Oct 16, 2022
Of all of the spectacular stadiums in the world, SoFi Stadium in California might be the most impressive. SoFi Stadium is a modern indoor sports and entertainment arena located in Hollywood Park, a 300-acre mixed-use real estate complex in Inglewood, just outside of Los Angeles. In addition to SoFi, Hollywood Park has retail spaces, office spaces, residences, a hotel and outdoor parks. The stadium name comes from the San Francisco based financial services firm, SoFi Technologies; the firm spends $30 million per year for naming rights to the Stadium.
SoFi Stadium opened in September 2020, after a four year construction project. The massive arena seats over 70,000 people and has a glass rooftop, or canopy, which makes you feel like you are outdoors, even though you are indoors. The glass canopy is made of 302 panels, some of which can be tilted open for ventilation. In addition, the glass canopy has 27,000 LED lights on it that can display images and videos.
SoFi Stadium is managed in an environmentally conscious way. The stadium is equipped with management systems that maximize sustainability, such as energy efficient light fixtures and variable speed fans. In addition, the Stadium employs responsible food and supply sourcing, recycling and resuming products when possible. SoFi also minimizes water waste with low-flow water fixtures in the Stadium and water capture outside the Stadium; an artificial lake in Hollywood Park collects water runoff from around the complex.
It is the home stadium of the Los Angeles Chargers and the Los Angeles Rams, two American football teams that recently moved locations from San Diego and St.Louis, respectively. Although very few people were able to go to the stadium when it first opened because of COVID restrictions, by September 2021, the stadium was packed to full capacity with fans.
Several major sporting events have already taken place, or are planned to take place, in SoFi stadium. First, on February 13, 2022, Super Bowl LVI between the Rams and the Bengals, was played there place. The Super Bowl is generally the most watched sporting event of the year in America. Second, the College Football National Championship is scheduled to be hosted at Sofi Stadium in 2023. Lastly, the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2028 Summer Olympics are going to take place there. Thus, despite how new it is, Sofi Stadium is already becoming one of the most important and famous stadiums worldwide.
Aug 23, 2022
Of all of the spectacularly designed hotels in the world, there is one that is salient for being the most creative and well-placed. This hotel is The Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, which was built over 100 years ago in 1893. The Fairmont Le Château Frontenac hotel is a beautiful structure, in the style of a French chateau. It is located at the apex of a massive hill in the center of Quebec City. Not only can the building be seen from everywhere in the city, it also boasts magnificent views of the city below and the Saint Lawrence river. The hotel has 18 floors but appears far grander due to the elevation it is built on. This historic hotel is Quebec’s most popular and busiest hotel by a wide margin.
The building was designed by Bruce Price to resemble a horseshoe but later additions altered that shape. The structure was inspired by the French chateaux, with its steep roofs and multiple towers and turrets. The hotel was commissioned by the Canadian Pacific Railroad Company. Interestingly, it was not the first hotel located on this site. The Chateau Haldimand predated it, but that hotel was destroyed to integrate the hotel with the Canadian railway system, the primary mode of passenger travel at that time.
Construction of the hotel began in 1892 and was completed in just over a year, allowing the hotel to open almost immediately. Although only a third of the original hotel was built at this time; new sections were added in the 20 years following its opening. The Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac continues to function as a hotel and was also determined to be a National Historic Sight in 1981. All in all, this magnificent hotel, located on an elevated landmass in the center of Quebec is not just an incredible hotel, but also a symbol for Quebec City.
Jun 23, 2022
One Vanderbilt is a new ninety-three floor building located in the center of Manhattan on the corner of 42nd Street and Vanderbilt Avenue. It is the fourth tallest building in New York City, after One World Trade Center, the Central Park Tower and 111 West 57th Street.
The facade of the building is made of highly reflective glass, with layers of light gray terracotta between the glass panels. One Vanderbilt is a slim tower that tapers as it rises. There are a group of pavilions at different heights which culminate with a 100-foot antenna. The structural features of the building include a mechanical core made of steel and concrete that is surrounded by a steel frame. It does not contain interior columns.
The base has a series of angles and cut outs that highlight the historic Grand Central Station, which is right next door. Below ground, One Vanderbilt connects to the Grand Central to facilitate access for commuters. One of the challenges in designing the building involved its location right next to Grand Central Station, a landmark structure. The plans had to be approved by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.
The building was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox. Construction of the building began in 2013 and completed in 2020. However, due to the pandemic, One Vanderbilt did not open to the public until October 2021.
The building is primarily used for commercial purposes and contains over 1.6 million square feet of office space. The top four floors contain an observation deck called the Summit, where visitors can enjoy the panoramic views along with site specific art installations by Kenzo Digital. One of the observation floors has an exhibit called Levitation: there are two glass ledges suspended about 1000 feet over Madison Avenue. There is also a rooftop bar at the Summit called Apres, where visitors can enjoy drinks and light bites while taking in the incredible view.
The author with his family at Levitation at One Vanderbilt
May 1, 2022
Neuschwanstein castle is a beautiful castle located in Hohenschwangau, a small town in the Southwest Bavaria, Germany. The Castle was built as a residence for the King Ludwig II of Germany, who envisioned it as a medieval retreat away from Munich, the capital of Bavaria. Ludwig was known as the Mad King because of all the money he spent on building castles and his desire to remove himself from other people. “Neuschwanstein,” or the New Swan Stone Castle, has many beautiful towers and designs that blend in perfectly with the Alps’ surrounding trees, waterways, and mountains.
The Castle was designed by Eduard Riedel, a German architect, in the Romanesque style of medieval Europe. Construction on the Castle began in 1869. Its location on an alpine ridge in the Alps made for a spectacular setting but a challenging project. For example, a new road ascending 200 meters had to be created to reach the peak of the site, and the peak had to be leveled to allow for a secure foundation for the Castle. The technological complexities of the construction prevented King Ludwig from moving into the Castle until 1884. In fact, some aspects of the Castle were never completed. There was supposed to be a tower standing over 90 meters high with a chapel in its base, but the tower was never completed. Nevertheless, the exterior is striking, with its immaculate, light gray limestone facade. And the scale of the Castle is exceptionally grand. There is a massive courtyard in the center that allows for taking in the fresh mountain air.
In contrast to the beautiful exterior and surroundings of the Castle, the interior is full of extremes: fourteen of the two hundred rooms are finished ornately with a lot of color and decoration, but the balance of the rooms is unfinished. Singers Hall is one of the most elaborate finished spaces and was inspired by Richard Wagner’s operatic music. There is even a bedroom named after Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde opera. The finished rooms have gold-covered ceilings, intricate floor mosaics and numerous large-scale paintings.
Neuschwanstein now serves as a popular tourist attraction with over 1.3 million visitors annually. Also, you may notice that it is very similar to another very popular castle, Cinderella’s Castle in the Magic Kingdom of Disney. Neuschwanstein actually inspired the Disney castle. Overall, Neuschwanstein is a beautiful castle, and one of the most unique buildings in the world. 
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