Thursday, February 21, 2019

Architecture Preview #1

Hundertwasserhaus (Forest Spiral, The Hundertwasser Building), Germany


1. The architect was Friedrich Stowasser, who was also known by the pseudonym Friedensreich Regentag Dunkelbunt Hundertwasser.

2. It was built between 1998 and 2000. The architect died a few months before the building was completed.

3. It is located in Darmstadt, Germany. 

4. It is a private apartment building, so there are no amenities for visitors.
5. There is no information on the how much it cost to build, but the architect avoided individually designing all of the apartment rooms due to reducing the costs.
6. Hunderwasser's personal style was to have all of the corners of the building are rounded because the he was against using straight lines. He also is known for using multicolored painting on the outside of the building in earth tones, with colorful ceramic columns. None of the windows, which there are over 1,000 windows in this building, are the same. Also, none of the handles of the doors or windows are the same in each room.
7. I picked this building because it was in Germany. I would like to visit Germany and am always looking at places that I could visit when I end up going. I also thought that the name of the building was interesting. I purposely chose buildings that weren't in the United States because I wanted to look at the buildings from different cultures.



Atomium, Belgium




1. The building was designed by the engineer André Waterkeyn and architects André and Jean Polak.

2. It was build in 1957.
3. It is located in Brussels, Belgium. 

4. The building is now a museum, so it is open to the public. There are a limited amount of people who can visit in one day and costs between $11 and $20. 
5. There is no information on how much it cost to build the structure originally, but it cost $33,886,450.00 to renovate in 2004. A third of the renovation costs was financed by Brussels and the Atomium Association, while the Belgian government financed the other two-thirds.
6. The building was built for the World Fair in Brussels in 1958 and is now the most popular tourist attrition. It is also the symbol of Europe's Central Capital. The building was only supposed to last six months, but it became a loved structure in Brussels.
7. I picked this building because the name Brussels reminds me of brussels sprouts and it made me laugh. I thought that the name of the building was interesting and thought that it would look modern and cool. The name of the building also reminded me of outer space. I think that it would be pretty cool to visit. I also picked it because it was not in the United States. 



National Centre for the Performing Arts, China




1. The building was designed by Paul Andreu, a French architect.

2. The building was build in December of 2001. The inaugural concert was held in December of 2007.
3. The building is located on Chang'an Avenue, Beijing, China. 

4. The building is a performing arts center, with 5,452 seats in three different halls of the building. The building is open to the public, with the purchase of tickets for a show or opera.
5. It cost $340,020,000.00 to build.
6. The building was completed in time for the 2008 Olympics that was hosted in Beijing, China.
7. I picked this building because I wanted to know what a performing arts center would look like in China. I thought that it would be interesting to learn more about famous and unique architecture in China. Not only did I pick it because it is not in the United States, I chose it because I am also going to Beijing. I think that I would actually get to see the building, which sounds interesting. I will also know more information about it if we do see it, making me seem smart.


Turning Torso, Sweden




1. The architect of the building is Santiago Calatrava.

2. Construction of the building began on February of 2001 and opened in 2005.
3. The building is located in Malmö on the Swedish side of the Öresund strait. 

4. The building is residential, so therefore is only open for visitors for more than three weeks during the summer. 

5. The original cost of construction was almost double the estimated cost.
6. The building is the first twisted skyscraper in the world.
7. I thought that the name of the building was interesting. I thought that I may as well learn more about it because of that. I thought that it would be unique and was willing to learn about the landmark. I also chose it because it is not located in the United States and because Sweden is cool.



Krzywy Domek (The Crooked House), Poland




1. The building was designed by Szotyńscy & Zaleski, who were inspired by the fairytale drawings of Jan Szancer.

2. The building was build in 2004.
3. The building is located in Sopot, Poland as a part of the Rezydent shopping center. 

4. The building is a popular tourist attraction. The building contains shops, office space, restaurants and the Polish version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

5. There is no information on the cost of the building because it was privately funded.

6. The building was inspired by the illustrations of Jan Szancer.

7. I picked this building because I saw that the name of the building was in a different language. I thought that it would be interesting to learn about the details of the name. The english name itself sounds interesting and lives up to what can be imagined. I picked it because it was in Poland, which is not the United States. 

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