.png)
Architecture establishes a balance between scientific sensibilities and artistic flair. A rigid concrete structure can be covered in a supple glass façade. Or sometimes the design itself flows from support to support, making it hard to point out where the frame ends and sculpture begins!
Here are some examples of architectural masterpieces that combine art and science seamlessly.
Heydar Aliyev Center, Baku, Azerbaijan
Image Credits: Iwan Baan
One of the most iconic examples of late architect Zaha Hadid’s work, The Heydar Aliyev Center redefines walls, ceilings, and private and public spaces under an endless curved steel spaceframe. The shape was conceptualised by free strokes of the hand and actualized using advanced computing systems. Its form blurs the line between exterior and interior, creating a grounded public plaza. The innovative system has created unique structural components that confound architects and structural designers even today. These intricate geometries are hidden under a smooth façade, belying their complexity.
Metropol Parasol, Seville, Spain
Image Credits: Paul VanDerWerf
Arup, the structural engineer behind this expansive structure calls it ‘An Engineering Adventure.’ Metropol Parasol is one of the world’s largest timber structures, stretching 150 metres long, and 28 metres high in the air. The ambitious timber structure revitalises a historically rich area of the city- helping fill a void left by the destruction of an old market. Today, a bustling market sits under the dense grid of curving timber, bringing the area back to life after 30 years! Metropol Parasol has become a proud urban sculpture for the city of Seville.
Jewel Changi Airport, Singapore
Image Credits: Matteo Morando
Singapore’s Jewel Changi Airport has bagged the award for ‘World’s Best Airport’ for the 12th time this year! The airport features the world’s tallest indoor waterfall, in a masterstroke public hub created by architect Moshe Safdie. Jewel Changi has created a new standard for airports that is much more than a transit hub. The innovative experience revolves around The Rain Vortex, a massive indoor waterfall, situated in a 4-story tall Forest Valley. Steel tree columns hold up a steel and glass roof comprised of 9,600 glass panels. The curved glass roof culminates in an oculus that lets out gushing water, from a height of 40 metres.
Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris, France
Image Credits: Iwan Baan
Today, the building that started as a sketch by architect Frank Gehry, sits as light as a cloud in Paris’ Jardin d’Acclimatation Park. This building’s translucence and intricate shape are frequently likened to sails and icebergs. Looking more like a modern art piece than a building, the structure is covered in 12 immense glass sails supported by timber members. The internal volumes are asymmetric, appearing like icebergs from the ground. The sails give Fondation Louis Vuitton a sense of movement by reflecting the ripples of the surrounding water body.
Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg, Germany
Image Credits: Iwan Baan
Designed to restart a culture of music in a forgotten neighbourhood of Hamburg, The Elbphilharmonie is an ambitious take on adaptive reuse. A glass block sits atop an old brick building, making one starkly aware of the contrast between the two materials! The new music centre sits atop an old warehouse, used until the end of the last century. The solid brick building now supports a new glass music box. The Elbphilharmonie houses a 2,100-seater concert hall and a 550-seater chamber music hall. The distinct difference between the old and new is apparent in indoor spaces and adds to the art inside the building.
The blend of art and science draws us into architecture, a fine line between the two that can turn buildings into habitable pieces of art. Architecture has defined cultures, nations, and communities for centuries. And the buildings we build today will define the future.
“Architecture is the stage on which we live our lives,” - Ar. Mariam Kamara.
Comments