Google Earth recently relaunched with a host of new features to help people explore the world in even more detail without ever having to leave the air-conditioned comforts of their homes.
One of the most fascinating new features is known as Voyager and it allows people to “experience interactive stories from around the world.” Anyone can now take guided, interactive tours of famous cities, cultural landmarks, and lost civilizations. These tours have been curated by entities such as BBC Earth, DigitalGlobe, and The Ocean Agency.
Two tours, specifically, will be of interest to anyone with a passion for architecture: Frank Gehry Buildings and Architecture by Zaha Hadid.
Frank Gehry Buildings showcases eight of the architect’s designs from around the world such as the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, Germany, Dancing House in Prague Czech Republic, and Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle Wash. Each building comes with a short blurb explaining the building’s main function.
Frank Gehry's Dancing House. Courtesy Google Earth.
Architecture by Zaha Hadid features six of the late architect’s buildings such as the London Aquatics Center, the Bergisel Ski Jump in Innsbruch Austria, and Havenhuis in Antwerp, Belgium.
As one moves from building to building, the map zooms out, moves over the globe to the next landmark’s location, and then zooms back in. Once at the site, one is free to move around and zoom in and out as one pleases, or allow Google Earth to automatically pan slowly around the building. Building’s can be viewed in either 2D or 3D. Each building can be explored in Street View, as well.
Voyager allows people to view these often times very familiar structures in a more macro context. Instead of the professional pictures everyone has come to associate with a building like Gehry’s Walt Disney Concert Hall or Hadid’s MAXXI, people can now gain a better understanding of how the buildings fit into their site and the overall city.
Zaha Hadid's MAXXI museum. Courtesy Google Earth.
Other current Voyager tours include Museums Around the World, Lost Civilizations from Above, Hemingway’s Hangouts, and Following Charles Dickens.
Related Stories
| Jan 13, 2014
AEC professionals weigh in on school security
An exclusive survey reveals that Building Teams are doing their part to make the nation’s schools safer in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook tragedy.
| Jan 13, 2014
6 legislative actions to ignite the construction economy
The American Institute of Architects announced its “punch list” for Congress that, if completed, will ignite the construction economy by spurring much needed improvements in energy efficiency, infrastructure, and resiliency, and create jobs for small business.
| Jan 12, 2014
CES showcases innovations: Can any of these help you do your job better?
The Consumer Electronics Show took place this past week in Las Vegas. Known for launching new products and technologies, many of the products showcased there set the bar for future innovators. The show also signals trends to watch in technology applicable to the design and building industry.
| Jan 12, 2014
The ‘fuzz factor’ in engineering: when continuous improvement is neither
The biggest threat to human life in a building isn’t the potential of natural disasters, but the threat of human error. I believe it’s a reality that increases in probability every time a code or standard change is proposed.
| Jan 12, 2014
5 ways virtual modeling can improve facilities management
Improved space management, streamlined maintenance, and economical retrofits are among the ways building owners and facility managers can benefit from building information modeling.
| Jan 11, 2014
Getting to net-zero energy with brick masonry construction [AIA course]
When targeting net-zero energy performance, AEC professionals are advised to tackle energy demand first. This AIA course covers brick masonry's role in reducing energy consumption in buildings.
| Jan 10, 2014
What the states should do to prevent more school shootings
To tell the truth, I didn’t want to write about the terrible events of December 14, 2012, when 20 children and six adults were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. I figured other media would provide ample coverage, and anything we did would look cheap or inappropriate. But two things turned me around.
| Jan 10, 2014
Special Report: K-12 school security in the wake of Sandy Hook
BD+C's exclusive five-part report on K-12 school security offers proven design advice, technology recommendations, and thoughtful commentary on how Building Teams can help school districts prevent, or at least mitigate, a Sandy Hook on their turf.
| Jan 10, 2014
Resiliency, material health among top AEC focuses for 2014: Perkins+Will survey
Architectural giant Perkins+Will recently surveyed its staff of 1,500 design pros to forcast hot trends in the AEC field for 2014. The resulting Design + Insights Survey reflects a global perspective.
| Jan 9, 2014
How security in schools applies to other building types
Many of the principles and concepts described in our Special Report on K-12 security also apply to other building types and markets.
