Tag Archives: Construction

Parade Float

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Parade Float

Have you seen a float in a parade?

  • Floats are mobile platforms or vehicles, rigged to move at a slow pace, which are decorated for entertainment, and often advertisement purposes, in parades.
  • Floats, in this case horse-powered wagons, were being used in the 1300 to 1400s to feature biblical plays.
  • It is believed that the term ‘float’ came about due to barges being decorated for the Lord Mayor’s Show, an annual event originally held on the River Thames, London, that was being held as early as the 1500s.
  • The largest float ever was in a 2012 parade, and was 35 metres (116 feet) in length, featuring dogs surfing in a 24 metre (80 feet) sea of water.
  • Using floats for advertising purposes became popular in the 1930s.

Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers, Youth Connect, Float Boat, Parade, Flowers, Peter Pan, Ten Random Facts

  • Floats often have fabric draped over the side of the platform, to conceal the mobility devices.
  • Floats are commonly decorated with floral items or theme-related items, and often have people on the platform.
  • Floats generally are included in event parades, commonly abiding a theme.
  • Professional floats can cost a large amount of money to produce, which can be as high as $50,000 to $200,000.
  • Floats are often built in a large workshop, and depending on the features, can take a year to create.
Bibliography:
Cavette C, Parade Float, 1999, Encylopedia.com, <http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2896800085.html>
Float (Parade), 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Float_(parade)>

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Christ the Redeemer Statue

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Christ the Redeemer Statue

The statue of the amazing Christ the Redeemer.

  • Christ the Redeemer is a statue of Jesus Christ, in the art deco style, with his arms open symbolising peace, and is located on Corcovado Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the statue’s Portuguese name is ‘Cristo Redentor’.
  • Christ the Redeemer is believed to be the largest art deco statue and is the fifth largest Jesus statue on earth, seeing approximately 1 million visitors every year, and was deemed one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007.
  • Christ the Redeemer statue is 30 metres (98 feet) in height, standing on an 8 metre (26 feet) high podium, with arms spread 28 metres (92 feet) wide.
  • The material used to make Christ the Redeemer statue was 635 tonnes (700 tons) of concrete, reinforcements, and small 3 cm triangular soapstone tiles from Sweden and was in made in separate pieces and put together on site.
  • In the mid 1850s, it was proposed that a religious statue be built on Corcovado Mountain, but the idea was dismissed, and it wasn’t until the 1920s that a proposal was put forward by the Catholic Circle of Rio de Janeiro to build a religious statue, and accepted, and the design that was settled upon was Christ the Redeemer.
Christ the redeemer statue, Looking up, Arms Out, Jesus Christ, Brazil, Rio de Janerio, Free Digital Photos, Ten Random Facts
The Redeemer
Image courtesy of Zole4/ Free Digital Photos
  • Christ the Redeemer statue took 9 years to build, from 1922 to 1931, and was designed and engineered by Brazilian Heitor da Silva Costa and sculpted by Paul Landowski, a Polish-Frenchman.
  • At the time of construction, Christ the Redeemer would have cost approximately $250,000 USD to build, which would equate to about $3.2 million USD in 2013.
  • In 2008, Christ the Redeemer was struck by lightning in an intense lightning storm, leading to a large, four month restoration project  in 2010, costing $4 million USD.
  • In celebration of Christ the Redeemer’s 75th anniversary in 2006, a chapel was built at the base of the statue.
  • In 2010, during the restoration process, the head and an arm of Christ the Redeemer was the subject of graffiti, which was said to be done by a house painter, and the act was declared ‘a crime against the nation’.
Bibliography:
Christ the Redeemer (Statue), 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_the_Redeemer_(statue)>
Christ the Redeemer Statue – 1 of 7 New Wonders of the World (45 Inspiring Pics), 2011, Love these Pics, <http://www.lovethesepics.com/2011/04/christ-the-redeemer-statue-1-of-7-new-wonders-of-the-world-45-inspiring-pics/>

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Moai Statues

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Moai Statues

Nearly a thousand of them!

  • The Moai statues are located on Easter Island, or ‘Rapa Nui’ as the indigenous call it, a remote island in the Pacific Ocean, governed by Chile.
  • The Moai statues are also known as ‘moai’, ‘Easter Island heads’ and ‘Easter Island statues’, and are believed to have been carved between 1250 to 1500 AD.
  • The Moai statues, many of which are partly buried, have large heads and bodies with sharp noses and chins, and nearly all are carved from volcanic stone called ‘tuff’.
  • There are 887 known Moai statues, the tallest being 21 meters (72 feet) high, weighing over 160 tonnes (176 tons), and the average height is 4 metres (13.2 feet).
  • The Moai statues were made by the natives that lived on Easter Island, the Rapa Nui people, in a quarry on the island that still contains numerous tools made of stone, as well as 45% of the Moai statues, many of which remain incomplete.

Moai Statues, Easter Island Heads, Slope, Hill, Top, Straight, Look, Day, Flickr, Ten Random Facts

Moai Statues
Image courtesy of Emil Eklund/Flickr 
  • It is believed that the native people created the Moai statues in honour of significant male ancestors, and most of the Moai statues face the original clan settlements and so it is suggested, that the Moai statues were protectors of the clans and ceremonial areas.
  • There have been many theories to suggest how the Moai statues were moved from the quarry to their existing location, however, the most likely scenario is that they were ‘walked’ into place by the use of ropes with the statue leaning slightly forward and the use of a rocking motion from side to side, which required approximately 18 people.
  • Ten full Moai statues have been transported to other parts of the world and can be seen in museums.
  • The Moai statues are part of the Rapa Nui National Park, which was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995.
  • The preservation of the Moai statues proves to be difficult due to the nature of their original material, and is not helped by people who can’t keep their hands and bodies away, as can be seen in the case when the ear of a Moai statue was chipped off by a thieving tourist from Finland in 2008, who was then fined $17,000 and incurred banishment from Easter Island for three years.
Bibliography:
Moai, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moai>
Stone Giants, 2000, NOVA, <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/easter/civilization/giants.html>

White House

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White House

A very white house.

  • The White House is the home of the United States president in office and his family, in addition to being the work place of the president and his staff, and has been the home of all the presidents, since the second president and its first occupants, John Adams and his wife.
  • The White House is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC, United States and sits on over 18 acres (7.3 hectares) of land, and the site was chosen by the first president, George Washington.
  • The White House was designed by Irish architect James Hoban, and building started in 1792 and was not fully completed until the early 1800s, after President John Adams had already moved in.
  • The White House is a neoclassical style mansion that was inspired by the Leinster House in Dublin, Ireland and looks very similar to parts of the Château de Rastignac in France.
  • During its history, the White House has been called the ‘President’s House’, ‘President’s Palace’ and the ‘Executive Mansion’ and was called ‘White House’ by the public due to its white painted stone exterior, which US President Theodore Roosevelt made official, by using the name on his stationery in 1901.

President White House, Front, America, United States, Ten Random Facts, Free Digital Photos

White House
Image courtesy of Damian Brandon/ Free Digital Photos
  • The White House has had numerous renovations during its time, including a major rebuild when the inside was destroyed by fire in 1814, by the British in the ‘War 0f 1812’.
  • The White House has generally been open to the public in one way or another since it was built, and has included self-guided tours attracting nearly 2 million visitors a year, until budget cuts closed the popular tourist destination in March 2013.
  • The White House has taken significant security measures to protect its occupants, which has included the closure and redesign of a portion of Pennsylvania Avenue and other streets surrounding the building, which has been closed to vehicles since the Oklahoma bombing in 1995, and at other times of potential threat, has been temporarily closed to pedestrians.
  • The White House contains 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 8 stairs, 3 lifts, 412 doors, 6 levels and 2 wings, a bowling alley and a 42 seat movie theatre, and the grounds contain a swimming pool, a number of gardens, tennis court, basketball court and a putting green.
  • The White House is featured on the back of the US $20 note.
Bibliography:
Inside the White House, n.d., The White House, <http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/inside-white-house>
White House, 2013, Wikipedia, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House>

Tower Bridge

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Tower Bridge

Bridge of two towers.

  • The Tower Bridge is located in London, England and provides a major crossing of the River Thames.
  • The Tower Bridge is a suspension and bascule (meaning see-saw and balance) drawbridge and on average, it opens 1000 times a year, with 24 hours notice being required in writing if you wish to pass under the bridge with a vessel of 9.1 m (30 ft) or greater in height.
  • Originally the Tower Bridge was a greenish- blue colour, and at some stage it was painted brown, then in 1977 its new colour scheme became white, red and blue to celebrate Queen Elizebeth II’s Silver Jubilee Year.
  • The Tower Bridge is 244 meters (800 feet) in length, and the two towers, which are 65 meters (213 feet) high, are connected by two horizontal pedestrian walkways which were closed from 1910-1982 due to lack of use, and now house part of an ongoing exhibition about the bridge and its history and construction.
  • The motorway A100 Tower Bridge Road travels along the Tower Bridge, and on average, over 40,000 people cross the Tower Bridge daily.

Blue, White, London Tower Bridge, Daylight, Colour, River Thames, Closed, Free Digital Photos, Ten Random Facts

Tower Bridge
Image courtesy of Vichaya Kaitying-Angsulee/ Free Digital Photos
  • Construction on the Tower Bridge commenced in 1886, and continued for 8 years with 432 workers and only 10 fatalities, and was opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales on 30th June, 1894.
  • Over 63,500 tonnes (70,000 tons) of concrete were used for the supports, or the piers, for the towers, and over 10,000 tonnes (11,ooo tons) of steel were used to make the steel frames of the Tower Bridge.
  • At the time, the cost of the Tower Bridge construction was £1,184,000 which is now equivalent to nearly US$152 million (£100 million).
  • The Tower Bridge has used an electric and oil driven hydraulic system to raise the bascules since 1976, although it originally used two steam powered engines, with an extra one added in World War II, for backup.
  • A number of accidents and incidents have occurred in association with the Tower Bridge, which have included planes and road vehicles, and includes a near miss for a bus carrying 20 passengers, when the bascules were opening one evening in 1952.
Bibliography:
Tower Bridge, 2013, Wikipedia,  <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_Bridge>

Great Pyramid of Giza

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Great Pyramid of Giza

A very, very, very large tomb.

  • The Great Pyramid of Giza is also known as Pyramid of Khufu and Pyramid of Cheops.
  • The Great Pyramid of Giza is believed to be a burial pyramid for Pharaoh Khufu, and is located near Cairo, Egypt.
  • The Great Pyramid of Giza is said to have taken 10 to 20 years to be built, and was built around 2500-2600 BC.
  • The Great Pyramid of Giza was originally 146.5 metres (481 feet) in height (although it is now about 9 metres shorter), being the tallest man-made structure until around 1300 AD, 3800 years since construction, and is equivalent to a modern 48 storey building.
  • The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only discovered Egyptian pyramid that has pathways that go up and down.
 Pyramid, Great, Giza, Egypt, Burial, Khufu, Cheops, Pharoh, King, Ten Random Facts, Structures, Sand, Desert, Free Digital Photos
The Great Pyramid of Giza
Image courtesy of Arvind Balaraman/ Free Digital Photos
  • It is estimated that 2,300,000 limestone blocks were used in the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza, most of them weighing 2 tonnes (2.2 tons) each, and the pyramid was covered with smooth casing stones which were taken and used to build some of the buildings in Cairo.
  • The entrance to the Great Pyramid of Giza is 17 meters (56 feet) above ground level, so tourists use the Robbers’ tunnel to enter the pyramid.
  • The Great Pyramid of Giza covers an area of 13 acres (5.2 hectares) and is oriented to the four main compass points.
  • Three pits sit around the Great Pyramid of Giza, all boat shaped, and a fourth hidden pit contained 1,224 wooden pieces of a boat, which was assembled over a period of 14 years, to make a 43.6 metres (143 ft) long boat.
  • The Great Pyramid of Giza is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Bibliography:
Great Pyramid of Giza, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pyramid_of_Giza>
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