Audrey
There is one thing that shapes the world around us, whether we are aware of it or not and that is architecture. From the steel gravity-defying buildings, we call offices to the cool spaces we go and hang out in. That being said, architecture tends to move and shift with the times and right now – that shift is more evident than ever with some very cool changes happening – like using the L angle bar to build some pretty unique and shall we unorthodox buildings to redefine our sense of space. These practices often give way for some of the most exciting structures to appear: fluid lines, l angle bars and seemingly impossible projects that engineer wonder in us all.
The Power of Unique Shapes in Architecture
Let’s face it: the world is pretty square – and we mean that literally. And that plays into people’s accepted love for symmetry. However, with things like CAD (Computer Aided Design) being thrown into the mix – architects can get a little more creative with the cool structural shapes that they can create, the L angle bar being one. This has given birth to some “sci-fi-esque” structures that look like they belong in some futuristic world or the city of Wakanda. This particular marriage of art and science is particularly enticing and is great for architecture and those who get the pleasure of viewing it as a whole. A lot more architects are jumping in on this and creating architecture that otherwise seemed impossible and not practical from a structural standpoint stretching and changing what people think can be done in the world of architecture and science and even art!
Embracing the Unexpected: Curvilinear Designs
Shapes that gently embrace the human touch and evoke a sense of the natural world have quite the impact to bear. Immutable; unlike the jagged shapes, bring forth a sense of life, of rhythm. From space, quite opposed to what one might believe to be round architectural forms to accommodate life in their vast encompassing. This is partly achieved by the way it lets the daylight flow in. In turn, interiors that tend to be rounded lend a more emotional, more human and ultimately more lifelike interior, through its entire spatiality.
The Psychological Effect of Shape
What is it with the love for these crazy shapes? Well…out of several reasons, one can be rooted in the psychology of geometrical bodies. This means that organic forms, for example, bring peace to the mind’s eye and trigger positive emotions. We all like it better when rooms are round and walls don’t seem to block our paths or clog a space. No doubt, a place whose shapes and dimensions are irregular puts us off.
Prague’s “Dancing House” is another great example of a building that frees itself from angularity. Curved buildings and non-rectilinear shapes have an evocative power on modern edifices. Whilst the dancing house is a funny building to look at, architects are now realising that shaping these singular geometrical forms can build emotional bonds with people.
The Draw of Angles and Asymmetry
All this talk of curves is all fine and dandy…but one can’t ignore the beauty of an angle, honestly! Nowadays, architects are turning their compass and their T-square upside down, by using increasingly warped and non-symmetrical angles.
Take for example the “Vitra Fire Station” in Germany. The shapes in Zaha Hadid’s project are so edgy that the building can almost hurt you – literally! And it’s only okay because we all love how a non-orthogonal design can look modern and minimalist.
The thing with having edgy shapes around is the fact that they are scarce. Architects have started to consider that their use is more common than we think (obviously). Steel, for example, can be redesigned in the likeness of a bar at a 90°-angle (a so-called L-angle bar); it’s only a matter of using common logic.
Fusing Culture and Modernity Through Unique Shapes
And the unconventional beauty of thoughtfully crafted unusual building features is more than skin deep. In fact, it celebrates and conveys cultural history and values, often in ways more telling than mere words or text.
Let’s talk about the Heydar Aliyev Center in Azerbaijan, designed by Zaha Hadid. The rippling form of this cultural venue both announces and complements Azerbaijan’s modern move beyond the boxy rebellion-against-gravity structures that scarred the country’s physical urban landscape. The form blends new and old elements — from the local material to the modern shapes — visually as well as thematically, signaling to residents and visitors alike a new way of experiencing traditional art and cultural heritage in a contemporary setting.
Some Final Musings
And the future of artful, new buildings is anything but boring. Unusual building features will always continue to excite and evoke wonder, awe and surprise. And they will continue to challenge and dare as architects and designers, commanding us to imagine the impossible and find wonder in the mundane. Even if — especially if — that takes the form of a curvilinear, l angle bars or nature-inspired structure.
The reason we appreciate architecture — or any thoughtfully created built thing — is totally perverse: we enjoy the times when buildings surprise us so much they draw veritable gasps of unexpected emotion or self-consciousness.
In a world where nothing is beyond the reach of the mind to conceptualize or construct, we truly cannot wait to see what the architects of the future have in store for us to dwell beneath. So — cheers! Let us salute this new age of design weirdness, together, with one sangria, one high-five and most definitely, one step forward!
