdong 

Engineering & Construction, both South Korean contractors. The sky bridge contract 

was completed by Kukdong Engineering & Construction. Tower 2 became the first to

reach the world's tallest building at the time because the builders of Tower 1, Hazama 

Corporations, ran into problems when they discovered the structure was leaning 25 

millimeters off from vertical.

Dancing Building - Unique Buildings (2)

Dancing Building

(Image from idesignarch.com)

  The Dancing Building is in downtown Prague, Czech Republic which is located in

Eastern Europe. The building has three nickname;  Dancing House, Dancing Building 


or Ginger & Fred because its unique outlook. 

(Image from metatube.com)

  This unique shape is sustained by 99 concrete panels, each a different shape and 


height. On the top of the building is a large twisted structure that is made of metal and 


nick named “Medusa”. The Dancing Building consists of two central bodies. First body 


is a tower of glass that is close to half height and is supported by curved pillars, the 


second runs parallel to the river, which is characterized by the moldings that follow a 


wavy motion and distributed through the windows so the non-aligned.

(Image from Google Image)

  Dancing Building was designed by Canadian-American architectFrank Gehry in co-

operation with Croatian-Czech architect Vlado Milunić. The building was designed in 

1992 and completed in 1996.

(Image from blog.travelpod.com)

  Actually, the Dancing Building has special history. During World War 2, a building that 

was in its place was destroyed by a bomb. The structure left decrepit until 1960 when 

the area was cleared. Vaclav Havel, the ex-president of Czech in that time, spent his 

childhood next door and eventually decided to have a survey taken of the site by 

future designer Vlado Milunic, hoping for it to be the site of a cultural center.

Therefore, the designer planed this building's outlook like suffered from bombing.

Tāj Mahall - The ruins (2)

Tāj Mahall

(Image from jamesho.tistory.com)

  The Taj Mahal(Tāj mahal) is located in Agra, India. Taj Mahal means crown  of 

Mahal, the queen of the Mugul empire. Its height of around 35m, and it consists of 

a large building that has big ivory dome and four pillars. The base of the building is 

a large cube with exposed corners, forming an unequal octagon that is approximately

55m on each of the four long sides.

Taj Mahal site plan. (Image and text from Wikipedia)

1. The Moonlight Garden to the north of the Yamuna.
2. Terrace area: Tomb, Mosque and Jawab.
3. Charbagh (gardens).
4. Gateway, attendant accommodations, and other tombs.
5. Taj Ganji (bazaar)

(Image from Wikipedia)

  The structure was built by Shah Jahan (left picture) that 5th emperor of the Mugul. 

He made the Taj Mahal for his third wife,  Mumtaz Mahal. When she died after giving 

birth to a baby, Shah Jahan was so sorrowful. Then, he made a resolve that 

make her tomb, Taj Mahal. After the end of construction, he cut the tomb designer

and workers because he didn't want to see the building as beautiful as Taj Mahal.