Weirdest Skyscrapers of the World
Looming above Bangkok’s skyline like a giant Dumbo, this is the Chang building, a thick-legged monster with a porthole for an eye and a pair of tusks more often seen framing the trunk of Thailand’s national animal.
~~
Hong Kong’s Lippo Centre
Known as the “koala” building for the bear shapes that hug each tower’s circumference, this is Hong Kong’s Lippo Centre, completed in 1988. The uniquely cuddly twin towers are 186m tall and were intended to appear less harsh on the eye than your average skyscraper.
~~
The Brutalist-style Genex Tower is an enormous city gate welcoming new arrivals from Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla airport. It is 115m tall and has two raw concrete towers connected by a small bridge and a 360 degree restaurant. It scores extra retro points for its dated signage.
~~
This solar furnace has a curved wall of mirrors that sucks in light to generate heat. The tower’s warped reflection of the surrounding French countryside creates a striking image. It is the largest solar furnace in the world and opened in 1970.
~~
The Zizkov is one of the most recognisable television towers in the world, thanks to the unnerving black infants crawling up its 216m sides. These babies were created by Czech sculptor David Cerny in 2000, also known for painting a Soviet war memorial tank pink. There are great views of Prague from the top and lifts to take you there.
~~
The Headquarters of China Central TV in Beijing
The headquarters of China Central TV in Beijing is 234m high and known commonly as the “boxer shorts” due to its awkward shape. A Mandarin Oriental hotel was planned to take up residence until New Year fireworks started a large blaze in 2009.
~~
New York has lofts and Paris apartments, but in 1972 Tokyo had capsules. Stacked in a concrete tower. The Nagakin Capsule Tower, part of the Metabolist movement, has 14 storeys. The 140 individual capsules were manufactured seperately and designed to be replacable.
~~
For the last two decades the 330m-high Ryugyong Hotel has been a vacant concrete shell towering over the city of Pyongyang. Construction on what would have been the world’s tallest hotel began in 1987 and was due to cost 2 per cent of the country’s GDP before economic difficulties set in. But work began again in 2008 and the building has since been given glass panels. It has been estimated that it will cost up to $2 billion to finish.
~~
–
Photos & Text: viaWeidest Skyscrapers of the World | The Wondrous Design Magazine.
Teilen mit:
Bunte Momente 