The architecture of 2019 was designed to surprise. Futuristic beauty, size, design complexity, and innovation. You will be interested in the world’s largest airport in Beijing under the Zaha Hadid Architects project and Thomas Heatherwick’s delightful Vessel in New York.
Buildings may look like marvelous trees (the work of Sou Fujimoto in Montpellier), or become a `twisted` bridge (as Bjarke Ingels did in Norwegian Kistefos). Small-sized architecture stands out against the background of gigantic mania and grandiose projects in terms of volume and complexity.
In this article, we will consider the objects of culture that were created over the past year and conduct research on why they have become so remarkable.
PART 1. CULTURAL CONSTRUCTIONS
A list of buildings that are interesting from the point of view of constructive solutions is opened by The Twist — a bridge designed by the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), that connects the two forested banks of the Randselva River in Kistefos, the largest sculpture park in Northern Europe. This revolutionary building performs the functions of a museum, a bridge, and a sculpture. This is the first project of the company in Norway. Strongly drawn in the center, the structure not only allows visitors to move from one bank of the river to the other, but can accept an international program of contemporary art exhibitions. In the middle, the bridge seems to twist, and the facade cladding from narrow aluminum panels gives the building a resemblance to a house of cards.
The idea of cultural centers is extremely popular in 2019. The Shed Cultural Center, created by Diller Scofidio + Renfro in Manhattan, was built to embody the most ambitious ideas of the art community. The total area of construction is almost 19 000 sqm. Feature of the building is the ability for constant transformation. Sounds crazy? Now everything will become clear. The main volume consists of eight levels. There is a universal theater platform, space for rehearsals, a creative laboratory for artists. And here is the best part — a symbolic space for large events and installations: it transforms when the telescopic outer shell of the building unfolds above the base. 37 m high, it is made of a steel frame covered with translucent pillows made of durable and lightweight Teflon-based polymer.
Everyone heard about the opera in Sydney, but the Hangzhou Yuhang Opera in Yuhang (China) is called upon to become the cultural center of the district. Designed by Henning Larsen Architects, it covers an area of 70 000 square meters, where the main hall , accommodating up to 1400 spectators, and the Black Box Theater with 500 seats were built. They are multifunctional, suitable for various events: this was one of the main tasks of designing and solving the acoustic and stage design of halls. In the main one you can watch everything: from performances to opera performances, from philharmonic concerts to conferences. The Black Box is capable of transforming: on one side, the space can be completely open to a public square, turning into a huge stage for events for ten thousand people.
All the buildings look very impressive. But this is not a reason to worry. For example, you can relax with the OROCON construction program: it synchronizes documents with subcontractors, keeps track of working hours and monitors all construction processes in one place. Click here and ask for the OROCON demo.
So many restaurants have already been invented, but the concept of the underwater restaurant Under (Snøhetta) is fascinating. Snøhetta completed the project of Europe’s first underwater restaurant in their native Norway. Under concurrently is a research center. The design resembles a periscope. Its length is 34 meters of concrete, half-submerged in the sea. Part of the restaurant is located at the bottom for five meters from the surface of the water. According to the architects, algae and mollusks will gradually grow on the rough surface of the structure, which will allow it to completely merge with the marine environment like an artificial reef. During non-working hours, the object serves as a research center for the study of the local marine environment.
As you can see, the world is booming for multi-use. The next place stands out for its ergonomics. This is one of the latest achievements of the special economic zone policy — a cultural center in the eastern Longgang region. In 2011, the Dutch architectural bureau Mecanoo won the competition for the development of the complex, and the project immediately fell into the spotlight. The center is located on a long and narrow area of 3.8 hectares and consists of four buildings placed in a line. It includes an art gallery, science museum, youth center, cafes, restaurants and a bookstore used for events. Buildings combine rounded corners, dynamic lines, sloping facades, the same height of four floors. The fluid lines are functional: they direct air flow and protect the building from the sun and rain in the subtropical climate of Shenzhen.
In conclusion, Hunter’s Point Park is the winner of the 2019 Design Awards in the `Spaces, Places, and Cities` category. This park was designed in Queens, New York in 2018. The creators came up with it as an example of an environmentally friendly urban space and a laboratory of sustainable thinking. The goal was to preserve the multi-layered identity of this place, to give local residents access to open spaces near the water and to show a magnificent view of Manhattan.
In the continuation of the article, residential objects that were selected for the list of the most beautiful buildings of 2019 will be revealed.
