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Speaking only for myself, it’s easy to mentally categorize subways (i.e., electric mass transit, mostly underground) as something different than railroads. Different lengths of routes, different spacing of stations, different rolling stock, and so on. The differences are often less than they seem, and the further back you go in time, the smaller those differences […]
a year ago

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More from Old Structures Engineering

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From Scientific American, December 8, 1894, an interesting view of two buildings: drawings that include both the above-ground portion of the buildings, more or less as you would see them, and the foundations as they could never be seen. The foundations are seen as if the earth had been turned transparent. The image of the […]

7 months ago 67 votes
Happy Christmas

I’m not so sure about that vest.

7 months ago 62 votes
Genteel

That’s the Hotel Marlborough at 36th Street and Broadway, shortly after 1900. The hotel opened in 1888 when the entertainment district on Broadway was further south; by the time it was demolished in 1922, that district had moved to Times Square, a few blocks to the north. It’s a story repeated for hundreds of buildings […]

7 months ago 64 votes
Once Again, In Plastic

The restoration of Notre Dame deserves all the praise that has been heaped upon it, but have I mentioned recently that my son and I have built the LEGO Notre Dame? We finished our small Notre Dame about a week after the official opening of the large one, but they had a head start on […]

7 months ago 59 votes
It Looked Familiar: Archetypical

From a graphic novel about art called Naked City: how do you capture the spirit of New York? A relentless grid and Old-Law tenements.

7 months ago 66 votes

More in architecture

The Myth of St. Gaudí: Miracle Worker or Great Architect?

Even as he approaches sainthood, the man who “designed Barcelona” defies categorization.

2 days ago 4 votes
How the Architectural Model Maker Behind the Chinese Pavilion at the Venice Biennale Impressed Architects Around the World

MAD’s exhibition in Rotterdam, to the China Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, to KPF’s renovated Manhattan studio, and to the groundbreaking ceremony for Changi Airport Terminal 5 in Singapore, QZY Models has made frequent appearances in these remarkable architectural projects. Based in Shenzhen, China, this model-making team has established collaborations with architects around the world.  How do they work together to realize the ideal expression of each project? Archinect takes a closer look at the team and the stories behind their models.

4 days ago 7 votes
Reading List 07/26/25

An important FAA rule change, construction microfactories, recycling data center waste heat, the rise and fall of MATLAB, and more.

a week ago 10 votes
Archinect Meets: The Daily Splice

Cutting up, piecing together, remixing, and collaging have been essential and time-tested elements of the creative process, including architecture. British graphic designer and animator Adam Hale, however, takes the medium to another level with a steady stream of often humorous — and always fascinating — animated collages on his popular Instagram account The Daily Splice. In today's Archinect Meets, we chat with him about his introduction to making collages, his connection to the built environment, and his preferred digital tools.

a week ago 12 votes
A Change of Course – Honing Network Rail’s Wayfinding Guidance

Finding your way around a Network Rail station is becoming another step easier. The publication of the most recent version of Network Rail’s Wayfinding design manual represents the latest step in the company’s quest to design the best possible signage system for stations. Given the ongoing moves towards re-integrating large parts of the railway network […]

a week ago 15 votes