Gerald Parsonson's Favorite Buildings
Jakob + MacFarlane, Orange Cube, Lyon, France
"At one level this is an office building with a showroom on the ground floor and roof terraces overlooking the river; at another it is a unique piece of urban sculpture, a sustainably performing orange cube with a giant hole carved out of it, responding to light, air movement, and views."
"It's covered in a skin of orange aluminum pixelated in harmony with the movement of the river. It has become so popular locally that extra buses have had to be scheduled to cater to the number of people wanting to see it."
Peter Zumthor, St. Benedict Chapel, Switzerland
"With its delicate and rhythmic tear-drop shaped structure, this building creates its own poetry of location, nature, and religion."
"It is beautifully considered and crafted almost like a boat, with its curving floor and ceiling boards. Was Zumthor thinking of Jesus the carpenter and fisherman?"
John Scott, Futuna Chapel, Wellington, New Zealand
"John Scott was one of New Zealand's foremost architects and Futuna chapel is arguably his best work. It was built for the Catholic Church by the brothers themselves."
"The building is square in plan and orchestrated by a folding origami-like roof that expands and compresses space and light, which enters through stained glass windows illuminating the interwoven tree-like structure and beautifully crafted interior."
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