Cool Modern Buildings Around The World

[GL]

am i the only one who thinks that chihuly is overated?
he basically uses three shapes, twisted horns, platters and orbs
the only real variation in his works are the colors

I don't. I rather liked it truth be told.

 

[AaronG]

i someone says the sydney opera house i'll physically castrate you!!!

How about a much cooler, much crazier opera house/concert hall, the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia?

 

[justsimon]

am i the only one who thinks that chihuly is overated?
he basically uses three shapes, twisted horns, platters and orbs
the only real variation in his works are the colors

You're not the only one. I know he's revolutionized the genre of glass art, but I'm tired of his stuff. I can appreciate the ocassional piece, but around here he makes the news way too often. He's also kind of an ass.

I love Gaudi:

Not really modern, but his work definitely paved the way for contemporary architects.

 

[teadrinker]

My favorite modern building(s) is/are the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia:

Just totally magnificent.

-T.

 

[dte]

I have a few interesting ones from my home city (Melbourne) in my profile.

 

[doctorsun]

It's kind of sad that the US used to be the undisputed king of sky scrapers in the world and now we don't even try for it anymore. For quite a while, the Terminal Tower in Cleveland (which isn't that big comparitively) was the tallest building in the world outside of New York City. I don't think New York even has a building in the top 5 now. The Freedom Tower will be ONE of the tallest buildings when it's completed, but its already been surpassed and construction has barely even started.

What happened to our spirit?

 

[ozguy]

The Swan Bell Tower in Perth, WA. It houses 18 bells, including a set of 12 bells from the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, given to us as a bicentenary gift from Mother England in 1988. The 12 'Swan bells', as they are called, are very special. In 1588 they tolled after England's victory over the Spanish Armada. They welcomed Captain James Cook home after his great voyage of discovery in 1771, and they have celebrated the coronation of every British monarch since 1727.

The Swan Bell Tower is claimed to be one of the largest purpose built musical instruments in the world. The tip of it's towering glass spire rises a lofty 82.5 metres above the Swan River. The Swan Bells are hung for "change ringing", meaning it is not possible to actually play any tunes. Each bell is rung by a person, in a sequence determined by the conductor.

 

[confusedboy23]

Glad the Petronas Towers are featured here.

They are definitely, the best, the coolest!!!

 

[ashonfire]

they should definitely bulid that italy to sicily brdge, the way it is at the moment is kinda weird, the train goes on a ferry, or something like that, i was very much out of it at the time of my crossing, all i remember is that it was a clunky and awkward transition.

i love this thread. so many pretty pics, keep 'em coming..

 

[Swellegant]

Call me reactionary (and I'm sure belamy will), but most of those buildings offend my eye. Buildings that look like sails, buildings that are way too tall to contemplate going up in them, buildings that look like a child's drawings, buildings that look like they've been taking LSD... I just don't get it. Why, for God's sake?

Pardon me, gotta go... it's time for another convocation of the Flat Earth Society.

 

[metta]

Call me reactionary (and I'm sure belamy will), but most of those buildings offend my eye. Buildings that look like sails, buildings that are way too tall to contemplate going up in them, buildings that look like a child's drawings, buildings that look like they've been taking LSD... I just don't get it. Why, for God's sake?

Pardon me, gotta go... it's time for another convocation of the Flat Earth Society.

I personally love it; The engineering....the art....that it is not just a dream....that it is a reality....

I would love to be able to go to the top of them. To be able to see how the supports were designed....to see the fascinating angles and design. To me, it is another form of art...but more than that...it is livable art.

 

[metta]

Actually, the U.S. citizens are paying to build most of those lovely buildings in Dubai everytime we go to the gas pump.

Did you know that Dubai is not dependant on their oil industry. It is not even their largest industry. They have, intelligently, planned out things so that they are not dependant on oil becuase they know that it will not last forever. Too bad the US has not done the same in regards to how we use the stuff.

 

[Spiff]

some of these can be seen in Google Earth. It's amazing to see manmade structures like this from the sky; it gives a whole different perspective.

 

[Hard Luck]

It's kind of sad that the US used to be the undisputed king of sky scrapers in the world and now we don't even try for it anymore...What happened to our spirit?

Perhaps the architectural spirit in the U.S. has matured. Building the bigger penis is not really a mature goal.

Architecture that is distinct, that is beautiful, that serves a purpose with glorious style ... those are legitimate goals. Big Is More is simply folly, and one I'm glad is no longer followed blindly.

I'm also glad the record of tallest structure is fractured with such regularity. After all, it lessens the impetus to build the world's tallest structure if that record won't stand for more than a few years. That leaves more lofty architectural goals at the forefront of building endeavor.




I may get flamed for this ... but, aside from the deaths and destruction and all ... I'm glad the World Trade Center no longer blights the Manhattan skyline. It was built with no other consideration than it be the tallest and biggest, containing 10 million square feet of office space. They were ugly monoliths, and contrasted horribly with their surroundings in both scale and (lack of) aesthetic. I'm glad they're gone ... and it's a pleasure to see modern skyscrapers (even if they're not American) designed to be beautiful as well as functional.

 

[doctorsun]

It's not like they're leaving that space empty. The Twin Towers are being replaced by more modern and, yes, bigger structures. The Freedom Tower will be a VERY patriotic 1776 feet tall when it's completed. It was going to be the biggest in the world but as I said before, it's already been surpassed.

Eventually all of these super-skyscrapers are going to reach their limit. They're going to start infringing on airspace. I know that there used to be a limit of 2000 feet. I don't know if that's still true or not.

 

[AtlCDN]

proposed for spanning the Straits of Messina, between Italy and Sicily.....The bridge would not only be the longest ever built, but also the tallest.

The longest ever built??? Maybe in Italy, but not the world. There is the Confederation Bridge connecting New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, this bridge is 12.9KMs, not the longest in the World either, but over iced covered water it is.

 

[bj____]

Houston's got some good looking buildings in the works. My favorites that have been around for awhile is Heritage Plaza in downtown which has whats supposed to look like a Mayan temple on the top (762 ft):

The Williams Tower - 901 ft. (Uptown - The Galleria):

The St. Lukes Medical Towers (Downtown):

1500 Louisiana St (Downtown):

The Royalton (River Oaks):

The Hilton Americas (Downtown):

The Anadarko Tower (The Woodlands):

 

[woaini]

Very cool~` nice to see~~

 

[HarryPotterHimself]

Two of my favorite buildings are right here in my hometown of Pittsburgh, PA. The first is PPG Place, made famous by "Inspector Gadget". I think it looks like a modern ice castle would look:

My second favorite is the Cathedral of Learning, in Oakland. It's part of the University of Pittsburgh and although it's not the most modern, I think it's an architectural wonder:

 

[jwest]

anything by zaha hadid