I am amused to see the Seattle Public Library up there. It’s a cool building, with a lot of great natural light, it’s energy efficient, and has some great spaces in it.
Its only problem is that it feels like they tried to make a great building, and then decided to put books in it as an afterthought. The nonfiction book ramp is pretty cool, but the fiction section seems to be an afterthought.
The prettiest building I’ve seen in the USA is the Frost Bank Tower in Austin: http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=frostbanktower-austin-tx-usa . When I was in Austin, especially at night, I just stared in awe.
Chicago, your and my home town, has its great and awful:
The good:
Hancock Building – muscular, Miesian form-follows-function
333 Wacker (Keystone): Beautiful green glass and marble looks good from a distance and close up (my father the architect says it’s one of the few big buildings that works on the human scale)
Whatever the current name is of the 1st National Bank Building—the exponential curve from the base up makes it look taller than it is. Having a huge mosaic art exhibit in the plaza is a plus.
The apartment buildings at the north end of Lake Shore drive. Classic look.
The Bad:
The Harold Washington Library: Truly awful proportions, ugly color, over-decorated roof. The inside is fantastic, though
Thompson Center: Looked like an interesting po-mo construction as it was going up with pillars squaring the circular building… until that baby blue and salmon pink glass went in. Probably looked great at 1/4” to 1’. It’s had terrible HVAC and window leak problems over the years too. I could list a bunch of other Helmut Jahn buildings too, but my spider-sense detects lawyers.
The Sears Tower: Looks like the box the Hancock came in. No grace, just volume. Adding HDTV and cell antennae to the top now makes it look like the Sulaco from Aliens (the spaceship that resembled an opened Swiss Army Knife)
Dave
on 31 Jan 07
Fay Jones’ ThorncrownChapel is one of my favorites not listed here. I’m not really a fan of massive structures, so I’d say it and Wright’s Falling Water are my two favorites overall.
Pete’s comment is in line with what I was about to say : a building is a physical experience of space rather than a graphical picture. Some buildings can appear to be extraordinary in a photo and turn out to be not so nice when you visit them, and vice versa.
See this Renzo Piano building in Noumea : I loved the picture before I had the chance to get there, and got a bit disapointed by the scale of the whole thing (I thought it was way bigger than what it is). But I had other good surprises, and it is now one of my favourite ones.
Peter
on 31 Jan 07
I live the Met Life North building. Great proportions, beautiful arches, and a great interior.
Clayton Hynfield
on 31 Jan 07
I’m with Jason. When I was in high school it was Chartres, but for now it’s definitely Sagrada Familia.
Ben
on 31 Jan 07
My favorite building is …
My home.
Remember, how something looks at just a glance is only a component of great design. Form follows function, after all.
jim
on 31 Jan 07
I really didn’t think I was going to like the new Frederic C. Hamilton extension to the Dernver Art Museum. But now that it’s finished I love it.
The Pantheon is indeed a magnificent building, I agree. Much of the architecture in Rome impresses in one way or another: The sweep Colosseum, the scale of the St. Peter’s Square, etc., etc.
There are also a lot of examples of “grand” architecture in Berlin, albeit a lot of it was unfortunately created under Hitler’s reign. Nevertheless, some of those buildings still manage to impress as they were indeed intended to do, and were of course inspired by Roman architecture.
And here’s one for DHH: The Black Diamond in Copenhagen home of the royal library. It’s hard to see in any picture how this building actually “leans”, but it’s quite a sight. The interior is organic and mostly white, in stark contrast to the exterior, which, despite being sheer and black, doesn’t seem oppressive in the way that other buildings of its kind and scale do.
Bangladesh Parliament Building
I can’t find good photos, but if you watch the movie My Architect, you’ll get some beautiful video footage of it (and the Salk Institute, which is also beautiful)
I cannot believe no one has said the Sydney Opera House!
Inside its pretty disappointing, from when you are on that forecourt, and you see the gleaming balletic curves of the Opera House reflecting the sparkling Sydney Harbour… you know what modern beauty is.
Eek, one typo can change the entire gist of my post! I’ll try again…
Inside the Sydney Opera House its not so grand, BUT, when you are on that forecourt, and you see the gleaming balletic curves of the Opera House reflecting the sparkling Sydney Harbour… you know what modern beauty is.
Phew… much better.
...but its great to have Chicago’s style & substance only 90 miles to the south!
brew
on 01 Feb 07
Louis Sullivan’s Guaranty (Prudential) Building in Buffalo. Restored in all its terra cotta glory with a beautiful interior. One of the world’s first and best skyscrapers.
I’d like to nominate the various architectural works of Santiago Calatrava. I couldn’t pick a single building, bridge or construction of his that I love most, as I think they all exhibit extraordinary beauty, combined with real utility – a mark of quality engineering.
Edgardo
on 01 Feb 07
A bit biased but El Morro in San Juan, Puerto Rico. http://flickr.com/photos/52634135@N00/369211358/
I don’t know what it’s called – but that retro building in NYC that has a stone base and the rest of it is this silver metal that is very geometric. It was shown in a new Ford advert for their Edge SUV.
Based on Pablo Picasso’s Guitar sculpture, the University’s new Art Building West is as much a work of art as the faculty and student creations it contains.
i also (semi-sarcastically) second the Ryugyong Hotel. but at some time they must have realised that this incredible steep angle must feel creepy. compare Giza, for example….
@erik: from the outside the k21 looks quite bland, imho, but the inside is quite nice.
Jul.z
on 04 Feb 07
What about the “grande arche” building in Paris? Its pure size is concealed by its somehow “open” :-) design. There are many different angles to create a very unusual look of a building.
_r.jpg)
Greg
on 31 Jan 07My favorite buildings seems to all be displayed here
No sacrasm at all. Really – in the most part all of my favorite buildings can be found on that front page.
Steve Agalloco
on 31 Jan 07The Eiffel Tower
Not a building, per se, but it’s beauty is unquestioned.
Dude
on 31 Jan 07Without a doubt, Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello
Adam Sanderson
on 31 Jan 07I am amused to see the Seattle Public Library up there. It’s a cool building, with a lot of great natural light, it’s energy efficient, and has some great spaces in it.
Its only problem is that it feels like they tried to make a great building, and then decided to put books in it as an afterthought. The nonfiction book ramp is pretty cool, but the fiction section seems to be an afterthought.
Pete Forde
on 31 Jan 07I wish I could have seen the Sutro Baths.
jan korbel
on 31 Jan 07Villa Tugendhat in Brno here and here
St. Barbora Cathedral in Kutna hora
JF
on 31 Jan 07For me it’s gotta be La Sagrada Familia.
Phil
on 31 Jan 07The prettiest building I’ve seen in the USA is the Frost Bank Tower in Austin: http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=frostbanktower-austin-tx-usa . When I was in Austin, especially at night, I just stared in awe.
Andrew
on 31 Jan 07Louis Kahn’s Kimbell Museum in Fort Worth
Paul Wilson
on 31 Jan 07The Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich. Of course you really need to stroll through the grounds.
starks
on 31 Jan 07Madison Square Garden
Jeff Lewis
on 31 Jan 07The Basilica in Higuey, Dominican Republic.
John
on 31 Jan 07The Treasury at Petra.
joelfinkle
on 31 Jan 07Chicago, your and my home town, has its great and awful:
The good: Hancock Building – muscular, Miesian form-follows-function 333 Wacker (Keystone): Beautiful green glass and marble looks good from a distance and close up (my father the architect says it’s one of the few big buildings that works on the human scale) Whatever the current name is of the 1st National Bank Building—the exponential curve from the base up makes it look taller than it is. Having a huge mosaic art exhibit in the plaza is a plus. The apartment buildings at the north end of Lake Shore drive. Classic look. The Bad: The Harold Washington Library: Truly awful proportions, ugly color, over-decorated roof. The inside is fantastic, though Thompson Center: Looked like an interesting po-mo construction as it was going up with pillars squaring the circular building… until that baby blue and salmon pink glass went in. Probably looked great at 1/4” to 1’. It’s had terrible HVAC and window leak problems over the years too. I could list a bunch of other Helmut Jahn buildings too, but my spider-sense detects lawyers. The Sears Tower: Looks like the box the Hancock came in. No grace, just volume. Adding HDTV and cell antennae to the top now makes it look like the Sulaco from Aliens (the spaceship that resembled an opened Swiss Army Knife)Dave
on 31 Jan 07Fay Jones’ Thorncrown Chapel is one of my favorites not listed here. I’m not really a fan of massive structures, so I’d say it and Wright’s Falling Water are my two favorites overall.
Pietro
on 31 Jan 07Without a doubt, the Pantheon in Rome.
Thibaut
on 31 Jan 07Pete’s comment is in line with what I was about to say : a building is a physical experience of space rather than a graphical picture. Some buildings can appear to be extraordinary in a photo and turn out to be not so nice when you visit them, and vice versa. See this Renzo Piano building in Noumea : I loved the picture before I had the chance to get there, and got a bit disapointed by the scale of the whole thing (I thought it was way bigger than what it is). But I had other good surprises, and it is now one of my favourite ones.
Peter
on 31 Jan 07I live the Met Life North building. Great proportions, beautiful arches, and a great interior.
Clayton Hynfield
on 31 Jan 07I’m with Jason. When I was in high school it was Chartres, but for now it’s definitely Sagrada Familia.
Ben
on 31 Jan 07My favorite building is … My home.
Remember, how something looks at just a glance is only a component of great design. Form follows function, after all.
jim
on 31 Jan 07I really didn’t think I was going to like the new Frederic C. Hamilton extension to the Dernver Art Museum. But now that it’s finished I love it.
My all time favorite building is the Guggenheim Museum.
For homes, I like the new Ray Kappe designed LEED home for Living Homes. Slideshow available here
Joseph swain
on 31 Jan 07If a house counts, the Big Dig House is high on my list of architectural favs:
http://www.singlespeeddesign.com/works/residential/bigdighouse-2/
Danny Hope
on 31 Jan 07http://www.spamula.net/blog/i17/babel2.jpg
Dan
on 31 Jan 07I’ll second Pietro… walking into the Pantheon is an experience like no other.
Matteo Alessani
on 31 Jan 07I live near Santa Maria Novella in Florence and I think it’s a fantastic and beautiful place. Have you ever been there?
Tim Storm
on 31 Jan 07OK, I have to smack this one down.
Why are you defining a “great building” by its exterior?
In most cases, the user of the building is the only one that can truly define its “greatness”.
If you want to say “Great Building Exterior Design”, no arguments.
If you’re building something to impress others, knock yourself out, but don’t kid yourself about it.
4point44
on 31 Jan 07sweet home chicago
mattbucher
on 31 Jan 07I would say the Hagia Sophia and the George Washington Masonic Memorial Building.
mattbucher
on 31 Jan 07http://www.airynothing.com/photos/around_dc/around_dc-Images/2.jpg
Peter Cooper
on 31 Jan 07Gazprom City concept
Rob Breidecker
on 31 Jan 07The Wainwright Building in St. Louis, MO. Built in 1890 by Louis Sullivan and is among the first skyscrapers in the world.
http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/wainwright/wainwright.html
Daniel
on 31 Jan 07The Pantheon is indeed a magnificent building, I agree. Much of the architecture in Rome impresses in one way or another: The sweep Colosseum, the scale of the St. Peter’s Square, etc., etc.
There are also a lot of examples of “grand” architecture in Berlin, albeit a lot of it was unfortunately created under Hitler’s reign. Nevertheless, some of those buildings still manage to impress as they were indeed intended to do, and were of course inspired by Roman architecture.
But for modern architecture, I like the odd paradox of simplicity and complexity of the SwissRe building (a.k.a. the Gherkin) in London.
And here’s one for DHH: The Black Diamond in Copenhagen home of the royal library. It’s hard to see in any picture how this building actually “leans”, but it’s quite a sight. The interior is organic and mostly white, in stark contrast to the exterior, which, despite being sheer and black, doesn’t seem oppressive in the way that other buildings of its kind and scale do.
condor
on 31 Jan 07just about anything by tadao ando
but especially church of light
Benjy
on 31 Jan 07I agree with Falling Water. I also love the Willits House:
more info
Eh Eh
on 31 Jan 07The Flatiron Building in Toronto.
Alternate Photo
Hometown bias.
David Hall
on 31 Jan 07Bangladesh Parliament Building I can’t find good photos, but if you watch the movie My Architect, you’ll get some beautiful video footage of it (and the Salk Institute, which is also beautiful)
Richard Crowley
on 31 Jan 07Slightly sarcastically, this project intrigues me. Mismanaged to death, I have to wonder what it could have been like.
Ryugyong Hotel
Aerial view
Niklas
on 31 Jan 07I enjoy the work of Gaudí. Especially the remarkable Casa Batlló.
panoptican
on 31 Jan 07The Guthrie Theater
ste
on 31 Jan 07I don’t know if it qualifies as a “building”, but I just love the covered bridge in Pavia.
dehfne
on 31 Jan 07the saarinen terminal at jfk hands down. it’s everything you want to feel when you’re traveling—into the future!
the exterior looks like the building is gonna take off: http://www.theconnection.org/photogallery/docomomo/images/1.jpg
and the interior is straight out of the 2001 spacestation: http://www.ronsaari.com/stockImages/nyc/TWATerminalInterior.jpg
Erik
on 31 Jan 07I’m partial to the K21 Kunstsammlung in Düsseldorf.
Tom
on 31 Jan 07Selfridges in Birmingham, UK. See better photos on Flickr.
Chris Biagini
on 31 Jan 07Just moved near Washington, DC, and I love the US Capitol and the Pentagon.
mimo
on 31 Jan 07The <a href=” http://you-are-here.com/europe/chile.html”>Chile Haus in Hamburg/ Germany.
Anonymous Coward
on 31 Jan 07I’m partial to the Chile Haus in Hamburg.
Michel
on 31 Jan 07You have got to see the Chile haus in Hamburg.
Michel
on 31 Jan 07What? 3 in a row!
That settles it, we win.
Leith
on 31 Jan 07I cannot believe no one has said the Sydney Opera House! Inside its pretty disappointing, from when you are on that forecourt, and you see the gleaming balletic curves of the Opera House reflecting the sparkling Sydney Harbour… you know what modern beauty is.
Leith
on 31 Jan 07Eek, one typo can change the entire gist of my post! I’ll try again… Inside the Sydney Opera House its not so grand, BUT, when you are on that forecourt, and you see the gleaming balletic curves of the Opera House reflecting the sparkling Sydney Harbour… you know what modern beauty is. Phew… much better.
Bernd Goldschmidt
on 31 Jan 07The Taipei 101. The only skyskraper that doesn’t suck™.
Mark
on 01 Feb 07I think some of the best US-based architecture can be found in Houston—
Former Enron tower Reliant Stadium Chevron Texaco Heritage Plaza
B
on 01 Feb 07Anyone living in Chicago is a lucky dog if you like art and architecture (and parks). Best city in the country for that.
Chris
on 01 Feb 07Hometown favorite: http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=milwaukee+art+museum&btnG=Search+Images
...but its great to have Chicago’s style & substance only 90 miles to the south!
brew
on 01 Feb 07Louis Sullivan’s Guaranty (Prudential) Building in Buffalo. Restored in all its terra cotta glory with a beautiful interior. One of the world’s first and best skyscrapers.
Guaranty Building
Emmanuel
on 01 Feb 07What about one of Le Corbusier’s masterpieces : The Ronchamp Chapel located near the swiss border.
http://www.chapellederonchamp.com/index.php
Ben Keogh
on 01 Feb 07Can I have three?!
1. Lloyds of London
2. Oriental Pearl TV Tower
3. The Vatican
Yannis
on 01 Feb 07Habitat 67in Montreal!
Yannis
on 01 Feb 07... and the thermal baths in Vals (CH) from Peter Zumthor...
Ben Darlow
on 01 Feb 07I’d like to nominate the various architectural works of Santiago Calatrava. I couldn’t pick a single building, bridge or construction of his that I love most, as I think they all exhibit extraordinary beauty, combined with real utility – a mark of quality engineering.
Edgardo
on 01 Feb 07A bit biased but El Morro in San Juan, Puerto Rico. http://flickr.com/photos/52634135@N00/369211358/
Prophetess
on 01 Feb 07The Long Room, Trinity College, Dublin
The Barcelona Cathedral
Steve Woods
on 01 Feb 07Biased in that I’m from Newcastle but I love our huge landmarks:
Sage Gateshead: http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q=sage+gateshead&btnG=Search+Images
Gateshead Millenium Bridge: http://images.google.co.uk/images?svnum=10&hl=en&q=millenium+bridge&btnG=Search
Tyne Bridge: http://images.google.co.uk/images?svnum=10&hl=en&q=tyne+bridge&btnG=Search
Angel of the North: http://images.google.co.uk/images?svnum=10&hl=en&q=angel+of+the+north&btnG=Search
The first three are within 400 yards of one another and are spectacular at night.
:)
Steven Woods
on 01 Feb 07Real links for the above:
Sage Gateshead
Gateshead Millenium Bridge
Tyne Bridge
Angel of the North
Steve Woods
on 01 Feb 07Someone take my internet pass away :(
Sage Gateshead
heri
on 01 Feb 07Museo Guggenhein Bilbao in Northern Spain. Excellent location and architecture, interior is magnificent as well
Igor
on 01 Feb 07The Winter Palace of the Hermitage complex in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Jack
on 01 Feb 07Mine is the derelict Brutalist masterpiece, St. Peter’s Seminary at Cardross, by Gillespie, Kidd & Coia – before and after shots, a set on Flickr, and my snaps.
stoneroberts
on 01 Feb 07Woodland Chapel, Stockholm by E.G. Asplund
Simon
on 01 Feb 07How about Aquadom at the Berlin Radisson?
Kate
on 02 Feb 07The new ICA in Boston is pretty amazing. Also Tadao Ando’s Oval (Flickr) and the interiors of the Palau de la Musica Catalunya (Flickr).
Ian
on 02 Feb 07The building that’s built on stilts over another building: the Ontario College of Art & Design in Toronto
Tommaso
on 02 Feb 07BMW Central Building by Zaha Hadid in Leipzig, Germany
Tommaso
on 02 Feb 07BMW Central Building by Zaha Hadid in Leipzig, Germany
Tommaso
on 02 Feb 07BMW Central Building by Zaha Hadid in Leipzig, Germany
Gordon
on 02 Feb 07The office where I work is kinda neat in a ‘small scale’ kinda way.
More from wikipedia, plus another image.
Anthony Finucane
on 02 Feb 07Villa Savoye by Le Corbusier.
Paul Stamatiou
on 03 Feb 07I don’t know what it’s called – but that retro building in NYC that has a stone base and the rest of it is this silver metal that is very geometric. It was shown in a new Ford advert for their Edge SUV.
Bermi
on 03 Feb 07The “Ciudad de las Artes y de la Ciencia” by Santiago Calatrava in Valencia – Spain
Dannny
on 03 Feb 07Based on Pablo Picasso’s Guitar sculpture, the University’s new Art Building West is as much a work of art as the faculty and student creations it contains.
Matt Ferranto
on 04 Feb 07Central China TV Building – does it count if it’s not yet complete?
Reinier
on 04 Feb 07The Evoluon, and it was my favourite museum, too …
viceroy321
on 04 Feb 07Barcelona Pavillion by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe ( Wikipedia Gallery)
i also (semi-sarcastically) second the Ryugyong Hotel. but at some time they must have realised that this incredible steep angle must feel creepy. compare Giza, for example….
@erik: from the outside the k21 looks quite bland, imho, but the inside is quite nice.
Jul.z
on 04 Feb 07What about the “grande arche” building in Paris? Its pure size is concealed by its somehow “open” :-) design. There are many different angles to create a very unusual look of a building.
http://www.fromparis.com/modules/imagebank_display_thb_pict.php?number=000084_01
ajoy
on 05 Feb 07the building that my dad built: http://oonny.org/index.php?showimage=80
:)
Kevin
on 05 Feb 07Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga, TN
This discussion is closed.