02 Disember 2015

Batu 'terapung' di India

Batu 'terapung' di India
 
BATU gergasi dikenali sebagai Krishna's Butter Ball merupakan satu fenomena unik yang boleh ditemui di bandar Mahabalipuram di selatan India.

Menurut Amusing Planet, batu yang mempunyai ukuran ketinggian melebihi 10 meter dengan diameter melebihi lima meter ini terletak di lereng sebuah bukit dan menjadi tarikan bagi penduduk dan pelancong asing.

Jika dilihat pada mata kasar, batu gergasi ini sudah pasti bergolek ke bawah namun ia tetap kekal pada kedudukan asal selama ratusan tahun.

Masyarakat tempatan percaya batu tersebut dihasilkan daripada mentega, namun ada juga yang menganggap batu berkenaan dihasilkan oleh makhluk asing.

Apa pun, batu yang turut dikenali sebagai Vaan Irai Kal oleh penduduk tempatan ini benar-benar satu fenomena alam yang menakjubkan. -

Roman's temple to football: Chelsea submit planning application

  • Chelsea submit planning application for 60,000-capacity redevelopment of Stamford Bridge
  • Premier League champions confirm plans will be submitted to Hammersmith and Fulham council
  • The club hope the new stadium can be completed by 2020 at a cost of £600million
  • But some football fans ridiculed the design, likening it to an egg slicer, a colander and even a Slinky toy 
Chelsea's planning application for a new 60,000-seat ground, on the site of Stamford Bridge, has revealed the full scale of what will be the country's most ambitious stadium build yet.
On Tuesday, 160 documents were published featuring images of the Blues' planned new home, with work on the £600million-plus, three-year project expected to be signed off in the summer.
Provided they get the necessary backing in the now-launched consultation period, Chelsea could begin life at a revamped Stamford Bridge on the first day of the 2020-2021 season. 
However, the new design hasn't gone down well with all football fans, with some claiming the stadium will look like a colander, a Slinky toy or an egg slicer. 

Chelsea have submitted a planning application for their new 60,000-seat stadium at Stamford Bridge which they hope to open in 2020
Chelsea have submitted a planning application for their new 60,000-seat stadium at Stamford Bridge which they hope to open in 2020

The Barclays Premier League champions have consulted neighbours over the redevelopment of their west London home
The Barclays Premier League champions have consulted neighbours over the redevelopment of their west London home

Chelsea will move out of Stamford Bridge for three years while work is undertaken on their ground, which will include brick columns
Chelsea will move out of Stamford Bridge for three years while work is undertaken on their ground, which will include brick columns

Chelsea could begin life in their new home on the first day of the 2020-2021 season should they receive the necessary backing 
Chelsea could begin life in their new home on the first day of the 2020-2021 season should they receive the necessary backing 

Some Twitter users ridiculed the design, with the new stadium being likened to a Slinky toy, an egg slicer and a colander 
Some Twitter users ridiculed the design, with the new stadium being likened to a Slinky toy, an egg slicer and a colander 

Roman Abramovich's design team, spearheaded by Herzog & de Meuron – most famous for their work on Bayern Munich's incredible Allianz Arena and the beautiful Beijing Bird's Nest – have produced a new 60,000-capacity ground that draws Westminster Abbey among its influences.
The stands will have the same names so fans can stay in their favoured place. This is because at two public exhibitions to showcase the plans, which drew a 93 per cent approval rate, the most common question fans asked stadium planners was where their seat would be.
Methods of keeping the neighbours onside will also be explored with apprentice schemes to learn building skills during construction and ensuring minimum disruption by employing Keltbray, the firm who are painstakingly bringing down Earls Court Exhibition Centre brick by brick.
And there is further good news for supporters, with one of Stamford Bridge’s defining features – the stands’ close proximity to the pitch – being maintained.
The Chelsea fans’ closeness to the action is seen as the top redeeming aspect of the atmosphere at SW6, and the new ground sees seats placed as little as 7.2metres from the players.
  
The South Terrace and Britannia Entrance of today (top) compared to images of how Stamford Bridge may look by 2020
The South Terrace and Britannia Entrance of today (top) compared to images of how Stamford Bridge may look by 2020

The redevelopment will see the current ground demolished, along with the surrounding hotels, restaurants and health centre
The redevelopment will see the current ground demolished, along with the surrounding hotels, restaurants and health centre

The planning application was submitted by Abramovich's Fordstam company on November 19, Hammersmith and Fulham council said.
The planning application was submitted by Abramovich's Fordstam company on November 19, Hammersmith and Fulham council said.

Two images of how Stamford Bridge could look with a yellow outline showing the current shape of Chelsea's stadium 
Two images of how Stamford Bridge could look with a yellow outline showing the current shape of Chelsea's stadium 

HOW THE REVAMP ROLLS OUT

October 2016-October 2017 (Phase One)
Construction of rafting over the railway lines behind the East Stand and Matthew Harding Stand begins.
Both Stamford Bridge hotels, a range of bars and restaurants and the Stamford Bridge Health Club are demolished.
May 2017
Chelsea play their last game at Stamford Bridge as it stands, leaving for three years to facilitate the rebuild.
June 2017-September 2018 (Phase Two)
The old Stamford Bridge is demolished. Digging down to accommodate the height of the new stadium begins.
July 2018-October 2019 (Phase Three)
Stadium is constructed from scratch
December 2018-July 2020 (Phase Four)
Fitting out of the surrounding area is completed, with a restaurant/café included on-site along with a new club shop and museum.
August 2020
Chelsea return to play at a 60,000-capacity Stamford Bridge for the first time.
As seen in the images from the application, the main construction feature on the new ground will be the 264 brick columns that surround it, with glass connecting each one to provide the structure of the roof and walls of the stadium.
Decorative metal will run across the glass to provide the silvery-effect seen in some images, providing a cathedral-colosseum look to the new ground.
The number of hospitality seats available will almost double from 4,628 to 8,969 with those paying top dollar occupying the East and West sides of the middle tier, and the East side of the upper tier.
Away fans will continue to be seated in the Shed End but with their following being split across the three tiers similar to the system at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium.
A statement on the club's official website confirmed plans had be submitted to Hammersmith and Fulham council, and consultation is now open until January 8 next year.
'A planning application for a new stadium at Stamford Bridge with an expanded seating capacity has been submitted,' Chelsea’s statement read.
'This follows a successful consultation process during which we received very helpful feedback.
'This application will now be examined by the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.'
Provided permission is given, work will start at the end of this season with the building of expanded access from the current stadium's rear to Fulham Broadway station through the building of slats over the railway lines behind the East Stand and Matthew Harding Stand.
Chelsea would then be forced to vacate their home for a full demolition of the site in 2017, playing away from the ground that has hosted them for 110 years for a three-year period.
During construction, Chelsea will consider having a resident hawk scout across the Stamford Bridge site on a daily basis to prevent 'nuisance birds' from taking up residence as the stadium is rebuilt.
Workers will dig down to reduce the height of the stadium, which will appear vastly bigger than the current structure but will, in fact, not be taller than now.
Wembley Stadium is Chelsea’s expected temporary destination with talks already at an advanced stage, although Tottenham Hotspur also have eyes on the National Stadium.
A mooted move to Rugby HQ at Twickenham would struggle to get off the ground with residents’ concerns and Chelsea are confident that they are close to signing off a deal at the stadium they last visited for this season’s Community Shield.
After three years at Wembley, Chelsea will then move back at the turn of the new decade with existing season-ticket holders to be offered identical seats to their current ones, but in a ground built almost entirely from scratch. 

Blue supporters will be allowed to keep their old seat positions from Stamford Bridge if they wish
Blue supporters will be allowed to keep their old seat positions from Stamford Bridge if they wish

The stadium redevelopment is being entirely financed by Chelsea's Russian owner Roman Abramovich
The stadium redevelopment is being entirely financed by Chelsea's Russian owner Roman Abramovich

Sportsmail revealed earlier this year that the Barclays Premier League champions would need to take Wembley at a reduced capacity, with a loophole allowing them to house 50,000 spectators on a regular basis.
Wembley is limited to 37 'major' events each year but occasions that do not utilise the 40,000-capacity top tier of the ground are not considered ‘major’. With appropriate planning, the Blues could even open up the upper tier for games with enough demand for tickets.
Back at Stamford Bridge, the redevelopment will see the surrounding hotels, restaurants and health centre knocked down before work on demolition and then construction of the new stadium begins.
A club shop and museum will be rebuilt, alongside a new area touted as a ‘restaurant/cafe’ that could be utilised as a bar for supporters on matchdays.
Those wishing to comment on the application have until Friday January 8, 2016, to submit their observations to Hammersmith and Fulham Council. Feedback on consultation so far has been positive and it looks unlikely that Chelsea will find many roadblocks to their plans.

Abramovich’s design team, spearheaded by Herzog & de Meuron – most famous for their work on Bayern Munich’s incredible Allianz Arena
Abramovich's design team, spearheaded by Herzog & de Meuron – most famous for their work on Bayern Munich's incredible Allianz Arena

Premier League rivals Chelsea and Tottenham both want to use Wembley while their own stadiums are being redeveloped
Premier League rivals Chelsea and Tottenham both want to use Wembley while their own stadiums are being redeveloped

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