URBAN PATTERN

. Magazine out! Location | Castle of Gruissan, Gruissan, France

A favourite of ours! Castle of Gruissan, built in the 10th century, used to be a castle protecting the harbour from invasions. The castle was dismantled in the 16th century and has been detoriating since. Today, the tower is the only remnant of the castle, and the village of Gruissan has been built around the castle. The castle got the “monument historique” status by the French Ministry of Culture. This status is given to special historical buildings such as the Eiffel tower and Louvre.

Soviet International Style AERIAL Denis Esakov

Architectural photographer Denis Esakov recently used a drone to capture photographs of several landmark structures of the Khrushchev-era return to modernism, focusing on how these aerial views reinforce their rational geometries and regimented forms. Until the recent advent of satellite imagery and commercially available drones, these were views that were only ever seen by the architects, and the officials who reviewed the plans. Even so, the photographer notes that these methodical forms must have been very attractive to the state officers tasked with implementing Khrushchev’s mandated aesthetic.

See the previous photoset from Soviet International Style Denis Esakov.

A collection of recent aerial images showing the vast diversity of landscapes across China, from cities to mountains, desert to sea shores, and much more. From the top:

Aerial view of an abandoned Chinese fishing village overtaken by green vines on Shengshan Island, one of hundreds that make up Shengsi Islands, in east China’s Zhejiang province, on June 12, 2015.

Aerial view of the two “nail houses” encircled by an overpass connecting the Zhoutouzui Tunnel in Guangzhou city, south China’s Guangdong province, on August 11, 2015.

Serpentine road at Tianmen Mountain National Park, Zhangjiajie, Hunan, China, on October 24, 2014.

A shroud of haze is covers the city of Zengzhou in central China’s Henan province on November 6, 2009.

Photo taken on September 1, 2015 shows an aerial view of Yamzho Yumco Lake in Shannan Prefecture, southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region.

A view of villas built for residents in the Huaxi village of Jiangyin, Jiangsu province, on May 31, 2010.

A replica of the Eiffel Tower and residential buildings at the Tianducheng development in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on April 8, 2015.

Photo taken on February 21, 2014 shows a bird’s-eye view of Wanfenglin in Xingyi, southwest China’s Guizhou Province.

Workers pick tea leaves at a tea plantation in Dongyang, Zhejiang province, on March 25, 2015.

The Shanghai Disney Resort under construction in Pudong, Shanghai, on October 8,  2015. The castle will be the tallest and largest castle ever built at a Disney theme park.