Five inspirational pieces of Architecture

Architecture is a powerful thing. It can affect how you feel, it facilitates human life, and it can change the world. We asked BA (Hons) Architecture student Jane Ezechi to name her top five inspirational pieces of Architecture, and explain what she loves about them.

Lloyd’s Building, London

Architect: Richard Rogers

Admittedly I didn’t see its appeal at first, only after navigating London’s underground and visiting the Lloyd’s Building for myself was I able to grasp its unusual charm.

I was able to experience the building, or as much as I could, by standing around and taking photos of it.

True to its other name ‘the inside out building’ all the pipes, lifts, cables, and wires had been hung on the exterior.

By taking a closer look at its details, I appreciated the stainless-steel beauty.

Though I didn’t go inside, this building reminds me that experiencing a piece of architecture adds to its quality and is of importance. This reminded me to have people in mind when I’m working on a project.

La Muralla Roja – Calpe, Spain

Architect: Ricardo Bofill

This piece of architecture is dominated by one of my favourite colours, pink. The culmination of squares, rectangles and its organisation of space all tie in to give it a unique character.

Joined with its aesthetics the building undoubtedly stands out. However, its name is misleading.

La Muralla Roja, Spanish for ‘The Red Wall,’ is a post-modern housing complex in Calpe, Spain. The architect, reportedly a lover of pink, has unquestionably done a solid for pink enthusiasts everywhere.

I don’t often see architecture as lively as this, maybe in other respects, but La Muralla Roja was particularly refreshing to stumble upon.

It’s so cleverly designed, like a sculpture that you can walk through, run through and live in.

Hotel Marques De Riscal – Elciego, Spain

Architect: Frank Gehry

I really enjoy the fluid shapes of this structure. The folds and the iridescent colours of the metal are so striking. The huge panels were added in 2005, essentially giving the older structure beneath a younger, bolder look.

It gives its surroundings an added charm. It marvels me how a simple idea can be expressed and made manifest into an elegant structure and it inspires me in this sense to be bold and unpredictable with the way I express my design ideas.

The Hearst Tower – New York City

Architect: Foster + Partners

A simple and different way to re-present the usual high-rise office buildings. The building sits on top an old New York city landmark, aside from its visuals what inspires me about this piece is the great lengths that the architects went to insure its sustainability.

I’m reminded of the importance of sustainable building; I think that  both architects and aspiring architects can take example from the Hearst Tower to implement sustainable design and upkeep in their projects.

Bund Finance Centre – New York City

Architect: Foster + Partners and Heatherwick Studio

I think it’s the façade that draws me to this particular project. I love how the architects have been able to use a material like metal and manipulate into looking like fabric drooped over an object or like a waterfall.

The colour of the façade gives it a jewel like quality similar to Hotel Marques De Riscal. The façade also rotates, and the layers overlap, producing different visual effects.

The induvial magnesium alloy tassels are a reference to the traditional Chinese headdress,and with the help of technology it helps withstand severe weather and typhoons.

This building inspires me to think of innovative ways that part of a project can have a use but also add to its aesthetic.

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