Incredible Invisible Architecture

Architecture the James Turrell way states: “The qualities of the space must be seen, and the architecture of the form must not be dominant.” That’s the approach one firm is taking with the Tower Infinity in South Korea. It’s being marketed as the first “invisible skyscraper.” The building will be wrapped in a “reflective skin” that reveals the surrounding environment. Camouflaged buildings are nothing new, but architects and designers are still learning how to refine and conceptualize these structures to help people experience form and space in unique ways. Here are a few example of my favorite invisible buildings.

The Cairns Botanic Gardens in Australia, designed by Charles Wright Architects, minimizes intrusion upon the landscape. “We proposed a design which literally reflects the gardens as camouflage for the building,” designers stated. The surrounding tropical plants mirrored along the visitor’s center transformed the entryway into an inviting, nature-filled space.

The eco-friendly Pinnacle at Symphony Place in Nashville proves that skyscrapers can be unassuming.

In the same space previously occupied by the house of Rachel Raymond, an iconic work of architecture built by her sister, the famous American architect Eleanor Raymond in 1931, Pedro Joel Costa, a Portuguese architect built an 'invisible' house. The bucolic landscape of Belmont, Massachusetts, where it is located, contrasts with the challenge of its futuristic lines. Large glass panels create a harmonic rupture with the context as they blend into nature. Spacious areas designed with innovative whim reflect the needs of contemporary housing and living space. 

Seoul, South Korea, is the seat of the Infinity Tower, designed by GDS Architects, which will open its doors in the summer of 2014. The skyscraper will be equipped with the most sophisticated optical camouflage technology and promises to practically "disappear" from the view. The stylized crystal needle, more than 1,476 feet tall, will feature an advanced system of computers, cameras and LED lights that will create a reflective cover on the outside of the massive structure, which will be translucent by day and bright at night. Eighteen optical cameras located at different points will capture real-time images of the surroundings and project them on the building. According to the position from where you observe it, you will see through the building, or the building could be partially visible. One purpose of utmost importance in this project is not to blur or interrupt the landscape of the rest of the city, but rather integrate it creating a harmonious fusion with the new Tower -

Le Project Triangle is one of those buildings that make us think that we may actually drive flying cars one day. To be completed by 2014 in the Porte de Versailles area in Paris, its most impressive feature is that, according to the architects, it won’t cast shadows on adjacent buildings. The trick is the orientation and its shape: While it looks like a massive pyramid from one side, the other side shows that it really is an ultra-thin triangle resembling a shark’s fin.

Sources; TheStranger.com, Flavorwire.com, and Allison Natasi