Place of the Month

Gateway Arch, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.  A 630 ft (192 m) monument that clad in stainless steel.  It was designed by Eero Saarinen in 1947 for $13 million (equivalent to $190 million in 2015).  It is a magnificent monument with special elevators to the top for a great view of the city.

Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world, standing at 829 m (2,722 ft) compares to One world Trade Center at 541 m (1,776 ft) in New York City. A total of 57 elevators and 8 escalators were installed. The tower's architecture and engineering were performed by SOM with Adrian Smith as chief architect, Bill Baker as chief structural engineer and constructed by Samsung of S Korea.

The Petronas Towers are twin skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  Designed by Cesar Pelli.  The towers feature a double decker skybridge connecting the two towers on the 41st and 42nd floors, which is the highest 2-story bridge in the world.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa (Tower of Pisa) in Italy, known worldwide for its unintended tilt began during construction, caused by an inadequate foundation of merely 3 meters deep.  In an effort to compensate for the tilt, the engineers built upper floors with one side taller than the other. Because of this, the tower is actually curved.  Did you know that? most people don't.

Transamerica Pyramid is a tall, four-sided pyramid with two "wings" to accommodate an elevator shaft on the east and a stairwell and a smoke tower on the west.. Designed by architect William Pereira and completed at 853 ft in 1972. It has become the symbols of the city and located near China Town.

Sagrada Família is a large Roman Catholic church in Barcelona Spain, designed by Antoni Gaudí.  It is still incomplete, construction had commenced in 1882 and an anticipated completion date of 2026.  Art critic Rainer Zerbst said, “It is probably impossible to find a church building anything like it in the entire history of art”.

One World Trade Center or "Freedom Tower" is the tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere. It costs US$3.9 billion and designed by David Childs of SOM.  Structural engineer by WSP and main contractor is Tishman.

Atlantis - Royal Tower in Paradise Island, Bahama. It is a very unique hotel on its own and is considered to be a dream place to spend the great vacation by many.  The hotel was designed by HKS in Dallas who also did the Venetian Macao, China.

The Louvre Museum is one of the world's largest museums and a historic monument.  35,000 objects are exhibited over an area of 652,300 sq. feet. and is world's most visited museum.  designed by I. M. Pei

Jubilee Church designed by Richard Meier, is a Roman Catholic church and community center in Tor Tre Teste in Rome.

Taipei 101 was the world's tallest building from 2004 until 2010. Awarded by LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for the tallest and largest green building in the world. Designed by 李祖原 C.Y. Lee and Partners of Taipei, graduated from Princeton University and had worked for I M Pei.

Burj Al Arab the most Luxury hotel and the world's only 7 star hotel in Dubai, UAE. Designed by Tom Wright of WKK.  It stands on an artificial island and the 4th tallest hotel in the world. It will cost US$1,500-$7,000 nightly or $80 a visit.  Click here to see more places...

Las Vegas NV USA. Study its web site and plan to visit it before you kick the bucket.  Remember one of us may not have tomorrow. Pictures.