This book is dedicated to all the builders: the workers, the architects, and the leaders, who gave...
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This book is dedicated to all the builders: the workers, the architects, and the leaders, who gave us the world’s most spectacular structures. For millennia
This book is dedicated to all the builders: the workers, the
architects, and the leaders, who gave us the worlds most
spectacular structures. For millennia we have been in awe of the
designs and skills that brought about the monuments in this book.
On the Cover: The Sphinx, Egypt Built: 2500 B.C.
Slide 3
So you want to build a work of art that will stand the test of
time? You want to secure your cultures legacy in the chronicles of
the greatest world empires through architecture? Then this book is
for you! Step by step, I will walk you through the initial stages,
pitfalls to avoid, and the technology necessary to create a
world-renowned masterpiece of culture and design. With stunning
illustrations, models of classic structures, and handy new tips,
you will find this manual an invaluable resource to build a
monument that will last for millennia. To get started creating YOUR
magnum opus that will endure through the ages, simply turn the
page! Introduction Machu Picchu, Peru Built: 15 th Century
Slide 4
Getting Started There are many dramatic examples of design,
technology and architecture in the world. There are three
must-haves if you want to leave a lasting legacy. Your project
needs to have beauty, cultural significance, and be a technological
feat for your time. Take the Taj Mahal in India for example. It was
built in the 1600s as a monument of love the Indian emperor had for
his wife. It certainly has all three of the required elements. It
is beautiful and romantic, it is a symbol of the Indian empires
culture and wealth, and its domes and perfect proportions were
unmatched accomplishments at that time. Let its beauty inspire you
as we proceed through this book. Taj Mahal, India Built: 17 th
Century
Slide 5
Your first step should be to decide what type of structure you
want to build. Is it a place of worship like the Ziggurat at Ur in
Mesopotamia? A residence like the Forbidden City in China? A seat
of government and power such as the palace at Versailles or the
U.S. Capitol building? A tomb for your burial like the Great
Pyramids at Giza? A simple monument such as the Moai statues on
Easter Island or the Eiffel Tower in Paris? Or, just a really
interesting and inexplicable structure like the Sphinx or
Stonehenge? The choice is yours, but make it carefully. You can see
the examples span continents and all of human history, but there
are plenty of people who attempted to construct great buildings
that just dont make the cut of the worlds greatest. In South
America or Africa, the have found temples buried under the jungle.
Those didnt measure up. The Forbidden City, China Built: 15 th
Century
Slide 6
The second step is to plan your design. You may want to use
your most renowned architect, but also realize that you may have
undiscovered talent among your people. Give everyone a chance to
show you plans that you might not have considered. Many of the
worlds most famous structures were designed by previously unknown
builders, so take a chance on someone new. The architect of the
Sydney Opera House was unknown before his innovative design for
that building. Part of this step is to make sure you are using the
best technology available to you. Check with your engineers to see
what new techniques and materials they have been working with.
Think of the Egyptians and Greeks who used perfect mathematical
proportions, or the Romans inventing concrete and arches, or the
brand new steel Eiffel Tower from the 1889. The best known and
longest lasting buildings usually incorporate technology that was
new at the time. Sydney Opera House, Australia Built: 1957 -
1973
Slide 7
Roman Arches at the Pont du Gard Aqueduct, France Built: 18
B.C. The steel and iron Eiffel Tower, France Built: 1887
Technological Accomplishments:
Slide 8
The third step is to make sure you have the labor force to
accomplish your goal. You are undertaking a massive project, and
you need to plan for the years it will take. Traditionally, slaves
have been used to do the hard work of actually moving construction
materials. Thats what they did in Egypt for the pyramids. However,
in some areas peasants or prisoners were made to do the labor, such
as for the Great Wall of China. Sometimes, you may just be able to
get your people to voluntarily work together on building a monument
to your culture, like they did on the Ziggurats in Mesopotamia, but
you have to be a very popular ruler for that to happen. Lastly, you
can always pay workers, but this will be very costly in addition to
the materials for the monument itself, and has really only occurred
in modern times and western countries. In the old days, slaves were
definitely the way to go: even the American Capitol Building and
White House were built by slaves. Ziggurat at Ur, Mesopotamia (now
Iraq) Built: 2125 - 2025 B.C.
Slide 9
Whichever way you go for your workforce, you should know that
this will take years, likely decades and sometimes centuries, so
you need to make sure you have an ongoing source of workers or you
will never get your project finished. With your design and labor
force in place, you are now ready to go. The Capitol, United States
Built: 1793 - 1874
Slide 10
Treat your workers well. It is always better than treating them
harshly. They will work more efficiently, wont die as often, and
are more likely to finish the job even when youre dead. The beaten
slaves of the pyramids died and constantly had to be replaced. Tips
for When Construction Starts The Pyramids at Giza, Egypt Built:
2500 B.C.
Slide 11
Dont panic if your life is almost over and your project is not
done. Many of the greatest buildings took hundreds of years to
complete. The Great Wall of China was built in stages over the
course of more than a thousand years! There are actually four walls
altogether, so remember that no one ruler can get everything done.
The Great Wall, China Built: 217 B.C. - 1644
Slide 12
Treat your children and grandchildren respectfully. Refer to
the first and second tipthey are likely to be the ones who have to
continue working on your legacy after your death, so dont make them
angry. Sometimes, like the Temple of the Magician in Mexico, the
ruler would be buried in what was completed already, then his
successors would keep building on top, so that it became a tomb for
many leaders. It was several centuries before it was finished.
Mayan Temple of the Magician, Mexico Built: 9 th - 11 th
Centuries
Slide 13
If you are engaged in a war, take a break from the building
project. Its not going anywhere. After the unfinished leaning Tower
of Pisa started to sink into the unstable ground, causing its lean,
war between but Pisa and Florence caused construction to be put on
hold. They got back to work on it a hundred years later. Leaning
Tower of Pisa, Italy Built: 1173 - 1372
Slide 14
Get crazy and build something even if it only makes sense to
you. The world doesnt have to know your motivation to appreciate
the results. For example, no one really knows what Stonehenge and
the Easter Island Moai statues are all about, but they are famous
anyway! Stonehenge Formation, England Built: 2700-2000 B.C. Easter
Island Moai, South Pacific Built: 900 - 1700
Slide 15
If your work collapses from natural disaster or gets destroyed
by war, dont give up. Start again and rebuild. You will be in good
company. The dome of the Hagia Sophia was destroyed in
Constantinople not long after it was built. The Emperor Justinian
took the opportunity to rebuild it on a grander scale. It became
the world's largest inside space, a record it held for more than a
thousand years. When it was ransacked by the Turks in 1453, they
repaired it and turned the Catholic church into a mosque. Hagia
Sophia, Turkey Built: 532 - 537, 1450s
Slide 16
Finally, the most essential thing you need to do if you really
want to be noticed is to pick a design element that will truly WOW
the world. For examples of this, check out the following: The
temple at Ankor Wat in Cambodia: with its pineapple-like towers
Ankor Wat, Cambodia Built: 12 th Century
Slide 17
The Pantheon in Rome: since the year it was built and STILL to
this day, worlds largest, unreinforced concrete dome The Pantheon,
Rome Built: 118 128
Slide 18
Machu Picchu in Peru: they carved a community out of a
mountainside The temple at Borobudur in Indonesia: with its
distinctive bell - shaped details Borobudur, Indonesia Built: 1645
- 1693
Slide 19
The Potala Palace in Tibet: built on top of a mountain Potala
Palace, Tibet Built: 8 th 9 th Centuries
Slide 20
The Castle of Neuschwanstein in Germany: with classic towers so
beautiful they used it as a model for Cinderellas Castle at Disney
World! Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany Built: 1645 - 1693
Cinderellas Castle, Disney World Built: 1971
Slide 21
The Terracotta Warriors at a tomb in China: they are just plain
impressive Terracotta Warriors, China Built: 3 rd Century B.C.
Slide 22
Now that you have some tips, and have seen the best examples of
the worlds masterpieces, get out there and BUILD SOMETHING! If you
can find a unique feature or characteristic to incorporate into
your design, you WILL create something that will stand the test of
time and rank with the worlds most amazing architecture. Good
luck!
Slide 23
Sources: Fernandez-Armesto, Felipe. The World, A History. 2010.
New York. Howells, Trevor. The Worlds Greatest Buildings. 2000. San
Francisco. http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/world-
heritage/photos/