This Week’s Crazy Building: Calgary Central Library

If you thought a library was just a musty storehouse for old books, think again! Calgary’s Central Library is a contemporary structure in both design and functionality equipped to handle the needs of its people. Situated between the Downtown and East Village, a light rail line crosses the library. Upon entering visitors are greeted with
Read more
No Comments

This Week’s Crazy Building: Mercat Encants

Don’t be fooled by the Mercat Encants’ contemporary look, this site is home to a 100-year old market! b720 Fermín Vázquez Arquitectos created the new structure. The ostentatious gold canopy acts as a sunscreen while also reflecting the city into the market, connecting the two. One of the challenges was the limited location size which
Read more
No Comments

This Week’s Crazy Building: Louvre Museum

The Louvre Museum in Paris presents a strange juxtaposition of architecture. The main building dates back to the 12th century and is done in French Renaissance style while the new entrance, completed in 1989 is a modern steel and glass structure built to the same proportions as the Pyramid of Giza. Designed by American-Chinese architect
Read more
No Comments

This Week’s Crazy Building: Thorncrown Chapel

The Thorncrown Chapel feels at home among the trees of Arkansas’ Ozark Mountains. This unique structure receives over 2,000 visitors each day. It was designed by E. Fay Jones and built in 1980. Jones, one of the top students of Frank Lloyd Wright was recognized with the 1990 American Institute of Architects Gold Medal for a
Read more
No Comments

This Week’s Crazy Building: Ryugyong Hotel

The imposing Ryugyong Hotel towers above its neighboring buildings in Pyongyang, North Korea. The name means “capital of willows” and comes from a historical nickname of the city. Its unusual shape is thought to be symbolic of a mountain and determined by the exclusive use of concrete as a construction material. Normally a building of
Read more
No Comments

This Week’s Crazy Building: Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health

The undulating walls and movement of the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health are a vast departure from other health physicalities. Designed by renowned architect, Frank Gehry, he feels the center represents hope. The Center treats patients with Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s and Parkinson’s disease, among others. Started in 2009 the Center came about as a partnership
Read more
No Comments

This Week’s Crazy Building: Milwaukee Art Museum

“Milwaukee Art Museum” by JohnPickenPhoto is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Three accomplished architects have contributed to the Milwaukee Art Museum: Eero Saarinen, David Kahler, and Santiago Calatrava. Of the three, Calatrava’s Quadracci Pavilion is the most flamboyant. He drew inspiration from the existing museum design, the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, the City of Milwaukee, and Lake Michigan. The Pavilion itself is reminiscent of a
Read more
No Comments

This Week’s Crazy Building: Falkirk Wheel

“Falkirk Wheel” by Mike McBey is licensed under CC BY 2.0
How do you connect two waterways when one is over 100 feet below the other? If you’re Scotland, you build an aqueduct with a rotating arm! Called “a form of contemporary sculpture” by the Royal Fine Art Commission for Scotland, the unique Falkirk Wheel blends design with functionality and is the first, and so far
Read more
2 Comments

This Week’s Crazy Building: Evolution Tower

“Evolution Tower” by Ninaras is licensed under CC BY 4.0
Also known as Wedding Palace, this tower is the 9th tallest building in Russia, coming in a little over 800 feet. Designed by architect Tony Kettle in collaboration with Edinburgh College of Art Professor Karen Forbes it draws inspiration from Rodin’s Kiss, St Basil’s Cathedral, and Tatlin’s Tower. The design symbolizes DNA and is based
Read more
No Comments

This Week’s Crazy Building: V8 Hotel

The V8 Hotel in Böblingen, Germany proves car shaped beds are not just for kids! Inside are a variety of themed rooms such as Made In Germany, British Racing, Off Road, Gas Station (featured above), Drive-In, and Carwash. Car-shaped soap comes with each room, of course. If a themed room is not your style they
Read more
No Comments