The Shah Mosque in Isfahan stands as a large four-iwan congregational mosque which faces Naqsh-e Jahan Square from its southern position through its massive turquoise dome and its tall minarets and its ornate tiled entrance that faces diagonally toward the square. The mosque design follows traditional Iranian courtyard architecture which guides devotees from the entrance portal through vaulted prayer spaces to the expansive domed worship area where illumination highlights both the architectural dimensions and decorative tilework. The entire structure features Safavid glazed tile artwork which displays religious meaning through its use of colored floral and geometric patterns and written calligraphy. The mosque built during Shah Abbas I's reign showcases how Friday prayer facilities served as vital elements in Safavid urban design for political and ceremonial purposes while showcasing the peak of royal support for decorative tile art in Islamic architecture.]]> Patron: Shah Abbas]]> Completed: 1629]]> Image 2: Creative Commons
Image 3: Creative Commons
Image 4: Creative Commons
Image 5: Creative Commons
Image 6: Creative Commons
Image 7: Creative Commons
Image 8: Creative Commons
Image 9: Creative Commons
Image 10: Creative Commons
Image 11: Creative Commons]]> Longitude: 51.6772 E]]> The dynastic mausoleum of Timur exists at Gur-e-Amir in Samarkand with its tall ribbed turquoise dome resting above a brick chamber which is accessed through a monumental iwan entrance. The interior design of the space features marble walls and muqarnas transitions and fine blue tile decorations which showcase Timurid artistic elements while leading viewers toward the dome. The building design leads visitors through its entrance portal to reach a single domed room which functions as a dedicated funeral area for Timur and his family members. The mausoleum served as a royal burial ground during the early 1400s to showcase political power and ceremonial functions while developing architectural elements which became central to Timurid and Central Asian sacred building design.]]> Builders/Architects: Unknown (Timurid court workshops)]]> Image 2: Creative Commons
Image 3: Creative Commons
Image 4: Creative Commons]]> Longitude: 66.9754 E]]> The funerary complex of Shah-i-Zinda in Samarkand features a narrow processional corridor that contains mausoleums that display their exterior walls through intense turquoise and cobalt tilework. The complex follows a sequence of vaulted spaces and pointed arched portals, which produce a visual rhythm to lead visitors through the passage toward the tomb chambers of Central Asian nobles and religious leaders. The mosaic faience surfaces display Timurid decorative elements through geometric stars and floral motifs, and Quranic inscriptions, which create sacred identity through repetitive color patterns. The pilgrimage site of Shah-i-Zinda served a dual purpose to honor religious figures and display imperial power, which demonstrates how Timurid Samarkand used funerary architecture to create religious experiences and preserve imperial history.]]> Individual architects and patrons unknown]]> (restorations continued into the 19th–20th centuries)]]> Image 2: Creative Commons
Image 3: Creative Commons
Image 4: Creative Commons]]> Functional type: Funerary / Pilgrimage]]> ]]> ]]> Longitude: 66.9989 E]]> The Tilla-Kari Madrasa stands as a seventeenth-century educational complex situated on Samarkand's Registan square which features a central courtyard surrounded by vaulted arcades and an iwan that accesses a mosque with its interior surfaces adorned with luxurious gold decorations. The building exterior displays Central Asian decorative elements through its blue tile patterns and geometric and floral designs. The interior mosque area features gold leaf decorations which create a light-reflecting effect on the muqarnas and decorative paintings. The courtyard provides access to the domed sanctuary through which visitors experience a transition between educational areas and sacred areas. The construction of Tilla-Kari as part of a grand architectural complex demonstrates how Islamic education maintained its high status during the Bukharan era while enhancing the ceremonial value of the Registan area.]]> Architects unknown (Bukharan court workshops)
]]> Image 2: Creative Commons
Image 3: Creative Commons
Image 4: Creative Commons]]> Longitude: 66.9750 E]]> Inside, the building’s wide-span mushroom-cap concrete columns and expansive floor plates gave Montgomery Ward logistical flexibility for catalog operations and warehousing. These raw industrial spaces later became the foundation for a transformative adaptive reuse. Beginning in the early 2000s, the complex was redeveloped into a Class-A office campus, preserving the massive concrete skeleton while integrating modern systems, glass-walled offices, tech-oriented infrastructure, and amenity-rich communal spaces. The interior retains its historical ruggedness even as it supports contemporary workplaces.
Over time, the building evolved from a pioneering mail-order fulfillment center to a near-obsolete industrial giant, and finally to a flagship adaptive-reuse campus occupied by companies such as Groupon and other modern firms. Its restoration revived original window openings, repaired concrete surfaces, modernized circulation, and activated the riverfront, all while keeping the integrity of the building’s industrial identity. Today, 600 West Chicago stands as a testament to Chicago’s industrial past and as a model for large-scale adaptive reuse in the 21st century.]]>
Builder - (Original): Montgomery Ward & Co. construction/engineering division]]> https://res.cloudinary.com/luxuryp/images/f_auto,q_auto/arxgx3lz2f7zvsbbzlnx/01_758nlarraee_311_57_frontview_hires-1
Source
https://www.wintercohen.com/images/11/87/75/69/n/758-larrabee-str-chicago-il-60654-0.jpg
]]> Redevelopment – Early 2000s (major adaptive reuse completed 2002–2005)]]> - One River Place | Luxury Condos | Michael Rosenblum (no date). https://happilyeveralways.com/neighborhoods/one-river-place.
Source
- Best Chicago Properties, LLC (2021) One River Place Condos - 758 N Larrabee - Best Chicago Properties. https://bestchicagoproperties.com/neighborhoods/river-north/one-river-place/.]]> The 2017 redevelopment reimagined this once-closed military facility into a vibrant mixed-use center. Large sections of the façade were replaced by a sweeping glass curtain wall, opening the interior to daylight and views while signaling its new civic presence within the Navy Yard campus. The lobby was transformed into a public-access food hall and marketplace, establishing the building as a social anchor in the rapidly revitalizing district. Offices, creative studios, fabrication workshops, and light-industrial tenants now fill floors that once stored wartime materials.
Over time, building 77 has evolved from a fortified military warehouse to a key component of a broader mixed-use innovation district that includes restaurants, shops, galleries, light manufacturing, and tech-focused workplaces. Its renewal reactivated historic industrial spaces, repaired the original concrete frame, improved circulation, and restored the Navy Yard’s role as a center of production now oriented toward 21st-century urban industry. Today, building 77 stands as a testament to the power of adaptive reuse, connecting Brooklyn’s manufacturing past to its innovation-centered future.]]> Builder - Builder (Original): U.S. Navy / U.S. Government wartime construction contractors]]> https://marveldesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/1508_1706_Building-77-Brooklyn-Navy-Yard_N52-scaled.jpg
Source 25
https://marveldesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/1508_1706_B77_JoshuaSimpson_N22-768x568.jpg
Source 26
https://marveldesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/1508_1706_Building-77-at-The-Brooklyn-Navy-Yard_Daniel-Byrne_N16.jpg
Source 27
https://media.gettyimages.com/id/1464174372/vector/antique-photograph-of-new-york-brooklyn-navy-yard-east-river.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=TRYHt22sA6dlnWttaIiG3J74BR4Bi7hW48yN63sZrPI=
Source 28
https://media.gettyimages.com/id/2171218003/photo/brooklyn-navy-yard-building-77-building-exterior-at-night-brooklyn-new-york-city-new-york-usa.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=9MJ3I1LqJXBhDhRUCpRCrlZFRxOvedAHvFqBbAHg6sQ=
Source 29
https://www.nycrc.com/images/uploads/previousprojects/8-200123105926.jpg]]> - Marvel (2025) Building 77, Brooklyn Navy Yard | Marvel. https://marveldesigns.com/project/building-77-brooklyn-navy-yard-arch/.
Source 27
- Colista, J. et al. (1942) Premium opportunities in the yard’s recently renovated, Multi-Tenant flagship property. report. https://www.brooklynnavyyard.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/BNY-BLDG-77_2023-Flyer-Final-507-Flyer.pdf.
Source 28
- Impressive Click, Inc. (no date) Brooklyn Navy Yard Redevelopment Project IV :: NYCRC. https://www.nycrc.com/project.html?id=22.]]> Originally a Late 19th–early 20th-century brick warehouse district (50 acres). Now revised for Mixed-use district: restaurants, shops, galleries, offices, hotels, residential lofts

]]>