Fueling a Creative Mind

It goes without saying that we are all born with the potential to be creative. In the course of history, people have uses their creativity to develop great ideas for the benefit of mankind, be it in the world of arts, science, or business.

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While it is given that some people are naturally creative than others, it is important to remind ourselves of what our minds are capable of. Fuel your mind’s creative power by following these tips:

Find your natural expertise. Ask yourself, “What am I good at?” We all different skills, talents, and abilities and it is important to devote our time to develop our inherent gifts.

Look for sources of inspiration. Back in college, our professor always reminded us to look for new sources of inspiration. I am an experiential learner, and my taste varies widely, so I took my time to research my favorite architects and visited some of their famous works. Such technique gave me fresh ideas, and it helped me generate designs for my project.

Take risks. To test your abilities, be willing to take risks. Failure does not mean your ideas are bad. It could mean many things, perhaps, some improvement.

Don’t give up, and believe in yourself. Always remember, we are all born with the potential for creating incredible things.

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My Job Explained: Life as an Architect

This morning, I have taken the time to reflect on my past accomplishments and focus my thoughts on my life as an architect. I always wanted to become an architect. Growing up playing with building blocks and miniature houses, I eventually moved on studying the craft by taking architecture in college.

Most people would picture an architect as some sort of an artist working on his draft boards all day to come up with cool building ideas. This image is true in some aspects, but it is really just a small portion of the job.

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Being in this field necessitates not only knowledge in design and structures but also in business. The role of an architect changes over time. These days, I spend most of time running a business by doing marketing plans, and by attending meetings with clients, engineers, and contractors. I spend the majority of my day on the phone and in front of my computer answering e-mails.

Stressful? Yes.

But the best part of the job is the approval I get from my clients who are ecstatic and satisfied about my design and how I handle the project. They are people who are not only paying me for my time and expertise, but they are people who believe in my ability. And there’s no better validation than that.

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Concrete beauties: Architectural models of the modern world

What makes buildings beautiful? Although beauty is a subjective criterion, there are plenty of buildings that have gained fame either by being featured in movies or by setting records as the tallest ever constructed. The following are some of the architectural marvels of the modern world:

Empire State Building, USA

Located in the heart of New York City, the Empire State Building gained fame through a myriad of films shot there, including the very iconic “King Kong.” Aside from being a popular setting for films, it's also the third tallest building in the U.S. and ranks 12th in the world.

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Burj Khalifa, UAE

It was previously known as the Burj Dubai before its inauguration. This 2,722-feet skyscraper is considered the tallest man-made structure in the world. Construction started in September 2004, and it was officially opened on January 201o.


The Bird's Nest, China

The Beijing National Stadium, also known as The Bird's Nest, was designed for the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. It is the world's largest steel structure. It consists of two main structures: a red bowl-shaped, concrete seating area and an outer steel frame that makes it look like a nest.

Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Spain

The Spanish Guggenheim is a museum for modern and contemporary art, but the building itself is a masterpiece by Frank Gehry. The circular body is a signature design and built mainly with glass,
titanium, and limestone.

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The Colosseum: Then and Now

The Colosseum, located east of the Roman Forum, was commissioned around 70-72 A.D. by Emperor Vespasian of the Flavian Dynasty as a gift to the people of Rome. In 80 A.D., Titus, son of Vespasian, opened the Colosseum and was officially known as the Flavian Amphitheater. It was inaugurated with 100 days of games, including gladiatorial combats and wild animal fights and was finally completed in the reign of Domitian, the other son.

The Colosseum or Flavian Amphitheater is a large ellipsoid arena. The construction started in the reign of Vespasian on the site where the lake and gardens of Emperor Nero’s Golden House once were. As a precaution for potential earthquake damage, the lake was drained and concrete foundations six meters deep were put down.

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The Flavian Amphitheater or Aphiteatrum Flavium (as it was known to the Romans) was the biggest building of its kind. It had four stories and stood over 45 meters high.

After four centuries of active use, the magnificent arena fell into neglect, and up until the 18th century, it was used as a source of building materials. Though most of the arena has been destroyed over time, the Colosseum still stands as a popular tourist attraction, as well as an iconic symbol of Rome and its long history. Restoration efforts began in the 1990s and have proceeded over the years.

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On Good Friday, the Pope leads a torchlit “Way of the Cross” procession to the Colosseum. The execution of early Christians in the arena has caused the Catholic Church to consider it as a place sanctified by the blood of martyrs.

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REPOST: Reaching 'E' in the alphabet of architecture

Gregory J. Scott explains what an entableture is and how it affects architectural design in this Lancaster Online article below.

The Roman Revival-style Lancaster County Courthouse, built in 1852. | Image Source: lancasteronline.com

The entablature is the impressive horizontal band that sits on top of architectural columns. It’s composed of three elements: the architrave, the frieze and the cornice. What we see today is a stylized version of what ancient Greeks and Romans developed to construct their temples and other important civic structures — stylized, because the earliest temples were constructed of wood, not stone.

The 9/11 memorial in London is an example of those early timber techniques used to build temples. The transition from wood to stone construction is known as “petrification.”

The lowest band on the entablature is the architrave; it’s the beam resting at the top of the columns. It supports the weight from above and distributes it evenly across the supports. The frieze is the middle band. Its purpose is to protect the wooden rafters from exposure to the elements. The frieze is often carved with decoration when it’s made of stone. The cornice is the top band, and serves as the cap or crown that protects the two bands below.

Lancaster has several entablature examples to explore. One, the 1852 Greek Revival-style Lancaster County Courthouse on East King Street, has an unadorned frieze, but an impressive pediment. Another, the 1846 Classical Revival-style Lancaster Museum of Art on North Lime Street has a portico with a a classic entablature, but no pediment.

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• What makes the entablature unique? The entablature is the three-part structural support system positioned above architectural columns in classical architectural.
• What materials are used to construct an entablature? Originally wood posts, beams and rafters were used in the construction of the entablature followed by stone for greater endurance and permanence.
• Where are they found? Entablatures can be found on Greek Revival, Beaux Arts, Classical Revival, Georgian Revival, Federal, Second Empire and Renaissance Revival styles of architecture.

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Architectural wonders of the ancient world

Human civilization has been creating monuments, buildings, and impressive structures since the dawn of time. The people from the olden days were able to build some of the most breathtaking and remarkable architectural wonders using advanced construction techniques. Here are some prime examples:

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Great Wall of China

A series of fortifications made of stone, brick, rammed earth, and wood, the Great Wall of China is considered as the largest man-made construction in the world. It's around 6,400 kilometers long and took centuries to build. Over a million people died during the building of this wall. The Chinese built this wall to protect themselves from invasion from the north. The wall is over 2,000 years old and has been rebuilt, enhanced, and maintained through the years.

Pantheon

The Pantheon is one of the most famous constructions by the Roman Empire. It was built in 128 A.D. as a temple to honor the ancient Roman gods and goddesses such as Jupiter, Neptune, and Mars. Because of the Pantheon’s impressive design, around 34 buildings were made in its likeness.

Image Source: en.wikipedia.org

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Architects have always wondered how this happened. Obviously, it was not meant to lean but the Tower of Pisa, which is actually a bell tower for Duomo de Pisa, got famous for it. It took almost 200 years to construct the tower, and since it was built, it started sinking to the ground.

Taj Mahal

Aside from its unique design, the Taj Mahal is famous because of the story behind its construction. Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan built it in honor of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It is considered by many to be the jewel of Muslim art and one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Great Pyramids of Giza

Ancient Egyptians created the pyramids as the final resting place for its pharaohs. Until the 19th century, the Great Pyramid was the highest structure in the world. It's made from approximately 2,300,000 limestone blocks that weigh 2.5 tons each.

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Hi, I'm Jonathan Bunge and I'm an architect who appreciate both modern and ancient designs. Follow me on Facebook to discover some of the best architectural feats in the world.