Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum 4 (2020-08-12/2020-08-12) by Gláuber Sampaio
Not all buildings have four walls and right angles. In fact, some of our most interesting and unique structures break the mold entirely. These wedges, stars, and cones offer the visitor a totally different experience and make for a more interesting and inspiring skyline.
Gezicht op het Flatiron Building op de hoek van Fifth Avenue en 23rd Street, New York (1902) by anoniemRijksmuseum
The Flatiron, New York
One of architecture’s most famous wedges, the Flatiron building has been a New York landmark since it was first constructed in 1902. The building sits on a triangular plot formed by Fifth Avenue to the west, Broadway to the east, and East 22nd Street to the south. It’s one of only two skyscrapers north of 14th Street and is one of the most iconic buildings in the city.
Flatiron Building
The Flatiron was designated a New York City landmark in 1966, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989. Walk around the Flatiron and you’ll feel an unusually strong wind caused by the building’s distinctive shape.
The Castle of Good Hope
The Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town
Also known as Cape Town Castle, The Castle of Good Hope was built in the 17th century to protect the nascent settlement. The oldest existing building in South Africa, it replaced the earlier Fort de Goede Hoop, a timber structure erected in 1652. The Castle of Good Hope is laid out in a star shape. It originally housed a church, bakery, various workshops, living quarters, shops, and cells as well as a range of other amenities.
Because its shape is so distinctive, and the building is so important to Cape Town’s history, the outline of the castle has been used on numerous military flags and insignia over the years. Today, it houses a museum, acts as a ceremonial location for the traditional cape regiments and is the home of the Cape Town Highlanders Regiment.
Niterói Contemporary Art Museum (2016) by Gustavo Otero | Colection Museum of TomorrowMuseu do Amanhã
Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum, Rio de Janeiro
The Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum sits on a rocky outcrop overlooking Guanabara Bay and the city of Rio de Janeiro. Designed by famous Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, it was built in 1996 and houses the second-largest collection of contemporary art in Brazil.
Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum
The museum’s elegant, conical shape resembles the silhouette of a flying saucer or UFO. A reflecting pool surrounds the cylindrical base of the building, adding to its otherworldly feel. The museum is encircled by angled windows, offering visitors panoramic views of the city and the surrounding landscape.
Bra Silia (1961) by Dmitri KesselLIFE Photo Collection
Cathedral of Brasilia, Brasilia
Now to another conical building designed by Oscar Niemeyer, The Cathedral of Brasilia. Completed in 1970, the hyperboloid structure is made up of 16 concrete columns, each of which weighs in at a gravity defying 90 tons. The cathedral is the seat of the Archdiocese of Brasilia and was designed to be one of the most important, and eye-catching, buildings in the new capital of Brazil.
Cathedral of Brasilia
Like the Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum, the cathedral features a reflecting pool, although this time it’s located on the roof in order to help keep the cathedral cool. Visitors have to pass through a dark tunnel before entering the light, bright, glass-filled building. This makes for a dramatic entrance and ensures a visit to the cathedral is an unforgettable experience.
Cathedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecida, or Cathedral of Brasilia, under construction, Brasília, DF. Brazil (circa 1960) by Gautherot, Marcel Instituto Moreira Salles
Explore the history, architecture and culture of Brasilia here.
