Final report in ensci

What makes a good building? Vitruvius, the author of the Roman treatise on

architecture ‘De Architecura’ made a famous statement that is still quoted by architects. He said that a 'well building hath three conditions: firmness, commodity and delight'. Put in the more modern language, we could say this means that a good building should be solid and sturdy, and be useful and pleasing – or perhaps provocative – to the eye.

These attributes of what makes good architecture will probably always stay the same, when considering new buildings there are other questions experts must ask. These are some of the most important:

1. What effect will it have on the environment?

2.Does it give more than was asked?

3. Does it meet the test of time?

4. Does it delight and engage passers-by as well as users?

5. Does it represent value for money?

Value for money is not, and never was, the same as being cheap. Value for money means making the most of whatever budget is available. A good example of this is Hayes Primary School in London, by Hayhurst and Co. Having to contend with a tightly controlled £3 million local authority budget, they worked with the existing structure of the primary school to give it a much needed update. A striking polished stainless steel brise-soleil façade installed at the school’s entrance, gives the school’s many different buildings a sense of identity, while new classrooms have been created in a range of shapes and sizes, and are often flooded with natural light.

Famous Buildings in the world

HARPA CONCERT HALL AND CONFERENCE CENTER

Even before its official opening, this gemlike venue breathed new life into the Icelandic capital’s once-sleepy harbor, captivating locals and luring visitors with its kaleidoscopic façade of multicolor glass. The crystalline shell, conceived by artist Olafur Eliasson, wonderfully complements the structure’s aggregate of jagged, geometric volumes. At night, exterior LED strips activate, transforming the waterfront landmark into a shimmering beacon of beauty.

BURJ KHALIFADubai, United Arab Emirates

Rising a dizzying 2,717 feet above the desert, this spectacular supertower reigns as the tallest structure in the world. Its 162 floors contain offices, residences, restaurants, an Armani hotel, and an observation deck, 124 stories up. The strength of its design stems not only from its awe-inspiring verticality but also from its sleek silhouette. Wrapped in a glass curtain wall with steel mullions that catch the Arabian sun, the building tapers gradually from its Y-shaped base, with setbacks culminating in a 700-foot spire.

GARDENS BY THE BAYSingapore

Side-by-side parabolic conservatories of glass and steel anchor this cutting-edge botanical garden in Singapore’s booming Marina Bay district. Named the 2012 building of the year by the World Architecture Festival, the Wilkinson Eyre–designed structures replicate distinct climates—one dry, the other humid—allowing for diverse attractions like a flower meadow and a misty mountain forest.

PEROT MUSEUM OF NATURE AND SCIENCEDallas

Architect Thom Mayne, the Pritzker Prize–winning founder of Morphosis, is famous for breaking the mold, and his latest building is no exception. Sheathed in panels of textured concrete, it consists of a five-story cube, fractured at one corner and set atop a sweeping plinth planted with Texas grasses. Slashed across the cube’s exterior is a dramatic glass-enclosed escalator, which whisks visitors to the top-floor entrance to the exhibits.

METROPOL PARASOLSeville, SpainJ. Mayer H. Architects, 2011

When excavation for a parking garage unearthed Roman artifacts in Seville’s Plaza de la Encarnación, city officials opted to commission this welcoming landmark instead.

ABSOLUTE WORLDMississauga, OntarioMAD Architects, 2012

These residential high-rises strike a voluptuous profile in Toronto’s largest suburb. With continuous balconies and elliptical floor plans, the 50- and 56-story skyscrapers appear to shimmy and twist, each around its own axis.

10 Worst mistakes made by amateur developers

1.Buying in the wrong area

2.Paying expensive rates for finance

3. Getting fleeced by the builder

4. Scrimping on quality

5. Going overboard

6. Getting too personal

7. Cramming a house with bedrooms

8. Rushing in

9. Greed

10. Fluffing the sale

Fun-fact failures of the builders(Mistakes That Will Leave You BAFFLED)

These pictures you are going to see aren't pictures from inside of a funhouse. These are real-life building disasters that somehow made it from architect to

contractor without anyone noticing. (That is, until someone tried to use a set of stairs that led literally

nowhere.) Check out all.

1. Privacy is overrated.

2. Wheelchairs can go up steps, right?

3. Also, wheelchairs probably have rockets attached to them.

4. Chimneys belong in front of windows. That's just a fact.

5. "Where the Stairs End," the lesser known Shel Silverstein book.

6. Almost, man. Almost.

7. Ahh, I knew we forgot something.

8. To be fair, no one would be able to see your PIN from this angle.

9. Silly man, this ATM is for hobbits only.

10. It's so easy to confuse doors and windows.

11. Mother Nature: 1 Architects: 0

12. Someone obviously didn't understand this staircase wasn't being built at Hogwarts.

13. Looks like someone was an MC Escher fan.

14... this isn't what a half-bath is.

15. Bricks are the new windows.

We are called to be architects of the future, not

its victims.

R. Buckminster Fuller