Most Dutch bridges, whether fixed or movable, are built by civil engineers without any input from architects resulting in “functional constructions devoid of any poetry whatsoever.”
Therefore it is really nice that an architect was deemed necessary for this relatively small drawbridge for the Amstel-Drecht canal in South Holland.

NIO Architects, one of the finalists in the 2010 Dutch Design Awards, found poetic inspiration in all sorts of odd places: a Jedi Starfighter, a praying mantis and the design of the stylized pleasure boats that clip along in the canal. And, unlike the most Dutch bridges, this bridge, the Prayer of Shadow Protection, is dark, somewhere between green and blue, a bit like the water in the Netherlands but more sparkling.
The result is a bit terrifying, yes, but also kinda awesome.
A freak robot with elegant contours slowly disappearing as dusk falls

Arriving on Marrakech’s Menara Airport, I was amazed by the aesthetic design of the building – seamlessly fusing contemporary eco-technology with traditional arabic and Islamic design motifs.

This dramatic new airport terminal is an example of how Modernism and traditional Islamic architecture have begun to cross-pollinate. Designed by a team of architects led by Casablanca-based E2A Architecture and completed in 2008, the structure is formed of massive concrete rhombuses. This muscular approach is softened by the exquisite arabesque patterns on the building’s glass skin, which cast complex, ever-changing shadows on the terminal’s floors.
The ceiling has 72 pyramids made of photovoltaic cells which generate electricity from light. The choice to use small solar tiles rather than custom, large-sized panels both allows light to enter the terminal through the skylights (further reducing the need for internal lighting) but they also mimic mosaic tile designs found in much traditional arabic and Islamic architecture and design.

So successful is the aesthetic masking of the contemporary technology through the mosaic pattern, that it easily could be seen as a continuation of the other traditional design motifs of the space.

When the original petting farm burned down in the early 80’s 70F Architecture was asked to design a new one on the exact location and the remaining foundation. They came up with this gorgeous and animal-friendly design.

The upper half of the building features an open facade system allowing the wind to ventilate the whole farm continuously. Half of the building is stable; the other half contains working space and facilities for visitors.

The farm has no doors but relies on shutters to usher animals and people in and out. These shutters will open manually or automatically in the morning, reacting on the upcoming sun, as they will close again at the end of the day, when the sun goes down. The animals will easily learn to be inside again on time, if they like. At night, the building becomes a light beacon in the park.

‘One could say that the box, a building extensively reduced in aesthetic violence, wakes up and goes to sleep every day.’a href=”

Imagine yourself driving in the Dutch countryside and all of a sudden on an empty road in the middle of nowhere there is this bridge. Thank god it’s a quiet road because I can imagine you hit the breaks, u-turn or do other wacky actions just to get another look.

The bridge, located in Sneek in the Netherlands, somehow looks both revolutionary and familiar. The construction reminds of the wooden frames for boatbuilding, the contour is reminiscent of the farms in Friesland.

But the bridge is also the first heavy traffic road wooden bridge in the world. Made from “Accoya^® wood it can support the heaviest load class of 60 tons. Spanning 105 feet and rising more than 50 feet in the air, this impressive structure forms a beautiful and dramatic connection between two …… industrial areas

OAK Architects is a collaboration between Achterbosch Architectuur and Onix architects