Architecture
 

I like looking at pictures of buildings sometimes so I thought we could have a thread for that.

York Minster, York, United Kingdom:

https://www.yorkmix.com/wp-content/u...-alh1-lead.jpg

https://yorkminster.org/geisha/inc/i...9/570/crop.jpg

Roman Baths, Bath, United Kingdom:

https://i.imgur.com/34ZoMlH.jpg

https://lonelyplanetimages.imgix.net...h=430&fit=crop

https://i.imgur.com/jXIhnDh.jpg

Glasgow City Chambers, Glasgow, United Kingdom:

https://peoplemakeglasgow.com/images...ambers-995.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/0bK4qEY.jpg

Victoria Law Courts, Birmingham, United Kingdom:

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/136/40...c33a8ab0_b.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/ZzaLd1u.jpg

Allianz Arena (home of Bayern Munich), Munich, Germany:

https://i.imgur.com/s5N9bAE.jpg

http://canitbesaturdaynow.com/images...d4461f8971.jpg

https://cdn-s3.si.com/s3fs-public/st...?itok=xSS7Vx3y

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ChjYwHsW0AA2cEX.jpg:orig

Westminster Abbey, City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom:

https://assets.londonist.com/uploads...mie_koster.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/6uRRcbL.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/KtK7hDF.jpg

Estadio Santiago Bernabeu (home of Real Madrid CF), Madrid, Spain:

http://img.zanda.com/item/9307074000...eu_Stadium.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Dw2sHVp.jpg

this is the new library they built near my place a few years ago

thoughts?

the Operahouse in Copenhagen.
http://cdn.archinect.net/images/1500...y03h081eiy.jpg
It looks really cool at night because of the reflective roof.

Cheers for posting Q-Man.

It's not bad imo, I like glass buildings a lot because they will generally age well. Nice and shiny.

Since you mentioned new libraries I would like to post our new one as it is impressive imo, opened 2013 and looks a bit like a cake, or a gift or something:

https://preview.ibb.co/b2vAQb/library.jpg

Sometimes they change it to different colours, one time they changed it to claret and blue for Villa (I took this pic):

https://image.ibb.co/fV0zJw/rsz_villa_library.jpg

This was for the Sikh festival, Vaisakhi, :

https://preview.ibb.co/dqG9kb/ibrary2.jpg

For LGBT:

http://i4.birminghammail.co.uk/incom...rary-pride.jpg

I like it. It kind of reminds me of a fireplace.

oh really like that one. still not sold on ours, but it's very modern and catches the eye so i can appreciate it.

I really like the warm colors here. More buildings should have lights. It just looks great at night.

It's pretty cliche tbh.

lick between my ass crack

It's in a modern style but come on, it's not like that concept hasn't been executed a million and 8 times in the past. Kind of like how Pollock ripoffs are generally more lazy than creative.

less talk more licking

What are some of your favourite buildings, Frown?

I am a big fan of this one:

https://www.insider-london.co.uk/wp-...cc9a63ff_z.jpg

http://www.investmentlocations.eu/wp...5/02/img24.jpg

http://www.dashofsparkle.com/wp-cont...2017/02/03.jpg

A building that you look at and is recognisable instantly. "That's the gherkin, in London."

kinda looks like a cock, reckon Batty would enjoy it.

I wouldn't want to shake the architect's hand.

They should have nicknamed it The Bellend, imo.

They also have The Cheese Grater and the Walkie Talkie.

At last! The thread I've always wanted: Victorian Law Courts Wars.

Round One: Birmingham vs. London:

vs. London:-

http://c8.alamy.com/comp/B7AXHN/lond...eet-B7AXHN.jpg

^ I'd say that the top floor, with it's dramatic overhang is an exciting piece of architecture, qwertyy. Not so good is the middle floor, which is neither straight nor dramatic; it looks like a slice of ham that hasn't been put in the sandwich properly and just makes me annoyed that nobody could be bothered to push it straight.

the top floor might be the best part of the design. i spent a lot of time there during my last semester and usually after long hours of studying and homework we would go out on the roof and watch passing traffic just to clear our minds and relax.

unfortunately awhile back there was a jumper scenario and because the individual was ready to jump from the top floor, they deemed it unsafe. so until they come up with a safer way to prevent that from happening again the rooftop is closed.

^ That sounds like a nice thing to do. What a pity that it's been closed.

Two of my fave brick churches. This one in London:-

https://www.e-architect.co.uk/images...nw220809_1.jpg

The next is Watts Cemetery chapel, tucked away in a little-visited corner of the countryside about three hours from London; I still remember the feeling of surprise I felt when I first came across it by chance while cycling down a country lane.

The floor plan is just a cross superimposed on a circle and in the middle of this photo you can see one quarter of the curved wall, so you can imagine how, out of sight, it repeats itself at the back, in perfect symmetry. And notice how, at about first-floor level, there is a band of decoration on the curved wall? There are similar decorative panels running vertically down the stubby ends of the cross walls.
..........................................https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...terychapel.jpg

Well, each one of those decorative terracotta panels is a work of art in itself: here's a photo of one, close up. What I particularly like is that the decorator has given up any pretense of depicting conventional Christian symbols. It's like he's saying, "Forget the religion, this is art!"

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/80/46/b9/8...celtic-art.jpg

I really like medieval looking architecture and thankfully, the city I live in has a fair bit of very old buildings. The midtown area of Aalborg is a curious mix of hundreds of years old architechture and modern architechture. I tried to find a picture from Aalborg that would show how it's a mix of old and new. This was the best I could find:
http://www.kulturarv.dk/1001fortaell...3781/690x_.jpg

A couple more pics of old and new in my town:
https://www.tanie-loty.com.pl/images...es/Aalborg.jpg
https://www.e-architect.co.uk/wp-con...80314-hhm4.jpg

I'm not religious, but I really like churches. Here's the Budolfi Church at the heart of Aalborg. The white chalk paint is typical of old Danish churches. There's usually a lot of wood work inside, but these churches aren't as amazingly illustrated inside as the ones you often see further south in Europe.
http://files.guidedanmark.org/files/...09514.jpg?qfix

back in grade school we made a trip to Vieux Quebec, a lot of really cool older style buildings there.

Really great. Especially the castle with the snow covered ground.

Asia wins for me.

https://68.media.tumblr.com/f9362b87...6aeo1_1280.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...usRoofDeco.jpg

There's this group of Indian temples that display literally thousands of hand painted statues. This is the most incredible buildings ever for my money:

http://img.over-blog-kiwi.com/0/92/9..._2c6568_12.jpg
https://www.templepurohit.com/wp-con...am-800x600.jpg
http://www.fullstopindia.com/wp-cont...dia-Temple.jpg
https://static01.nyt.com/images/2014...master1050.jpg

I think it's named the Gopuram temples.

A fantastic building.

^ Thanks, MLM, but I'd give the win to your Birmingham Law Courts to be honest.
More importantly, thanks for opening this thread; I also love walking around looking at buildings, so when I saw this thread I thought, "Aha! A true kindred spirit!" :thumb:

^ Yes, this building is wonderful. I love it when an architect uses colours but not paint. Here the natural colours of the materials compliment each other so well; the brick, the stone and the copper(?) of the roof.

^ Absolutely extraordinary, MicShazam,although for some reason the phrase "over the top" springs to mind when I look at your pics.

I was also very interested in your photos of Aarlborg with it's mixture of old and new. It looks like an attractive city, and to me that's one of the big challenges for architects today; putting something that is clearly new into a city of old buildings and making a kind of harmonious contrast.

On that count, I'm sorry to say that I don't share MLM's opinion of London's "Gerkin." Sorry, MLM, but it's actually one of my least favourite additions to London; the drab surface of glass, the lack of interesting detail, but mostly the shape. Bad enough that everyone immediately thinks "penis", what's worse is that it disregards all the language of straight lines with which it is surrounded. The size of it is also an issue with me; if it was shrunk down to the size of a telephone box, I think I could live with it appearing on a streetcorner, or as an ATM kiosk in front of a bank.

If you're going to put curves into buildings, I prefer to see them used more discreetly. This building, for example, has quite simple geometry that neatly accomodates just a couple of curves within its straight lines:-

http://gckuwait.com/wp-content/uploa...es-330x230.jpg

Nice buildings, Occult Hawk...EDIT: Sorry, Wpnfire, but for some reason the oriental style has never appealed to me - apart from the Great Wall of China, which is undecorated of course.

Oh I agree for sure. It would look crazy if you put one of those buildings in the middle of London. They work in the context of a different, more colorful culture, I'd say. Indian aesthetics are quite far from European aesthetics. Just look at traditional indian garments. The supremely colorful and detailed buildings above are architechture less as something stylish and subtle, and more like a fireworks explosion. I'm pretty sure my jaw would drop to the floor if I was standing in front of one of those temples.

It's an attractive enough city in the downtown area. I'm excited about some recently revealed plans to make the down town area way more green, with more leisure areas and fewer cars. More trees, green rooftops, etc. I hope they're going to go as far as the presentation I saw of their plans.

Cheers, glad it seems to have taken off. :thumb:

Even though I don't think it's bad looking, this is true, but it's why I like it. As I said, it's instantly recognisable. As soon as I see it I think 'City of London'. In the same way I think Paris if I see the Eiffel Tower, not that I'm saying it's as iconic as that, but skylines need some recognisable big hitters in them for me. I'm sure they could have built a 300m rectangular glass tower, but that would have been boring in my opinion.

Tbh people say similar things about our Selfridges store aka the 'flies eyes', not a similar style of building but it also divides opinion but I love it, because as soon as you see it, you know where it is.

How about The Armadillo in Glasgow? A bit curvy:

^ I like both of those buildings, the quoted and the example you posted. I agree. Totally blocky buildings are an eyesore. Without some variance in shape I feel like I'm just looking at an icon on a smartphone. I'd like the real world and what I have to scroll through on my phone to be different. Color schemes are also really important. There's a lot of beige, gray, and black formats in newer buildings. Kinda drab. A little green or teal or yellow or something would be nice.


SF has some pretty beautiful (albeit increasingly shrouded) architecture. Edwardians, victorians, et al. I'm really fond of oceanic-inspired homes too. The types with circular windows that are reminiscent of submarines or whatever.

^ Yes, I'm always interested in schemes like that too. I hope they make some real improvements in Aarlborg. It's a pity you don't have an elevated railway:-



^ Well, I can't argue with that ! It's a really good defense of your opinion, and the world certainly doesn't need yet another rectangular glass tower.
"some recognisable big hitters" :laughing:
^ Yes, I like this building very much. It's got two advantages over the Gerkin imo:-
i) it's on an open site where you can appreciate the shape as a whole
ii) like the best buildings, it looks good from a distance, but also has intriguing details which make you want to see it up close. (In this case for instance, what have they done between one shell and the next?)

"The Armadillo, The Mobile Phone" - I'm sure it's not just modern Brit buildings that are immediately given dismissive nicknames, but anyway, here are two more, both from Liverpool and both known as "The Shoebox" afaik:-
http://www.daysinnliverpool.co.uk/as...fLiverpool.jpg.....http://l7.alamy.com/zooms/e21be5d10b...ure-b01g7p.jpg

At first, I didn't like the Museum of Liverpool building, but now it looks beautiful alongside that other Shoebox - what a charmless block of flats that is!


^ Yes, despite the example set by those Indian towers of MicShazam, most architects worldwide seem terrified of any colours except grey, silver and beige - and we have plenty of those colours already, what with the sidewalks, the tarmac, the cars, etc.

love it. reminds me of legos.


always found this apartment building to be interesting, the design is strangely similar to a stack of cargo containers. especially considering it's right on the waterfront.

https://killamreit.com/sites/default...?itok=cSjNrtNF

http://blog.newinhomes.com/wp-conten...-2-642x336.jpg

In my opinion, building colors and materials should complement the environment around the building. Climate, weather, landscape, and the buildings already built around it should be a factor in any building's design. Blue and lots of glass look great in Miami, but not in England, New York City, or Shanghai. The more congested cities become, the less colorful and bright they should look. It looks more natural that way.

Panopticon Prisons

https://prisonphotography.files.word...-326.jpg?w=490

Some of those look familiar. Reminds me of home.

Did someone say 'containers'?

https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.n...1c&oe=5A4448E3

During the design phase:

https://scontent.ford1-1.fna.fbcdn.n...ee&oe=5A860D5E

My work is more function than form.