You are being provided with a book chapter by chapter. I will request you to read the book for me after each chapter. After reading the chapter, 1. shorten the chapter to no less than 300 words and no more than 400 words. 2. Do not change the name, address, or any important nouns in the chapter. 3. Do not translate the original language. 4. Keep the same style as the original chapter, keep it consistent throughout the chapter. Your reply must comply with all four requirements, or it’s invalid.
I will provide the chapter now.

AMAZING ARCHITECTURE
 
            Medieval European castles were improvements on ancient forts and
palaces. The European castle-building era took place from about 1000
to the end of the 13th century. Gunpowder and cannons put an end to
the dominance of castles.
 
            Feng shui is the Chinese concept that attempts to harmonize people
with their surroundings. In China, it has played an important role in
the design of buildings and structures.
 
            Architecture refers to the planning, design, and construction of
buildings. The open-ended definition can include anything from
Gothic cathedrals to public toilets: if it requires planning to build,
then it’s architecture!
 
       The Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge in China is currently listed as
the longest bridge in the world. The rail viaduct is an amazing 102.4
miles long!
 
            The Summer Olympics awarded medals for art from 1912 to 1948.
Along with literature, music, painting, and sculpture, medals were
awarded for architecture.
 
            The Aqua Appia was the first aqueduct the Romans built in 312
BCE. The aqueduct brought about 2,600,000 cubic feet of water daily
into Rome from 10.2 miles away.
 
            Igloos are traditional snow huts built by the Inuit people in parts of
Greenland and Nunavut. The largest igloos had five rooms and could
house up to 20 people.
 
            Instead of using mortar to hold the brick walls of the buildings in
place, Inca architects in the city of Machu Pichu in the 1400s used
different techniques. They fitted bricks by using their shapes, doors
were usually trapezoidal, and walls were connected with “L” shaped
blocks.
 
            The barrel vault was first developed by the ancient Egyptians and
Mesopotamians, but the Romans used it much more extensively,
which inspired later vault designs in Europe.
 
            Construction of the Great Wall of China began under Emperor Qin
Shi Huang (ca. 221-210 BCE). Most of what we see today, though,
was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
 
            Cincinnati, Ohio has a little more than two miles of unused subway
tunnels under its streets. Construction began in the early 1900s but
permanently ended during World War I.
 
       The iconic Sydney Opera House was designed by a Danish architect
Jørn Oberg Utzon. He won a 1955 competition among 233 entries
from 28 countries.
 
            American Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) designed more than
1,000 buildings and was the father of the “Prairie School” of
architecture in the late 1880s and early 1900s. The style is known for
its flat lines that evoke the prairie.
 
            Stilt houses are common in regions prone to flooding and cyclones,
but on the Indonesian island of Komodo, they also protect the locals
from the Komodo dragon!
 
       Ferdinand Cheval (1836-1924) was a French mailman who spent his
spare time building his ideal home, the “Ideal Palace.” It took him 33
years to build the masterpiece, but it still stands.
 
       Third American President Thomas Jefferson was a true polymath. He
knew several languages, excelled in business, was a scientist and
designed his Monticello plantation in Virginia.
 
            American TV “super parent” characters, Elyse Keaton on Family
Ties, and Mike Brady on The Brady Bunch, both worked as architects.
 
            The skyscraper at 33 Thomas Street in Manhattan looks more like
something you would’ve found in the Soviet Union than in the US.
The 550-foot-tall building is notable for not having any windows!
 
            The Colosseum of Rome, which was completed in CE 80, could
house 50,000 spectators. There were 76 entrances and 160 passages
and adjustable canvas awnings.
 
            The world’s tallest minaret is part of the Quwat al-Islam Mosque in
Delhi, India. Work on the 228-foot-high sandstone minaret started in
the early 1200s.
 
       The statues on Easter Island, known as moai, were made from locally
quarried volcanic tufa from about CE 1200 to 1500. The island was
deforested to make the statues, partially leading to the society’s
decline.
 
            “Brutalism” is an architectural style that started in the UK after
World War II. It emphasizes utility and minimalism, making it
popular in communist countries during the Cold War.
 
            The world’s tallest building currently is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai,
United Arab Emirates. Built in 2010, the building towers 2,717 feet in
the air and has 163 floors.
 
       Britain Kieran O’Donnell designed the iKozie micro-home to combat
homelessness. The homes are portable and measure only 186 square
feet.
 
            Frank Lloyd Wright’s son, John, was also an architect but he’s best
known as a toy inventor. Wright created Lincoln Logs, which first hit
stores in 1918.