Higher Education & Research: University of Exeter Forum Project, UK – Wilkinson Eyre Architects
Taking inspiration from the hillside setting, Wilkinson Eyre Architects created a design that flows naturally around landscaped piazzas and a ‘green corridor’ that runs through the center. These green spaces meander through the university campus to provide students with a beautiful place to relax and study. The timber gridshell roof is an unusual detail that adds a sense of movement to the complex.
Display: The Blue Planet, Denmark – 3XN
The theme of ‘water’ is clear from the viewer’s first glimpse of The Blue Planet Aquarium in Denmark, with beautiful undulating wave-like shapes that form a whirlpool when seen from above. Pools outside reflect the sky, while the diamond-shaped aluminum shingles of the building recall the scales of fish.
Sancaklar Mosque, Turkey – Emre Arolat Architects
Avoiding all archetypal visuals, Emre Arolat creates a modern mosque that focuses on an almost otherworldly feeling of sanctity. Dramatic and cave-like, the structure emulates the spare landscape with its raw stone and concrete surfaces. Most of the structure is subterranean, with daylight filtering in from voids that form abstract geometric shapes throughout the interior.
Schools: Fontys Sports College, Netherlands – Mecanoo International
Bold and fun, the Fontys Sports College makes its purpose unmistakable with large silhouettes engaging in sports activities embedded in its brick walls. The structure houses swimming pools, indoor sports facilities, a 15-meter-high rock climbing wall and classrooms.
