What will characterize our own time on Earth? Sadly, it seems like the most enduring thing we’ll leave behind is trillions of plastic particles that will still be present in every corner of the globe 1,000 years from now. London architecture firm Vatraa makes this point in vivid fashion with “The Plastic Monument,” a roughly 21-foot-tall Stonehenge replica standing in a plaza in southern Milan. Winner of National Geographic’s 2019 “Planet or Plastic” design competition, the sculpture is made out of 16,000 recycled plastic bottles.

“Taking the form of a trilithon, one of the oldest forms of structure inherited from our ancestors, the monument draws the attention to the consequences of our actions in the long run, to the fact that what we are doing today might stay on Earth forever,” say the architects. “The installation poses a stark contrast between a single-use, disposable material and the eternity of the trilithon. Made of pressed PET bottle bales — the raw material for the plastic recycling plants – it educates the public into the recycling process by illustrating its first steps, just before the material is shredded, washed, and melted into new bottles.”

Thousands of crushed bottles are held together in three stone slab-like rectangular shapes made of wire mesh, making it clear that the “monument” is made of single-use plastic trash. It sits on two solid steel blocks as a foundation and stands just slightly smaller than the real Stonehenge. That enables it to stand up to strong winds — and be disassembled for display in other cities in the future.

“When we think of what our ancestors left to us, we think of real assets made of brick or stone, like the pyramids, the Colosseum, or Stonehenge,” says Bogdan Rusu, founding partner at Vatraa. “But part of our legacy to the next generation might also be plastic waste…Hundreds of years down the line our great-great-great grandchildren might find disposable plastic items that we just got rid of today because it was so convenient to us.”

If you find that to be a depressing thought, then the monument has done its job. Whether our actual contemporary architectural creations someday become their own “ancient monuments” may not matter. Even if humanity survives the coming climate catastrophe, future generations will likely think of us in terms of the pollution we contributed to the planet rather than our more admirable achievements.

The Plastic Monument will remain on display in Milan until next October, when Vatraa hopes it will embark upon a world tour to spread awareness about the consequences of our collective actions.

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The Eiffel Tower is currently illuminated by 20,000 exterior LED light bulbs that use approximately 7.8 kilowatt-hours of electricity each year. Until September 23rd, the world-famous landmark glowed from dusk until 1 am, putting on a special flickering light show for five minutes every hour. Lightbulbs flash on and off in random patterns to mimic the effect of a fireworks display for visitors.

More recently, The Paris city council decided to turn the lights off every night at 11:45 pm, potentially saving up to four percent of the tower’s annual energy consumption. Originally constructed in 1887, the Eiffel tower was first illuminated by 10,000 gas lights and external spotlights projecting from the base. It was updated to more modern lightning in 1985, with the sparkle effect being added to ring in the millennial year 2000.

Gas and Oil Shortage

The Eiffel Tower’s light restriction comes in response to the growing energy crisis across Europe caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Before the war, Russia had supplied roughly 40 percent of all of the European Union’s gas needs, but now only provides nine percent, causing skyrocketing prices and fuel shortages across the continent. Even those countries that were not heavily reliant on Russia for their energy needs are now feeling the pinch. For example, Germany depended on Russia for 55 percent of its gas needs in the past, but is currently buying more from Norway, reducing the amount available for other faithful customers like Great Britain.

What Else is Being Done?

In addition to dimming the tower lights a littler earlier, the City of Paris is also instituting several other energy-saving measures. For starters, all city-managed buildings will have their temperatures lowered from 19 to 18 degrees Celsius (roughly from 66 to 64 degrees Fahrenheit), except for in elderly care homes and baby day care facilities. Public pools will lower their water temperature from 27 to 26 degrees Celsius (from about 80 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit), and lighting on all public monuments will be turned off at 10 pm.

Around Europe, other countries are taking their own measures to cut energy usage. Germany is turning off spotlights on its over 200 public monuments and government buildings at night, shutting down fountains, requiring all state employees to wash their hands with cold water only, and even cancelling the traditional Christmas lighting along Berlin’s glitzy shopping district.

Spain has put limits on air conditioning and heating temperatures for all shops, offices, and other commercial venues. The Netherlands and Denmark are urging their citizens to take short showers to save on gas. And to ease the burden for their residents, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and France have all set caps on electricity and gas prices. Since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war, average household energy costs have jumped to nearly five times their previous level.

Even if the Eiffel Tower light reduction is largely symbolic in nature, it shows solidarity with people across Europe who are having to cut back on energy use. Despite the latest measures, Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo has assured the public that nation’s capital “will always be the City of Light.”

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Measuring a mile and a half long and nearly half a mile wide, the project is truly astonishing in scale. But what might be even more astonishing is the fact that it’s actually done, especially to those in the art world who thought it would remain an unfinished money-suck for the remainder of Heizer’s life. The 77-year-old artist first broke ground on “City” in 1970, building the first part, “Complex One,” over the following decade with a crew of workers. At first, he paid for it himself, raising the rest of the funds from art institutions and collectors over the ensuing decades. Heizer and a group of supporters also founded the nonprofit Triple Aught Foundation in 1998, which contributed $30 million.

Long enamored with the idea of monumental art, Heizer got the idea for “City” after visiting Egypt with his father. The influence is evident in the structure of Complex One, which resembles that of the stepped pyramid Zoser. The raised earth structures of “Complex Two” are also reminiscent of Egyptian pyramids, as crisp and unblemished as they once must have been. Another monument, called “45°, 90°, 180°,” is made up of rows of huge triangles and rectangles standing on a concrete plaza. They are all in fact modular pieces of what would be a single wedge, if they were ever assembled.

Photographs of the finished project reveal these ancient influences, but also associations that hit a little closer to home. Its shapes and proportions recall those of 20th-century modernist architecture, and taken as a whole, they could almost be seen as future ruins of contemporary society viewed by our distant descendants. It’s a reminder that as a species, we and our creations are simultaneously enduring and fragile. It wouldn’t take long for the desert winds to completely cover our cities in dust after we’ve gone.

Most of “City” consists of natural materials like dirt, rock, and clay sustainably sourced from the Great Basin landscape, in which the piece is set. In 2015, former President Barack Obama designated 700,000 acres of the desert containing and surrounding the project as a national monument, protecting it for future generations.

Not many people will actually get to experience “City” in person. Tickets are limited to six per day, at least for now. Those lucky enough to get their hands on one will have to fly into Alamo, Nevada, where they’ll be picked up and driven to the installation. Once dropped off, they won’t be led on a guided tour or follow any marked paths. The project is meant to be experienced as if you wandered in on foot and roamed around in awe and wonder, having no idea what you’ve found. “I am not here to tell people what it all means,” Heizer told The New York Times. “You can figure it out for yourself.”

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The half-billion dollar yacht, designed to be the largest in the world at 417 feet, would have been too tall to clear the Koningshaven Bridge in the port city of Rotterdam on its way out to the ocean. Locally know as “De Hef,” meaning “the lift,” the bridge’s central span would need to be removed. That process would take about a day of work, according to city officials, and about a day to replace the section.

Once word spread to Dutch locals of the possible bridge dismantling, protestors took to social media to oppose the move. Some even advocated egging the boat to voice their disapproval.

“Calling all Rotterdammers: take a box of rotten eggs with you, and let’s throw them en masse at Jeff’s superyacht when it sails through the Hef in Rotterdam,” wrote event organizer Pablo Strörmann on Facebook.

Although the city council had initially okayed dissembling the top section of the bridge, they quickly backtracked after massive public outcry.

The 95-year-old De Hef was the first vertical lift bridge in the Netherlands (and all of Western Europe) when it was completed in 1927. Originally built as a connecting line for the Breda-Rotterdam Railway, it was the first structure to be rebuilt after the bombing of the seaside town during World War II. De Hef faced demolition in 1993 when the railway discontinued its use, but the bridge was already a major landmark in the area by that point, and protests resulted in the structure winning national protection as a Rijksmonument.

It’s no surprise that Rotterdam residents got their feathers ruffled at the mention of dismantling it for the sake a multi-billionaire’s new toy. In the wake of angry complaints, Oceano, the company building the superyacht, announced that it would no longer be applying for a permit to temporarily change De Hef.

“We’re happy it’s not happening,” said Marvin Biljoen, a city councilman for GroenLinks, the Dutch Green Party. “The bridge is a national monument, which shouldn’t be altered too much. That you could still do that with money anyway bothers us.”

But others feel like it is an opportunity wasted. Oceano and Bezos would have completely paid for the disassembly and repair of the bridge, and it would have been all over within two days.

“I talk to a lot of residents of Rotterdam,” said Dieke van Groningen, a Rotterdam councilwoman for VVD, the Dutch Liberal Party. “They’re incredibly proud that these kinds of ships sail through our city.”

Today, Rotterdam is the largest port in all of Europe and remains a major center of global shipbuilding.

“This is the Netherlands at its best,” Ms. van Groningen adds. “It’s about the image of the port, and you should be proud of that.”

Taking cover in the dark of night in early August, the still unfinished Bezos superyacht was towed out of the harbor to the friendlier dock of Greenport in Rotterdam, where it hopes to escape any lingering egg threats.

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As a posthumous project of the legendary artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, the “L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped” installation required 270,000 square feet of silvery-blue polypropylene fabric, almost 10,000 feet of red rope, and three months of labor from a team of 1,200 workers.

Resembling a ridiculously large package delivered to the Champs-Élysées, the Arc’s new look has been polarizing among Parisians, garnering both fascination and praise as well as sharp criticism, with some on social media calling it the “shame of France.” Those divergent reactions are a sign that the famous artists’ creations have not lost their raison d’être: to provide a spectacular aesthetic impact while introducing new ways of seeing the familiar.

“All our projects deal with reality. You are exposed to real things: real sun, wind, rain, fear, joy,” Christo once said. “That is why these projects are bigger than our own imaginations.”

Bulgarian native Christo Vladimirov Javacheff and Morrocan-born Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon met in Paris in 1958, sparking a decades-long collaboration of love and art. The married pair were known for encasing dozens of prominent public spaces and nature in cloth. In the 1970s, they strung up a huge curtain in a Colorado canyon. In 1985, Paris’ Pont Neuf bridge was transformed into a shining parcel of gold. In 1995, they also covered the German Reichstag building for 14 days in aluminum material. And just a few years before Jeanne-Claude’s death in 2009, the couple set up hundreds of bright orange fabric “gates” in New York’s Central Park.

Each of the duo’s larger-than-life art installations required years of planning, especially in regard to acquiring permissions from government and local entities. The plan to bind up the Arc was conceived all the way back in the 1960s, but the red tape involved with such a recognizable structure was too daunting. Their vision only became a reality after Christo’s death last year.

“This is the achievement of a 60-year-old dream, a crazy dream come true,” said French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking at the installation’s official opening on September 16th. Clearly, the project is more a homage to the artists themselves than a new piece of artwork.

The piece’s assembly was overseen by Christo’s nephew Vladimir Yavachev and cost roughly $16 million, completely paid for through the sale of the late artist’s prints and drawings, as well charitable donations. The busy adjacent streets were closed off on the weekends for the duration of the installation, and thousands of curious pedestrians filled in the avenues during the first Saturday and Sunday to get a closer look.

The Arc de Triomphe stayed under wraps until just a couple days ago, on October 3rd. No tickets were required, and the artists’ website even invited visitors to “approach and touch the artwork.” For fans outside of Paris, the website also features a livestream YouTube video of tourists’ interactions with the silver-swathed Arc.

The transitory nature of the piece is part of its appeal. “I don’t have any artworks that exist. They all go away when they’re finished,” Christo once said, adding that: “Only the preparatory drawings and collages are left, giving my works an almost legendary character. I think it takes much greater courage to create things to be gone than to create things that will remain.”

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The debate rages on about whether allowing the statues to remain means we are honoring those leaders’s outdated beliefs, but now there’s also a new question at hand: when the statues fall, what exactly do we do with them?

For some international insight, we can look to a sculpture park in Russia called Muzeon, also known as the Fallen Monument Park. It began with a single statue of Felix Dzerzhinsky, founder of the Soviet Union’s feared secret police, whose likeness was pulled down by protestors in 1991 and dumped in a vacant lot. Soon after that, other historical figures were taken down and added to the statue graveyard. It wasn’t long before fun, contemporary statues representing fairy tale characters and literary figures (taken down for myriad reasons) also started being added to the mix. Today, the once vacant lot has officially become part of the famed Gorky Park, where citizens stroll, picnic, and nap.

It seems that Russians feel the statue cemetery represents the deeper, darker parts of a history peppered with regime changes. For a time, rage and desperation had the country erasing remnants of communism altogether, but once the Soviet Union fell, new hardships and everyday life took the steam out of the movement, and the statues were mostly left alone.

Although Russians recognize that these leaders did unconscionable acts, they don’t feel the history can or should be erased entirely by destroying the statues that represent previous eras.

“It’s one thing what statues mean when they are in conspicuous sites, in main squares and big streets,” says Masha Lipman, a political analyst who has studied Russia’s changing relationship to its monuments. “It’s quite another thing when statues like that are collected among many others in a park.”

One historically relevant example is the pink granite statue of Stalin, standing tall with a broken nose as a result of its original dismantling. In an anti-Stalin statement, an installation of 282 stone heads in a cage by sculptor Yevgeny Chubarov symbolizes the Soviet dictator’s countless victims. Chubarov donated the work to Muzeon on the condition it be displayed right next to Stalin. Together, the juxtaposing works tell a story of a history that can’t simply be erased by destroying one statue.

“I consider these sculptures to be part of our history,” says Artyom Golbin, a park guide and historian. “The history of Russia — and any other country — has different periods, some of them bad, some of them good. Still, we have to remember them, and these sculptures are an important reminder of Soviet times.”

“The Russian experience should give some food for thought to those who are engaged in toppling statues in the U.S. these days,” adds Lipman. “Fighting with symbols of the past does not necessarily help solve problems of the present.”

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Unfortunately for us all, this year’s solstice celebrations are going to be radically altered because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The English Heritage organization, which manages Stonehenge, is asking people not to visit the site, instead offering a virtual livestream of the event for those near and far to enjoy.

The annual summer solstice event at Stonehenge is typically attended by thousands of people — exactly the type of gathering that’s been banned or discouraged around the world as the coronavirus has spread, sickened, and caused hundreds of thousands of deaths. In accordance with the UK’s own governmental guidelines, the Stonehenge site has been closed to the public since March, and it looks like it’s going to stay that way for the time being.

Nichola Tasker, the director of Stonehenge, explains that his team has “consulted widely on whether we could have proceeded safely, and we would have dearly liked to host the event as per usual, but sadly in the end, we feel we have no choice but to cancel. We hope that our livestream offers an alternative opportunity for people near and far to connect with this spiritual place at such a special time of year, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back next year.”

Stonehenge is a popular tourist destination on an average day, typically hosting around 800,000 people annually, but the summer solstice holds a special meaning for certain religions in addition to the ever-present spiritual pull. For example, in the 17th and 18th centuries, many believed Stonehenge was a Druid temple built by ancient Celtic pagans as a center for their own religious worship. Other groups celebrate the site with the belief that it has otherworldly origins. Alternatively, some flock to the area with the notion that the site was used to honor the dead through extravagant ceremonies.

Whatever the reason for your desire to be at Stonehenge in the early hours of June 21st (local time), it looks like you’ll just have to set your alarm to make sure you’re in front of a computer screen instead. Hit up the English Heritage’s social media accounts to join in the experience.

If you’re unable to catch the livestream, you can always hop over to the English Heritage Stonehenge page for a wealth of information about the destination and its history. Learn how the planets and seasons align with the individual stones and discover the engineering design used during its construction over 5,000 years ago. You can also take an interactive tour with a 360-degree view from inside the monument.

Happy Solstice!

The post Stonehenge to Livestream Summer Solstice first appeared on Dornob.

Similar to many roundabouts around the world, L.A.’s 100-foot-diameter Riverside Roundabout has a monument at its center: not an obelisk, statue, or flag, but rather a collection of small monuments. Faces of Elysian Valley depicts the faces of local residents, chosen at random from a volunteer pool of about 200 people. Created by Greenmeme, these nine egg-shaped sculptures were built using California granite and range from eight to 12 feet tall. Each granite face was produced by 3D scanners, allowing every forehead, eyelid, nose, cheek, lip, and chin to be accurately represented.

The faces have been intricately positioned in a way that will help drivers be better aware of how traffic is moving in the roundabout, in keeping with a traffic engineering requirement that helps motorists safely navigate areas like these. A granite traffic barrier was made from whatever stone was left from the Faces, protecting the center of the roundabout from the traffic coming from its three main thoroughfares.

During the day, the sculptures look like monuments, with shadows concealing certain features depending on which way the sun is hitting them. At night, the lighting gives the Faces a haunting aura, which makes them look almost more alive than they do during the day.

There’s another, more sustainable face to the Riverside Roundabout that drivers cannot see. Beneath it all lies a 25,000-gallon cistern meant to capture rainwater. Some of that water is used to feed the vegetation in the roundabout. Keep in mind that Los Angeles gets very little rain for most of the year, except in January and February when rainy weeks are somewhat common. The sustainable roundabout makes up another part of the city’s vast storm drain system, but it’s also much more than that. People from the community use it as a park to relax in — something unheard of in other parts of the world, where the congestion alone would make such adventures undesirable. Even Mayor Garcetti could not help but show up to take a photo.

It could be that the Riverside Roundabout is so different for Los Angeles that the residents have taken to it differently than residents in other cities might. Where others see a dangerous intersection, the Angelenos who live around the sustainable roundabout see a small park reflective of who they are.

The post The Many Faces of LA’s New Sustainable Roundabout first appeared on Dornob.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu received a special surprise on his 86th birthday: a monumental arch honoring his diligent efforts in successfully ending South African apartheid and implementing a democratic constitution.

Joint Designers

Snøhetta, a world-renowned architectural design practice, and Local Studio, an architecture and urban design firm that specializes in creating strong public focal points, worked together to create the memorial structure.

Behind the Design

When Archbishop Tutu was indefatigably fighting for democracy in the late 70s and early 80s, his ardent followers lovingly nicknamed him “The Arch.” In light of that moniker, the memorial has been named “Arch for Arch.”

The structure is made from 14 arched pillars (which themselves are comprised of entwined lengths of bent larch wood), symbolizing the 14 chapters of the South African Constitution, an historical document that was instrumental in the struggle that eventually brought apartheid to an end. A keystone supports these pillars to maintain their integrity and solidity, just as the Constitution serves as the bedrock for South Africa’s free will and sovereignty.

The arch is nearly 30 feet tall, with its spherical form bringing to mind images of a globe. The larch wood is tough, waterproof, and durable, and it’s also expected to develop an appealing finish over time. Minimalist concrete benches surround the base of the arch. The designers explain, “We felt it was important to move away from the conventions that are associated with the design of traditional monuments by using warmer, tactile materials like wood, which invite people to engage directly with the piece.”

The Unveiling

The prototype design of the arch was initially unveiled during the 2017 Design Indaba conference, an annual event held in Cape Town, South Africa by founder Ravi Naidoo. At the three-day event, Tutu took the stage to rejoice and dance as a 48-member choir encircled a model of the arch and sang a celebratory chorus to honor the archbishop and his accomplishments.

“The moment was unforgettable, and there was not a dry eye in the audience,” the designers shared in a recent interview. “The archbishop danced to the accompanying choral ensemble, and the audience all connected in moment of unity, fulfillment, encouragement, and energy.”

The completed project was presented to Tutu on his birthday a few months later, on October 7, 2017. The monument is conveniently located between St George’s Cathedral and the national parliament, a spot where Tutu himself spot often spoke during anti-apartheid protests. “Arch for Arch” continued to be a crowd favorite at the 2018 installment of the Design Indaba conference.

The prototype model of the memorial has found a permanent home on Constitution Hill in Johannesburg. The intention was to build a link between that institution, South Africa’s highest judicial court, and the national parliament.

Designers from Snøhetta and Local Studio clarify: “The Arch for Arch is more than a monument for Archbishop Tutu. It builds on the legacy of South Africa’s foremost campaigner for democracy to create a platform for public participation in upholding the constitution. The arch will stand as a permanent tribute to what was sacrificed in the pursuit of democracy, and the vital necessity of protecting these rights for generations to come.”

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Morpheus Hotel — Macau

Often referred to by its designers as the “world’s first free-form exoskeleton high rise,” the Morpheus Hotel makes up part of the internationally famous City of Dreams casino wonderland in Macau. Considered an architectural tour de force, the hotel was designed in 2016 by celebrated architect Zaha Hadid, who passed away in the same year. Among the most fantastic aspects of this 40-floor monolith are its sinuous exposed exoskeleton, a 115-foot-high lobby atrium, an infinity pool on the 40th floor, two sky bridges, and a whole floor of food and beverage purveyors, with two new restaurants from the award-winning French chef Alain Ducasse.

Grand Egyptian Museum — Giza, Egypt

Heneghan Peng Architects met a tough challenge when they signed on to design and construct the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza. Hailed as the largest archaeological museum in the world, it’s built on the plateau near the Great Pyramid, the last standing remnant of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

In an artistic homage to the local topography, the architects designed the building to include a dramatic 164-foot height difference between its tallest and shortest sides. The structure stretches from the plateau to the lowland, much like the Nile River flows from the African highlands into the Mediterranean Sea.

ARC Power Plant — Copenhagen, Denmark

Not all the architectural wonders of 2018 are just pretty faces — some also boast integrity and purpose in addition to beauty. Take, for instance, forty-three year old Danish wunderkind Bjarke Ingels’ latest visionary venture: the ARC Power Plant in Copenhagen.

Reaching the peak of inspired brilliance, this high-tech structure artfully blends radical design with environmentally responsible architecture. Sheathed in aluminum, the plant is projected to burn 400,000 tons of waste annually to produce enough clean energy to power 60,000 local homes. Since Copenhagen’s plan is to become the world’s first zero-carbon city by 2025, it’s safe to say that the ARC Power Plant is imperative to the city’s cause.

Lest people think working all the time makes for a dull life, this amazing plant also incorporates room for a ton of fun. Ingels also built a 1500-feet-long ski slope into the building, adding it to the exclusive list of the world’s longest artificial ski slopes. Beginning, intermediate, and expert skiers can all access the appropriate slopes through an elevator inside of the plant. Since Denmark gets plenty of snow but has only a few steep slopes, the ARC Power Plant opening is sure to be even more exciting for the locals.

Nanjing Green Towers — Nanjing, China

In a region known for spewing out the most carbon dioxide emissions on earth, the Nanjing Green Towers couldn’t possibly receive a warmer welcome. This vertical forest is the creation of Stefano Boeri, who gained worldwide notoriety after completing his vertical forest in Milan back in 2014. That Italian marvel boasts a whopping 1,100 trees and 2,500 flowing plants, all of which serve to colorfully absorb some of the city’s CO2.

Boeri’s Chinese skyscraper will not only serve as a big boost for the environment, but it’ll also include offices with breathtaking views, an eco-friendly architecture school, a museum, a rooftop nightclub, and an upscale hotel.

The National Memorial for Peace and Justice — Montgomery, Alabama

Despite the last couple of years being marred by the sometimes violent events surrounding the debate over Confederate statues and monuments, the Equal Justice Initiative and the Boston-based MASS Design Group are stoically marching forward with their prototypical National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. This commemorative project is the only national memorial dedicated to the victims of lynching.

The memorial is more than just a wall of plaques and bronze renderings. Instead, the site reveals the horror of lynchings to every visitor. When patrons enter the venue, they walk alongside dark red columns inscribed with both the names of the victims and the counties where these atrocities occurred. The ground gradually angles downward while the columns remain unchanged, causing them to ultimately hang above the visitors’ heads. The same dark red columns are also located throughout the rest of the museum. To raise awareness in all 50 states, columns will eventually be sent to all US counties in which lynchings took place.

The post The 5 Most Anticipated Buildings of 2018 first appeared on Dornob.

Artist Marc van Vliet is the creator of Drie Streken – or ‘Three Zones’, featured in the Oerol Festival, 2016.  It is a floating, wooden observatory in the Dutch flatlands, in the north of the Netherlands.

Placed at the meeting of compass points which are illuminated by the passage of the sun, it is an observation post reached via a long wooden platform.

The structure was designed to be placed in different parts of the flatlands of the Frisian coast, over four years and to be viewed in the context of ‘Sense of Place’ – a celebration of the vast expanse of the Northern flatlands.

The traveling installation will culminate with the ‘Leeuwarden 2018’ festival – commemorating the naming of Leeuwarden, Netherlands as the European Capital of Culture.

From van Vliet’s Theatertuig website:

“Floating structures provide different shapes and perceptions during the movement of the tides. The visitor is in a sacred space, caused by the tide, illuminated by the sun.”

During low tide, the installation is a tranquil spot on the sands of the flats and during high tide,  it is located right on the water.

“Anything placed here is lost in the void, making the horizon a determinant, because depending on how the object is placed, its form will change with the tide. The almost imperceptible variation takes place twice per day, directing the visitor’s gaze outwards during the ebb tide, and inwards during the flood one.”  – Van Vliet

The approach to the installation reveals its sharp silhouette on the horizon, in a system involving the sun, the tide and the landscape.

“Drawing with the Sun, transformed by the forces of the Moon. Aware of the rotation of the planet on which we live together, we meet each other from a common fascination. We are not alone in this immensity.” – Marc van Vliet

As the day progresses, the sun reveals differing aspects of the sand flatlands landscape.

“Over the course of history, structures have been erected in different parts of the world in order to observe and celebrate the moment when the sun stands still.” Marc van Vliet.

One of the most famous prehistoric monuments in the world, Stonehenge in Glastonbury, UK is around 5,000 years old – predating the Egyptian pyramids. It is positioned to align with the rising and setting of the sun at different times in the annual calendar: it was possibly built as an astronomical observatory to mark the winter solstice.

A far more temporary structure than the ancient Stonehenge, van Vliet’s observatory has been constructed to change location several times:

“At each location, a connection will be sought between the sand flats, the sun, and the horizon, with the illuminated points of the compass and the tide.”

For its first incarnation in 2014, it was named ‘Zeven Streken’/Seven Zones (pictured above and below). Positioned at the meeting of 7 compass points, it took advantage of the passage of the sun and the moon to create many differing vistas, aspects and sensations.

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Slated to tower nine stories tall, this monolithic plinth was half-finished (at five levels high) as World War II came to its conclusion. Over a half-century later, a new structure has appeared on top, complete with incredible cantilevers.

Scarred and shipped by air attacks and bomb strikes, the structure nonetheless survived to become the eventual basis for this daring residential design addition by Amort Architektur.

To preserve its place in history, the bunker itself was left unfixed and unpainted – a monument to the past but also a vertical urban plot for a new and dramatically lofted house.

The resulting dwelling is as clean and contemporary as its foundation is aged and weathered – all new materials (mainly brick, wood and steel), modern lines and Bauhaus-worthy asymmetries combine to create stark contrasts on all sides, while an emphatic domesticity prevails within.

Cantilevered exterior decks and interior volumes make the home visible from below, even via the steepest angles of view underneath, while also extending the inhabitable square footage and engaging views from above.

From the architects:

“Is there any information on the construction of the bunker? It was planned to be  nine storeys high, but after the construction of five floors, the war was over. The bunker has survived several air attacks. The damage is mostly recognizable on the west side, but it did not seriously harm the bunker. There are only large amounts of chipped concrete scars visible. How did the idea of building a single family home arise? The bunker is treated as an urban, vertical plot, on top of which there is something new created. The urban qualities such as infrastructure and the public park were crucial to opt for the choice of the bunker as a bulding site. The bunker itself remains completely intact as a historical document, purposely unchanged and unpainted. From an architectural perspective, these actions would be absolutely reprehensible and wrong.”

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The Hollywood Sign is an icon of modern times – but perhaps one of the flimsiest of famous world landmarks, with a long and storied history (that might even make a good film) of being destroyed and rebuilt over time. One design idea proposes a way not only to preserve the character of this unique California movie monument, but to make it profitable (and inhabitable!) as well.

Bayarch is a Danish architectural design firm with an unusual idea for transforming the sign into a livable structure, converting each letter into a component of a larger construction project: a set of luxury condos and hotel rooms built into behind and spanning the whole word. Just think of the views from this incredible hillside vantage point for visitors who want to get close to the Hollywood stars (in the sky and on the ground) within a (literally) ‘behind the scenes’ perspective on the back end of the Hollywood Sign itself.

It sounds far fetched, but over the years the sign has been damaged many times – pranksters have rearranged letters, vandals have defaced them and (yes, this is true) drunks have even driven into and destroyed them. What better way to reinforce them structurally and make them able to pay for themselves than to let these letters spell out some profits for a daring designer and willing developer?

The post 2D Hollywood Sign Redesigned as a Huge 3D Hillside Hotel first appeared on Dornob.