Official Building Draft Choice Thread, Part II

[DoctorJones24]

So does Westminster Abbey stand, then?

[Caesar]

So does Westminster Abbey stand, then?
No judges about.

I reckon you're probably pretty safe though.

[Norsk Troll]

Absolutely Westminster Abbey stands. They started building it 800 years before they started building the current Houses of Parliament (a/k/a Westminster Palace), though the original palace (which burned down - leading to the current Houses of Parliament being built) was contemporary to the Abbey. If they're part of a "complex" then the whole city of London is as well!

[dmar]

My 4th pick goes to....

DAMNNN!!!

I hoped this one would last until the end... here are some more pics.

http://img4.picsplace.to/img4/21/mila2.jpg (http://picsplace.to/)

http://img4.picsplace.to/img4/21/mila1.jpg (http://picsplace.to/)

http://img4.picsplace.to/img4/21/mila3.jpg (http://picsplace.to/)

[DoctorJones24]

Love the Gaudi pick, btw.

[Iceblink]

Two great picks this round. I can't believe Petronas lasted this long!!!!!

[Norsk Troll]

http://img4.picsplace.to/img4/21/mila1.jpg (http://picsplace.to/)
Which received its best homage, of course, in the set construction of Farscape's Moya :D

http://www.farscape-1.com/site/moya_003.jpg

[Danks81]

Love the Gaudi pick, btw.
Ditto that.

[nicodemus]

Petronas Towers - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

http://data.greatbuildings.com/gbc/images/cid_1033557848_PetronasNightShot.jpg
I know we said the judges aren't going to comment frequently, but Petronas is one of the times I have to comment.

Brilliant pick.

The main thing I love about Petronas is that it is both modern and ancient. It's modern, but reflects elements of great structures of the past and is one of the best examples of the modern skyscraper because it reflects the cultural heritage of where it is.

[Norsk Troll]

I'll second that, now that Nicodemus has chimed in. If you're going to go modern skyscraper, this may be the best for its cultural cognizance.

[Wingtips1]

where the hell are crew and yelobiz?

[yellowbismark]

I'm here, I got my pick ready to go whenever Crew posts his.

[Crew14]

With my 4th pick:

Farnsworth House

http://www.nationaltrust.org/magazine/_images/news/farnsworth.jpg

http://lizzyfc.f2o.org/farnsworth10.jpg

http://www.urbandesign.it/immagini/Mies.jpg

Mies van der Rohe
Plano, IL

[Crew14]

A little fun fact regarding Mies, every year on his birthday the architecture students at IIT celebrate by making a cake in the shape of Crown Hall.

[Danks81]

With my 4th pick:

Farnsworth House



Mies van der Rohe
Plano, IL
Is that Cameron's house from Ferris Bueller's Day Off?

[yellowbismark]

Hawa Mahal Jaipur, India

http://harm.isaac.nl/travel/indianepal/fotoalbum/photos/IMG_0576.JPG

Hawa Mahal means Palace of the Winds, this side of the building features a bunch of rooms that royal women would use to observe the street life below, without being seen themselves. It was built in 1799 by the Maharajah Sawai Pratap Singh The building is five stories and is made of red and pink sanstone with white quicklime. There is a lot of detailing on the buildings, such as the intricate patterns on the windows, the confectionary domes on top, and the shapes of the chambers/rooms themselves.

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/7184/hawamahaljaipur3rl.jpg

As you can see from this picture, the building is very imposing from the front view, but is more free and open behind the facade, including a courtyard area and some other rooms that make up the complex.


It is quite a bulky building, so finding a photo with good composition of the entire structure while showing off the details was pretty hard to find.

http://www.b-burkhart.de/india/282%20Jaipur%20-%20Hawa%20Mahal.jpg

[dmar]

Guy, I have to be offline and the last picks have made me rethink the choice I had thought... In 2 or 3 hours the pick will be up, I'm sorry.

[CG]

Hawa Mahal Jaipur, India

http://harm.isaac.nl/travel/indianepal/fotoalbum/photos/IMG_0576.JPG

Hawa Mahal means Palace of the Winds, this side of the building features a bunch of rooms that royal women would use to observe the street life below, without being seen themselves. It was built in 1799 by the Maharajah Sawai Pratap Singh The building is five stories and is made of red and pink sanstone with white quicklime. There is a lot of detailing on the buildings, such as the intricate patterns on the windows, the confectionary domes on top, and the shapes of the chambers/rooms themselves.

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/7184/hawamahaljaipur3rl.jpg

As you can see from this picture, the building is very imposing from the front view, but is more free and open behind the facade, including a courtyard area and some other rooms that make up the complex.


It is quite a bulky building, so finding a photo with good composition of the entire structure while showing off the details was pretty hard to find.

going for the Nico vote, eh? ;)

[Iceblink]

Hawa Mahal Jaipur, India


Wait... is this a new pick? It looks so much like the Mies van der Rohe, I couldn't tell the difference.

[dmar]

Pick 13 (Fourth Round)

The Great Mosque of Cordoba

Location: Cordoba, Spain.
Construction date: 784-987.
Architect: Sidi ben Ayyub, among others.


http://img5.picsplace.to/img5/19/Mezquita-Lg.jpg (http://picsplace.to/)

http://img5.picsplace.to/img5/19/Córdoba-Mezquita-Catedral05p.jpg (http://picsplace.to/)

http://img5.picsplace.to/img5/19/Detalle-exterior-de-la-Gran-Mezquita-Cordoba-Andalucia-Espana_6000.jpg (http://picsplace.to/)



The Great Mosque of Cordoba was considered a wonder of the medieval world by both Muslims and Christians, it was begun between 784 and 786 during the reign of Abd al-Rahman I, who escaped from Syria to the Iberian Peninsula after his family was massacred by a rival political dynasty. Independence from Baghdad was declared in 929. From this time on, Cordoba grew into becoming the largest and most cultural city of Europe, a clear rival to Baghdad and Cairo (founded 969).

The mosque consists of a rectangular prayer hall and an enclosed courtyard. Following Islamic custom, the wall should be Mecca-orientated, but in this case it runs from north to south. The system of columns supporting double arcades of piers and arches is an unusual treatment that, structurally, combined striking visual effect with the practical advantage of providing greater height and lighting within the hall.
Though the mosque was expanded by later rulers, the basic formula of arcades was maintained in each of the additions. The resulting vistas of columns and arcades that stretch into the dim recesses of the prayer hall create a mysterious space that is often described as a forest of stone.
The most lavish interior ornament is concentrated in the maqsura, the prayer space reserved for the ruler. The maqsura is visually separated from the rest of the prayer hall by screens formed of elaborate intersecting arcades, an elegant variation on the basic architectural theme set in the earliest incarnation of the mosque.

In the centre of the mosque squats a Renaissance cathedral which dates back to the early sixteenth century.

More info:

http://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.tcl?site_id=31