september2014
34
hesedays, post economiccrisis, the industrialisedglobe
ispositivelybuzzingwithmovingcranesandhigh-decibel
constructionsites. InEuropeand theUS there’sahealthypipeline
of newandexcitingcultural, housingandmixed-useprojects,
and thepast year or twohaveseen thecompletionofmajor
architectural projectssuchas theOneWorldTradeCenter&
MemorialMuseum inNewYorkand theAstrupFearnley
MuseumofModernArt inOslo.
What thearchitectureof todayshouldaspire to isalwaysamatter of
debate. Buildingsarebecomingevermorecomplexasarchitectsadd
layers, louvresor shading inorder to reduceenergy loads.
“Inmyview there isnooneprevailingarchitectural style,” saysJim
Eyre, partner anddirector at London-basedpracticeWilkinsonEyre, the
firmbehind thevast newBatterseaPowerStationproject inLondon.
“Buildingsseem tobevariouslycurvyor fluid in their form, angular or
predominantly rectilinear, thoughapproaches tomateriality, surface,
textureand light canspanwhatever form,”heexplains.
Thecurvy form isoftenaproduct of adesigner’s imagination, says
Eyre, andmadepossiblebyadvancedcomputer technology. Agood
example is theswirling, sculptedstyleof ZahaHadid.
Angular buildingswithacutecornersaremoreassertive, but canalso
havesculptural andsymboliceffect, asprovedbyDaniel Libeskind’s
famedJewishMuseum inBerlinand the ImperialWarMuseum in
Manchester. Finally, there is the rectilinear architecturewithwhichwe
areallmore familiar. “This is the least influencedbycomputer
technology, but relieson theoldvirtuesof goodproportionsevidenced
bycarefullycrafted facades,” saysEyre.
Though the flashyandcarbon-intensivebuildingswhichhave
proliferatedacrossEuropemight seem tobelie it, leadingFrench
architectMarcMimrambelievesours isaneraof frugalityand
responsibilityand that theaestheticsof buildingsspring from
theseconcerns.
“Wehavea responsibilitynot touse toomanymaterialsandnot touse
toomuchspace, tocreatemoredensity,”hesays. “Wedon’t needmore
show-off architecture,weneedanarchitecture that ismoreeconomical
ineverysenseandcloser to theneedsof thepeoplewhowill use it.”
Hebelieves it ismore important thanever tocreate the ‘right’
architectureandconceivepublicspaces inwhichpeoplecancome
together and interact.Mimramwarnsagainst buildingmindlessly. “I am
workinga lot inChinaand I see thedestructionofmountains tomake
flat areas tobuild. This ischanging thegeography, changing thewater
table, changingeverything.”Thoughone thing isclear, hesays:
“Responsiblearchitecturecanstill bevisionaryarchitecture.”
Sohere’sour pickof 12excitingbuildingprojects recentlycompleted,
underwayor ready tobegin, that standout for their architectural style,
innovation, sustainabilityand impact on their surroundings.
Beyond theWalls
School of Architecture
Strandparken
Battersea Power Station
