Prague Architecture

Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic, is widely considered one of the most beautiful cities in Europe with preserved examples from all periods of its history and belongs among the most visited cities on the continent. Situated on the River Vltava in central Bohemia, Prague has been the political, cultural, and economic centre of the Czech state for over 1100 years. The city proper is home to more than 1.2 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 1.9 million.

Prague was developing as an important centre where Czech, German and Jewish cultures met and mingled. Following the establishment of the Czechoslovak Republic in 1918, Prague became the metropolis of the new country. It experienced a growth of its territory and a great architecture boom.

Known as the “golden city of spires,” Prague in the Czech Republic has architectural splendours that span a thousand years. Prague is your introduction to the Medieval, Baroque, and Renaissance buildings.

For most of its history Prague had been a multiethnic city with important Czech, German, and (mostly Czech- and/ or German-speaking) Jewish populations. From 1939, when the country was occupied by Nazi Germany, and during World War II, most Jews either fled the city or were killed in the Holocaust.

Since the fall of the Iron Curtain, Prague has become one of Europe’s (and the world’s) most popular tourist destinations. It is the sixth most-visited European city after London, Paris, Rome, Madrid and Berlin. Prague suffered considerably less damage during World War II than some other major cities in the region, allowing most of its historic architecture to stay true to form. It contains one of the world’s most pristine and varied collections of architecture, from Art Nouveau to Baroque, Renaissance, Cubist, Gothic, Neo-Classical and ultra-modern.

Since 1992, the extensive historic centre of Prague has been included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. According to Guinness World Records, Prague Castle is the largest ancient castle in the world. Nicknames for Prague have included “the mother of cities” (Praga mater urbium)”, “city of a hundred spires” and “the golden city”.

Centuries of construction gave rise to an exceptional integrated architectural complex, unique in the world as regards its size and concentration of cultural heritage. Different architectural styles mingle and intertwine here, and their symbiosis creates the city’s unique atmosphere. The most valuable part of the city’s centre was declared the Prague Heritage Reserve in 1981, which was included in UNESCO’s world cultural heritage list in 1992.

Prague is the seat of the top-level legislative, administrative and political bodies of the country - the parliament, government, and president. The most important social, cultural and educational institutions reside here. The city is the entrance gate to the Czech Republic. You can admire here all the architecture treasure.

Can a construction laborer with the following physical limitations find work?

Can a person who is limited to only occasional overhead lifting, no lifting over 35 pounds above shoulder level and no lfiting over 50 pounds under shoulder level perform the work necessary for Construction Laborers or Construction Workers?

Medieval Architecture

The term Medieval Architecture is used to represent various forms of architecture popular in Europe. Castles and fortified walls provide the most notable remaining non-religious examples of medieval architecture. Religion has always had a great influence on architectural styles, as has defense and natural geographical features.

Towers of medieval castles were usually made of stone or sometimes (but rarely) wood. Often toward the later part of the era they included battlements and arrow loops. Materials that were used in the building of castles varied through history. Wood was used for most castles until 1066. They were cheap and were quick to construct. The reason wood fell into disuse as a material is that it is quite flammable. Soon stone became more popular.

The next step is to recognize or examine the building materials used. Most medieval churches were built of limestone, with wood acting as support for flying buttresses. Wood was not a common building material in past ages. You will find gorgeous stained-glass windows. The windows are representative of medieval architecture. You will find extravagant use of colors and size in the medieval churches.

In the 1100’s, people built Romanesque churches in Germany, like the abbey church in Regensburg. Around 1200 AD, people changed from the old Romanesque style to a new Gothic style: first in Italy, with the churches at Florence and Pisa, then in France, with the cathedrals of Laon, of Paris, of Chartres, of Rouen, of Reims, of Amiens, and finally in England with Westminster Abbey, in Germany with Munster, Regensburg, Bremen, Freiburg, and Cologne and in Italy with Milan.

Compare the difference between religious and secular medieval architecture. The emphasis is on defense, as opposed to symbolism. Some of the notable features include a moat (which varied between wet and dry to keep the enemy at bay), wide outer walls (between 20 and 40 feet wide) for the sentries to keep watch, and crenellated edges for the archers to shoot between, which also provided protection.

Well, above are some key features that define the classic and elegant medieval architecture!

Search Engine Optimization and Site Architecture

SEO ARCHITECTURE - I

“SITE ARCHITECTURE” applies to both the search engine robots and your human visitors. The theme of each of your web pages should be obvious by the content and the keywords used. Have your most important information “above the fold’ or completely visible in the browser window.

Your web page should use both visual and textual clues to convey the message of the web page. For instance, a visual clue are keywords in Heading Tags like . This creates a bold heading that attracts the key of the human visitor and feeds the search engine robot information to include in your listing

Using “breadcrumb links” technique is also a very good navigational tool.

Breadcrumb links show the path to the current page and allows the visitor to link to any of the pages along that path. For example:

seo secrets > links> breadcrumb links

You can create these links easily using the script available here: http://javascript.internet.com/navigation/breadcrumb-links.html

Designing your web pages with different colors for each type of link on the page makes it easier for your visitor to decide their actions.

Make your visited links display in a different color from you unvisited links, so that visitors know the pages they have visited and the pages that they can explore.

There are graphic or image based menus that change in appearance to clue the visitor to the page that they are currently visiting. If you use this type of menu be sure to include a text menu for the search engines.

Build Your Own Replica Architectural Bird House

With some basic woodworking skills you too, can craft your own replica architectural bird house. The time and detail put into handcrafting the replica bird house will make it a truly unique and personal work of art. By following the same steps we follow at New England Birdhouse, you’ll be able to create a one of a kind architectural replica birdhouse of your own.

Always start with a plan

We use CAD software to develop scale plans for our custom birdhouses. If that’s a bit too technical of an approach for you, we suggest making a simple measured drawing. Sketch out the details of your house including roof lines and angles, window and door positions and decorative moldings. Transform this sketch into a full-size drawing of the birdhouse. This plan will become a template for your bird house and will provide the scale and positioning of the architectural details of your replica bird house.

A cardboard mock-up of the replica bird house can be very helpful at this point, especially when working with roof lines. Shipping boxes and masking tape can be used to create three dimensional models to help visualize the completed bird house.

When determining the size of your bird house it’s important to consider not only the structure you are replicating, but also how the completed bird house will be mounted and displayed and how many nesting chambers your birdhouse will feature. Typically, our custom replica birdhouses are about 2′ wide x 3′ deep x 16″-18″ tall, and feature two nesting boxes.

Consider the safety of occupants

As you are planning and building your replica birdhouse, always consider the safety and well being of the birds that will occupy the house. The nesting chambers should be left unfinished and free of any paint, glue or chemicals. Any sharp points from exposed screws or nails should be filed smooth. The nesting chambers must have access for cleaning, a drainage and ventilation area and an appropriately sized entry hole. To attract most common cavity nesters use a hole no larger than 1 3/4″. To protect young nestlings, make sure that the entry hole is at least 4″-5″ from the floor of the birdhouse, so they cannot fall out. Do not include any perches, as they will function as a place for predators to harass the nestlings.

Constructing the birdhouse

Our custom replica birdhouses are made from milled 5/8″ eastern white pine, fastened and joined with exterior grade screws and glue. Pre-milled lumber can be found at lumber yards and big box hardware stores. Finished 3/4″ pine in 6′ or 8′ widths can be glued and joined to create walls and roofs. Always use long grain but joints and never try to glue end grain, because it is not a structural joint. An interior frame can be built to attach the walls and roof to. Make sure that the bottom of the birdhouse is reinforced to accept mounting hardware.

Details, details, details

Our architectural details are carved, burned and painted into our custom replica birdhouses using a variety of tools and artistic techniques. Artchitectural details commonly include shingle, siding, window, shutter, brick, door, molding and fascia board detail. Experiment with different techniques and materials to achieve a look that you feel comfortable with. Most architectural details can be created using a handheld rotary tool (like a dremel) outfitted with a circular carbide disc or sanding wheel, and an artist’s paintbrush.

Painting and finishing your birdhouse

Thoroughly sand the exterior of your replica bird house and remove any sawdust. Seal the exterior of the bird house with a water based paint sealer (like Kilz) and blend exterior grade latex paint to match the colors you desire. The blended exterior colors can be airbrushed or hand brushed onto the bird house. Finally two coats of non-yellowing marine urethane finish are sprayed onto the birdhouse.

Completing your birdhouse

Following these steps will yield a replica birdhouse that with proper placement and maintenance will provide years of enjoyment. We recommend that the houses be located in a shady, sheltered area to minimize weathering and that the birdhouses be moved inside during the winter months. With time, the replica birdhouse will need to be refinished.

Cad Conversion Options for Architectural Drawings

With CAD, what are the differences between DXF and DWG?

Between DWG and DXF, clients have discovered that with DWG, not only are many advanced drafting options supported, but their fonts, line-weights and even colors are being maintained, which DXF sadly enough cannot manage at this time. Whereas AutoDesk works entirely with it’s own DXF, all of their competitors have changed, choosing DWG to run all AutoCAD needs at this point, and they are not alone, as many other commercial companies have done just the same. One of the biggest reasons for this is the easy migration of files between (for example) all the members of a large condominium project. Add to this as well, the fact that DXF files are on average 2 ½-3 times larger than their DWG counterpart. With the large usage of DWG, they no longer have to rely upon AutoDesk. AutoCAD DWG keeps progressing, coming forth with support for even more complex object forms, and thereby gaining more power, essentially rendering DXF useless.

For any further information on DXF, such as spec’s, all info can be located at AutoDesk’s website.

Limitations of PDF storage

Although quite a few companies within the building/construction industry have chosen to utilise PDF (portable document format) as their primary choice for the computer storage of their images and documents relating to these businesses, that choice is very limited.

An excellent choice for merely archives, where you just view or print the files, PDF does not allow for any needed corrections to be made. In order to edit a file that is stored in PDF, you must first have the file converted into a proper CAD form.

Scan-to-CAD or Manual Transferrence

The best option for storing important architectural, or engineering files is via a method known as ‘Scan-to-CAD’. By utilising software which transfers raster files into vectorised lines, circles, arcs, and shapes through automatic vectorisation, a more satisfactory result is created. Though the cost is less, the overall quality is still not on par with a manually re-drafted CAD file. In addition, it can often result in inaccuracies, and the need for extended manual redrawing to correct these inaccuracies.

By far, the most precise, and dependable process for the conversion of your paper files is through the physical act of transferring these into CAD by manually redrawing. Taking the raster imaged file and converting into CAD is far from quick or easy, and due to this, many companies have turned to outsourcing to solve the implicit cost issues. Through a minor factor, like outsourcing, you can have your files transferred professionally, and accurately into a CAD file.

Architecture Career Dictates the Environment

The traditional architecture career besides professional architects, principal, project architect, staff architect, draftsperson, or intern can offer some other positions which are also good opportunities for architects’ jobs. It is not necessary that an architect can be architect only. An architect can have many other career opportunities. Some careers which can additionally be required besides that of an architect are for example architectural critic, architectural photographer, building inspector, city planner, civil engineer, construction inspector, construction manager, design/build team manager.

Other examples could be: environmental planner, furniture designer, graphic designer, illustrator, landscape architect, market researcher, museum curator, publisher, real estate agent, structural engineer, technical writer, TV/film producer, web site designer. Architects jobs offer a big range of the architecture career possibilities. For example a building inspector is all the time necessary on a building area.

His duty is to inspect the area on a general level. He is responsible for the safety of the buildings under construction. The same can be said about the city planer That is why architectural education is a nice opportunity for a range of jobs. The most important duties an architect should have is that of managing and estimating the space, size, materials, light and other components which enter in the constructional process. Architects jobs represent a good opportunity for those who would like to have an impact on the surroundings.

The architects modulate, change and introduce new tendencies in urban design, in this way creating new tendencies in architectural styles. Architecture career connected with imagination and with flexibility of the mind. Such architects can achieve worldwide success. There are many companies which compete at different contests regarding different projects. In this case, each from a company should present his or her project in the best way.

For this purpose the architect needs a big team, a team which will act in the company’s interests. The team consists from different consultants, graphic designers, engineers, planners and some others. There are some international awards destined for the best architects who created their masterpieces. The Pritzker Prize is one of the most prestigious awards in the architectural world.

One of the requirements for architects’ jobs is the direct work with the clients. The architect is not an intermediate, the architect is responsible for the project and he should settle all the misunderstandings or clients’ preferences with the client directly. Architecture career is based on the comments and satisfaction of the clients. The architect is responsible for the deadlines, for the work of technicians, mechanical and electrical engineers. An architect must manage a great number of people. Architects work mostly in their offices, but they also have to work out of the office and to pay visits to their clients, to supervise and to guide the works on the building areas.

Architects jobs require full attention to the local laws and jurisdictions regarding buildings. They should know the law regulating the building of massive edifices, the safety engineering, parking limitations, there are limitations regarding the usage of glass in some areas, all these necessitate a very careful study from the architects’ side.

Architects are responsible for our habitations, they dictate the fashion of the cities, they preserve the architectural heritage of the countries, they are responsible for the comfort and for the emotion a city can provide. So based on this it is possible to state that an architecture has a strong impact on our lives.

Would a construction loan be the type of loan for building a new home?

If you wanted to build your own house, would you apply for a construction loan? What are the terms of a construction loan? How hard is it to get one?

Understanding Queen Anne Architecture

Queen Anne style homes are often easy to spot, but hard to define. It’s partially that elusivity combined with distinctness that makes the style so attractive to buyers and preservationists across the nation. Queen Anne homes are often referred to as the most ornate buildings of the Victorian era, and combine a variety of aesthetics and building methods from the late 1800s and early 1900s.

One of the reasons Queen Anne architecture looks so different from other styles is that it was generally only used on houses. While other styles like Gothic Revival and Federal were being adapted for commercial buildings, churches, and public institutions, Queen Anne architecture was specifically made for upscale houses and mansions, using the latest materials and methods of the machine age. Another developmental difference between Queen Anne and other styles is that it didn’t tend to draw on past eras, but instead produced a new building school that helped set the stage for 20th century homes.

The defining characteristics of the Queen Anne style are many and not always consistent, but there are a few key elements. In general, Queen Anne homes use high-pitched, irregular roofs, spindles and lookouts, decorative structure elements such as columns, and covered balconies. Many Queen Anne homes also employ stained glass, turrets, half timbering in the gables similar to the Tudor style, and patterned masonry. Different sub-styles of the Queen Anne movement include Spindled, Free Classic, Half-Timbered, and Patterned Masonry.

While generally very attractive, Queen Anne homes are often derided as being excessive, or “ginger-bread” like. It’s true that Queen Anne architecture was the product of a rapidly changing era, and many of the homes included features never seen before, so the criticism holds some weight.

The name for the Queen Anne style is often attributed to an 1852 novel by William Makepeace Thackeray entitled “The History of Henry Esmond, Esq., A Colonel in the Service of Her Majesty Queen Anne,” which was popular for decades in the English speaking world. By contrast, stylish and modern furnishings from the historical reign of England’s Queen Anne, came to be classified in a style known as “William and Mary.”

How often will a Civil Engineer be on the construction site?

Considering the Civil engineer is working on transportation or structure how often would the engineer(s) be at the site?

I am strongly considering a Civil Engineer degree and would like to know about this. What type of engineer jobs would be available for new Civil engineers with a BS? Would I be employed as a field engineer when first starting out, and how long are they on the construction site?

Any input from a civil engineer, someone in construction, or anyone who has an answer will be appreciated.