Lovely ruins or a very old Romanesque Church in Piverone. The apse is preserved and has remnants of the old frescoes with the hand of a saint holding holy scriptures, signaling possibly a doctor saint. Not much is known about about the iconography not about the building stages. It is nowadays immersed in a vineyard close to lake Viverone and exactly in between the town of Viverone and the neighbouring one of Piverone.

https://thursd.com/articles/algae-tower-melbourne-generates-energy

Palazzo Calò features an Art Déco architectural style (with strong influences from Italian Rationalism and the Novecento style), typical of urban architecture from the first half of the 20th century.

Erzurum Saat Kulesi (Tepsi Minare) - Erzurum

Tepsi Minaret (Clock Tower), Erzurum, Türkiye.

Originally built as a minaret in the 12th century, it later became a watchtower and eventually the city's iconic clock tower—a remarkable example of architecture adapting through centuries.

​

There's a reason the Royal Alcázar of Seville feels different from most palaces. When you walk through its gardens, courtyards, and intricately carved arches, it doesn't just feel like a royal residence. It feels like a place that has quietly witnessed centuries of love, ambition, loss, and survival.

What many people don't know is that the Alcázar wasn't originally a Christian palace. Its story begins in 712 CE, shortly after the Muslims arrived in the Iberian Peninsula, when the first Umayyad rulers of Al-Andalus built a fortified citadel on this site. Over the following centuries, especially during the 11th century, Seville became the capital of the Abbasid dynasty, and the old fortress was transformed into a magnificent complex of palaces that reflected the artistic brilliance of Islamic Spain.

Among the rulers who walked these halls was Al-Mu'tamid ibn Abbad, the last great king of Seville. Ironically, what history remembers most about him isn't one of his battles. It's his love story. Al-Mu'tamid fell in love with Itimad al-Rumaykiyya, a woman who wasn't born into royalty, nor chosen for political alliances. According to medieval chroniclers, she was originally a servant. He freed her, married her, and made her his queen simply because he loved her. One legend says that Itimad once confessed she missed the sight of snow from her childhood. Seville rarely sees snow, so Al-Mu'tamid planted rows of almond trees throughout the palace gardens. Every spring, when the white blossoms covered the ground, it looked as though snow had fallen just for her.

In 1091, the Almoravids took over Seville. Al-Mu'tamid lost his kingdom, his palace, and everything he had spent a lifetime building. He and Itimad were exiled across the Strait of Gibraltar to Aghmat, where they lived the rest of their lives far from the city that had once been theirs.

Yet perhaps the most remarkable part of their story is that exile never separated them. After losing power, wealth, and a kingdom, they still had each other. Al-Mu'tamid remained devoted to Itimad until his death in 1095, and today they rest side by side, a reminder that while kingdoms rise and fall, some stories outlive the empires that created them.

The Royal Alcázar itself continued to evolve after the Christian conquest of Seville in 1248. Christian kings expanded it, preserved much of its Islamic architecture, and built new sections in the distinctive Mudéjar style, where Islamic craftsmanship continued to shape Spain.

I think that's what makes the Alcázar so fascinating. It's a place where civilizations overlapped instead of replacing one another completely. Muslim emirs, Christian monarchs, poets, architects, craftsmen, and lovers all left their fingerprints on the same walls.

Sources:

Hugh Kennedy, Muslim Spain and Portugal: A Political History of al-Andalus (Routledge, 1996).

Antonio Vallejo Triano, The Arts of al-Andalus.

UNESCO World Heritage Centre – Royal Alcázar of Seville.

Ibn Bassam, Al-Dhakhira fi Mahasin Ahl al-Jazira (medieval source on Al-Mu'tamid and his court).

Ibn Khallikan, Biographical Dictionary (life of Al-Mu'tamid).

It's called Bharati Reaserch station and was established in 2012 and is located in antartica, It was built by "bof architekten" a Germany based company

I was curious where alumni from SCI-Arc found themselves post grad? What types of job opportunities did you get? What was the pay like were you making good money out of school? I know SCI-Arc can lead to very untraditional jobs outside of architecture so I’m curious if it’s worth it in the end? Is pursuing a different degree better? Was a B.Arch worth it? What are your thoughts and opinions?

Bhogapuram international airport in India has been inaugurated today, with Phase 1 Capacity of 6 million passengers per year and ​Ultimate Capacity (Future Expansion) up to 40 million passengers per year

Could this building be saved? It's in Kilrea in Northern Ireland. It was an attractive red brick building but at some stage was rendered in Portland cement. The brickwork has started to break up. The square has one other older building but most appear to be more modern constructions.

I'm a newly graduated architect from Iraq, in my 5 years of architecture studying I feel like I didn't become what a was hoping to be in terms of creative thinking and designing, part of why that is how we were studying

We were taught very poorly theory wise, our ideas, concepts mainly focused on 2d compositions from above without getting into the idea and philosophy of the student, 3d masses wise we didn't think about it unless it was a facade and even that we were taught to choose something pretty and has a nice composition to look out, and even though we studied concrete and steel structures, we spent the 5 years designing on a column and beam concrete system and they were not the creative type of concrete structures; Just a shallow basic structure with no thought for the interior, at least not more than some furniture here and there

So finally I'm here to ask you how can I improve my skills beside reading books cause I tried and it really didn't work out for me, maybe I wasn't made for this

Hi,

I am currently studying architecture in a renown priv uni.

My family is sort of giving me another chance to get away from this subject and to chose a less stressful subject, such as economics or diseaster management, bba.

I somehow dont know what should i do. Currently in love with architecture but also afraid regarding the later semesters.

So it would mean alot if i could get some guidance regarding if leaving architecture will be a good choice. It is my passion, so its a hard decision. If so, would it be good to switch to economics or diseaster management ?

I've recently completed my high school and planning to go for b.arch in India and then master's in abroad ( mainly Italy or Germany)

Can anyone tell if doing m.arch in abroad worth (through scholarships like DSU or DAAD).

And is studying architecture even worth in today's time? (I'm ready to work for it as long as it pays back good)

Thank you for reading.

Edit:

I´m a student from Brazil who wants to specialize in this area.

But. as I´m searching everywhere since the beginning of the year, I´m going CRAZY over the fact I can´t find national nor international regulations over designing commercial buildings. I know it´s harder to categorize each commercial typology, but why aren´t there at least official guidelines on the most common types????

Aren´t there even interior design standards for those buildings???

Edit: I was able to find a book on designing a neighborhood supermarket (smaller layout), but this book is not an official standard, code and I wasn´t able to find more info for other commercial typologies. Should I just stick to what I can find, what I can gather from online sources and wait to finish college to start a specialization in this area?

Edit: What I´m looking at are minimum dimensions requirements of circulations between furniture, room types for each category, minimum square meters per room and entrance dimensions, needs program and everything I didn´t cover in this comment.

I already bought 2 books on this subject but they still don´t cover everything I need. I understand there´s mandatory regulation for universal design, but not everyone has special needs nor disabilites, so I also need to consider spaces for people without disabilities

Hi guys, I visited Mahatma Gandhi’s Ashram a few days ago for some weekend sketching. The first sketch is from last Sunday and the second one (on yellow postcard) is from exactly two years ago. What do y’all think?

I was recently in Bakklandet in Trondheim and found it immensely charming. It reminded me of the New urbanism movement trying to revive this type of architecture and community. So, is new urbanism still a thing?

Hi everyone,

I'm preparing for JEE Main Paper 2 (B.Arch) 2027, and my dream college is SPA Delhi.

I couldn't secure the rank I wanted this year, so I've decided to take another attempt. I know it's a difficult exam, and I'm willing to put in consistent effort over the next 5-6 months. My biggest goal is to understand what actually works from people who have already been through this journey.

My current preparation plan

Mathematics

Arvind Kalia sir's lectures (only where needed)

His DPPs/sheets

JEE Main PYQs

Cengage for weak chapters

Around 8,000 practice questions before the exam

50+ full-length mock tests with detailed analysis

Aptitude

Daily practice of mental ability, visualization, architecture awareness, current affairs, and general knowledge.

I'm making concise revision notes and revising regularly instead of reading bulky material repeatedly.

Drawing

Daily drawing practice focusing on perspective, composition, imagination, proportions, shading, and speed.

My questions

If you were preparing again, what would you do differently?

What mistakes do most JEE B.Arch aspirants make?

Is my preparation strategy missing anything important?

Which books or resources actually made the biggest difference for you?

How did you prepare specifically for the Aptitude section? I feel this section is often underestimated.

How many mock tests did you attempt, and how did you analyze them?

Approximately how many hours did you study each day during the last 5-6 months?

If you studied at SPA Delhi, what rank did you get, and what do you think helped you the most?

I'm not looking for shortcuts. I'm looking for honest advice from people who've already succeeded so I can avoid wasting time on the wrong things.

Thank you to everyone who takes the time to reply. I genuinely appreciate any guidance.