The beauty of a flower appeals to everyone, especially creative types who have captured its beauty in art. Now, there are architects who are also inspired by flowers and have designed and constructed flower-shaped buildings. Producing one of nature’s most ubiquitous creations on a large scale into a city, these floral-inspired buildings are a welcome sight. Here at Peoples Flowers, we’ve collected some of the most striking and beautiful flower-inspired structures for you to enjoy.
ArtScience Museum in Singapore
Lotus Blossom
ArtScience Museum from above
Singapore
Based on the lotus blossom flower, the ArtScience Museum in Singapore is a major architectural accomplishment on several levels. The asymmetrical radiating design of 10 petals of different heights is built in such a manner that the flower shape appears to be light, airy, and floating above the ground. This is due to the base of the building being buried deep below the ground. The art galleries are housed in each of the ten “petals,” which have rectangular skylights at the tip to let in natural sunlight. The curved roof of the building catches rainwater which is then funneled through a circular opening and to provide the museum with a lovely waterfall that falls through the center of the building into a reflection pool on the lowest level. The rainwater is recycled to keep the waterfall going as well as to provide water to the museum’s restrooms and landscaping.
Qizhong Tennis Center
White Magnolia
Qizhong Tennis Center
Shanghai
The Qizhong Tennis Center is remarkable for its steel flower-shaped retractable roof. Designed after the magnolia flower, Shanghai’s official city flower, the roof is composed of 8 steel petals that open and close in a spiraling manner, taking a total of 8 minutes. This allows the stadium to host indoor and outdoor sporting events. Besides tennis, volleyball, basketball, and gymnastics are also held here.
Lotus-inspired Motisons Tower
Nightly Light Show at Motisons Tower
Jaipur, India
Based on the lotus blossom, the architects for this well-known jeweler in Jaipur created one of the most remarkable buildings in India. Three different-sized lotus petals are built on each of the four sides of the building growing up into the sky like a giant bejeweled blossom. During the day, the petals color the sky with deep, gem-colored glass. Each leaf is rimmed with gold fiberglass symbolizing the gold and gems housed within. At night, the spectacle really begins as the flower puts on a dramatic light show with veins moving across each petal and dramatic LED colors pulsing and changing every few minutes. Not surprisingly, this building has become a huge tourist attraction for the area.
