empire state building

I sneaked behind this nice tableau to record a man photographing a family.

After posting this, I looked at it this morning and decided to re-crop it tighter, in the second photo.

What would you do? Show the context, as in the first photo, or crop to focus on the area of interest?

Empire State Building Design

Empire State Building Design

Empire State Building Design

Empire State Building Design

New York has much to offer a visitor so much so that sometimes it is hard to take it all in at one go. Ideally tourists should select a few attractions for the day and take it all in from the history to the modern day.

For instance we have all heard about the Empire State Building as being one of New York's premier landmarks. Completed in 1931 the building had the distinction of being the tallest building in the work till the World Trade Centre (WTC) construction in 1972. It was once again the tallest building in New York City with the devastating destruction of the WTC in 2001.

Tourists flock to the Empire State Building, especially the observation decks on the 86th and 102nd floors, a journey which about a quarter of a mile above 5th Avenue. The observatories offer breathtaking views of the rooftops and the roadways and byways of the New York Metropolitan and sometimes as far away as the neighboring states. However, be prepared for exceedingly long lines to get in to the observation decks and sometimes if the traffic is too high you will find the decks closed.

Another unending appeal of the building is that it has appeared in hundreds of movies and adverts, such as the unforgettable Kind Kong, where the famous image of the giant ape climbing the building swatting away at the attacking planes. Other notable movies include An Affair to Remember and the Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks move Sleepless in Seattle.

Despite this, the Empire State Building is all about hope and the rebuilding of a nation and now is one of the city's most busy buildings. It is currently undergoing renovation work to make it more a more energy efficient building. By staying at a hotel such as the Mave Hotel New York you can find yourself close by to such iconic structures as the Empire State Building. So visit New York and the Empire State Building and be amazed by its structure.

102 storied building suffered damage when a US bomber crashed into the 79th floor killing 14 people in 1945. Despite this crash the building was open once again for business the following Monday. It is considered by most that it is a modern day world wonder, as it was built during the Depression and is considered a 'testament to American fortitude and ingenuity'. The building became the profitable icon that it is now in the 1950s when it was bought over by Roger L Stevens.

The Empire State Building has a macabre history to it as well for some reason more than around 30 people have committed suicide from the top of the building. The very first suicide happened even before the completion of the building when a laid off worker took his own life. The "Most Beautiful Suicide' is perhaps the most well known suicide where a 23 year old girl Evelyn Mc Hale humped off the observation deck on the 86th floor. She landed on a United Nations limousine parked at the curb and her body was intact without any outward appearance of trauma. A passing student took a picture of the corpse which was later painted by Andy Warhol.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Larry_Austin

In this project showcase Kirby Stone Company will detail the eye catching and phenomenal construction of the brand new multi-purpose building on the permanent grounds of Texas A&M University San Antonio Campus - TAMUSA. This first building on the new campus weighs in at a little over 90,000 gross square feet. Set to house the library, bookstore, student services offices, classrooms, faculty, and administrative offices, and a food services area. This new addition to the campus was opened Fall 2011.

The design intent was/is a Spanish Mission Style which incorporates a great deal of detail in the stone and masonry installation. The desired natural stone used on this structure was Desert Sunset Sandstone harvested by Kirby Stone Company, LLC. This particular blend of stone is an extremely unique sandstone product, with very few sources available. The color of this natural stone ranges from a bright yellow to a soft mustard yellow and all colors in between.

Let's back up a bit to the Spanish Mission Style idea and we discuss the cut of stone used on this project. In order to replicate the look of a Spanish Mission the stone was harvested in a combination of hand squared and flagstone patterned natural stone product. The varying sizes and shapes of the stone are crucial in replicating the design intent. The other part of the equation is the importance of the installation. The installation of the stone is critical in keeping the design intent as well and assuring the Spanish Mission idea is followed. It was amazing to see the project during construction to see the amount of detail that went into the masonry craft of installing this to keep the desired look and quality.

While the majority of the stone installed on this structure was specified at a brick ledge depth of 3"-5", there was also a large amount of Kirby Stone Company's thin veneer stone product utilized. The thin stone veneer in the Desert Sunset had to mimic the full depth natural stone in appearance with the only difference being the depth. The thin veneer was installed on portions on the building that did not allow for a full brick ledge. Again, great work was completed by the masonry contractor to insure there was flawless transition from the regular depth stone and the thin veneer product.

Kudos goes out to Shadrock and Williams Masonry, LTD on the great amount of hard work and detail put into the applicationa and installation of this project. It's truly amazing how important the role of the masonry contractor is for a project of this magnitude. Shadrock and Williams did a superb job and showed a great deal of craftsmanship!

Here is one of many photos of the project.

To learn more information about TAMUSA and for more photos of the natural stone and chronological photos of construction follow the following links:

www.tamusa.tamus.edu/campusconstruction.html

www.tamusa.tamus.edu/images/newcampus/index.htm

It was a great pleasure for Kirby Stone Company to have the opportunity to work with everyone involved on such a unique project. Remember if you are looking for a natural stone product for your next project, Kirby Stone Company is the place to look.

PROJECT INFORMATION

Architect: Kell Munoz Architects

General Contractor: Bartlett Cocke General Contractors

Masonry Contractor: Shadrock and Williams, LTD

Stone Supplier: Kirby Stone Company, LLC

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*Some information was collected from websites shown above.

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Build a House With Whole

Last year, when the authorities started cutting not just branches but whole trees in our forest we got really frustrated - we couldn't figure out why they were killing trees that looked healthy and young. But what looked like mindless and random tree cutting turned out to be a well thought out action to save the life of the forest by thinning it and removing invasive species.

So, when I encountered Wisconsin-based green design company Whole Trees Architecture I instantly transfered a year back. There surely cannot be a more sustainable house design than the one that includes whole trees!

Instead of using conventional milled lumber, the company makes use of what the winds in the forest have naturally pre-stressed. According to WTA,

Structural testing of small diameter round timbers by the USDA Forest Products Laboratory has found that it is 50% stronger than milled lumber. What is more, whole trees have a comparable weight to strength ratio in compression as steel and twice that of steel in tension.

Not only do they walk the forest with design in mind but they choose trees for the effect their removal will have on their surroundings and the quality of their structure. When a tree has been chosen, the bark is peeled from it while it stands in the forest, allowing the waste products to go back to the forest floor. Then the tree is left to cure for several months in the forest, while it looses up to 50% of its weight in water, making it easier and safer to be taken to the building site.

It is a sustainable way to use natural resources more wisely and to build houses that are people and eco friendly. Whole trees chosen one by one, so as not to spoil the еcological balance of the forest lend an organic and warm feel that no other material could achieve. This sustainable design approach comes as a reminder that we are able to use wisely our connection to nature and by doing so we can live in harmonious surroundings while taking responsible ecological choice.

To see more stunning Whole Trees Architecture projects, visit their website.

All photos courtesy of Whole Trees Architecure.

Starting the Transition....

Well, we have been living in our new house for a couple of weeks now. It is wonderful! We are getting used to the new feel, the new sounds, and the new pathways thru the house. We absolutely love it here. The only thing better would be to look out of the back door and see lake. The water is pretty much gone from the lake behind our house. It is so sad...hopefully, it will fill up soon! We have spent the last few weeks moving furniture and dressing up the house with "pretties" and such. We haven't hung any pics on the walls or done any window treatments. We are working every evening pretty late trying to get things out of boxes that have been in storage for 2 years. It is quite an ordeal, but we are finally feeling like we are making progress. We have a Sunday School party scheduled here in a couple of weeks and are expecting at least 25 people, so we working as fast as possible to get things put away. Here are a few pics of our progress. I will try to post a few in a week or two as we make more progress!




The greatroom and my piano...just moved it a few days ago...

We haven't put shutters or such on the large clawfoot tub window...so we applied a window film temporarily until we decide how to make the window more "private"......looks like stained glass...

Our wonderful walk-in pantry!....

MAJA HOUSE building

Build a building design for green building

Build a green building need a complicated process as well as high precision. The knowledge of engineering, building design, building materials and solid team work are some things we must have in order to manufacture a green building. An office building can be constructed in a way of a green building. We can also implement the concept of green building when we are building a house.

To build a green building is a process to construct a building or to make a building design with the concept of green environment. It means that the architecture and the concept of the green building must put into consideration about the energy which is going to be used in that green building. The use of solar energy is one example of building a green building.

Office building can be constructed in green building concept and can use the solar energy equipment for energy supply within the building.