Bricks

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Vienna 2023

The use of brickstone has quite a notable tradition in Vienna. It dates back to Roman times when it was a prominent building material. However, the brickstone building tradition in Vienna experienced a significant revival during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

During this period, the Secession movement, which aimed to break away from historical architectural styles and embrace a more modern and innovative approach, played a key role in promoting the use of brickstone. Architects such as Otto Wagner and Josef Hoffmann were instrumental in incorporating this material into their designs.

Kaleidoscope

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Vienna 2016

A kaleidoscope is a cylindrical optical instrument that typically contains two or more reflecting surfaces tilted to each other at an angle, usually 60 degrees. Inside the tube, there are colorful objects, such as glass beads or bits of colored glass, and mirrors that create a symmetrical pattern when viewed through the eyepiece.

When you look into the eyepiece and rotate the kaleidoscope, the colored objects inside reflect off the mirrors, creating intricate and constantly changing patterns. The word “kaleidoscope” is derived from the Greek words “kalos,” meaning beautiful, “eidos,” meaning form, and “skopeo,” meaning to look at. Thus, a kaleidoscope provides a visually stunning and ever-changing display of beautiful patterns.

Tetris

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Vienna 2022

The Metropolitan is a residential tower located in the Sonnwendviertel district of Vienna, Austria. The building was designed by the architectural firm DMAA and completed in 2021. The building is a standalone structure and has become a part of the new skyline of Vienna. The Sonnwendviertel district comprises around 5,500 apartments for about 13,000 residents, 20,000 jobs, a school campus, office buildings, and numerous stores as well as a park of about 7 hectares.

Cubist architecture emerged in the early 20th century, inspired by the Cubist art movement1. The leading Cubist architects were Pavel Janák, Josef Gočár, Vlastislav Hofman, Emil Králíček, and Josef Chochol.

This kind of architecture is characterized by the use of geometric shapes, sharp lines, and cubic, unaligned windows. The architects of the movement borrowed heavily from cubist art regarding geometric forms and shapes, diverse elements could be superimposed, made transparent, or penetrate one another. The style was a rebellion against realism and art, and served as a contradiction to what architecture was supposed to look like.

Pisa

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Pisa 2017

The tower of Pisa, also known as the leaning tower of Pisa, is a famous landmark in the city of Pisa, Italy. It is the bell tower of the cathedral of Pisa, and it is part of a complex of buildings called the Piazza dei Miracoli, or the Square of Miracles. The tower was built in the 12th and 13th centuries, and it is known for its tilt, which is caused by the uneven settling of the foundation on the soft soil. The tower leans about 4 degrees from the vertical, and it has been stabilized by various engineering interventions over the years.