Fallingwater is Frank Lloyd Wright’s signature creation. The Pennsylvania house, which hangs over a river due to its cantilever design, is a national landmark and an excellent example of modern architecture.
Australia’s Sydney Opera House is comprised of shell-shaped curved roofs, consisting of more than a million V-shaped tiles. Designed by Jørn Utzon, the venue has won numerous awards and has even been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Chicago’s unique corncob-shaped towers are official known as Marina City, a residential building with many on-site recreation facilities, an open-air roof deck, and several stories worth of parking. Architect Bertrand Goldberg designed it to have almost no right angles.
These buildings are different, but they have a common thread: All are made of concrete.
The Guardian has two lists of the ten best concrete buildings, with one list selected by architecture critic Rowan Moore, and the other by readers.
Among Moore’s picks were the Bank of London and South America in Buenos Aires; St John’s Abbey Church in Collegeville, Minn.; and the nearly 1,900-year old Pantheon in Rome. Readers suggested the three buildings listed above, along with other choices like the National Theatre in London and The Lotus Temple in Delhi.
Tiles on the Sydney Opera House. Photo: Jimmy Harris/Creative Commons.
Marina City in Chicago. Photo: clarkmaxwell/Creative Commons.
Fallingwater. Photo: Timothy Neesam/Creative Commons.
Related Stories
Sponsored | Flooring | May 18, 2015
Suburban L.A. high school battles moisture-soaked flooring
School officials had to take action when popped flooring created trip hazards
Multifamily Housing | Mar 16, 2015
New Jersey Supreme Court puts control of affordable housing agency in the courts
The court said the state’s affordable housing agency had failed to do its job, and effectively transferred the agency's regulatory authority to lower courts.
| Nov 7, 2014
Prefab helps Valparaiso student residence project meet an ambitious deadline
Few colleges or universities have embraced prefabrication more wholeheartedly than Valparaiso (Ind.) University. The Lutheran-based institution completed a $27 million residence hall this past summer in which the structural elements were all precast.
| Sep 30, 2014
Breakthrough concrete mix could reduce carbon emissions by 60%
Scientists at MIT have found a way to decrease the carbon emissions that result from concrete production: reducing the ratio of calcium to the silicate-rich clay.
| Aug 5, 2014
New bomb-proof concrete mixture used in One World Trade Center
The new concrete mix deforms instead of breaking, removing the threat of flying debris in an explosive attack.
| Jul 11, 2014
Are these LEGO-like blocks the future of construction?
Kite Bricks proposes a more efficient way of building with its newly developed Smart Bricks system.
| Jun 12, 2014
Austrian university develops 'inflatable' concrete dome method
Constructing a concrete dome is a costly process, but this may change soon. A team from the Vienna University of Technology has developed a method that allows concrete domes to form with the use of air and steel cables instead of expensive, timber supporting structures.
| May 15, 2014
'Virtually indestructible': Utah architect applies thin-shell dome concept for safer schools
At $94 a square foot and "virtually indestructible," some school districts in Utah are opting to build concrete dome schools in lieu of traditional structures.
| Feb 14, 2014
Must see: Developer stacks shipping containers atop grain silos to create student housing tower
Mill Junction will house up to 370 students and is supported by 50-year-old grain silos.
