The Corn Cob Towers

Daily Upsider on September 2, 2024

Continuing our periodic articles on buildings, cities, and architecture, we are featuring some fascinating towers from Chicago, Marina City.

I find the building and room layouts to be particularly interesting, considering that round shapes are often less space efficient. Another aspect I like are the common areas. They create a village type of setup, despite being condensed in just a few buildings.

I am not sure if this is the type of design I would like to see take over apartment block or high-rise housing design. Regardless, it is quite interesting.

What do you think, would you ever live in something like this?

Amazing Roman Engineering Still Used Today

Daily Upsider on August 29, 2024

Thanks to the advanced craftsmanship of ancient Roman architects and their remarkably durable building materials, many of the empire’s most impressive structures still stand today, attracting millions of tourists—over 6 million visit the Colosseum alone each year. However, perhaps the most astonishing engineering feat of ancient Rome is its iconic aqueducts, one of which continues to supply water to the city millennia after it was built.

While the Romans didn’t invent the aqueduct Roman engineers perfected the concept. The Acqua Vergine, originally built as the Aqua Virgo during Emperor Augustus’s reign in 19 BC, still delivers water to Rome more than 2,000 years after its creation. Though it has undergoing several restorations over the centuries.

The extraordinary longevity of Rome’s aqueducts and other ancient structures can be attributed to the city’s near-miraculous concrete recipe. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have found that Roman concrete possesses a unique ability to self-heal, thanks to the presence of lime clasts (small mineral chunks) and a technique known as “hot mixing,” where lime is mixed at extremely high temperatures. Today, scientists are exploring the secrets of this ancient material with the hope of applying Rome’s ancient wisdom to modern construction practices.

Another interesting fact of Rome’s historical water engineering prowess is that the city boasts more water fountains than any other city in the world. Although estimates suggest there may be as many as 3,000 fountains, many of them are no longer in operation.

If you want to know how Roman aqueducts work, and how incredible long they can be, check out this video. It is very good! It also explains how the aqueducts were not used for what you might think they were used for.

Amazing and Impossible…

Daily Upsider on July 12, 2024

This is a fascinating video about building a cathedral without science or math…

It sounds impossible, but you might be surprised. Our modern idea of engineering is quite a bit different than it was when some of the most beautiful and impressive structures in the world were built.

As someone who is neither an engineer nor an architect, this video thoroughly fascinated me.

Beautiful Hotel that Melts Every Year

Daily Upsider on February 22, 2024

The Icehotel in Sweden that features rooms and art installations is a unique and stunning hotel, first established in 1989 by Yngve Bergqvist. It features rooms and art installations made of ice and snow, drawing artists from around the world to contribute to its construction each year. The hotel offers both temporary ice rooms that melt in the spring and year-round ice rooms that are kept cool using solar-power cooling technology.

With 18 year-round ice rooms and 36 temporary ice rooms in the winter, the Icehotel also provides 44 warm rooms and 28 warm chalets for guests who prefer more traditional accommodations. The hotel’s unique appeal lies in its impermanence and one-of-a-kind ice rooms, offering a truly unforgettable experience for visitors.

If you are in one of the ice rooms, the temperature is generally between 19.4 to 23 degrees Fahrenheit. The Icehotel offers expedition-style sleeping bags for guests staying in the ice rooms. Visitors can check into their rooms at 6 p.m. and have 24-hour access to a heated facility, where they can store their belongings, shower, and use the bathroom. This ensures that guests have a comfortable and convenient stay, despite the unique nature of the ice accommodations.

The hotel also recommends staying for multiple nights, with the first or last being in one of the ice-rooms.

The Icehotel’s success has transformed the once-desolate winter months in Jukkasjärvi into a thriving tourist season. The ice blocks used in the construction are harvested from the nearby Torne River at the end of the winter. They are then stored all summer until the next winter when they are crafted into the seasonal portion of the hotel.

The Icehotel is located in Jukkasjärvi, just outside the town of Kiruna in Swedish Lapland. This is a beautiful region in northern Sweden, where you can expect to discover a land of forests, rivers, lakes, and mountains. In winter, the region is cloaked in a blanket of sparkling snow. The hotel is only a 15-minute drive away from the Kiruna airport, making it easily accessible for travelers.

Each year, the Icehotel receives applications from artists around the world to design the suites. When the temperature drops to levels required for snow gun operations, usually in mid-November, the building process begins. The Winter portion of the hotel is open from December to April, offering guests the opportunities to go dog sledding, see the northern lights, and even try ice sculpting themselves.

The Icehotel is a unique and unforgettable experience, combining the beauty of the natural surroundings with the creativity of artists and the comfort of a well-managed hotel. Whether you’re looking to explore the untouched wilderness of Swedish Lapland or to enjoy a stay in a one-of-a-kind ice suite, the Icehotel is the perfect destination for an unforgettable winter adventure.