Aqua Tower – Inspired by Rock Formations Around the Great Lakes

Aqua Tower

Destined to be one of the most instantly recognized buildings in the world the Aqua Tower in Chicago has the simplest of ideas behind it.  The idea for the tower came from the eroded rocks that can be found around the Great Lakes.

The Amazing Marina Bay Sands Skypark Hotel Opens in Singapore

Infinity pool at the Marina Bay Sands Skypark.

55 storeys up, this infinity pool could glide you straight over the edge of Singapore, if not the world. It’s part of the $6 billion Marina Bay Sands Skypark hotel, which just opened this week. 

8 of the Weirdest Hotels on Earth

 When we travel, we often want to stay in the best hotels money can buy, but really, what is the fun in that? Isn’t it more of an adventure to stay in a unique place that adds more charm than stars? Sure you can stay in a five-star hotel, but have you ever slept in a wine barrel, a jail, or magic mountain? Here are just some of the weird hotels found all across the globe.

Solar City Tower – Giant Energy Generating Waterfall for the 2016 Rio Olympics

This renewable energy generating tower located on the coast of Rio is one of the first buildings we’ve seen designed for the 2016 Rio Olympics, and boy, is it crazy! (In case you didn’t notice, it’s also a waterfall.) The Solar City Tower is designed by Zurich-based RAFAA Architecture & Design, and features a large solar system to generate power during the day and a pumped water storage system to generate power at night. RAFAA’s goal is that a symbolic tower such as this can serve as a starting point for a global green movement and help make the 2016 Olympic Games more sustainable.

Mega-Cities in Earthquake Zones Await Disaster

As Mustafa Erdik, the director of an earthquake engineering institute in Istanbul, surveys the streets of this sprawling mega-city, he says he sometimes feels like a doctor scanning a crowded hospital ward.

13 Story Building In China Toppled Over Almost Intact

In June of 2009 a truly bizarre news story surfaced. A nearly finished, newly constructed building in Shanghai toppled over, killing one worker. As can be seen in the photos, the 13-story apartment building collapsed with just enough room to escape what would have been a far more destructive domino effect involving other structures in the 11-building complex.

18 of the World’s Strangest Airports

Engineers tasked with building an airport are faced with countless challenges: The ideal location needs ample space, endless flat ground, favorable winds and great visibility. But spots in the real world are rarely ideal, and engineers are forced to work with what they have, making sure that the end product is the safest possible structure for pilots. A survey of airports around the world turns up a mixed bag, ranging from dangerous and rugged landing strips to mega-size facilities that operate like small cities. Here, PM explores the world’s most remarkableairports and why they stand out.

Hitachi Develops World’s Fastest Elevator

Hitachi is stepping up efforts to finalize the design of the world’s fastest elevator.   In April, it will open the 213-metre tall G1 Tower in Japan, where it will conduct verification tests on an elevator with a speed of 1,080 metres per minute (m/min).

The tower will also be used for development of the world’s largest high-speed, high-capacity elevator, targeted to carry five tons at 600 m/min.
To improve riding comfort in high-speed elevators, Hitachi is developing new vibration control and air pressure adjustment devices.
Further efforts focus on reducing the space required for elevator shafts and reducing the weight of the elevator cars.

Top 10 Places You Can’t Go

The world is full of secret and exclusive places that we either don’t know about, or simply couldn’t visit if we wanted to. This list takes a look at ten of the most significant places around the world that are closed to the general public or are virtually impossible for the general public to visit.

The Mystery of Non-Egyptian Pyramids in China

Pyramids in China???

Ferrari World Theme Park To Open In 2010

Abu Dhabi is probably tired of Dubai always stealing the thunder as the star of the United Arab Emirates, but that may change with the construction of a F1 spec race track and a Ferrari-based theme park set to open in 2010.