Saturday, September 21, 2013

The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao,Spain

Museum of Guggenheim Bilbao - what a great success!!! The astonishing building was drawn by the architect Frank Gehry and was opened to the public in 1997,was immediately vaulted to prominence as one of the world’s most spectacular buildings in the style of Deconstructivism. 




the Guggenheim Museum was hailed as “the greatest building of our time” by fellow architect Philip Johnson. Gehry’s unique curved design lends the building the effect of billowing silver ribbon, its highly reflective silver exterior fully intended to maximise the radiance of the Spanish sun.







Friday, September 20, 2013

Elon University ( University of America's most beautiful )

Elon University is a private liberal arts school situated on a historic and picturesque 600 acre botanical garden in Elon, North Carolina.




Elon University is unique in the emphasis it places on engaged learning and active citizenship. Students are encouraged to partake in “Elon Experiences” which include: doing student undergraduate research, studying abroad, doing internships, engaging in service learning, and demonstrating leadership. Consequently, almost all students take part in volunteer service or in an internship during their time at Elon.





Geiranger Fjord, Norway

The Geiranger Fjord  is a fjord in the Sunnmore region of More og Romsdal county in Norway. It is in the municipality of Stranda. It is a 15-kilometre (9.3 mi) long branch of the Storfjord (Great Fjord).




Given the stunning image above, it’s plain to see why Geirgangerfjord is considered a treasure by Norwegians and tourists alike. In 2005, the nordic gem was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites; though its status is questioned as some propose placing power lines across the 9.3-mile long geographical feature.





Thursday, September 19, 2013

Beautiful Insects

Xylocopa cubaecola, a Cuban Carpenter bees

Eugloss dilemma, a male orchid bee 

Leiobunum flavum, a species of arachnids known as harvestmen.

Exomalopsis analis, a bee from the Dominican Republic.

An Oak Timberworm, Arrhenodes minutus

Apple Bark Borer moth, Synanthedon pyri

Unknown Jumping spider, Beltsville, Maryland, possibly an immature Thiodina sylvana

Augochloropsis metallica

Buffalo Treehopper

Chlorion aerarium, the Steel Blue Cricket Hunter

Trichiotinus assimilis, a common Flower Chafer scarab beetle.

Tabanidae





Apple Bark Borer moth



The World's Most Beautiful Bridges

Golden Gate Bridge (San Francisco, US )


It is one of the most internationally recognized symbols of San Francisco, California, and the United States. It has been declared one of the Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers. 




In 1916, the idea of a bridge to cross the Golden Gate, a narrow strait that separated San Francisco Peninsula and the Marin Headlands, was conceived. Though it was almost immediately dismissed as the cost was estimated to be $100 million (astronomical for the time), a veteran bridge builder named Joseph Strauss lobbied for more than two decades to have it built.



The color of the Golden Gate Bridge is actually not red - it's an orange vermillion called International Orange. The color was chosen specifically because it complements the bridge's natural surrounding yet enhances its visibility in the fog.




Tower Bridge,London_England


Tower Bridge (built 1886–1894) is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London which crosses the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, from which it takes its name, and has become an iconic symbol of London.






The bridge consists of two towers tied together at the upper level by means of two horizontal walkways, designed to withstand the horizontal forces exerted by the suspended sections of the bridge on the landward sides of the towers. The vertical component of the forces in the suspended sections and the vertical reactions of the two walkways are carried by the two robust towers. The bascule pivots and operating machinery are housed in the base of each tower. The bridge's present colour scheme dates from 1977, when it was painted red, white and blue for Queen Elizabeth II's silver jubilee. Originally it was painted a mid greenish-colour    

                         




Millau Bridge (Tarn Valley, France)

The Millau Viaduct is a cable-stayed road-bridge that spans the valley of the river Tarn near Millau in southern France. Designed by the French structural engineer Michel Virlogeux and British architect Norman Foster, it is the tallest bridge in the world with one mast's summit at 343.0 meters above the base of the structure. It is also the 12th highest bridge in the world, with a 270 meters drop from the bridge road to the valley below. The 2460 meters long bridge is a stunning architectural and design feat. And it is beautiful to look at as well.




The bridge was opened in 2004 to close the "missing link" on the A75 autoroute that connects Paris in the north to Perpignan in the south; the Millau Viaduct was the result of 17 years of ideas, proposals, and design that resulted in shaving 37 miles off the former route through the region. But rather than choose a mundane design that simply did the job, the French went big.





The bridge's construction cost up to €394 million, with a toll plaza 6 km north of the viaduct costing an additional €20 million. The builders, Eiffage, financed the construction in return for a concession to collect the tolls for 75 years, until 2080. However, if the concession is very profitable, the French government can assume control of the bridge in 2044.






Sydney Harbour Bridge (Sydney, Australia)

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district and the North Shore. The dramatic view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is an iconic image of Sydney, New South Wales, and Australia. The bridge is nicknamed "The Coathanger" because of its arch-based design.






Under the directions of Dr J.J.C. Bradfield of the NSW Department of Public Works, the bridge was designed and built by British firm Dorman Long and Co Ltd of Middlesbrough and opened in 1932.The bridge's design was influenced by the Hell Gate Bridge in New York.It is also the sixth longest spanning-arch bridge in the world, and it is the tallest steel arch bridge, measuring 134 metres (440 ft) from top to water level.It was also the world's widest long-span bridge, at 48.8 meters (160 feet) wide, until construction of the new Port Mann Bridge in Vancouver.








Erasmus Bridge ( Rotterdam,Netherlends )

Erasmus Bridge (Dutch: Erasmusbrug) is a cable-stayed bridge across the Nieuwe Maas, linking the northern and southern regions of Rotterdam, Netherlands.
The Erasmus Bridge was designed by Ben van Berkel and completed in 1996. The 802-metre-long (2,631 ft) bridge has a 139-metre-high (456 ft) asymmetrical pylon, earning the bridge its nickname of "The Swan".









The southern span of the bridge has an 89-metre-long (292 ft) bascule bridge for ships that cannot pass under the bridge. The bascule bridge is the largest and heaviest in West Europe and has the largest panel of its type in the world.
After costing more than 163 million euros to construct, the bridge was officially opened by Queen Beatrix on September 6, 1996. Shortly after the bridge opened to traffic in October 1996, it was discovered the bridge would swing under particularly strong wind conditions. To reduce the trembling, stronger shock dampers were installed.