Modern Architecture at its Best: A Countdown of the World Renowned Modern Structures
Modern architecture developed during the early 20th century but gained popularity only after the Second World War. For decades, modernism became the dominant structure for institutions and corporate buildings even up to the recent period. Architectures of this type exhibit functionalism and rationalism in its structure.
Characteristics of modern architecture include the functional requirements of the structure, lesser ornaments used and eliminations of dispensable details, and the application of the concept of “form follows function”.
The guardian newspaper has compiled twelve of the best modern architectural structures in the world. According to them, the Empire State Building tops the list. It is a 120-storey skyscraper located in New York and pivots around Manhattan.
Second in the list is the Sydney Opera House which is a complex and superb site that attracts visitors to the city. Next is the Guggenheim Museum located in Bilbao. It is made of titanium and shimmers in every street junction of Bilbao.
The Pompidou Centre of Paris follows. It is a vast library whose structure shows skeletons of bright colored tubes. The Le Corbusier in Haute-Saone is situated on top of a hill is also included in the list. Another structure is the Jewish Museum in Berlin that is a zigzag structure accessible through an underground passage from its baroque wing and shaped like the “Star of David”.
Next in line is the Fallingwater or the Edgar Kauffman Sr. home. It is built on a waterfall and integrates structure with nature. The 30 St. Mary Axe or the Gherkin is a London skyscraper that utilizes the double glazing effect to ventilate office space. Another structure reminiscent of modern architecture is the Casa Mila. It is also known as the La Pedrera and can be found in Barcelona, Spain. It has a biomorphic appearance like that of the Notre Dame and the Disney concert Hall.
Next is the Eden project which is the world’s largest greenhouse. It comprises of several domes made out of tough plastic located in one complex, each dome emulating a different type of environment. Occupying the eleventh slot is the Phaeno Science Center in Wolfsburg Germany. It is an art museum whose architecture is described as hypnotic and whose building lies on concrete stilts.
Last but not the least is the Arnos Grove of England. It is an area in Enfield’s border that houses an underground tube station.
These twelve modern architectures are not just corporate buildings but a variety of structures from residences to places of worship that has adopted extraordinary styles since the 1900. GP
Posted in Modern Architecture on September 21, 2008 - 11:33 pm by admin |
