The Eiffel Tower has been named as the most valuable monument of Europe in a new survey. It is difficult to believe now that the Eiffel Tower was originally built to last for only two decades. But thankfully it stayed on and became a permanent fixture on the Parisian landscape. The iconic 324-metre high structure has been named as the most valuable monument in Europe worth a staggering US$ 545 billion, according to a new study. Research commissioned by Italy's Monza and Brianza Chamber of Commerce considered monuments' image, branding and aesthetic qualities to determine a monetary value. Built in 1889 as the entrance arch to the World Trade Fair, the Eiffel Tower is the most visited paid for tourist attraction in the world which last year saw 7.1 million people climb to one of its three viewing platforms. A whopping 200 million visitors have now visited the landmark since it opened and the tower is still the tenth tallest lattice style building on the planet. Construction of the tower had been the subject of some controversy; attracting criticism from both those who doubted it was feasible and those were against the idea on artistic grounds. Their objections were a continuation of the longstanding debate about the relationship between architecture and engineering. Part of the original design rules were that it could be easily demolished but as the tower proved valuable for communication purposes, it was allowed to remain after the permit granted by the city expired. Eiffel Tower's value is five times more than its nearest rival the Coliseum in Rome, which is valued at US$ 114 billion. The gladiatorial Amphitheatre which was completed in 80AD draws about 4 million tourists a year to its crumbling interior. On the third place is the Sagrada Familia. Although it is still not finished Gaudi's famous cathedral in Barcelona is worth US$ 112 billion and is the continent's third most valuable monument. The UK's most valuable monument is deemed to be the 1,000-year-old Tower of London, which is worth an estimated US$ 88.7 billion to the British economy. In excess of 2 million visitors enter the tower, which is now looked after by the Historic Royal Palaces charity, every year. Other famous European landmarks on the list included the Duomo cathedral in Milan worth US$ 102.9 billion, Madrid's Prado Museum worth US$ 72.8 billion and Britain's Stonehenge worth US$ 13 billion. Stonehenge in Wiltshire dates from prehistoric times Wiltshire and is one of the most famous sites in the world. Composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks its attraction lies not just in its age, but also the mystery that surrounds its construction - before the age of mechanical lifting equipment. It is at the center of the most dense complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England, including several hundred burial mounds. The gothic Duomo cathedral in Milan took nearly six centuries to complete and is the fourth largest cathedral in the world and the largest in Italy. The survey also put a price of US$ 101.4 billion on the White House in Washington DC. Home to the President of the United States the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aqua sandstone in the neoclassical style. It has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams.

2 months ago The Morning Whistle published shocking news, which was hard to believe. As reported the publication, Changsha, China's Hunan province will be home to world's tallest building , which will be built in just 7 months. 220-store building will be 838 meters high. This information was really incredible. How high will raise Chinese ambitions, to make such a statement? China's new propose also was unbelievable, as world's current tallest building Burj Khalifa required six years to build. However, later the information was confirmed by DailyMail, Reuters and CNN information agencies. In addition, they stated that the building will be built not in 7 but in 3 months. The DailyMail reported, the project has been given the go-ahead in Changsa, but the central government still needs to sign off on the deal. But if the go-ahead comes, BSB chief executive officer Zhang Yue wants to start building this November - and finish in January 2013! Interview with the head and founder of Broad Sustainable Building Company Zhang Yue, published in the Reuters Journal, much increases the likelihood of the realization of this incredible project. As stated Zhang Yue, Land shortages are already a grave problem for us and their pre-fabricated skyscrapers "can fix many of the world's pollution, congestion, transportation and even disease problems by completely purifying the tower's air." During the interview, a Chinese man said that the 220-story skyscraper, which he called "Sky City" certainly to be built. In addition, he presented to the public another ambitious project, which height is 2 kilometers. Details of the new project are still unknown, but Yue said that 100 percent they will build this building. Recently the prefab Hotel in China's south-central Hunan province standing 30 stories was erected in an incredible 360 hours or in 15 days. The hotel built Chinese sustainable-building firm Broad Group and the building is designed to withstand up a 9.0 magnitude earthquake - and even boasts energy-efficient building techniques. In 2010 Broad Group during 6 days built another prefab building, the 15-story Ark Hotel in the Changsha Province, demonstrating fantastic speed of prefab building construction.

As reported The Morning Whistle, Changsha, China's Hunan province will be home to world's tallest building, which will be built in just 7 months, if a report in local newspaper Sanxiangdushibao is to be believed. According to unconfirmed sources, the building, known as Yuanwang Mansion, will stand at 838 meters in height and have 220 floors, 50 floors more than the world’s current tallest building, Burj Khalifa. It is designed to contain residential units, hotels, schools, a hospital and offices buildings. The local Wangcheng district government has reached an agreement with Yuanda Kejian Technology Ltd. to start the building project with a total investment of at least US$ 600 million. The newspaper reported that the building can be a home for 30,400 people and will have 16 panoramic and 31 super high speed elevators capable of carrying 30 thousand people per hour to every floor. The company will be able to complete the structure so quickly because it will have a pure steel structure, and all the material will be fully prefabricated before construction. Can China set a new record in Hunan province, which housed all recently built prefab buildings? China's new propose is unbelievable, as world's current tallest building Burj Khalifa required six years to build. In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, a conglomerate led by Kingdom Holding Corporation is in the advanced design stage to build the one-kilometer-tall Kingdom Tower, which is expected to be finished in 2017. Recently the prefab Hotel in China's south-central Hunan province standing 30 stories was erected in an incredible 360 hours or in 15 days. The hotel built Chinese sustainable-building firm Broad Group and the building is designed to withstand up a 9.0 earthquake - and even boasts energy-efficient building techniques n 2010 Broad Group during 6 days built another prefab building, the 15-story Ark Hotel in the Changsha Province, demonstrating fantastic speed of prefab building construction. . P.S. Information source - Morning Whistle (China Business Watch) is the English-language business news, analysis and opinion aggregation service of 21st Century Media Group, China's leading financial media group.

Construction officially begins on tower 432 Park, which after completion will become the tallest residential tower in New York, reported The New York YIMBY. While excavation on the site of 432 Park has been ongoing for several months, no foundation work had yet been completed. On May 14 marks the first laying of rebar for the base of the building. With foundation work now formally underway, 432 Park should be at street level within several months. The only similar tower in the city One57 rose to grade fairly quickly, although financing issues paused actual building's rise several times through construction. The simplicity of 432 Park's design could mean that the tower will rise even faster than One57. The new tower is constructing at the site of the former Drake Hotel on New York's Park Avenue has long been a subject of fascination in the development world. According to The Wall Street Journal, the CIM Group, owner of the building, a Los Angeles real-estate company founded by two former Israeli paratroopers and a Drexel Burnham Lambert executive has emerged as one of the country's most active property buyers, emerged new details for New York tallest residential tower. The 425 meters tall tower, designed by Rafael Vinoly and developed by Harry Macklowe, is expected to cost US$ 1.2 billion. There will be 128 units would vary in size from 130 square meters to more than 740 square meters, 25 studios to house residential support staff and the retail would run along 57th Street with 30 meters of frontage. The building is planned to hit substantial completion in April 2015. The expected average sales price is US$ 48.500 per square meters, which would be below recent resale at the Time Warner Center and asking prices at One57. As we reported earlier , a new mark for the priciest home in New York City was setting. An unknown buyer has paid US$ 90 million for the 1015 square meters penthouse on the 89th and 90th floors of One57.

The crazy, twisting ArcelorMittal Orbit observation tower in London is now complete and final preparations are underway for visitors. Set to open right before the games begin in July, the spiraling red steel tower will provide views of the Olympic Park. The tower was designed by Anish Kapoor, engineered by Cecil Balmond, and is sponsored by ArcelorMittal, a sponsor of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and a global leading steel company. The tower, which is both a structure and a work of art, has been constructed out of 60% recycled steel and reaches a height of 114.5 meters. The ArcelorMittal Orbit is an observation tower located in the heart of London's Olympic Park and stands at almost 4,500 feet tall. The sculpture was designed by Anish Kapoor, and structural engineering was done by Cecil Balmond. Visitors to the tower will ascend via an elevator in the core to enjoy the observation deck at the top. The platform will afford panoramic views of up to 20 miles, encompassing the entire Olympic Park and London's skyline beyond. After their visit is over, visitors will be encouraged to descend via the 455 steps that were designed to make the visitors feel as if they were orbiting around the structure. Or just get really dizzy. ArcelorMittal, the sponsor of the tower and the Olympics, is a leading steel manufacturer and provided the material for the sculpture. Construction of the ArcelorMittal Orbit took 18 months and required 560 meters of tubular red steel to form the lattice superstructure. Almost 60 percent of the 2,000 tonnes of steel used in the sculpture were drawn from recycled sources. Steel was chosen for its unique properties including strength, modular structure, advantages of weight and speed of construction and recyclability. The exterior of the structure is outfitted with 250 colored spotlights that can be controlled and programmed for special effects. Cecil Balmond: "Anish and I were conscious from the beginning that the ArcelorMittal Orbit would be a lasting legacy to the city and so we wanted to stretch the language of the icon as far we could go. The Orbit is a hybrid, a network of art and structure, and its dynamic is the non-linear. You read into it multiple narratives in space."