Seven of the world’s most exciting buildings opening in 2017: from a mystical mountain village in the sky to a gigantic life-sized Lego house
A Lego house with panoramic views and a mystical mountain village in the sky are among the exciting new buildings opening around the world this year.
Global property portal Lamudi has highlighted the seven most intriguing buildings cutting their ribbons in 2017, showcasing architectural innovation and creativity.
The Silo in Copenhagen, Denmark, has been transformed from a 17-storey grain silo into a stacked residential apartment block. In the small Danish town of Billund, the home of Lego's HQ, The Lego House has been built from classic eight-knob Lego bricks as a place for adults to indulge their imaginations, with interconnected terraces joined to a manmade mountain looking out over the city.
Nestled in eastern China’s limestone Huangshan Mountains is a breathtaking village built by Mad Architects, the team behind many of the country’s impressive new tall buildings. Each apartment incorporates local materials and plants into its interior design.
Meanwhile, just two blocks from Beijing’s ancient Forbidden City, the Guardian Art Center is preparing to welcome its first visitors. The world’s first major museum and auction house hybrid fuses historic and modern design: the lower building appears pixelated like the traditional buildings nearby and at the top, a floating ring houses a hotel and restaurants. Its hollow centre reflects China’s love of courtyard houses.
Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel has added to the United Arab Emirates’ cultural landscape with the Louvre Abu Dhabi, which also balances traditional and modern design. A mosque-like 180-metre white dome covers two-thirds of the $653 million museum, with its high ceilings offering ideal gallery space.
The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art in South Africa is another museum to watch, spanning over 9,500 square metres and owned by German businessman Jochen Zeitz.
In Hamburg, Germany, the revamped Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall from Herzog & de Meuron is finally nearing completion more than a decade late. It is extravagant, boasting 600 curved glass panes with harbour views, a Grand Hall full of handblown lamps and €300 toilet brushes in each bathroom, but stays true to the city’s famous Brick Expressionism with a red-brick base and sculptural facade.