Unique Banyan Tree of Akhaura

Unique Banyan Tree

Debagram: Akhaura: Bangladesh

Last year on the victory day(16-12-2012), I had gone to Akhaura to see the border side villages. I walking though an unknown street inside Akhaura Municipality to reach the main road. I rarely know this place thus I ended up at an entrance of a Shiva Temple, and there was the tree waiting for me to view with charms. 

Usually Banyan Tree (Ficus benghalensis) a native tree of Bangladesh have unique fruit structure and are dependent on fig wasps for reproduction. The seeds of Banyans are dispersed by fruit eating birds. The seeds germinate and send down roots towards ground, which may envelop part of host tree and building structure. This nature of banyan tree often creates very impressive, eye catching and unique outlook with very mystical value. 

Sight by walk take me to an unique Banyan tree in the premises of the temple. There is the surprise for me. The Banyan tree covers the entire Shiva Temple by it's roots and branches in a natural geometry.There are four passage to go inside this single chambered 15 feet tall temple, without those entrance almost Tree  jacketed every bricks and plasters, it is awesome. 

I was so interesting to know more about this master tree.  It is the time of sunset, there were two children playing at the premised, they could not provide me the exact date of building this typical but very interesting Shiva Temple. I assumed that the temple is some 150 years old, and the Banyan tree is more than 80 years old. There is a electric lamp hanging and fixed into the trees branch without any base for night lighting, interesting.

My following amateur YOUTUBE video might give the redears better idea about how interesting an unique the Banyan tree is, enjoy:

Here is the location of This Latest Sight by Walk Finding: Google Map

Magic Mountain Lodge : Waterfall Hotel

Magic Mountain Hotel : Montana Magica Lodge : Waterfall Hotel

Huilo Huilo : Panguipulli : Valdivia : Los Rios Region : Chile


Magic Mountain hotel is situated in a privately owned reserve forest in Huilo Huilo biological reserve, just 2.6 kilometers on national highway 203 from Puerto Fuy village of Southern Chile. Main attraction of this hotel is the waterfall[don't guess it's natural too] cascading from the top and water fall down by a side. The water in these places is of great purity, and from the idea of showing the energy and life of this element, the project is a mountain, from which comes this life and contains the magic of the forest trees inside, finding in each of its details, the beings and elements that are unique and irreplaceable native forests.

The most impressive character of this volcano shaped architect is the nature around its area, combined with forest setting. To me this lodge is a classic example of eco-friendly or naturally sustainable tourism. Half of the exterior of this surprise architect is covered with exotic herbs of South America, which makes this hotel camouflaged in forest. Like magical exterior, interior of this lodge is also superbly decorated with many modern comforts.  Interior of hotel is decorated,designed and structured according to the traditional Chilean house by the local woods and stones. Windows,door and stairs, even walls are created using the local woods found around Puerto Fuy village by local craftsman.

There are nine rooms in this noble architecture, which are named after the local birds. It is a four star hotel, including sauna, restaurant, playing space for children, minigolf, reading rooms and special bathrooms in ancient logs heated with natural waters. It is really a great place to stay in jungle.
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Photos collected from the official web this hotel, for more photos click here.
Geotag : Google Map | Useful link : atlasobscura

Giant Wooden Ruble Coin

Wooden Coin of Ruble 

Novosobornaya Square : Tomsk : Russia

tnews,tomsk.ru

tnews.tomsk.ru

From Visualrian.com

Location :  56.474475°,  84.950711°

Living Bridge of Roots : Mawlynnong

Living Bridge of Roots 

Mawlynnong : East Khashi Hills : Meghalaya : India

Introduction
Mawlynnong is a village in East Khasi Hills district of the Indian State of Meghalaya, a hilly village of Jainta Hill series, so close to the Northern boundary of Bangladesh; is the cleanest village of Asia[Wiki]. It is a naturally gifted place with so many scenic views. This is village is also famous for the living bridge of roots, exclusively found only in Mawlynnong, pure natural wonder. Not just one, there are several root bridges in the surrounding of that village.
  

Photo : Kaikobad from Panoramio

Famous Double Decker : Cherrapunjee.com

How the Bridges Made
These are mainly rubber trees(Fiscus elastice). This tree can comfortably perch itself on huge boulders along side the riverbanks or in the middle of rivers and send its roots down to the riverbed. Thus, they have adapted themselves very well to high soil erosion caused by these fast flowing rivers and streams that come down about 3000 feet along precipitous slopes. These trees shoot out many secondary roots from their trunks.

Cherrapunjee.com

The early war-Khasis, had noticed these qualities of this tree and had adapted it to serve their need for bridges to cross rivers and streams. In order to direct the roots in the desired direction, betel nut tree trunks, sliced half in the middle for their entire length, are hollowed out and are positioned according to the requirement of the bridge. The thin and long tender roots are then passed through these hollowed out betel nut tree trunks. The roots start growing towards the directed end. When they reach the other end of the stream or river, they are allowed to take root in the soil, given enough time to get stength and strudy , living bridges are produced. Some of them take ten to fifteen years to become fully functional.

Here is a youtube presentation of ginesete:





Capacity and Length

These root bridges are so strong that some of them can carry 50 or more people at a time. We have some of them are 53 feet, 56 feet, 70 feet and even over 100 feet long. Villagers use some of these bridges for daily work for more than 500 years. 

Seema K K from Flickr 

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Main Source : Cerrapunjee.com | Atlasobscura.com | babakoto.eu

Google Earth

World's Tallest Wooden Skyscraper : Arkhangelsk

World's Tallest Wooden Skyscraper : Arkhangelsk
Архангельск : Russian Federation


As I mentioned about the Current Tallest Wooden Structure is situated in- 
Arkhangelsk, a city in Russia's far north-west, it is believed to be city of the world's tallest wooden house, soaring 13 floors to reach 144ft/43m high - about half the size of the tower of Big Ben. This unique house is also very popularly known as "the wooden gangster house" or "the largest log cabin in the world".

Yes! You are looking at the tallest wooden house in the world

The Story of The Fantasy Architecture 

Nikolay Sutyagin' the owner and the archeitecht of this house, started life in a Soviet communal two-storey flat. Sutyagin felt lonely living by himself. Building began in 1992 and for the past 15 years Sutyagin has dedicated much of his spare time transforming the house into what is considered the tallest wooden building in the world, or at least russia.

Pix credit: Lauri V from Panoramio

He was convinced by a trip to see wooden houses in Japan and Norway, he concluded that he had not used roof space efficiently enough and decided to keep building. The house is also crumbling, incomplete and under threat of demolition from city authorities. He firstly added three floors, but was not keen on the outcome, so he added more floors and just kept going....

worlds tallest log cabin and its architect,Pix from Design Boom

Nikolai Sutyagin's home is certainly different. Not only would his house be a perfect love nest, but it could even accommodate the 18 executives of his construction company. Now penniless Sutyagin lives in four poorly heated rooms at the bottom of his wooden log cabin with his wife. Many neighbours consider the building a monstrosity, others feel it is a glorified barn, fire hazard and eyesore but Sutyagin is determined to save his building and has erected a roof around the second floor that he says allows him to claim that everything above is decoration.

Yes! You are looking at the tallest wooden house in the world. Of course ! it's  man made.

Here is a TV report, shown in a Russian TV Channel, where NiKoaly described about his "perfection" and how did the possible 2 storied flat is emarged as a 13 storied log cabin. The city authority still not "happy" with its architecture, but this fantasy arcitecture, makes the city famous, watch:

 

Most impressive subject is that, Nikolay still thinks to grow his "Timber Temple" more higher...(thats my guess!)

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More Story | The Daily Telegraph | Common Gate 

 World Architecture News | Google Earth View (05/13/10)

World's Tallest Wooden Skyscraper : Kirkenes

Kirkenes is going to be the host of many architect and sky scraper lover. The Arctic border city of Norway is selected for the world's highest building ever constructed in wood, of course by a proper building plan. Currently the world's tallest wooden structure is a 144 feet, 13 story home in Arkhangelsk, Russia built by Nikolai  Sutyagin.

Barents Authority of Norway is providing the financial support for this master wooden structure. It will be their future secretariat. It will become a monument of 16-17 floors, all built in natural materials with innovative and environmental solution in all parts of building. 

According  Reilulf Ramstad the architect of the project - 

The idea is to construct a building which will be CO2 neutral., where the concept of the cycles of nature will be preserved. The firm is rely to integrate the systems that also enables it-to adept to the changing seasons and climate.

The planning also includes to reuse biodegradable house hold and industrial waste to produce biogas. Recycle materials from the surrounding area will be incorporated into the design, which is based on traditional architect from Russia, Sweden, Finland and Norway. The interior of the center will house energy efficient offices for the secretariat as well as a library, a theater and a creative environment for the artists, researchers, students and other relevant institutions.

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Barents Region | Skyscraper Page | Inhabitat | Barents Observer | Google Earth View

Up side Down House in Szymbark

Up side Down House in Szymbark
Szymbark : Poland

Poland has an upside down house in Szymbark, which is built in just 114 days in 2006. It is a major tourist attraction these days. The plan for build such an unusual house comes out from Daniel Czapiewski's mind, who is a Polish businessman and philanthropist, built this house as an artistic statement about the Communist Era and current state of the world.

Daniel Czapiewski designed this house according the traditional Polish Style of country side houses.  The interior is designed with Polish paintings,documents and maps about Communist era in Poland,  traditional and contemporary furnitures. After I learn about this house I feel that its a thematic architecture with a massage to mankind :

Be alert ! This could be happed to you too

He Felt that the way we lead our life, would lead us in an upside down state soon. This house is a symbol for the upcoming days for the mankind. The following Youtube video is a clip exhibition of his unique conceptualization, he also expresses his view about this house, here : 

Before take a tour in this house, I believe the tourist should practice and play illusion games and puzzles because many tourists complain of mild seasickness and dizziness after just a few minute in this structure. Even the construction workers  were suffered dizziness and confusion during the set up of the interior of this off-track house.
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More Reading source : Un-Usual Architecture | About.com


Pix sources : 
Winter pix is snapped by Grudzien70 from Panoramio 
www.urloplany.pl from Flickr

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