Beautiful Buildings Thread

[Treffie]

I wasn't sure what section to post this in, so I thought I'd post it here. Post pictures of beautiful buildings.

Houses of Parliament, UK.

http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/0a/7e/3d/houses-of-parliament.jpg

National Assembly of Wales

http://www.e-architect.co.uk/wales/jpgs/welsh_assembly_rrp06_04.jpg

http://www.e-architect.co.uk/wales/jpgs/welsh_assembly_rrp06_07.jpg


Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain

http://rawartint.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/theguggenheimmuseumbilbao1.jpg

[Psychonaut]

I'm a big fan of Gothic architecture:

Notre Dame
http://www.marie-stuart.co.uk/images/NotreDame2.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/archive/2/2d/20080104185733!Paris-notre-dame-facade.jpg
http://www2.hiren.info/desktopwallpapers/other/notre-dame-basilica_montreal_canada.jpg

Chartres
http://www.ljhammond.com/phlit/images/france/chartres.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Chartres_Cathedral_000.JPG
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/france/chartres-cathedral-pictures/reredos-c-beck.jpg

Köln Dom
http://www.sproson.com/grandtour/uploaded_images/cologne_cathedral-762590.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/archive/f/fe/20071113134817!Cologne_Cathedral.jpg
http://www.ronsaari.com/stockImages/germany/CologneCathedralInterior.jpg

[Æmeric]

When it comes to large buildings meant for public use, I'm partial to the Beaux Arts style. Some of the more attractive public buildings in the US are built in this style.


http://z.about.com/d/architecture/1/0/l/q/Library-of-Congress.jpg

The Library of Congress


http://farm1.static.flickr.com/140/348536274_f1a837d732.jpg?v=0

The US Customs House in New York


http://classicist.blogs.com/weblog/images/SF_Opera_House.jpg

San Francisco Opera House

[Allenson]

Time to add a more simplistic approach. How about the old meeting house in South Strafford, Vermont? : ;)

http://www.planetware.com/i/photo/strafford-justin-smith-morrill-state-historic-site-vt110.jpg

[Treffie]

La Sagrada Familia ((unfinished), Barcelona.

http://eiffelover.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/p_61_la-sagrada-familia-barcelon.jpg

Edinburgh Castle, Scotland

http://www.backpackertours.co.uk/britain_uk_england_tours/graphics/edinburgh-castle.jpg

Conwy Castle, Wales

http://www.walesdirectory.co.uk/tourist-attractions/images-attractions/Conwy_Castle_View_2.jpg

Caernarfon Castle, Wales

http://www.arosfa-beddgelert.co.uk/gallery/slides/Caernarfon%20Castle%20and%20quayside.jpg

Mont St Michel, Normandy, France.

http://www.destination360.com/europe/france/images/s/mont-st-michel.jpg

St Govan's Chapel, Wales, Not so much a beautiful building but an amazing setting.

http://www.pembrokeshire-organic-holidays.co.uk/St_Govans_Chapel2.JPG

The Royal Crescent, Bath, England.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Royal.crescent.aerial.bath.arp.jpg

[Allenson]

Time to add a more simplistic approach. How about the old meeting house in South Strafford, Vermont? : ;)

Hmmm, my picture seems to have vanished. Let's try again:

http://pics4.city-data.com/cpicc/cfiles7283.jpg

[Dalriada]

Some beautiful buildings from my home city:

Glasgow Cathedral:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Glasgow-cathedral-may-2007.jpg

Glasgow City Chambers:
http://halcyon.usc.edu/~kiran/glasgow/img6.jpg

Kelvingrove Art Gallery:
http://www.devoncovehotel.com/pictures/glasgow/gallery/large/kelvingrove.jpg

Glasgow University:
http://sophiawellbelovedpoetry.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/glasgowuniversitytower.jpg

[lei.talk]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Sagrada_Familia_01.jpg



Basilica y Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia

often simply called the Sagrada Família (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagrada_Fam%C3%ADlia), is a large Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, considered the master-work of renowned Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoni_Gaud%C3%AD) (1852–1926) - who devoted the last fifteen years of his life entirely to the endeavour. The church has been under privately-funded construction in since 1882, its vast scale and idiosyncratic design making it one of Barcelona's (and Spain's) top tourist attractions for many years.

On November 7, 2010, the church, although yet incomplete, was consecrated and proclaimed a basilica (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica) by Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to Santiago de Compostela and Barcelona.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8e/Chartres_1.jpg/90px-Chartres_1.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral)

[Oreka Bailoak]

I've always been a fan of 1920's-1930's New York City architecture. My favorite building is the Chrysler Building completed in 1930. Once the tallest building in the world.

http://rlv.zcache.com/american_splendor_poster-d228699083266742175vsu7_500.jpg

http://www.nytstore.com/assets/images/extralarge/NSAPMI38_EXTR.jpg

http://gothamist.com/upload/2010/05/5chrysler0510building.jpg

http://files.myopera.com/dstorey/experiments/images/42nd_street_chrysler_building.jpg

http://c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000lQP3RKIep4M/s/900/900/Rajs-980126CD-0093KDKNoRetouch.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/ChryslerBuildingMidtownManhattanNewYorkCity.jpg
^ Even though it's no longer the tallest building in NYC it still catches my eye more than all the others.

[The Lawspeaker]

Time to add a more simplistic approach. How about the old meeting house in South Strafford, Vermont? : ;)

http://www.planetware.com/i/photo/strafford-justin-smith-morrill-state-historic-site-vt110.jpg

http://pics4.city-data.com/cpicc/cfiles7283.jpg
Indeed. It's a beautiful building. :thumb001:

[The Lawspeaker]

Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/RNCpano.jpg

[Albion]

Windsor:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Windsor_Castle_at_Sunset_-_Nov_2006.jpg/800px-Windsor_Castle_at_Sunset_-_Nov_2006.jpg

Bodiam:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Bodiam-castle-10My8-1197.jpg/800px-Bodiam-castle-10My8-1197.jpg

[Albion]

Wells cathedral:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/Wells_Cathedral%2C_Wells%2C_Somerset.jpg/600px-Wells_Cathedral%2C_Wells%2C_Somerset.jpg

[The Lawspeaker]

Japanese minka (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minka):



lGV06ewgpGE

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/Gokayama_Japanese_Old_Village_002.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/Shirakawago_Japanese_Old_Village_001.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/SHIRAKAWA_GOU.JPG

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Kawasaki_Nihon_Minkaen-3.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/NihonMinkaen-Kitamura.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Gassho-zukuri_farmhouse-03.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/19/Japanese_Traditional_Hearth_L4817.jpg

[The Lawspeaker]

El Hemisfèric on the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, Spain as designed by Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela:

http://www.hotelesyconsejos.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/image0015.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GZe_E8X4nAE/SwviDU4b1TI/AAAAAAAADmA/TWwEplsdZ4Q/s1600/city-of-arts-science02.jpg

http://www.idesignarch.com/wp-content/uploads/LHemisf%C3%A8ric-Valencia_2.jpg

http://mural.uv.es/nugarme/imagenes/365232788_50a414c462.jpg

http://www.freewebs.com/maartenfilius/Resized_museum_valencia_large.jpg

http://v7.cache8.c.bigcache.googleapis.com/static.panoramio.com/photos/original/14490572.jpg?redirect_counter=1

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4001/4496894201_573b74593b.jpg

[Wanderlust]

30 St Mary Axe, London

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/30_St_Mary_Axe,_%27Gherkin%27.JPG


Warwick Castle

http://www.citypictures.org/data/media/256/Warwick_Castle_Warwickshire_County_England.jpg

Durham Cathedral

http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/15997266.jpg

Tower Bridge (well, not really a building)

http://worldislandparadise.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/The-Beauty-of-Tower-Bridge-London9.jpg

St Pancras railway station, London

http://www.visitbritainsuperblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/St-Pancras-External-Shot.jpg

http://blog.incipeindustries.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/St-Pancras-International-Train-Station1.jpg

[Wanderlust]

Casa Batlló, Barcelona

http://www.barcelonaholidayapartments.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Casa-Batllo-outdoor.jpg

Sagrada Família, Barcelona

http://www.visit-bcn.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/sagrada-familia.jpg

Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Hohenschwangau_-_Schloss_Neuschwanstein1.jpg

Salzburg Cathedral

http://www.el-granada.com/europe2005/Salzburg-Cathedral.JPG

Guildhall, London

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/2007_0513London0033.JPG

[The Lawspeaker]

The WNF (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wide_Fund_for_Nature) -office in Zeist, the Netherlands. It used to be a grey 1950s office block but it was completely redone and redecorated and made "carbon neutral".

http://www.cradletocradle.nl/content/Image/products/agc-glass/WNF-Zeist-2-Tri.jpg

http://signalisatiesintlucas.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/wnf-13.jpg

http://www.scheutensolar.nl/public/site/uploads/producten/wwf-zeist_web3.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4004/4516869331_aee66d0dd8.jpg

http://www.doorwin.nl/Libraries/Project_Kantoor_WNF/wnf.sflb.ashx'

http://www.doorwin.nl/Libraries/Project_Kantoor_WNF/WNF_Zeist_DSC_0035.sflb.ashx

http://www.doorwin.nl/Libraries/Project_Kantoor_WNF/wnf_zeist_cd_rom_002.sflb.ashx

http://www.alice-in-wonderland.net/weblog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/wnf_2.jpg

http://www.doorwin.nl/Libraries/Project_Kantoor_WNF/WNF_Zeist_DSC_0040.sflb.ashx

More about the building (http://www.wnf.nl/nl/overwnf/huisvesting/) (English subtitles)

Some more (http://www.doorwin.nl/nl/Projecten/Kantoor_WNF.aspx) (in Dutch)



It's former (rather pathetic) state:

http://www.nationalerenovatieprijs.nl/data/assets/images/1638.jpg

[The Lawspeaker]

The new Rijkswaterstaat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rijkswaterstaat) office in Utrecht.

http://www.ahrend.com/Atrium/Group/P/images/References/Government/Rijkswaterstaat_Utrecht_06.jpg

http://www.ahrend.com/Atrium/Group/P/images/References/Government/Rijkswaterstaat_Utrecht_04.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3470/3177218138_87120627fb_z.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2792/4429466478_b105031b39.jpg



Better pictures --- provided by Unispace (http://www.unispace.nl/NL/Projecten/Galerij/Overzicht/page.aspx/52?aid=2).

[Daos]

http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2010/285/2/5/wizard__s_tower_by_bookscorpion-d30lwi7.jpg

The water tower from the Ohlsdorf cemetery, Hamburg.

[The Lawspeaker]

The Green Village on the Indonesian island of Bali - it's all made out of bamboo:

http://greenvillagebali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/D3B9609.jpg
http://greenvillagebali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/D3B9953.jpg
http://greenvillagebali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/D3B9630.jpg
http://greenvillagebali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/D3B9639.jpg
http://greenvillagebali.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/D7H32801.jpg
http://hetkanwel.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/six-senses-slow-life-flickr.jpg
http://hetkanwel.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/bridge-blese-flickr.jpg
http://hetkanwel.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/esme-vos-flickr.jpg

More pictures and a small video film can be found here (http://www.hetkanwel.net/2012/07/24/dorp-van-bamboe-in-bali-is-experimenteerplaats-voor-groener-leven/). And this link (http://greenvillagebali.com/gallery/) brings you to the project website.

[Albion]

I don't think the London stadium looks as impressive as the Beijing one but it still looks pretty decent.
I watched something about its construction today - it's designed to be easily reduced in size after the games to be sold to a football club or whoever else buys it (apparently such large sporting venues go largely obsolete after the Olympics - the Beijing stadium is such an example).

The original design had a tv screen wrapped around the whole building but that wasn't added in the end sadly.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/London_2012_Olympic_Stadium_(13_July_2012).jpg
To the left is the fugly (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=fugly) Mittal Tower. I can't believe they actually built that. :rolleyes2:

http://www.e-architect.co.uk/images/jpgs/london/london_olympic_stadium_o210211_4.jpg
The stadium earlier this year


All in all I think it's quite nice looking but it could have been better.

[Albion]

One of the interesting things about the Olympic stadium is that they chose to sow wildflowers all around the surrounding area. There's a particular emphasis on the environment.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/23/article-0-142D8381000005DC-880_964x640.jpg
Most of the wildflowers aren't native. These Cornflowers are but not those California poppies. They're beautiful flowers though nevertheless.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/23/article-0-142DB73E000005DC-247_964x580.jpg
I think these yellow ones are Rudbekia or something like that from the Americas.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/23/article-0-142DB897000005DC-263_964x641.jpg
More Cornflowers

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/23/article-0-142DBB1B000005DC-615_964x681.jpg


Lol, typical me - I'm more impressed by the gardening than the architecture. :rolleyes:

[The Lawspeaker]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/s480x480/62188_443527252350714_471440318_n.jpg

[ficuscarica]

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7068/6817946606_4320dc4bf2_z.jpg
Portuguese Synagoge, Amsterdam

[The Lawspeaker]

Paleis op de Dam (Royal Palace) - Amsterdam:

http://fotocompetitie.upc.nl/original/784409/paleis_op_de_dam/paleis_op_de_dam_vroeg_in_de_morgen.jpg


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Berckheyde_-_Het_stadhuis_op_de_Dam_te_Amsterdam_%281673%29.jp eg/727px-Berckheyde_-_Het_stadhuis_op_de_Dam_te_Amsterdam_%281673%29.jp eg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Paleist3.jpg

http://static.nationalgeographic.nl/pictures/genjUserPhotoPicture/original/89/13/34/paleis-op-de-dam-341389.jpg

http://www.rnw.nl/data/files/images/lead/1306%20paleis%20op%20de%20dam%20ANP-9994957.jpg

[Albion]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Queen_Elizabeth_Hospital_Birmingham%2C_Edgbaston%2 C_Birmingham%2C_England-7March2011.jpg/1280px-Queen_Elizabeth_Hospital_Birmingham%2C_Edgbaston%2 C_Birmingham%2C_England-7March2011.jpg

Queen Elizabeth hospital, Birmingham. Quite an interesting style - modern, but not a ridiculous shape like many new buildings.