The beauty of a flower is not lost on anyone, especially creative minds and artists who have captured its beauty in art throughout the past centuries. Now, there are architects who have also been inspired by this floral and have constructed flower-shaped buildings. Bringing one of nature’s most ubiquitous creations into the city landscape, these floral-inspired buildings are a sight to behold. Here at Breen’s Florist, we’ve collected some of the most striking and beautiful architectural structures that resemble a flower.
ArtScience Museum in Singapore
Lotus Blossom
ArtScience Museum from above
Singapore
Resembling the lotus flower, the ArtScience Museum in Singapore is a major architectural accomplishment on several levels. The asymmetrical radiating design of 10 petals of varying heights is constructed in such a manner that the flower shape appears to be light, airy, and floating above the ground. This is due to the fact that the base of the structure is buried deep below ground. The art galleries are housed in each of the ten “petals,” which have rectangular skylights at the top to let in natural sunlight. The concave roof of the building catches rainwater which is funneled through a circular opening and provides the museum with a waterfall through the center pouring into a reflecting pond at the lowest level. The rainwater is recycled to keep the waterfall going as well as directed to the museum’s restrooms and landscaping.
Qizhong Tennis Center
White Magnolia
Qizhong Tennis Center
Shanghai
The Qizhong Tennis Center is remarkable for its flower-shaped retractable roof. Designed based on the magnolia flower, Shanghai’s official city flower, the roof is composed of 8 steel petals that open and close in spiral movement which takes a total of 8 minutes. This allows for the stadium to host indoor and outdoor sporting events. Besides tennis, volleyball, basketball, and gymnastics are also held here.
Lotus-inspired Motisons Tower
Nightly Light Show at Motisons Tower
Jaipur, India
Based on the lotus blossom, the architects for this well known jeweler in Jaipur have created one of the most remarkable buildings in the world. Three different-sized lotus petals are built on each of the four sides of the building rising up into the sky like a giant bejeweled blossom. During the day, the petals color the sky with deep, gem-colored glass. Each leaf is rimmed with gold fiberglass symbolizing the gold and gems housed within. At night, the spectacle is truly remarkable as the petals put on a dramatic light show with veins moving across each petal and dramatic LED colors pulse and change every few minutes. Not surprisingly, this building has become a huge tourist attraction for the area.