Super Thin Buildings

When land is expensive or in short supply, smart real estate developers don’t get down, they look up. But, long, thin buildings are more expensive to construct because their shape requires more exterior wall area to enclose the same volume of space compared to a structure with a square plan. Either way, these super-skinny buildings are giving new meaning to the phrase 'now you see them, now you do not', and represent interesting places for taking photos.

Aqueduct Bridge — Netherlands

The Ringvaart (known in full as Ringvaart of the Haarlemmermeer Polder) is a canal in the province of North Holland, the Netherlands. The Ringvaart (Dutch meaning “ring canal”) is a true circular canal surrounding the Haarlemmermeer polder and forms the boundary of the Haarlemmermeer municipality. Ringvaart is also the name of the dike bordering the canal.

Near Roelofarendsveen, the Ringvaart crosses the A4 Highway by means of an aqueduct. It was built in 1961, making it the oldest aqueduct in the Netherlands. In 2006, construction was completed of two new portions: on the east side for crossing new north-bound lanes for the expanded highway; and on the west side for the new HSL-Zuid high-speed railway. The new aqueduct is 1.8 kilometres (1.1 mi) long. Link

The Ringvaart is used for commercial and recreational boat traffic. A portion of it forms part of the sailroute from Hollands Diep to the IJsselmeer, passable for ships with masts over 6 meters (20 ft) tall. 

Sheraton Huzhou Hot Spring Resort

Starwood Hotels and Resorts is looking to grow its Sheraton brand aggressively during 2013, with 30 planned openings, predominantly in the Asia Pacific region. — Sheraton will open 15 new hotels across China over the next 12 months, including the striking Sheraton Huzhou Hot Spring Resort (pictured below), moving Starwood closer to its target of 80 properties in China by the end of 2015.

Expansion for the brand will also extend into Africa and The Middle East with the addition of four new hotels, including the Sheraton Medina Hotel in Saudi Arabia, Sheraton Dubai Mall of Emirates and the first in Tajikistan - Sheraton Dushanbe Hotel. Sheraton will also open two new hotels in Turkey, in the cities of Adana and Bursa. 

Bahrain World Trade Center

The Bahrain World Trade Center (also called Bahrain WTC or BWTC) is a 240 m (787 ft) high twin tower complex located in Manama, Bahrain. The towers were built in 2008 by the multi-national architectural firm Atkins. It is the first skyscraper in the world to integrate wind turbines into its design. The wind turbines were developed, built and installed by Danish company Norwin A/S. This 50-floor structure is constructed in close proximity to the King Faisal Highway, near popular landmarks such as the towers of BFH, NBB and Abraj Al Lulu. It currently ranks as the second tallest building in Bahrain, after the twin towers of the Bahrain Financial Harbour. The project has received several awards for sustainability, including;

• The 2006 LEAF Award for Best Use of Technology within a Large Scheme.
• The Arab Construction World for Sustainable Design Award.

Blanket of fog hangs over the Dubai

Dubai-based German photographer Sebastian Opitz captures the surreal and mystical look of his adopted city as fog rolls in and out at sunrise. The photographer renames the cityscape as Cloud City for the brief moments when the mist takes over and fills the empty space between the towering buildings. Optiz's images offer a serene and dreamy view of a bustling city, re-imagining it as a heavenly metropolis in the sky.

The photographer says, "I've been living in Dubai for over four years now and always dreamed of taking one of those rare shots from above the fog. This only happens on 4 - 6 days per year and when it happens it will be over by 9 AM. So one has to make sure to be up on the roof of a tower before sunrise and hope for the best." Luckily, Opitz was there to catch the magical event from high above the city on the 85th floor of the Princess Tower.

The Agora Tower — Taipei, Taiwan

On the last and biggest parcel of land available for residential use in taipei city, vincent callebaut 's twisting, foliage-filled 'agora tower' will preside over the rest of the urban xinyin district. the architect, known for his distinct eco-vision, has designed a high-density space that aims at limiting the ecologic footprint of its inhabitants by forging a symbiotic relationship between the urban dweller and nature. tall planted balconies of suspended orchards, organic vegetable gardens and and medicinal greenery will take root in the high-performance building. in true cradle-to-cradle fashion, even the construction process transforms itself; industrial waste will be returned as a 'technical nutrient' to be indefinitely recycled. the helicoidal towers appropriate their form from the structure of DNA, conceptually speaking to the building blocks of life, as well as dynamism and twinning. four types of housing units form a full level allowing their twisting forms to optimize space for open-air hanging gardens. the angled apartments additionally offer exceptional views of the bustling city by multiplying the transversal views of the overall east-west rhomboidal pyramid. corbelled floors provide structure and privacy.