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World architect takes home Russian Best
Building Award for Chess Club Building
Erick van Egeraat has been awarded the Russian Best Building Award for
his asymmetrical Chess Club Building in the oil boom town of
Khanty-Mansiysk. Completed exactly one year ago in preparation for the
2010 Chess Olympics, the sparkling volume was designed as a direct
comparison to a professional chess player: “Motionless on the outside,
but with great internal struggle to beat the opponent.” In contrast to
the stainless steel shingle clad façade, the interior of the Chess Club
Building is warm and welcoming, predominantly decorated with wood and
glass panels. The concept centres on a double-height playing hall with
much focus on the acoustic aspects of the design to enable a completely
silent competition environment. Many of van Egeraat’s completed projects
have been large-scale, complex facilities, however this 5,000 sq m
volume is modest in both size and architectural design.
The world's
coolest castles
For most of us commoners,
visiting a castle is the closest we'll ever get to living like a king or
queen (and maybe that's a good thing — it's hard enough to keep an
ordinary house clean, much less a palace with hundreds of rooms!). If
you're looking to tour a royal residence on your next trip, check out
our list of the world's top 10 coolest castles. Some have great
historical significance, like the citadel in Syria that played a crucial
role in the Crusades, while others made our list for their amazing
architecture or over-the-top opulence.
Alnwick Castle, Alnwick,
England
Home to the Earls and Dukes of
Northumberland for 700 years, Alnwick Castle (pronounced "Annick") is
one of England's largest inhabited castles. If it looks familiar, you
may have seen it on the big screen — it's appeared in a number of films,
including "Elizabeth" and the first two Harry Potter movies. (Remember
the scene where Harry first learns to fly a broom?) Visitors can tour a
number of elegant state rooms — don't miss the enormous library — as
well as several museums housed in the castle's towers. The beautiful
gardens next door were planted over the past decade under the direction
of the current Duchess of Northumberland.
Hearst Castle, California
In 1919, newspaper tycoon William Randolph
Hearst decided that the tent accommodations at his ranch in San Simeon,
Calif., were no longer comfortable enough for his tastes. He told the
architect Julia Morgan, "We are tired of camping out in the open at the
ranch in San Simeon and I would like to build a little something." Over
the next 28 years, that "little something" grew into Hearst Castle, a
sprawling 127-acre estate featuring three guesthouses, multiple pools, a
zoo, expansive gardens and terraces, and even an airport. The
architecture of the 38-bedroom main house, Casa Grande, was inspired by
a Spanish cathedral.
Pena Palace, Sintra, Portugal
Portugal's Palacio Nacional de Pena may be
one of the world's most colorful castles, with walls and turrets decked
out in vibrant shades of yellow and red. The Bavarian-style palace dates
back to 1840, when Ferdinand of Saxe Coburg-Gotha (the husband of Queen
Maria II) commissioned a Prussian architect to design a royal residence
on this dramatic hilltop site. Visitors can walk or take a carriage up
to the palace from the park below. |
