About Towrs
Contents |
Overview
Towrs is a web site which encourages the gathering and exhibition of information and photographs of the world's built environment. It was started in 2006 as a project of the Artefaqs Corporation.
History
Towrs was established as a way to allow architecture fans to participate in the cataloging of the buildings they love.
There are plenty of architecture web sites on the internet, but there is little opportunity for people to actually have an interactive experience. With the Towrs wiki, people can add information about buildings they know, show others the photos they've taken, and do general research about structures around the world. Previously, the only method of interacting for architecture fans was to participate in a small number of forums that often generate more heat than light.
Timeline
- October, 2006: Towrs.com was established, with the wiki component the first part to be activated.
- January, 2009: The Towrs mobile web app was first put online with a database of roughly 5,000 buildings in 25 countries.
- April, 2010: The Towrs main building database section was established and took over the domain's front page. Previously it was just a splash screen.
Structure
Towrs is currently made up of three parts:
- Main building database
- Towrs wiki
- Towrs mobile web app
Main building database
Buildings in the main database are photographed and documented by Towrs editors in a method similar to traditional architecture catalogs. The information presented is constantly revised as new information becomes available.
Towrs wiki
This section is open to any member of the general public to share their photos and information about buildings around the world. As a collaborative effort, it managed to amass several thousand entries in just a few months and continues to expand.
Towrs mobile web app
This is a location-aware web-based iPhone and iPod Touch application which displays pictures and information about important buildings near the user. It is accessed by simply going to the Towrs web address (http://www.towrs.com) in the mobile device's web browser. More information here: Towrs Mobile Web App.
Administration and Contribution
Towrs is administered by the Artefaqs Corporation, which is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and also maintains an office on the west coast.
Only Towrs administrators can add buildings to the main building database. However, anyone is free to add content to the wiki portion of the web site. In most cases, photographs from the main database are also uploaded to the wiki for the public to use in annotating articles they write on the Towrs wiki.
Contact
The best way to contact someone at Towrs is via an e-mail to editor@towrs.com.
If you have a press release or media kit to deliver via postal mail, use this address:
Artefaqs Corporation
Suite 1213
909 112th Avenue Northeast
Bellevue, Washington 98004
