{"id":11584,"date":"2017-05-24T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-05-24T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/architizer.wpengine.com\/what-if\/"},"modified":"2022-05-31T06:59:46","modified_gmt":"2022-05-31T10:59:46","slug":"what-if","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/inspiration\/industry\/what-if\/","title":{"rendered":"What If? 7 Iconic Examples of Unbuilt Architecture Throughout History"},"content":{"rendered":"

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It is something that architects must grapple with from their first day of university to the final day of their career: What value can be placed on buildings that are never completed in the real world? While many projects do not survive the perilous journey from drawing board to construction site, one thing is clear: The ideas<\/i> they represent can prove just as influential and inspiring as many finished structures. Here, we explore seven extraordinary unbuilt icons envisioned throughout history. This is the architecture that might have been:<\/p>\n

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Via Skyscraper City<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

Triumphal Elephant<\/b> by Charles Ribart<\/p>\n

The Arc de Triomphe in Paris is one of the best known icons in France, but it could have been so different had 18th-century architect Charles Ribart had his way. This monumental elephant could have stood at the end of the Champs \u00c9lys\u00e9es, complete with highly ornamental interiors and a grand viewing platform accessed via a spiral staircase in its belly. The French government rejected the proposal, but Ribart\u2019s sectional drawing remains one of the most remarkable visualizations of unrealized architecture.<\/p>\n

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Via the Library of Congress<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

Automobile Objective and Planetarium <\/b>by Frank Lloyd Wright<\/p>\n

The mile-high Illinois Tower might be his most well-known unbuilt project, but Frank Lloyd Wright envisioned many more that never left the drawing board. Designed in 1924 for wealthy businessman Gordon Strong, the Automobile Objective would have formed a striking sculptural landmark atop the picturesque Sugerloaf Mountain in Maryland. While Strong ultimately turned down Wright\u2019s ambitious proposal, it inspired the architect to explore spiraling forms further, perhaps planting the seed for the Guggenheim, constructed 15 years later in New York.<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n\n

Via Gothamist<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

The Manhattan Dome <\/b>by Buckminster Fuller<\/p>\n

Famed engineer Buckminster Fuller teamed up with architect Shoji Sadao in 1960 to propose a two-mile-wide geodesic dome over Midtown Manhattan, with the aim of regulating weather and improving air quality in the city. Fuller was robust in response to questioning over the potential construction costs of such a project, writing that \u201cthe cost of snow removal in New York City would pay for the dome in 10 years.\u201d While never realized, Fuller\u2019s dome has since inspired many contemporary firms, including Grimshaw Architects<\/a> and Foster + Partners<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n\n

Via El Croquis<\/a> and Archi Dialog<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

Bangkok Hyperbuilding <\/b>by Rem Koolhaas\/OMA<\/a><\/p>\n

The Office of Metropolitan Architecture is known for its avant-garde icons completed around the world, but the unbuilt Hyperbuilding proposed for Thailand\u2019s capital arguably constitutes its most outlandish project to date. The kilometer-high self-contained city was envisioned as an ambitious solution to overcrowding problems, exploring ideas relating to connectivity, accessibility, and vertical living on a vast urban scale. Some of these theories were more recently made real in the shape of OMA\u2019s Interlace<\/a> condominium in Singapore.<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n\n

Cathedral Fold<\/b><\/a> by Axis Mundi<\/a><\/p>\n

New York-based design firm Axis Mundi proposed this dramatic ecclesiastical building for Strasbourg in France, comprising seven monumental \u201cfolds\u201d that echo the pages of a book. A bas-relief of an abstracted gothic cathedral emerges when early-morning light strikes the eastern fa\u00e7ade, forming a modern homage to the great French cathedrals of previous centuries. While the Cathedral remains unbuilt, the atmospheric renderings of Viviane Liao and Masaru Ogasawara keep Axis Mundi\u2019s vision alive.<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n\n

Mus\u00e9e National des Beaux-Arts du Qu\u00e9bec<\/b><\/a> by Allied Works Architecture<\/a><\/p>\n

A scenic, snow-topped render by Allied Works Architecture gives a glimpse of the spatial flow and undulating forms that would culminate in the proposal for the National Museum of Fine Arts in Qu\u00e9bec City, Canada. The firm\u2019s design was a competition finalist in 2010 \u2014 losing out to OMA\u2019s cascade of cantilevered boxes \u2014 but Allied\u2019s visualizations undoubtedly are atmospheric and serve as a striking counterpoint to their portfolio of completed works.<\/p>\n

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Tokyo National Stadium<\/a>\u00a0<\/b>by Zaha Hadid Architects<\/a><\/p>\n

Zaha Hadid won an international competition to design Tokyo\u2019s National Stadium for the 2020 Olympic Games, but her large-scale, sculptural proposal was ultimately scrapped on the back of protests from local residents and a host of prominent Japanese architects. The world awaits the new proposal, but Hadid\u2019s stadium remains significant as a symbol of the challenges faced by architects attempting to see highly politicized projects come to fruition.<\/p>\n

Architizer is building tech tools to help power your practice:\u00a0<\/em>Click here to sign up now<\/em><\/a>. Are you a manufacturer looking to connect with architects?\u00a0Click here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In architecture, ideas can be inspiring as many finished structures.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"architizer_featured_type":"projects","architizer_featured_image":"1329198","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,3],"tags":[34],"architizer_project":[10468,10469,10470],"architizer_brand":[],"architizer_firm":[9662,10467,9266,9539],"architizer_product":[],"class_list":["post-11584","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-industry","category-inspiration","tag-awards","architizer_project-cathedral-fold","architizer_project-musee-des-beaux-arts-du-quebec","architizer_project-tokyo-national-stadium","architizer_firm-allied-works-architecture","architizer_firm-axis-mundi","architizer_firm-oma","architizer_firm-zaha-hadid-architects"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat If? 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