Monday, July 21, 2008

Work of Human

Architecture is a measure of human progress. It is human imagination personified. Each monument has a unique history of why it was created and how it was built. Any ancient civilization -Greek, Roman, Indus, Egyptian is filled with human created treasures.

Man can create wonders with rock, stones and even glass. The artificial islands getting created in Dubai and Italy are breathtaking. The other day I was watching Travel channel and found that every winter in Sweden, they build a hotel made of ice. They still use iron/metal pillars for some part of the framework. During fall, they get the framework in place. When enough snow has been accumulated, within a month a new building with a different architecture is constructed for people to stay. Check out the link for more information. The pictures are stunning.

Olympics is not far away and the way Beijing is getting decked up with new buildings is phenomenal. I particularly liked the egg-shaped National theatre and the water cube aquatic centre. Apart from the manufacturing industry, the travel industry in China is also set for some huge gains in future.

There are lots of other buildings that we come across daily which are marvels in their own ways. They don't get the public recognition but they hold some significance to you. As a teenager, I used to enjoy walking in Connaught Place (now known as Rajiv Chowk). I liked the architecture of the buildings and roaming around them made me feel free and independent - qualities I always aspired for. I used to visit British Council Library which helped me delve into different varieties of books genre. Libraries were not much popular in Delhi in those days and a building with two floors stacked with books was enough excite me. The other place I used to love going with my mom was "Sahitya Academy Library" in Mandi House. Much of my Indian mythological knowledge is attributed to this library. The whole area around Mandi house would be very rejuvenating for me. There was a beautiful building called "Little Flower theatre", where years later I watched a fantastic play "Love Letters" starring Rajat Kapoor and Shehnaz Patel. The Modern School round the corner would remind me of the yearly "Shankar's Drawing Competition". I would also love to walk in the North Campus of Delhi University. As a kid, I used to accompany my mom to various shows and library. Years later when I myself became a student of the University, I enjoyed attending the college festivals and chatting with friends in the sprawling lawns. The Vivekananda statue in the middle of Arts Faculty used to give a serene look to the whole atmosphere. I still remember the precious last minute preparations before exams sitting in those steps.

Almost all cities in the world are developing rapidly and getting decked up with concrete buildings and monuments. It is pure treat to see the kind of shapes they attain and the materials used to build them up. With rock, stone, glass, sand, ice already being used, can walls made of water be far behind?

BTW, do you know this building in Banglore?

7 comments:

Vandana said...

There is something about the way they make university buildings that is so inspiring. I relate to you in feeling the same way about the buildings in my undergrad college. Is that Infosys/Wipro campus in Blore?

--xh-- said...

buildings inspire and gives a sense of belonging to me. The long corridors of my Alma mater, the stone paved path ways of temples, the silent library halls, the huge glass and concrete faceds of modern office buildings, the Gothic style old bungalows and churches - each building have its own personality, color,smell and story.

Thew buildings r the iFlex campus @ CV raman nagar (bagmane tech park), bangalore.

Monika said...

buildings are getting more innovative and stranger day by day... check this out http://specials.rediff.com/money/2008/jul/01slide1.htm
drives me crazy... as xh mentioned these buildings are the new iflex,TI campus in india

Archana Bahuguna said...

Nice blog. The buildings in Beijing are really interesting!

Sumana said...

On reading your post and comments from xh, i tried to search for the Iflex building. Here is a url, http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=323052. Scroll down to see the skypointer, I have seen this Infosys BPO building and really looks deadly.

Preeti Shenoy said...

True buildings are indeed marvels--but it reminds me of the sad fact about how many trees re cut down and natural landscapes altered.
The price we have to pay for progress--sigh.
Cheers
Preeti (just a mother of two)

Jaya said...

Vandana: I always like to be in a Univ campus. That's iFlex campus as XH, Monika have mentioned in their comments.

XH: You know,the aura of the buildings are with you for a long time.

Monika: A dyanamic tower! Its amazing!

Arc: They sure are.

Sumana: I saw Infosys building somewhere too before. Yup, its deadly. Infact the whole campus is awesome.

PS: Thats true. Unless we start living/working in treehouses...

To evolve or not...