DesignGuide

Design ideas in buildings that confuse us

Architecture today involves more that simply planning out the structure of a building. Architects are going out of their way to out do each other in terms of building designs, using all kinds of materials to create something that is so unique; it really makes it one of its kinds.

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Upside down building:

Upside down houses have always been a debatable subject- this is because it is hard to tell if they are crazy creations or truly works of architectural splendor. What makes it tougher for the critics is whether these houses and buildings are suitable for every day practical use. Irrespective of the arguments on these houses and architectural structures, some of the up sides down buildings are famous ones. Take for example, the Sakasa Restaurant in Matsumoto city of Japan, apart from the exterior, the interior has also been meticulously planned so that all the furniture, lights and other fixtures are also upside down, although there are no reports about how the customers feel about dining up side down! Other buildings worth mentioning are the Die Welt Steht Kopf in Usedom in Germany.

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The Barbican, London;

This building has also been termed as the Rubik’s Cube in Modern Architecture as it is too confusing to navigate. Designed by Chamberlain, Powell & Bon the project was initiated in 1955 and was funded by tax revenues from London’s financial center, but was stalled till 1982, during which time most of the architectural techniques had fallen out of style. To add to this problem, the building also had bad connection to the street level as it was initially designed so that only the second floor could be accessed using walkways. When put together, this building became a maze with many level changes and the lack of land makes make navigation trickier.

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‘Cloud and Chair by Antoni Tapies;

This art gallery has a massive sculpture of a barbed wire placed on top of the roof- it was designed by Antoni Tapies, the current host of the gallery and this structure called the ‘Cloud and Chair’ adjusts the difference in the height of the gallery and the other building.

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MACBA in Barcelona:

This building is actually a museum that is dedicated to contemporary art and is designed by American architect, Richard Meier.  This architect is renowned for his rationalist designs and his use of the color white that is reflected in the building itself.

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