SANTOSH 9702: building

Showing posts with label building. Show all posts

Friday, June 26, 2026

Could pyramids be built with the techniques we have today?

We could. But no one is willing to pay for it.

The Great Pyramid of Giza was built around 2600 BC. By the time Cleopatra, the last queen of a free Egypt, died, the pyramid was already over two and a half millennia old. It would remain the world's tallest building for about 3800 years, being dethroned by Lincoln Cathedral in 1311, though it dwarfs the Cathedral and most modern buildings in other respects.

I say all this to give you a sense of perspective. For thousands of years, people have looked at the pyramid and wondered how it was built. Nothing like it had been built before or since. It was filled with indecipherable hieroglyphics, a product of an ancient and unknown culture. Perhaps the first ever.

Its construction has been attributed to giants, angels, aliens. All because of how incredibly enormous, yet useless, the whole thing is. And for a long time, no one had any idea how it was built.

But with the deciphering of hieroglyphics and the advancement of archaeology as a field of study, we now have a good idea of how it was done. The pyramids were grandiose public monuments of a wealthy civilization with an abundance of surplus labor.

They cut blocks of stone and floated them down the river. They organized hundreds and thousands of workers and had the blocks moved around. They built them in pyramids because it was the simplest shape the structure could take.

There is nothing technically challenging about the pyramids, except the organization of so many people toward a single goal. They were built in honor of a living god. But they were built with simple tools and simple methods.

If you could somehow organize that many people again, there's nothing stopping you from building another pyramid. And if you had the money, you could simply use modern equipment to build it 100 times faster.

Monday, June 22, 2026

What is a famous building with a design flaw that most people are unaware of?

Did you notice anything strange about this pyramid?

These are the pyramids of Giza.

Upon closer inspection, you'll notice that, unlike a typical pyramid with four sides, this one has eight sides.

Some argue that it is a structural design flaw because Egyptian engineers and designers cannot properly explain the weight distribution of the structure.

Others suggest that the mantle beneath was reinforced by the slight inward slope on each side, which helped to increase the pyramid's stability. Like many things about the pyramids, this remains a mystery.

The eight sides are easier to see up close, but the silhouette is particularly brightly rendered, making it even more effective when viewed from various angles.

And this is another reason why silly ancient alien shows are so popular.

Friday, June 19, 2026

Which building is impressive and little-known?

The mysterious ghost hotel that has never welcomed a guest.

Standing 330 meters tall, with 105 floors and approximately 3,000 rooms, the Ryugyong Hotel, located in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, is one of the largest in the world. It is notorious for never having welcomed a single guest since its completion.

Construction of the building began in 1987, and was halted in 1992 when it was already almost complete.

Construction resumed only in 2008 and was fully completed in 2011. Its inauguration was scheduled for 2012, having been postponed to 2013, however, it was again cancelled and the building remains closed to this day, assuming the status of the tallest unoccupied building in the world.

Friday, June 12, 2026

What is the most unusual building ever created by humankind?

These are the churches of Lalibela.

Eleven monolithic medieval churches carved into the rock face are located in a mountainous region 645 km from Addis Ababa, in the heart of Ethiopia. They are believed to have been built in the 12th century by King Lalibela, who began construction of the "New Jerusalem" after the Muslim conquest interrupted Christian pilgrimages. Lalibela flourished after the fall of the Aksumite Empire (400 BC/950 AD).

The church was not built using traditional construction methods, but rather by carving a single block of bedrock. Doors, windows, columns, different floors, and roofs were cut from this block. This massive construction project was completed by a large-scale system of drainage channels, ditches, passageways, and sometimes openings leading to hermit caves or catacombs.

Monday, June 1, 2026

What is the tallest building in New York City that has never been built?

The Metropolitan Life Insurance company constructed a 700 foot tower on Madison Ave just north of 23rd St. in 1909 which took the title of world’s tallest building and held that title for over 4 years. in 1929 MetLife decided they wanted the title back and began construction of what would have been the first 100 story skyscraper.

That’s the original 700 foot tall MetLife Tower on the right.

At 390 to 400 meters, or 1280 to 1310 feet tall, it would have been the world’s tallest. Taller than both the Empire State Building & the Chrysler Building.

Unfortunately, due to the Great Depression, it was never completed. So instead, here’s what we have today.

Wow! I can’t believe over 110 upvotes! Now I know what some folks like. Be ready for more architecture & skyscraper entries.

Saturday, April 11, 2026

What is the most difficult building to reach in the entire world?

The lighthouse of Þrídrangar (Thridarangar) , south of Iceland, a few kilometers off the Westman Islands in the Atlantic Ocean.

It was built in 1939 and is considered one of the most remote lighthouses in the world. The constant crashing of waves against the rocks makes arrival by boat virtually impossible.

The Þrídrangar lighthouse sits 36 meters high on a rocky peak, accessible only from the air, by helicopter.

Surprisingly, both the lighthouse and the landing platform were built by a few daring climbers. They used a small opening in the rock to gain access to this extremely inaccessible location.

Tuesday, March 17, 2026

What is a crazy example of "Who approved this building"?

My vote goes for one of the most recognizable buildings, at least in India.

This is the residence of the Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani. Apparently, this ugly monstrosity costed a billion dollars to build and sticks out like an oversized genital wart in the middle of Mumbai.

If this is what the best you can come up with for a billion dollars, my thoughts are “ Don’t ever pick a Christmas or Diwali gift for your wife by yourself “.

What the bloody hell is this? Who comes up with this as the design for a house for a billion dollars? You know, India has a lot of old Royal palaces which are now converted into hotels and you can stay in them and people who lived in India hundreds of years ago seem have much better architectural taste than Mr. Ambani and you could build two of those palaces for a billion dollars.

This is easily the most hideous thing you can build for a billion dollars. Even someone who had both their eyes poked out would come up with something much better for 1/100th of the cost.

Does this bloke have a worm living in his brain like RFK Jr? And to think this was designed and built in the 21st century with the help of architects is simply mind boggling.