[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Viviamo nell’epoca delle archistar, della corsa al palazzo più alto, più originale, più innovativo del pianeta, e questo porta inevitabilmente in direzioni diciamo un po’ estreme. Le opere architettoniche che vi andiamo a mostrare non sono quelle che hanno diviso critica e pubblico; sono quelle che hanno offeso lo sguardo di tutti, senza eccezioni. Eppure, incredibilmente, qualcuno le ha disegnate, qualcuno le ha pagate e qualcuno le ha costruite.
(Photo gallery at the bottom of the article)
Aoyama technical college, Shibuya, Japan. Architectural firm Makoto stated that the concept of this building is chaos and the search for the Japanese way to its solution. The first part came out well. The second needs work.
Frank Gehry's Sydney Business School. Perhaps the idea of creating a building that looked like a balled-up paper bag might have been a good one. At four in the morning, after a night of memorable drinking. But then Frank Gehry would have had to take a double coffee and realise for himself that it couldn't be done, that he had to squeeze his brains a little more. And to think that 320,000 custom-designed bricks were used to make it.
The elephant building, Bangkok, Thailand. OK, the elephant is the iconic animal of Thailand. Okay, the government was eager to modernise Bangkok's skyline. OK, they wanted to be very modern and original. But this 32-storey building of flats, offices and schools causes an immediate feeling of sluggishness in the pit of the stomach and a clear sense that many millions of dollars were spent to create a genuine monument to architectural ugliness.
Selfridges Department Store, Birmingham, England. It is difficult to explain the anguish generated in shoppers by this, shall we say, original shopping centre. Perhaps it was a reflection on the oppressive culture of consumption at all costs that grips much of contemporary humanity. Perhaps.
Scottish Parliament Building, Edinburgh, Scotland. A work of architectural genius, perfect for iconically representing all the evil that a political class can do to its people. A nightmare that applies to the present but also to the future, given that since 2004 the Scots have spent more than €16 million on the upkeep of this building's façade.
Ryugyong Hotel, Pyongyang, North Korea. A kind of 317-metre-high rough concrete mountain rises on the outskirts of the capital of Kim Jong-un's kingdom, monopolising its skyline. It is difficult to explain why its presence is so ominous and disturbing. Even the recent resumption of construction, which has covered the entire structure with mirrored glass panels, has not lessened the effect this building has on the minds of sighted human beings.
ArcelorMittal Orbit Tower, London. It took two people to create this work. The famous artist Anish Kapoor and the engineer Cecil Balmond. The result is a 115-metre tower that was meant to pay homage to the city during the 2012 Olympics. For many, however, it is a tribute to a scrap metal yard that may have stood on the area before it was redeveloped.
Sources: Weburbanist.com[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][mk_fullwidth_slideshow padding=”0″ images=”7656,7657,7658,7659,7660,7661,7662″ stretch_images=”true”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][mk_button dimension=”outline” corner_style=”full_rounded” size=”medium” icon=”mk-icon-home” url=”/” align=”center” margin_top=”30″ margin_bottom=”0″ margin_right=”0″]Torna alla Home[/mk_button][/vc_column][/vc_row]
