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From the Zollverein Coal Mine in Germany to Lucy the Elephant in the US, a new book examines the buildings that inspire architects
A well-designed building has the power to inspire those who witness or use the space. But where do architects go when they’re in need of inspiration?
Journalist Pamela Buxton set out to answer the question in “50 Architects 50 Buildings: The Buildings That Inspire Architects.”
In collaboration with the Twentieth Century Society, an organization dedicated to the preservation and appreciation of British 20th-century architecture, Buxton went to 50 top architects – including Pritzker Prize-winner Richard Rogers, and fellow Stirling Prize laureates Gerard Maccreanor and Paul Monaghan – to find out which buildings stir their emotions and spark new ideas.
The final selection spans geography and function, from the Zollverein Coal Mine in Essen, Germany (selected by David West and Christophe Egret of Studio Egret West for the “quality of the original industrial architecture”) to Lucy the Elephant, a six-story attraction in New Jersey (Tom Coward of AOC calls it “a building full of love, care and ambition”), and the gilded Steinhof Church in Vienna.
“Some participants describe their choices as ‘profoundly moving’ or feeling ‘like coming home – the sort of analogies we draw when talking about finding a human soul mate,” writes Catherine Croft, director of the the Twentieth Century Society, in the book’s introduction.
Check out the gallery above for insights into the architecture that inspires architects.
