Science Fiction Structures?

science fiction, originally uploaded by suesviews.

Science Fiction Structures?

Seen in Flickr.com titled Science Fiction at selfridges.
the green lights make it look even more alien, I think... . . .photographer's comment..

The new millennium has open up a new series of architectural concept designs, that could be attributed to the intense and very fast appreciation of the power of the computer in producing architectural and engineering visualization tools, drafting and production of the materials used for construction.

In the days of the early computers, where CADD ( Computer Aided Design and Drafting) was the talk of the town, converting the industry to lean and rely more on the CADD power, architectural and engineering drawings for construction had taken a huge leap into the fast and accurate drawing via the use of the computers.

In the early years of the architecture and engineering firms who started to employ computers primarily for their drawing & drafting work, the resulting designs tend to be linear and modular as the computers allowed easy drawing of repetitive work of very complex architectural components and modules. These are exemplified in the works of Kohn Pederson Fox, Michael Graves, Foster & Associates, to name a few.

But other architects like Luis Barragan and Calatrava, did not embrace the technology immediately but waited for the latter part of the computer drawing evolution. The 3D visualization and design software for designers, architects and engineers.

Thus, we have new architectural wonders done with the help of 3Dimesional design software for both architecture and engineering. These helped designers visualize their designs in a virtual view, making their creative and formative decisions on design changes much easier and faster.

Hence we have these new buildings,structures exemplified by the architectural works of Frank Gehry. (BTW,picture shown here is not his work)

City-of-Arts-and-Sciences

City-of-Arts-and-Sciences, originally uploaded by loic_.

The City of Arts and Sciences Building, in Valencia, Spain, taken with a 500cm Hasselblad, 6x6, in black and white by http://www.35mm.ch, Genève, CH

Again, is this architecture or is this engineering? Simply viewed as a structure, then one would surmise that it is an engineering building and not an architectural edifice. But wait, if one looks closely of why those flairs in the structural members is curved and angled against the sun, then it could be a work of an architect and thus is architecture.

Are engineers supposed to think about that building feature? Or is the flairs in the structure is really meant for that? Then shall we say that engineering designs like these encroaches to the practice of architecture? How do you view it?

Thames Barrier

Thames Barrier, originally uploaded by .craig.

These structures, engineering art always baffles me!

Is it architecture? Is it both engineering and architecture?
Is it sculpture, to enhance an engineering work?

Or is it all of the latter... and it goes on. . .

In my opinion, the Thames River Barrier is primarily a magnificent work of engineering where architectural design played a major role for this magnificent structure to be a pleasant if not wondrous work of art. Engineering in the old days was utilitarian, economic civil works that was considered architecture in itself, but nowadays, it is quite difficult to tell where engineering and architecture begins and ends.

Would you say that this is a magnificent work of engineering or an architectural piece?

Or would you say that this is an engineering work of art complimented by the sculptural architecture that enhanced it?

Or would you say that this is both engineering and architecture that sculptural work has enhanced?

The questions and answers could be debated by thousands of opinionated viewers and professionals themselves as it will always be subjective from the point of every viewer or lover of engineering, architecture or sculpture, (in any order of preference). A debate on this could spark thousands of opinions. I would like to hear from you professionals, (architects, engineers, sculptors, artists)