A recent online program, similar to Google Earth but with more quality and more features.

Here I leave you some examples of what you can find there.

Explore it: http://maps.live.com/

“Architects Serero have won a competition to temporarily remodel the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (via The Guardian).

Serero’s winning proposal, called Eiffel DNA, involves bolting a temporary Kevlar structure to the top of the tower, doubling the surface area of the viewing platforms.

The design was created using a generative computer script that took the tower’s existing structure and “grew” it so the new addition replicates the pattern, or DNA, of the original.

The competition was organised by Eiffel Tower operator Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the structure, which was completed in 1889.

Here’s some info from Serero’s website:

EIFFEL DNA
Restructuration of public spaces of the Eiffel Tower
2008

“… the authentic laws of the energy are not always conformal with the secret laws of the harmony…” Gustave Eiffel

The Eiffel tower in Paris suffers from its success. Since its creation the amount of visitors coming to reach its top has increased to reach its limit capacity. 6.5 millions People wait between 35 minutes to 1H10 to reach the elevators. The floor area of each level decreases with the height because of the tower geometry resulting in very long waiting lines and crowd management problems.

In celebration of the 120th birthday of the tower, the Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel decided to restructure the public reception and access areas of the tower. The proposal of SERERO Architects aims to create a temporary horizontal extension of the third floor of the tower in order to increase the quality of the access of the public as well as experiencing the fantastic 360 degrees sight of Paris.

When Gustave Eiffel designed the tower, he imagined that the tower would become the support of a great variety of scientific devices and experimentations to study gravity and wind pressure. The structure of the tower was therefore designed for increase of its weight. During World War I, the tower was holding antennas to retransmit radio wave to the whole country. Structural simulation of the Eiffel tower indicates that it is a highly hyperstatic structure, which is dimensioned for a weight higher than what it is supporting today.

Our project will extend the top floor plate of the tower by grafting a high performance carbon Kevlar structure on it. The structure will be temporarily bolted to the slab without requiring any modification of the existing structure. It will expand the usable floor area from 280 m2 to 580m2. The extension is composed of 2 slabs connected to the third floor deck as well as the upper level used as an apartment of Mister Eiffel (a space provided for temporary resting of Gustave Eiffel).

The design is based on a generative script, creating branches out of the primary structure of the tower. Inspired by the structural concept of Eiffel of three-dimensional cross bracing beams, the script unfolds along curved lines the “DNA” of the tower. The script used the existing structure at the top of the tower ( a 10 by 10 meters cube) to generate 3 structural weaves, which are interconnected. These layers are combined to create a woven complex, which is based on the redundancy and the non-repetition of patterns to increase its structural performance. In opposition with modern engineering (based on the concept of repetition and optimization), the project for the Eiffel tower extension is based on an alternative model of high performance.”

in: http://www.dezeen.com/2008/03/25/eiffel-dna-by-serero-architects/

“La Seu is a Roman Catholic Cathedral located in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, was built on the site of an existing Arab mosque. The Cathedral is 121 metres long, 55 metres wide and 44 meters of nave height. The Cathedral, designed in spanish levantino Gothic or southern French Gothic style, was founded by King James I of Aragon in 1229 but finished only in 1601.

Fifty years after a restoration of the Cathedral had started, Antoni Gaudí was invited in 1901 to take over the project. While some of his ideas were adopted - moving the choir stalls from the middle nave to be closer to the altar, as well as a large canopy - Gaudí abandoned his work in 1914 after an argument with the contractor. The project was cancelled soon after. Floor plan of La Seu

Almudaina Palace is near to La Seu Cathedral. This was the Muslim palace of the Banu Ganiya, at the edge of the port. The building was converted into a palace at the beginning of the 14th century.”

in: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palma_Cathedral

“Dresden (etymologically from Old Sorbian Drežďany, meaning people of the riverside forest, Sorbian: Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German Federal Free State of Saxony. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area.

Dresden has a long history as the capital and royal residence for the Electors and Kings of Saxony, who for centuries furnished the city with cultural and artistic splendour. The controversial bombing of Dresden in World War II by the British Royal Air Force and the United States Air Force, plus 40 years in the Soviet bloc state of the German Democratic Republic as well as contemporary city development has changed the face of the city broadly. Considerable restoration work has settled the damage.

Since German reunification in 1990, Dresden has emerged as a cultural, political, and economic centre in the eastern part of Germany.”

in: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dresden

image from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dresden

“Potsdam is the capital city of the federal state of Brandenburg in Germany. It is situated on the Havel River, southwest of Berlin. It is a part of the Metropolitan area Berlin/Brandenburg.

Potsdam is known as the former residence of the Prussian kings until 1918. The city features a series of interconnected lakes and unique cultural landscapes, in particular the parks and palaces of Sanssouci, the largest World Heritage Sites in Germany.

The Potsdam district of Babelsberg also serves as one of the leading centers of European film production. The Filmstudio Babelsberg has significant historical value as the oldest large-scale film studio in the world. The Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg frequently records soundtracks for domestic and foreign-based film productions.

The city developed into a center of science in Germany beginning in the 19th century. Today there are 3 public colleges and more than 30 research-institutes in Potsdam.”

in: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potsdam