Underground Railway Station In Budapest Designed by Spora Architects (still under construction). Image by Tamás Bujnor.

Practical doesn’t have to mean boring as these inspirational contemporary buildings prove. Although they represent mundane institutions of the everyday – a museum, railway station and apartment block – they have been created to stand out from the surrounding landscape, pushing at the boundaries of architectural design. Using wood, concrete and plastic, they rely on cascading light to bring their industrial patterns to life. Heavy and bold, intricate and contemporary, these working installations offer so much more than mere practicality. 

Underground Railway Station In Budapest Designed by Spora Architects. Image by Tamás Bujnor.

Aqua Tower In Chicago Designed By Jeanne Gang

 – Siobhán McGurrin