All the quirky buildings….
Thinking of quirky architecture the first thing that pops into my mind is The Dancing House in Prague, Czech Republic. During a visit to Prague I was walking down the street with a friend, headed towards one of the many bridges crossing the Vltava River, when we stumbled upon Frank Gehry and Vlado Milunić’s Dancing House. It was an unexpected yet pleasant surprise which left us standing in awe and amusement for a few moments.
What I appreciate about this piece of postmodern architecture is how this building mixes up the entire view. Walking along the road you can see similarly structured, traditional building in the same style one after the other, mainly varying in color and then you reach the corner and see this structure that seems to be in the midst of a dynamic movement. It’s loose and fun and breaks the concept of look-alike buildings in a row.
Another architectural masterpiece by Frank Gehry is the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Its reflective metal exterior of flowing, rounded shapes is representative of what the interior is made to hold.
Now this second architectural construct looks very different from The Dancing House, however the same principles are incorporated: breaking the traditional form, creating something new and free, making architecture a fun piece of true art. The Inntel Hotel’s facade is a compilation of various cottages in the historical style of the Zaan region stack upon one another. This creation is a collage to resemble, maintain, and interpret historical features in an ever changing modern world. Therefore it represents more than just a landmark, it is an eye-catcher, a piece of art in a long lasting and functional form.
The Sydney Opera house by Jørn Utzon is well known for its distinctive form. The white body of the building reminds me of ship sails inflated by the wind. This harmonizes well with the surrounding landscape of water. This piece of architectural art was the inspiration for the Wave building in Vejle, Denmark.
This building quite obviously derived its name form the form it represents: waves. This shows a similar principle as seen in the Sydney Opera House, nicely combined with a body of water, completing the overall theme.
The last piece postmodern architecture that I would like to share with you is the Museum of the North at the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus. Its shape was intended to resemble features of Alaska’s nature and history.
I greatly appreciate the diversity and playful style as well as the creative freedom embodied in postmodern architecture. A significant feature that can be detected in each of the presented buildings is that they were not designed for mere functional intent. The greater valued aspect is to create something that represents either the purpose of the building or establish a harmony between the surroundings and the structure itself to create an overall setting that is a piece of art. All of these constructions are fun to view, and provide an eye-catching alternation to an otherwise rather traditionally structured skyline. The individual uniqueness of every structure fascinates me and makes me wish there was more of that creative quirkiness in each place we travel to.
Sources: “The Dancing House”. Architecuul.com http://architectuul.com/architecture/the-dancing-house
“Monday Exposure: Dancing House in Prague”. Coloringwithoutborders.com http://www.coloringwithoutborders.com/2015/08/monday-exposure-dancing-house-in-prague.html
https://www.travelcaffeine.com/free-tour-walt-disney-concert-hall/
https://www.archdaily.com/120948/the-wave-henning-larsen-architects
https://www.uaf.edu/museum/plan-your-visit/museum-operations/
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