As is often said, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. And this is true about architecture as any other worldly thing that exists. Architecture has often been associated with art, and architecture has spawned many art movements throughout time. In this blog we look at some of the most spectacular building around the world that architects agree are outstanding for certain reasons: it may be beauty, innovation of design, technical building techniques but for whatever reason they deserve a place in the architectural hall of fame.
The Parthenon in Athens
The Parthenon has been described as the quintessential and most beautiful of architectural forms. It is designed in the Doric style of architecture and it places its emphasis on the use of entasis, which is a slight curve in the columns. This ensures viewing the Parthenon from a distance the majestic columns don’t look too spindly. This colossus of a building was the template of many such buildings to follow, if you like it gave subsequent architects the A, B, C’s of how to design grand buildings.
The Forbidden City – Beijing
The design of the Forbidden City is amazing in its scale, and it has weathered the storm of longevity, a highly complex structure but amazingly simplistic to the eye. The lines are all based around the horizontal and little attention is drawn to the vertical walls, it almost looks as though the roof is floating above the base. Great architects design their buildings to last beyond their lifetimes, thereby it acts as a time capsule of a culture long gone in the past, and represents an entire civilization.
The Empire State Building – New York
The original and forefather of all skyscrapers, the Empire State is famous around the world, it has starred in movies and been the inspiration behind art, music and of course other buildings. The architect who designed this incredible building was actually not one person, the project was so complex and mammoth that three gifted men worked on the Empire State until its completion. Messrs Lamb, Harmon and Shreve worked tirelessly together to design and build which once was the highest man-made structure on the planet.
The Lloyds Building – London
For an outstanding modern example of architecture then the Lloyds Building in London takes some beating. The well-known contemporary architect Jeffrey Roberts was quoted in saying about Lloyds, it is the most extreme and intricate of the high-tech building’s style, revealing nearly all of its structure. The building is designed to take the appearance of a monstrous futuristic giant engine, that has been turned vertical and is at odds with the historic buildings that surround it, it is like a Terminator has crash landed into the business district of the City of London.
These amazing buildings are architecturally as different as they possibly could be, each one is magnificent in its own right, challenging design and building techniques to the very limit when they were built. They each represent a different snapshot of history as it was when they were erected, and a time that was totally different to what it is now and will be in the future.
