designboom 2011 top ten: institutional + cultural structures

this year the cultural and institutional sector of architecture was taken over by the top starchitects. this seems to be the center stage where the heavy hitters of the design world flex their muscles to battle the empty voids that carve out space and manipulate materials. these alien forms which are typically reserved for science fiction movies dominated the urban fabric creating new identities and social hubs for the city. with 3 buildings in the top 10, zaha hadid maybe the undisputed champion of this category. but the ingenuity and communication that MAD architects showcased with the ‘ordos museum’ propelled them to the number one spot. even though two projects which are currently under construction made the top ten, it shows that our coverage in architecture is constantly meeting the expectations of our viewers’ curiosity and interests of the building process.

1. ‘ordos museum’ by MAD architects

ordos inner mongolia, china image © iwan baan

2. ‘london aquatics centre’ by zaha hadid architects london, england image © hufton + crow

3. ‘guangzhou opera house’ by zaha hadid architects

guangzhou, china image courtesy roy zhuang

4. ‘pheonix international media center’ by shao weiping of BIAD_UFo

bejing, china image courtesy of BIAD_UFo

5. ‘spaceport america’ by foster + partners

new mexico, USA image courtesy of foster + partners

6. ‘yusuhara wooden bridge museum’ by kengo kuma and associates

6. ‘yusuhara wooden bridge museum’ by kengo kuma and associates located in kochi prefecture, japan image courtesy of kengo kuma and associates

7. ‘tel aviv museum of art’ by preston scott cohen inc.

tel aviv, israel image courtesy of preston scott cohen inc.

8. ‘heydar aliyev cultural centre’ by zaha hadid architects

baku, azerbaijan image courtesy of zaha hadid architects

9. ‘stockholm waterfront’ by white arkitekter

stockholm, sweden image courtesy of white arkitekter / wojtek gurak and åke e:son lindman

10. ‘nanjing museum of art and architecture’ by steven holl

nanjing, china image courtesy of bryan chang