a present day building that I found on the internet is the capital gate. it is a leaning tower in abu dhabi, which is the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). it is the most acutely leaning building in the world, leaning out 18 degrees where the leaning tower of pisa only leans out 4 degrees. it was designed as a tribute to His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who is the late President of the UAE and the Father of the Nation, and also to represent the cities evolution and progress throughout the years. "Capital Gate’s distinctive futuristic design, aesthetic splendour and technical excellence makes it a modern marvel and a celebration of human achievement that reflects the dynamism of Abu Dhabi. Additionally, the tower provides a historic link to the past by integrating with the grandstand at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, one of the world’s most modern exhibition venues." (capitalgate.com) this building represents present day modernism to me because of the sleekness of its deign, and the technical advances that have been made so it is able to stand with such a lean.
throughout architecture and design history, there has been a constant journey to be modern. once that idea of modern is achieved, another design will present itself and then that will become the new modern. it is a never-ending journey that nearly every designer attempts to achieve. at the turn of the twentieth century, everyone is talking in different design languages, but everyone is also still trying achieve modernism. I think it was so important for people to be working so hard to be modern during this time because of everything that happened leading up to this time period. there was revolution in design and world fair's that brought about new and different ideas. I think that designers and architects were tired of the old designs and the making and breaking of rules, and attempted to change the cycle all together. although the making and breaking of rules is always evident in design history, these designers tried to create something completely different and modern.
sources and images:
http://weburbanist.com/2009/09/22/10-peculiarly-precarious-buildings/
http://www.capitalgate.ae/
http://hoteldesign.nu/abu-dhabi-hyatt-131
http://www.arnewde.com/architecture-design/capital-gate-tower-architecture-by-rmjm-in-abu-dhabi/
http://www.evolo.us/architecture/capital-gate-parametric-design-results-in-worlds-steepest-leaning-building/
