for questions about claims based on architecture, the process of designing buildings.
Questions tagged [architecture]
16 questions
29
votes
1 answer
Did this building cause carpet to burn and cars to melt?
The BBC reports that a building with curved glass in London appears to have caused damage nearby as a result of the architecture focusing the sun's rays.
Seems plausible enough to me, but is this true?
An aside: this made me think of Charles…
Ben Collins
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28
votes
2 answers
Do windmills in Ireland turn clockwise, unlike the rest of the world?
I've seen a few places online (example) that lays out a statement, essentially with two claims.
The statement:
"Windmills always turn counter-clockwise. Except for the windmills in Ireland."
So there are two claims to check:
"Windmills always turn…
Mark Mayo
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21
votes
2 answers
Are the 3 World Trade Center towers the only steel-framed high-rises to collapse due to fire?
Since the events of 9-11 it has been claimed several times that no other skyscraper in history has ever collapsed from fire damage. It's usually used as a part of the argument that fire alone cannot bring down a steel-frames building.
The 911…
apex_predator
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14
votes
1 answer
Did unit confusion lead to a house with enormous doors and windows in Ypres, Belgium?
The Wikipedia article on metrication contains an unsourced statement regarding an incident in Ypres (Ieper), Belgium:
During the reconstruction of Ypres after World War I, British Army engineers drew up the plans for rebuilding a bombed house in…
gerrit
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12
votes
1 answer
In 2017, was the Plasco Building destroyed in a controlled demolition?
On January 19, 2017, the 17-storey steel-framed Plasco in Tehran collapsed after a large fire broke out, seemingly putting to rest the question of whether a steel-framed building could collapse entirely due to fire.
But the well-known group…
Abdullah
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11
votes
1 answer
Are there any underground cities in the United States?
There are plenty of stories about hundreds of underground cities being build here and there in USA, but I've only seen photos of one under the Denver airport (and even so it's no real proof that these photos are related to that place).
But would it…
setec
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7
votes
1 answer
Will the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah be the 'longest bridge' in the world?
In any metric, this doesn't seem to qualify as the longest bridge in the world. I could be miscalculating, but a number of articles are using the title 'longest'. The articles below are highlights popping up today.
It states it is going to be the…
Mikey
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7
votes
0 answers
Stalin's absent-minded signature resulted in Hotel Moskva having two designs?
Is this explanation true/false/unverifiable?
Four Seasons Hotel Moscow (Wikipedia):
The original hotel was notable for its use of two different designs for the wings off the central structure. The most popular (possibly apocryphal) explanation is…
user17967
6
votes
2 answers
Was Hoysaleswara Temple built with lathes?
I saw this very popular video a few days ago: Hoysaleswara Temple, India - Built with Ancient Machining Technology?
Here is a related article.
It claims the following
If you look closely, you can see these minute circular marks all
around the…
user13107
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5
votes
1 answer
Will people start running against glass doors if they cannot see through?
We have a bit of a discussion with the administration of our university about putting up posters on the glass doors in our campus buildings.
The hallways have a lot of doors made of glass which would make a great place for people to see information…
magnattic
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5
votes
0 answers
Was Wentworth Woodhouse, Yorkshire, the largest private house in the UK?
Wentworth Woodhouse is a large country house in South Yorkshire, England.
In 2016, Mansions Global describe it as:
the largest private house in the UK
In 2014, Yorkshire Life described it as
the largest privately-owned house in Europe
Visiting…
M. A. Golding
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5
votes
1 answer
Has the legendary city of Dwarka been found under water?
There have been some reports in India that the legendary lost city of Dwarka has been found underwater:
Unacknowledged.info (2014): Dwarka. Mythical City Found Under Water?
The explorations conducted in the Gulf of Cambay waters revealed…
Tanmoy
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5
votes
1 answer
Did the British attempt to rename the Taj Mahal?
From an article in Pakistan's Dawn:
Renowned researcher and historian, Dr Mubarak Ali writes in his book, Gumshuda Taareekh (Lost History):
[snip]
“The British even gave renaming Taj Mahal to something of their choice a try. They were more…
serendip.in
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4
votes
1 answer
Is the stone used for Ram temple construction 65 million years old?
Ram temple is being constructed in Ayodhya city of India. It has been claimed by various Indian news channels (which I don't trust very much) that a stone is used for its construction which is 65 million years old. Is this really…
An_Elephant
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4
votes
1 answer
Was the Taj Mahal originally called Tej-o-Mahal?
I have been reading this article. And it was pretty controversial in claiming that the Taj Mahal is actually a Hindu temple and not an islamic tomb.
Tajmahal is not a Islamic mausoleum but an ancient Shiva Temple known as Tejo Mahalaya which the…
user983983
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