Milwaukee Art Museum

The Milwaukee Art Museum is an art museum with a collection of over 30,000 works of art serving over 350,000 visitors a year. The campus of three buildings is located on Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Museum's stated mission is to "collect and preserve art, presenting it to the community as a vital source of inspiration and education".

The 341,000-square-foot (31,700 m2) Museum includes the War Memorial Center (1957) designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen, the Kahler Building (1975) by David Kahler, and the Quadracci Pavilion (2001) created by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. The Reiman Bridge, also designed by Calatrava, connects to the pavilion and provides pedestrian access to and from down town Milwaukee. 

From its roots in Milwaukee's first art gallery in 1888, the Museum has grown today to be an icon for Milwaukee and a resource for the entire state. 

War Memorial Center

The War Memorial Center, completed in 1957, was designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen to create a new home for two previously separate art collections and a veterans’ memorial. The modernist building is shaped like a floating cross, with wings cantilevered from a central base. Saarinen’s innovative design won praise for its dramatic use of space; Time magazine called it “one of the country’s finest examples of modern architecture put to work for civic purposes.”

Quadracci Pavilion

The graceful Quadracci Pavilion is a sculptural, postmodern addition designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. Highlights of the building are the magnificent cathedral-like space of Windhover Hall, with a vaulted a 90-foot-high glass ceiling; the Burke Brise Soleil, a moveable sunscreen with a 217-foot wingspan that unfolds and folds twice daily; and the Reiman Bridge, a pedestrian suspension bridge that connects the Museum to the city.

A 1975 addition had increased space five-fold, but the Museum remained hidden from public view on the lower floors of the War Memorial Center. A $10 million then-anonymous gift from Betty and Harry Quadracci kicked off a capital campaign.

In 1994, the Museum’s search committee convinced Santiago Calatrava to submit a proposal and was wowed by his creative design. Calatrava, inspired by the “dramatic, original building by Eero Saarinen, …the topography of the city” and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie-style architecture, initially proposed a small addition, with a pedestrian bridge connecting the Museum to downtown. As excitement over the project grew, fundraising accelerated and the project evolved, with the architect and Museum trustees sharing ideas.

The 142,050-square-foot Quadracci Pavilion was planned to primarily contain public spaces—a reception hall, auditorium, café, store, and parking, plus 10,000 square feet of flexible space for temporary exhibitions. Calatrava later said, “I had clients who truly wanted from me the best architecture that I could do. Their ambition was to create something exceptional for their community…. Thanks to them, this project responds to the culture of the lake: the sailboats, the weather, the sense of motion and change.”

The structure incorporates both cutting-edge technology and old-world craftsmanship. The hand-built structure was made largely by pouring concrete into one-of-a-kind wooden forms. It is a building that could have only been done in a city with Milwaukee’s strong craft tradition. 

Architecture highlights

Windhover Hall is the grand entrance hall for the Quadracci Pavilion. It is Santiago Calatrava’s postmodern interpretation of a Gothic Cathedral, complete with flying buttresses, pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and a central nave topped by a 90-foot-high glass roof. An average-sized, two-story family home would fit comfortably inside the reception hall.

The hall’s chancel is shaped like the prow of a ship, with floor-to-ceiling windows looking over Lake Michigan. Adjoining the central hall are two tow-arched promenades, the Baumgartner Galleria and Schroeder Foundation Galleria, with expansive views of the lake and downtown.

The Museum’s signature wings, the Burke Brise Soleil, form a moveable sunscreen with a 217-foot wingspan. The brise soleil is made up of 72 steel fins, ranging in length from 26 to 105 feet. The entire structure weighs 90 tons. It takes 3.5 minutes for the wings to open or close. Sensors on the fins continually monitor wind speed and direction; whenever winds exceed 23 mph for more than 3 seconds, the wings close automatically.

According to Santiago Calatrava, “in the crowning element of the brise soleil, the building’s form is at once formal (completing the composition), functional (controlling the level of light), symbolic (opening to welcome visitors), and iconic (creating a memorable image for the Museum and the city).”

Cudahy Gardens

The Museum grounds were redesigned in conjunction with the Quadracci Pavilion, with a network of gardens, plazas, and fountains created by landscape architect Dan Kiley to parallel the addition. Kiley was known for his formal geometric approach to landscape design. His understated Cudahy Gardens use a grid of lawns divided by hedgerows and linear fountains to create a forecourt for the Museum. Kiley’s plan for the entrance plaza was inspired by the clean lines of Calatrava’s work, intended to synthesize the dynamics of the city, the building, and the natural environment.

The Museum offers works in various permanent Collection galleries, as well as a variety of changing special exhibitions throughout the year.

Address-

Milwaukee Art Museum

700 N. Art Museum Drive, Milwaukee, WI 53202

Phone: 414-224-3200

Fax: 414-271-7588

Email: mam@mam.org

Museum Hours

Open Tuesday–Sunday, 10 AM–5 PM

Thu until 8 PM

Closed Mondays (Open Mondays, Memorial Day–Labor Day)

Closed Thanksgiving Day & December 25th

for further details & booking- 

visit- http://mam.org/visit/

The Taj Faluknuma Palace, Hyderabad

Falaknuma Palace is one of the finest palaces in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. It belonged to Paigah Hyderabad State, and it was later owned by the Nizams.

It is on a 32-acre 129500 Sq. Mtr (1393910 Sq. Ft) area in Falaknuma, 5 km from Charminar. It was built by Nawab Vikar-ul-Umra, the then-prime minister of Hyderabad and the uncle and brother-in-law of H.H. The Nizam VI, Nawab Mir Mahboob Ali Khan Bahadur. 

Falaknuma Palace is also known as the 'mirror of the sky' because at 2000 feet, it was built in the clouds and reflects the ever-changing moods of the sky. 

Built in 1894, it took ten years and four million rupees for its magnificent, physical evolution in the shape of a scorpion. Designed by British architect William Mard Marret, the Palace took a rumoured 22 years to perfect and has been owned in turn by Sir Vicar-Ul-Umra, PM of the State of Hyderabad, Nizam Mahboob Ali Pasha and Mir Osman Ali Khan Bahadur.

Bought over in 1895 and used as the residence of Nizam VI until 1911, Falaknuma Palace later went on to be used as a royal guesthouse for dignitaries, including free India's first President Dr. Rajendra Prasad who availed of its famed, lavish hospitality in 1951. The echoes of visiting European monarchs, the Duke of Windsor, heads of state and distinguished governors can still be heard in this newly refurbished inner sanctum of Hyderabad. Since 1995, The Taj Group of Hotels has sensitively restored the palace not only to accommodate the privileged in 60 glamorous rooms and suites, but also to accommodate the extravagance of the 'then' with all the comfort of the 'now'.

Design

The foundation for the construction was laid by H.E. Sir Vicar Ul Umra Bahadur on March 3, 1884. He was the great grandson of Khuddus, a famous scientist who was a best friend of Sir Charles Darwin. It took nine years to complete the construction and furnish the palace. Sir Vicar moved into the Gol Bangla and Zanana Mahel of the Falaknuma Palace in December 1889 and closely monitored the finishing work at the Mardana portion. It is made completely with Italian marble and covers an area of 93,971 square meters.

The palace was built in the shape of a scorpion with two stings spread out as wings in the north. The middle part is occupied by the main building and the kitchen, Gol Bangla, Zenana Mehal, and harem quarters stretch to the south. The Nawab was an avid traveler, and his influences show in the architecture.

The Falaknuma palace is a rare blend of Italian and Tudor architecture. Its stained glass windows throw a spectrum of colour into the rooms.

Since the palace was the private property of the Nizam family until recently, visitors weren't allowed. Occasionally, however, the venue is opened for public.

Renovation into a luxury hotel

In 2000 Taj Hotels started renovating and restoring the palace. The renovated hotel was opened in November 2010. The rooms and halls were decorated with ornate furniture, rich handcrafted tapestries and brocade from France. 

The interiors are a splendid interplay of Venetian chandeliers and intricate frescos and have charming outdoor terraces with a treasure of rare artefacts, including paintings, statues, furniture, manuscripts and books. The palace has a 101-seat dining hall, considered the largest in the world, and the Durbar Hall, embellished with intricately carved wooden ceilings, parquet flooring, regal walnut wood furniture and handcrafted mirrors.

HOTEL ADDRESS

Taj Falaknuma Palace,

Engine Bowli, Falaknuma, 

Hyderabad - 500053, India

Telephone: +91 40 6629 8585 

Apple Store, Fifth Avenue

767 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10153

Living up to its “Think Different” motto, Apple unveiled flagship Store, Fifth Avenue in New York City. Located at 767 Fifth Avenue between 58th and 59th Streets, the prominent site near FAO Schwarz and Bergdorf Goodman provides views of Central Park. 

The stores sell Macintosh personal computers, software, iPods, iPads, iPhones, third-party accessories, and other consumer electronics such as Apple TV.

The store occupies the underground retail concourse of the General Motors Building, with entry from the plaza level above. "The new plaza in front of the General Motors building on Fifth Avenue at 59th Street is a triumph of urban design." said James Gardner in the New York Sun. "Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, New York has a new public space that will prove to be a source of civic pride and aesthetic delight."

Designers Bohlin Cywinski Jackson and structural engineers Eckerlsey O'Callaghan (glass elements) in collaboration with Apple used Apple Stores' signature structural glass vertical circulation to entice plaza level passersby down to the store's underground main level. The 32-foot structural glass cube marking the store's entrance makes a bold architectural statement. Housing a transparent glass elevator wrapped by a circular glass stair, the transparent cube beckons potential customers down to the retail level below. By day it is a skylight bringing natural light underground, while at night the lighted cube is a sign. "It was in Apple's DNA to try to make something that no one else had the vision to create," said Ron Johnson, Apple's Senior Vice President of Retail.

Visitors descend the glass stair or travel in the all-glass elevator, entering a carefully tailored stainless steel and stone environment where Apple's products take center stage. Custom-designed wooden store fixtures, stainless steel ceiling and wall panels and an Italian stone floor make an elegant, yet restrained backdrop.

Cybertecture Egg

James Law Cybertecture International

The 32,000 sq m egg-shaped building will combine “iconic architecture, environmental design, intelligent systems, and new engineering to create an awe-inspiring landmark in the city.

James Law have been commissioned by Vijay Associate (Wadhwa Developers) to create an office unlike any other in Mumbai, India. It will accommodate 13 floors of offices. 

The Cybertecture Egg is a Cybertecture building that brings together iconic architecture, environmental design, intelligent control systems, and evolutionary engineering to create the most innovative building for the city of Mumbai and for India in the 21st Century.

Technology and the working environment are united in the use of ‘cybertecture reality’ which allows you to customize your favorite view and have real time scenery all around the world instead of the view the user currently has.

The egg itself is orientated and skewed at an angle to create both a strong visual language and to alleviate the solar gain of the building, also there is a sky garden on the top of building which performs thermolysis (the dissipation of heat from the surface). PV panels will be installed on top of the building and a wind turbine on the sky gardens will generate electricity. A water filtration system will also be incorporated into the building to recycle grey water for flushing and irrigation purpose.

By using this “Egg” shape, compared to a conventional building, the structure has approximately 10-20% less surface area. Within the building, an innovative structure derived from the skin of the egg creates up to 30m spans of columnless floors. The architecture is sleek and computer designed, with engineering that creates a building of high quality and geometric sophistication. It is hoped this building will act like a “jewel” for the new Central Business District of Mumbai, and will be a worthy neighbour to other esteemed buildings in the district.

Green facts & awards

Orientation of Building: The building is orientated towards the 
ideal direction vis a vis the sun to minimize solar and heat gain.
Sky Gardens: Green areas of the building will provide sun 
shading, oxygen replenishment, refuge areas for people as well 
as cooling for building and wetland filter beds for water 
recycling.
PV Farms: Photovoltaic cells are integrated into the façade 
facing the sun to help provide an alternative electricity source.
Intelligent Glass Façade: The building’s glazing will have 
variable fritting and tones based on sun orientation, as well as 
variable shading and tinting.
Water Recycling System: The recycling of potable water is done 
through a combination of rain water harvesting systems, 
sewerage treatment and filtration, and wetland cell systems. 
These effectively recycle up to 20% of the water supply 
consumption of the building.
Underground Water Cooling: Related to the water recycling 
system, the underground cooling system embedded deep 
underground in a reservoir provide naturally chilled water for the building’s air conditioning.
Intelligent Building Management Systems: BMS to reduce 
energy use in less utilized or less occupied locations.