Taking us from the hottest to the coldest parts of the planet the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) use their “Hot to Cold” exhibition in Frankfurt to explore design and adaptation of buildings influenced by their cultural and climatic settings.
Studying languages and various types of translation taught me the importance of localisation; it is not just the words that need to translate but the cultural elements too. This exhibition openened my eyes to the role that localisation plays within architectual design.
I loved the Magic Carpet! Created to shade from the heat, allowing residents to sit outside rather than hide from the sun, the exterior is not only practical but also fits its cultural setting in the Middle-East. The exterior of this building left me in awe as the design brought back memories of Aladdin taking Jasmine across the fictional Arabian city of Agrabah.
The ‘Inhabited Hills’ in Hualien, Taiwan are not designed to fit the culture specifcally, rather the geographical environment. This is something that I would love to see with my own eyes! The building reflects the surrounding mountains and I can only imagine that the views would leave you speechless.
Taking you from hot settings to cold settings, the ‘Art Bridge’ (museum across a river), was something I didn’t expect to see. It’s twisting shape camouflage the building into the waves beneath it whilst acting as a hybrid between cultural exploration and a physical path way.
An architecture museum wouldn’t usually be the first thing that springs to my mind, but this exhibition allows for exploration. Not only of weird and wonderful buildings, but it also pushes you to go beyond your limits and think outside the box.
Alisa Jordan Writes 
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