Masterpieces Unfolded

A PLACE TO CONVENE

Nestled along the banks of the Royal Canal in Dublin, a pritzker award-winning architect creates a magical destination for all the world to enjoy. Although the space allowed for the project is incredibly small, the architect was able to create a space of enormous substance and grace.

The use of curved glass from Wagner Biro combined with 77,000 sq ft of pink stone from north Spain helped to create a magnificent structure that is clearly distinguished as Ireland’s “Convention Centre.”

GRASS, LIGHT AND AIR

An architect in Singapore has transformed conventional belief and boundaries with this extremely “green” home. The Meera Sky Garden House as it’s called, invites the natural external elements in to become part of the scene.

The residence is bathed in light and breathes in the open air effortlessly. The home also features a glass-walled swimming pool which serves a dual purpose of allowing light into the basement.In addition, one of the main and obvious highlights of the residence is the grass-covered rooftops.

THE GRAND MOSQUE OF ABU DHABI

This architectural work of art is one the world’s largest mosques, with a capacity for an astonishing 41,000 worshippers. It features 82 domes, over a 1,000 columns, 24 carat gold gilded chandeliers and the world's largest hand knotted carpet.

The main prayer hall is dominated by one of the world’s largest chandeliers –10 meters in diameter, 15 meters in height and weighing twelve tons. The mosque's first ceremony was the funeral of its namesake, Sheikh Zayed, who is buried at the site.

LIGHTING THE WAY IN LONDON

With inspiration from world-class designers, Corinthia Hotel in London has created vast lobbies and high ceilings to take full advantage of spectacular cityscape views and has blended them with cutting-edge design to create iconic public spaces flooded with natural light.

In addition to the remarkable amount of natural light, is the stunning electric light produced by the hallmark chandelier that graces the lobby with glimmering individual glass spheres that combine to make a larger sphere, and magnificent impact.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAN

When the park first opened on July 16, 2004, the three-day opening celebrations were attended by some 300,000 people and included an inaugural concert by the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus. The park has received awards for its accessibility and green design.

One of the main attractions and the most photographed is a sculpture called Cloud Gate. It's s a three-story steel sculpture that has been dubbed "The Bean" by Chicagoans, because of its legume-like shape. The sculpture is the first public artwork in the United States by world-renowned artist Anish Kapoor. Composed of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, its highly polished exterior has no visible seams. It is 33×66×42 feet (10×20×13 m) and weighs 110 short tons (100 t; 98 long tons).

FROM BARNS TO BEACHES

The pristine, beautiful and remote Seychelle islands offer the perfect location for building a masterpiece. One of the things that makes this project so unique is not only the location of the home, but the location of one of the main materials used, “the wood”.

The wood for this idealic slice of paradise came from an old, abandoned barn found over 8,000 miles away in Canada.