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The Most “Blobbiest” Buildings in the World

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The term “blobbiest” may not be the first that comes to mind when thinking of unique buildings, but it is the one term that evokes thoughts of structures shaped like UFOs or curvy parasols or even melted guitars. Emporis of Hamburg, Germany, a building data company has recently compiled a list of the world’s most “blobbiest” buildings to provide a unique category for structures that otherwise may not make anyone’s list.

These building represent the extreme in terms of modern design are have evoked wonder at their very construction. While they may not be the tallest, most beautiful or stylish, they certainly are highly unique and offer insight into the creative minds which designed them and the construction crews that built them.

The buildings often get their nickname “blob” or “blobby” from the water-like shape that is created. The staff at Emporis felt that it was time to honor these unusual creations and now they are starting to spread to different parts of the world.

The List of the Most “Blobbiest” Buildings in the World

What follows is a list, in no particular order, of the buildings that Emporis considered the most “blobbiest” in terms of style.

  1. Metropol Parasol – Spain Jurgen-Mayer-Freshome-1
  2. Kunsthaus Graz – Austria 10_MUMUTH_–_Austria
  3. Experience Music Project – USA Experience_Music_Project_–_3
  4. New York by Gehry – USA The Beekman, also known as Beekman Tower, architect Frank Gehry, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
  5. Selfridges Building – England Selfridges_Building_–_England_5
  6. The Sage Gateshead – England The_Sage_Gateshead_–_England_6
  7. De Admirant Entrace Building – Netherlands De_Admirant_Entrace_Building_–_Netherlands_7
  8. Golden Terraces – Poland Golden_Terraces_–_Poland_8
  9. City Hall – England City_Hall_–_England_9
  10. DZ Bank Building – Germany DZ_Bank_Building_–_Germany_10

These are certainly some of the most unique, most interesting buildings that have ever been constructed. The Metropol Parasol in Seville, Spain is the largest wooden structure in the world while the Experience Music Project in Seattle, USA is actually locally known as “The Blob”, making it a prime example of this unique architectural approach.

The Golden Terraces in Warsaw, Poland offer a unique, wavy roof that was crafted from 4,700 separate elements of glass. Its remarkable appearance sits over the atrium of a multi-story shopping center as if it were a frozen wave of water.

The Future of “Blobby” Buildings

Although relatively small in number, the future of “blobby” buildings seems to be quite strong despite the less than universal acceptance by the public. For example, the Selfridges Building in Birmingham, England may have been called a “beehive” thanks to the honeycomb-type frame over the façade, but the London City Hall earned the nickname, “Glass Testicle” thanks to its rather familiar-looking shape.

However, new “blobby” buildings are already in the planning stages for many of the world’s major cities, including the new Louis Vuitton pour la Creation in Paris which was designed by Frank O. Gehry, a prominent name in the world of “blobby” buildings, which is due to open this year.

For those who adore these types of structures, there will certainly be more of them about to fascinate and dazzle. However, for those who are not impressed with “blobby” buildings, there will be no doubt a number of creative nicknames that will be created as well.

The Most Beautiful Bank Buildings in the World

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It probably comes as little surprise that banks which occupy some of the best real estate have also constructed some of the most beautiful buildings in the world. Emporis of Hamburg, Germany recently put together a list of bank buildings it considered the most beautiful and stunning on the planet.

The list comprises of bank buildings found in different large cities where they serve as the hub of financial activity in the area. Furthermore, their striking appearance and formidable architecture speak volumes as to their unique construction and design. For many, these buildings not only represent financial power, but the beauty that is inherent when modern design meets the established banking industry.

The List of the Most Beautiful Bank Buildings on Earth

What follows is the list, in no particular order, of the most beautiful bank buildings in the world today.

  1. Bank of America Tower – USA
  2. Bank of China Tower – Hong Kong
  3. European Investment Bank – Luxembourg
  4. Isbank Tower – Turkey
  5. Islamic Development Bank – Saudi Arabia
  6. Macquarie Bank Centre – Sydney
  7. National Bank of Dubai – Dubai
  8. ING House – Netherlands
  9. One Churchill Place – UK
  10. Saxo Bank International HQ – Denmark
  11. Scotia Plaza – Canada

Of the different buildings on this list, the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong is distinguished by being the first building outside the US to be taller than 1,000 feet. It is still today the world’s tallest corporate headquarters as well. The Bank of America Tower in New York is the tallest building in the US, a recent addition which stands in the location of the former World Trade Center Twin Towers which were felled by terrorists on September 11th, 2001. The Bank of America Tower is most striking at 1,776 feet tall which reflects the year of the Declaration of Independence from England.

Another sophisticated design belongs to the Macquarie Bank Centre in Sydney, Australia which has no load-bearing columns in its structure and provides large, colorful workspaces which are most impressive. The Scotia Plaza in Toronto is the second tallest building in Canada and headquarters to the Scotia Bank. Certainly one of the most striking is the Saxo Bank International HQ in Hellerup, Denmark which features a unique slanting, irregular block façade that is more reminiscent of zebra stripes.

The Future of Modern Bank Building Design

Proving that the recent world financial crisis did not greatly affect the desire to create spectacular structures is the recently completed Co-Op Bank in Cyprus in 2009. Although current world markets are still shaky and a strong financial recover still seems somewhat in the future, banks are not holding everything back when it comes to building new, exciting structure to house their corporate staffs.

At the very least, older bank buildings will need to be replaced soon with newer designs that will reflect a more modern approach to architecture. A bold appearance that helps bank buildings stand out from their surroundings is seemingly the wave of the future, which is now on the horizon.

The 15 Most Beautiful Concert Halls in the World

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The Hamburg-based company Emporis recently released a list of what they consider the 15 most spectacular concert halls around the world. Their criteria was that the concert halls should be just as spectacular on the eyes as the music is on the ears.

The stunning architecture offers audiences a spectacular visual show even before they enter the halls themselves. In fact, the more modern concert halls seem to be at the forefront of amazing architectural achievement, providing a stunning setting for the operas and concerts that they contain.

The List of the 15 Most Beautiful Concert Halls in the World

This is the list as it appears in no particular order.

  1. Heydar Aliyev Center – Azerbaijan
  2. Kilden Performing Arts Centre – Norway
  3. Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts – USA
  4. Philharmonie – Germany
  5. Auditorio de Tenerife Adan Martin – Spain
  6. Cidade das Artes – Brazil
  7. Esplanade Concert Hall – Singapore
  8. El Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia – Spain
  9. Harpa – Iceland
  10. MUMUTH – Austria
  11. National Centre for Performing Arts – China
  12. Sage Gateshead – UK
  13. Uppsala Konsert & Kongress – Sweden
  14. Walt Disney Concert Hall – USA
  15. Casa da Musica – Portugal

For the most part, the list centers on concert halls that are relatively recent in construction. However, the famous Philiharmonie in Berlin was completed back in 1963, making it a forerunner of some of the most beautiful and technically dazzling concert halls that are now more commonplace in the world today.

Another highlight is the remarkable Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan which seems like it was poured into the landscape rather than built. The impressive wave-like shape and dramatic walls are powerfully represented and provide a very impressive structure for the concerts that the building contains.

The United States gets two entries along with Spain thanks in part to the spectacular Walt Disney Concert Hall which is befitting of the many fantasy elements Disney has produced over the years.

The One that Didn’t Make the List

One curious omission is arguably the most famous, the Sydney Opera House in Australia, although it is mentioned in the report. For many years, the Sydney Opera House stood as arguably the most spectacular of concert halls, particularly when combined with its setting next to the ocean. So famous the concert hall that Sydney is now often identified around the world when its Opera House is seen in many movies, TV programs, advertisements and so forth.

However, one of the more interesting aspects of the list is just how long it took some of these concert halls to be constructed, such as the 14 years it took to complete the Sydney Opera House. In Hamburg, the Elbphilharmonie is scheduled for completion in 2016, a full nine years after it was started.

While the list is by no means devoid of controversy, particularly the lack of the Sydney Opera House, it does reveal just how concert halls now stand at the forefront of dramatic architectural design which many only hint at what might be expected in the future.

The 10 Most Spectacular University Buildings in the World

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Emporis, the Hamburg-based architectural data company recently released its list of the 10 most spectacular university buildings in the work. Citing these constructions as being lecture halls with dizzying heights, crooked seminar rooms and libraries with glass-domed roofs, Emporis points out that the old days of cold, brick walls with yellowed windows and fading paint that used to be associated with the hallowed halls of learning are swiftly becoming a thing of the past.

The List of the 10 Most Spectacular University Buildings

  1. In no particular order, here is the Emporis list.
  2. Philologische Bibliothek – Germany
  3. Lomonosov Moscow State University Main Building – Moscow
  4. Bradfield Hall – USA
  5. Campus Luigi Einaudi – Italy
  6. Graduate Center – UK
  7. Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower – Japan
  8. Run Run Shaw Creative Media Centre – Hong Kong
  9. Sharp Centre for Design – Canada
  10. Swanston Academic Building – Australia
  11. Universiteitsbibliotheek – Belgium

All of the buildings that are presented on the list consist of a wide variety of structures ranging from the more traditional to the futuristic in terms of design, style and function. Each of these structures has remarkable, distinguishing features that helps set it apart from the skyline and create instant identification as well.

Of the 10 buildings that are listed, one of the most remarkable is the Swanston Academic Building which instantly catches the eye thanks to the jagged and wavy façade while the Lomonosov Moscow State University Main Building is the world’s tallest topping out at a remarkable 240 meters.

Other spectacular entries include Bradfield Hall located at Cornell University in the United States which is distinguished by the fact that it hardly has any windows. These representatives of a list of buildings that span around the world have in common the ability to create wonder and respect for the imaginative structure that they have.

The Changing of the Guard

Universities tend to grow in spurts instead of gradually over time. Many of the older university buildings of the 1960s and 1970s that feature the classic “chunky” design are being torn down today and replaced with new, modern buildings that feature the latest in examples of great architecture.

One example was the demolition of the old AfE-Turm building in Frankfort am Main in Germany. This very large structure was the Europe’s biggest inner-city controlled blasting ever to remove this building. Around the world, universities are looking into their budgets and tapping into new resources along with government institutions to create new, more interesting and exciting building to replace the stodgy, older ones on campuses.

This new movement towards using more dramatic designs has caused a revolution on university campuses that now are taking bold, new steps towards shedding their old images and creating a place where learning seems fresh and new. Given the changes in the modern world, we should expect to see more new, interesting architectural designs on university campuses that combine function with beauty, style and grace generally reserved for other types of buildings. Currently, there is no end to this trend in sight which means that more university structures may make this particular list in the near future.