Architecture hasn’t gone gold for a long time. Until recently (some pomo examples notwithstanding), the last time we really saw any gold architecture—at least in the West—was at the turn of the twentieth century in Vienna, where it was used to gild highly stylized “organic” forms. Loos and the subsequent modernists (plus some world wars, economic crashes, mass standardization of commodities, etc.) put decorous and indulgent practices like these to permanent sleep.

But gold is experiencing a comeback of sorts in architecture. Buildings are once again using extensive material of the stuff—real or not—only this time round, to wrap simple forms that otherwise feature very little embellishment or detail. The effect is surprisingly appealing, especially when used as a fold with other building materials such as stone and concrete. These ten buildings make excellent use of the bling. Click through for the slideshow.

by Architizer Editors

posted in Uncategorized

tagged Architecture, bling, building material, cladding, gold, shiny

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