Walking Underwater

This is a dream come true at the Kanazawa Contemporary Art Museum in Japan.
1. The museum exhibits various kinds of art marvels which appeal to the human eye. Such an artwork is Mr. Leandro Erlich's creation. Out of many things in the museum, you will find a swimming pool framed by a limestone deck.When seen from the deck, the pool appears to be filled with deep, shimmering water.

"The Swimming Pool" 2004 Leandro Erlich
Photo: Nakamichi atsushi/Nacasa & Partners

2. In fact, however, a layer of water only some 10 centimeters deep is suspended over transparent glass. Below the glass is an empty space with aquamarine walls that viewers can enter.
3. This gives an impression to the people near the swimming pool that some people are walking underwater so easily!
4. Leandro Erlich is from Argentina.

Photo from japan-guide.com

Hotel Shaped Like A Cruise Ship

We are talking about Sun Cruise Hotel in Gangneung, South Korea.

Image from mirror.co.uk

1. Sun Cruise Resort Hotel was designed and built by a shipyard to emulate the experience of cruising on a cruise ship.

image from acidcow.com

2. Because the ship is constructed high on the edge of a mountain a stroll on the sun deck allows one to feel they are out at sea.

3. The town is said to be one of the most popular spots in South Korea to watch the sun rise across the Sea of Japan, especially on New Year's Day.

4. The revolving bar at the top of the ship lets visitors gaze at a panoramic view of the horizon.

5. The ship has 211 cabins, ranging from hotel-style bedrooms to private apartments.

6. They have portholes for windows for the authentic feeling of sailing away to sea and even play sounds of waves lapping against the ship, reports the Sun.

7. The 30,000-ton boat has six restaurants, a gym, swimming pools filled with sea water and a covered golf range so guests can tee off into an ocean view.

8. Karaoke and clubbing is on offer - and you can even hold your wedding on board if that floats your boat.

World's tallest tower with a twist!

1. Again Dubai bagged it. This 75 story skyscraper in Dubai, called Cayan Tower  has become world's tallest high rise building with a twist of 90 degrees.

2. Its construction started in 2006, was completed in 2013and opened in June this year.

3. It was named 'Infinity Tower' prior to its inauguration.

4. It is a residential building developed by Cayan Real Estate Investment & Development.

5. Each floor is rotated by 1.2˚ to achieve the full 90˚ spiral, creating the shape of a helix.

6. The tower also has residential apartments, conference rooms, tennis courts, pools, a state of the art gymnasium, a nursery and a spa.

7. The rooms of the tower are designed in such a way that it wouldn't be affected by direct sunlight due to titanium metal panels on cast-in-place concrete columns aided with repetitive staggered screen panels to stop penetrating sunlight from disturbing the residents of the unit.

8. Cayan Tower's apartments are designed with wooden floors, marble counter tops, and kitchen fixtures. The tower also includes a five story parking garage behind it.

9. The structure of the tower is inspired by the structure of human DNA. 

10. Each floor costed 272-million-U.S.-dollars for construction.

11. Developer Cayan Real Estate Investment and Development Company said 80 per cent of its residential units have already been sold.

12. Cayan Tower's dynamic twisting shape challenges conventional architecture and redefines standards of luxury.

13. Architectural Consultants were Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM), Local Consultants being Khatib & Alami (K&A) and the Main Contractor: Arabtec Construction LLC (Arabtec).

The Largest Building in the World is here in China...

the majestic building

1. 'New Century Global Centre' is the world's largest building that has been constructed in Chengdu, China.

artificial beach inside the building

2. Parts of the building were opened to public on June 28, 2013 but the main opening is planned for 22 August 2013.

3. It is a multipurpose building. Nearly 4,300,000 sq ft of the building will be devoted to shopping. 

4. The building is 18-story tall and has 1.2 million square feet of floor space. In fact, the new structure so big that it could house three U.S. Pentagons, four Vatican Cities, or 20 Sydney Opera Houses.

Image from www.nydailynews.com

5. It will also house offices, conference rooms, a university complex, two commercial centres, hotels, an IMAX cinema, a "Mediterranean village", a pirate ship and skating rink.

6. The centrepiece of the building will be a 54,000 sq ft artificial beach, a giant 150 by 40 m screen will form the horizon and offer sunrises and sunsets. The building will face the Chengdu Contemporary Arts Centre, designed by award-winning British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid.

7. New Century Global Center has two five-star hotels, each offering 1,000 rooms.

8. ‘This is an ocean city built by man,’ Chinese guide Liu Xun told AFP.

9. According to Chinese officials, the New Century Global Center is the largest freestanding building in the world, and took three years to complete.

Kumbalgarh Fort

Kumbhalgarh, in the Rajsamand District of Rajasthan state in western India, is considered as the second most important fort of Rajasthan. It is known world wide for its great history and architecture. The fort was built in the 15th century by Rana Kumbha under the supervision of famous architect Mandan. It is also the birthplace of  Maharana Pratap, the great king and warrior of Mewar.  It is at a distance of about 80 km northwest of Udaipur amidst the Aravalli hills.

1.  Even the mighty mughal couldn’t capture it alone and it took the combined armies of Delhi, Amber and Marwar to breach its defences. Standing majestically on 1180m high ridge and representing the past glory of the Rajput rulers, the Fort also provides a panoramic view of the countryside from the top.

2.  Rana Fateh Singh (1885-1930 AD), one of the greatest builders of the time constructed Badal Mahal inside the fort. The important buildings within the fort are Badal Mahal, Kumbha Palace, Brahmanical and Jain Temples, water reservoirs, baoris, chhattris etc.

3. Because of its inaccessibility and hostile topography the fort had remained un-conquered.
4. Thirteen mountain peaks of the Aravali range protect this impregnable fortress. Seven huge and imposing gates stand like sentinels at the approaches and seven ramparts, one being folded within another with crenulated walls strengthened by rounded bastions and immense watch towers, make this an impregnable mountain fortress.

5. Built on a hilltop 1100 metres above sea level, the fort's massive wall stretches some 36 kms with a width enough to take eight horses abreast. Maharana Fateh Singh renovated the fort in the 19th century. The fort's large compound has very interesting ruins and a walk around it can be very educative.
6. This wall is second longest only to the 'Great Wall of China'. This grand fort also has 360 temples within the walls.
7.  The width of wall varies from 15 to 25 feet. This wall runs through surrounding mountain cliffs of the Aravali range. The wall is a great example of architecture brilliance of Rajput Era. Its architectural brilliance is proved by the fact that in spite of being around 700 years old it is still intact and in a very good shape. This wall is not in a regular straight pattern but it runs through mountain cliffs and valleys. It has steep ascend and descend throughout its length the wall has stairs and walk way .
8.  Kumbhalgarh in its present form was developed by, and said to be personally designed by Rana Kumbha. Rana Kumbha's kingdom of Mewar stretched from Ranthambore to Gwalior and included large tracts of erstwhile Madhya Pradesh as well as Rajasthan. Out of the 84 forts in his dominion, Rana Kumbha is said to have designed 32 of them, of which Kumbhalgarh is the largest and most elaborate.

Images from http://kumbhalgarhfortwalk.com/

Giraffe Manor hotel in Nairobi, Kenya

Can you guess how this small hotel in Nairobi, Kenya got its name and is so popular? Well, it is unique in its own way and only one of its kind in the whole world, I think.

Giraffe Manor is about 20 km from the city centre. It is located in 12 acres of private land. Giraffe Manor is one of Nairobi’s most iconic historical buildings dating back to the 1930s and is reminiscent of the early days of Europeans in East Africa. Whilst the building itself resonates with the past, very much present is the herd of eight resident Rothschild giraffe who tend to visit the Manor in the mornings and evenings to greet guests and sniff out some snacks before venturing out into their sanctuary of 140 acres. From 1974, Giraffe Manor was the home of Jock and Betty Leslie-Melville, whose lifelong ambition became the preservation of this beautiful and threatened species of giraffe. Giraffe Manor, together with its associated Giraffe Centre, serves as a home to a number of endangered Rothschild giraffes.

Visitors share your breakfast with the giraffe popping their heads through the window. the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife (set up by the Leslie-Melvilles) continues to protect and nurture the Rothschild Giraffe

Travelers from all over the world now make The Giraffe Manor part of their East African safari, the only place in the world where you can enjoy the breathtaking experience of feeding and photographing the giraffe over the breakfast table and at the front door.

Personally hosted, The Giraffe Manor is an elegant and exclusive small hotel with a rich blend of welcoming accommodation, highly trained staff and one of Nairobi's finest kitchens.