Eiffel Tower

France's symbol and Paris' chief monument, the Eiffel Tower was built by the architect Gustave Eiffel for the 'World Exposition' in 1889. Nowadays, it is the monument people visit the most worldwide. This 'Lady of Steel' that overhangs the capital from its 324 meters is located at Champ-de-Mars caressing the edge of the Seine, in front of the Trocadero square. To many the Eiffel Tower holds a romantic secret. On the 1st floor of this technical masterwork, which has inspired scores of poets, animations tell the history and milestones for which the Eiffel Tower was the stage. A restaurant and some boutiques await you forsouvenirs shopping. The 2nd floor offers an astonishing panorama along with a gastronomic restaurant. On the 3rd floor you will mix with the clouds and benefit from the wonderful 360º view before visiting Eiffel's private apartment.

The sight of Paris from the tower is magical and more consistent than, but equally as amazing as, in a dream. When the night slips in, the Lady sparks its lights shinning like an illuminated diamond and marking the hours going by. This is an unforgettable show for Paris lovers. Pariscityvision proposes you the best way to experience the Eiffel Tower in Paris: to begin with, an easy access with much reduced waiting time. A two-phase trip : a daily Paris tour paired along with a Seine cruise; and by night, a restaurant dinner, with  the Eiffel Tower as background in a dark thick robe that covers the entire sky except her slim figure.

           Work on the foundations started on 28 January 1887. Those for the east and south legs were straightforward, each leg resting on four 2 m (6.6 ft) concrete slabs, one for each of the principal girders of each leg but the other two, being closer to the river Seine, were more complicated: each slab needed two piles installed by using compressed-air caissons 15 m (49 ft) long and 6 m (20 ft) in diameter driven to a depth of 22 m (72 ft) to support the concrete slabs, which were 6 m (20 ft) thick. Each of these slabs supported a block built of limestone each with an inclined top to bear a supporting shoe for the ironwork. Each shoe was anchored into the stonework by a pair of bolts 10 cm (4 in) in diameter and 7.5 m (25 ft) long. The foundations were complete by 30 June and the erection of the ironwork began. The very visible work on-site was complemented by the enormous amount of exacting preparatory work that was entailed: the drawing office produced 1,700 general drawings and 3,629 detailed drawings of the 18,038 different parts needed.The task of drawing the components was complicated by the complex angles involved in the design and the degree of precision required: the position of rivet holes was specified to within 0.1 mm (0.04 in) and angles worked out to one second of arc. The finished components, some already riveted together into sub-assemblies, arrived on horse-drawn carts from the factory in the nearby Parisian suburb of Levallois-Perret and were first bolted together, the bolts being replaced by rivets as construction progressed. No drilling or shaping was done on site: if any part did not fit it was sent back to the factory for alteration. In all there were 18,038 pieces joined by two and a half million rivets.

At first the legs were constructed as cantilevers but about halfway to the first level construction was paused in order to construct a substantial timber scaffold. This caused a renewal of the concerns about the structural soundness of the project, and sensational headlines such as "Eiffel Suicide!" and "Gustave Eiffel has gone mad: he has been confined in an Asylum" appeared in the popular press. At this stage a small "creeper" crane was installed in each leg, designed to move up the tower as construction progressed and making use of the guides for the lifts which were to be fitted in each leg. The critical stage of joining the four legs at the first level was complete by the end of March 1888. Although the metalwork had been prepared with the utmost precision, provision had been made to carry out small adjustments in order to precisely align the legs: hydraulic jacks were fitted to the shoes at the base of each leg, each capable of exerting a force of 800 tonnes, and in addition the legs had been intentionally constructed at a slightly steeper angle than necessary, being supported by sandboxes on the scaffold. Although construction involved 300 on-site employees, only one person died thanks to Eiffel's stringent safety precautions and use of movable stagings, guard-rails, and screens.

When built, the first level contained three restaurants (one French, one Russian and one Flemish) and an "Anglo-American Bar". After the exposition closed the Flemish restaurant was converted to a 250 seat theatre. A 2.6 m (8 ft 6 in) promenade ran around the outside.

On the third level there were laboratories for various experiments and a small apartment reserved for Gustave Eiffel to entertain guests. This is now visible to the public, complete with period decorations and lifelike models of Gustave and some guests.

More than 250 million people have visited the tower since its construction in 1889: in 2012 there were 6,180,000 visitors. The tower is the most-visited paid monument in the world.

Hemisferic Valencia, Spain

The Hemisfèric was inaugurated in 1998 and was the first building in the City of Arts and Sciences to open its doors to the public. It is a spectacular construction designed by Santiago Calatrava, with an ovoid roof over 100 metres long that contains in its interior the large sphere that constitutes the projection room.

  IMAX adventure that invites spectators to explore the spectacular landscapes of Borneo forests and savannah of Kenya to know the work of people who rescue orphaned orangutans and elephants, two endangered species.
   With an ecologist message of the need to preserve species "Born to be Wild" invites spectators on a trip round such spectacular sights as the jungles of Borneo and the savannah of Kenya.
   This grand format IMAX production is based on the stories of orphan elephants and orang-utans in order to show the link that is created between humans and animals, and, how, thanks to the devotion of certain individuals, these animals have been rescued, so saving endangered species.
   These incredible and vulnerable creatures embark on a tour with experts, whose main objective is to save and return to Mother Nature. The distinguished primatologist Biruté Mary Galdikas runs the rain forest of Borneo, while Dame Daphne M. Sheldrick, an expert on elephants, rescue one by one the babies of the giant mammals in Kenya.
   The head of the music of the film is Mark Mothersbaugnh, singer of the rock band Devo that has set more than 70 films and television projects to music. The stunning images captured by Linckley in Born to be wild with a maximum field of view combined with the experience of the director in more than 30 films about nature, result in one of the most incredible experiences of immersion in the cinema. It is also a unique opportunity to reflect on the human impact on nature. This family documentary will transport spectators around the world to Kenya and Borneo being witnesses in the first line of how to take action to save these beautiful creatures on earth.

Hermitage Plaza, Paris

     Hermitage Plaza is an innovative mixed-use project at the entrance of Europe’s biggest central business district - La Defense in Paris, and is situated across the Seine River from the residential district of Neuilly-Paris, which will bring together programs of luxury serviced apartments, a 5-Star palace hotel, class-A offices, high-end retail, and the public and entertainment space. Placed along Paris’ unrivalled historical axis, linking the Louvre Palace, and its crystal pyramid, to the Arc de Triomphe and the Grande Arche of La Defense, Hermitage Plaza would have been visible from every corner of the capital.
   Hermitage Plaza is an innovative mixed-use project at the entrance of Europe’s biggest central business district - La Defense in Paris, and is situated across the Seine River from the residential district of Neuilly-Paris, which will bring together programs of luxury serviced apartments, a 5-Star palace hotel, class-A offices, high-end retail, and the public and entertainment space. Placed along Paris’ unrivalled historical axis, linking the Louvre Palace, and its crystal pyramid, to the Arc de Triomphe and the Grande Arche of La Defense, Hermitage Plaza would have been visible from every corner of the capital.

The shape of the Hermitage Plaza is divided into two distinct volumes. The genesis of this design is the will to create optimum permeability of the site at ground level whilst maximizing the views from each of the two towers, as well as preserving views from the neighboring buildings. The design incorporates a number of distinguishing features such as:

·         The principal load-bearing columns are up to 8 meters apart, as opposed to the more conventional 6 meters found in contemporary tower structures.

·         An entirely automated pantograph system will be used to open the windows, allowing direct natural air circulation in the rooms, which is a real innovation for skyscrapers.

·         The technical rooms, usually placed on the roof, have been inserted in strategic floors (so that the pool’s underlying structure would not diminish ceiling heights on any inhabitable floors) in order to provide breath-taking terraces and views to the top-floor luxury penthouses.

·         The triple-glazed facade grid framework is 1.75m wide, thus replacing commonly used 1.35m

The buildings face one another at ground level. Open and permeable to encourage people to walk through the site, the towers enclose a public piazza which establishes the social focus. As they rise from an interlocking diamond-shaped plan, the towers turn outward to address views across Paris. The angle of the façade panels promotes self-shading and vents can be opened to draw fresh air inside, contributing to an environmental strategy that targets a BREEAM ‘excellent’ rating. The highly efficient diagrid structure uses less steel and emphasises the elegant proportions of the towers

   Hermitage Plaza will create a new community to the east of La Défense, in Courbevoie, that extends down to the river Seine with cafés, shops and a public plaza at its heart. The project incorporates two 320-metre-high buildings – the tallest mixed-use towers in Western Europe – which will establish a distinctive symbol for this new urban destination on the Paris skyline.

L'Avenue Shanghai, China

   

The Maosuit recently reported on the land grab underway by fashion and luxury brands in shopping malls throughout China.  Yet its not just individual brands competing for hot property in China. The luxury conglomerates led by LVMH are also getting into the real estate development game.

In an unremarkable area in Western Shanghai’s Hongqiao district, at the intersection of Xianxia Road and Ziyun Road lies L’Avenue, a new first-class retail and office complex being developed by Shanghai Luxchina Property Development Company Limited which is a USD 500 million joint venture between L Real Estate and STDM.

L Real Estate is part of the complex and multi faceted investment firm Graupe Arnault, owned by luxury tycoon (and fourth richest person in the world)  Bernard Arnault who is also Chairman and CEO of the luxury conglomerate LVMH. STDM is owned by Hong Kong billionaire Stanley Ho, who’s business interests include real estate, casinos, entertainment and shopping.

Little is known about L Real Estate or the L’Avenue projects underway in China and neither is mentioned in LVMH’s 2011 Annual Report. Google and Baidu (Chinese search engine) don’t reveal much either.  Including L’Avenue in Shanghai The Maosuit is aware of at least one other L’Avenue complex being developed in the Northern Chinese city of Shenyang.

The biggest task for any new luxury mall in China is getting a critical mass of high-end brands, (say a minimum of ten) which will make the mall a ‘destination’ and draw customers. With hundreds of malls popping up all over China and each luxury brand having their own particular store development strategy, getting this critical mass of brands can be exceptionally difficult. By investing in and developing their own malls LVMH easily overcomes this issue and is able to bring a retinue their own brands including: Louis Vuitton, Dior, Fendi, Tag Heuer, Chaumet  and De Beers etc. to create a LVMH luxury shopping paradise in each L’Avenue complex.

In marketing L’Avenue Shanghai LVMH is positioning it as the new destination for fashion, luxury and business in West Shanghai. Designed by Leigh & Orange Ltd. with a gross floor area of around 140,000 sqm. and spanning 28 floors, L’Avenue Shanghai will include a high-class shopping mall and grade A office complex.  The development is supported by the local government and upon completion in May 2012 L’Avenue is set to become the major landmark building in the Chang Ning district of Shanghai.

It is believed that L Real Estate will oversee the project development, marketing and operations of the shopping mall, while STDM will oversee the office building.  Whatever the break of responsibilities between L Real Estate and STDM with Bernard Arnault and Stanley Ho behind the project and with the power of LVMH the L’Avenue’s in Shanghai and other Chinese cities are sure to be launched with much fanfare and make a significant impact on the luxury retail business in China.

Abutting 3 well-established commercial streets in ChangNing District of Shanghai, our site is a potential site to elevate the shopping experience in the city. XianXia Road on its South is a district artery of long history on which a number of shops and malls were established one by one following the open of economy in Mainland China in the past thirty years. ZunYi Road on its West is connecting a cluster of international hotels to retails, F&B outlets and a wide variety of urban activities. ZiYun Road on its North connects the site to a modern shopping mall and F&B street.

Allianz Arena

  Allianz paid significant sums for the right to lend its name to the stadium for a duration of 30 years. However, as Allianz wasn't a sponsor of the 2006 World Cup and is not an official UEFA sponsor, the Allianz logo had to be removed during the World Cup and is covered during Champions League games.
    The Allianz Arena replaced Munich’s old Olympiastadion. First plans for a new stadium were made in 1997, and even though the city of Munich initially preferred reconstructing the Olympiastadion, they eventually went ahead with the clubs’ proposal for an entire new stadium.
    The impressive stadium contains 66 000 seats that are distributed along three rings of tiers. It was projected by the Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron after winning an international contest for the development of a new stadium in the Munich area. As the result of a commercial agreement, the stadium was named after Allianz AG, an international finance and insurance company with headquarters in Munich.
    The Swiss architect firm of Herzog & de Meuron then developed the concept of the stadium with a see-through exterior made of ETFE-foil panels, that can be lit from the inside and are self-cleaning. Construction started in the autumn of 2002 and was completed by the end of April 2005.
   The stadium construction began on 21 October 2002 and was officially opened on 30 May 2005. The primary designers are architects Herzog & de Meuron. The stadium is designed so that the main entrance to the stadium would be from an elevated esplanade separated from the parking space consisting of Europe’s biggest underground car park.[7] The roof of the stadium has in-built roller blinds which may be drawn back and forth during games to provide protection from the sun.
-Total concrete used during stadium construction: 120,000 m³
-Total concrete used for the parking garage: 85,000 m³
-Total steel used during stadium construction: 22,000 tonnes
-Total steel used for the parking garage: 14,000 tonnes
    The cost of the construction itself ran to €286 million but financing costs raised that figure to a total of €340 million. In addition, the city and State incurred approximately €210 million for area development and infrastructure improvements.
   The stadium can change into three basic colours: white, blue, and red (and a mixture of these). The stadium contains lights of variable colour that are inserted in the façade. The outside material of the stadium is made of transparent elements. They cover the entire structure (made of reinforced concrete) that supports the tiers from the bottom up to the top where imposing supporting beams hold the roof of the stadium.
   The effect is great! Seen from a distance the stadium looks like a big toy. The stadium reaches a considerable height of 50 meters (164 feet) despite the fact that the lowest ring of tiers and the playing field are situated below earth's surface.
 The Allianz Arena offers guided stadium tours that include the changing rooms, players’ tunnel, sponsor lounge, and press club. The tours last about 60 minutes.