The World’s Waviest Architecture

September 26th, 2014

This week, we once again take a look at cool buildings from all around the world. We’ve written about interesting features in tall buildings, wooden buildings and unusual treehouses, and now we’re looking at buildings that have incorporated the design of a wave in their exterior.

Not sure what we mean? Read on.

Chicago’s Aqua

Aqua_Tower_Chicago

Aqua is an 82-story mixed-use residential skyscraper in downtown Chicago. It gets its name because of the shape of the balconies. The architect, Jeanne Gang, wanted to create balconies that allowed for the Wave’s residents to get a view of all of Chicago’s nearby landmarks, so she stretched out the balconies by 12 ft which resulted in a wave-like form on the interior of the building. Cool!

Australia’s The Wave

The_Wave_Apartments,_Gold_Coast,_QLD,_AU

Similar to Chicago’s Aqua, The Wave also got its name from its wave-like balconies. The idea behind this design was so that each of the 118 units received an equal amount of shade and sunlight on the balcony. It also allows for residents to get sweet panaromic views of the ocean and surrounding area – that’s a view we wouldn’t mind!

The Netherlands’ Hatert Housing

hatert_tower_nijmegen_t190112_4

Everyone seems to like wave-like balconies because this housing structure in the Netherlands also incorporated the design on their balconies! The free formed balconies are also perforated and because of its cool and unusual design, the structure is recognizable from all directions.

We can’t mention wave-like exteriors without talking about our own 1 Yorkville with its 3D wallpaper! It’s essentially going to be sheets of bent steel that will change in light, shadow and colour depending on where you’re looking from. It will definitely stand out in the Toronto cityscape.