World’s Largest Mud-Brick Building

“The walls of the Great Mosque are made of sun-baked mud bricks called ferey, a mud based mortar, and are coated with a mud plaster which gives the building its smooth, sculpted look. The walls are between 16 in. and 24 in. thick – the thickness varying with the wall’s height. Bundles of palm branches were included in the building to reduce cracking caused by frequent drastic changes in humidity and temperature and to serve as readymade scaffolding for annual repairs. The walls insulate the building from heat during the day and by nightfall have absorbed enough heat to keep the mosque warm through the night. Gutters, made of ceramic pipes, extend from the roofline and direct water drainage from the roof away from the walls. To protect the Great Mosque from water damage, in particular flooding by the Bani river, the entire structure was constructed on a raised platform 3 meters high. A set of six stairs, each decorated with pinnacles, leads to the mosque’s entrance.” w/ photos. LINK

Street Artist ‘Megx’ Creates Giant Lego Bridge in Germany

In October of last year street artist Megx converted a bridge in Wuppertal, Germany into a giant Lego structure using colored panels that create the illusion of being the underside of Lego bricks. The bridge itself is part of the Wuppertal Bewegung e.V., an old train line that has been converted to a pedestrian and cycle path. How great is this? There’s been no shortage of giant toys and games in the streets lately. See much more on his website. Photos above courtesy Lukas Power and Rolf Dellenbusch.
LINK, (Via: kastormag)