The Power of Height

The Power of Height

The power of height

Everyone fears time, but time fears the pyramids Arab saying

Luxor temple

In Egypt obelisks were pairedto flank and entrance

Paired obelisks at a graveyard in Toulouse

In the West single Obelisks were placed at the center of plazas, intersections etc.

Piazza del Popolo

Moving the St Peter’s obelisk

Fontana’s winning design

The Prague Obelisk erected in 1928

Breughel’s ‘The tower of Babel’‘the Google Street view of 1535’

Zoomable view, very detailed, of Breughel’s painting:http://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/asset-viewer/the-tower-of-babel/bAGKOdJfvfAhYQ?projectId=art-project

One hour discussion of the painting:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__AhDt9TA_Q

Dante’s hell vs Babel’s tower

Exhaustive overview of Gothic churches: http://mappinggothic.org/http://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/asset-viewer/tgG0_zhHpmwFAA?exhibitId=KQJSwU8knBq2IA&userGallery&projectId=historic-moments

link

Cast iron development

Stone vs cast iron

Reform Act Tower 1832 proposalCast Iron

Centennial Tower London 1874

One of the designs for the Paris 1889 exhibition won by Gustave Eiffel

Original design of the Eiffel Tower

file:///C:/Philo-2014/tower-lecture/The%20Project%20Gutenberg%20eBook%20of%20Elevator%20Systems%20of%20the%20Eiffel%20Tower,%201889,%20by%20Robert%20M.%20Vogel.htm

http://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/collection/tour-eiffel?projectId=historic-moments

Chicago Competition 1890

London Competition entries 1890

Eiffel-Shukhov comparison

Haeckel vs. Tower designs

The Singer Tower Highrise

Up up and away..