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An overhead view of The City of Arts and Sciences. Photo Courtesy of Javier Yay Tur (CACSA)
Since the discovery of stars and planets, earthlings have been obsessed with the concept of outer space. Popular in the 1950s and 60s, space-inspired Googie architecture further increased our fascination with what could be in future ages. The Jetsons, the first human Earth orbit in April of 1961, and President John F. Kennedy’s promise of reaching the moon by the end of the 60s inspired the creation of space-like forms in both art and architecture.
Unfortunately, we don’t yet live in revolving space needles or drive flying cars, but our fascina- tion with space and life on other planets has not waned. A trek around the world reveals many structures that seem as though they’ve come from another planet. Skipping over the obvious Space Needle in Seattle, The Encounter Lounge at LAX airport, and the UFO house in Tennessee, there are a few structures that can truly pass as alien creations right here on planet Earth.
La Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias – The City of Arts and Sciences
In Valencia, Spain, a futuristic city showcases the importance and possibilities of the arts and sciences. Consisting of four unique structures, the “city” is an imaginative endeavor designed by famed Valencia architect Santiago Calatrova. The city was intended to celebrate the new millen- nium with creations that push the boundaries of normal understanding while bolstering tourism and promoting regional culture.
A majestic view of the Reina Sophia Arts Palace, The Hemespheric and the Principe Felipe Science Museum.
Photo Courtesy of Javier Yay Tur (CACSA)
The first building, the Hemespheric, was built in 1998 and appears to be an eyeball peeking out above a pool of water. Inside it houses an Imax and planetarium, both of which hold exhib- its and shows.
The Principe Felipe Science Museum was the next structure to be erected. Some say it looks like a T-Rex, while others have different opinions. This building focuses on interactive education, or “edutainment.” Unlike many science museums, visitors are encouraged to get involved with what they are viewing and touch the exhibits.
Next built was the Oceanarium, a large multi-arch building that looks like pools of calm water that reflect the surrounding city. Home to 500 species of aquatic animals from all over the world, this is Europe’s largest marine park.
The Oceanarium in The City of Arts and Sciences. Pgoto Courtesy of Javier Yay Tur (CACSA)
Finally, the Reina Sofia Arts Palace opened in 2005 to finish the project. The design of the building is stunning: it looks like an alien spacecraft or an extraterrestrial’s helmet. The structure contains an opera house and galler- ies that promote art of all varieties. However, the main mission for this museum and event hall is to strongly encourage dance, theatre and classical music.
The City of Arts and Sciences as a whole is breathtaking; in fact, it gives the feeling that you’ve traveled to a completely different universe.
The famed nozels of Kunsthaus Graz. Kunsthaus Graz. LMJ Photo: Nicolas Lackner
Kunthaus, Graz - “The Friendly Alien”
Nestled between typical Austrian buildings (pitched roof with red tiles) lies a museum that may seem a bit out of place: Kunsthaus. This museum of modern and contemporary art was built in 2003 to bring life back to the banks of the Mur River on the west side of Graz, Austria. Designed by Peter Cook and Colin Fournier, the “Friendly Alien” is a building that cannot be mistaken for something else, unless you think it’s from another planet.
This biomorphic blue figure seemingly floats above its glass foyer, giving visitors the impres- sion of an extraterrestrial creation. To access the galleries, one must take a travelator, or pin, to the “belly” of the alien structure. As the visitor moves up the pin, he or she is transported to a whole new dimension. The design of the building is meant to completely immerse visitors in the experience of the art and architecture of modern and contemporary thinking individuals.
The inside isn’t the only art venue, either. The eastern exterior façade is covered with 930 standard industrial fluorescent light tubes, creating a low-resolution display screen called BIX. The bulbs can be dimmed and brightened individually to create static or moving images that can be seen from across town.
Photo Courtesy of Press Office at Selfridges Birmingham
Selfridges, Birmingham
Described by visitors as an alien, this unique shopping center in Birmingham, UK gives consumers an entirely new shopping experience. The building itself is covered with 15,000 aluminum discs and contains few windows. The most unusual of the building’s seven entrances is the tube. The main window overlooks the entrance tube, making it seem as though visitors are being sucked-up through a straw by an alien form that is watching the process with its single eye. Future Systems, the firm that designed the structure, made sure shoppers saw something new and exciting inside as well. The atrium is outlined with curves of shiny white in every direction, and white tubular escalators transport shoppers to and from the building’s three floors. The atrium is topped with a large window, giving the space an open and organic feel. Inside or out, the structure seems as though it is from another planet.
The Sony Center illuminated at night.
30 St. Mary Axe. Photo Courtesy of Nigel Young for Foster + Partners
30 St. Mary Axe
Located in the heart of London’s business district, this spaceship-shaped build- ing draws much attention. The design, by Norman Foster of Foster and Partners, was meant to reduce wind stress on the building and on pedestrians nearby, to maximize solar efficiency by using natural air to help cool the building for almost half of the year, and to be the first environmentally sustainable skyscraper in London.
When it opened in 2004 the building was given many nick- names, including the popular “towering innuendo,” and “gherkin.” Its spiraling design is concluded with a rounded top, making it look similar to a rocket ship (or a pickle, depending on how you look at it) that landed from a far away galaxy. Each floor is rotated 5 degrees from the floor below, creating an interesting win- dow pattern and a sense of movement that draws the eye upward to the top three floors. These floors contain a bar, restaurant and private dining halls, making this building home to the highest and most “out of this world” restaurant in London.
Each of these alien structures produces a feeling of awe and misplacement, but they only scratch the surface of space-age inspired designs. The world is teeming with odd architec- ture. For example, the Burj al Arab Hotel in Dubai, the Sony Center in Berlin and the BMW Welt in Munich are stunning structures not considered Goo- gie architecture, but still giving the impression of alien city ele- ments accidentally misplaced on Earth.
