Contemporary Architecture: Marvels in Engineering
Technology seems to be developing at a faster pace in our day and age. Because of this, you are able to witness innovations in so many fields such as Information Technology, Music Production, Vehicles, Wireless Communication, and even Architecture. It truly is a spectacular sight to see great contemporary designs of building when you are visiting certain cities, and a lot of them have become tourist attractions. They are built for different reasons whether as a symbol of power, creating land marks, or a showcase of artistic creativity. Regardless of the reasons, contemporary architecture is a reflection of the times. Here are a few examples of feats in modern architecture. They are famous because of what they symbolize, why they were built, their costs, and design.
The Petronas Twin Towers
One of the most famous symbols of contemporary architecture are the Petronas Twin Towers. They are located in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. From 1998-2004, the towers were the world’s tallest buildings and only recently beaten by Taipei 101. The construction faced a lot of problems but they were able to overcome it. It would cost them millions of dollars for each day that construction was delayed so what happened was 2 different companies were assigned to build the towers; the Hazama Corporation for Tower 1, and Samsung Engineering & Construction for Tower 2. The reason for this was for competition. A competitive nature between the two companies would create more efficient work. On the 41st and 42nd floors, the Skybridge connects the two towers. Tourists are given permission to visit these two floors because of the Skybridge.
The Beijing National Stadium
One of the symbols of Chinese power is the Beijing National Stadium. This beautiful piece of contemporary architecture was built specifically for the 2008 Olympics, which Beijing was host to. It is colloquially known as the “Bird’s nest” because it indeed was created to look like one. It is said that in China, bird’s nest is very expensive and it something that is eaten (yes it’s food to the Chinese) during special occasions. It was a joint project by a team of today’s most talented architects and consisted of Jacques Herzog, Pierre de Meuron, Stefan Marbach, Ai Weiwei, and Li Xinggang.
Contemporary architecture really is captivating to the people in it’s time. They are symbols of what have been happening to a nation at that time, and could as well be sources of history. It really is worth spending billions on these. GP
Posted in Contemporary Architecture on December 20, 2008 - 2:33 am by admin |
