Pyramid of Giza

The Great Pyramid of Giza, also called Khufu's Pyramid or the Pyramid of Khufu, and Pyramid of Cheops, is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis bordering what is now Cairo, Egypt, and is the only remaining member of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It is believed the pyramid was built as a tomb for Fourth dynasty Egyptian pharaoh Khufu and constructed over a 14 to 20 year period concluding around 2560 BC. Khufu's vizier, Hemon, or Hemiunu, is believed by some to be the architect of the Great Pyramid. It is thought that, at construction, the Great Pyramid was 280 Egyptian royal cubits tall, 146.6 meters, (480.97 feet) but with erosion and the loss of its pyramidion, its current height is 138.8 m. Each base side was 440 royal cubits, with each royal cubit measuring 0.524 meters. The total mass of the pyramid is estimated at 5.9 million tonnes. The volume, including an internal hillock, is believed to be roughly 2,500,000 cubic meters. Based on these estimates building this in 20 years would involve installing aproximatly 800 tonnes of stone every day. Manetho gives Khufu a reign of 65 years this would enable him to build the pyramid by installing aproximatly 250 tons of stone per day.

A very unimportant building

The Washington Monument is a large, tall, sand-colored obelisk near the west end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. It is a United States Presidential Memorial constructed to commemorate the first president, George Washington. The monument, made of marble, granite, and sandstone, was both the world's tallest stone structure and the world's tallest obelisk, standing 555 feet 5.5 inches in height. It was designed by Robert Mills, an architect of the 1840s. The actual construction of the monument began in 1848 but was not completed until 1884, almost 30 years after the architect's death.

Where Death Meets Its Maker

The Colosseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre, is an elliptical amphitheatre in the center of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. Its construction started between 70 and 72 AD and was completed in 80 AD. Originally capable of seating around 50,000 spectators, the Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles. As well as the gladiatorial games, other public spectacles were held there, such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology. The Colosseum's ruined state is due to earthquakes and stone-robbers. The Colosseum today is now a major tourist attraction in Rome with thousands of tourists each year paying to view the interior arena, though entrance for EU citizens is partially subsidised, and under-18 and over-65 EU citizens' entrances are free.

More Than I Can Afford

Toothpicks What!?!?!?!

Bridges and buildings made of toothpicks are just like creating a model of the real thing. You have to be cautious in your design of the structure or else it will never stay up. Building toothpick structures takes a while and you can't just push a whole bunch of toothpicks together and put glue over them to get it to look right. Toothpick bridges are especially difficult to make because most of the time the person making them is doing for a competition in which they need to be the one that has the strongest bridge. Meaning that they need to design the bridge and make sure everything in it is correct. Making things out of toothpicks is the same as architecture, just on a smaller scale. All of the same principles of safety, strength, design and construction apply.

Dubai owns the U.S.

Dubai of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) there are so many architectural marvels that it you probably couldn't see it all in a week. Also, they are the sight of many more projects to come, involving the construction of strange and unique buildings. Dubai is the sight of two of my earlier posts, the Burj Arab (future tallest building in the world) and the Burj Al Arab (my first post). Dubai is famous for many things and one of them is its man-made islands. Some look like palm trees and others are a map of the world.

Many of the buildings' structures are very unique and are weird shapes. I would really like to travel to Dubai for a vacation. It would be a great experience.

University of Florida

The University of Florida, UF, is a college just for engineering. UF was established in 1910 under the leadership of its first dean, John R. Benton, who served for the next 20 years. In 1917, chemical engineering joined the curriculum and the College was engaged in military training. The college offers master's degrees in chemical, civil, electrical and mechanical engineering. The College of Engineering is the largest professional school, the second largest college and one of the three largest research units at the University of Florida. Members of the engineering faculty collaborate with colleagues in disciplines, including chemistry, dentistry, forest resources, geography, geology, mathematics, medicine, physics, psychology, speech and zoology. The school is very professional and has a lot of opportunities to learn. UF is located in Gainesville, FL.