A venue includes an exterior structure, a theater area inside the exterior structure, an audience seating area positioned in the theater area and facing the stage, and a mezzanine area positioned inside the exterior structure, outside of the theater area, and at least partially beneath the audience seating area. The theater area includes an interior surface that provides or supports a display. The display is an immersive display that extends along the interior surface such that the display is positioned in front of, to the sides, above, and behind at least a portion of the audience seating area.

Wall systems and buildings having such wall systems are disclosed. Such wall systems include parametric mullions each of which is constructed from a plurality of interconnecting components so that the wall systems may be disposed much closer to the building frame than conventional wall systems. Such wall systems may include panels disposed to form convex or concave facades. Such wall systems may also include decorative features superimposed over one or more panels or extending outward from the facade surface. The parametric mullions may be formed into trusses which may be used as part of a wall system or independently of such wall systems.

A publicly accessible urban beach entertainment complex is disclosed, with a man-made tropical, pristine-clear lagoon as the centerpiece of the complex. The lagoon includes a surf feature and surrounding the lagoon are entertainment, educational, sports, and commercial facilities. The complex has a controlled public access and provides the look and feel of a tropical beach with clear waters and sandy beaches. In addition a method for efficiently utilizing facilities and land that are vacant, underutilized, have limited uses, or that are contiguous to or nearby recreational, educational, sports, or commercial venues is disclosed. The method providing a publicly accessible urban beach entertainment complex with a centerpiece man-made tropical-style pristine-clear lagoon having a surf feature. The method allows for generating revenue and increasing efficiency by pairing vacant sites, underutilized sites, limited use land, or sites that are contiguous to entertainment, educational, sports, and/or commercial venues with urban beach entertainment complexes. The complex preferably has a controlled public access, thereby allowing entrance upon payment of a fee.

A dwelling assembly that has a continuous sidewall and an opening for a door and a window. A roof assembly is provided with first and second roofs that are spaced apart such that the outer roof acts as a heat shield for the inner roof to ensure the interior of the dwelling is a minimum temperature. In addition, ballast boxes are utilized in order to provide additional weight to the dwelling and a planting area in association with the dwelling assembly.

This invention relates to a self-supporting three-dimensional prestressed structure, as well as a method and a device for erecting same, to be employed in the construction of residential and nonresidential buildings. The structure is constructed of vertical form-defining flexible rodlike members (1) stressed during the construction of the structure, as well as horizontal flexible rodlike members (2) each forming a closed curve. The horizontal members (2) are also stressed during construction and welded or rigidly affixed by other means to the vertical form-defining members (1). Instead of horizontal circular members (2) the structure can be constructed completely or to some extent using a spiral member, also stressed during the construction of the structure that is rigidly affixed to the vertical form-defining flexible members (1).

A venue includes a display screen, a performance stage, and an audience area. The display screen has (i) an inner periphery, (ii) an outer periphery, and (iii) at least one of a non-linear or a curved cross-sectional shape that is at least partially revolved around a center point. The performance stage (i) is positioned between the inner periphery and the outer periphery of the display screen and (ii) at least partially extends along at least one of the inner periphery or the outer periphery of the display screen. The audience area is positioned between the inner periphery and the outer periphery of the display screen.

A system of structural interlocking panels for forming disaster-resistant buildings, comprising: a hollow, internally-braced, vacuum-insulated panel shell having at least two interlocking sides, the first side having a convex-inward single-curvature, the second side having a straight surface, the third side having a straight surface with at least one integral tongue with at least one head extending vertically-upward for receiving a complementary groove of a first side of an adjacent panel. Panels are thus vertically slide-locked along panel sides and faces, thereby triggering automatic snap joints that prevent backward movement of the panel. The system can assemble spheres, cylinders, toroids, tetrahedrons, flat shapes, and irregular shapes.

A commercial hopper grain bin shell can be assembled on a concrete pad using jacks to successively support previously coupled side-wall panel rings above the concrete pad. The assembled shell can be supported above the concrete pad with the jacks while coupling a horizontal support beam around a bottom of the assembled commercial hopper grain bin shell. An uppermost ring of vertical support legs can be coupled to the horizontal support beam. An uppermost ring of hopper panels can be coupled to the horizontal support beam. The assembled shell and the vertical support legs previously coupled to the horizontal support beam can be successively supported above the concrete pad with jacks while coupling an additional ring of vertical support legs to the bottom of the previously coupled vertical support legs. An additional ring of hopper panels can be successively coupled to the bottom of the previously coupled hopper panels.

A modular unit including a concrete pad and a base support affixed to the pad. An anchor collar affixed to the base support and defining spaced apart grooves with a multi-arm beam positioned in the collar, one arm in each of the grooves and extending radially outwardly from the collar. Floor sections affixed to the multi-arm beam to form a floor disc. Wall panels affixed to the floor disc and spaced apart around the periphery to define a wall. Each panel having channeled edges. A plurality of window inserts engaged in opposed channeled edges of adjacent wall panels. A retaining ring extending around the wall and having a downwardly opening groove engaged with an upper edge of each window insert and fixedly attached to an upper edge of each of the wall panels. A roof and roof support structure affixed to the roof.

Scale habitable units are disclosed for use in marine environments, such as the open sea, which are inexpensive to assemble and maintain, while providing habitable space.