The Oosterscheldekering is the largest of the Delta Works dams and sturge barriers. This 9km long barrier was built between 1976 and 1986 to limit marine flooding following the North Sea Flood of 1953. It is the most famous work of the Delta Works because of its monumental size but also its innovative hydraulic technology and its complex and unique construction.
Kenzo Tange, Kagawa Prefectural Gymnasium
For the 1964 Olympic Games, Japan invested huge amounts of capital in the construction of sports infrastructures. The architecture of the sports buildings gave the image of a modern nation, developed and more powerful than ever. The gymnasium architecture of Kenzo Tange can be considered as a manifesto of the modern Japanese architecture that revealed itself to the world during the Olympic Games.
A Cartographic Study of Water Management in the Netherlands
Water management in the Netherlands has always been a major issue for the survival of the country. As more than half of the country’s land is below sea level, the majority of the territory is vulnerable to flooding or submergence. This has also influenced the land use and demography of the country. Some regions, highly exposed to natural hazards, have remained sparsely populated for several centuries.
Fujian Tulou, the Hakka Walled Villages
The Fujian Tulou are rural dwellings in the Fujian region of China. The earthen buildings were built by the Hakka people from the 12th century to the 20th century. Their architecture is recognizable for its size, shape, construction technique and above all for its unique function both defensive and organized for the community.
The Valdivia Expedition, Carl Chun’s diving into the deep sea
Carl Chun was a German zoologist who led the Valdivia Expedition. The purpose of this scientific expedition was to deepen the discoveries previously made by the Challenger Expedition. The marine biologist was an expert in octopus and squid and took advantage of the expedition to perfect his knowledge of the great depths.
Isotype: Pictorial Statistics of the Roman Empire
Otto Neurath was an Austrian philosopher, sociologist and political economist. He is mainly known to be the inventor of the Isotype, a system of pictograms. He created this method in order to organize, analyze and graphically represent complex data and statistics to visually educate the population.
The Architecture of Parliaments Around the World
The study Parliament explores through 5 typologies the relation between architecture and politics. These typologies are often inspired by ancient influences and most of them have not changed since the 19th century. But the question remaining is how could architecture shape political culture ?
Ghost-Town, the Abandoned Hotel Resorts in Sinai
Between 2002 and 2005, Haubitz + Zoche travelled the Sinai and documented abandoned hotel resorts. These ghost-towns are filled with unfinished hotel structures, isolated in the middle of the desert. Due to the instability of the region and dubious investments, these hotel sites were never completed. They are photographed as the sad consequence of a tourism policy of uncontrolled urban development. This series depicts a form of new archaeology, showing a bygone era, wich is the opposite of the pharaohs architecture.
The Russian Maze, a Geographical Game
This Russian maze is a lithographed game dating from the 1870 Russian Empire. It includes the coat of arms of 57 major cities of Russian Empire, all numbered. Besides being a maze game, it is also kind of a map as the russian cities are located on the leaf in accordance with their geographical position.
La Description de l’Égypte: Antiquités, Volume V – Giza, Alexandria, Rosetta Stone
La Description de l’Egypte (The Description of Egypt), is the first encyclopedia devoted exclusively to Egypt. It is a work from Bonaparte’s Egyptian campaign, recounting the discoveries made during this scientific voyage. The fifth book of plates is La Description de l’Égypte: Antiquités, Volume V. It describes the pyramids of Giza, the city of Alexandria, and the Rosetta Stone.