Sunday 15 March 2015

5 Buildings in Asia That You Must See

Jin Mao Tower


The Jin Mao Tower, located in the city of Shanghai, is one of China's most well known towers and has multiple uses. If you are fond of shopping, want some space for your business, or even want to stay overnight, this structure has it all! Furthermore, the building occupies 260,000 square feet of space and costed approximately 530 million US dollars! Many people are always visiting the structure as there is a metro station extremely nearby. What really caught my eye about this tower is the way it tapers from narrow to quite wide at the bottom.  The fact that it isn't a common design for towers makes it unique and original. If you got the money to go view this in real life, we really recommend visiting this masterpiece.

Gyeongbok Palace


This massive piece of historical architecture was originally composed in 1395 AD and had a surprising amount of 7,700 rooms! Initially, Gyeongbok Palace was owned and used by the government and is located in Seoul, South Korea. However, in 1592, most of the building was destroyed by a Japanese invasion and restoration didn't happen until 1867. The historical building of South Korea does allow visitors to come in and take photos but a small fee of under 10 American dollars must be paid at entry. 

Burj Khalifa


The Burj Khalifa is the ultimate king of skyscrapers as it ranks number 1 for the tallest building in the world! Completed in the city of Dubai, UAE (United Arab Emirates) in December of 2009, it was definitely a magnificent sight to see. The total length of the tower is 830m or 2,722 feet! Inside the structure, there are 9 hotels, 30,000 homes, the Dubai Mall, and Burj Khalifa Lake to serve the local residents of Dubai. To navigate through such an immense structure, 57 elevators and 8 escalators were established and available for usage.

Burj Al Arab


Burge Al Arab, the sail-shaped hotel, is a luxurious 7-star resort to stay at in the city of Dubai, UAE (United Arab Emirates). Current standings show that out of all hotels in the world, Burj Al Arab is noted at an outstanding rank of 4 in terms of length as it stretches 920 ft. However, almost approximately 40% of the hotel is unusable so rooms are only available at certain areas of the structure. The construction started in about 1994 and took a complete 4 years to finish. Along with the glamorous hotel, you have the option to walk to Jumeirah Beach.


Nakagin Capsule Tower


Nakagin Capsule Tower is located in the highly populated city of Tokyo, Japan and was established in 1972. This strange, yet quite effective tower allows people to rent a living or office space called a capsule. If an individual wanted a bigger space, (these individual capsules could be relatively small) you have the option of connecting two capsules together! However, due to safety concerns such as asbestos, the tower was rebuilt in April of 2007. Currently, a capsule is available for as low as 97$ per night because the utilities and maintenance is not where it was in the past. Despite the wear and tear of this ageing structure, it still is worth a night to spend just for the experience!

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Saturday 14 March 2015

7 Places That You Should Visit

One World Trade Center


This outrageously tall skyscraper extends 1,776m high in the city of New York in the US. It was initially started on April 27, 2006 and was officially opened on November 3, 2014. It became New York's tallest structure as it outranked the Empire State Building. The cost to create the skyscraper was an estimated amount of 3.9 billion US dollars! The tower also is known as the Freedom Tower. In the world, this skyscraper ranks on number 4 in terms of heights and is quite the elegant piece of architecture in North America. The building takes up an immense amount of 16 acres of space and is composed of 94 stories from top to bottom.

Confederation Bridge



This bridge located on the eastern side of Canada extends from Prince Edward Island to the mainland of New Brunswick. Looking at the image provided, you can extrapolate the bridge is quite long, 12.9km or 8 miles to be precise! Prior to the official name of the bridge, local residents referred to the bridge as the 'Fixed Link' as it connected the two provinces. The bridge has now been available since May 31, 1997 but it is a very expensive bridge to commute on. Research indicates that, as of today, two axle automobiles pay a toll of 45.50 Canadian dollars.

Rideau Hall


Rideau Hall, otherwise known as "Canada's House", is a government building located in the province of Ottawa serving royalty since 1867. Primarily, it is for the Governor General and Canada's monarch. The building has about 175 rooms and takes up a total of 88 acres. It had only cost 82,000 Canadian dollars but the currency was worth significantly more at the time of it being built. Overall, the estate occupies 9500 square meters of land and has the right balance between style and history!

Golden Gate Bridge



The Golden Gate Bridge is definitely one of the most popular or well known bridges in North America! This bridge stands in the city of San Francisco in the U.S. with a gigantic span of 4,200 feet. Furthermore, the bridge has been around since 1937 and consists of 6 lanes to get traffic in and out as quick as possible. To be precise, research shows that about 110,000 vehicles commute daily. However, if you're thinking about taking a ride on the Golden Gate Bridge, be aware that you will be tolled.

Space Needle



The Space Needle is a beautiful observation tower that stands out in the city of Seattle, Washington. This U.S. tower was officially opened in April 21st, 1962 and ever since, it has been a major attraction for tourists. The observation deck at 520 ft above ground level provides an unbelievable view to people! Moreover, in order to get to the observation deck, individuals must take elevators for a duration of 41 seconds travelling at a speed of 10 miles per hour. Last but not least, the tower has a restaurant called Sky City that rotates 360 degrees in cycles of about 47 minutes!

Burj Al Arab


Burge Al Arab, the sail-shaped hotel, is a luxurious 7-star resort to stay at in the city of Dubai, UAE (United Arab Emirates). Current standings show that out of all hotels in the world, Burj Al Arab is noted at an outstanding rank of 4 in terms of length as it stretches 920 ft. However, almost approximately 40% of the hotel is unusable so rooms are only available at certain areas of the structure. The construction started in about 1994 and took a complete 4 years to finish. Along with the glamorous hotel, you have the option to walk to Jumeirah Beach.

Nakagin Capsule Tower


Nakagin Capsule Tower is located in the highly populated city of Tokyo, Japan and was established in 1972. This strange, yet quite effective tower allows people to rent a living or office space called a capsule. If an individual wanted a bigger space, (these individual capsules could be relatively small) you have the option of connecting two capsules together! However, due to safety concerns such as asbestos, the tower was rebuilt in April of 2007. Currently, a capsule is available for as low as 97$ per night because the utilities and maintenance is not where it was in the past. Despite the wear and tear of this ageing structure, it still is worth a night to spend just for the experience!


If you enjoyed learning about these cool places, be sure to check out my website www.buildings101.com