Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi

1 February 2025 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, House of the Month Reading Time:  6 minutes

Louvre Abu Dhabi © Boubloub/cc-by-sa-4.0

Louvre Abu Dhabi © Boubloub/cc-by-sa-4.0

Saadiyat Island (for “Island of Happiness”) is a natural island and a tourism-cultural environmentally friendly project for Emirati heritage and culture that is located in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The project is located in a large, low-lying island, 500 metres (1,600 ft) off the coast of Abu Dhabi island. A mixed commercial, residential, and leisure project is currently under construction on the island. When completed, Saadiyat Island is expected to become Abu Dhabi’s cultural centre, mostly for the Island’s Cultural District that is expected to include eight museums. Due to the Corona pandemic, some projects have fallen noticeably behind schedule, but are now on the way to completion.   read more…

Old State House in Boston

1 January 2025 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, House of the Month Reading Time:  9 minutes

© flickr.com - Ethan Long/cc-by-sa-2.0

© flickr.com – Ethan Long/cc-by-sa-2.0

The Old State House, also known as the Old Provincial State House, is a historic building in Boston, Massachusetts, built in 1713. It was the seat of the Massachusetts General Court until 1798. It is located at the intersection of Washington and State Streets and is one of the oldest public buildings in the United States.   read more…

Electoral Palace in Bonn

1 December 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, House of the Month Reading Time:  11 minutes

© Curnen/cc-by-sa-2.5

© Curnen/cc-by-sa-2.5

The Electoral Palace (German: Kurfürstliches Schloss) in Bonn is the former residential palace of the Prince-Electors of Cologne. Since 1818, it has been the University of Bonn‘s main building in the city center, home to the University administration and the faculty of humanities and theology.   read more…

Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile in Paris

1 November 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, House of the Month, Paris / Île-de-France Reading Time:  6 minutes

© flickr.com - Jiuguang Wang/cc-by-sa-2.0

© flickr.com – Jiuguang Wang/cc-by-sa-2.0

The Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile, often called simply the Arc de Triomphe, is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Place de l’Étoile—the étoile or “star” of the juncture formed by its twelve radiating avenues. The location of the arc and the plaza is shared between three arrondissements, 16th (south and west), 17th (north), and 8th (east). The Arc de Triomphe honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I.   read more…

Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein

1 October 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Architecture, Design & Products, House of the Month, Museums, Exhibitions Reading Time:  8 minutes

© Kotivalo/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Kotivalo/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Vitra Design Museum is a privately owned museum for design in Weil am Rhein, Germany. Former Vitra CEO, and son of Vitra founders Willi and Erika Fehlbaum, Rolf Fehlbaum founded the museum in 1989 as an independent private foundation. The Vitra corporation provides it with a financial subsidy, the use of Vitra architecture, and organizational cooperation.   read more…

Gate Tower Building in Osaka

1 September 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, House of the Month Reading Time:  6 minutes

© ignis/cc-by-sa-3.0

© ignis/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Gate Tower Building (gēto tawā biru) is a 16-floor office building in Fukushima-ku, Osaka, Japan. It is notable for the highway offramp of the Ikeda Route that passes through the building.   read more…

One Vanderbilt in Midtown Manhattan

1 August 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, House of the Month, New York City Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Kidfly182/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Kidfly182/cc-by-sa-4.0

One Vanderbilt is a 73-story supertall skyscraper at the corner of 42nd Street and Vanderbilt Avenue in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox for developer SL Green Realty, the skyscraper opened in 2020. Its roof is 1,301 feet (397 m) high and its spire is 1,401 feet (427 m) above ground, making it the city’s fourth-tallest building after One World Trade Center, Central Park Tower, and 111 West 57th Street.   read more…

Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur

1 July 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, House of the Month, Museums, Exhibitions, Opera Houses, Theaters, Libraries, Shopping Reading Time:  7 minutes

© flickr.com - James Kerwin/cc-by-2.0

© flickr.com – James Kerwin/cc-by-2.0

The Petronas Towers (Malay: Menara Berkembar Petronas), also known as the Petronas Twin Towers and colloquially the KLCC Twin Towers, are an interlinked pair of 88-story supertall skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, standing at 451.9 metres (1,483 feet). From 1998 to 2004, they were officially designated as the tallest buildings in the world until they were surpassed by the completion of the Taipei 101. The Petronas Towers are the world’s tallest twin skyscrapers and remained the tallest buildings in Malaysia until 2019, when they were surpassed by The Exchange 106. The Petronas Towers are a major landmark of Kuala Lumpur, along with the nearby Kuala Lumpur Tower and Merdeka 118, and are visible in many places across the city.   read more…

Museum of Islamic Art in Doha

1 June 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, House of the Month, Museums, Exhibitions Reading Time:  9 minutes

© flickr.com - Mohamod Fasil/cc-by-2.0

© flickr.com – Mohamod Fasil/cc-by-2.0

The Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) (Arabic: Matḥaf al-Fann al-Islāmī) is a museum on one end of the seven-kilometer-long (4.3 mi) Corniche in Doha, Qatar. As per the architect I. M. Pei’s specifications, the museum is built on an island off an artificial projecting peninsula near the traditional dhow harbor. A purpose-built park surrounds the edifice on the eastern and southern facades while two bridges connect the southern front facade of the property with the main peninsula that holds the park. The western and northern facades are marked by the harbor showcasing the Qatari seafaring past. In September 2017, Qatar Museums appointed Julia Gonnella as new director of MIA. In November 2022 the MIA became the first carbon-neutral certified museum in the Middle East Region. The museum participates in the Expo 2023 Doha from October 2023 until March 2024, with workshops and events focusing on biodiversity and sustainability.   read more…

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