This building is the National Center of Performing Arts in Beijing, China. This building is one of Paul Andreu’s more recognized buildings and helped increase his popularity in the world of architecture. This building is my favorite building designed by Paul Andreu due to its sleek design and its lighting effect at night. The NCPA is the largest theater complex in all of Asia and is commonly referred to as “The Giant Egg.” The pool next to it gives off a very cool reflection at night as the light illuminates its dome-like structure.

The picture above shows one of the performing halls in the building. It also has a semi-spherical shape to it in accordance to the overall structure of the building. The red and gold tones to the hall give off a very regal atmosphere, which I find interesting because it is contrasting with the atmosphere that the outside structure gives off.

On the outside of the halls, you can see how the dome allows tons of natural light in during the day. The glass dome also gives a modern touch to the building. Since outside layer of the dome is almost entirely made out of glass, the interior lighting within the building shines through at night, which displays the building beautifully from the outside.

The Charles de Gaulle Airport is the largest international airport in France. Paul Andreu was in charge of the design and structuring of the airport, which he began in 1967. As shown in the picture above, one of its terminals has a round shape that extends all the way down. In the picture below, you can see how the terminal is lined with wooden panels that have spaces in between to allow natural light in as the main source of light. The wood gives the terminal an earthy and natural feel, which works very well as it covers half of the entire terminal. The roundness of the roof also makes it so that the terminal looks larger in size.

Although the roundness of the terminal looks very cool in design, Andreu may not have succeeded so much in its support strength. In 2004, almost a year after the airport was introduced, this terminal collapsed, killing 4 people. The cause may have been due to the heaviness of the concrete used to create the round shape. Since the terminal was so long, there may have not been much support towards the terminal’s backbone, causing it to ultimately collapse.

The Ismaili Center in Toronto, Canada is a mosque designed by Charles Correa’s architecture firm and finished in 2014, only one year before the architect’s death. The prayer hall has a large glass roof, which, wen illuminated from the inside at night, is stunning. In the above picture the mosque is reflected in a nearby black tile reflecting pool, producing a striking visage.

The inside of the prayer hall is similarly beautiful, with the sky visible from anywhere inside. I’m sure the glass ceiling is amazing at sunset or during the rain, and I wonder what it would sound like during a thunderstorm. I’m guessing it doesn’t hail much in Toronto, because I don’t think a building like this would make it very many years in Oklahoma weather. I very much like how the supports for the glass roof are visible, and I am very interested in the engineering involved in getting the roof to stand on its own. Sometimes great engineering is a thing of beauty, and this mosque is no exception.

The Champalimaud Foundation is a private biomedical research foundation located in Lisbon, Portugal, and its headquarters were designed by Charles Correa and was finished in 2010, only five years before his death. The campus sits along the sea, just at the entrance of the Tagus River. Its largest building has a very interesting teardrop shape, and the amphitheater close to the ocean is particularly striking. Some of the buildings even have trees atop them, and several trees are planted atop and inside the buildings, visible through the circular openings in the teardrop building. Correa’s use of vegetation is very interesting, and I am sure the scientists and personnel at the foundation are pleased to see trees just outside their laboratory windows.

This tunnel connecting two buildings stands out to me as well. From the angle of the picture, the small pond at the back of the frame blends in with the ocean in an effect similar to that of an infinity pool. The curved outside of the building also creates a horizon-like effect, making it hard to grasp the exact perspective. If I worked in such a building, I would probably cross the tunnel as often as possible, as it isn’t very common to be able to get that close a view of the ocean at work.

Another work by Charles Correa designed in 1986 and built in 1992, Jawahar Kala Kendra is a fine arts center and museum located in Jaipur. Its purpose its to preserve arts and crafts from the Indian state of Rajasthan, and it is separated into several blocks. I find the central amphitheater to be pleasing, though, with its tiered geometric designs around the side and simple circle and square marking its center. Much like another of his buildings, the British Council in New Delhi, the grass stands out very distinctly against the red brick color of the courtyard, and makes it much more pleasing to the eye.

The ceiling of the entrance foyer stands out as well. Of course, Correa may not have designed the painting covering it, but he certainly took part in designing the dome on which the painting sits, which has a port on the center topped with glass, allowing sunlight into the first room of the Center. The dome without a center is structurally interesting to me, and I wonder how it is supported, although there is probably glass in the whole to prevent rain coming in.

Built in 1992 and designed by the eminent Indian architect Charles Correa, the British Council Building in New Delhi stands out among the surrounding mid-rise buildings. Its basic shape seems almost brutalist, just a concrete rectangle with sharp corners and little decoration, but, looked at from the front, it seems hardly out of place. The green grass and trees complement the sandy-colored building and courtyard, and and the tiered white levels behind the front face of the building add interesting depth.

I am fascinated by the mural on the front, and I wonder what its artist intended for it to represent, if anything. It almost seems like a hydra glaring out from behind the brick facade, possibly a nod to the Indian perception of the old British Empire, like a multi-headed hydra on which the sun never set. Monster analogies aside, the way that the building divides itself into three parts is pleasing to the eye, which is drawn down the center corridor, past the door, and up, to the mural and sky.

The Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen is a yet to be opened public art depot in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. It is a massive, 15000 m² space for the storage of art and artefacts from the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen’s collection. These pieces are normally hidden underground, away from the eyes of the public, but this building serves as a free, public space to display these works. Designed by MVRDV and built during 2020, it will open next year to the public, after which time the museum will be able to show off its full collection, rather than the current 5%.

The building is covered in reflective panels and windows which provide visual interest and help to break up the cityscape. The building has an incredibly open interior, and will house thousands of artefacts and art pieces on shelves and in cases, each in their required climate for preservation. The building also boasts green design, as it utilizes energy efficient lights, solar panels, rainwater plumbing, as well as a green roof covered in trees.

Book Mountain, a relatively small library in Spijkenisse, Netherlands developed in 2012 by MVRDV. Within the raised pyramid are several stacked spaces: Retail, an auditorium, meeting rooms, and commercial offices. These spaces, along with stairs, walkways, and reading areas are all lined with books, giving the appearance of a grand mountain of knowledge.

The interior of the space is lit during the day by sunlight, thanks to the pyramid of windows. The spaces within are comfortable, and feel large, especially when under the wide open sky. Not only is the light system eco-friendly, the building is primarily comprised of recycled materials, from the brick, the wood, and glass to even the bookshelves, which are made of recycled flowerpots.

The headquarters for Norwegian bank DNB, called DNB House, lies on the waterfront of Olso, Norway. It was designed and built in 2012 by MVRDV, winning the Norwegian Steel Construction prize in 2015. This building emphasizes the power of modern day construction materials, many parts of the exterior and interior seeming to defy gravity, all the while maintaining a look that fits in with the rest of the Oslo skyline.

The building serves as a central headquarters for all the functions of DNB, and includes a massive trading room as well as communal facilities, individual offices, and meeting rooms. In all there are 2000 work spaces, and it even boasts a massive 140 seat canteen on the top floor. The interior is very transparent, many areas being able to see across other rooms and through stairwells into meetings and lounges. Each of the areas of the building are connected by a set of interwoven terraces, encouraging central travel and impromptu meetings.

the Markthal is an apartment complex, a market, and a gathering place with restaurants all mixed into one. (it also has over 1000 underground parking spaces) It lies in Rotterdam in the Netherlands and was developed by MVRDV in 2014 with a budget of almost 200 million euros.

MVDRV serves as a center for living, leisure, and everyday errands, all the while being a beautiful sight. The outside of the structure is a fantastic arch with few straight lines or panels save for the windows. It hosts 228 apartments of varying sizes, each with fantastic views of the river or city, along with windows to the interior market space, sometimes in the form of glass floors. The building focuses on allowing natural light in, with a lot of window space to every apartment room. The massive interior space is lined with a mural of cornucopia of life, and hosts restaurants, a supermarket, and gathering places. The building puts many of the essentials of life all under one roof: Community, comfort, and convenience.