We stumbled upon two gems whilst exploring downtown. I was awe-struck, initially.
‘What incredible monstrosity is this?!’ I thought, “It’s huge! and repetitive! and bold!”
I spent a good ten minutes trying to figure out what on earth went on inside it - deep building, no windows. Alas, Jan guessed right and on closer inspection of our second quarry we realised we were staring at very pimped up multi-storey car parks.
I once read somewhere that buildings sculpted from a single material, by their very singular nature, exude a degree of nobility. I really like the choice of colours. Flashy silver and lime green for the occasional sunny day and sober shades of black and brown complementing the typically gloomy English weather. But for all the marvellous texture on display, I can’t help but wonder how much and how long it’d take to clean and maintain these giant urban ornaments.
Which brings me to another observation - It would appear that Europeans have a penchant for multiplicity, which, I must admit, is a very convincing marketing + design strategy.
My favourite in the series would have to be the American Book Centre in Amsterdam [the image just above]. Extremely rich space textured purely by the very commodity/use of the building – books. And lo and behold! Hunter Douglas 3form Varia panels in the flesh!!
For more info on 3form:
http://www.3-form.com/
http://www.inhabitat.com/2005/05/02/ecoresin/
