Top 10 Amazing Articles of 2008

10 Towering Tree Houses Around the World




Who did not want a tree house as a small child? Many real-life adults have built bigger, better and more bizarre treehouses than most of us ever dreamed of as kids. The examples in this collection (and in the follow-up collection of 15 more amazing tree houses) range from eco-friendly, low-footprint sustainable tree house designs to high-flying, lavish and luxurious treehouses. Interested in all things offbeat and green? Check out our other articles on green art, design and technology as well as WebEcoist galleries on thermal & biomass, hydroelectric & water, solar and wind power designs.

10 Pieces of Terrific Transforming Furniture

Not interested in your standard sleek and stylish furniture? Want something that transforms or converts or is made from the most unusual of recycled materials? These clever transforming furniture designs range from innovative and space-saving to exotic and spectacular in terms of their origins and designs. Also, you guessed it, there are even more articles on offbea deisngs from prefab and flat-pack to recycled furniture as well as a multi-page category of the site dedicated exclusively to stylish alternative urban furniture.

5 Incredible Works of Insane Architectural Genius

Most buildings take teams of skilled workers, well-crafted designs and a long history in a construction tradition to produce. These amazing offbeat structures not only defy structural and aesthetic norms – itself a challenge – but are each primarily the labor of a single passionate (and often eccentric) individual. Interested in more architects and artists who break the mold and make amazing houses of all types and kinds or turn ordinary objects into the extraordinary art?

6) 20 Brilliant Bookcases and Bookshelf Designs

There is no reason to settle for a simple shoddy book storage system when you can go all-out and get dual-purpose or otherwise inventive shelving to stand out from the crowd. One of these designs doubles as a set of stairs while another shelf set invisibly hides behind the bottom book. And the furniture does not stop here: also see articles on other incredible furniture and funky fixtures including a series of furniture designs organized by every room inside your house and out.

Banksy: 7 Sides of the Infamous Street Artist

Banksy is a world-class enigma, a puzzle at times and a punchline at others – some love his work while others regard it as the epitome of vandalism. His identity is unknown but his art and graffiti are everywhere. His work is subversive yet it sells for hundreds of thousands of dollars to rich celebrities at auction. Another WebUrbanist series explores the work, art and history of Banksy and a WebUrbanist gallery shows over 100 of Banksy’s best works organized by approach, type and location. For other subversive work be sure to see the ultimate guerrilla marketing guide and our introduction to guerrilla action and culture jamming.

16 of the Most Sexy & Strange Art Hotel Rooms

Why stay in a drab and dull room when you want to have a remarkable and fun vacation? Almost anywhere in the world you can find accommodations that are as adventurous as your destinations. These amazing art hotels and hotel rooms are one kind of incredible visual experience but are far from the only type of alternative hotel experience. There are also castle, jail, art and theme hotels for virtually any kind of urban traveler on land – and for sea-farers there are always extreme houseboats, floating utopias, luxurious private islands or even adaptively reused sea forts for those that can afford them.

7Abandoned Wonders of the Former Soviet Union

Featuring deserted gulabs, abandoned nuclear submarine bases and more strangely still places this is part one in a two-part set surreal Soviet abandonments. The web-famous 7 Wonders Series is indesputeably WebUrbanist’s most popular content of all time. What started with 7 Abandoned Wonders of the World (then of America, Europe and Asia) progressed through articles on Underwater, Underground, Island, Engineering, Urban and Green Wonders of the Modern World. These articles will take you on a tour of lesser-known but equally-exciting wonders of the modern world not on most tourist maps.

24 Gripping Ghost Towns and Abandoned Cities

urban exploration and building infiltration information and resources to amazing abandoned building, vehicle and HDR galleries there is simply something about these locations that brings out the explorer in virtually everyone. This abandoned city and ghost town gallery will take you on an eerie tour of the most haunting abandonments around the world.

10 Most Awesome 3D Graffiti Artists in the World

3D chalk artists are a common find on the web – but images of their works are rarely accompanied by explanations, credits and links to further information. This definitive guide to the most talented 3D street artists collects amazing works of 3D chalk drawings and paintings from around the world – even more of which are featured in this 3D street artist gallery. Still other articles explore geek artworks and geek artists in general while other galleries cover geek art and light graffiti specifically.

Source:www.weburbanist.com

Mysteries Of World's Lost Cities

Machu Picchu, Peru



Although the archaeological discovery of Machu Picchu came nearly a hundred years ago, historians are still unsure of the function of this ancient Inca citadel.

The Inca had no system of writing and left no written records, and archaeologists have been left to piece together bits of evidence as to why Machu Picchu was built, what purpose it served, and why it was so quickly vacated.

Petra, Jordan



The breathtaking city of Petra was a vibrant trading hub that vanished from most maps in the seventh century A.D. It lay beneath a thousand years of dust and debris when, in 1812, a Swiss scholar disguised as a Bedouin trader identified the ruins as the ancient Nabataean capital.
Spread throughout a series of remote desert canyons in southern Jordan, Petra arose more than 2,000 years ago at the crossroads of key caravan trade routes between Arabia, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt. The Nabataeans carved most of the sprawling city's buildings, including temples, tombs, and theaters, directly into the region's towering red sandstone cliffs. Here, a Bedouin walks his camel past Petra's most famous building, Al Khazneh, or the Treasury.

Mohenjo Daro, Pakistan



The Indus Valley civilization was entirely unknown until 1921, when excavations in what would become Pakistan revealed the cities of Harappa and Mohenjo Daro (shown here).

This mysterious culture emerged nearly 4,500 years ago and thrived for a thousand years, profiting from the highly fertile lands of the Indus River floodplain and trade with the civilizations of nearby Mesopotamia.

Palmyra, Syria



There is evidence that the ancient city of Palmyra, also known as Tadmor, was in existence as far back as the 19th century B.C. Its importance grew around 300 B.C. as trading caravans began using it as a way station between Mesopotamia and Persia. Palmyra's strategic location and prosperity attracted the interest of the Romans, who took control of the city in the first century A.D.

Palenque, Mexico



The earliest Maya began to settle the dense rain forests of southwestern Mexico and Guatemala some 3,000 years ago. For nearly 1,400 years, settlements arose throughout the region, with some, like Tikal and Palenque (shown here), expanding into large, vibrant city-states.

Ancient Troy



Myth, folklore, mystery, and intrigue surround the ancient city of Troy like no other ruin on Earth. Once thought to be purely imaginary, a prop in Homer's epic poem The Iliad, excavations in northwestern Turkey in 1871 eventually proved that the city indeed existed.

In 1871, German adventurer Heinrich Schliemann began digging at Hisarlik, Turkey, (shown here) in search of the fabled city. His roughshod excavation wrought havoc on the site, but revealed nine ancient cities, each built on top of the next and dating back some 5,000 years. At the time, most archaeologists were skeptical that Troy was among the ruins, but evidence since the discovery suggests the Trojan capital indeed.