Cityscapes
and architecture
Banking on magnolia
I worked 20 years with the World Bank, Washington DC, and traveled the world for much of the time. The Bank’s headquarters facade looks like an Excel spreadsheet (now you can’t unsee it). In spring, magnolia and cherry trees put on a flower show in a little park in front of the building.
Palace of Winds
Architecturally Hawa Mahal couldn’t be more different from the World Bank headquarters above. The palace was built in 1799 in Jaipur, India. The structure allowed the royal ladies to observe the street without themselves being seen. It is famous for its natural air condition, thus its English name.
Nidaros Cathedral
The Danes ruled Norway for 450 years to 1814 and preferred to place their monumental buildings in Denmark. So, since backward Norwegians built their structures in wood, they pretty much burned to the ground at some point. That left us with one fabulous building: the Nidaros Cathedral, constructed over the years 1070 to 1300. It’s placed over King Olav II Haraldsson’s (Saint Olaf) grave in Trondheim in central Norway. Norwegian kings and queens are coronated here.
Living high in The Emirates
Respectable architectural work has gone into this apartment building in Abu Dhabi.
Etihad Towers
I presented at an engineering conference at Etihad Towers and was exposed to all the city-shaping might of petrodollars. Memorable architecture, view from 75th floor, and a lightning-fast elevator. Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Dramatic in Baku
The organization I led, the Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership (GGFR) had its annual meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan. It’s a global issue suitably addressed in a historical meeting place between east and west. Today, Baku is more the city of contrast between old and new. From Old Town you can see the Flame Towers, named so in honor of the country’s ancient devotion to fire, linked to their Zoroastrian religion and culture that preceded Islam.
World Trade
My wife and I went to the 9/11 World Trade Center memorial in New York. A solemn place. Next to it is a subway station, making a statement of its own in steel ribs and dramatic vault. To put my flavor on the architecture, I put some hefty dose of Lightroom photo editing into this photo. The image probably breaks every possible rule about balance and what not. But I liked it nevertheless, so here we go.