The Miami Sun By Visiondivision

Another proposal for the much talked about competition for the new landmark at the Bayfront Park in Miami and this time proposal comes from visiondivision practice. Their design captures the soul of Miami as well as giving the city a fresh and innovative icon that would boost Miami's architectural legacy. Here comes the Miami Sun by visiondivision's group.

From the Architects:

Background � Miami is located in the Sunshine State of Florida and is a city that is blessed with a tropical climate and great weather almost all year around, making it a major tourist destination and a popular place to retire. The city of Miami that we know of today is a reclaimed city in many ways. The land where most of the downtown area is, used to be a part of the Everglades wetland, but was drained to create land opportunities. A major part of the city was also created by landfill with the dredging of Biscayne Bay. The majority of Miami Beach is mainly created in this way and this is also the case for the many islands that lies between Miami Beach and the downtown area, such as the port of Miami for example, which is the base for the enormous cruise ships that has their embarkation point from this area. These ships are own little islands in themselves and Miami is the number one cruise port in the world. The tradition of creating new spaces from water leads to a pretty unsentimental and interesting approach to landscaping as well as architecture. The Bayfront Park which is the setting for this new proposed landmark was also created in this traditional way to free new spaces, in this case by setting up a retaining wall and pumping out sea water. 08 more images after the break...

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Sliding Rock - A Natural Attraction of America

Sliding Rock is a naturally occurring 60-foot waterslide with a seven-foot deep pool that has been developed by the US Forest Service into a recreation area. Sliding Rock is extremely popular on hot summer weekends. But, as the picture above shows, there are those willing to slide even on cool fall weekends. You can either slide yourself or watch others do it from an observation deck opposite the slide. 06 more images after the break...

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Cloud Gate � Chicago Millennium Park

Photo � Link

Cloud Gate � Artist Anish Kapoor

Cloud Gate, a public sculpture by Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor, is the centerpiece of the AT&T Plaza in Millennium Park within the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The sculpture and AT&T Plaza are located on top of Park Grill, between the Chase Promenade and McCormick Tribune Plaza & Ice Rink. Constructed between 2004 and 2006, the sculpture is nicknamed "The Bean" because of its bean-like shape. Made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, its highly polished exterior has no visible seams. It is 33 by 66 by 42 feet (10 by 20 by 13 m), and weighs 110 short tons (100 t; 98 long tons) Said to have been inspired by liquid mercury, the sculpture's surface reflects and distorts the city's skyline. Visitors are able to walk around and under Cloud Gate's 12-foot (3.7 m) high arch. On the underside is the "omphalos" (Greek for "navel"), a concave chamber that warps and multiplies reflections. The sculpture builds upon many of Kapoor's artistic themes, and is popular with tourists as a photo-taking opportunity for its unique reflective properties. 20 more images after the break...

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Seven Mile Bridge in Florida

The Seven Mile Bridge is a famous bridge in the Florida Keys, in Monroe County, Florida, United States. It connects Knight's Key (part of the city of Marathon, Florida) in the Middle Keys to Little Duck Key in the Lower Keys. Among the longest bridges in existence when it was built, it is one of the many bridges on US 1 in the Keys, where the road is called the Overseas Highway.

There are two bridges in this location. The older bridge, originally known as the Knights Key-Pigeon Key-Moser Channel-Pacet Channel Bridge, was constructed from 1909-1912 under the direction of Henry Flagler as part of the Florida East Coast Railway's Key West Extension, also known as the Overseas Railroad.

Photo � Link

History � After the railroad sustained considerable damage due to effects of the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, the line was sold to the United States Federal Government, who subsequently refurbished Seven Mile Bridge for automobile use. Dismantled trackage was recycled, painted white, and used as guardrails. It had a swing span that opened to allow passage of boat traffic, near where the bridge crosses Pigeon Key, a small island where a work camp for Flagler's railroad was located. Hurricane Donna in 1960 caused further damage.

The current road bridge was constructed from 1978 to 1982. The vast majority of the original bridge still exists, used as fishing piers and access to Pigeon Key, but the swing span over the Moser Channel of the Intracoastal Waterway has been removed. 10 images after the break...

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Fly Geyser in the Nevada Desert

Fly Geyser, also known as Fly Ranch Geyser is a small geothermal geyser that is located approximately 20 miles (32 km) north of Gerlach in Washoe County, Nevada. The Geyser is located in Hualapai Flat, about 1/3 of a mile from State Route 34. It is large enough to be seen from the road.

Fly Geyser is located on the private Fly Ranch and is accessible only by a small private dirt road. The ranch is currently owned by Todd Jaksick. There is a high fence and a locked gate topped with spikes to exclude trespassers from this private property.

Photo � Link

Fly Geyser is a little-known tourist attraction, even to Nevada residents. It is located near the edge of Fly Reservoir and is only about 5 feet (1.5 m) high, (12 feet (3.7 m) counting the mound on which it sits). The Geyser is not an entirely natural phenomenon, and was accidentally created in 1916 during well drilling. The well functioned normally for several decades, but in the 1960s geothermally heated water found a weak spot in the wall and began escaping to the surface. Dissolved minerals started rising and accumulating, creating the mount on which the geyser sits, which continues growing. Today water is constantly spewing, reaching 5 feet (1.5 m) in the air. The geyser contains several terraces discharging water into 30 to 40 pools over an area of 30 hectares (74 acres). The geyser is made up of a series of different minerals, which gives it its magnificent coloration.

There are two additional geysers in the area that were created in a way similar to Fly Geyser. The first geyser is approximately three feet high and is shaped like a miniature volcano. The second geyser is cone-shaped and is of the same approximate size as Fly Geyser. Like Fly Geyser, these geysers are continually growing. 26 more images after the break...

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The Largest Aquarium in the World � Georgia Aquarium

Photo � Link

The world�s largest aquarium is located in Atlanta, Georgia. It houses more than 120,000 animals, representing 500 species in 8.5 million gallons of water. There are 60 different habitats with 12,000 square feet of viewing windows, and it cost $290 million to build.

Georgia Aquarium was the result of the vision of one enterprising businessman Bernard Marcus, who dreamed of presenting Atlanta with an aquarium that would encourage both education and economic growth. Marcus was so inspired by aquariums that after visiting 56 of them in 13 countries with his wife, he donated $250 million toward what was to become Georgia Aquarium. Additional $40 million came in as corporate donations. The land was donated by the Coca Cola Company. 10 more images after the break...

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Museum Of Science in Miami

The ongoing effort to turn a large swath of downtown Miami�s bayfront into a center of science, art and learning has taken another important step. Knight Foundation announced a $10 million challenge grant to the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science. To be paid, the funds must be matched by an additional $20 million in funding. The pledge comes as the science museum, currently located in Coconut Grove, is poised to break ground next month on its new home in downtown�s Museum Park along Biscayne Bay. The Frost will rise alongside the under-construction Jorge M. Perez Art Museum and sit a block from the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, two institutions that each received $10 million in Knight support.

The two museums and performance center - coupled with the sprawling public park, Museum Park - are set to become a vital, central destination on Miami�s cultural map. So too, the three institutions and public park will serve as a primary anchor in the ongoing revitalization of Miami�s urban core. It represents a big turn for an area that has long languished. I remember a decade ago, when I was in Miami for the first time, staying at a downtown hotel, and went for a morning jog through the city. I stumbled upon the 30-acre parcel on the bay; ratty and disheveled � and largely unused. But this $10 million challenge grant seeks to do much more than aide in reviving a barren stretch. It seeks to be a trigger for increased learning and public engagement with the sciences. With the foundation's support, a new, high-tech learning center � to be called the Knight Learning Center � will be built to include classrooms and laboratories. It will be used for schools, professional development and workshops. 07 more images after the break...

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Skype Office in California

Skype has somewhere around 250 employees in the Palo Alto area and neede to renovate their current space to be something more work-friendly and enjoyable. To do this, they hired Blitz, who has this to say about the project: �Skype�s primary goal was to create a world-class office that would differentiate them from their Bay Area competitors in the recruitment of talent. The project entailed a tenant improvement of 54,000 square feet of existing office space to support 250 employees involved in high technology development.

The space reflects Skype�s spirit of innovation in a highly functional yet creative workplace designed to encourage interaction and spontaneity, as well as meet specific acoustic requirements in support of their extensive use of AV. The project is registered for and seeking LEED Silver certification.� 19 more images after the break...

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United States Map Made from Wood Matches � Claire Fontaine

U.S.A. (burnt/unburnt) is a 2011 installation by Paris-based artist Claire Fontaine. Art of �Evidence of Bricks� at the 2011 Time-Based Art Festival. 08 more images after the break...

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26 Absolutely Breathtaking Photos of Central Park

After seeing just one magical photo of Central Park in the winter (see above composite by Stephen Wilkes), we felt compelled to put together this list of 20 of the most breathtaking photos of the world's most famous park. Though it officially opened in 1857, it was a year later that landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted and architect Calvert Vaux beat out 32 entries to win a landscape design contest that would transform the park. They called their project the Greensward Plan. 25 more images after the break...

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The Grave of 1177 Soldiers

Pearl Harbor (see more photos) on Oahu, Hawaii, is a significant historical location. It was here where the Japanese attacked the U.S. Pacific fleet on December 7, 1941, which led the United States to enter World War II. Today, Pearl Harbor (including the Arizona Memorial) is the most-visited destination on Oahu, with more than 1.5 million visitors per year. A visit of Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial is a solemn and a learning experience in the same time. At the Arizona Memorial, (a platform that was built atop the sunken battleship USS Arizona), you will be literally on top of the grave of 1,177 soldiers who perished aboard. From the platform you can see the battleship, which lies six feet below the water's surface. After more than 67 years after the attack, oil is still leaking out of the battleship, also called the �Black Tears of the Arizona.� You�ll have to board a small Navy shuttle boat to reach the Memorial. 04 more images after the break...

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Miss America 2013 � Mallory Hytes Hagan

Mallory Hagan won the Las Vegas beauty pageant Saturday night after tap dancing to James Brown's "Get Up Off of That Thing" and answering a question about whether armed guards belong in grade schools by saying we should not fight violence with violence. Hagan defeated Miss South Carolina Ali Rogers, who took second, and Miss Oklahoma Alicia Clifton, who finished third. Hagan wins a $50,000 college scholarship and gets the crown for one year. Her platform was stopping child $exual abuse. She is expected to spend her title reign on a nationwide speaking tour and raising money for the Children's Miracle Network, the organization's official charity.

Miss New York Mallory Hagan waves after she was crowned Miss America 2013 on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)

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Spaceport America Near Completion in New Mexico

Spaceport America, dubbed as the first spaceport in the world, looks like a gigantic moth, its rounded wings outspread against the arid, reddish-brown dirt of southern New Mexico. The view from east reveals a curved, pitched glass facade, soaring steel hanger doors and a white-on-white interior. The lofty architecture encapsulates the equally lofty dream of this complex � to serve as the launch-pad for commercial spaceflight and the dawn of second space age.

The $209 million project has attracted worldwide attention because of its bold premise, stunning architecture and the fact that it is home to the world�s first commercial passenger spaceline company, Virgin Galactic which has signed a 20-year lease and has already launched 12 suborbital flights from the spaceport as of August 2012.

Spaceport America includes basic operational infrastructure such as an airfield, launch pads, terminal / hangar facility, emergency response capabilities, utilities and roadways. The site will be capable of accommodating the activities of both vertical and horizontal takeoff space launch vehicles, serving as the base for pre-flight and post-flight activities, and providing a tourism experience for interested visitors and spectators. 15 more images after the break...

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Molokini Atoll Island

Molokini atoll was formed about 15,000 years ago, to break out of the crater with lava. Within this natural rocky crescent are found more than 250 species of fish and 38 species of coral, which are no longer found throughout the Pacific Ocean. 06 more images after the break...

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American Landscapes � Photos of Timothy O�Sullivan

Canyon De Sheyi, 187

In the 1860-1870's of the photographer Timothy O�Sullivan has created one of the most famous collections of images in American history. Photos of Timothy O�Sullivan | Library of Congress. 18 more images after the break...

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USA Election Illustrated Using Fast Food

Soon after the US election was over, Berlin-based artists Lisa Rienermann and Anna Lena Schiller decided to create an infographic illustrating the most important facts about the US presidential election. The duo decided that burgers and fries, the stereotypical American meal, was the most appropriate medium for visualization.

The project, named "Binders Full of Burgers," is a reference to the Internet meme sparked by a Mitt Romney debate response about how he used "binders full of women" to find female staff for his cabinet as governor of Massachusetts. Using burgers as pie-charts and mustard and ketchup to write and draw graphs, the images illuminate how many Americans have the right to vote, and how big the turnout will likely be, among other things. Further images show poll results illustrated with zigzagging lines of ketchup and mustard. The illustrators use hot dogs, of Frankfurters, to illustrate contributions made by German corporations to the the Obama and Romney campaigns, and fries to depict countries whose names came up most often in the presidential debate on foreign policy. 13 more images after the break...

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New York � Then and Now

I already showed you a dozen times different comparative pictures of different cities of the country in the style of "then and now". And today, I suggest you look at the interesting collection of images, which depict New York in the past and now. 18 more images after the break...

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Rare Photos of Lumberjacks California Redwoods

This series of photos from the 1915-era capture lumberjacks working among the redwoods in Humboldt County, California, when tree logging was at its peak. The photos are part of the Humboldt State University Library Special Collections, a series of pictures from northwest California from the 1880s through the 1920s by Swedish photographer A.W. Ericson. 09 more images after the break...

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Monument for Steve Jobs in Odessa

This monument is situated in Odessa on the occasion of first death anniversary of Steve Jobs. Two-meter hand made from scrap local craftsman Cyril Maksimenko. 07 images after the break...

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Return Back to Home

A very emotional and loving images of american soldiers and their family members, 20 more images after the break...

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