May 2021 Photo Competition - Architecture

Question

I will be hosting this month's photo competition. The theme chosen for this month is architecture! This theme was suggested by me in chat.

A further description of the topic was provided by me in the message:

This can be both modern and ancient architecture and is relatively broad on purpose.

The following rules apply:

• Please do not post photos until 00:00:00 1st May (UTC Time) - any photos posted before that time will not be counted.
• Please include a description of what you're photographing, for example, the name of a building (if known) and the date the photo was taken.
• Photos should be taken by you or a travel companion who is named.
• One photo per post, three posts maximum per person. Do not delete or change photos once posted.
• If there are any people in the photo, make sure you have their permission to post the photo online (or blur their faces).
• No offensive / NSFW photos.
• No downvotes, they are not counted. Please leave a comment if you disagree.
• Photos may be posted until 23:59:59 31st May (UTC Time) when the winner will be announced. If there is a draw/tie voting will continue.

If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment or post in chat. Please suggest any more ideas for themes there or add it to this post.

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Congratulations to:

• The winner: Mark Mayo
• The virtual prize winner: undefined

Answer 1

Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Taken just after I joined Travel.SE in 2011 ;)

5 July 2011

NIKON CORPORATION NIKON D80 ƒ/7.11/20020 mmISO100

Answer 2

Philarmonie Luxembourg in Luxemburg - 29.07.2020

Answer 3

Holsten Gate, Lübeck

Took this photo yesterday at the Holsten Gate, Lübeck, Germany on my OnePlus 5T phone. Built in 1464, it is the city gate marking off the western boundary of the old center of the Hanseatic city of Lübeck.

Answer 4

This picture was taken in November of 2018 from the grounds of Bangi-Dong Ancient Baekje Tombs park. A Christian church steeple is in the foreground to frame Lotte World Tower in the background. Standing 555 meters tall, Lotte Tower is the tallest building in Seoul, South Korea and sits about 1 mile from where the photo was taken.

Answer 5

This is the inside of the Sainte-Chapelle, Paris France. Photo taken 8 April 2015.

I was lucky with the weather, it was a shock how bright and beautiful this chapel is, but even people who visited on less bright days were impressed.

Answer 6

'Interloop' artwork from old wooden escalators at Wynyard station, Sydney, Australia.

Taken 6 Dec 2017.

Huawei Nexus 6P

ƒ/21/1004.67 mmISO288

More info: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/dec/05/wynyard-stations-interloop-a-rare-win-for-public-art-in-a-city-that-can-leave-you-cold

Answer 7

A night view of Phra Mahathat Kaen Nakhon temple in Khon Kaen, Thailand. Photo taken on April 2nd 2021 using my RX10M3 with settings f/2.4, 4s at 8.8mm and ISO 100.

Answer 8

Porta Nigra in Trier, Germany - 31.07.2020

Built in 170 d.C. If we consider roman gates north of the Alps, this one is the one that is in best conditions. If I remember well, it's Germany's oldest roman monument.

Answer 9

Pula Amphitheater in Pula, Croatia - 06.04.2019

The 6th largest roman amphitheater in the world, and still in very good shape.

Answer 10

In my first answer I would like to remark the beauty of the traditional Maltese and Gozitan architecture.

The color of the limestone, two or three floors maximum and the taste of the local craftmanship are the features of so many ancient and modern buildings all along the two main Maltese islands. Including this one, possibly my favourite, in front of the bus stop next to the Gozitano Agricultural Village in Xewkija, Gozo.

Picture taken on Aug. 13, 2020, with my Samsung A50 phone. Not on my Instagram, for your eyes only ;)

My second answer will be related to this first one.

Answer 11

Hallgrímskirkja, Reykjavik Iceland, photo taken 28 September 2014.

One of the many photos I took of this rather modern church. It does stand proud over the city and could be seen almost every walk I made in the city as I was staying on the edge of the city, near the city airport.
In this photo I was lucky with the weather.
It is true, if you do not like the weather on Iceland, wait 5 minutes. I have other photos of the same day with a grey sky.

Answer 12

14 October 2018

Huawei Nexus 6P

ƒ/21/1394.67 mmISO60

Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence, Italy

Answer 13

Casa da Musica, Porto Portugal

Taken in October 2015

Answer 14

A night view of the Centara Grand hotel at Central World in Bangkok, Thailand. Photo taken on April 14th 2021 using my RX10M3 with settings f/4, 3.2s at 93.9mm and ISO 100. The picture was taken from the recreation area on top of the MBK center.

Answer 15

Looking out over the Bang Rak district of Bangkok from the viewing deck of Icon Siam. It's a nice mix of modern and historic architecture. I took the photo on April 14th 2021 using HDR mode on my RX10M3 with settings f/7.1, 1/400 at 8.8mm as ISO 100.

Some of the interesting architecture in the picture:

• Customs house is the old building just across the river. According to Wikipedia, it's going to be renovated into a luxury hotel.

• The highest tower on the left of the picture is the King Power Mahanakhon skyscraper which we've also seen in a bit more detail a few months ago

• The large tower with the golden top pictured in the centre is the State Tower. According to Wikipedia it's the largest building by floor space in South East Asia.

• On the very right we see an abandoned building which is the Sathorn Unique Tower. It's popular with urban explorers who like to climb to the top.

• If we look behind the Customs House, there's what looks to be a postmodern white building with tall windows. That's actually the French embassy which reaches all the way to the river.

Answer 16

The glass pyramid, which is the entrance to the Louvre Museum Paris, photo taken 10 April 2015, with the old building seen through and around the modern addition.

Answer 17

As I said, my second answer is closely related with my first one. After highlighting an aspect of the beauty of Maltese architecture, here instead I'll go deeper into some big contraddiction in it.

Due to a very debatable policy by the local authorities, it is more and more frequent to meet monsters like the one below when you walk along the Island(s). I wanted to strictly observe the rule to only post one own picture per answer but, for the sake of the context, I encourage you to be aware of eyesores like this one documented by the blogger Uglymalta and many others, screening lovely neighborhoods from the sunlight and degenerating the skyline.

My Samsung A50 phone surprisingly didn't tilt after shooting a pic of this shame in the area of St. Julians on Sep. 2, 2020.

What I just wrote only expresses a personal opinion and point of view and anybody is welcomed to disagree with me. :(