London Modern Architecture – Lloyd’s Building (1986)
Richard Rogers’ Lloyd’s building is a breath of fresh air in a city full of concrete commercial office blocks. The daring design places the stairs, elevators, power cables, air ducts and water pipes on the exterior, creating a clean uncluttered working space inside the tower. The services, things that other buildings try to conceal, thus proudly ornament the outside of the Lloyd’s building, creating its unique look.
The Lloyd’s building is located at 1 Lime Street and although not regularly open to the public the office does open each year as part of London Open House, when it’s free to visit.

London Modern Architecture – London Eye (1999)
Similarly to the Eiffel Tower, in Paris, the London Eye was originally intended only to be a temporary construction. However, due to its immense popularity, much like the Eiffel Tower, the wheel has become a permanent landmark, an instantly recognizable symbol of the city.
The Eye is located on the south bank of the River Thames opposite the houses of parliament. It is currently the most visited paid tourist attraction in country and the 30-minute ride will cost £17.50.

London Modern Architecture – 30 St Mary Axe: The Gherkin (2004)
30 St Mary Axe, affectionately known as The Gherkin (the British word for a pickle) due to its shape, is a welcome addition to the city skyline. This visually striking postmodern tower is an extremely good example of how modern architecture can enhance its local environment. The building is appreciated by both the public and professionals alike and won its architect, Sir Norman Foster, Britain’s most prestigious architectural award, the RIBA Stirling Prize.
Located, unsurprisingly, at 30 St Mary Axe, The Gherkin is only open to the public once a year as part of London Open House.

Canal rings houses
The old centre was formed by rings of canals with unique mostly 17th century residences of wealthy merchants, financiers, craftsmen, doctors, lawyers, politicians and artists. Because of lack of space, these houses were mostly narrow, not more than 30ft wide (9 meters). They are are characterized by big narrow windows, decorative gable tops, very narrow stairs inside and pulley outside to transport larger objects to upper floors. Very often the residences served also as businesses. Merchant’s houses had their storage in attics and cellars. Sometimes the lift was installed in the middle of the house plan, to transport the goods between floors. The office of the merchant was usually on the ground floor. Like in Venice the canals were the main way of transporting the goods.

Classicism
At the end of the 18th century classicism produced in Amsterdam several monumental buildings, with probably the most interesting called Felix Meritis by Jacob Otten.

Historicism and Art Deco
The development of Amsterdam into the modern city at the end of the 19th century resulted in construction of the several landmark city buildings as Central Station, Central Post Office (today rebuilt into a shopping mall Magna Plaza), Rijksmuseum (State Museum), Stedelijk Museum (Municipal Museum), Stadsschouwburg (City Theater), Concertgebouw (City Philharmonic)and St. Nicolaaskerk. The foremost architect of this was P.J.H.Cuypers. Architecture of these building was searching for the historical inspiration, using elements of gothic and renaissance.
Art Deco popular at the turn of the 19th century in the whole Europe, left several interesting buildings in Amsterdam with the American Hotel as its foremost example with wonderful interior of the café and lunch room.

Hendrik Petrus Berlage
At the beginning of the 20th century an important milestone has been a vast plan of the expansion of Amsterdam into the dimension of the European metropolis, called Plan Zuid (Plan South – 1915) by an architect H.P.Berlage, often regarded as the Father of the Modern Dutch architecture.
Located just near the Dam square the Stock Exchange building (1903, now called Beurs van Berlage and used as exhibition and concert hall) also by the architect Berlage precedes the Amsterdam School style and is often regarded as influential to the whole Dutch architecture of the first half of the 20th.

The Amsterdam School style
At the beginning of the 20th century, the new housing law in the Netherlands started the boom of the low cost housing for the working class. Most of these quarters were built in a new distinctive style called the Amsterdam School (Dutch: Amsterdamse School). It was first applied by Michel de Kerk is a housing block called Het Schip (The Ship) – today regarded as a monument, with the museum of this architecture style in a former post office.

Functionalism (1920-1970) and after
As in many other European countries Dutch architecture after 1920 has been influenced by the ideas of the French architect Le Corbusier. New technologies – use of concrete, prefabrication, standardization as well as strongly emphasized function of the building are characteristic for architecture of this movement. The most imprtant architects were Gerrit Rietveld, Jacobus Oud, Johannes Duiker, Cornelis van Eesteren, Michiel Brinkman and Leendert van der Vlugt. The finest examples of functionalism were, still influenced by the Amsterdam School style housing district Betondorp (1921-1928) and Van Gogh Museum, by Gerrit Rietveld (1963-1973).
Later years (before 1990) brought several different streams in Dutch architecture. The most interesting architects of the 1960-1990 in Amsterdam were Aldo van Eyck, Herman Hertzberger. Still, it may seem that functionalism has been heavily influencing new projects.

As the population of Singapore is drawn from many ethnic origins, and the island has been ruled by a succession of foreign powers, the country has struggled to find its identity since gaining independence in 1965. First the city’s banks and then the government have actively aimed to develop high-quality landmark buildings with the aim of not only defining a sense of national identity, but also to boosting business and tourism. For this reason the city is full of high quality architecture.

Singapore’s Modern Architecture: Skyscrapers
In the late seventies and eighties Singapore’s businesses and hotels drew attention to themselves by constructing high-quality skyscrapers. The city became synonymous with the high-rise as buildings by some of the world’s leading architects, including Pritzker Prize winners, I.M. Pei and Kenzo Tange, rose in the city. In 1986 Singapore was the focus of the world’s attention, as the 280-meter Overseas Union Bank Centre became the tallest building outside of North America. This building would start a trend as Asian cities constructed higher and higher buildings.

First Kuala Lumpur (Petronas Towers), then Taipei (Taipei 101) and most recently Dubai (Burj Dubai) have all constructed visually interesting “world’s tallest”, skyscrapers that have focused the world’s attention on the host city. However, Singapore’s could not follow this route due to a height restriction imposed by the downtown’s proximity to the airport.

Singapore’s Modern Architecture: Municipal Buildings
Denied the chance to increase it’s exposure through the construction of the “world’s tallest building”, Singapore has tried to find other ways to distinguish itself and increase people’s awareness of the city through its architecture. City officials knew this could be achieved by creating an iconic landmark building, an Eiffel Tower or a Sydney Opera House, which would become synonymous with the city’s prosperity.

Since the beginning of the millennium three extremely high quality municipal buildings designed by internationally famous architects have been constructed in the city. First Michael Wilford and DP Architects’ Esplanade Theatre in 2002, followed by T.R. Hamzah & Yeang’s National Library of Singapore in 2005, and most recently Stirling Prize winner Norman Foster’s Supreme Law Court of Singapore in 2006. All three are examples of excellent modern architecture that Singapore can be proud of.

These buildings, and the recently completed Singapore Flyer, (which like the London Eye has become a major attraction) have drawn business and tourists to the city, however, although each building is a striking and successful addition to the city none has become the iconic symbol of Singapore.

There is a connection from the classical days of the design of building to the modern day style. In the overall decision of the design, the whole inside to the outer accessibility area to include common, modern day, and casual access, but in timed sequenced. Making available the areas of use for whatever purpose chosen, in the designated parts of the building. This accessibility includes the population of the area surrounding the building; availability of such a resource is a step towards combining a highly technological possibility, with a social aspect. By integrating and applying a technological implementation, to include a larger mass of people, is in need of the insights of the many different degrees of intuitional thinking. A process that should, as a principal include the natural light of the sun, as a devised source of the natural habitual construction of the design.

Architecture is a perspective in one view, of what is considered contemporary art. The style or design of the homes across the market that has a demand or need of the usually accepted form of what is considered, “enough.” This is a reflection of the society based value system that could be utilized for a broader understanding of living within proximity of others. There is a thread of the institutional factors of the development of the higher ends of society. Which spends on the majority of the manufacturing singularities, which is a process that includes the debts, in the amount spread out in the purchases, such as homes.

In a concept, architecture can be a reflection on the historical value that brought the first inclusion of art into the creation of buildings. In this art integrated type of creating a building was a combination; with what was held as important to the people,

who were in relation to the structures. The connection to the economy of a city, and, or the rulers of the nation, and to the creators, was a valued construction that was symbolic for the accomplishments of a technological state of the art, design.

In knowing the relation to human life and the good emotional states provided by the natural world, invites a concept for the environment of a habitual atmosphere, to be a vital reason for life in the design. This is according to the mass numbers of people that are spread out across the world, but have a certain place where they call home. The place from where they originated in decent of ancestry heritage. The inclusion of a place for the goodness of living, can be as the commonwealth of investment of a society, that can respect the artistry of architecture, as a place of healthy living in relation to the other life forms in the natural environmental surrounding.

Looking to the history of then, when the days of living was as though the king kept the city, and gave the protection of the people in his care. As too the surrounding area was in relation towards the other people in the environmental relation towards other nations of the area. Why should a government provide material to other countries, when the government can construct the buildings, and be in the development plans of a whole situated place, that is available for accessibility, for commercial, recreational, and habitual living? Instead of taxing people and major corporations – in fractions – when where those industries and individuals invest in the markets of other countries, and are accumulating billions of net worth each year?

Architecture has the value in the accessibility of common living in relation to the structure of time in the availability of the quality of life. Being able to live in an integrated area, that is, in a concept of homes and the buildings of development, is an investment for the health of a community and a larger whole of society.

Today people can look back and see the integration of society, at the time of the constructed architectural building of magnificent artistry. The modern day style of building, is in a transitional state of awakening, to the mass market of the many billions more of people, now alive today around the world. Including the same freedoms depicted in the creation of the most magnificent buildings has a connection to the ever-closing fast paced future of economical arising construction of habitual designs. Can the new forms of buildings, which, could be built with the availability of the material from the very government, that, could provide the accessible tools, be used for the collaboration or individual and personal approach of designs?

In the aspect of the individual and personal approach the architecture of a home should have the geometrical beauty of the natural sunlight being accessible for the person who is building the home. Major projects of construction should reflect the personal design of homes; the architectural blueprint should be effective in every space created. The future is a place of vast possibilities and the architect of buildings to hold masses of people, can be an accessible and available places of society integrated interaction of schooling, work, and recreational activities.

In the opposite subjection, the housing of the masses of people can be an isolating closed in and degrading dark place that can seem like in all absolution as a penitentiary for the whole of society and the individual soul. The solution is in the design of a plan, and in the creation of freedom in the basis of what is considered and implemented as important. When accounting for the larger scores of people who could benefit in the production of architectural buildings, that is possible with the ever increasing technological advancements in the creation of buildings that are both: accessible, and available.

The past shows of many great artistries of then modern man, today shows the evolution of the creations and in the materials used in the constructions. Tomorrow things get refined and there are even more breakthroughs, in the state of the art of architectural design and building. Examining the history and seeing how the created designs, had their place in the valued system of the people then. To now the influence, shows that the political and religious sectors were involved in the concepts that first started as a line from a pencil on a paper and became the cities of today, designed on a blueprint.

Although architecture is not widely recognised as an “important” and “popular” profession it is in fact one of the most influential and widely recognised jobs throughout history. Almost everything we know about ancient civilisation is based upon what we have found in and about it’s architecture and there are countless political and cultural symbols known primarily for their structural achievements such as the Pyramids of Egypt and the Roman Coliseum. Even modern cities and locations are both visited and known by architectural landmarks such as the Opera House of Sydney and the Empire State building of New York.

The history of architecture is also extremely interesting, as human technology and scientific and mathematical understanding increases, so to did our ability to build wonderful buildings. Architecture was born out of a combination of needs, such as shelter, security and worship and means, mainly the local building materials and physical ability. Early architecture was mainly vernacular architecture, a special type of architecture which is based around local needs and means. As it evolved the classic civilisations were born and great time and effort put into crafting areas of religious or political significance and even back in these times architecture was more than just a visual product. The roman Coliseum was designed so that all of the thousands of crowd members could see and hear the action at the centre and the way it amplifies sound was no accident.

As time passed architecture developed more and more with medieval structures like the castle and fort proving architecture had a place on the battle field as w ell as he city floor. During this period architects, especially in Europe, began to form guilds (as many craftsman did then). These guilds were design to help architects work together and achieve more monumental things, a practice that is still in society today in the form of architect partnerships.

In the renaissance architecture became a very personal affair and moved quickly away from war and religion. Many famous architects are from this period as this marked the start of buildings recognising their architects with individuals such as Palladio and Brunelleschi going down in history.

Today architecture is everywhere, almost any public building is professional designed and many compete for recognition inside their respective cities. There is massive emphasis on certain elements such as energy efficiency, environmental blending and the use of environmentally friendly construction materials. Design is also becoming increasingly advanced with superstructures like the Burj Al Arab 7 star hotel.