“Architecture is the learned game, correct and magnificent, of forms assembled in the light,”
pronounced Swiss architect, Le Corbusier, and without a doubt, these words resonate with artists from a wide range of genres, ranging from sculptures to installations. While a vast majority of everyday architecture is focused on utility and practicality, new innovations are constantly
reminding us of the artistic heart that lies within modern architecture. Below are just a few styles that take this notion to its maximum expression.
Geodesic Structures
The sphere is one of the first shapes that artists learn to master, aiming to create a perfect curve with its central light, series of shadows (core, occlusion, and cast), and reflected light.
Geodesic buildings and homes ‘steal’ this elemental shape from the world of art, adding factors that enable their structures to be easy to set up and dismantle, sustainable, lightweight, and amazing to look at. Geodesic structures are actually made from interconnecting straight lines/triangles rather than curved surfaces and that is part of what makes them so sturdy and practical. Triangles are one of the most stable shapes in existence because they retain their shape when you apply force to one corner (unlike rectangles). Geodesic homes are usually prefabricated, meaning they can be set up and removed without producing waste or harming local ecosystems. Examples of domes to check out include
the Biosphere of Montreal and the Eden Project in Cornwall.
Blobitecture Buildings
Can a building that reminds one of a ‘blob’ be irresistible to marvel at? Check out Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao if you have any doubts about that! Blobitecture, part of the post-modernist movement, involves the use of a free-flowing design that is inspired by nature. Many would say these structures are dreamlike and surreal since they contain protrusions where you wouldn’t expect and have an almost wave- or amoeba-like feel that makes them seem like they are moving or floating in space.
Neofuturistic Dreaming
Neofuturism is an architectural style that is sustainable, ethical, and urban all at once.
Designer, Vito Di Bari, described it as “a cross-pollination of art, cutting-edge technologies and ethical values.” It lays a big priority on the use of innovative materials and technologies that capture the eye and inspire human beings to live in a more environmentally responsible manner. With neofuturism, shapes are often organic or highly geometric, representing the dichotomy between symmetry and asymmetry, curved and angles shapes, and linear and wave-like perspectives. Maximum exponents of this tendency are the works of Zaha Hadid. Check out two of
Hadid’s most iconic buildings: the Zaragoza Bridge Pavilion or the Evelyn Grace Academy in Brixton.
Parametric Designs
Parametricism takes its cue from the world of gaming, computer tech, and algorithms. The key to this style is to avoid classical architectural shapes (such as geometric structures) and to focus instead on the malleability of forms. Correlation, gradual differentiation, and inflection are three core terms in this movement. This style is based on algorithms that indicate the way people move through structures, meet each other, and spend their leisure time. The aim is for computers to calculate all factors that a building needs to take into account to make it truly useful and appealing to human beings. Top examples of parametricism are
Peix Olímpic by Frank Gehry and the One World Trade Center Transportation Hub/Oculus by Santiago Calatrava.
From spheres to blobs, waves to linear structures, there are a host of styles that defy classical building shapes. Today, architects are relying on complex analytics to design buildings that truly reflect their ultimate use. They are also turning to natural and surreal forms to appeal both to our sense of familiarity and our need to dream.
