Architecture
The Castelar Building, Madrid, Spain – a glass lantern floating above the Paseo de la Castellana
The conviction of Rafael de La-Hoz Arderius and Gerardo Olivares to build a minimalist sculpture of steel, glass and travertine on an urban scale.
The story of how the Petersen Automotive Museum leapt into the 21st century with a futuristic steel exoskeleton design strongly influenced by car culture
Robin Fisher explores this building, located at the gateway of Los Angeles' famous Museum Row, extensively renovated through the work of Kohn Pedersen Fox and A.Zahner.
The US Steel Tower, a lasting beacon on the Pittsburgh skyline and legacy of Andrew Carnegie
Richard Storer-Adam reviews the design and construction of this 64-story skyscraper, built in the 1970’s with Cor-Ten steel, symbolising the triumph of the US Steel industry.
The design story of the Seagram Building, 375 Park Avenue, New York City, built in 1957
Richard Storer-Adam reviews the background and architecture of this iconic modernist glass and bronze tower by German-American architect Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe and American associate architect Philip Cortelyou Johnson.
An examination of the design theory behind Seattle Central Library by OMA
Antonio Moll reviews the first work by the Dutch Office in the USA, 16 years after its opening, considering what is probably the most disrupting piece of architecture of the 21st Century.
The Flatiron Building (originally the Fuller Building), designed by Daniel H. Burnham and built in 1902
Richard Storer-Adam dwells on the genesis of NYC’s most iconic skyscraper and ‘quintessential symbol’ of Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA named after the Flatiron district.
The Inland Steel Building, an historical landmark on Chicago’s skyline in brushed stainless steel and glass
Richard Storer-Adam reviews the background and architecture of this iconic modernist glass and bronze tower by German-American architect Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe and American associate architect Philip Cortelyou Johnson.
Canopies And Agoras; The Cervantes Theatre by Anton García-Abril And Débora Mesa from Ensamble Estudio and the Neue Nationalgalerie by Mies Van Der Rohe as Spaces Of Reunion.
Antonio Moll reflects on the creation of covered public spaces and how new design tools have changed the aesthetics of contemporary steel canopies in the first quarter of the 21st century.
The 1920s Dymaxion House designed to be an innovative housing solution for American citizens by architect/inventor Richard Buckminster-Fuller
Robin Fisher tells the story of this futuristic, dynamic, all-terrain, all-weather home created from aluminium.
22 Bishopsgate – The process of designing and building a skyscraper using the foundations of a previous design.
The workplace of today, Antonio Moll explores the modern construction techniques and structural particularities of a high-rise office building with a concrete and steel skeleton.
The history and legacy of the ground-breaking Ingalls Building in Cincinnati
Richard Storer-Adam stumbles across a civil engineering landmark - the first skyscraper made from reinforced concrete in the United States.
An overview of The Egg Theatre - a futuristic example of brutalist architecture
Richard Storer-Adam shares his opinions on this unique, windowless, concrete structure - home to the performing arts in Albany, state capital of New York.
22 Bishopsgate – The emerging of a vertical city for the 21st Century in the middle of the Square Mile
Antonio Moll tracks the evolution of high rise buildings in the City of London and how design trends have changed after the global economic crash.
Minoru Yamasaki’s polarizing design of Rainier Tower - a monument to the principles of New Formalism architecture
Richard Storer-Adam explores one of Seattle’s architectural landmarks, renowned for the curved, concrete, pedestal base on which it ‘precariously’ stands.
An introduction to hard-anodised aluminium coatings, their advantages and environmental implications for architectural cladding
An analysis of the color and corrosion properties of aluminium cladding, its maintenance and waste products.
A virtual tour of Oscar Niemeyer’s Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Niterói, Brazil
An appreciative and honest critique of this dramatic architectural work - Lola Adeokun shares her experiences and feelings whilst visiting Niemeyer’s museum of art in Rio de Janeiro.
The Architect
A poem by Richard Storer-Adam on the agony of the late night designing process for an architect.
Alvaro’s Siza’s Swimming Pools – The Body in Motion Part Two
Ana Lopes Ramos continues on her guided tour sharing the surreal experience of the atmospheric “poetic modernist” architecture of Alvaro Siza’s swimming pools at Leça de Palmeira, Portugal.
The Avenues, Kuwait – An extravagant shopping mall and a lifestyle destination
Richard Storer-Adam takes us on a tour around the fourteenth largest shopping mall in the world, built in the middle of a desert with more than half a million visitors a week.
Alvaro Siza’s swimming pools – The Body in Motion Part One
Ana Lopes Ramos takes us to visit these intriguing 1960s sea-water swimming pools at Leça de Palmeira, Portugal designed by Alvaro Siza the famous Portuguese architect from the nearby town of Porto.
Wozoco Apartments by MVRDV Architecture – an original, inventive and colorful development in Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Ana Lopes Ramos reviews the design of this apartment building which features cantilevered balconies with brightly colored acrylic balustrades creating a kaleidoscope effect.
Hermitage Gantois, Lille, France – from hospital to luxurious hotel
Robin Fisher traces the history and architecture of this fifteenth century hospital which has become a five-star hotel with a hallmark exterior of perforated aluminium cladding powder-coated to look like rusty steel.
Calatrava at the World Trade Center - A contemplative tour of the Transportation Hub built on the site of the World Trade Center which was attacked by terrorists 11th September 2001.
John Sadar walks us around this startling structure with its asymmetrical whale’s tail outline, describes the organic design and takes us into the cathedral-like Oculus, the centrepiece of the building.
The Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, California, home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
This distinctive building is the result of a gift from the philanthropist, Lillian Disney, who survived her famous husband by 31 years. Richard Storer-Adam looks at the story behind the design, how Frank Gehry won the design competition from seventy entries, years before his Guggenheim Museum design and of course the remarkable stainless steel sails.
The profound legacy of the influential architect Eero Saarinen
Richard Storer-Adam Looks at the formative years, inspirations and some of the highlights of Eero Saarinen’s career including the Des Moines Art Center and the famous TWA Terminal.
The wonder of a canopy - a selection of favourite structures from around the world
Richard Storer-Adam takes us on a visit to four of his favourite canopy structures both contemporary and historic, going back to the famous Parisian metro entrances designed by M. Hector Guimard.
The Peace Bridge 2012, Memorial Drive, Calgary by Spanish architect and Structural Engineer Santiago Calatrava
Richard Storer-Adam critiques the remarkable Peace Bridge, designed by this controversial architect and constructed by Grahame Infrastructure Ltd, which spans the Bow River and has no piers or supports.
A stroll through the elegant, stainless steel double - helix Helix Bridge, Singapore by Cox Architecture and Architects 61
Richard Storer-Adam guides us through the construction concept and design details of this extraordinary sculptural bridge which was created in mock-up form in its entirety before being built on site.
The history of the Statue of Liberty, Liberty Island, New York, United States
Richard Storer-Adam gives a history of this world-famous copper statue and its designers, including Gustave Eiffel (with a footnote on how it would not have gone green if it had been made from PVD colored stainless steel).
The history of the Gateway Arch, St Louis, also known as the St Louis Arch, designed by Eero Saarinen and completed in 1965
Richard Storer-Adam examines the key aspects and story behind this impressive landmark, the largest stainless steel building in the world, which is built in the form of a flattened catenary arch.
A review of artist Robert Bruno’s sculptural Steel House, Lubbock, Texas
Richard Storer-Adam reviews the philosophy behind the organic steel sculpture built from weathering steel, nowadays known as corten steel, that has strikingly rusted both outside and inside, and that became a house over a period of 33 years.
Cloud Gate - a polished stainless steel sculpture inspired by a drop of mercury taking centre stage in the city
Richard-Storer Adam takes us on a visit to marvel at British artist Anish Kapoor’s mesmerising bean- shaped mirrored stainless steel installation in the AT&T Plaza, Millennium Park in Chicago, Illinois.
House 77, Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal by dIONISIO Lab, 2010
Looking at the symbolically laser-cut stainless steel cladding which operates as shutters, a decorative building skin and a sculptural element for this contemporary house.
The Atomium 1958, Brussels , Avenue de l'Atomium, 1020 Bruxelles, Belgium, 102 meters by André Waterkeyn. Engineering consultants Beckers, Joukoff and Daniel, Architects A. and J. Polak
Richard Storer-Adam examines the background of this sculpture, by Belgian engineer, André Waterkeyn, based on the form of an iron crystal magnified 160 billion times.
Metropol Parasol, part of the redevelopment of Plaza de la Encarnacion, Seville, Spain
We take a visit to this triumphant installation created from glued Kerto-Q LVL timber material arranged to an orthogonal grid and rising to 28 metres in height.