Dancing House, Prague
See the rest of the list of Unusual Building Designs here.
The Dancing House is the nickname given to the Nationale-Nederlanden building in Prague, Czech Republic. It was designed by Croatian architect Vlado Milunic in collaboration with Frank Gehry to resemble two people dancing. When it was completed in 1996, it caused controversy for the way its deconstructivist form purposefully failed to integrate with its Baroque, Gothic and Art Nouveau surroundings.
The building was commissioned by the then-President Vaclav Havel to represent the recent liberation of Czechoslovakia from the collapsing Soviet Union, a moment of national transition and celebration.
The inspirations for the design were the dancers Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Astaire is represented by a concrete cylinder with pop-out windows topped with a bird’s nest-shaped mesh sculpture. Rogers is represented by a billowing glass structure that curves away from Astaire with spindly concrete legs fixed to the pavement.
The building currently hosts conference rooms, a restaurant and a bar on the top two floors. Today it is regarded as a classic example of the postmodernist architecture of the late-20th century.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- A House for Essex.
- Building of the week series.
- Cabin Straumsnes, Norway.
- Calakmul Corporate Building, Mexico.
- Dali Theatre and Museum.
- Deconstructivism.
- Gentle Genius.
- Habitat 67.
- Kunsthaus Graz.
- Little Crooked House, Poland.
- Luxor Las Vegas.
- MY DVA showroom.
- Socialist realism in a post-war Czechoslovak new town.
- St. Basil's Cathedral.
- Ray and Maria Stata Center.
- Robot Building, Bangkok.
- The Big Basket.
- The Gherkin.
- Unusual building design of the week.
- Watts Towers.
[edit] External references
- Prague - Dancing House
Featured articles and news
Plumbing and heating systems in schools
New apprentice pay rates coming into effect in the new year
Addressing the impact of recent national minimum wage changes.
EBSSA support for the new industry competence structure
The Engineering and Building Services Skills Authority, in working group 2.
Notes from BSRIA Sustainable Futures briefing
From carbon down to the all important customer: Redefining Retrofit for Net Zero Living.
Principal Designer: A New Opportunity for Architects
ACA launches a Principal Designer Register for architects.
A new government plan for housing and nature recovery
Exploring a new housing and infrastructure nature recovery framework.
Leveraging technology to enhance prospects for students
A case study on the significance of the Autodesk Revit certification.
Fundamental Review of Building Regulations Guidance
Announced during commons debate on the Grenfell Inquiry Phase 2 report.
CIAT responds to the updated National Planning Policy Framework
With key changes in the revised NPPF outlined.
Councils and communities highlighted for delivery of common-sense housing in planning overhaul
As government follows up with mandatory housing targets.
CIOB photographic competition final images revealed
Art of Building produces stunning images for another year.
HSE prosecutes company for putting workers at risk
Roofing company fined and its director sentenced.
Strategic restructure to transform industry competence
EBSSA becomes part of a new industry competence structure.
Major overhaul of planning committees proposed by government
Planning decisions set to be fast-tracked to tackle the housing crisis.
Industry Competence Steering Group restructure
ICSG transitions to the Industry Competence Committee (ICC) under the Building Safety Regulator (BSR).
Principal Contractor Competency Certification Scheme
CIOB PCCCS competence framework for Principal Contractors.
The CIAT Principal Designer register
Issues explained via a series of FAQs.