See the Iceland volcano in full 3D technicolor in Google Earth

They obviously weren't thinking about us poor English speakers when they named the Icelandic Volcano the Eyjafjallajokull .  I haven't even tried to say it out loud, what a mouthful!

Well the good news is we didn't have to create a geomodel of the volcano as they helpful chaps at Google have already mapped the terrain of the whole world in Google Earth.  Handy really as it would have been tough to fly over to take the necessary pictures what with all the planes being grounded.

If you want to see it for yourself from the comfort of your own home download a free copy  of Google Earth here, install, then make sure the terrain button is ticked (bottom right corner), and search for Iceland. Simples.

Just in case you want a quick peek beforehand we have included the Google Earth view below, which you can interact with as long as you have the plug-in.  Not much to look at for all the trouble it's causing is it?!

Powered by Google Earth Hacks

Of course now you have Google Earth installed you can see all a whole range of 3D buildings and terrains including Cannam Design's Geomodels which you can browse in the Google 3D Warehouse.  Just make sure you have the 3D buildings layer ticked (in the bottom right corner).

Here are some other amazing pictures of the eruption:

The Nevis Highwire Bungy Platform: Geomodel now available in Google Earth!

Some say it’s scary, others petrifying.  Others still say it’s scarier than a service station sarnie…  All of them are in fact correct.  They are talking about the third highest bungee jump in the world, located near Queenstown, New Zealand.

Speaking from personal experience, standing on the edge of the Nevis Highwire really will put things into perspective for you.  The platform itself is suspended in the middle of a canyon, dangling precariously one hundred and thirty four metres above a rocky, unforgiving river bed.  In fact if anyone says that they did the jump and 'didn't find it all that scary' then they are either a liar or mentally insane.  Possibly both!

On the short bus journey from Queenstown to the site all the bravado slowly seeps out of you.  On arrival at the site after being harnessed up you are taken across to the Highwire platform on a surprisingly flimsy looking cable car.  You will see from the model below that it’s called the Highwire as it’s suspended by wire, and it’s pretty high.  Clever stuff!

 Just before your turn to jump you sit in what I can only describe as dentists chair for the final connection of the cord to your feet.  You stand up and try to hop gracefully over to the edge, bearing in mind your feet are now strapped together the graceful part is wishful thinking.  You try to put a brave face on things and are desperately trying to keep a smile on your face to show the camera you're not scared, all this whilst your toes are curling round the edge looking desperately for some purchase.  Finally, just before you leap. you stare the full one hundred and thirty four metres dead in the eye all you can think is one thing, why on earth did I sign up for this?!

About eight seconds later you know why, as you reach the bottom of the fall and the cord starts to pull you back skywards.  The grin on your face will be there for the rest of the week!  The feeling is unbelievable; I can’t even put it into words.

Now for the first time you can see the platform in its full 3D glory without having to take the journey all the way to Queenstown, as Cannam Design have crafted a geomodel of the platform.  Although after you’ve seen it adrenaline junkies will be rushing to buy tickets to Queenstown!  The 3D geomodel is available to download in the Google 3D Warehouse, where you can also click to see the model in Google Earth where the terrain really brings it to life.  You can download Google Earth for free here.

To get your very own model of your building, business or other structure to share with the world see the Cannam Design website for further details.

The 3D Geomodel of the Nevis Highwire Bungy Platform

And if you want proof of how scary it really is just check out this video!!

The perfect swim courtesy of Cottesloe Groyne

Just a quick post today to share another recently approved model that now features on the Google Earth 3D buildings layer. Download Google Earth here, turn on the 3D buildings layer, and fly to 'Cottesloe, Perth, WA' and you will see the Cottesloe Groyne, and Ocean Pylon in fully technicolor 3D.

The groyne protects Cottesloe beach from larger waves and makes it a perfect bathing spot.  The distance between the groyne and the ocean pylon (see previous post) is approximately 150 metres, ideal for 'lengths' and you don't have to mess around with all those tumble turns like in the pool; or the chlorine for that matter!  Ten lengths is equivalent to 1.5km the swim leg of a Olympic distance triathlon, perfect to wake you up in the morning.

Distance from the pylon to the groyne (click to enlarge)

Here is the geomodel of the Groyne:

And here is the Ocean Pylon (further details are in the previous post).  You need to zoom in to see it properly!

Cottesloe Ocean Pylon. Perth, Western Australia

The Cottesloe Beach Pylon, a state icon, sits proudly around 80 metres offshore from Cottesloe Beach, one of Perth's premier swimming beaches.

See our 3D model by clicking here: Cottesloe Beach Pylon 

Animation by Cannam Design

Two pylons were originally installed to anchor a shark net following a fatal attack in 1925.  But there is now only one remaining; the twin was destroyed in the winter storms of 1936.

After being restored in early 2009 the pylon was felled during a savage storm in May, as may be seen below.  The pylon has since been repaired and stands as a prominently on the edge of the Indian Ocean.

Image courtesy of Gnangarra

Generations of West Australians used the pylon as a diving platform, but that era ended with the reconstruction.  The  design included an angled base and has been painted with a special coating to prevent people climbing onto the pylon, in an effort to limit public liability from potential injuries.

Church of the Good Shepherd. New Zealand

During my travels in New Zealand this is one of my favourite buildings, so I created a geomodel for Google Earth, as you can see below.

Situated on the shores of Lake Tekapo is the small but perfectly formed Church of the Good Shephard. Original sketches by Esther Hope, a local artist, were transformed into the final form by Christchurch architect R.S.D Harman, the church was completed in 1935. The stunning backdrop of the turquoise lake and surrounding mountain peaks make this church a popular tourist attraction.

Powered by Google Earth Hacks

Here is the geomodel we created to feature on the Google Earth 3D buildings layer. Click on the Google logo to see it in the 3D warehouse.

Students Partnership Worldwide Uganda Placement

Apologies, there have been no posts for a while due to an extended holiday in New Zealand. I had a fantastic time, lots of great architecture but it was mainly overshadowed by the spectacular scenery.  More to follow on that in future updates...

For the time being I want to share a video with.  The video features a model I created of a building in a small rural village in the heart of Uganda. The building is special as it houses Students Partnership Worldwide (SPW) charity workers who live in the village and donate time to help try and fix some of the many problems that Ugandans face in everyday life.

The idea of the video is for people all around the world to be able to see and understand more about life in Africa. I believe the video helps people to visualise the country and therefore make it seem more real.

You can hopefully see from the video that the building is very simple. It was originally built by the British and is one of the few concrete buildings in the town, most are mud huts. Although the building originally had electricity and running water, it is now merely a shell. The shower consists of a bucket behind a wall, not as bad as it sounds though, and I should know as I lived there for a few days! Enjoy!

You can find out more about SPW here:  www.spw.org

Dubai: Worlds first air conditioned bus stop

I spent last week in Dubai and really wanted to create a model while I was there.  Unfortunately due to time constraints (too much sightseeing and socialising to be done!) I didn't have much time for modelling.  Shame really as Dubai is full of architectural treats.  I did have time to create a model which was of interest to me, as I am also a building services engineer.

Dubai has created the worlds first air conditioned bus stop!  Not the most sustainable idea, but then again in a place where the temperature can hit 40 degrees it means more people may be encouraged to use public transport.

The model has already been approved in super quick time and is available for all to see in the Google Earth 3D buildings layer.

Picture of the model

3D model (spin around to see the air con unit on the back)

Google Earth model

I arrived in Auckland on Friday for a extended holiday. Hopefully will have a chance to do some modelling while I tour around, watch this space!

Introducing the worlds tallest building, the Burj Khalifa

Due to being a bit overzealous with the sightseeing I haven't had a chance to create any 3D models of Dubai yet, so I thought instead I would share a model of a building which just happens to be the tallest in the world.  For the moment anyway.  The Burj Khalifa which opened in January 2010 stands at 828 metres tall.

I visited the viewing tower on the 124th floor of the Burj Khalifa last night with a friend, and the view was spectacular. You can see for miles, and it makes all of the surrounding buildings (which are already massive) look like models.

The Burj Khalifa currently holds 14 world records which you can see for yourself on the wikipedia page. My friend helpfully suggested another record that it might hold, longest drop for poop from the toilet on the top floor! Although I'm not sure they'll be keen to publicise that.

Wondering what all the fuss is about? See for yourself, here are a couple of photos I took:

The Burj Khalifa on the left.  Entrance to Dubai mall, the worlds largest shopping mall, on the right.

The Burj Khalifa

The view from the viewing platform on the 124th floor

The Burj Khalifa at night

There are already a number of 3D models which have been created for Google Earth and I thought I would share my favourite one with you.  It was created by a fellow Google Earth modeller, and I really hope this one makes in onto the 3D buildings layer.  You may need a plug-in to be able to view the 3D model below, if you can't see it you need the plug-in.

Wokingham's first Google Earth model: The Ship Inn

Ok as promised previously during my short stay in Wokingham I have spent some time crafting a model of one of my favourite pubs.  It also happens to be the first ever 3D model created for Google Earth in Wokingham.  And finally it's the first building you see when driving into the town centre, and what a great building it is too!

The Ship Inn, Wokingham

You can also see it here in 3d:

The Ship Inn

It turned out to be quite a tricky model due to all the extensions, but I'm pretty happy with the final result!

Holidays in Wokingham

I've spent the holidays back in my hometown of Wokingham enjoying many festive beers and far too much food. But in my defence it's hard to cut back on beer in a town with so many great pubs, so why even try?!

In between beers I've also been modeling one of my favorite pubs in Wokingham you might just be able to make it out in the picture. It's turned out to be quite tricky but more to follow soon...

Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion

The 'Blue Mansion' in all its 3D glory, this is one of my favourite places in Malaysia.

The Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion was built at the end of the 19th century by Cheong Fatt Tze. Cheong was a world renowned Chinese entrepreneur, and was once referred to as ‘The J.P.Morgan of China’ by the New York Times. The Blue Mansion, located at number 14 Leith Street was reputedly his favourite home, and was certainly the most elaborate and lavish. The property fell into ruin over the years after Cheong’s death but in 1989 it was rescued by a small group of Penang conservationists, and painstakingly restored to its former glory.

The building is an architectural masterpiece, as recognised by winning numerous awards including the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage ‘Most Excellent Project’ in the year 2000. The Blue Mansion now operates as a heritage homestay, and guests have full run of the mansion and grounds, which is only interrupted by the fully guided historical and architectural tours that run twice daily. Having stayed there I can attest to the wonder of this building, it’s a real gem.

Zero carbon transport: Lush Tula Mini

As someone who is very into sustainability what better way to travel around London than on a skateboard?! Less CO2 emissions than cars, tubes, buses and probably bikes as they contain less materials!

So recently I bought a Lush Tula Mini, which is in-between a longboard and a normal skateboard, ideal for cruising the pavements. I even overtake joggers!