Ecca collection

Head office of the Parish Council

The first thing you notice when you look at the new head office of the Parish Council of São Pedro Fins in Portugal’s Oporto region is a shiny metal cube tilted onto its edge. So strong is this impression that you could come away from a cursory view of the building, believing that this is all that it consists of.

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Copenhagen aquarium "The Blue Planet"

Inspired “by the shape of water in endless motion”, Denmark’s new national aquarium, the Blue Planet, is northern Europe’s largest and most modern.

The whirlpool concept on which this unusual edifice originates is, according to Copenhagen-based architectural practice 3XN: “in a narrative about water, and as an image, is at once both abstract and figurative”. The practice also cites shoals of fish and swirling starlings for influencing the vortex-like form of the building.

Images courtesy of Adam Mõrk

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Quai 9

From a distance, the outer shell of Quai 9 resembles an alien spaceship which has landed in the town of Lanester in north-western France. But on closer inspection, the facade is clearly composed of a series of triangular shapes which evoke the white sails of the boats that have been the lifeblood of this area for centuries. The name Quai 9 reflects both the maritime heritage of the region, and the fact that Lanester was established as an independent town in 1909.

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