The Capital Gate, another luxury hotel designed by Tom Wright, is a gem of Abu Dhabi. As the most inclined building in the world- it puts the leaning tower of Pisa to shame- it certainly makes an impression.

The curvilinear design of the building and its drastic inclination are massive innovative feats on top of the already futuristic style of Tom Wright. The lower framework and all-glass facade are, perhaps, to be expected of the architect, fitting neatly into his catalog of works. But he makes this building stand out via its sheer technical specifications, and the marvel of its engineering success.

Tom Wright could have easily constructed an impressive building in a picturesque setting simply by using his typical, sleek, shiny style, on a technically average building. But that was not enough, and he instead opted to pursue excellence in engineering in addition to excellence in design.

As we will see across this series of posts, the work of British architect Tom Wright is always futuristic and innovative in style, with plenty of white concrete, mirrored or blue glass, and sleek, unconventional lines. Despite this, he manages also to integrate traditions and local identity into his structures. Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than in his most famous work, the Burj Al Arab hotel in the UAE.

It is self-evident that this building is bold and unique. The curved side and the straight, the prominent helicopter pad, the tall finials extending above the primary structure, the brilliant windows. It is hard to miss. But, while all of these attributes are doubtlessly a part of its identity, its design is not merely “cool for the sake of being cool.” Rather, it draws inspiration from nautical themes present in the region’s longstanding cultural traditions of seafaring. Its resemblance to a sail is quite obvious, and no accident.

In this way, Tom Wright has created a truly unique piece of architecture, blending a unique and innovative design paradigm with elements of the cultural identity of those who inhabit the space.

This building is one that Rudolph designed for Yale located in New Haven, Connecticut. This building is their art and architecture building. Construction on this building took place between 1958-1964. In 2008, this building was rededicated to Paul Rudolph and is now called Rudolph Hall. The building is made of concrete. Also, the concrete look on the outside carries into the inside of the building as well. Much of the inside matches the outside with the concrete theme.

Out of all the buildings of Paul Rudolph’s that I saw this was my least favorite.  I really do not like the look on the outside. It is plain and emotionless. The inside of the building seems dark and cold. It does not seem likes place that screams creativity for students majoring in arts and architecture. Most of his other stuff seems creative and modern. This building is an outlier from the rest.

This Wisma Dharmala Sakti office is located in Indonesia, specifically in the city of Jakarta. The construction of this building took place between 1982-1990. This building goes up 26 floors. It is made up of concrete and steel. There are white tile covering the concrete. This tile prevents the mold that can come with the hot and wet weather conditions of Jakarta. Today, there are some plants on the slants on the outside of the building.

I also really like this building. I like the modern and sleek look that it has. I think the white tile on covering the concrete makes the building look clean. I also like that the people are beginning to put plants on the outside of the building. This falls more in line with sustainable and green buildings that are gaining more popularity. I like that this building has a repetitiveness and pattern to it. This pattern draws me in and is appealing to the eye.

The second building I chose was the Lippo Center. It is also known as the Bond Center. This building began construction in 1984 and finished in 1988. The Lippo Center is located in Hong Kong. There are two separate towers with a lobby connecting them downstairs to act as a central meeting point for both sides. Paul Rudolph said that he wanted to use glass siding to act as a reflection for the city lights of Hong Kong. The inside lobby is quite spacious and open, yet it feels dark even though there is a wall of windows.

I really like this this building because it feels robust yet delicate at the same time. The top of it looks interlocking and stable. The pillars holding it up underneath make it seem like it is held up very delicately and simply. Another thing I like about this building is that it looks futuristic. I like buildings that are a little unconventional and have a unique design.

The architect that I was assigned was Paul Rudolph. The first building that I picked to write about was the Orange County Government Center. This building was constructed in 1963. The location of this building is in Goshen, New York. This building houses several different local government operations. The Orange County Government Center is split into three different parts. These three parts are: adult court, juvenile court, and licensing and government assembly facilities. The building closed down in 2011 due to damage from a hurricane but reopened again in October of 2017.

Although Rudolph intended for the anything related to the local government, it received backlash. Shortly after it opened, people began to complain that it was too small and there was not enough space. People who came to the building also complained that they had a hard time trying to find where they were supposed to go. Also, there were issues with the court rooms being unfit as well. (Courtroom pictured below)

When researching Rudolph this is one of the first buildings that came up. Although it is not strikingly beautiful in regard to color, I still find it appealing and fun to look at. I like the boxy shape and feel of the building. It looks like individual boxes stacked one on top of the other. Even though the building is permanent, the boxes seem as though they could be pulled apart and rearranged, which I think makes this building interesting and fun. I do not really like the inside though. It is dark and it seems really cramped.

Teatro Carlo Felice began construction in 1826 in Genoa, Italy. During the second World War a shell from a British ship crashed through the ceiling exposing a huge hole. Later in 1943 the building was further damaged by the war. By the end of the war the theater was in utter ruin, but plans to renovate immediately transpired at the end of the war. Aldo Rossi eventually took over the renovation after the untimely death of the previous architect. He modeled the renovation after the original design of the theater to maintain its integrity and beauty. In 1991 the theater was reopened, 6 years before Aldo Rossi passed away.

The Scholastic Building is located in Manhattan, New York in the Soho neighborhood. Aldo Rossi original design of the building was revamped by one of his followers, Morris Adjmi. The building replaced a car garage that was originally built in 1954 and its style matched the history of New Yorks industrial and classical style. The building was constructed using a method of building different sets of parts at a time. The parts to each set were developed off site and were then assembled on site. The building has these grey columns that give the building a tough look on the outside that help give the building grit.

The Landsberger Arkaden began construction in 1996 but soon after in 1997 Aldo Rossi perished. He never got to see his finished work which was completed in 2009.  The building was intended to be a hotel combined with a large shopping center and was located right next to the tram stop S Bahn station Landsberger Arkaden in Berlin. In 1997 the construction sight was under water halting work for 3 years. During this period other shopping centers had opened up causing shops to cancel contracts and move elsewhere. The land was then eventually auctioned off and in 2009 was opened up as a hotel with 557 rooms.

Teatro La Fenice is an opera theater located in Venice Italy. The theater itself has been remodeled twice over the course of its life. The most recent renovations were completed by a number of architects including Aldo Rossi. The theater is lined with art on the walls between balconies and the ceiling has beautiful designs. The colors of the theater are a shade of gold which help make the theater look more high class and rich.  Aldo Rossi inspiration to for his plans of renovation came from a movie that included a scene from the original theater in 1954.