Over the past five years or so, I’ve written monthly articles for Alive. Almost all of the stories have centered on people or places that have stimulated my imagination. In retrospect I find, for the most part, that I have neglected a number of categories. For example, art and music have shown up in only a few of my tales. Except for a recent article, the very important topic of food has somehow avoided a story. And, of course, there are other equally-neglected topics.
I am about to remedy one such omitted subject. This month I will share with you architectural curiosities that either impressed me or caused me to marvel. Because of the size of the list I’ve developed, I will limit my observations to structures of recent, i.e., maybe fifty years ago or so, construction. I hope you’ll bear with me on this.
When I look at my list, I find that emerging countries dominate the contents. For example, I have the People’s Republic of China down twice. The one most bizarre structure of all is the Beijing headquarters of Chinese government-run telecommunications, a Rem Koolhas design. This twin tower is connected by an apparently off-balance triangle. It seems to defy gravity. My first impression was that of an unfinished building. Would be scary to work in this out-of-kilter office.
The other structure in Beijing that is on my list is the 2008 Olympic Pool building, designed by Weaire-Phelan. It has generated the nickname of “The Water Cube” and rightly so. When viewed from afar it appears to be a building made of pure H2O. The feeling inside augments the outer view. You are convinced that you are frozen in a giant ice cube.
Another nation which has a few unique structures on my list is Dubai. Actually, one is a building – the other an entire development. The building is the Burj Al Arab Hotel. Its towering height alone is impressive, but to see celebrity guests arriving at their rooms on the twenty-eighth floor, via a helicopter pad somewhere up there, is beyond belief. Wish I had the money to enjoy the thrill of airport to hotel room via a chopper, although it might be a little frightening for the faint-hearted. The hotel is built to resemble the sail of a dhow, a type of Arabian vessel. And, the two “wings” on the outside form a mast. The view at night is particularly stunning because of the glittering lights on these “wings.”
The Palm Islands Real Estate Development, also in Dubai, is beyond belief. Areas of the Arabian Gulf were filled in with rocks and sand to resemble huge palm trees with individual homes grouped along their fronds. The view from above staggers the imagination. The plan is to have over one thousand waterfront homes on these three “islands.” Who can afford this?
No list of architectural marvels would be complete without the Sydney Opera House. That collection of giant clam shells, framed by the Harbour Bridge, is recognizable world-wide. I have great memories of our visits there.
For a great laugh, and just a “good” feeling, I must include the Tate Modern Gallery in London. It doesn’t have a chance of winning any architectural awards, but crossing the Thames on the Millennium Bridge, seeing the grand sculptures in the yard, and lying on the floor looking up at the mirrored ceiling some three stories above leaves an indelible impression and a smile. I chuckle every time I think about my visit there.
For sheer size one must add in the Taipei Tower – all one hundred and one floors of it. At one time this was the tallest building in the world. It just goes up and up. Watching as it appears to move with the wind with its airplane wing-shaped height makes me want to stay on the ground. We visited Taipei during a typhoon and marveled that such a structure could withstand those winds. I am told each of eight sections contains a mass damper which acts as a pendulum. Don’t ask me how this works – it just does.
Well, that’s my top seven. I didn’t get a stamp in my passport for viewing the Golden Gate Bridge, nor could I include the marvelous recreation of bomb-destroyed cities in Europe. Come to think of it, maybe those are worth a visit. Think I’ll go.
Leave a Reply