Who said artwork needs to be confined to a canvas? In this article we view how these architects have applied their creativity to buildings through the use of facades. 

Designed by BIG and JDS Architects, these V and M shaped buildings were crafted with people in mind. In an interview the architect mentioned the inspiration for the building by expressing "If people are different then why are all apartments alike?". To express the individuality of the tenants there are 80 different styles of apartments

Located In Washington D.C., the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture designed by Adjaye Associates has a facade that is comprised of highly detailed bronze filigree.

This Sugamo Shinkin Bank designed by Emmanuelle Moureaux is located in Tokyo, Japan. The facade features silhouettes of trees and an assortment of both large and small windows in 14 different colours. While the colours may seem random, according to the architect they are arranged in a distinctive, rhyhmical pattern. 

While the Aqua tower located in Chicago has one of the largest green roofs in the city, that isn't the feature that makes the building remarkable. Instead it is the facade that the building has that resembles a vertical landscape featuring hills, valleys and pools.  

The Harpa concert hall and conference centre in Reykjavik, Iceland is clad with geometric shaped glass panels of various shades of blue. The facade is meant to mimic the basalt landscape of Iceland.

Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group the VIA 57 West Apartments feature a twisted triangular structure in order to give as many residents as possible a view of the Hudson River. 

In order to accommodate the growing number of staff, the Antwerp Port House hired Zaha Hadid Architects to design the modern attachment at the top of the building. 

The Elbphilharmonie Hamburg was constructed on top of an old warehouse and is a cultural centre and concert hall designed by Herzog & de Meuron. The top of the building resembles rippling water while the glass facade features curved cutouts that disrupt the iridescent glass. 

If you enjoyed this post, please consider signing up below to receive our free monthly AECnewsletter delivered to your inbox and email alerts with our latest blog posts.

Sources: Design Milk, Arch Daily, Sugamo Shinkin Bank, Studio Gang, Wikipedia

cover image © Rob Young Harpa Concert Hall