Six Buildings That Redefine the Architecture World
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Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris. Frank Gehry.
Frank Gehry designed the Fondation Louis Vuitton by respecting the history rooted in 19th century French culture—the traditional ‘art de vivre’—while at the same time daring to innovate with modern technology. Each of the 3,600 glass panels that form the Fondation’s twelve sails and each of the 19,000 panels of Ductal is unique. The end result is an ever-changing ‘iceberg’ that is ephemeral, continuing playing with light and mirror effects.
Shanghai Tower, Shanghai. Gensler.
In the heart of the Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone, the 632 metre Shanghai Tower is China’s tallest building. Its transparent, spiral form flaunts pioneering sustainable strategies and its public spaces set a new standard for a future, green community. The building’s 127 stores are home to office space, entertainment venues, retail space, a conference centre, a luxury hotel and cultural amenity spaces—a fitting way to establish the skyline icon.
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The Oculus, New York. Santiago Calatrava.
The Oculus’s glass and steel structure is a symbol of future ingenuity and an homage to an unforgettable past. Its 800,000 square feet houses the World Trade Centre Transportation Hub and features a mezzanine, retail space and access to underground platforms. The design was meant to emphasise function of wayfinding and easy orientation, done with a clear and intuitive spatial sequence. Inside: brilliant white and a retractable skylight; outside: an elliptical structure of steel ribs and panes of glass form a pair of 350-foot wings.
 by Herzog & de Meuron (Hamburg) .jpg)
Hamburg’s new cultural icon, the Elbphilharmonie hosts three concert halls—the Grand Hall, the White Skin and the Recital Hall—a hotel, 45 apartments and a public plaza with panoramic views of the city. The archaic and the modern come together to create the building: an old warehouse is synthesised with a bold curve of dazzling glass. The curve of the façade is matched by the 7,000-square metre roof’s elegantly curved silhouette.
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Nestled in an olive grove, the Visitor Centre is a public gateway to Apple Park, featuring an expansive, floating carbon-fibre roof terrace and unique views. Inside, visitors are met with a large scaled model of the park, manufactured by the same machines that make Apple’s products. The building is a taste of the intricate detail and meticulous design that has come to represent all things Apple.
432 Park Avenue, New York. Rafael Viñoly.
A slender building that marks the centre of the New York skyline, 432 Park Avenue is a 425.5-metre tall tower defined by geometric discipline and a grid of 10-square metre windows. Its middle and upper levels house residents, while the lower section is devoted to amenities exclusive to residents.
