Tag: ad-architecture-classics | ArchDaily

5 Monuments to Progress

AD Editorial Team — Wed, 28 Dec 2016 04:00:00 +0000

Buildings, perhaps unlike any other art form or edifice, have a capacity to influence or become part of a place's cultural identity and history. Defining an architectural monument is, however, an ambiguous exercise – most of their ilk only reach this status years after completion. AD Classics are ArchDaily's continually updated collection of longer-form building studies of the world's most significant architectural projects. Here we've assembled five structures and buildings which, often aside from original intentions, embody that most ephemeral feeling: a sense of progress.

AD Classics: Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, University of São Paulo (FAU-USP) / João Vilanova Artigas and Carlos Cascaldi

Catalina Gutiérrez — Sat, 12 Nov 2016 15:00:00 +0000

This piece of Brazilian architecture was conceived in 1961 by São Paulo architects João Batista Vilanova Artigas and Carlos Cascaldi. Together with the architectural movement of the Paulista School, they form part of the most important history of São Paulo, because of the large amount of works they constructed there and the recognition of many of them at an international level.

Luxury Living Through the Ages, From the Castle to the Villa

Luke Fiederer — Fri, 02 Sep 2016 04:00:00 +0000

Although societies have transformed through the ages, wealth never truly seems to go out of style. That said, the manner in which it is expressed continually adapts to each successive cultural epoch. As a consequence of evolving social mores and emerging technologies, the ideal of “luxury” and “splendour” sees priorities shift from opulence to subtlety, from tradition to innovation, and from visual ornamentation to physical comfort.

10 Of The World's Most Spectacular Sacred Spaces

Luke Fiederer — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 04:00:00 +0000

Religion, in one form or another, has formed the core of human society for much of our history. It therefore stands to reason that religious architecture has found equal prominence in towns and cities across the globe. Faith carries different meanings for different peoples and cultures, resulting in a wide variety of approaches to the structures in which worship takes place: some favor sanctuaries, others places of education and community, while others place the greatest emphasis on nature itself. Indeed, many carry secondary importance as symbols of national power or cultural expression.

10 Projects Which Define the Architecture of Transit

Luke Fiederer — Mon, 29 Aug 2016 04:00:00 +0000

Architecture inherently appears to be at odds with our mobile world – while one is static, the other is in constant motion. That said, architecture has had, and continues to have, a significant role in facilitating the rapid growth and evolution of transportation: cars require bridges, ships require docks, and airplanes require airports.

Cubes, Spheres and Inverted Pyramids: 10 Groundbreaking Residential Projects

AD Editorial Team — Fri, 29 Jul 2016 12:30:00 +0000

AD Classics are ArchDaily's continually updated collection of longer-form building studies of the world's most significant architectural projects. Here we've rounded-up ten groundbreaking residential projects from this collection, ranging from a 15th century Venetian palazzo to a three-dimensional axonometric projection. Although some appear a little strange, all have been realised and have made lasting contributions to the wider architectural discourse. You can study residential cubes, spheres and inverted pyramids—plus projects by the likes of OMA, Álvaro Siza, and Richard and Su Rogers—after the break.

AD Classics: Palazzo Santa Sofia / The Ca d’Oro

Luke Fiederer — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 05:00:00 +0000

Sitting on the northern bank of Venice's Grand Canal is a great house whose ornately carved marble facade only hints at its original splendor. The Palazzo Santa Sofia—or the Ca D’Oro (House of Gold), as it is also known—is one of the most notable examples of late Venetian Gothic architecture, which combined the existing threads of Gothic, Moorish, and Byzantine architecture into a unique aesthetic that symbolized the Venetian Republic’s cosmopolitan mercantile empire. Built to serve as the grand residence of wealthy Venetian businessman and politician Marin Contarini, the palazzo has seen a number of owners and renovations over its lifetime before ultimately coming to serve as a museum for medieval painting and sculpture.[1]

AD Classics: Villa Malaparte / Adalberto Libera

Natalia Yunis — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 06:00:00 +0000

Villa Malaparte, built in 1938 by the Rationalist architect Adalberto Libera in Punta Massullo on the Isle of Capri, is considered to be one of the best examples of Modern Italian architecture. The house, a red structure with inverted pyramid stairs, sits 32 meters over a cliff on the Gulf of Salerno. It is completely isolated from civilization, only accessible by foot or by boat.

AD Round Up: American Classics

David Langdon — Sat, 04 Jul 2015 11:00:00 +0000

Happy Fourth of July! In recognition of Independence Day in the United States, ArchDaily has assembled six of our favorite "American Classics." Featuring projects by Louis Kahn, Mies van der Rohe, Richard Neutra, Paul Rudolph, Eero Saarinen, and Richard Meier, each of these canonical works occupies a prominent place in twentieth-century American architecture. See them all after the break.

AD Round Up: Classics in Brick

Rory Stott — Fri, 30 Jan 2015 11:00:27 +0000

As one of the most ubiquitous forms of construction, it can sometimes be easy to overlook the humble brick. However, this prosaic building method can also be one of the most versatile materials available to architects, thanks to the experimentation of countless architects who, for centuries, have worked to create new forms of expression with the simple material. In this round up, we celebrate architects who, with their architectural classics, have expanded the possibilities of brick craft: Antoni Gaudí's fantastical vaulting at Colònia Güell and Alvar Aalto's experimental brick patterning at his house in Muuratsalo; the powerful brick piers of Kevin Roche and John Dinkeloo's Knights of Columbus Building and the Catalan vaults of Porro, Garatti and Gattardi's National Arts School of Cuba; and finally, what brick round up would be complete without the brick-whisperer himself - Louis Kahn and his all-brick fortress for the Indian Institute of Management.

AD Classics: Lafayette Park / Mies van der Rohe

Rennie Jones — Wed, 11 Dec 2013 01:00:00 +0000

Situated at the eastern edge of Downtown Detroit, Lafayette Park constitutes the world's largest collection of buildings designed by Mies van der Rohe. The 78-acre complex was completed in 1959, just after Crown Hall and the Seagram Building. It is not as well known as several Mies projects of that decade, however, and many critics argue the project deserves greater recognition. One of the first examples of urban renewal, it is a testament to the development's design that it remains a vibrant neighborhood more than fifty years after its construction.

AD Classics: Soreq Nuclear Research Center / Philip Johnson

Gili Merin — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 01:00:00 +0000

American architect and Prizker Prize winner Philip Johnson - who would have turned 107 today - is well known for his contributions to 20th century architecture, from the modernist Glass House in 1949 to his later infamous post modernist AT&T building in 1984. But did you know that Johnson designed a brutalistic nuclear plant in Israel? More on this monolithic concrete structure after the break...

AD Classics: Maison Louis Carré / Alvar Aalto

Lisa Wronski — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 01:00:00 +0000

In the commune of Bazoches-sur-Guyonnes, about 40 kilometers southwest of Paris, sits one of the most important private houses designed by Alvar Aalto: Maison Louis Carré. The client, Louis Carré, was a prominent French art dealer who was also very interested in architecture. He desired a house that would be able to accommodate many guests for art viewings, but also incorporated a private component. He commissioned Aalto to design his house in 1956, and Louis Carré and his wife, Olga, were able to move into their new home three years later.

AD Classics: Marin Civic Center / Frank Lloyd Wright

Ramzi Naja — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 01:00:00 +0000

The Marin County Civic Center was Frank Lloyd Wright's last commission and largest public project, including several civic functions that would serve Marin County and San Francisco, which after the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge became closer than ever. Wright was selected for the project in 1957, winning a vote out of hope he would be able to best represent a democratic government open to the people through the Civic Center.

AD Classics: Casa del Fascio / Giuseppe Terragni

Brian Pagnotta — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 13:50:18 +0000

Casa del Fascio which sits in front of Como Cathedral is the work of the Italian Fascist architect Giuseppe Terragni. Built as the headquarters of the local Fascist Party, it was renamed Casa del Popolo after the war and has since served a number of civic agencies, including a Caribinieri station and a tax office.

AD Round Up: Classics Part VII

Diego Hernandez — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 17:40:18 +0000

For today’s AD Round Up we have five great AD Architecture Classics. The main image belongs to Oscar Niemeyer’s Cathedral of Brasilia. Check out, one of the most inspiring housing project of all times, the Unite d’ Habitation in Marseille by Le Corbusier or the great Church on the Water designed by Tadao Ando. Revisit, one of the icons of New York, the Chrysler Building by William Van Alen. Finally, you can’t miss the particular structure of Johnson Wax Building by Frank Lloyd Wright.

AD Classics: Expo '58 + Philips Pavilion / Le Corbusier and Iannis Xenakis

Oscar Lopez — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 21:00:49 +0000

In 1956, preparations had begun for the 1958 World’s Fair in Brussels. This was to be the first World’s Fair held since the end of World War II, the concept behind the Expo was to celebrate the rejuvenation of civilization from the destruction of war through the use of technology. This World Fair is best known for the musical advances that was combined with architecture, creating a gestalt through an experiential encounter where body meets sound and space.