Masonry Design doesn’t just cover U.S.-based projects and products that are changing the industry; we profile masonry structures and systems from around the world that have an impact on the way we design and build with brick, block and stone. Look to this section for the latest information on international trends.
It’s no surprise that many of the western world’s most enduring, beautifully crafted and well-preserved structures are churches and cathedrals. For centuries, they were the center of all community activity in remote villages and sprawling cities throughout Europe. In many instances, this still is true today.
Rising 21 stories above the Meuse River in Rotterdam the 2e Katendrechtse Haven apartment building (part of a larger neighborhood of apartments and single-family homes) is a marvelously a-typical structure. The Dutch, however, continue to produce exotic and unique building designs that are reflective of the independent spirit of this proud nation of 16 million people.
Though the city of Toronto may only be known to many as a tertiary metropolis when it comes to well known or architecturally significant buildings in North America, Canada’s financial and cultural capital still has a great deal to offer if you know where to look. Toronto’s downtown skyline and nearby neighborhoods are, in fact, home to structures designed by some of the world’s most prominent architects, including Frank Gehry, Daniel Libeskind, Norman Foster, Will Alsop and I. M. Pei.
Often compared to an iceberg because of the way it seemingly juts out of the Oslo Fjord, the marble-clad Oslo Opera House in Norway is as white as an iceberg but the comparison ends there. Looking at this remarkable structure (or if you’re lucky enough, actually visiting it) won’t leave you cold. In fact, people are having the opposite reaction, particularly locals who already view the Opera House as a national monument.
The Menier Chocolate Mill at Noisiel, Marne-la-Valleé outside Paris, was once the heart of the world’s largest chocolate producer, and has been described as one of the iconic buildings of the Industrial Revolution. Today, the building is registered as a Monument Historique by the French government and is the headquarters for Nestlé France, which took ownership of the facility in 1988.
Although it may have taken three decades to complete – courtesy of construction delays and political wrangling – the British Library at St. Pancras (BL) is recognized and appreciated now for its sheer size and brick detailing. Built between 1962 and 1997, the BL is the second-largest library in the world – more than 1.2 million square feet of space with more than 25 million books – and one of the largest public buildings in Europe.
In 2003, a team led by King Roselli Architetti (an English/Italian partnership that quickly was establishing a name for itself) embarked on a challenging, three-year project to expand a university library within The Vatican while adhering to considerable site constraints such as a narrow building corridor and an underground vault full of priceless antiques, artifacts and books. The determined team of international professionals didn’t flinch; instead, they used the constricted job site to their advantage, creating a unique, brick-clad building that is modern in design but timeless in its efficacy.
One look at the MARTa Herford Museum in Herford, Germany and it’s obvious whose hand was holding the pen, drawing the first conceptual designs for this playful structure. Frank Gehry began putting his distinctive touch on the brick and stainless steel structure in 1998.
The architecture scene in Toronto is growing and thriving. The metropolitan landscape there has become more than the CN Tower, which is prominent in the city’s skyline. But a building doesn’t have to be tall to be beautiful, distinctive and worthy of a tourism board’s postcards. For example, the Young Centre for the Performing Arts in the city’s rejuvenated Distillery District is as beautiful a theatre as you likely are to find anywhere in North America.
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