‘Architecture and Design’ Archives
Chrysler Building
Chrysler Building The Chrysler Building was designed by William Van Alen, completed 1930 New York City The Chrysler Building, designed by William Van Alen, stands 77 stories tall at Lexington Avenue between 42nd and 43rd Streets in Manhattan, and is considered one of the most famous and admired skyscrapers in the world. The Chrysler [...]
Architectural Competitions
Architectural Competitions Throughout the 20th century professional architectural competitions were a constant source of debate and controversy among those in the discipline. They were used as pedagogical tools, as means for determining excellence, as a method for awarding commissions, as battlegrounds of opposing ambitions, and as political [...]
Airport Building
Airport and Aviation Building Airports were a novel development without precedent. Although similar to railway stations, aircraft had quite different architectural requirements to passenger trains. This did not deter designers in the early 20th century from using the styling of train stations and train interiors in their designs for the new [...]
Adaptive Reuse
Adaptive Reuse Buildings often outlive their function; however, their inherent durability often gives the building another life. There is a long tradition of buildings being adapted to suit new functions. Roman basilicas were converted to serve as worship spaces for the nascent Christian church. In medieval times, Roman fortifications were [...]
Have a Happy Christmas
Have a Happy Christmas by banishing damp in your home CHRISTMAS is coming and we all know how expensive it can be – buying gifts, a Christmas tree, the turkey and all those trimmings plus drinks for friends and relatives who might pop in over the festive period. It’s a time of furious hard work – all that shopping, wrapping and cooking [...]
Concrete Bridges
Concrete Bridges A complex interplay between societal change, the development of the internal combustion engine, and the impact of World War I, led to an explosion in the number of road vehicles in the immediate postwar years—and a totally inadequate nineteenth century legacy of roads to accommodate them. Following the first International [...]
Room Arrangement
Room Arrangement A well-designed interior should be both functional and aesthetic. In addition to adequate light, heat, ventilation, comfortable seats, and tables of the proper height, it should provide an atmosphere of peace and serenity and an aspect of beauty and charm. As previously stated, it should reflect the personalities of various [...]
Interior Design and Decoration
Interior Design and Decoration The art of planning and producing interiors of structures based on function, comfort, convenience, and aesthetic appeal. The professional interior designer and decorator designs, plans, and furnishes the interiors of houses, commercial and institutional structures, hotels, clubs, theaters, restaurants, public [...]
Insulation
Insulation A method of isolating or separating one conducting body from another by means of nonconductors to prevent or reduce the transfer of heat; also called heat insulation. Heat, a form of energy, normally is associated with visual action such as fire, steam, or boiling water. These more obvious conceptions of heat actually represent a [...]
High-Rise
High-Rise In October 1981, newspapers in the USA and the UK reported plans for a 169-storey building in Chicago. If this is built, it will be almost twice as tall as the 384-metre Empire State Building in New York. Since the early days of civilised man, buildings have been getting higher all the time. Today, all large cities have tall [...]
