Let's take a look at some of the world's latest innovations in architecture and design.
Historic Glasgow school destroyed by fire
Image: Geograph
The Glasgow School of Art has been destroyed beyond repair after a fire spread through the building on Friday 15 June. This is the second fire at the school in four years.
While the building was able to be recovered after the first fire in 2014, it has now sustained so much damage that it will need to be rebuilt, which experts say could cost more than £100 million (AUD $157 million).
British cultural critic and architectural theorist Mark Cousins says it is important that the school is rebuilt as it is an invaluable showcase for Scottish craft skills, and a testament to architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s role in the development of contemporary design culture.
Architect and Glasgow School of Art alumnus Alan Dunlop feels that rebuilding the school (which was still being restored after the intial fire in 2014) would be a mistake, as this it would end up being a replication rather than a restoration, which Mackintosh would not have approved of.
Fjordenhus: A Danish office inside a fjord
Photography by Anders Sune Berg
Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson has completed Fjordenhus, an office in Denmark's Vejle Fjord.
"Accessible by footbridge, the 28m-high building is formed by four intersection cylinders with brick facades from which rounded negative spaces were removed to create complex curved forms and arched windows. The brickwork incorporates 15 different tones of unglazed brick, creating a visually rich surface; blue and green glazed bricks are integrated into the carved-out sections to produce colour fades that enhance the sense of depth.
"The varying floor plans of the different levels are organised around circles, with specially designed furniture and lights, and are connected by spiral staircases and round vestibules. The ground floor is open to the public and includes an exhibition area and two water spaces that are visible from viewing platforms. Artworks by Olafur Eliasson, installed in various spaces throughout the building, react to the ephemeral and shimmering qualities of water and light." - Studio Olafur Eliasson
Giant floating London sculpture made from 7,506 barrels
Image: Getty Images
Artist Christo has unveiled his latest installation - a giant floating sculpture in London's Serpentine Lake made of more than 7,000 barrels.
The painted barrels are secured to scaffolding and anchored in the lake, weighing 600 tonnes altogether. The artist chose the colours of red, white, blue and pink to interact with the green and blue of the public park and its lake, as well as the London skyline against its ever-changing sky.
The self-funded artwork represents Christo and his late wife Jeanne-Claude's desire to make art free.
