5 Principles of Contemporary Architecture

Impressive buildings are everywhere. There's the weird, the wonderful, the eye-catching, the simply breathtaking. But what really makes good architecture? Berlin-based architect David Basulto is the founder of ArcDaily, the world's most successful architecture platform. Their recently published ArcDaily guide to good architecture sets the criteria that good architecture should meet. Good architecture should be resilient, should withstand this very chaotic world that we're living in, while at the same time be inclusive. Architecture is not just for the, in a way, to fulfill the ego of someone just doing a building. It should serve everybody who is around it, who will use it. So it should be inclusive, but at the same time, I think that we deserve that architecture has to be beautiful. This is the James Seamon Gallery on Berlin's Museum Island, designed by British architect David Chipperfield. Opened in 2019, it complements the historic buildings around it and serves as a common entrance to the existing museums. Good architecture is durable. It is a building that respects many of the existing types of architecture. This accumulation throughout more than a hundred years has to, with certain proportions, with certain materials. And while today it looks shiny, like new, in a few more decades it will blend, it will get this patina thanks to the materials that it is using, and it will look just as any other part of museum itself. Haus Sechs in Berlin by architecture firm Sauerbrock Hutton. Its unusual facade mirrors the surroundings, creating a harmony with the neighboring buildings, and not only in terms of form. Good architecture is holistic. Executive architect Juan Lucas Young shows us the special features of the residential building. The balconies serve also as entrances to the apartments. The large open-plan rooms have few supports, and the window fronts can be opened completely. There are no interior walls here either. This makes the floor plan extremely flexible. This is something that we highlight in the book because this building can pass through many generations. People can adapt it for future different uses, and so in a way it's very smart in the use of energy because it won't require a big demolition. This parking garage in Denmark's capital, Copenhagen, isn't just for cars. The roof also serves as a playground, a place for recreation. Good architecture is considerate. Maggi Center in the British town Leeds is another good example of this. It's a rehabilitation clinic for cancer patients, a building designed to help people get better. The building, through a very smart use of materials, taking advantage of structural engineering, creates something that looks like a tree. And people inside it could feel like they are in a forest, in a garden, close to nature, that for sure will have a protective and nurturing effect on their well-being. But interesting buildings don't always have to be built from scratch. Here an old wine shipping facility in Greece was converted into a hotel. Good architecture is resourceful. The newly restored Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin follows this principle, too. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's aging 1960s architectural icon has been gently modernized. I really like this phrase by an American architect that he says that the most sustainable building is the building that already exists. So this is a very important trend in our cities to recognize which buildings have a value and that we need to, perhaps with a little more energy, give them a second life and not just to use them now or for the next decade, but for the long-term future. Occasionally, architecture ventures into completely new domains, like this underwater restaurant by architecture firm Snøhetta in Norway, a submarine masterpiece. Good architecture is innovative. A different take. This bridge in the Netherlands doesn't arch over the water, but rather cuts right through it. And this house in Italy was made by a 3-D printer. This house shows that it's not just something completely artificial, but that we would also do it with earth. So in a way, we would think that these 3-D printed houses are growing from earth. So we can put together technology with a very ancient technique of construction. Whether a building is considered beautiful is certainly a matter of taste. But when it comes to quality, David Basulto says, this can be assessed objectively.