Similarities III
In this Similarities edition we give space to different architectural skins. Facade structures in time and space.
Welbeck street car park attracted many architectural press because of its facade. | Photo by © Roberto Conte
The car park building has a central spinal stack containing a lift and staircase, and external load-bearing walls of precast concrete V-shaped interlocking modular units.
The modular units support reinforced concrete beam and negate the need for internal columns. | Photo by © Roberto Conte
Similar modular units shape the facade of the Library in Cluj-Napoca. | Photo via Madeincluj
The Romanian Academy Library preserves collections of old and rare books, incunabula and manuscripts. | Photo via Madeincluj
Grid as a sunlight protector and decoration element. | Photo by BB
The National Library in Prishtina was supposed to be the focal point of the university buildings complex. When Andrija Mutnjaković was commissioned to design a library for the ex-Yugoslavian province, the tension between Albanian and Serbian Kosovars was already palpable. Looking for a unifying symbol, he came up with the cube and dome, common features of the Ottoman and Byzantine architectural styles that define the appearance of the region.
Ninety-nine domes are distributed in unique order, creating the dynamic structure with multiplied elements and a facade grind. | Photo by Skyscrapercity
Cirugeda’s Prosthesis has a powerful comment on the role of public institutions in the city and the (ab)use of high-tech elements. | Photo via Design in Daba
The rooms are covered by a skin of black plastic components used as concrete modules, each pierced by four metallic sticks. | Photo via Design in Daba