Coop Himmelb(l)au — Say himmelblau.
An exterior street-level view of a deconstructivist cultural center featuring massive curving metal shells, serving as a precedent for organic envelope design within an urban plaza.
- What we like about this project
- The massive overhanging shell seems to float effortlessly over a deep, glazed portal leading to sunken stairs.
Materials
- titanium-zinc-panels
- glass
- stone-paving
- water
Visual identifiers
- curved-metallic-panels
- sweeping-shell-roof
- grand-public-plaza
- organic-massing
Style tags
- deconstructivism
- contemporary
- sculptural
Visual tags
- deconstructivism
- cultural-center
- public-realm
- large-scale
- curved-geometry
- Geometry
- Dynamic organic massing featuring overlapping curved shells and faceted metallic panels resting on a vast orthogonal stone plaza.
- Facade system
- Faceted metallic panel cladding over complex compound-curved structural frames.
- Structural guess
- Steel space frame supporting compound-curved exterior shell panels.
- Spatial scale
- Monumental scale; children and pedestrians in the foreground emphasize the vastness of the sweeping entrance and surrounding towers.
- Lighting
- Bright direct daylight casting crisp shadows across the curved cladding panels and reflecting off a shallow foreground water feature.
- Atmosphere
- Dramatic and monumental, contrasting fluid metallic geometry with crisp urban daylight.
- Environmental context
- Expansive urban public square framed by high-rise glazed towers under a clear blue sky.
- Spatial experience
- The sweeping, multi-directional curves pull the eye toward a large central cavernous opening framing deep interior stairs.
- Composition rhythm
- Asymmetrical sweeping curves contrast with the steady, vertical grid of background high-rise towers.
- Style reading
- Deconstructivist organic architecture
- Program
- Cultural or performing arts center
- Perspective
- Exterior Facade
- Discipline
- architecture
- Materials
- titanium-zinc-panels, glass, stone-paving, water
- Visual identifiers
- curved-metallic-panels, sweeping-shell-roof, grand-public-plaza, organic-massing
- Style tags
- deconstructivism, contemporary, sculptural
- Visual tags
- deconstructivism, cultural-center, public-realm, large-scale, curved-geometry
- Geometry
- Dynamic organic massing featuring overlapping curved shells and faceted metallic panels resting on a vast orthogonal stone plaza.
- Facade system
- Faceted metallic panel cladding over complex compound-curved structural frames.
- Structural guess
- Steel space frame supporting compound-curved exterior shell panels.
- Spatial scale
- Monumental scale; children and pedestrians in the foreground emphasize the vastness of the sweeping entrance and surrounding towers.
- Lighting
- Bright direct daylight casting crisp shadows across the curved cladding panels and reflecting off a shallow foreground water feature.
- Atmosphere
- Dramatic and monumental, contrasting fluid metallic geometry with crisp urban daylight.
- Environmental context
- Expansive urban public square framed by high-rise glazed towers under a clear blue sky.
- Spatial experience
- The sweeping, multi-directional curves pull the eye toward a large central cavernous opening framing deep interior stairs.
- Composition rhythm
- Asymmetrical sweeping curves contrast with the steady, vertical grid of background high-rise towers.
- Style reading
- Deconstructivist organic architecture
- Program
- Cultural or performing arts center
- Perspective
- Exterior Facade
- Discipline
- architecture