Architecture from the Latin architectura, is both the process and the product of planning, designing, and constructing buildings or other structures. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural symbols and as works of art.
Historical civilizations are often identified with their surviving architectural achievements.
Bansilalpet Stepwell & Tourist Plaza
Known at the time as Naganah Kunta the stepwell was historically included in a garden of tamarind and palmyra trees during the British period. It also sees mention as such in an 18x15.5 inch 1854 plan of Secunderabad by Pharoah and Co. covering in beautiful detail the British Cantonment at the time noting streets, the bazar, military parade grounds, tanks, fields, streams and topography. The map extends from the centuries old Hussain Sagar Lake in the south to what later became Bowenpally in the north. The map includes six specific areas and a reference key along the right border listing the locations noted in each area.
Read the entire story and see the 1854 map marking the Stepwell and its surrounding garden.
Marina Bay Sands
A standout amongst Singapore’s iconic skyline, Marina Bay Sands is an architectural wonder that beautifully blends Singapore's storied history with its pioneering future. The impressive structure features a 1.2 hectare SkyPark – notably, longer than the Eiffel Tower – sitting atop three hotel towers that were built at a rate of one hotel floor every four days during construction. The three 57-storey hotel towers overlook downtown Singapore, and stands at about 191 metres high.
Much like the swirling lines of a fingerprint, a skyline gives a city its singular identity that separates it from all others. As one of the top 5 star hotels in Singapore, Marina Bay Sands has embossed its strong angles and sweeping contours on the impressions of locals and visitors alike. Envisioned by eponymous architect Moshe Safdie, Marina Bay Sands was designed and developed to fit harmoniously with Singapore’s concept of a contemporary Garden City. Situated along the picturesque waterfront facing the Singapore Strait, the integrated resort comprises a diverse collection of handsome structures and interconnected public spaces that weave together to become the focus of civic life, an approach inspired by the great Roman cities of the past.
ArtScience Museum
Designed by Moshe Safdie the architecture is said to be a form reminiscent of a lotus flower. Referred to as "The Welcoming Hand of Singapore" by Las Vegas Sands chairman Sheldon Adelson, the design of the Museum is composed of two principle parts. The base, which is embedded in the earth and surrounded by the Bay’s water and a giant lily pond, and a flower-like structure made of 10 petals, generated by the geometry of spheroids of varying radii that seemingly floats above the landscaped pond base. The petals, or fingers as some refer to them, rise towards the sky with varying heights, each crowned by a skylight which draws in daylight penetrating the base and illuminating the galleries within.
The Helix Bridge
The Helix Bridge at Singapore’s Marina Bay was inspired by the geometric arrangement of a DNA strand, resulting in a walkway that is enclosed by opposing double-helix structures of stainless steel. Spanning the Singapore River from the city’s central business district and bayfront area, the 280-metre-long bridge provides a pedestrian connection across the head of the Singapore River between the city’s existing CBD and its new Bayfront district. Its commission was the result of a selected 36-entry international design competition held in 2006..
The Helix Bridge wanted to be a more delicate and lightweight alternative to the vehicular bridge that was also part of the project. The pedestrian bridge is curved in plan to distance foot-traffic from cars, while also enabling pedestrians to connect from one bridge to another in the middle. The plan concept was to curve the bridge in an arc so that it arrives fluidly into foreshore promenades on each side. It also enabled the bridge to connect in its centre to an adjacent vehicular bridge’s footpath while shifting away from it beyond this point of junction.
Crystal Pavilion (the Louis Vuitton Island Maison)
Louis Vuitton is a world renowned brand know for it’s commitment to fashion, lifestyle, culture, Art + Architecture and it is not surprising that an innovative concept was envisioned for their South East Asian flagship store. Located at Marina Bay Sands, the project is housed in one of the “Crystal Pavilions” of the mixed-use complex designed by Safdie Architects. The radical design for a stand alone store has become the first of it’s kind, an “Island Maison”. Stepping up to this task, famed interior designer, Peter Marino continues his on going relationship with LVMH to realize this vision. The concept store was to act as a gallery for LV products and embody the feel of high fashion elegance and the nautical aesthetic for which LVMH has become known.
Boston-based architect Moshe Safdie and New York-based designer Peter Marino have collaborated to create the structure and interiors. The 25,000 square foot glass pavilion emerges from the surrounding water with 300 unique skylight and curtain wall panels surfaced with a UV-resistant membrane skin to protect the luxury goods on display inside from the sun’s harmful rays. Custom sunshades conceived by Canadian firm Eventscape inc. measuring 20 feet long cover the exterior while translucency of the walls and ceilings have been manipulated with PTFE textiles and glass fiber with polymer coatings simply diffusing the light will allow visitors to maintain clear views through the window panels. The interior’s nautical theme is consistent with the label’s association with travel and location within the bay.
Hawa Mahal - The Palace of Winds, Jaipur
Taj Mahal, Agra
Patwaon ki Haveli, Jaisalmer
Vihara Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, Bintan Indonesia
Badshahi Darwaza, Fatehpur Sikri
Buland Darwaza, Fatehpur Sikri
Dholavira - Harappan Metropoly - Northern Gate into the castle where the famous Signboard was found. There are Guard houses on either side. Click the photo to read the story.
Bukit Timah Railway Station
Located in Bukit Timah, in the westernmost part of the Central Region of Singapore, the Bukit Timah Railway Station was a former railway station in Singapore that closed in 2011. It's now a restored heritage site and a popular destination for photography enthusiasts. The station opened on May 3, 1932 as a single-story building with a stationmaster's office, waiting areas, and a signals office and closed on July 1, 2011. It was an unloading point for racehorses given its proximity to the former Singapore Turf Club. The station was a well-loved local landmark and was given conservation status by the Urban Redevelopment Authority in 2011
The station was restored to capture the sense of bygone times and its historic essence. The 200-meter long boarding platform was restored with historic railway key token posts, electrical pylons, and lamp posts. The landscaping includes a mix of native vegetation. Along with the Bukit Timah Truss Bridge below, the station is part of the Rail Corridor, a 24 km long green passage that allows wildlife movement.
Bukit Timah Truss Bridge
Built in 1932 at the seventh mile of Bukit Timah Road this was a bridge adjacent to the Bukit Timah Railway Station. It fell into disuse after the Singapore Railway closed in 2011. It was gazetted for conservation in late 2015 or early 2016 and in 2021, it was restored with railings, ballast stones, and rust removal. The two steel truss bridges were part of the former Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) railway line which stretched 24 km across Singapore. Designed by United Engineers, they reflect a combination of function and elegance, and was an engineering feat of the era.
The bridges are made of individual members that form triangular units with new railings added to provide safety while retaining their original look. Soft lighting was installed to illuminate the bridges at night and accessible floor finishes were added to the bridges. Old railway ballasts were reused to create secure paths along the sides of the railway track while retaining the existing vegetation and introducing additional native plant species. The bridges were carefully repaired and refurbished to ensure their long-term use and the project team was recognized for their work in the Architectural Heritage Awards (AHA).
The Bukit Timah Truss Bridges are enduring icons of Singapore's railway heritage.
The Taj Mahal or 'Crown of the Palace', was commissioned in 1632 and construction of the mausoleum was essentially completed in 1643, but work continued on other phases of the project for another 10 years. The Taj Mahal complex is believed to have been completed in its entirety in 1653 at a cost estimated at the time to be around 32 million rupees, which in 2020 would be approximately 70 billion rupees (about U.S. $916 million).
Constructed using materials from all over India and Asia. It is believed over 1,000 elephants were used to transport building materials. It took the efforts of 22,000 labourers, painters, embroidery artists and stonecutters to shape the Taj. The translucent white marble was brought from Makrana, Rajasthan, the jasper from Punjab, jade and crystal from China. The turquoise was from Tibet and the Lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, while the sapphire came from Sri Lanka and the carnelian from Arabia. In all, twenty-eight types of precious and semi-precious stones were inlaid into the white marble.
Krida Ghar - the games room at Patwaon ki Haveli, Jaisalmer
The Tomb of Sheikh Salim Chisti
The Tomb of Salim Chishti is famed as one of the finest examples of Mughal architecture in India, built during the years 1580 and 1581, along with the imperial complex at Fatehpur Sikri near Zenana Rauza and facing south towards Buland Darwaza, within the quadrangle of the Jama Masjid which measures 350 ft. by 440 ft. It enshrines the burial place of the Sufi saint, Salim Chisti (1478 – 1572), a descendant of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti of Ajmer, and who lived in a cavern on the ridge at Sikri. The mausoleum, constructed by Akbar as a mark of his respect for the Sufi saint, who foretold the birth of Akbar's son, who was named Prince Salim after the Sufi Saint and later succeeded Akbar to the throne of the Mughal Empire, as Jahangir.