Three Architectural Masterpieces Everyone Should Know, part II

The relation between humans and architecture stretches back thousands of years. From Gothic cathedrals to small functionalist abodes, there are innumerable edifices in the world worth studying and enjoying. Though if history has taught us anything, it’s that some of these buildings will stand the test of time while others fall into disrepair. So, in this article, we take a look at three more examples of modern architecture that we predict will continue to bring joy for countless generations to come.

Farnsworth House, Illinois

When German American architect Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe was asked to design a summerhouse for Dr Edith Farnsworth, his ambition was to create a space in which the modern human could be reunited with nature. The result, completed in 1951, was a blend of steel and glass located just outside the town of Plano in the state of Illinois. The building’s interior comprised one large and open space that could be divided up as desired. Surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows, the space effectively blurs the line between the indoors and the outdoors. Since 2004, the house, considered a modernist masterpiece, has been included on the list of America’s historical landmarks. Today, the building serves as a museum, welcoming thousands of visitors with an interest in architecture each year.

The National Congress of Brazil, Brasília

Brazil’s bird-shaped capital of Brasília is home to a number of striking designs penned by master architect Oscar Niemeyer. The fact is that, when the city was being planned back in the 1950s, Niemeyer and colleague Lúcio Costa were more or less given carte blanche to design whatever they like, leading to the city itself becoming an international mecca for the architecturally inclined. The National Congress of Brazil, just one of the many stunning buildings Niemeyer designed for the city, is in itself well worth the visit.

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York

Frank Lloyd Wright is widely considered to be among the greatest architects of the 20^th century. When Solomon R. Guggenheim gave him the design brief for new museum, his sole request was that it should be ‘unlike any other museum in the world’. Wright, less than enamoured with the idea of placing the museum in what he considered to be an already overcrowded city in terms of both people and architecture, designed a building whose organic curves broke with the city’s otherwise rectangular landscape. Its most striking feature is the spiral structure whose gently sloping floor allows visitors to slowly descend through the various spaces the museum has to offer. Since 1990, the Guggenheim Museum is one of New York’s official landmarks, and an essential part of any visit to the city for those with an interest in architecture.