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The Shard, also referred to as the Shard London Bridge and formerly London Bridge Tower, is a 72-storey mixed-use development supertall pyramid-shaped skyscraper, designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, in Southwark, London, that forms part of The Shard Quarter development. Standing 309.6 metres (1,016 feet) high, The Shard is the tallest building in the United Kingdom. he Shard's construction began in March 2009; it was topped out on 30 March 2012 and inaugurated on 5 July 2012. Practical completion was achieved in November 2012. The tower's privately operated observation deck, The View from The Shard, was opened to the public on 1 February 2013. The glass-clad pyramidal tower has 72 habitable floors, with a viewing gallery and open-air observation deck on the 72nd floor, at a height of 244 metres (801 ft).
An old image but still probably one of my favorite . An 8 image stitch of Coogee bay .
My webiste is nearing completion as well so I have start a fan page which I will post specials deals and information on my photography www.facebook.com/pages/Kirk-Hille-Photography/275729253433
Blog: www.kirkhille.wordpress.com
website : www.kirkhillephotography.com
Face book : www.facebook.com/pages/Kirk-Hille-Photography/27572925343...
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Various images of mine are for sale on various finishes and sizes from Gloss and lustre, Metallic and Fuji Flex prints. Laminating and Mounting are available and framing service are available for local customers. Any enquires please contact me by email at kirkhille (@) westnet . com . au . For more information on my photographs you can visit my blog at kirkhille.wordpress.com/
All images are © Kirk Hille, All Rights Reserved. You may not use, replicate, manipulate, redistribute, or modify this image without my express consent
Yesterday marked the completion of one more trip around the sun (and many more with the moon). It was the close of my 37th year and my 38th trip around the sun, which makes today the dawn of my 39th circuit. I estimate it will take me about 366 days to get around this time, give or take several hours. But I am looking forward to the journey, it will be both long and not nearly long enough. Which is ok with me, I am as patient as I am restless. So onwards, around, and about.
Here's to year 38.
at the McDonnell Douglas Factory Airfield, 27 February 1979, after completion this was the last of 2960 A-4 type aircraft to be built, and was specially decorated for the occasion with flags of the seven nations flying A-4s. The plane was to be delivered to VMA-331.
Aerothermodynamic Structural Vehicle 1 (ASV-1), part of the Aerothermodynamic/Elastic Structural Systems Environmental Tests (ASSET) Program, is seen being prepared for its September 18, 1963 launch from Launch Complex 17B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
I really like the following article, at the White Eagle Aerospace website, written by J. Terry White. Maybe that's why they disabled/blocked the ability to copy/paste from it:
"…the first ASSET flight test vehicle (ASV-1) successfully flew 1,600 nm down the Eastern Test Range (ETR) following launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Boosted atop a Thor launch vehicle, the hypersonic glider reached a maximum velocity of 10,900 mph (Mach 12).
The Aerothermodynamic/Elastic Structural Systems Environmental Tests (ASSET) Program was a United States Air Force flight research effort aimed at exploring hypersonic lifting entry. Programmatic objectives included evaluation of hypersonic lifting vehicle (1) reentry aerodynamic and aerothermodynamic phenomena (2) structural design concepts, and (3) panel flutter characteristics and body flap oscillatory pressures.
The basic ASSET vehicle configuration was a 70-deg delta planform wing with highly-radiused leading edges. The windward surface of this wing was flat and had a 10-deg break in slope roughly two-thirds of the way back from the nose. A blunted cone-cylinder combination was raked into the leeward surface of the wing to form the fuselage of the vehicle. The aft portion of the vehicle was terminated with a flat base region.
There were two (2) types of ASSET flight vehicles. The Aerothermoelastic Vehicle (AEV) variant was flown to investigate windward panel flutter characteristics and body flap oscillatory pressures. A pair of these vehicles were flown. Each weighed AEV weighed 1,225 Ibs and was launched into a suborbital flight path by a Douglas Thor booster.
The Aerothermodynamic Structural Vehicle (ASV) variant was flown to determine external airframe surface temperature, heat flux and pressure distributions in hypersonic flight. These data were used to evaluate materials and structural concepts under reentry conditions. A quartet of these vehicles were flight tested. Each ASV weighed 1,130 Ibs and was boosted by a Thor-Delta launch vehicle.
ASSET vehicles were boosted to altitudes between 168 KFT and 225 KFT depending on mission type. AEV entry insertion velocity was roughly 13,000 ft/sec while that for ASV shots varied between 16,000 and 19,500 ft/sec. ASSET performed hypersonic flight maneuvers via a combination of aerodynamic and propulsive controls. The windward-mounted body flap was the lone aerodynamic control surface while a set of 3-axis attitude control thrusters were located in the vehicle's base region.
The first flight of the ASSET Program (ASV-1) took place on Wednesday, 18 September 1963. ASV-1 lift-off occurred at 09:39 UTC from Cape Canaveral's LC-17B. Due to booster availability issues, a Thor DSV-2F launch vehicle was used for this mission rather than the higher energy Thor-Delta DSV-2G. Insertion altitude and velocity were 203,200 ft and 16,125 ft/sec, respectively. The ASV-1 mission was highly successful with the exception that the vehicle was lost when it sunk in the South Atlantic during recovery operations.
ASV-1 represented the first time in aerospace history that a lifting vehicle configuration had successfully flown a double-digit Mach number reentry trajectory. Five (5) more ASSET vehicles would fly before completion of the flight research program. The sixth and last mission occurred on Tuesday, 23 February 1965.
The ASSET Program garnered a wealth of first-ever hypersonic vehicle aerodynamic, aerothermodynamic, aerothermoelastic and flight controls data. This priceless information and the valuable experience gained during ASSET contributed significantly to the design and flight testing of the PRIME SV-5D and Space Shuttle Orbiter.
Strangely, only one of the ASSET flight test articles was ever recovered successfully. In particular, ASV-3 was recovered following its 1,800 nm suborbital flight down the Eastern Test Range on Wednesday, 22 July 1964. The recovered airframe is currently on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio."
From/At:
www.whiteeagleaerospace.com/hypersonic-asset/
I'm going to leave the following for a while longer, because I'm pretty damned torqued:
I HAD MY USUAL INFORMATIVE, VALUE-ADDED DESCRIPTION HERE - ABOVE, WHICH I HAD TO YET AGAIN, PAINSTAKINGLY FINAGLE - WITH A LINK TO ANOTHER PERTINENT & INFORMATIVE WEBSITE (BELOW).
HOWEVER, SINCE THE PART-TIME “DEVELOPERS”/IT SUPPORT BUFFOONS AT FLUCKR CONTINUE TO BE COMPOSED OF STONED (LIKE “MANAGEMENT”), INCOMPETENT & LACKADAISICAL MORONS, AND IT WENT "POOF".
AND NOW THERE'S THE UTTERLY PATHETIC MOBILE UPDATE. OBVIOUSLY NOT MEANT FOR IPHONES...A TOTAL, COMPLETE, UNMITIGATED FLUCKING DUMPSTER FIRE. WHAT THE FLUCK ARE YOU FLUCKING STUPID FLUCKR FLUCKSTICKS DOING?!?!?!?!
GET YOUR FLUCKING SNOT/RUNNY-NOSED HEADS OUT OF YOUR COLLECTIVE (DUMB) ASSES!!!!!!!!!!
FLUCKR HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY MEDIOCRE - THE MOBILE APP ESPECIALLY - FOR AWHILE, BUT AGAIN, CONSISTENTLY AT LEAST. HOWEVER, NOW YOU FLUCKING FLUCKR ASS-CLOWNS HAVE MANAGED TO MAKE IT ABSOLUTELY ABYSMAL!!!!!
AND I'M PAYING FOR THIS?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
UN-FLUCKING-BELIEVABLE!!!!!!!!!!
space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/asset-asv.htm
The same photo:
space.skyrocket.de/img_lau/thor_dsv2f_2.jpg
Both above credit: "Gunter's Space Page" website
Near the completion of her late October nail appointment, Ms. Essay was surprised by the nail stylist with a gift of a U.S. Misses Size 6 black jeweled party dress that had been worn by the stylist mother to a New Year’s Eve party many years ago. The dress was too small for the stylist to wear and knowing that Ms. Essay was a Size 6, the stylist gave the dress to Essay as a gift.
When returning home in late October, Ms. Essay put the dress on herself and found it fit perfectly. A photo was shared along with a promise to the stylist that Ms. Essay would wear this gifted dress to the next scheduled biweekly nail appointment in early November.
This pose in early November was captured in Ms. Essay’s townhome near the first-floor closet.
Not quite, there are several other projects on the go but the little city by the sea is beginning to look BIG
Soviet SO class freight steam locomotive of class 2-10-0 (1-5-0) was named in Soviet tradition after the leader – the revolutionist bolshevik Sergo Ordzhonikidze (SO, СО - Серго Орджоникидзе). SO class was developed in 1933 y as the elongated version of very successful E (Э) type of 0-10-0 class of steam engines, the Eu (Эу) series of that was developed and built in Soviet Russia with about 2500 ones were produced in 1926—1930. Original E- class was designed by Russian engineer Łopuszyński, Wacław Marian in 1909. These engines were built from 1912 to 1957 in imperial and Soviet Russia as well as Sweden, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania in world record big series with total production exceeds 10853 ones. After start of production by the reconstructed Lugansk Locomotive Plant in Soviet Ukraine of modern powerful 2-10-2 class FD freight locomotives with many construction innovations it became necessary to create locomotive of simplified design, which could be built at all plants and operates without rebuilding depots, turntables and track superstructure, but be more powerful than obsolete E-series. To obtain this Research Institute of Traction Reconstruction of the NKPS developed a preliminary design of a new 2-10-0 type locomotive based on an E-series steam locomotive which boiler was increased that lead to general frame elongation and inreased weight that need addition of the leading wheel that was taken from the Su-class of passenger locomotives of the 2-6-2 class also developed before The Great October revolution. The detailed design and working drawings were made by a team of designers of the Kharkov Locomotive Plant under the leadership of P.M. Sharoyko. Many technical improvemets have been made after start of locomotive production in 1934. SO18 (CO18) was the latter series of SO17 (СО17) engine, with some improvements and increased rail load up to 18 t. A total production of SO built by 6 plants was 4487 ones.
April 18, 2015: CSX empty grain train V141 (Rockmart, GA-Dana, IN) motors Northbound along the CSX Cartersville Subdivision @ Riverside Industrial Park on the West side of Cartersville, GA with an ES44AH engine leading the run.
This is a scene that's been missing from the CSX Cartersville Sub a few years now, since the tragic explosion at the grain facility in Rockmart. Fortunately, the reconstruction of the facility is nearing completion, so hopefully grain trains can return to operating on this line again.
Taken 8 days before the first day of public services on the Manchester Metrolink, the paving of the Metrolink track nears completion between Aytoun Street and London Road (A6) where the Metrolink enters the Piccadilly Station undercroft.
28th March 1992
I’ve made some major progress on the 757 since you last saw it. The most obvious progress made to the model is the completion of the wings. The wings proved to be fairly challenging on this model. The large Fowler flaps have to be able to slide into the incredibly thin wing and to add insult to injury the wing also has to maintain a dihedral which stresses the wingbox.
At this point all that’s left is the tail so hopefully I can get started on that soon!
Taj Mahal and Yamuna river at sunrise, Agra, India.
Taj Mahal was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal and is considered the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Islamic, Indian and Persian architectural styles. In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was cited as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage."
Building began around 1632 and was completed around 1653, and employed thousands of artisans and craftsmen. Soon after the Taj Mahal's completion, Shah Jahan was deposed by his son Aurangzeb and put under house arrest at nearby Agra Fort where he could gaze upon Taj from a distance. By the late 19th century, parts of the buildings had fallen badly into disrepair. During the time of the Indian rebellion of 1857, the Taj Mahal was defaced by British soldiers and government officials, who chiseled out precious stones from its walls. At the end of the 19th century, British viceroy ordered a massive restoration project, which was completed in 1908. During this time the garden was remodeled with British-style lawns that are still in place today.
Copyright © John G. Lidstone, all rights reserved.
It is an offence under law if you remove my copyright marking, or post this image anywhere else without my express written permission.
Harvest completion is a satisfing feeling, but only for a short while. There is next season planting to get the ground ready for, probably some equipment to be repaired and if you are raising livestock well, they get hungry just like kids. Harvest completion also means the holidays are approaching and that means time with family and friends.
An image may be purchased at fineartamerica.com/featured/harvest-completion-ed-peterso...
Following the completion of a couple of special trains, a two-engine light power move consisting of Monson RR #3 and Edaville RR #11, make their way around the north end of the current, 2-mile loop, heading for the Edaville Family Theme Park's shops in South Carver, MA, where #11 will retire for the day. On this particular day, the #3 handled all of the regular, Christmas Festival of Lights excursion trains.
©2022 Peter Mardie, all rights reserved. Protected by Pixsy.
Agent: ZodaZoul
After completion of yet another mission, Agent ZodaZoul returns to her humble abode in secret location. She decides she is going to run a hot bath and play with the baby crocodiles.
The LOUDspeaker comes on. The voice speaks. New instructions. Hanoi. Then Acapulco. As always, the odds of survival are going to be slim.
Working for the organization one is never off-duty. It is a hard life. But oh-so rewarding. There is no better feeling than to enter the stratosphere in a bullet plane, Martini in hand, en route to the next appointment with destiny. The next mission. The next Karate move. Saving the world, again.
She feels a rush of excitement. Which lipstick will go best with the new mission?
"Your mission, should you accept it, starts now," says the voice. "This building will self-destruct in ten seconds...nine...eight..."
She grabs the baby crocodiles and Chanel Rouge Coco and runs up to the Helideck where the helicopter is already waiting for her, with roaring rotor blades, like a prehistoric mechanized beast set against the backdrop of the setting red sun. It's going to be fun.
For further info:
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Yes, it's all true. We bring you the real news behind the news. Now you know.
Technical details:
Not a drawing or a painting. Excluding text and graphics, you are looking at a photo (the green/grey part of the image) that is processed and manipulated in DXO and Capture One Pro.
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Having just completed shunting 9101 into 3 portions at Merbein, G527, X44 and XR555 run back to the front of the train to stable the engines while the new containers are loaded onto the wagons and form 9102.
G527 later will detach and run light engine to Mildura to pick up 6 cement hoppers for the run to Melbourne to unload at Gheringhap and onto Waurn Ponds.
During 2015, the Victorian State Government announced a plan to convert sections of the Yelta line into Standard Gauge along with building brand new lines connection regional areas to ports faster and effective. Trains like 9101/9102 Mildura goods could be a thing of the past come 2016.
Thursday 1st October 2015
HM Prison, Castlemaine was constructed of local sandstone between 1857 and 1861. It represents an important.
phase in the development of prison design associated with the completion of the Model Prison at Pentonville in.
1842. The influence of the Pentonville plan is evident in the radial wings, central hall and exercise yard.
(industries building) of Castlemaine Gaol. Beechworth, Bendigo and Castlemaine were the most accurate.
representations in Victoria of Jebb's panopticon design..
The completion of the Castlemaine Gaol in 1861 represents an important phase of prison construction in.
Victoria. Between 1857 and 1864 a remarkable period of building activity saw eight prisons constructed on.
Pentonville principles in metropolitan and regional areas..
The HM Prison Castlemaine is an essentially intact example of a building type. The sequence of alterations,.
however, is of historical importance, representing the changing requirements of prison design and construction..
The H M Prison at Castlemaine is historically significant because of its ability to represent the size and status of.
this town which reached pre-eminence in the second half of the nineteenth century as a result of the discovery of.
gold. (Heritage listed)..
Yeah, I'm taking myself for a little too wise 'n' awesome once more. However, here's a more or less full shot of the current Batcave! Please COMMENT!
I drew friend's Blythe by Photoshop.
She's site is www1.odn.ne.jp/momolita/
St. Basil's Cathedral (Moscow, Russia).
The famous St. Basil's Cathedral was commissioned by Ivan the Terrible and built on the edge of Red Square between 1555 and 1561. Legend has it that on completion of the church the Tsar ordered the architect, Postnik Yakovlev, to be blinded to prevent him from ever creating anything to rival its beauty again. The cathedral was built to commemorate Ivan the Terrible's successful military campaign against the Tartar Mongols in 1552 in the besieged city of Kazan. Victory came on the feast day of the Intercession of the Virgin, so the Tsar chose to name his new church the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Virgin on the Moat, after the moat that ran beside the Kremlin. The church was given the nickname "St. Basil's" after the "holy fool" Basil the Blessed (1468-1552), who was hugely popular at that time with the Muscovites masses and even with Ivan the Terrible himself. St. Basil's was built on the site of the earlier Trinity Cathedral, which at one point gave its name to the neighboring square. St. Basil's is a delightful array of swirling colors and redbrick towers. Its design comprises nine individual chapels, each topped with a unique onion dome and each commemorating a victorious assault on the city of Kazan. In 1588 the ninth chapel was erected to house the tomb of the church's namesake, Basil the Blessed. The church's design is based on deep religious symbolism and was meant to be an architectural representation of the New Jerusalem - the Heavenly Kingdom described in the Book of Revelation of St. John the Divine. The eight onion dome-topped towers are positioned around a central, ninth spire, forming an eight-point star. The number eight carries great religious significance; it denotes the day of Christ's Resurrection (the eighth day by the ancient Jewish calendar) and the promised Heavenly Kingdom - the kingdom of the eighth century, which will begin after the second coming of Christ. The eight-point star itself symbolizes the Christian Church as a guiding light to mankind, showing us the way to the Heavenly Jerusalem and it represents the Virgin Mary, depicted in Orthodox iconography with a veil decorated with three eight-pointed stars. The cathedral's star-like plan carries yet more meaning - the star consisting of two superimposed squares, which represent the stability of faith, the four corners of the earth, the four Evangelists and the four equal-sided walls of the Heavenly City. The extravagant and brightly colored domes of the cathedral's exterior mask a much more modestly decorated and somewhat less spectacular interior. Small dimly lit chapels and maze-like corridors fill the inside of the church and the walls are covered with delicate floral designs in subdued pastel colors dating from the 17th century. Visitors can climb up a narrow, wooden spiral staircase, set in one of the walls and discovered only in the 1970s during restoration work, and marvel at the Chapel of the Intercession's priceless iconostasis, dating back to the 16th century. There was so little room inside the church to accommodate worshippers, that on special feast days services were held outside on Red Square where the clergy communicated their sermons to the milling masses from Lobnoye Mesto, using St. Basil's as an outdoor altar. The church has narrowly escaped destruction a number of times during the city's tumultuous history. Legend has it that Napoleon was so impressed with St. Basil's that he wanted to take it back to Paris with him, but lacking to the technology to do so, ordered instead that it be destroyed with the French retreat from the city. The French set up kegs of gunpowder and lit their fuses, but a sudden, miraculous shower helped to extinguish the fuses and prevent the explosion. Early in this century the cathedral almost fell prey to the atheist principles of the Bolshevik regime. In 1918 the communist authorities shot the church's senior priest, Ioann Vostorgov, confiscated its property, melted down its bells and closed the cathedral down. In the 1930s Lazar Kaganovich, a close colleague of Stalin and director of the Red Square reconstruction plan, suggested that St. Basil's be knocked down to create space and ease the movement of public parades and vehicle movement on the square. Thankfully Stalin rejected his proposal as he did a second plan to destroy the cathedral. This time the courage of the architect and devotee of Russian culture, P. Baranovsky, saved the church. When ordered to prepare the cathedral for destruction he refused and threatened to cut his own throat on the steps of the church, then sent a bluntly worded telegram to the leader of the party himself relating the above. For some reason Stalin cancelled the decision to knock the church down and for his efforts Baranovsky was rewarded with five years in jail. An extensive program of renovation is still being carries out on both the exterior and interior of the church, but will not spoil that essential visit to St. Basil's Cathedral, Moscow's moat famous and arguably most beautiful ecclesiastical building. In the small garden outside St. Basil's stands an impressive bronze Statue to Minin and Pozharsky, who rallied Russia's volunteer army during the Time of Troubles and drove out the invading Polish forces. They were an interesting duo - Dmitry Pozharsky was a prince, while Kuzma Minin was a butcher from Nizhny Novgorod. The statue was designed by the artist I. Martos and erected in 1818 as the city's first monumental sculpture. It originally stood in the center of Red Square in front of what is now the GUM Department Store, with Minin symbolically indicating to Pozharsky that the Poles were occupying the Kremlin and calling for its liberation. The Soviet authorities felt that the statue had become an obstacle during parades and after the construction of the Lenin Mausoleum Red Square, its position was considered rather ambiguous and was eventually moved to the garden in front of St. Basil's in 1936.
DRS Class 66/0 No.66126 with No.66432 on the rear at Thurston on 20th December 2022 working 6Z78 12:18 Stowmarket DGL-York Thrall returning four RHTT sets after the completion of the season.
GWR 4-6-0 5952 Cogan Hall and LMS 2-8-0 48624 wait for better times at Dai Woodham's Scrapyard at Barry in May 1982
5952 was built in December 1935 and withdrawn in June 1964. Owned by the Betton Grange Society and I believe at the Llangollen Railway and stored without a tender. Some other minor parts used on the 'new build' 6880 Betton Grange.
Restoration to commence following the completion of 6880!!?
48624 buit at Ashford Works in Dec 1943 withdrawn in July 1965. Resides at the Great Central Railway currently stored awaiting overhaul. The only surviving Southern-built example. Restored to working order in 2009 by Peak Rail in fictional LMS Crimson Lake livery as 8624, now based at the Great Central Railway as British Railways 48624 in black. Boiler certificate expired in July 2019.
北京大兴国际机场是中国北京市大兴区正在建设的北京第二座国际机场，航站楼预计于2019年7月15日建成，机场整体预计于2019年9月30日启用，建成后将成为华北地区重要的国际机场。
Beijing Daxing International Airport is the second international airport in Beijing under construction in Daxing District, Beijing, China. The terminal building is expected to be completed on July 15, 2019. The airport is expected to be opened on September 30, 2019. It will become North China after completion. An important international airport in the region.
©Angela M. Lobefaro Explore
Isola Bella is one of the Borromean Islands of Lago Maggiore in north Italy. The island is situated in the Borromean Gulf 400 meters from the lakeside town of Stresa. Isola Bella is 320 meters long by 400 meters wide and is entirely occupied by the Palazzo Borromeo and its Italianate garden.
History
Until 1632 the island—known only as l’isola inferiore or isola di sotto[1]—was a rocky crag occupied by a tiny fishing village: but that year Carlo III of the influential House of Borromeo began the construction of a palazzo dedicated to his wife, Isabella D'Adda, from whom the island takes its name. He entrusted the works to the Milanese Angelo Crivelli, who was also to be responsible for the planning the gardens. The works were interrupted around middle of the century when the Duchy of Milan was struck by a devastating outbreak of the plague.
Construction resumed when the island passed to Carlo’s sons, Cardinal Giberto III (1615-1672) and Vitaliano VI (1620-1690); the latter in particular, with the financial backing of his elder brother, entrusted the completion of the works to the Milanese architect Carlo Fontana and turned the villa into a place of sumptuous parties and theatrical events for the nobility of Europe.
The completion of the gardens, however, was left to his nephew Carlo IV (1657 -1734). They were inaugurated in 1671.
The island achieved its highest level of social success during the period of Giberto V Borromeo (1751 – 1837) when guests included Edward Gibbon, Napoleon and his wife Joséphine de Beauharnais, and Caroline of Brunswick, the Princess of Wales. It is said that Caroline, having fallen in love with the place, did her best to convince the Borromeo family to sell her Isola Madre or the Castelli di Cannero islands; in the event she established herself on the banks of Lake Como at Cernobbio in the Villa d’Este.
A previously uploaded shot with a bit of image manipulation to improve the colours a bit on this very overcast morning.
After loading the front half of its rake of wagons in the hopper house, 66779 repositions the rake against the hard standing to allow loading completion by mechanical shovel.
Thursday 16 September 2021
This image from April of 2007. Car is in basement of Calderwood building, and almost ready to be installed in "hidden" chamber.
South Flagler House is an ultra-luxury waterfront condominium development located at 1355 South Flagler Drive in West Palm Beach, Florida. Developed by Related Ross and designed by the globally renowned Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA), the project features two 28-story limestone-clad towers rising from a shared garden podium. The development topped out in late 2025 and is scheduled for completion in Fall 2027.
Residences & Pricing
The project features 105 to 121 private residences, including townhomes, multi-bedroom condos, and expansive penthouses. Interiors are custom-designed by Pembrooke & Ives, combining classic Palm Beach elegance with floor-to-ceiling glass and expansive terraces overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway and Atlantic Ocean.
According to current Zillow property listings, available units broadly range from $7.5 million to over $28 million.
Large-scale penthouses within the complex have reportedly commanded contracts upwards of $40 million.
World-Class Amenities
The complex boasts approximately 50,000 square feet of resort-style amenities and hospitality-driven services.
Wellness & Pools: A 25-meter lap pool, lakefront cabanas, hot tub, and private men’s and women’s spas featuring ice plunges, steam rooms, and saunas.
Athletics & Recreation: A private pickleball court, sports simulator lounge, golf simulator, and state-of-the-art fitness center.
Leisure & Conveniences: On-site elevated dining, a coffee shop, private gardens, a children's playroom, co-working spaces, and a fenced outdoor dog run with a sculpture garden.
Service Layer: 24-hour onsite staff, concierge, 24-hour valet parking, private keyed elevators, and two deeded parking spaces per residence.
Situated along the Gold Coast at the southern edge of West Palm Beach’s arts district, South Flagler House sits right across the bridge from Palm Beach Island. It offers immediate access to the Norton Museum of Art, Palm Harbor Marina, and the luxury shopping of Worth Avenue.
Credit for the data above is given to the following websites:
www.google.com/search?q=south+flagler+house+west+palm+bea...
www.google.com/search?q=what+is+the+architectural+style+o...
© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.
The remodeling of the Russian Orthodox church by our place is nearing completion. The steeple was put in place on Friday.
Originally dating to around 1320, the building is important because it has most of its original features; successive owners effected relatively few changes to the main structure, after the completion of the quadrangle with a new chapel in the 16th century. Pevsner described it as "the most complete small medieval manor house in the county", and it remains an example that shows how such houses would have looked in the Middle Ages. Unlike most courtyard houses of its type, which have had a range demolished, so that the house looks outward, Nicholas Cooper observes that Ightham Mote wholly surrounds its courtyard and looks inward, into it, offering little information externally.[9] The construction is of "Kentish ragstone and dull red brick,"[10] the buildings of the courtyard having originally been built of timber and subsequently rebuilt in stone.[11]
The moat of Ightham Mote
The house has more than 70 rooms, all arranged around a central courtyard, "the confines circumscribed by the moat."[10] The house is surrounded on all sides by a square moat, crossed by three bridges. The earliest surviving evidence is for a house of the early 14th century, with the great hall, to which were attached, at the high, or dais end, the chapel, crypt and two solars. The courtyard was completely enclosed by increments on its restricted moated site, and the battlemented tower was constructed in the 15th century. Very little of the 14th century survives on the exterior behind rebuilding and refacing of the 15th and 16th centuries.
The structures include unusual and distinctive elements, such as the porter's squint, a narrow slit in the wall designed to enable a gatekeeper to examine a visitor's credentials before opening the gate. An open loggia with a fifteenth-century gallery above, connects the main accommodations with the gatehouse range. The courtyard contains a large, 19th century dog kennel.[12] The house contains two chapels; the New Chapel, of c.1520, having a barrel roof decorated with Tudor roses. [13] Parts of the interior were remodelled by Richard Norman Shaw.[14] wikipedia
16th century-late 19th century
The house remained in the Selby family for nearly 300 years.[3] Sir William was succeeded by his nephew, also Sir William, who is notable for handing over the keys of Berwick-upon-Tweed to James I on his way south to succeed to the throne.[4] He married Dorothy Bonham of West Malling but had no children. The Selbys continued until the mid-19th century when the line faltered with Elizabeth Selby, the widow of a Thomas who disinherited his only son.[5] During her reclusive tenure, Joseph Nash drew the house for his multi-volume illustrated history Mansions of England in the Olden Time, published in the 1840s.[6] The house passed to a cousin, Prideaux John Selby, a distinguished naturalist, sportsman and scientist. On his death in 1867, he left Ightham Mote to a daughter, Mrs Lewis Marianne Bigge. Her second husband, Robert Luard, changed his name to Luard-Selby. Ightham Mote was rented-out in 1887 to American Railroad magnate William Jackson Palmer and his family. For three years Ightham Mote became a centre for the artists and writers of the Aesthetic Movement with visitors including John Singer Sargent, Henry James, and Ellen Terry. When Mrs Bigge died in 1889, the executors of her son Charles Selby-Bigge, a Shropshire land agent, put the house up for sale in July 1889.[6]
Late 19th century-21st century
The Mote was purchased by Thomas Colyer-Fergusson.[6] He and his wife brought up their six children at the Mote. In 1890-1891, he carried out much repair and restoration, which allowed the survival of the house after centuries of neglect.[7] Ightham Mote was opened to the public one afternoon a week in the early 20th century.[7]
Sir Thomas Colyer-Fergusson's third son, Riversdale, died aged 21 in 1917 in the Third Battle of Ypres, and won a posthumous Victoria Cross. A wooden cross in the New Chapel is in his memory. The oldest brother, Max, was killed at the age of 49 in a bombing raid on an army driving school near Tidworth in 1940 during World War II. One of the three daughters, Mary (called Polly) married Walter Monckton.
On Sir Thomas's death in 1951, the property and the baronetcy passed to Max's son, James. The high costs of upkeep and repair of the house led him to sell the house and auction most of the contents. The sale took place in October 1951 and lasted three days. It was suggested that the house be demolished to harvest the lead on the roofs, or that it be divided into flats. Three local men purchased the house: William Durling, John Goodwin and John Baldock. They paid £5,500 for the freehold, in the hope of being able to secure the future of the house.[8]
In 1953, Ightham Mote was purchased by Charles Henry Robinson, an American of Portland, Maine, United States. He had known the property when stationed nearby during the Second World War. He lived there for only fourteen weeks a year for tax reasons. He made many urgent repairs, and partly refurnished the house with 17th-century English pieces. In 1965, he announced that he would give Ightham Mote and its contents to the National Trust. He died in 1985 and his ashes were immured just outside the crypt. The National Trust took possession in that year.[8]
In 1989, the National Trust began an ambitious conservation project that involved dismantling much of the building and recording its construction methods before rebuilding it. During this process, the effects of centuries of ageing, weathering, and the destructive effect of the deathwatch beetle were highlighted. The project ended in 2004 after revealing numerous examples of structural and ornamental features which had been covered up by later additions.[1]
Just a few more things to do, skirting boards, pictures on the walls. Also waiting on a chair and rug that I ordered from Etsy
Vicente Calderon stadium, July 2019 and March 2014 (Atletico-Español, Liga).
The home stadium of Atlético Madrid since its completion in 1966 to 2017.
Its is being demolished this summer.
The capacity was 55.000.
It was officially opened on the 2nd of October 1966 with a league match between Atlético and Valencia (1-1), though construction of the main stand had not been finished yet due to funding problems.
The stadium was finally completed in 1970, and then counted with a capacity of 62,000 seats and no standing areas, which made Estadio Vicente Calderón the first large all-seater stadium in Europe.
The stadium had initially been called Estadio de Manzaneras, but its name was changed in 1971 in honour of club-president Vicente Calderón, who had overseen the construction of the stadium.
It was selected as one of the playing venues of the 1982 World Cup, during which it hosted three second-round group matches.
Speicherstadt
Miniatur Wunderland (German for 'miniature wonderland') is a model railway and miniature airport attraction in Hamburg, Germany, the largest of its kind in the world. The railway is located in the historic Speicherstadt neighbourhood of the city.
In December 2021 the railway consisted of 16,138 m (52,946 ft) of track in H0 scale, divided into nine sections: Harz mountains, the fictitious town of Knuffingen, the Alps and Austria, Hamburg, America, Scandinavia, Switzerland, a replica of Hamburg Airport, Italy and South America. Of the 7,000 m2 (75,347 sq ft) of floorspace, the model occupies 1,545 m2 (16,630 sq ft).
The exhibit includes 1,300 trains made up of over 10,000 carriages, over 100,000 vehicles, approx. 500,000 lights, 130,000 trees, and 400,000 human figurines. Planning is also in progress for the construction of sections for Central America and the Caribbean, Asia, England, Africa and The Netherlands.
Prehistory
In the summer of 2000, Frederik Braun, one of the two founders of Miniatur Wunderland, was on vacation in Zurich. In a local model train store he came up with the idea for the world's largest model railway. Back in Hamburg he searched for email addresses online and started a survey on the popularity of real and fictional sights of the city. In the process, the Miniatur Wunderland, which did not yet exist, was ranked 3 by male respondents.
According to the twin brothers Gerrit and Frederik Braun, the idea for Miniatur Wunderland, including the business plan, fitted on just two pages. The financial backer was Hamburger Sparkasse.
Construction and expansion
After construction began in December 2000, the first three sections (Knuffingen, Central Germany and Austria) opened on August 16, 2001. Since then, new sections have been added. With the completion of the Hamburg, German Coast section in November 2002, Wunderland became the largest model railroad in Europe. Expansions in December 2003 with the USA and with Scandinavia in July 2005 followed. On September 10, 2015, Gerrit and Frederik Braun added the missing piece of track between the Switzerland section and a new Italy section. In doing so, they extended the track length from 13,000 to 15,400 meters. This was recorded by a Guinness judge, who then presented the certificate for the newly established world record. The 190 sq m Bella Italia section was opened on 28 September 2016 after four years under construction, involving 180,000 man hours and costing around four million euros. Work on the Monaco / Provence section started in August 2019 and, when completed, will mean the addition of another 315 meters. The total length of currently 15,715 meters therefore corresponds to 1,367.21 km in real length, so this is now also the largest model railway layout in the world across all scales.
System
Visitors walk back and forth between different rooms in a long corridor. Trains run along the walls of the rooms and on peninsula-like protrusions. The layout consists (as of September 2016) of nine completed sections of 60 to 300 m2 Model area:
The first three sections were created simultaneously. They show central and southern Germany with the Harz mountains, it also has a long ICE-high speed train track.
The fictional town of Knuffingen was given a road system with moving cars as a special feature.
The Austria section involved the implementation of the Alps theme, including a multi-level helix from which trains from the other sections change corridor sides above the heads of visitors.
The next stage of expansion includes the section with the theme Hamburg, German Coast.
The USA section includes Las Vegas, Miami, some Wild West, again a system with moving cars and a spaceport.
The Scandinavia section has a real water area: in the future, computer-controlled ships will operate in the 30,000 liter "North Sea" sea tub. At present, they are still controlled manually. Tides are also simulated here.
The Swiss Alps, extending over two floors, are modeled on the landscapes of the cantons of Ticino, Grisons and Wallis and were completed in November 2007. Through a hole in the ceiling on a total area of 100 m2 the mountains reach almost six meters in height. Visitors reach this new level via stairs, while trains negotiate the height differences in concealed switchbacks and in a locomotive lift.
The Knuffingen Airport section was opened in May 2011 after around six years in construction and development and an investment of 3.5 million euros. On display is a 150 m2 airport with a globally unique airport control system.
A small section forms the Hamburg HafenCity with the Elbphilharmonie concert hall. Planning began in May 2012 and construction began in August of the same year. A total of nine square meters (m2) were available, and 10 selected houses were built on this area. The opening was on November 13, 2013.
In 2014, a trip was made to Italy to gain lots of impressions of the country. These were brought into the 9th construction section Italy. In this section, some sights of Rome as well as landscapes like Tuscany or the lava-spewing Vesuvius can be seen. The construction section was presented in a specially created blog and opened in September 2016.
In February 2018, the Venice section was opened at only 9 m2 in size. Involving around 35,000 man hours, it is the most elaborate section – in relation to its size.
Special features
Special features include a simulated daily routine where twilight, night and day repeat every 15 minutes. This includes an automatic lighting control system that activates more than 300,000 lights to match the time of day.
The 120-square-meter fantasy town of Knuffingen, with a population of about 6,000, is equipped with more than 100 moving model cars, including numerous fire engines, which are used to simulate a firefighting operation in Knuffingen every 15 minutes on average. Traffic simulation is made possible by a modified car system that is also used in the USA, Scandinavia and Knuffingen Airport sections. In the America section, even an Interstate Highway is equipped with a dynamic Traffic Control System, which controls traffic through four different speed limits as well as permanent light signs and a variable text display.
The layout is considered to be rich in detail, examples include a changing scoreboard in the Volkspark Stadium or a crashed cheese wheel truck. There is also a Jet gas station there, displaying the real current gasoline prices of its prototype in Hamburg's Amsinck street.
Visitors can control operations on the system through ca. 200 pushbuttons. These buttons are highlights for many visitors. For example, a mine train starts, wind turbines turn, the next goal falls in the football stadium, a Space Shuttle takes off, a helicopter takes off or Pinocchio's nose begins to grow. A push button even allows visitors to watch the simulated production of a small bar of chocolate in a factory and taste the real product for themselves.
Certain tours also include a behind-the-scenes look at detailed figures that cannot be seen from the normal public area.
Knuffingen Airport
After six years in planning and under construction, Knuffingen airport was officially opened to visitors on May 4, 2011, as a special section of the facility. Its buildings resemble Hamburg Airport. As in the fictional main town of Knuffingen, there is also a simulation of a fire department with a large fleet of vehicles, including four airfield fire engines. On the 14 meter long runway, aircraft models can be accelerated to scale realistically on an invisible sled, and by means of two guide rods can also seemingly lift off the ground and disappear into a (cloud) wall. Depending on the launch phase, the guide rods allow a horizontal tilt of the aircraft that approximates reality.
There is also a wide variety of standard commercial aircraft including Boeing 747 and Airbus A380 in the liveries of many airlines around the world. Even models of the still relatively new Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 "Dreamliner" aircraft take off and land at Knuffingen. There is also a Concorde in British Airways livery, a Space Shuttle, a bee and the "Millennium Falcon" spaceship known from Star Wars.
The movement of the aircraft on the ground is realized with the help of technology based on the car system. The vehicles in the airport tell their own little stories with coordinated refueling, loading and unloading before and after landing starting from the aircraft parking positions.
Unlike the other landscapes, the railroad at the airport is hardly visible. There is only an airport station underground.
According to the operators, the 150-square-meter space has cost around 3.5 million euros, in addition to 150,000 man hours. The area is equipped not only with many rolling aircraft models, but also with hundreds of cars, passenger boarding bridges, parking garages, airport hotels, a subway and individual figures.
Visitors
On December 5, 2012, the ten millionth visitor came to Miniatur Wunderland, on December 2, 2016, the fifteen millionth. Around three quarters of visitors come from Germany, the remaining quarter from abroad, mainly from Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, England, the US and China.
Awards
In 2010, company founders Frederik and Gerrit Braun and Stephan Hertz were awarded the Cross of Merit on Ribbon of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for their social commitment. The Miniatur Wunderland also holds the Guinness World Record for "Longest melody played by a model train."
Presence in the media
Several times following completion of the various expansion stages, the Hamburg section was visited by a team of reporters from Eisenbahn-Romantik from SWR. They were also give a look behind the scenes. Numerous television stations, magazines and newspapers have already reported on Miniatur Wunderland.
In May 2009, rapper Samy Deluxe filmed the video clip for his socially critical song Stumm in Miniatur Wunderland. Within just one night, about 100 sequences were recorded in which a miniature figure "runs" (stop-motion) through the layout.
On December 5, 2009, the outdoor betting section of the German television show Wetten, dass..? took place at Miniatur Wunderland.
The plot of several episodes of the Hamburg crime series Großstadtrevier took place at Miniatur Wunderland.
In 2015, together with singer Helene Fischer, a campaign for Ein Herz für Kinder was launched, in which over 450,000 euros (as of 01/2016) were collected. The campaign was presented, among others, in the Ein Herz für Kinder Gala.
In January 2016, Miniatur Wunderland partnered with Google MiniView – a miniature version of Google Street View.
(Wikipedia)
Das Miniatur Wunderland (Eigenschreibweise) in Hamburg ist die laut Guinness World Records größte Modelleisenbahnanlage der Welt. Sie befindet sich in der historischen Speicherstadt und wird von der Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg GmbH betrieben. Auf der 1.545 Quadratmeter großen Anlagenfläche liegen insgesamt 16.138 Meter Gleise (Stand: 2. Dezember 2021 nach der Erweiterung „Welt von oben“ und Rio de Janeiro) im Maßstab 1:87 (Nenngröße H0; entspricht etwa 1367 Gleiskilometern in Originalgröße), auf denen rund 1.120 digital gesteuerte Züge verkehren.
Vorgeschichte
Im Sommer 2000 war Frederik Braun, einer der vier Gründer des Miniatur Wunderlands, in Zürich im Urlaub. Dort kam ihm in einem Modellbahngeschäft die Idee zur größten Modelleisenbahn der Welt. Zurück in Hamburg suchte Frederik E-Mail-Adressen aus dem Internet und startete eine Umfrage zur Beliebtheit echter und fiktiver Sehenswürdigkeiten der Stadt. Dabei wurde das noch nicht existierende Miniatur Wunderland von den männlichen Befragten auf Platz 3 gewählt.
Nach Angaben der Zwillingsbrüder Gerrit und Frederik Braun passte die Idee für das Miniatur Wunderland inklusive Finanzierungsplan auf lediglich zwei Seiten. Geldgeber war die Hamburger Sparkasse mit einem Kredit von zwei Millionen DM, unterstützt durch Bürgschaften der Eigentümer und der Bürgschaftsgemeinschaft Hamburg. Die Anlage wurde ohne öffentliche Gelder finanziert.
Auf- und Ausbau
Nach dem Baubeginn im Dezember 2000 gingen am 16. August 2001 die ersten drei Abschnitte (Knuffingen, Mitteldeutschland und Österreich) in Betrieb. Seither wurden neue Bereiche angefügt. Mit der Fertigstellung des Abschnitts Hamburg, deutsche Küste im November 2002 wurde das Wunderland die größte Modelleisenbahn in Europa. Erweiterungen im Dezember 2003 mit dem Thema USA und Juli 2005 mit Skandinavien folgten. Am 10. September 2015 setzten Gerrit und Frederik Braun das fehlende Gleisstück zwischen dem Abschnitt Schweiz und einem neuen Italien-Abschnitt. Damit erweiterten sie die Gleislänge von 13000 auf 15400 Meter. Dies wurde von einem Guinness-Richter festgehalten, der anschließend die Urkunde für den neu aufgestellten Weltrekord überreichte. Mit dem im August 2019 begonnenen Bauabschnitt Monaco / Provence sollen weitere 315 Meter hinzugefügt werden. Die Gesamtlänge von zur Zeit 16.138 Meter entspricht damit 1.367,21 Kilometer in Originalgröße, so dass dies nun auch die größte Modelleisenbahnanlage der Welt über alle Maßstäbe hinweg darstellt.
Derzeit (Stand: Dezember 2021) gibt es 16.138 Meter Gleise, 289.000 Figuren, 1.120 Züge, über 250 fahrende Autos, mehrere Schiffe im 30.000 Liter-Echtwasserbecken, den größten Miniatur-Flughafen der Welt. Insgesamt wurden 990.000 Arbeitsstunden und 37 Millionen Euro Baukosten investiert.
Anlage
Die Besucher gehen in einem langen Flur zwischen verschiedenen Räumen hin und her. Die Züge fahren an den Raumwänden und auf halbinselartigen Ausbuchtungen. Die Anlage besteht (Stand: September 2016) aus neun fertiggestellten Abschnitten von jeweils 60 bis 300 m² Modellfläche:
Die ersten drei Abschnitte wurden parallel erstellt. Sie zeigen Mittel- und Süddeutschland mit dem Harz, außerdem verfügt es über eine lange ICE-Hochgeschwindigkeitstrasse.
Die fiktive Stadt Knuffingen erhielt als Besonderheit ein Straßensystem mit fahrenden Autos.
Im Abschnitt Österreich ging es um die Umsetzung des Themas Alpen, unter anderem durch eine vielstöckige Wendel, von der aus Züge aus den übrigen Abschnitten die Flurseite über den Köpfen der Besucher wechseln.
Die nächste Ausbaustufe umfasst den Abschnitt mit dem Thema Hamburg, deutsche Küste.
Der USA-Abschnitt enthält unter anderem Las Vegas, Miami, etwas Wilden Westen, wieder ein System mit fahrenden Autos und einen Weltraumbahnhof.
Der Abschnitt Skandinavien setzt den Schwerpunkt mit einer echten Wasserfläche: In der 30.000 Liter großen „Nord-Ostsee“-Meereswanne sollen in Zukunft computergesteuerte Schiffe verkehren. Zurzeit wird noch manuell gesteuert. Auch Ebbe und Flut werden hier simuliert. Eine Miniatur-Storebeltbrücke überquert das „Meer“. Ein Bergwerksbetrieb erinnert an Kiruna.
Die über zwei Etagen reichenden Schweizer Alpen sind den Landschaften der Kantone Tessin, Graubünden und Wallis nachempfunden und wurden im November 2007 fertiggestellt. Durch einen Deckendurchbruch auf einer Gesamtfläche von 100 Quadratmeter erreichen die Berge fast sechs Meter Höhe. Die Besucher erreichen diese neue Ebene über Treppen, während die Züge in verdeckten Kehren und in einem Loklift die Höhenunterschiede überwinden.
Der Abschnitt „Knuffingen Airport“ wurde im Mai 2011 nach rund sechs Jahren Bau und Entwicklungszeit und 3,5 Millionen Euro Investitionen eröffnet. Zu sehen ist ein 150 Quadratmeter großer Flughafen mit einer weltweit einzigartigen Flughafensteuerung.
Ein kleiner Abschnitt bildet die Hamburger HafenCity mit der Elbphilharmonie nach. Im Mai 2012 wurde mit der Planung begonnen und im August desselben Jahres mit dem Bau. Insgesamt neun Quadratmeter standen zur Verfügung, auf dieser Fläche wurden zehn ausgewählte Häuser aufgebaut. Die Eröffnung war am 13. November 2013 und wurde direkt übertragen.
Im Jahr 2014 wurde ein Ausflug nach Italien gemacht, um viele Eindrücke des Landes zu sammeln. Diese wurden in den 9. Bauabschnitt Italien eingebracht. In diesem Abschnitt sind einige Sehenswürdigkeiten Roms sowie Landschaften wie die Toskana oder der lavaspeiende Vesuv zu sehen. Der Bauabschnitt wurde in einem extra angelegten Blog vorgestellt und im September 2016 eröffnet. Der 190 Quadratmeter große Abschnitt Bella Italia wurde nach vier Jahren Bauzeit mit 180.000 Arbeitsstunden und Kosten von rund vier Millionen Euro am 28. September 2016 eröffnet.
Im Februar 2018 wurde der Teilabschnitt Venedig mit nur neun Quadratmeter eröffnet. Mit rund 35.000 Arbeitsstunden ist es der – im Verhältnis zur Größe – aufwändigste Abschnitt.
Am 2. Dezember 2021 wurde auf der neuen 25-Meter-Brücke, die die beiden Speicher in 16 Metern Höhe miteinander verbindet, der Teilabschnitt „Welt von oben“ eröffnet. Die 25 Meter lange Brücke verbindet den alten Speicher, in dem sich der größte Teil der Ausstellungsfläche befindet, mit dem neuen Speicher. Diese wurde am 15. Juli 2020 eingebaut. Die „Draufsicht“ verschiedener Landschaften der Welt hat eine Modellfläche von 13,75 m² und kostete 100.000 Euro. Auf zwei Schienensträngen fahren nun Züge auf insgesamt 25 Metern Gleisen.
Am 2. Dezember 2021 wurde der Teilabschnitt Südamerika nach vier Jahren Bauzeit und 60.000 Arbeitsstunden eröffnet. Südamerika ist 46 Quadratmeter groß und die Baukosten belaufen sich auf über 1,5 Millionen Euro. Alleine in diesem Abschnitt gibt es 20.000 Figuren und 18.000 LED-Lämpchen. Große Teile des neuen Bauabschnitts wurden in Südamerika produziert und nach Hamburg verschifft. Südamerika ist der erste Teilabschnitt im „neuen“ Speicher.
Besonderheiten
Zu den Besonderheiten gehört ein simulierter Tagesablauf, bei dem sich alle 15 Minuten Dämmerung, Nacht und Tag wiederholen. Dazu gehört eine automatische Lichtsteuerung, die die über 400.000 Lampen zur Tageszeit passend schaltet.
Die 120 Quadratmeter große Fantasiestadt Knuffingen mit rund 6.000 Einwohnern ist mit über 100 beweglichen Modellautos ausgestattet, darunter auch zahlreiche Feuerwehrfahrzeuge, mit denen in Knuffingen im Schnitt alle 15 Minuten ein Feuerwehreinsatz simuliert wird. Die Verkehrssimulation wird durch ein modifiziertes Car-System ermöglicht, das auch in den Abschnitten USA, Skandinavien und Knuffingen Airport eingesetzt wird. Im Abschnitt Amerika ist sogar ein Interstate Highway mit einem dynamischen Verkehrsleitsystem ausgestattet, welches durch vier verschiedene Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzungen sowie Dauerlichtzeichen und eine variable Textanzeige den Verkehr regelt. Pkw sind nicht beweglich, weil die Wartung der Mechanik zu häufig nötig wäre und die Akkukapazität zu gering ist, sodass sehr viele Ladestation erforderlich wären.
Die Anlage gilt als detailreich, als Beispiele gelten eine sich verändernde Spielstandsanzeige im Volksparkstadion und eine magnetisch gesteuerte Kuh in einem Kuhfladen-Bingo-Spiel, ein verunglückter Käserad-Laster sowie ein Miniatur-Blinkenlights im Hamburg-Teil. Auch gibt es dort eine Jet-Tankstelle, die die realen aktuellen Benzinpreise ihres Vorbildes in der Hamburger Amsinckstraße anzeigt.
Im Volksparkstadion spielen an jedem simulierten Tag der HSV und der FC St. Pauli gegeneinander. Alle Spiele enden mit 4:3 für den HSV.
Durch rund 200 Taster können die Besucher Vorgänge auf der Anlage steuern. Diese sogenannten Knopfdruckaktionen sind für viele Besucher ein Highlight. Zum Beispiel startet ein Bergwerkszug, Windräder drehen sich, im Volksparkstadion fällt das nächste Tor, ein Space Shuttle startet, ein Hubschrauber hebt ab oder Pinocchios Nase beginnt zu wachsen. Ein Taster ermöglicht es dem Besucher sogar, die simulierte Produktion einer kleinen Tafel Schokolade in einer Fabrik zu beobachten und das reale Produkt selbst zu probieren.
Bei bestimmten Führungen ist auch ein Blick hinter die Kulissen möglich, wo sich auch detaillierte Figuren befinden, die vom normalen Publikumsbereich aus nicht eingesehen werden können.
Knuffingen Airport
Nach sechsjähriger Planungs- und Bauzeit ist am 4. Mai 2011 als besonderer Anlagen-Abschnitt der Modellflughafen „Knuffingen Airport“ für die Besucher offiziell in Betrieb genommen worden. Seine Gebäude ähneln dem Hamburger Flughafen. Wie im fiktiven Hauptort Knuffingen gibt es auch hier eine Simulation einer Feuerwehr mit großem Fuhrpark, unter anderem vier Flugfeldlöschfahrzeugen. Auf der 14 Meter langen Startbahn können Flugzeugmodelle auf einem unsichtbaren Schlitten maßstäblich realistisch beschleunigt werden und mittels zweier Führungsstangen auch scheinbar vom Boden abheben und in einer (Wolken-)Wand verschwinden. Durch die Führungsstangen ist je nach Startphase eine horizontale Neigung der Flugzeuge der Wirklichkeit angenähert möglich.
Anzutreffen sind hier die verschiedensten gängigen Verkehrsflugzeuge einschließlich Boeing 747 und Airbus A380, in den Lackierungen vieler Fluggesellschaften auf der ganzen Welt. Sogar Modelle der noch relativ neuen Flugzeuge Airbus A350 und Boeing 787 „Dreamliner“ starten und landen in Knuffingen. Außerdem gibt es eine Concorde in British-Airways-Lackierung, ein Space Shuttle, eine Biene und das aus Star Wars bekannte Raumschiff „Millennium Falcon“.
Die Bewegung der Flugzeuge am Boden ist mit Hilfe einer an das Car-System angelehnten Technik realisiert. Die Fahrzeuge im Flughafen erzählen eigene kleine Geschichten mit aufeinander abgestimmten auftanken, be- und entladen vor und nach der Landung beginnend von den Flugzeugparkpositionen.
Im Unterschied zu den anderen Landschaften ist die Eisenbahn am Flughafen kaum sichtbar. Nur unterirdisch gibt es einen Airport-Bahnhof, an dessen Bahnsteigen nicht nur S-Bahnen, sondern auch Fernverkehrszüge halten.
Nach Angaben der Betreiber stecken in den 150 Quadratmetern neben 150.000 Arbeitsstunden auch rund 3,5 Millionen Euro an Kosten. Die Fläche ist nicht nur mit vielen rollenden Flugzeugmodellen, sondern auch mit hunderten Autos, Fluggastbrücken, Parkhaus, Flughafenhotel, U-Bahn und Einzelfiguren ausgestattet.
Maßstabstreue
Einige der Wirklichkeit ganz oder teilweise nachempfundene Bauwerke entsprechen nicht dem der Anlage zugrunde liegenden Generalmaßstab der verwendeten Nenngröße H0 von 1:87, sondern sind teils deutlich verkleinert dargestellt. So misst die Start- und Landebahn des Verkehrsflughafens in der Länge etwa 14 Meter statt der maßstäblich angezeigten 30 bis 45 Meter sowie in der Breite deutlich weniger als die verhältnismäßigen 50 bis 70 cm. Die Nachbildungen des Heinrich-Hertz-Turms und der Michaeliskirche sind jeweils deutlich niedriger als die geforderten Höhen von 3,20 Meter beziehungsweise 1,50 m. Der Fußballplatz in der Hamburger Arena ist mit einer dem Maßstab 1:150 entsprechenden Länge von 70 cm ebenfalls kürzer als die der Spurweite entsprechenden 1,20 Meter und auch entsprechend schmaler. Die Anstiegswinkel der Deiche sind gegenüber der Wirklichkeit deutlich überspitzt, um eine geringere Breite zu erfordern. Das Schloss Neuschwanstein ist im Maßstab 1:120 gebaut. In dem neuen „Abschnitt Hafencity und Elbphilharmonie“ wurde ebenfalls ein anderer Maßstab verwendet. Die Gebäude sind alle auf einem Grundriss von 1:120, deshalb mussten sie gestaucht und einige Stockwerke sogar ganz weggelassen werden, damit die Figuren (welche auch dort im Maßstab 1:87 sind) in die Gebäude passen. Die Elbphilharmonie selbst wird im Maßstab 1:130 nochmals etwas kleiner. Wenn man sich Gebäude von unten nach oben ansieht, wirken sie viel größer als von oben herab betrachtet. Auch der „Zuckerhut“-Berg in Rio de Janeiro ist deutlich gestaucht.
Besucherzahlen
Am 5. Dezember 2012 kam der zehnmillionste Besucher in das Miniatur Wunderland, am 2. Dezember 2016 der fünfzehnmillionste.[33] Im Jahr 2019 verzeichnete das Miniatur Wunderland rund 1,4 Millionen Besucher, 35 % davon kamen aus dem Ausland. Nachdem die Ausstellung im Zuge der Coronavirus-Pandemie den größten Teil des Jahres 2020 für Besucher geschlossen oder nur mit geringer Auslastung geöffnet war, reduzierte sich die Gesamtzahl der Besucher im Jahr 2020 um rund 1 Million.
Auszeichnungen
2010 erhielten die Unternehmensgründer Frederik und Gerrit Braun sowie Stephan Hertz für ihr soziales Engagement das Verdienstkreuz am Bande des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. 2012 wurde das Miniatur Wunderland für den europäischen Museumspreis Luigi Michelleti Award in der Kategorie „bestes Technik- und Industriemuseum Europas“ nominiert, der in Augsburg verliehen wurde.
Weltrekorde
Im November 2013 zogen 200 Modellloks der Spurweite H0 eine Elektrolok der DB-Baureihe 101 (84 t) über 10 m weit.
Mit 15.715 m (Stand: August 2019) ist das Miniaturwunderland die größte Modelleisenbahnanlage weltweit. Zugleich ist „Knuffingen Airport“ der größte Modellflughafen weltweit.
Im April 2021 wurde im Miniaturwunderland das längste Medley klassischer Musik von einer Modellbahn gespielt. Dafür fuhr eine Rangierlok mit mehreren Schlagstangen an mit Wasser gefüllten Gläsern vorbei.
Präsenz in den Medien
Der 106-minütige Spiegel-TV-Dokumentarfilm Miniatur Wunderland – Hinter den Kulissen der größten digitalen Modelleisenbahn der Welt aus dem Jahr 2004 gibt Einblicke in die Planungen, den Aufbau und den Alltag des Miniatur Wunderlandes.
Mehrfach wurden die Hamburger nach Fertigstellung der verschiedenen Ausbaustufen von einem Reporterteam der Eisenbahn-Romantik vom SWR besucht. Auch ihnen wurde ein Blick hinter die Kulissen gewährt. Zahlreiche Fernsehsender, Zeitschriften und Zeitungen berichteten bereits über das Miniatur Wunderland.
Im Mai 2009 drehte der Rapper Samy Deluxe den Videoclip zu seinem gesellschaftskritischen Lied Stumm im Miniatur Wunderland. Innerhalb von nur einer Nacht wurden ungefähr 100 Sequenzen aufgenommen, in denen eine Miniaturfigur durch die Anlage „läuft“ (Stop-Motion).
Am 5. Dezember 2009 fand die Außenwette der Fernsehsendung Wetten, dass..? im Miniatur Wunderland statt.
Die Handlung mehrerer Folgen der Hamburger Krimiserie Großstadtrevier spielte im Miniatur Wunderland.
Unter lebhaftem Medieninteresse wurde 2013 nach einjähriger Bauzeit ein Modell der Elbphilharmonie noch vor der Fertigstellung des Originalbauwerks eröffnet. Das markante Wellen-Dach über dem Großen Konzertsaal kann per Knopfdruck entlang der Längsachse aufgeklappt werden, woraufhin ein bewegliches Miniatur-Orchester zu sehen ist.
Im Mai 2014 wurde in Kooperation mit dem Rapper Das Bo ein Musikvideo anlässlich der Fußball-Weltmeisterschaft 2014 gedreht.
Im Jahr 2015 wurde gemeinsam mit der Sängerin Helene Fischer eine Aktion für Ein Herz für Kinder gestartet, bei der über 450.000 Euro (Stand 01/2016) gesammelt wurden. Die Aktion wurde unter anderem in der Ein Herz für Kinder Gala präsentiert.
Im Januar 2016 brachte das Miniatur Wunderland gemeinsam mit Google MiniView heraus – eine Miniaturversion von Google Street View. Die Aktion fand weltweit Anklang.
Ende April 2018 besuchte der Unterhaltungskünstler und Comiczeichner Otto Waalkes die neue „Knopfdruck“-Anlage seines Bühnenauftritts mit beweglichen Figuren, originalem Otto-Video auf einem Miniatur-Großbildschirm und hüpfenden Ottifanten im Publikum.
Seit 2020 gibt es außerdem eine Sendung bei DMAX über das Miniatur Wunderland namens „Die Modellbauer – Das Miniatur Wunderland“. Im Jahr 2021 lief die Sendung „Deutschlands beste Miniaturbauer“ auf Kabel 1, in der fünf Modellbauerteams gegeneinander antraten und neben 10000 Euro auch einen Platz in einer Sonderausstellung des Miniatur Wunderlands gewinnen konnten.
Einmal im Jahr gibt es die „Ich kann es mir nicht leisten“-Aktion. Wer während dieser Tage an der Kasse sagt, dass er sich den Eintritt nicht leisten kann, kann die Anlage ohne Nachfrage kostenlos besichtigen. Während dieser Aktion kann es zu längeren Wartezeiten kommen. Die Aktion wird nach Angaben der Gründer nicht finanziell spürbar von Trittbrettfahrern ausgenutzt, da die Gastronomieumsätze im selben Zeitraum unverändert sind.
Auf Youtube veröffentlichen die Brüder regelmäßig – derzeit sonntags – etwa viertelstündige Updates und Hintergrundinformationen.
(Wikipedia)
SunTrust Plaza is a 265 m (869 ft) 60-story skyscraper in downtown Atlanta. Built as part of the Peachtree Center complex, construction was finished in 1992, and has been the second-tallest building in Atlanta since then. When completed, it was the 28th tallest building in the world, and 21st tallest building in the United States. It is the headquarters for Atlanta's World Trade Center. Since Atlanta's tallest, the Bank of America Plaza, is located in nearby Midtown, SunTrust Plaza is the tallest in the downtown area. The light rotates.
Architect and developer John C. Portman, Jr. originally conceived this building in the 1980s commercial real-estate frenzy as a speculative office building. Its basic design elements, a postmodern square tower with an elaborate base and crown, represented a departure for Portman from his earlier International-style work, and are said to have been inspired by Philip Johnson's wildly successful design for midtown Atlanta's One Atlantic Center.
Ground broke in 1989 with great fanfare, but by completion in 1992, the bottom had fallen out of Atlanta's real estate market and the building sat largely empty, nearly forcing Portman into bankruptcy and causing him to lose control of most of his real estate holdings. His architectural firm, John Portman & Associates, located their headquarters in the building.
In the mid-1990s, Portman sold half his interest in the building to SunTrust Bank, which then moved its headquarters to the building, prompting a name change from One Peachtree Center to its current name.
The two-level lobby is filled with many works of art, sculpture and furniture designed by John Portman.
Building facts courtesy of: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SunTrust_Plaza