Inch by inch, with precision and skill, architects create buildings and structures that can reach soaring heights. But every skyscraper that exists started out the same way – with a pencil, a few measuring tools, and an architect’s deft hand.
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But even as towering buildings make up the urban landscape of most metropolitan cities, there are some structures that can make your jaw drop at the impossible way they seem to defy logic. We take a closer look at five of them:
1. Museum of Tomorrow – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The design of the museum (pictured above) is inspired by the culture of the city and its natural environment. Its unique cantilevering roof, with large mobile wings that expand to almost the entire length of the pier, gives the building an ethereal illusion, as if it is floating over the water. Completed in 2015, the museum attracted 1.4 million people during its inaugural year, and it continues to be one of the most visited museums in Brazil.
2. Dancing House – Prague, Czech Republic
The iconic structure, which houses a Dutch insurance company, was inspired by American icons Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers (in fact, its nickname is Fred and Ginger). Completed in 1996, the non-traditional design – like something out of a Tim Burton movie – in a neighbourhood of Baroque, Gothic and Art Nouveau buildings created much controversy at the time. But it had the support of then Czech president Vaclav Havel, who hoped that the building would become a center of cultural activity.
3. Balancing Barn – Thorington, England
Deep in the English countryside of Suffolk is a silver house that seems like it is about to tip over and plunge into Nature. That was the effect the architects of the 30-metre long house wanted for visitors, who could access it at ground level from one side, and at the height of a tree house on the other. The linear structure sets the stage for an outdoor experience like no other.
4. Takasugi-an – Chino, Japan
With its literal meaning as, “a tea house built too high”, Takasugi-an sits atop two chestnut trees and is accessible only by free-standing ladders. Tea masters traditionally maintained full control over the construction of such enclosures, where simplicity was the main concern. Takasugi-an follows the same custom, with fairly simple interiors that are padded with plaster and bamboo mats. Its outer appearance, however, is a whole different matter!
5. Kubuswoningen – Rotterdam, Netherlands
The Kubuswoningen or Cube Houses are one of Rotterdam's most iconic attractions – a residential development with homes that are tilted over by 45 degrees. Designed asymmetrically to look like an abstract forest, each triangular roof in a Cube House represents a treetop. Within the buildings, residents have to get used to the slanted walls, and in some places, the ceiling may be too close to one’s head, but the Cube Houses have become an integral part of the cityscape and a major tourist attraction, as well.
Which is your favourite work of architecture? Play today’s Word Search and let us know at games@gulfnews.com.
