An invitation from the worlds leading architect splashed Frank Lloyd Wrights name across newspaper headlines around the globe in the summer of 1956. The Mile High Building written in bold black ink and Wrights signature Red Square dominated a full page spread hailing the public to a press conference where Wright himself would unveil the design for a supertall skyscraper in Chicago.

Staged with bold black panels along the main wall, the Assembly Room was furnished with custom Wrightian ottomans along with long plywood tables. Throughout the room other notable projects were put on display as part of the Sixty Years of Living Architecture exhibition showcasing the vast and capable work of the accomplished architect.

Unpacking all the inscriptions Wright included in the drawings, one will find that the project is not just the design of a building, but a history of architecture. From the Great Pyramids and Eiffel Tower to the Empire State Building, Wright was placing The Illinois in the timeline of grand monuments.

In addition to being one of the most innovative architects of his day, Wright also dabbled as an urban planner. He saw design of modern cities as posing a serious problem; they were dense communities overly populated with people who didn’t have enough space to live fulfilling lives. While the other modernists like Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe were masterplanning dense urban cities and cookie-cutter towers of glass and steel, Wright was envisioning a broad utopian countryside with pockets of soft density spaced out between urban forests and agricultural land.

With all the elevators pushed to the northern edge of the building, pedestrians are able to see the movement of the cabs travelling up and down the facade making it come to life and creating a bold visual statement. With the addition of lights, this scheme allowed for a kind of elevator light show on the outside of the building - bit of ‘vertical ballet’ on the skyline.

Whether heading above to the deck or down below to sleep, yacht elevators improve accessibility, aide flow between the different areas of the boat and provide a strong focal point for interior design and circulation. From the custom designed to the super futuristic, there are some exceptions and we’re going to explore the best yacht designs in the world and the futuristic elevators that make them stand out.

Conceived as an architectural and cultural landmark for the UAE, iranian architect Habibeh Madjdabadi’s idea can be described as a contemporary interpretation of the barjeel – the arabic name for the wind towers that are traditionally used in the gulf region to provide ventilation in the hot desert climate.