Skip to main content

TOP 10 Cultural Institutions of 2013

TOP 10 Cultural Institutions of 2013
Heydar Aliyev Center by Zaha Hadid
Designed by zaha hadid architects, ‘heydar aliyev center‘ in the city of baku, azerbaijan, stands as the country’s primary building for hosting the former soviet nation’s range of cultural programs. in realizing the majestic structure, zaha hadid has employed a sinuous geometry throughout the entirety of the design that sets it apart from the typically rigid and monumental soviet architecture that already defines baku.

 Above photo by iwan baan



 TOP 10 Cultural Institutions of 2013
zhang zhidong industrial museum by daniel libeskind

image courtesy of studio libeskind




located in wuhan, arguably the birthplace of china’s modern steel industry, the zhang zhidong industrial museum by daniel libeskind will both preserve and elevate the famous hanyang ironworks. the expansive plot will be programmatically divided into the modern industrial museum, and the light industrial museum.




 TOP 10 Cultural Institutions of 2013
messe basel exhibition hall by herzog & de meuron

image © iwan baan




herzog & de meuron‘s new ‘messe hall’ has taken the place of the site’s two original buildings. the main feature differentiating the new structure with the old is the city lounge concept, whereby the traditional courtyard is turned inside out and offers a social space year-round, servicing the main entrances to the north and south foyer and revitalizing exhibition square with a strong public component.




 TOP 10 Cultural Institutions of 2013
FRAC centre by jakob + macfarlane

image © nicolas borel
image courtesy jakob + macfarlane




paris-based duo jakob + macfarlane have designed the new site of the FRAC centre in orleans, france. the regional arts fund, dedicated to showcasing radical architecture, is now housed in a 18th century detention center-turned-hospital. after a brief 1837 stint as a military supply depot, the historic building has entered it’s latest life as a cultural repository extended by the likes of a faceted parametric form.




 TOP 10 Cultural Institutions of 2013
blue planet aquarium by 3XN

image © adam mørk




earlier this year, the small town of kastrup in denmark celebratated the public opening of its newest aquarium designed by local practice 3XN. the ‘blue planet aquarium‘ is derived from the nautical swirl, a pattern repeated not only in the fluid behavior of water but throughout marine wildlife design as well, the radial shape also dictates the organization of spaces and circulation.





 TOP 10 Cultural Institutions of 2013
dalian international conference center by coophimmelb(l)au

image courtesy of coophimmelb(l)au




arranged along a major urban axis and set to create an iconic mark on the chinese landscape, the ‘dalian international conference center’ has been completed this year. the coophimmelb(l)au design features cantilevered conference spaces and a sweeping, faceted facade. theaters and meeting spaces architectonically match the dynamically perforated exterior and the public ground floor uses parametrically tiled skin to direct reflected light in the space. a 2500 seat conference hall is adjacent to the grand theater and continues the fluidity of the sinuously curved plan.




 TOP 10 Cultural Institutions of 2013
taiyuan museum of art by preston scott cohen

image © preston scott cohen




preston scott cohen has completed the ‘taiyuan museum of art’ in the northern chinese province of shanxi. the architecture is a responsive composition of the urban greenery of the site and encourages seamlessness between public and private space. the group of buildings is a network of continuous and discontinuous promenades that create a veritable architectonic landscape.




 TOP 10 Cultural Institutions of 2013
a-art house by kazuyo sejima

image © iwan baan




japanese architect kazuyo sejima has completed ‘a-art house’, a transparent, walk through pavilion with vibrant pink, red, and yellow floral motifs encompassing the exterior skin. the archetypal sculpture allows entry at one point, granting access to either the interior of the clear acrylic ring, or entry into a small rest area at its core. the organic enclosure is fitted with two silver stools, for pause and contemplation.




 TOP 10 Cultural Institutions of 2013
cidade das artes by christian de portzamparc

photo by nelson kon
image courtesy of christian de portzamparc




‘cidade das artes’, a new public arts facility, forms the center point of a developing major district rio de janerio, brazil. designed by french architect christian de portzamparc, the project serves as a much needed civic symbol for the region, providing rio, and its visitors with an identifiable cultural landmark.




 TOP 10 Cultural Institutions of 2013
mary rose museum by wilkinson eyre architects

image © hufton + crowimage courtesy of wilkinson eyre architects




wilkinson eyre architects have completed the ‘mary rose museum’, a maritime institute that combines delicate conservation, contemporary architecture and specialist technical expertise. the museum commemorates 30 years since the hull of the mary rose, a famous tudor ship, was raised from the solent, where the ship structure remained undiscovered for 437 years.
Via[designboom]

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

China’s Frozen Cave that Doesn’t Melt in Summer

China’s Frozen Cave that Doesn’t Melt in Summer China owns an 85-meter deep pin shaped frozen wonderland, named Ningwu cave, in the mountain range of the Shanxi province. Its structure is subterranean inside the mountain that never melts even in summer. The large stalactites and the spikes of the ice extend from the ceiling to floor. However the floor and walls are completely covered with the thick layers of ice. Ningwu’s unique and excellent ability of not thawing throughout the warm seasons increases its popularity and makes it a must visit place.   This always frozen cave can be seen in the high teen list due to the uniqueness of the phenomenon. There are many such caves where the ice never melts throughout the year in other regions as well, such as Central Asia, continental Europe, and North America. But the reason of their non-melting nature is that they are located in the cooler places where the always low temperature keeps the cave stay at freezing points such as Iceland, Ru

World Largest Vault for Storing Seeds in Norway

World Largest Vault for Storing Seeds in Norway  Way up north in the remote Arctic Svalbard archipelago, shrouded in permafrost and tucked 427 feet into a mountain, lies the  Svalbard Global Seed Vault . Located on the Norwegian Island of Spitsbergen, this futuristic facility safeguards over 850,00 seed copies from all over the planet in case of a global catastrophe. Created as a way to preserve biodiversity of the planet, the vault contains duplicate samples of essential seed varieties that are held in gene banks around the world.

Al-Shaheed Monument an incredible design and architect of Baghdad

Al-Shaheed Monument an incredible design and architect of Baghdad  During the 1970s and 1980s, Saddam Hussein’s government spent a lot of oil money in building monuments around Baghdad. Two of these are quite majestic. One is the  Monument to the Unknown Soldier , which we already wrote about. The other is the Al-Shaheed Monument.