The elegance, symmetry, beauty, and symbolism of flowers have found its way into modern architecture. Some of the 21st century’s most forward-thinking architects have turned to nature for inspiration and found the humble flower as their muse. Breaking the mold of geometric, blocky structures, these architects have designed organic shapes and petal-like spaces to create something truly original and amazing. Campbell’s Flowers have assembled a list of some of the best flower-shaped buildings in the world.
ArtScience Museum in Singapore
Lotus Blossom
ArtScience Museum from above
Singapore
Rising up from the ground as if floating above land is the lotus flower-inspired ArtScience Museum. The base of the structure is buried deep underground while the flower form hovers above. The radiating, asymmetrical design is composed of 10 petals of various heights which house individual art galleries. The tip of each flower is rectangular in shape to allow for skylights to let in natural sunlight. The dish of the roof is concave shaped so that it can collect rainwater into a hole in the center. The rainwater then makes a waterfall that drops all the way through the center of the building into a pond located on the lowest level. The rainwater is then recycled to create a perpetual waterfall loop, while some of it is also diverted to provide water to the museum’s restrooms and landscape. The structure is a sustainable, green, work of art.
Magnolia-inspired Qizhong Tennis Center
White Magnolia
Qizhong Tennis Center
Shanghai
This massive sports stadium has 25 indoor and outdoor courts with a dynamic retractable roof that resembles a magnolia flower, the official flower for the city of Shanghai. Composed of eight large steel “petals,” the roof opens and closes in a pinwheel-like fashion taking a total of eight minutes to complete. The retractable roof allows for sporting events to be played regardless of the weather. Each steel petal weighs two tons making this structure an amazing architectural feat. The stadium can house nearly 14,000 people and can be adaptable to play other sports such as volleyball, gymnastics, or basketball
Lotus-inspired Motisons Tower
Nightly Light Show at Motisons Tower
Jaipur, India
Looking to update their store in Jaipur, the owners of Motisons Jewellers turned to Kothari Associates who created a striking design unlike anything else. The structure is rectangular in shape but has enormous leaves rising up the sides of the building. Resembling a lotus flower, the leaves spring out of the building and are striking in shape and color. With deep jewel tones, each leaf is a different color and is rimmed with gold fiberglass. At night, the structure comes alive as the leaves, powered by multi-colored LED lights, change colors and show veins from the petals crawling across their surface. The colors change every few minutes and the owner of the building has the ability to choose whichever colors are desired to keep the spectacle ever-changing and new.
