ROUND THE WORLD IN 10 MINUTES

The Imaginary Vision of architects around the world when watered the soil, unique, beautiful and robust buildings came into existence.

An imagination is a vehicle with wings,whose steering is in your hand and you can travel anywhere you wish to go. Let us control the steering of your imagination for a while and make you travel around the world in 10 minutes.

Confused? Just fasten your seat belts and witness the picturesque architecture of the world.

The journey will start from India, following the route of China, Japan, and Russia to USA. From USA we will take you to Brazil, followed by South Africa, Prague, Dubai and then back to initial destination: India.

• India–“Architecture is a visual art, and the buildings speak for themselves.”

HAWA MAHAL- Jaipur

The ‘Purdah System’ (A system which forbade women from appearing in public without face coverings) prevalent in ancient India laid the foundation stone of a palace named as Hawa Mahal.

It was built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh to allow the royal ladies to watch the life and festivals celebrated in the city without being seen.

• China-“Chinese architecture has a completely organic structure; it contains both sensibility and purpose.”

THE FORBIDDEN CITY- Beijing

The Forbidden City is the perfect representation of the authority and culture of China’s ancient imperial families. As the name suggests, the access to the city was restricted to most of the subjects of the kingdom.

Being the most completely preserved classical architectural complex it is listed as World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO.

• Japan- “Recognizing the need is the primary condition for an architectural design.”

AKASHI KAIKYO BRIDGE AKA THE PEARL BRIDGE

Akashi Strait being the dangerous waterway often experienced severe storms and once killed 168 people, when two ferries in 1955 sank in the strait because of the storm.

The dangerous waterway paved the way for the construction of a suspension bridge linking city of Kobe on Japanese mainland of Honshu to Iwaya on Awaji Island.

(Image Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Akashi-Strait_1.png )

• Russia- “Designs of purely arbitrary nature cannot be expected to last long.”

SHUKHOV TOWER- Moscow

The Russian Civil War was the phase which witnessed the construction of the Shukhov Tower, also known as the Shabolovka Tower. It is a broadcasting tower designed by Vladimir Shukhov and hence the name. It is also called as ‘Eiffel of the East.’

The dream to build a 350 metre tall tower was shattered because of the short supply of steel in Russia during its construction time; hence the height was reduced to 160 metre.

The tower was about to become a victim of real estate development, however local authorities saved the tower to get dismantle.

• USA- “It is not the beauty of a building you should look at; it’s the construction of the foundation that will stand the test of time.”

FLATIRON BUILDING- New York

Never one of the tallest buildings in the city but the unique triangular shape allowed the building to fill the void located at intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway: The Fuller Building.

The steel framed building was constructed as the headquarters of the Fuller Construction company, but this giant skyscraper was destined to be named as Flatiron Building by the locals because of its unusual shape.

• Brazil- “Good buildings come from good people and all problems are solved by good design.”

NATIONAL CONGRESS OF BRAZIL

The design of the building results in the perfect balanced emotion, with two opposing sides intersected by a symbol of equality.

National Congress of Brazil is the only building within the central greensward of the eastern arm of the MonumentalAxis and is located at the head of the abstract bird-shaped city plan.

• South Africa- “To be free is not merely to cast off ones chains but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”

APARTHEID MUSEUM- Johannesburg

A law of South Africa’s National Party government in 1948 stigmatized more than 20 million people with label of second-class citizens. These people suffered the life of humiliation and abuse which lasted till 1994 when the country’s first free elections were held.

The Apartheid Museum built in 2001 sings the song of inspiring stories of the struggle towards democracy and triumph of human spirit over the misery. The seven pillars with seven befitting words describe the freedom struggle: democracy, freedom, responsibility, equality, reconciliation, diversity and tolerance.

• Czech Republic– “Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness.”

DANCING HOUSE- Prague

No one ever wondered that the bombardment of America on a house of Prague during Second World War will give rise to a beauty which will gain popularity all over the world. The beauty is proudly called as Dancing House or Fred and Ginger (the nick name).

The design of the building was a talk of controversies for lot of people as it was something unique and was not laid on the basic architectural principle of Prague: Baroque, Gothic and Art Nouveau Buildings.

• UAE –“We in the UAE have no such word as ‘impossible’ it does not exist in our lexicon.” – HH Sheikh Mohammed

BURJ-AL-ARAB- Dubai

Standing on the artificial island, Burj-Al-Arab is the third tallest hotel in the world. The private curving bridge makes the connection between the mainland and the hotel.

The shape of the structure is designed to mimic the sail of the boat and symbolize the Dubai’s urban transformation. A helipad is constructed near the roof at a height of 210 metres above the ground.

• India-“It is not the beauty of a building you should look at; it’s the construction of the foundation that will stand the test of time.”

RASHTRAPATI BHAWAN– New Delhi

The President of the world’s largest democracy resides in Rashtrapati Bhawan. Its stunning architecture is symbolic of Indian democracy and its secular traditions.

RashtrapatiBhavanaka Presidential palace is the second largest in the world after the Quirinal Palace, Rome, Italy.  In terms of area, it was the largest residence of a head of state in the world.

Money cannot inject the feed of creativity in someone’s mind, it is fed by the observation and this creativity opens the door of brilliance, thereby gifting the mankind with the masterpiece of architecture.

We hope you enjoyed your journey around the world and witnessed top-notch architectures with a charm and happiness. Our experience and hard work is the ticket of the journey and your smile is the price of it.