8. Basket Building
Background: This building is the home office of the Longaberger Company, which sells baskets.
How It's Strange: The building looks like a basket. "There is a whole tradition of using supersize realistic objects to draw attention," Israel says. "It's a fun way to catch a consumer's eye." This building's windows in particular are visually interesting because they mimic a basket's weave pattern.
这大楼看起来像个篮子。“这是非常典型的通过放大实物尺寸引起注意,”伊斯雷尔说道,“它通过有趣的方式吸引消费者目光。”从外面看,这座大楼的窗户别有特色,因为它模拟了菜篮子的编织样式。
10. Guggenheim Museum
图10 古根海姆博物馆
City: Bilbao, Spain
地点:西班牙,毕尔巴鄂
Background: Renowned architect Frank Gehry designed the Guggenheim Museum in an industrial city in Northern Spain. Glass walls link the building's striking curves, which are made of stone, glass and titanium.
背景:
著名的建筑师弗兰克·盖里设计了位于西班牙北部工业城市的古根海姆博物馆。石头、玻璃和钛合金组成了这座建筑突出的曲线,再通过玻璃幕墙将它们连成一体。
How It's Strange: The building fits into a style of architecture called deconstructivism, which is known for "stimulating unpredictability and controlled chaos," Israel says. A building of this complexity is rare because it requires advanced technology to design. For example, Gehry created these mathematically complex curves with a 3D computer design program initially developed for the aerospace industry.
奇特之处:
这个建筑充满了结构主义的建筑风格,伊斯雷尔介绍说,这种风格以“刺激性的不可预测性和可控的混乱”而闻名。像这样复杂的建筑并不多见,因为这需要更先进的设计技术。例如,为了设计出这些复杂的数学曲线,盖里运用了起初为航天工业开发的计算机3D设计软件。
11. Ferdinand Cheval's Ideal Palace
图11 费迪南德白马宫(又名,理想宫)
City: Hauterives, France
地点:法国,欧特里沃
Background: Ferdinand Cheval, a rural postman, built this palace between 1879 and 1912. He had no background in architecture or masonry, and a uniquely shaped stone was the inspiration for the project. Today, the castle is a popular tourist destination.
背景:
费迪南德是一名乡村邮递员,他在1879至1912年间建造了这个宫殿。他没有任何建筑学或者石工术背景,是一块形状独特的石头给他建设的灵感。今天,这座城堡成为了著名的旅游景点。
How It's Strange: The palace mixes architectural styles from different epochs and places, such as Northern Europe, China and Algiers. Cheval used a variety of materials, including limestone, shells and stones, to create this elaborately carved building. He spent almost three decades just gathering stones for the project.
奇特之处:
这个宫殿混合了许多不同时代和不同地区的建筑风格,例如北欧风格、中国风格和阿尔及利亚风格。费迪南德使用了多种材料,包括石灰石、贝壳和岩石,用来制作这精雕细琢的建筑。仅是为这个建筑收集石头,他就花了差不多三十年的时间。
12. Dancing House
图12 舞蹈大厦
City: Prague, Czech Republic
地点:捷克共和国,布拉格
Background: Frank Gehry and fellow architect Vlado Milunic designed this building.
背景:弗兰克·盖里和建筑师Vlado Milunic共同设计了这栋建筑。
How It's Strange: The building is meant to look like a dancing couple, complete with a skirt swaying to the music. Its nickname is "Ginger and Fred" after famous dancing pair Ginger Rogers and Fred Astair. A building like this sticks out among more traditional high-rise buildings. "It helps make Prague a dynamic, cultured city," Israel says.
奇特之处:
这座建筑看上去就像一对正在跳舞的情侣,(外形的弧线)犹如伴随音乐飘扬的裙摆,使造型更加完美。它的昵称“琴吉和弗雷德”取自一对著名的舞伴琴吉·罗杰斯和弗雷德·阿斯泰尔。这栋建筑在传统高层建筑中如此突出,“它使布拉格成为具有动感和文化底蕴的城市。”伊斯雷尔说道。
注:
弗雷德·阿斯泰尔与琴吉·罗杰斯总共合作了十部电影,其中包括:《柳暗花明》(1934)、《萝贝塔》(Roberta,1935)、《礼帽》(Top Hat,1936)、《欢乐时光》(Swing Time,1936)、《跟上舰队》(Following the Fleet,1936)、《来跳舞吧》(Shall We Dance,1937)、《无忧无虑》(Carefree,1938)等。二者的合作使他们成为上世纪40年代的歌舞剧巨星。
13. Lotus Temple
图13 莲花寺(又名灵曦堂)
City: New Delhi, India
地点:印度,新德里
Background: Officially known as the Bah '’ House of Worship, this temple is one of the most visited structures in India. Over 8000 people attended its opening ceremony in 1986.
背景:
正式名称为巴哈伊宗教教院,它是印度参观人数最多的寺院之一。超过8000人参加了1986年举行的开幕式。
How It's Strange: The building is designed to represent the lotus flower, a religious symbol for various religions prevalent in India, including Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. "When it comes to spiritual architecture," Israel says, "you're looking for some kind of personal meaning or connection." The temple consists of three sets of petals, covered in marble, and it is open at the top.
奇特之处:
这座寺院看上去如同莲花,以宗教符号的形式代表了在印度盛行的各种宗教,包括印度教、佛教和伊斯兰教。伊斯雷尔介绍道:“当涉及宗教建筑时,你必须考虑到一些人物含义或者联系。”这个寺院有三组花瓣构成,表面以大理石覆盖,并且顶部是开放的。
14. Cadet Chapel
图14 小圣堂
City: Colorado Springs, Colo.
地点:美国,科罗拉多州,科罗拉多斯普林斯市
Background: The chapel is part of the United States Air Force Academy. It's an all-faith place of worship, with four separate chapels—one for Protestants, Catholics, Jews and Buddhists.
背景:
小圣堂是美国空军学院的一部分。它是各种信仰的礼拜堂,包括四个小教堂——分别供基督教徒、天主教徒、犹太教徒和佛教徒使用。
How It's Strange: This chapel is a spiritual building designed to have viewers experience religion—and the house of worship—in a new way, Israel says. It consists of 17 spires soaring 150 feet into the air.
奇特之处:
伊斯雷尔介绍说,小圣堂的宗教建筑设计方式,使来访者以全新的方式体验宗教和教堂的魅力。这座建筑的屋顶直指蓝天,由17个150英尺的高耸尖塔组成。
15. Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum
图15 尼泰罗伊当代艺术博物馆
City: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
地点:巴西,里约热内卢
Background: The building, opened in 1996, serves as a museum.
背景:
这座建筑于1996年落成,现在是一家博物馆。
How It's Strange: The circular building resembles a UFO. A cylinder 29.5 feet in diameter supports the entire structure, which makes it seem like it's floating above the surrounding water. In addition, the building was treated with a heat-resistant material that has been used to protect NASA rockets.
奇特之处:
这座圆形的建筑看起来像个UFO。一根直径29.5英尺的圆柱体支撑着整个建筑,远远看去,这个UFO就像漂浮在海上。此外,这栋建筑采用了一种曾被NASA(美国国家航空航天局)用在火箭上的隔热材料。
16. Cube Houses
图16 方块屋
City: Rotterdam, Netherlands
地点:荷兰,鹿特丹
Background: The 38 cubes, built on top of a pedestrian bridge in 1984, are residential homes that overlook a commercial area with restaurants and shops.
背景:
建于1984年的方块屋由38个立方体组成,坐落在一座人行天桥的顶部,这些用作住宅的方块屋可以俯瞰一条由旅馆和店铺组成的商业街。
How It's Strange: Architect Piet Blom wanted each cube to represent an abstract tree—taken together, all the cubes are supposed to make a forest. The tilted cubes sit on hexagonal poles. Each one is three stories, with the top story a three-sided pyramid covered in windows.
奇特之处:
在建筑师皮埃特·布洛姆的构想中,每个立方体都代表一颗抽象的树——所有的立方体合在一起,就如同一片森林。倾斜的立方体彼此相邻,看上去如同一个六角形(注:请参照图片)。每个方块屋都有三层,顶层犹如一个金字塔,三面由玻璃覆盖。
17. Library of Alexandria
图17 亚历山大图书馆
City: Alexandria, Egypt
地点:埃及,亚历山大
Background: The library is located almost exactly where an ancient Egyptian library once stood. This modern version rises 11 stories and attracts 1 million visitors a year.
背景:
这座图书馆的所在地曾经是一座古埃及图书馆。而今的图书馆共有11层楼,每年吸引100万游客前来参观。
How It's Strange: The most striking feature of the library is its large, slanted disc, which represents a rising sun. This is supposed to symbolize an emerging place of learning; in addition, sun discs played a role in ancient Egyptian religion and mythology.
奇特之处:
这个图书馆最特别之处在它那巨大的倾斜轮盘,代表了正在升起的太阳。它应该象征了这座图书馆是新崛起的学术场所。此外,太阳轮盘在古埃及宗教和神话中扮演着重要的角色。
18. Belarus National Library
图18 白俄罗斯国家图书馆
City: Minsk, Belarus
地点:白俄罗斯,明斯克
Background: The Belarus National Library's design was selected in an international contest in 1989, but construction didn't begin until 2002.
背景:
白俄罗斯国家图书馆的设计方案是在1989年的国际竞标中挑选出的,但直到2002年才动工兴建。
How It's Strange: The goal of making such common buildings look weird, Israel says, is to make them "landmarks within a city, not only spaces that have practical function." This one is meant to resemble a diamond.
奇特之处:
伊斯雷尔介绍说,建造这座普通建筑的原因非常奇怪,是为了让它“不仅成为具有实际用途的空间,而且还要成为城市的地标建筑”。这座图书馆看上去如同一颗大钻石。