architecture

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Möbius Architecture

As has previously been pointed out elsewhere, in the realm of large buildings resembling möbius strips, Peter Eisenman's design for Max Reinhardt Haus in Berlin, Germany came first:

mobius1.jpg
[Max Reinhardt Haus model | image source]

Then came OMA's design for CCTV in Beijing, China:

mobius2.jpg
[CCTV rendering | image source]

And now we have Oppenheim's design for Miami-Dade College's Wolfson Campus Center:

mobius3.jpg
[MDC Wolfson Campus Center rendering | image source]

Formally, Oppenheim's design seems to merge the first two precedents, softening the abrupt angles of CCTV with bracing that resemble the torquing of the Max Reinhardt Haus, the most möbius-literal of the bunch. The last definitely reinforces the adage that architects don't invent, they creatively modify what came before. But if looping buildings will start popping up all over the place is probably a long shot, given the great expense and lack of expandability that such designs entail.

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