“Women are the real architects of society.”—Harriet Beecher Stowe,Happy Women's day to all the women out there.
Should the buildings be always straight and upright ? some architects don't think so. They have pushed the boundaries, seemingly daring with Newton's universal law of gravity, to design buildings that not only appear to defy logic, but are beautiful at that.
From a cantilevered barn designed by the Dutch-based firm MVRD to an impressively steel building in Herford, Germany, by the Frank Gehry, Hartwig Rullkötter, these buildings seem impossible to conceive, let alone build.
Museum Of Tomorrow, Rio di Janeiro,Brazil
Image Courtesy: Shutter Stock
Designed by architect Santiago Calatrava,Museu do Amanhã (Museum of Tomorrow) inaugurated in December 2015, is the most visited museum in Brazil.It offers a great view of the Guanabara Bay and the Rio-Niteroi Bridge. Also, it’s located right next to the cruise port terminal, making it a great tour option for cruisers.
The design of the Museum is inspired by the Carioca culture and through its architecture, explores the relationship between the city and the natural environment.The building features sustainable design, incorporating natural energy and light sources.The roof has photovoltaic solar panels,which can be adjusted to optimize the angle of the sun's rays throughout the day and generate solar energy to supply the building.Water from the bay is used to regulate the temperature inside the building.
Image Courtesy: Architect Magazine
"The idea is that the building feels ethereal, almost floating on the sea, like a ship, a bird or a plant. Because of the changing nature of the exhibits, we have introduced an archetypal structure inside the building. This simplicity allows for the functional versatility of the Museum, able to accommodate conferences or act as a research space," said Calatrava.
Takasugi-an,Chino, Nagano Prefecture, Japan
Image Courtesy: Dezeen
Built by Terunobu Fujimori, Takasugi-an means, “a tea house [built] too high".The tea masters traditionally maintained total control over the construction of these "enclosures," whose simplicity was their main concern. They therefore preferred not to involve an architect or even a skilled carpenter - an act considered as being too ostentatious. Following this tradition, Fujimori decided to build a humble teahouse for himself and by himself over a patch of land that belonged to his family.
Image Courtesy: Flickr
Takasugi-an,also known as "Teahouse on the tree" is indeed more like a tree house than a teahouse. In order to reach the room, the guests must climb up the freestanding ladders propped up against one of the two chestnut trees supporting the whole structure. The trees were cut and brought in from the nearby mountain to the site.
Heydar Aliyev Center,Baku, Azerbaijan
Designed by architects Zaha Hadid, Patrik Schumacher, the Center, designed to become the primary building for the nation’s cultural programs, breaks from the rigid and often monumental Soviet architecture that is so prevalent in Baku. Instead the structure aspires to express the sensibilities of Azeri culture and is a distinct departure from the rigid Soviet-era architecture that once defined the region.
Image Courtesy: Pond5
The Heydar Aliyev Center represents a fluid form which emerges by the folding of the landscape's natural topography and by the wrapping of individual functions of the Center. All functions of the Center, together with entrances, are represented by folds in a single continuous surface.
Balancing Barn,Thorington, England
Image Courtesy: MVRDV
Designed by the Dutch practice MVRDV, the house stands on the edge of a tranquil nature reserve a few miles inland from the Suffolk coast, near the historic towns of Walberswick and Aldeburgh. Clad in elegant reflective steel tiles, the house dramatically cantilevers over the landscape, providing views from its huge panoramic windows over woods, ponds and meadows.
Image Courtesy: AJ Buildings Library
On one end of the home, visitors inside the space can experience nature at ground level. On the other end, however, they are able to view the world as if they were at tree height, a phenomenon that occurs without the visitor having to climb a set of stairs.
MARTa Herford,Herford,Germany
Designed by Frank Gehry, Hartwig Rullkötter,this museum opened in 2005 after four years of construction.Its name reflects both the purpose of the facility – M for Möbel/furniture, art (ART), and architecture/ambience (a) – and the town in which it is located. Herford is known for its thriving furniture industry, which represents 20 percent of the furniture made in Germany.
Image Courtesy: MIMOA
Gehry designed each of the galleries as single-story units so that visitors would have unimpeded views of the artwork as well as the sky. Inside and out, this building truly is a sculpture itself – a brick-clad work of art designed to house works of art. In fact, Germany’s tourism website describes the museum as “a fantastical-burlesque creation located somewhere between Duckville, Gotham City and cyberspace.”
"No matter from which angle I look at you,You appear to be an angel" - this quote not only suits women but also to these buildings.All these buildings prove one thing,there is no limit to your imagination.Push your boundaries,see the world with different eyes and question the norm.
