This remarkable piece of art is set in Italy in the city of Pisa. This freestanding bell tower of the Cathedral was originally meant to stand vertical like other buildings but due to the poor knowledge of construction and lack of sufficient materials the tower started leaning from the onset, and since then it has been leaning to the southwest.
In 1272, under Giovanni di Simone, architect of the Camposanto. In an effort to compensate for the tilt, the engineers built upper floors with one side taller than the other. This made the tower begin to lean in the other direction. Because of this, the tower is actually curved.
CITED FROM: wikipedia , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaning_Tower_of_Pisa
Although it has been restored properly and has a predicted life span of another 300 years I am in awe as to how many generations will and have experience it. I will not live to be 300, if i did i imagine i would be horizontal most of the time, so with an inanimate object surpassing its own inventor and generations also- is surprisingly a rather refreshing thought. It remains passive while everything around it is actively changing at an incredible speed. Although it does not fit the category of current architecture it stands defiantly as an original against the flashy modern buildings being built now.
Overall impact:
The Tower of Pisa defies the notion of aesthetics and rules of engagement between architecture and its environment by its constant redefining of its space. It defies time as this was built in 1173 and it is still standing; admittedly with much restoration work done since then.
As a muse, I accept It is a phenomenon that should be admired and recycled for other design concepts; two-dimensional as well as three- dimensional.
It encourages and celebrates accidents- which in evidence appears to be better than planned out ideas-a fact I think is collectively agreed on amongst designers as some of the most creative and award-winning designs are stumbled on accidentally.
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