Oldie from Isle of Mull , Scotland.

series: studies about buildings

Basel 2015

This is my first image posted using my new Z8. While somewhat smaller than the Z9, the Z8 retains the majority of the functionality of its "big brother." This is also the first image I have posted from my new backyard shooting gallery. I'm still able to get creamy backgrounds while getting closer to my subjects without spooking them. Fun!

Male lesser goldfinch.

My sincere thanks to all who spend the time to view, like or comment on my photos. It is much appreciated!

© 2023 Craig Goettsch - All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use without permission is prohibited.

An old (but functional) fire hydrant.

The Zarzma Monastery of Transfiguration (Georgian: ზარზმის მონასტერი) is a medieval Orthodox Christian monastery located at the village of Zarzma in Samtskhe-Javakheti region, southwest Georgia.

The Zarzma monastery is nested in the forested river valley of Kvabliani in the Adigeni municipality, 30 km west of the city of Akhaltsikhe. It is the complex of a series of buildings dominated by a domed church and a belfry, one of the largest in Georgia.

The earliest church on the site was probably built in the 8th century, by the monk Serapion whose life is related in the hagiographic novel by Basil of Zarzma. According to his source, the great nobleman Giorgi Chorchaneli made significant donation – including villages and estates – to the monastery. The extant edifice dates from the early years of the 14th century, however. Its construction was sponsored by Beka I, Prince of Samtskhe and Lord High Mandator of Georgia of the Jaqeli family. What has survived from the earlier monastery is the late 10th-century Georgian inscription inserted in the chapel's entrance arch. The inscription reports the military aid rendered by Georgian nobles to the Byzantine emperor Basil II against the rebellious general Bardas Sclerus in 979. In 1544, the new patrons of the monastery – the Khursidze family – refurnished the monastery.

The façades of the church are richly decorated and the interior is frescoed. Apart from the religious cycles of the murals there are a series of portraits of the 14th-century Jaqeli family as well as of the historical figures of the 16th century. After the Ottoman conquest of the area later in the 16th century, the monastery was abandoned and lay in disrepair until the early 20th century, when it was reconstructed, but some of the unique characteristics of the design were lost in the process.

Currently, the monastery is functional and houses a community of Georgian monks. It is also the site of pilgrimage and tourism.

A smaller replica of the Zarzma church, known as Akhali Zarzma ("New Zarzma") is located in the same municipality, near Abastumani. It was commissioned by Grand Duke George Alexandrovich, a member of the Russian imperial family, from the Tbilisi-based architect Otto Jacob Simons who built it between 1899 and 1902, marrying a medieval Georgian design with the contemporaneous architectural forms. Its interior was frescoed by the Russian painter Mikhail Nesterov.

Ciamis West Java .

a famous bridge and border between ciamis and tasikmalaya district , it was functional bridge since the upper side is for train and the below side is for cars and motor bike

Still fine tuning my new camera.

I am liking it more and more as I am learning about the new and improved functionalities!

A hospital ward, could be anywhere I would think. It is functional too, as long as you know what kind of functions are included or excluded. Is a "sense of beauty" functional? Is a piece of art included in the functions offered by a hospital? A flower perhaps? Small things can make a big difference. Most important is the other thing one cannot see in this picture - the humanity of the hospital staff and the person-to-person contact between nurses, doctors and patients. Whatever the architecture. Fuji X-Pro1 plus Helios 44M-7 wide-open.

Functional is about the best way you can describe this building. No one was around at the time, and in fact you rarely see anyone around this police station - not the place to be seen perhaps. And you have to wonder what is being thrown out with the trash in that wheelie bin. But not all is prosaic. That sky is clearing and the light is breaking through. Beauty is all around if we look hard enough.

Functionality

Atrium: symmetrisch gestapelte Ebenen, funktionale Architektur.

Atrium: symmetrically stacked levels, functional architecture.

Der Thüringische Schieferpark Lehesten ist als historischer Schiefertagebau mit all seinen einmaligen Funktionsgebäuden heute ein technisches Denkmal in der Berg- und Schieferstadt Lehesten im thüringischen Landkreis Saalfeld-Rudolstadt. Das etwa 105 ha große Areal liegt an der Thüringisch-Fränkischen Schieferstraße südlich von Lehesten unweit der Grenze zu Bayern im Naturpark Thüringer Schiefergebirge/Obere Saale. Der Schiefer wurde bereits im 13. Jahrhundert abgebaut, später in kleinen Brüchen gewonnen und mündete im Laufe der Zeit zu einem der ehemals größten Schiefertagebaue des europäischen Festlandes.

The Thuringian Slate Park Lehesten is a historic open-cast slate mine with all its unique functional buildings and is now a technical monument in the mining and slate town of Lehesten in the Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district of Thuringia. The approximately 105 hectare area is located on the Thuringian-Franconian Slate Road south of Lehesten not far from the border with Bavaria in the Thuringian Slate Mountains/Upper Saale Nature Park. The slate was mined as early as the 13th century, later extracted in small quarries and over time it became one of the largest slate mines on the European mainland.

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schieferpark_Lehesten

Two Mississippi style pleasure boats on The Thames. I suspect that the rear paddles are decorative rather than functional.

Less evasive, but still maintained little trail.

a 26s long exposure using a ND3 grey filter

Cruising on a Saturday with my camera, hand held at about 1/10 of a second at 6400 iso. The Shepparton Brewery blues mobile hearse out front of the Shepparton brewery.

Please note the beer tap hood ornament : ) Is it functional?

Less than three months after emerging from the assembly plant in La Grange, Illinois, a Union Pacific a SD40-2 glides through North Yard in Salt Lake City, Utah on June 16, 1979.

UP 3569 was built by EMD in March 1979, and retired from the roster in January 2001.

Platform shelter, strictly functional...

Street furniture, Alcoy (small city in the mountainous interior of Alicante province)

Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Turm, Bergen auf Rügen, Germany

Der Turm wurde im Jahr 1877 zum Andenken an Rügens bekanntesten Dichter und Historiker Ernst-Moritz-Arndt auf dem Burgwall Rugard erbaut. Rugard ist slawisch für Rügenburg. Rügens Einheimische sagen oft auch Rugardturm oder Arndtturm. Dieser Turm steht auf einer 91 Meter hohen und bewaldeten Hebung und ist selbst nochmal 26,7 Meter hoch.

Der Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Turm bietet in dieser Lage drei Aussichtsmöglichkeiten auf unterschiedlichen Höhen und gewährt seinen Besuchern einen wunderbaren Rundumblick über die Insel Rügen mit Sicht zur Hansestadt Stralsund, Insel Vilm, Insel Hiddensee und zum Kap Arkona an Rügens Nordspitze.

Die Grundsteinlegung erfolgte am 26. Dezember 1869 – dem 100 Jubiläumstag des in Groß Schoritz geborenen Ernst Moritz Arndt. Nachdem die finanziellen Mittel zur Neige gingen und den Bau des Denkmals beinahe scheitern ließen, wurde erneut zum Spenden aufgerufen. Der bekannteste Spender war Kaiser Wilhelm I.. Dieser spendete 3.000 Mark und unterstütze somit den Weiterbau des Turms. Nach 8 Jahren Bauzeit wurde 1877 das 26,7 Meter hohe Denkmal vollendet.

Gegen Ende des zweiten Weltkriegs (1944) wurde die noch geziegelte Kuppel entfernt und eine Flakstellung montiert. Schließlich nutzte die sowjetische Rote Armee den Turm in der Zeit von 1945 bis 1953. Zwei Jahre später, 1955, wurde die Turm-Plattform abgerissen und durch eine neue Holzkuppel ersetzt. Das Dach wurde während der DDR-Zeit mit Schieferschindeln erneuert. Aktuell finden Besucher eine markante Kuppel aus Glas über sich.

www.ruegenmagic.de/Sehenswertes/ernst-moritz-arndt-turm-b...

Wrought iron gate fastener - old fashioned and worn but functional

Near Galetta, Ontario

DSC1286

This is one image in a series on the city at night–––the magic and lure of its lights, the mix of architectural styles, the resulting dynamic when framed with a portion of the purely functional parking decks which served as my shooting platform. In the end though, it is the light that drives these images, providing the visual magic and lure that is a city at night. To see more in the CITY LIGHTS series, check out my City Lights Album

[QE] Mainstore - maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Elmira/68/126/26

QE Designs in Second Life

Cynthia Wall Art Portrait - PBR & Legacy

Cynthia Wall Art Square - PBR & Legacy

Cynthia Wall Sconce w/ Moon - PBR & Legacy

Cynthia Wall Sconce - PBR & Legacy

***************************************************************************

️DD Laurel Corner Seat️

Dreamland Designs Mainstore 2025 -

maps.secondlife.com/.../99/42/25entals/191/109/26

Dreamland Designs SL

Transform any room into a cozy, stylish retreat with the DD Laurel Corner Seat—a beautifully crafted, highly interactive seating piece available in Adult and PG versions. Designed with rich detail, smooth animations, and an extensive texture-change system, this seat blends comfort, elegance, and functionality perfectly.

GENERAL FEATURES

•Texture Changer Included

Mix and match to create your perfect look.

•3 wood colors (each wood face independently changeable)

•20 pillow textures

•4 blanket textures

•4 cushion textures

•Materials Enabled for enhanced visual realism•Props, Sequences & Smooth Animations (varies by version)

ADULT VERSION

Designed for the most immersive, interactive experience.

Adult Features

•Full Bento Animation System

•Includes single, couple, cuddles, teases, facials, props, and •sequences.

•Moshon-Enabled Animations

•Bouncy butt

•Bouncy breasts

•Speed Control for dynamic adjustments

Integrated Compatibility

•The Physics Cock support

•V Bento Vagina integration

•Smooth, High-Quality Animation Flow for maximum realism

PG VERSION

A safe, cozy version suitable for family-friendly or general environments.

•PG Features

•Fully PG Bento Animations

•Includes sits, singles, cuddles, and relaxing poses.

•Props, Sequences & Smooth Motion (PG-appropriate)

•Everything from the General Features list•Copy / Modify / No Transfer

•LI Count:11 (May Increase when resized)

www.altviewphoto.com

jssteak.picfair.com/

This is the gondola link from Greenwich on the south of the Thames across the river. It is functional but also a tourist attraction.

Lady Sparkle demonstrates another of her many talents...

aus dem botanischen Garten

captured botanic garden Tübingen, Germany

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

################ DARCKR ###########

www.darckr.com cool tool! thankx @Laurent Henocque

Excerpt from historicplaces.ca:

Description of Historic Place

The Navy Hall stands alone in a carefully manicured park setting just below Fort George National Historic Site. Designed with clear, clean lines, it is a low, rectangular, stone-clad structure with a hipped-roof clad in copper, and with a symmetrical organization of its windows and entry points. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Navy Hall is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical Value:

The Navy Hall is a very good example of a building associated with the beginnings of the heritage movement in the first half of the 20th century. It illustrates changing approaches to the management of important historic buildings over time. In particular, it illustrates the role of aesthetics in conservation in the 1930s. Originally a commissariat storehouse, regular troops, the militia and also the Boy Scouts used the building, built in 1815. In the 1930s, the building was taken over by the Niagara Parks Commission.

Architectural Value:

The Navy Hall is valued for its good aesthetic design. The exterior fabric of the structure, the stone cladding, the copper clad roof, and the enhanced symmetry of the fenestration are features of the 1930s intervention. These features, clearly of a later era and philosophy, reflect the classical revival tastes of the period and the design idiom of the Niagara Parks Commission. Good functional design is evidenced in the placement of doors and windows, and in the spatial arrangement and planning of the interior.

Environmental Value:

The Navy Hall reinforces the landscaped parkway that runs along the Niagara lakefront and is a familiar landmark to residents and to visitors.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Navy Hall should be respected.

Its good aesthetic, good functional design and good quality materials and craftsmanship, for example:

-the simple, rectangular massing.

-the low-pitched hipped roof, the copper roof cladding, and the symmetrically placed chimneys.

-the stone cladding of the exterior walls, the small multi-paned windows and large entrances.

-the interior spatial arrangement of the principal rooms.

The manner in which the Navy Hall reinforces the landscaped setting and is a familiar landmark, as evidenced by:

-its simple design and materials that harmonize with the landscaped parkway consisting of well-maintained lawns and walks, all introduced as part of the Niagara Park Commission’s parkway landscaping in the 1930s.

-its visibility and recognition by those frequenting the parkway and the National Historic Site.

The photo shows the Kindi mosque, built in a pure functional style from the 1970s and 1980s. The contrast is very interesting after a rainstorm with the gray sky and the wet green ground. Since then, new projects have placed more emphasis on style and colour, especially as wealthy economic operators from Burkina Faso are building beautiful mosques in their villages, often with support from donors from the Gulf countries.

La photo montre la mosquée de Kindi construite dans un pur style fonctionnel des années 1970-1980s. Le contraste est très intéressant suite à une pluie avec le ciel gris et le sol verdoyant mouillé. Depuis, les nouvelles réalisations accordent davantage d'importance au style et aux couleurs d'autant que de riches opérateurs économiques du Burkina Faso construisent de très belles mosquées dans leurs villages, souvent avec des appuis de donateurs des pays du Golfe.

A small piece of the mosaic ("Fuctional Vibrations" by Xenobia Bailey) overhead the entrance of the Hudson Yards station of the #7 Flushing Line station, Tenth Avenue and 34th street. Chelsea, NYC -- March 28, 2019

web.mta.info/mta/aft/permanentart/permart.html?agency=nyc...

EN:: Best photographed at night when there are no background distractions, this art installation in a pond in the Tiergarten, Berlin. spoke to me of the adjustments societies had to make to the advent of shopping trolleys in supermarkets.

The very functional trolley that came after the advent of self service shopping coupled with carparks, meant that shoppers able to walk the trolley out of hte shopping centres and leave them strewn around the environs. Then came the temptation for anti-social individuals to take the trolleys further, dumping them in ornamental ponds, lakes even rivers.

Artistically this appealed because of the duplication by reflection, the waterline not immediately apparent.

The visible memory has remained, but the artist, the gallery and the specific location have all faded from memory. However, we would be most pleased to have any of that information, if there is any viewer who recognizes or recalls this installation.

***************************************************

D:: Diese Kunstinstallation lässt sich am besten nachts fotografieren, wenn es keine Ablenkungen im Hintergrund gibt. Sie befindet sich in einem Teich im Tiergarten in Berlin. Es sprach mir von den Anpassungen, die Gesellschaften an die Einführung von Einkaufswagen in Supermärkten vornehmen mussten.

Der sehr funktionelle Einkaufswagen, der nach dem Aufkommen des Selbstbedienungseinkaufs in Verbindung mit Parkplätzen auf den Markt kam, ermöglichte es den Käufern, den Einkaufswagen mit dem Wagen aus den Einkaufszentren herauszunehmen und ihn in der Umgebung verstreut zurückzulassen. Dann kam die Versuchung für unsoziale Menschen, die Karren weiter zu transportieren und sie in Zierteichen, Seen und sogar Flüssen abzuladen.

(Explore: 4 June 23)

***************************************************

Our back story::

On our very first day in Berlin, we had so enjoyed many significant landmarks and encounters with people, that we just had to do some more exploring that night. As the night settled and the traffic quietened we were prepared to take our car into this unfamiliar city (driving on the other side of the road from what we are familiar with!) so quieter places like the Tiergarten seemed wise. We found it full of surprises - this art installation being one of them.

Taken for Saturday Self Challenge 19/03/2022 - Decorative .

First thought for this was the upper window in a big posh house , however , Jan did mention railways and they are always good for some embellishment on the older architecture . Here on this station the pillar supports to the station canopy are functional but on the load spreading supports at the top are quite decorative . I first tried a compressed view on platform two but not happy as I clipped the top a bit too tight plus a gutter got in the way from whichever end I took the shot . Platform one one the other hand presented a clear shot of the whole line of pillars with their elaborate top sections .

Also in shot is a passenger waiting on a seat , not sure about how he looks , but then this is the London platform - not a place to look forward to visiting as far as I am concerned .

A sight and sound to calm things down -----

youtu.be/mGheQAc1IB0