The architecture of ancient civilizations surprisingly still has enough influence to inspire a new-age working construction. Taking a leaf out of the pages from the ancient Maya civilization era architecture, a brand new railway station is under construction in Mexico, applying the Mayan design and techniques.
The Train Station
The much-awaited new railway station is going to service the popular tourist town of Tulum in the Yucatan state of Mexico. Carrying forward the legacy of over a thousand years old Maya civilization, the inventive designs and techniques are being reused in a refreshed modern way, to build the new station, along with a railway line with a length of 950 miles.
The Design
The English-Mexican designer architecture studio ‘Aidia’ is given responsibility for the whole project. Inspired by Mayan construction methods, the studio has designed a train roof shaped like a giant eyeball. The platform will have a lattice-patterned ceiling. Structured steel and concrete panels reinforced with fiberglass will be placed parallel to a geometric grid to construct the perforated large roof overhead, which will be glazed in strategic places before a fitted finish with polished hardwoods.
The Vision
The stunning design of the train station aims to handle the extreme tropical climate of the Yucatan peninsula. According to the designers, the envisaged aerodynamic geometry of the large lattice roof will crucially let the sea air in but keep the rain out, creating mechanical ventilation-free fully functioned semi-open public spaces. This lack of mechanized ventilation and surrounding foliage makes the design more sustainable. Inspired by the artful light and shadow techniques of the Mayan constructions, the calculated perforation of the roof will also funnel piercing sunlight through the station, projecting different geometric patterns on the platform floors and walls, hence creating a mystical play of light and shadow within the space. The designers have reinterpreted the ancient Mayan spatial quality in a contemporary way, perfectly honoring the Mayan heritage.
Man Who Draws Goofy Pictures Of Pets Raises Over $20,000 For Charity
When one man started drawing goofy pictures of people’s pets for a bit of fun, he had no idea that he would soon go viral. Nor did he know that he’d end up raising a lot of cash for charity in the process!
A Thank-You Card
Phil Heckels shared his first picture on social media around six weeks ago. The picture was of the family dog, in the hopes that his son would make thank-you cards. He captioned the picture with a joke price of £299 for anyone that wanted to buy it. However, he was shocked when people started messaging him asking for goofy pictures of their own pets.
Friends and Family
At first, just Heckels’ friends and family messaged the reluctant artist, asking if he’d draw their own pets. He had seven requests by the end of the first day, including everything from a yawning cat to a pretty parrot. The requests inspired Heckels to start his own page called ‘Pet Portraits by Hercule.’ Little did he know how quickly it would take off, though.
Free Portraits
Once he’d set up his new page, he explained to people that they could have a free portrait of their pets in return for a donation to Turning Tides, a local charity helping the homeless. The requests came flooding in and soon his pictures were going viral across social media. The fundraiser for Turning Tides has now brought in over $23,000 and Heckels explained he has over 1,000 requests for goofy pictures still to complete.
What started off as a bit of fun has turned into an incredible fundraiser for a worthy cause. We have a feeling Phil Heckels might want to start writing his own thank-you cards to all of those who have got involved with the project so far.