Five Longest Buildings in the World

This is a list on the five longest buildings in the world (this does no include bridges). An interesting fact about these buildings, only one of them was built in the 21st century.

Dubai international Airport Cargo Gateway

5: Dubai International Airport Cargo Gateway

This building in Dubai built in 2008 is the first in the list, being 1774m long. 

Moldin Fortress

4: Moldin Fortress:

It took from 1832 to 1862 to build this building. The 4th place of the list is a Fortress located in Poland, it's 2.25km long!

Klystron gallery, above the Standford linear accelerator

3: Klystron gallery, above the Stanford linear accelerator:

The 3rd place of the series is pretty easy to understand what and where it is based on the name. Menlo Park, California, USA. This enormous gallery & accelerator are 3073.72m (scientist are very precise). 8 years (1962-66) took to build this 3km monster.

Rainkot Fort

2: Ranikot Fort:

Pakistan, home of the more than 8km monster. The Ranikot Fort was built in the 17th century, for protection obviously. It is 8600m long giving him the 2nd place in the list.

The next building has a similar number in length, only in another measurement...

1: Great Wall Of China

Probably you imagined this was the first place, because it's famous for it's more than 5000km!

The great wall of China, built in an east to west line across the northern borders of China. It was used to protect the civilization of China from the various northern attackers. Other duties of the wall was to prevent commerce without asking for tax in return, so then all the routes of the exchange of silk, would bring incomes. 

Here they are some photos of the great wall of China

Fun fact:

If you walked the whole wall of China it would take 1716hrs, that's about ten weeks and a day!

By car (at 100k/h) it would take 3days!

Feeling like for an adventure?

The great wall of China was officially started named as the Great Wall Of China in 200BC. But, it was finished as we know it now (this is also due to reparations of the wall, expansions & fortifications) in the 17th Century! This means it took more than a millennium to finish the Wall!

The Great Wall, has an actual size of 8851.8km long! That's what makes this the winner on The Five: Longest buildings in the world.

Architecture in Space

Space architecture, in its simplest definition, is the theory and practice of designing and building inhabited environments in outer space. The architectural approach to spacecraft design addresses the total built environment, drawing from diverse disciplines including physiology, psychology, and sociology as well as technical fields. Like architecture on Earth, the attempt is to go beyond the component elements and systems and gain a broad understanding of the issues that affect design success. Much space architecture work has been in designing concepts for orbital space stations and lunar and Martian exploration ships and surface bases for the world's space agencies, chiefly the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The practice of involving architects in the space program grew out of the Space Race, although its origins can be seen much earlier. The need for their involvement stemmed from the push to extend space mission durations and address the needs of astronauts including but beyond minimum survival needs. Space architecture is currently represented in several institutions. The Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture (SICSA) is an academic organization with the University of Houston that offers a Master of Science in Space Architecture. SICSA also works design contracts with corporations and space agencies. In Europe, International Space University is deeply involved in space architecture research. The International Conference on Environmental Systems meets annually to present sessions on human spaceflight and space human factors. Within the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the Space Architecture Technical Committee has been formed. Despite the historical pattern of large government-led space projects and university-level conceptual design, the advent of space tourism threatens to shift the outlook for space architecture work.

Amazing Antarctic Research Posts

THE BRITISH ANTARCTIC SURVEY'S HALLEY VI

Halley VI Research Station

Ice Lab commissioned by British Council and curated by The Arts Catalyst. A.Dubber, British Antarctic Survey

We've covered the Seussian Halley VI station before, and out of the research stations listed here, it's probably the most well-tested: the first in the line of Halley stations is from the late 1950s, and VI opened up in February. This variation has hydraulic legs (it can ski!) and houses up to 52 researchers.

PRINCESS ELISABETH

Princess Elisabeth

e Lab commissioned by British Council and curated by The Arts Catalyst.René Robert - International Polar Foundation

The Princess Elisabeth Research Station, built in 2009, is notable for being crazy green: it's the first zero-emissions antarctic research station, running solely on wind and solar power. Plus, through the miracle of passive architecture--designing to take advantage of the environment to minimize heat loss--it doesn't require any internal heating.
Yep. No heating. In Antarctica.

THE BHARATI RESEARCH CENTER3>

Bharati Research Station

NCAOR (National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research). Ice Lab commissioned by British Council and curated by The Arts Catalyst.

This one actually almost looks like a multi-million Pacific coast beach house. Except, you know, with snow instead of surf out the window. India's Bharati Research Center (the country's third Antarctic station) is made from 136 prefab containers, but you wouldn't know from looking. The station's designed to keep a minimal carbon footprint and is wrapped in an aluminum case to protect against wind and cold.

JANG BOGO ANTARCTIC RESEARCH CENTER

Jang Bogo

Space Group and KOPRI. Ice Lab commissioned by British Council and curated by The Arts Catalyst.

This station, scheduled to open in April 2014, is still under construction, to be occupied and managed by the Korea Polar Research Institute. The design 1) is meant to aerodynamically fend off polar winds, and 2) looks nutso, in a great way. Do you know that flying-saucer carnival ride that spins and sticks you to the wall? Sorta looks like that, with wings. It'll be big, too, able to comfortably hold as many as 60 researchers at a time.

ICEBERG LIVING STATION

Iceberg Living Station

MAP Architects. Ice Lab commissioned by British Council and curated by The Arts Catalyst.

The Iceberg Living Station is still a purely speculative design from Denmark's MAP Architects, but it's well worth mentioning. Basically, it's a gigantic igloo: an iceberg gets hollowed out and everything necessary for research (including people) is placed inside. But won't that melt? you ask. Yes, which is the idea: after seven to 10 years, it'll be gone, and the researchers won't have to worry about removing the discontinued research center, as is usually the case.

Ancient Churches

1. Dura-Europos church

The Dura-Europos church  is the earliest identified Christian house church. It is located in Dura-Europos in Syria and dates from 235 AD. The site of Dura-Europos, a former city and walled fortification, was excavated largely in the 1920s and 1930s by French and American teams. Within the archaeological site, the house church is located by the 17th tower and preserved by the same defensive fill that saved the nearby Dura-Europos synagogue (Wikipedia).

The designation of the oldest church in the world requires careful use of definitions, and must be divided into two parts, the oldest in the sense of oldest surviving building, and the oldest in the sense of oldest Christian church congregation. Even here, there is the distinction between old church buildings that have been in continuous use as churches, and those that have been converted to other purposes; and between buildings that have been in continuous use as churches and those that were shuttered for many decades. In terms of congregations, they are distinguished between early established congregations that have been in continuous existence, and early congregations that ceased to exist (Wikipedia).

2. Megiddo church

Megiddo church in Tel Megiddo, Israel is one of the oldest church buildings ever discovered by archaeologists, dating to the 3rd century AD. In 2005, Israeli archaeologist Yotam Tepper of Tel-Aviv University discovered the remains of a church, believed to be from the third century, a time when Christians were still persecuted by the Roman Empire. The remains were found at the Megiddo Prison, which is located a few hundred meters south of the Tel. Among the finds is an approx. 54-square-metre (580 sq ft) large mosaic with a Greek inscription stating that the church is consecrated to “the God Jesus Christ.” The mosaic is very well preserved and features geometrical figures and images of fish, an early Christian symbol (Wikipedia).

3. Monastery of Saint Anthony

The Monastery of Saint Anthony is a Coptic Orthodox monastery standing in an oasis in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. Hidden deep in the Red Sea mountains, it is located 334 km (207 miles) southeast of Cairo. It is one of the oldest monasteries in the world, and was established by the followers of Saint Anthony, who is considered to be the first ascetic monk. The Monastery of St. Anthony is one of the most prominent monasteries in Egypt and has strongly influenced the formation of several Coptic institutions, and has promoted monasticism in general. Several patriarchs have been pulled from the monastery, and several hundred pilgrims visit it each day (Wikipedia).

4. Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains basilica

Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains basilica is a historic church building in Metz, France that was built in 380 AD and is one of the oldest churches in Europe. The building was originally built to be part of a Roman spa complex, but the structure was converted into use as a church in the 7th century becoming the chapel of Benedictine monastery. A new nave was constructed in the 1000s with further interior renovations. In the 16th century the building became a warehouse and remained so until the 1970s when it was restored and opened for concerts and exhibitions (Wikipedia).

5. Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion

Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is the most important church in Ethiopia. The original church is believed to have been built during the reign of Ezana, the first Christian emperor of Ethiopia, during the 4th century AD, and has been rebuilt several times since then. The church is in the town of Axum in the Tigray Province. Its first putative destruction occurred at the hands of Queen Gudit during the 10th century. Its second, confirmed, destruction occurred in the 16th century at the hands of Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi, after which it was rebuilt by the Emperor Gelawdewos, then further rebuilt and enlarged by Fasilides during the 17th century (Wikipedia).

6. Cathedral of Trier

Cathedral of Trier is a church in Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the oldest cathedral in the country. The edifice is notable for its extremely long life span under multiple different eras each contributing some elements to its design, including the center of the main chapel being made of Roman brick laid under the direction of Saint Helen, resulting in a cathedral added on to gradually rather than rebuilt in different eras. Its dimensions, 112.5 by 41 m, make it the largest church structure in Trier. Since 1986 it has been on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites (Wikipedia).

7. Church of Saint Simeon Stylites

The Church of Saint Simeon Stylites is a well preserved church that dates back to the 5th century, located about 30 km northwest of Aleppo, Syria. It is built on the site of the pillar of St. Simeon Stylites, a famed hermit monk. It is popularly known as Qalat Seman the ‘Fortress of Simeon’ (Wikipedia).

8. Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. From the date of its dedication in 360 until 1453, it served as the cathedral of Constantinople, except between 1204 and 1261, when it was converted to a Roman Catholic cathedral under the Latin Patriarch of Constantinople of the Western Crusader established Latin Empire. The building was a mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1934, when it was secularized. It was opened as a museum on 1 February 1935 (Wikipedia).

9. Saint Catherine’s Monastery, Mount Sinai

Saint Catherine’s Monastery, Mount Sinaiies on the Sinai Peninsula, at the mouth of a gorge at the foot of Mount Sinai in Saint Katherine city in Egypt. The monastery is Orthodox and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to the UNESCO report (60100 ha / Ref: 954), this monastery is one of the oldest working Christian monasteries in the world together with the Monastery of Saint Anthony, situated across the Red Sea in the desert south of Cairo, also lays claim to that title (Wikipedia).

10. Church of the Nativity

The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is one of the oldest continuously operating churches in the world. The structure is built over the cave that tradition marks as the birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth, and thus it is considered sacred by Christians. The site is also revered by followers of Islam (Wikipedia).

10 Out of This World Subway Stations

 

 Toledo Station by Andrea Resmini

Beneath a city’s streets lie endless tunnels that transport people from A to B seamlessly and efficiently. Some tunnels lie deeper than others, crisscrossing each other like veins in the ground. Some of these tunnels are wide, some narrow, some strewn with rubbish and lonely, partnerless winter gloves, some polished and endlessly captivating. Depending on where your travels take you, you'll come across infinite subway stops on your journey — and some may even leave you a lasting impression. Subway stations are designed to serve public transit users in the most effective way possible, but there are some that also captivate their audience of migrants on their journeys of work and pleasure. Here are some of the most beautiful and breathtaking subway stops in the world.
Bockenheimer Warte Station (Frankfurt, Germany)

This subway station will drive your senses wild! Originally constructed in 1986 but expanded by architect Zbiginiew Peter Pininski in 2001, the entrance to this station baffles locals and tourists alike on a daily basis. It appears as a vintage train spewing itself out of the concrete, evoking some sort of horrific transit crash. Pininski has stated that he was strongly influenced by popular surrealist artist René Magritte — and the influence shows! Upon entering the bowels of the decrepit train on street level, transit users are carried downwards into the station proper, where they're greeted by a straight-lined, minimalist environment evocative of a space-age laboratory. Blue tinted glass, polished steel frames, and porcelain-white subway tiles lend the space a really clean and powerful edge.

 

Unique Entrance to Bockenheimer Warte Station

 

This Looks Nasty!

City Hall Station (New York City, United States)

Not all subway stops are dark and foreboding. Some can be exceptional and blessed with actual rays of sunlight penetrating the tunnel ceilings. How do designers achieve this effect? City Hall subway station in New York City is located closer to ground level and incorporates steel-rimmed glass skylights on the tunnel’s ceiling, bathing the station in natural light during the day. It makes a nice change and calms those transit users who feel uncomfortable in confined spaces. Constructed in October 1904, City Hall Station was designed with Victorian architecture in mind — and many of its original fittings remain in place to this day.

 

Rays of Sunlight Penetrating the Tunnel Ceiling at City Hall Station

 

City Hall in NYC was Designed with Victorian Architecture in Mind

 

This Doesn't Look Like a Subway Station, does it?

Formosa Boulevard Station (Kaohsiuna, Taiwan)

Chances are if you’ve had the pleasure of visiting Taiwan’s Formosa Boulevard subway station, you‘ve walked away knowing that you'll never see anything quite like it again. This transit stop underwent extensive remodelling in the late 2000s in time for the 2009 World Games. It’s best known for its massive Dome of Light, designed by Italian artist Narcissus Quagliata. The dome is the largest piece of glass work in the world and now hosts weddings underneath its spectacular scenes of nature and wildlife. Vivid colours and stunning wrap-around views grace the station’s ceiling, and circular columns offer a splendid feast for the eyes during both day and night.

 

Dome of Light at Farmosa Boulevard Station

 

What Is This Reminding You Of?

Kirovsky Zavod Station (St. Petersburg, Russia)

Stepping into Kirovsky Zavod subway station feels as if you're stepping into a marbleized crypt dedicated to the memory of Russian revolutionary and communist leader Vladimir Lenin. Natural light floods the marble and porcelain station, where skylights running along the tunnel’s roof ultimately guide all transit users to a giant bust of Lenin sitting proudly at the end of a hallway. A museum-like hush fills the station’s busy platforms as locals and tourists navigate their way in and out of Kirovsky Zavod station. This particular subway stop is an architect’s symmetrical dream in that all archways, columns, and floor tiles line up precisely, forming clear passageways through the underground mecca. Opened in November 1955, Kirovsky Zavod station is part of the St. Petersburg Metro line.

 

Kirovsky Zavod by Wiki Media Commons

Muenchner Freiheit Station (Munich, Germany)

Originally opened to the public in October 1971, this subway station was extensively renovated by lighting designer Ingo Maurer from 2008 to 2009. Despite the fact that most of the station’s major structure was left intact, the station now evokes a very modern, sci-fi feel with lighting panels installed in the walls, columns, and ceiling tiles. Pops of colour emerge intermittently amid the station’s main colour scheme of light grey and porcelain white. Muenchner Freiheit subway station serves as a major junction between the U-Bahn U3 and U6.

 

Sci-fi? No, Muenchner Freiheit Station!

 

Look Up!

 

Futuristic and Old School at the Same TIME

Museum Station (Toronto, Canada)

Museum Station originally opened in 1963 and was named for Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum (the ROM). Extensively remodelled in April 2008, the new design incorporates popular exhibits from the ROM and takes on a more minimalist and streamlined look. The station’s structural columns were modelled after the ancient Egyptian deity Osiris, Toltec warriors, Doric columns found in Greece’s mighty Parthenon, and First Nations house posts. Steel, aluminum, and polished subway tiles replaced the somewhat tired-looking décor of the 1960s, allowing a truly modern look to bring the city's underground to life.

 

Explore ROM right at the Museum Station in Toronto!

 

Meet the Past

Olaias Station (Lisbon, Portugal)

Stepping into Lisbon’s Olaias Station is like stepping into a kaleidoscope of colour! It was recently voted ninth on British newspaper The Telegraph’s list of the 22 most beautiful subway stations in Europe. Designed by architect Tomas Taveira and opened in May 1998, this station is part of Lisbon’s busy red subway line. Steel and aluminum escalators carry transit users down into the station’s depths, bypassing spaces filled with coloured glass panels and intricately decorated structural columns. The station’s multi-coloured floor tiles are haphazardly placed but still look like they line up perfectly. Veins of colour run from the floors and walls all the way up to the ceilings. In the evenings, the station lights dim and bathe pedestrians in a calming, soft yellow glow.

 

Olaias Station was Designed by Tomas Taveira

 

Kaleidoscope of Colour at Olaias Station in Lisbon

Stadion Station (Stockholm, Sweden)

Feel like stepping into a rainbow? Then your best bet is to pay Stadion Station a visit. Opened in 1973, this cavernous underground hub serves the busy Stockholm metro red line. Colourful ceilings, stone walls and glossy grey tiles lead transit users down to the station’s platforms, which are drenched in bright white light courtesy of modern track lighting fixtures. The tunnel walls pulse with colour, making pedestrians feel as if they’re floating above the clouds and into a rainbow. The real question is whether they'll find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow — but chances are they already have.

 

Rainbow at Stadion Station in Stockholm

Toledo Station (Naples, Italy)

Opened in September 2012, Toledo subway station is one of Europe’s newest metro stops. It's also one of the deepest, at 50 metres below street level. Designed by Spanish firm Oscar Tusquets Blanca, this station was modelled after water and light. Just below street level, transit users immerse themselves in what almost seems to be an art museum. Intricate tile mosaics adorn the walls, blue-tinted skylights and spotlights cover the ceiling, and reflective steel-covered staircases lead passengers to the terminal’s turnstiles. Visitors are then taken down into the station’s depths via glass-framed steel escalators that are bathed in a bluish glow. As you descend to the bottom level, you'll feel as if you’re diving deeper and deeper into a Mediterranean sea, surrounded by aquatic-themed walls and glass panels. This subway station earned the distinction of being one of the only Metro Art stations in Europe.

 

Can You Count the Tiles?

 

Step into the Universe!

 

Toledo Station was Designed by Oscar Tusquets Blanca

Zoloti Vorota Station (Kiev, Ukraine)

Never before or since has a subway station seemed as cavernous and medieval at the same time! Zotoli Vorota's arched ceilings are hung with giant, steel-rimmed chandeliers that evoke a medieval banquet. Intricate tile mosaics adorn each archway, and dark grey slate tiles cover the floors. Giant circular columns stand throughout the station, supporting the thick tunnel walls. A cool, crisp breeze fills the inside of Zoloti Vorota thanks to all the marble used in its construction, and echoes of footfalls, conversation, and laughter fill the air. Zoloti Vorota Station opened in December 1989, and it remains one of the most popular (and busiest) subway stations on the Kiev Metro line.

 

Zoloti Vorota Station by Wiki Media Commons

For many city dwellers and tourists, using public transit is a real eye-opener. Let’s be honest — when you enter the depths of a subway tunnel, the last thing you’re expecting is to be blown away by architecture and design. Have you visited any impressive subway stations lately?

Stockholm Tunnelbana (Sweden)

`Subway stations are usually designed in a clean and modernistic style in order to make people forget they are traveling deep underground. It is different in the Stockholm subway though, in which several of the deep underground stations are cut into solid rock which were left with cave-like ceilings. Oldnature meets nextnature. The fine ‘cave paintings' make the finishing touch. (Link | Photo)

Munich U-Bahn (Germany)

Munich Public Transport System (MVV) is a splendidly constructed system consisting of dozens of S-Bahn (suburbian trains), U-Bahn (subway), Tram-Bahn / Straßenbahn (streetcar) and bus lines, connecting all parts of the city perfectly. This metro system has been opened in 1972 and has spacious and clean stations. The earlier ones are rather minimalistic in design while the later ones got more interesting architectural features and some works of art. (Link | Photo 1 | Photo 2)

Shanghai Bund Sightseeing Tunnel (China)

This has to be one of the most surreal, psychedlic and fun forms of public transport. The Tunnel connects East Nanjin Rd on the Bund, and Pudong near the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, running under the Huangpu river. It's a psychedelic trip in a glass capsule along the 647 metre flashing, strobing tunnel.
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