Besides our very own new condos E Condos, Emerald Park and Exhibit Residences in Toronto, there are a couple of buildings that we’re really excited to see get complete. These 4 buildings on our list aren’t your typical buildings though. Read on and see what we mean.
A cardboard cathedral
We’ve shown you some pretty cool churches already but this one might be the coolest one yet. Seriously. A cathedral made from cardboard? It doesn’t get any cooler than that.
The idea may sound flimsy, but this temporary cathedral in New Zealand will be made of cardboard tubes, timber beams, structural steel and a concrete pad. It can accommodate 700 worshipers and is intended to last more than 20 years.
Designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, the church just recently broke ground and will temporarily replace the 1864 Christchurch Cathedral which was destroyed in an earthquake in 2011. We love it! Cardboard is readily available, recyclable and we can’t wait to see what it looks like when it’s complete!
A wooden skyscraper
If you thought the idea of a cardboard cathedral was far out, then how about a wooden skyscraper? In Chicago, architect Michael Charters put together a prototype for for a large-scale wooden skyscraper for the 2013 eVolo Skyscraper Competition. It would be a mixed-use university building consisting of housing, retail, a library, and a community park.
Even though it’s just a concept at this point, it seems that wooden skyscrapers have become all the rage these days in the world of architecture. This one in Vancouver might just be built too. Hmmm. We wonder what E Condos would look like if it was made of wood?
An underwater hotel
Dubai always pushes the envelope when it comes to design so we weren’t surprised when they put forward this proposal for an underwater hotel that set tongues wagging last year. We really dig the design. It looks like a cross between Star Trek and Atlantis.
We somehow have a feeling that this project will never see the light of day. But hey, that can’t stop us from dreaming right?
The hotel of doom
North Korea is probably the last place you’d expect us to be excited about when it comes to architecture, but hear us out. We’re pretty intrigued by the Ryugyong hotel in Pyongyang which has been 26 years in the making. The hotel was supposed to be the tallest tower in the world when construction began in 1987 but it was abandoned in 1992 when North Korea suffered an economic crisis. Since then, the hotel has fallen into a state of disrepair and it has been discovered that the building is made of poor-quality concrete and has crooked elevator shafts. Dubbed the hotel of doom, it’s now known as the worst building in the history of mankind.
Then out out of the blue, construction suddenly resumed again in 2008. Turns out that an Egyptian Telecom company which operates a mobile phone network in North Korea is behind the construction. So 26 years after construction first began, plans are now underway to finally open the hotel for business later this year. It’s still uncertain whether or not this will actually happen, but we love a good mystery so we’re looking forward to seeing how this story unfolds.
Are there any buildings that you’re anticipating? Let us know.