Urban landscapes around the world are changing daily with the emergence of new and architecturally exciting buildings. Some simply blend into their environments while others stand out and go on to become landmarks. According to the Almanac of Architecture & Design [Cramer, Evans-Yankopolus, 2009], these are some of the world’s top new architectural wonders.
Renzo Piano Building Workshop California Academy of Sciences
San Francisco, California, USA
J. Mayer H. Architects Cumulus building, Danfoss Universe
Nordborg, Denmark
Todd Williams Billie Tsien Architects Skirkanich Hall, University of Pennsylvannia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Holder Mathias Architects Clyne Castle Houses
Swansea, UK
Kieran Timberlake Yale University Sculpture Building and Gallery
New Haven, Connecticut
Tham & Videgård Hansson Arkitekter Kalmar Museum of Art
Kalmar, Sweden
Blank Studio Xeros Residence
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
House of Convexities
Inspired by the Flamenco dance, this sophisticated piece of architecture flaunts its elegant twists and curves to give the impression of being in perpetual motion. And no small part is played by the way the interior light changes throughout the day as the shifting sun filters in through the window’s blades. At every succeeding instant, the building’s different elements – the curve of the walls, the arc of the roof, the straight lines of the windows – all enter into different relations with each other according to what the lights dictate.
Antonino Cardillo, House of Convexities, Barcelona, 2008. CGI: Antonino Cardillo
Source
Rohan Yung, ‘Rise of the new titans’, Going Places, Malaysia Airlines, Kuala Lumpur, May 2009, pp. 44‑45 [English].
