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AV College
Look at one side of the AV College Helsinki and you appear to be studying a pixellated image of ... well, you can’t tell what, and that is a deliberate strategy on the part of the architects. Ark-House Architects, also based in Helsinki, used six different off-the-shelf colours of prepainted metal to create an almost entirely windowless facade that makes reference to the digital techniques that are happening inside this college, dedicated to audiovisual education. The practice’s Pentti Kareoja says that they considered putting in a definite image, such as a face, but decided to leave it abstract – a wise decision. ‘Now people can find their own images,’ said Kareoja.
Architect Ark-House Architects (Pentti Kareoja) Location Helsinki - Finland Company involved Rautaruukki Website http://www.ruukki.com -
Torre Agbar
The cigar-like shape of Barcelona’s 38-storey Torre Agbar was inspired, according to its principal architect Jean Nouvel, both by the image of a geyser rising into the air and the profile of the nearby mountain of Montserrat.
Images courtesy of Rafael Vargas
Architect Jean Nouvel Location Barcelona - Spain Company involved Alucoil Website http://www.alucoil.com -
Imparo
Slotting into its industrial setting like a sleek ocean liner, the modern office building Imparo, while inexpensively constructed and technologically simple, brings and glamour and a sense of quality to an otherwise inauspicious commercial zone on the outskirts of Ljubljana.
Architect Abiro Location Ljubljana Vič - Slovenia Company involved voestalpine Stahl GmbH & Armat Website www.voestalpine.com/colofer