Category: Architecture & Design

• Impossible heights: Lighthouse of Thridrangar, Iceland

  

  Are you searching for your next getaway? There’s a lighthouse off the coast of southern Iceland that sits 120 feet upward on the highest of three steep rocks. It is one of the most remote lighthouses in the world.

  Constructed in 1939, the Thridrangar (Þrídrangar) Lighthouse, Þrídrangar means “three rock pillars,” is undoubtedly one of the most challenging lighthouses ever built.

  Given the swirling winds and crashing waves, climbing the precarious pillar to build the lighthouse must have been one Herculean task. The mountaineers climbed on top of each other’s backs to reach the cliff’s perch. There were no suitable helicopters at the time.

  Today, Thridrangar lighthouse is only accessible by helicopter for service needs. The helipad sits on top of a jagged rock that sticks out to the North Atlantic ocean.

  

  

  

  Wells Baum

  February 23, 2022

  Architecture & Design, Travel

  design, Iceland, Nature, oceans, Travel

• Daisugi: Ancient Japanese technique for growing trees out of trees

  

  The Japanese forestry technique for harvesting wood, daisugi (meaning “cedar table”), goes as far back as the 14th century to solve a seedling shortage in Kyoto.

  The 700-year-old technique involves pruning a tree’s branches as if they were giant bonsai trees. In doing so, the mother tree provides a stable platform that supports the birth of new uniform saplings growing perfectly upward and knotless on top.

  Therefore, the ancient method creates fresh timber — more than a dozen trunks — while preserving the original tree itself.

  However, the ingenious forestry technique is no longer in use as it takes several years of active care and maintenance.

  

  

  

  Wells Baum

  December 1, 2021

  Architecture & Design, Nature, Travel

  design, japan, Nature, trees

• The mind-boggling clifftop Meteora Monasteries, Greece

  

  It’s mind-boggling to imagine how the first monks built the monasteries of Meteora in the 14th century, most notably the one in Peneas Valley located northeast of Kalabaka, Greece.

  This Holy Trinity sits on top of a rocky precipe over 1300 feet, forming one of six surviving monasteries constructed on top of steep natural pillars in seemingly impossible locations. These clifftop monasteries of Meteora translate to “suspended in the air.”

  Art on top of rocks

  There were originally 24 total monasteries situated in central Greece. The cliffs of Meteora formed about 60 million years ago as a result of a mix of wind, rain, and earthquakes.

  The first monks started building the complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in the 14th century in search of isolation, protection from the Turks, and a greater connection with God. At one point, the complexes were only reachable by rope ladder.

  Today, the eremite monasteries are proof that heaven can be a place on Earth.

  

  

  

  

  Wells Baum

  November 26, 2021

  Architecture & Design, Culture & Society, Travel

  design, Greece, Meteora Monasteries

• Dual head-mounted listening devices

  

  This dual-mounted listening device served as an aircraft detection device before the invention of radar in 1935.

  The Dutch military used the elephant-looking ears to detect approaching enemy aircraft by listening afar for engine sounds.

  

  There were various iterations of the acoustic locators.

  The Germans created a dual sight and sound system in 1917 that combined sound-ranging capabilities with binoculars to scope out aircraft.

  

  The Imperial Japanese army used massive war tubas (resembling the musical tuba instrument) in World War I to detect the sound of incoming aircraft.

  

  The Dutch also created acoustic horns in 1935 that were double the size of the personal sound locator. They offered passive detection of enemy aircraft by listening for incoming engine noise.

  

  England built concrete acoustic mirrors around its coasts up until 1935.

  

  Learn more about pre-radar objects here.

  Wells Baum

  November 10, 2021

  Architecture & Design, Technology

  history, radar, sound, Tech, world war

• Zhangjiajie’s Bailong Elevator is the highest outdoor elevator in the world 🇨🇳

  

  The Bailong Elevator is the world’s highest outdoor elevator, an astonishing 1,080 feet tall. The glass double-deck elevator is built inside a massive sandstone column in a mountain range consisting of the National Forest Park in the Wulingyuan area of Zhangjiajie, China.

  Opened in 2002, the cliff-facing elevator allows 50 visitors at a time to ride up the mountain in two minutes.

  View this post on Instagram

  A post shared by Discvr Blog (@discvrblog)

  Alternatively, one can skip the scary cliff lift (also known as the Hundred Dragons Elevator) or take a more dangerous five-hour car ride up to the peak.

  As you can imagine, the outdoor lift also provides panoramic scenery to its riders of bridges and villages below. Meanwhile, the top of the mountain features the scenic Yuanjiajie natural heritage spot.

  Add Zhangjiajie National Park to the list of places to visit, along with Vietnam’s Golden Bridge and Coron Island in the Philippines. See more about the Bailong Elevator in the video below.

  

  

  

  Wells Baum

  October 24, 2021

  Architecture & Design, Nature

  Bailong Elevator, China, Nature

• This mythical bird statue in India is the world’s largest

  

  Jatayu Nature Park in Kerala, India, holds the largest bird sculpture on Earth, occupying about 15,000 sq feet and standing at the height of about 1200 feet above sea level. It is five times the size of the Pyramid of Giza.

  Opened in 2018 as a tourist destination, the 70-foot tall giant concrete figure pays tribute to the famed divine bird, Jatayu, from the Hindu epic Ramayan.

  It was built over a decade by filmmaker and sculptor Rajiv Anchal, who wanted to make the mythology come alive.

  According to the legend, this is the jungle hilltop where Jatayu once fell and injured his left wing at the location in an attempt to save Sita from the clutches of evil kidnapper Ravana.

  

  The stone-cut eagle now serves as a tribute to nature’s splendor and a symbol for the protection of womankind. Visitors must use a passenger ropeway to reach the top.

  View more of the sculpture in the videos and images below.

  

  

  Final chiseling at the hands of Jatayu. The sculpture is now the World's largest Bird Sculpture.
  
  Rajiv Anchal @rajivanchal at work! pic.twitter.com/t0hIMeD13q

  — Jatayu Earth's Center (@jatayutourism) September 7, 2018

  Wells Baum

  July 16, 2021

  Architecture & Design, Travel

  Architecture, India, Travel

• Watch styrofoam dancing to sound waves in a Kundt’s tube

  

  Put your hands in the air and wave them like you just don’t care.

  What looks like a dubstep rave of little ghost people is actually styrofoam dancing to sound waves in a massive plexiglass pipe known as a Kundt’s tube.

  In 1866 German physicist August Kundt constructed the experimental acoustical apparatus to measure the speed of sound in a gas or a solid rod. Said Kundt, “A physicist must be able to saw with a file and to file with a saw.”

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  The faux mosh pit is the result of a process called “sound looking” which demonstrates what audible vibrations or acoustical forces may actually look like.

  No one can doubt that life moves to fascinating rhythms & vibrations.

  Watch the entire video below.

  Wells Baum

  April 19, 2021

  Architecture & Design, Science, Technology

  design, science, sound waves

• Meet Bolivia’s powerful female wrestlers, Flying Cholitas

  

  Photographer Todd Anthony took pictures of Bolivia’s indigenous female wrestlers for his new project, Flying Cholitas.

  This unique group of athletes wear more than stylish dresses and beautiful petticoats — they come together to demonstrate pride in their history.

  Once colonized by the Spanish and rejected as lower-class citizens, pejoratively known as “cholita,” they have since embraced the name to symbolize their persistent fight against subjugation and hierarchy.

  Symbolizing the culmination of strength, power, and beauty, the cholitas will not be denied in activism nor aesthetics.

  

  

  

  

  Wells Baum

  April 3, 2021

  Architecture & Design, Culture & Society

  art, Bolivia, Photography, Wrestling

• What cities look like at night without electricity

  

  In his series Villes éteintes (Darkened Cities), French photographer Thierry Cohen imagines the world’s biggest cities at night without urban light.

  Cohen uses a special exposure technique called day for night which enables him to capture the cities in the daytime but increases darkness levels. Then, he combines the city skylines into the backdrop of starry skies captured at the same altitude.

  “By combining two realities, I am making a third that you cannot see … but it exists! I am showing you the missing stars,” Cohen told Wired.

  “Photography is a way of showing things that we can’t see. Photography is a way to dream. I am not showing you post-apocalyptic cities, merely cities without electricity. I am bringing back the silence.”

  

  What cities would look like if lit only by the stars

  What appears to be an eerie blackout in some of the world’s biggest cities (Hong Kong, LA, New York, Paris, Rio, Shanghai, Tokyo) nonetheless creates a beautiful mirage.

  “Photography is about poetry more than it is about reality,” added Cohen. “It is how you see the world. You can show the world you want to show.” See more images on the artist’s website.

  

  

  

  

  Wells Baum

  March 29, 2021

  Architecture & Design, Space

  NYC, Photography, space

• Mirrored ceilings at Zhongshuge bookstores, China

  

  Zhongshuge Bookstore is a popular book chain in China. Each of its stores leverages mirrors in its architectural design to give off a kaleidoscope effect on the interior. 

  However, one of its stores in the city of Chongqing features a magical and elaborate bookcase. The location features a ceiling mirror that creates an optical illusion of intertwined staircases, a magnified room, and an infinity of books. 

  Designed by architecture firm X+Living — Zhongshuge bookstores are mind-boggling for readers and viewers alike. Can you imagine if JK Rowling wrote her next book in one of these inception-like wonders?

  

  

  

  Photos: Feng Shao/Arch Daily

  Wells Baum

  December 30, 2020

  Architecture & Design, Travel

  Architecture, books, China, design, Travel

• Xavi Bou: If birds left tracks in the sky

  

  Barcelona-based photographer Xavi Bou turns bird flight into art in a project he calls Ornitografías.

  Using his degrees in geology and photography and experience as a lighting technician in the fashion industry, Bou extracts high-resolution photos from video stills to illustrate the path of birds in motion.

  The result is a spectacular piece of art hinged on the physics and mathematics of flight.

  

  

  

  

  

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  Wells Baum

  November 28, 2020

  Architecture & Design, Nature

  birds, design, Nature, Xavi Bou

• Mysterious metal monolith found in remote Utah desert

  

  As if 2020 couldn’t get any weirder, the Utah Department of Public Safety stumbled upon a mysterious shiny monolith among red rocks in the remote Utah desert. 

  The crew spotted the “unusual object” during a routine flyover to survey the area for bighorn sheep. 

  Utah officers, on a routine helicopter flyover stumbled upon a mysterious, shiny, metal monolith in the middle of the desert — leaving everyone baffled…
  
  “Who would do this?” https://t.co/G3MJahE4LN

  — Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) November 24, 2020

  In a public statement issued on Tuesday, Utah officials announced that they’re keeping the exact location of the 12-foot-tall silver monolith a secret. 

  “The exact location of the installation is not being disclosed since it is in a very remote area and if individuals were to attempt to visit the area, there is a significant possibility they may become stranded and require rescue. We are encouraging anyone who knows the location of the monolith to not attempt to visit it due to road conditions.”

  

  

  

  Note, however, that the object purportedly existed on Google Earth for more than five years. It is firmly planted in the ground with “human-made rivets,” after all. 

  4chan has discovered the location of the Utah monolith. It sat there for over 4 years unnoticed. pic.twitter.com/me50ib6Xsg

  — Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) November 24, 2020

  While the artist behind the sculpture remains unknown, the David Zwirner Gallery claims its the work of the late minimalist sculptor John McCracken.

  Though McCracken never mentioned anything about the avant-garde piece to his family, friends, or business partners, he was an avid science-fiction fan. It’s no surprise that internet sleuths have already proclaimed the installation alien and compared the monolith to the scene depicted in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 Space Odyssey. 

  Wells Baum

  November 24, 2020

  Architecture & Design, Space, Travel

  Aliens, Stanley Kubrick, Utah