Aesthetica collates a selection of newly-built museums, galleries, hotels and industrial projects from the past 12 months, revealing how innovative, visually arresting constructions respond to social and environmental needs.
Designed by award-winning Japanese architects Kengo Kuma & Associates as a “living room for the city”, V&A Dundee offers a welcoming space for visitors from around the world. Curving concrete walls connect the building to the historic River Ray waterfront.
Jean Nouvel’s project juxtaposes white concrete cubes with a vast star-patterned dome, creating an otherworldly platform for artistic appreciation. Standing on a man-made island, the museum is surrounded by water, offering a serene yet striking gallery experience.
In developing this hotel, Zaha Hadid Architects envisioned a striking facade complemented by flexible interiors. Constructed to accommodate the changing requirements of guests, the building facilitates its rich social and cultural programme, adapting to the pace of contemporary life.
Another Nouvel-designed institution, National Museum of Qatar reflects the surrounding sand and ocean, its interlocking discs evoking the patterns of the desert rose. Despite this connection to nature, the structure is distinctly futuristic, creating a surreal imprint on the landscape.
King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Centre, Saudi Arabia
With technical and environmental considerations at its core, Zaha Hadid Architects’ modular construction minimises energy consumption through a sustainable approach. A hexagonal layout evokes a honeycomb grid, utilising unique spatial strategies to reflect its purpose.
Nucleus – The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Caithness Archive, Wick
Reiach and Hall Architects’ RIBA award-winning building refers to the surrounding climate, offering an “ethereal and beautifully sculpted” façade. Creating dialogues with the site’s historic context – which includes a wartime airfield – it is sensitive and articulately formed.
Fundación Botín’s new Centro Botín building is a curious combination of grandeur and subtlety. The building is by renowned architect Renzo Piano, and compounds urban and organic vistas through curved volumes, opening as much space as possible to natural light and social use.
Seamlessly blending into nature, Glenstone Museum’s recent expansion project features clean lines and glass panels. Quadrupling the area available for displays, Thomas Phifer’s vision offers a dialogue between art and the environment.
Designed to incorporate a range of site-specific artworks, furniture and lighting, artist and designer Olafur Eliasson’s move into architecture offers a contemporary interpretation of the “total work of art”, comprising complex curved and circular forms and sculptural arches.
Jamie Fobert Architects’ development adds 600 square metres to Tate’s existing framework whilst connecting the building to the sea. Covered in handmade blue-green ceramic tiles, the construction both evokes and reflects its setting.
