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Architecture

International photography contest exposes stunning architecture

By Adam Williams
January 28, 2020
International photography contest exposes stunning architecture
Fish, which was taken by Pedro Luis Ajuriaguerra Saiz on a Sony Alpha 9 in Spain, has been declared the 2020 Art of Building Judges Prize winner
Fish, which was taken by Pedro Luis Ajuriaguerra Saiz on a Sony Alpha 9 in Spain, has been declared the 2020 Art of Building Judges Prize winner
View 12 Images
Kunststück was taken on a Canon 7D in Russia. "In the past, faux facades were rare and temporary interventions in urban spaces, but today they have become a part of the city landscape, only being changed from time to time," says the photographer
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Kunststück was taken on a Canon 7D in Russia. "In the past, faux facades were rare and temporary interventions in urban spaces, but today they have become a part of the city landscape, only being changed from time to time," says the photographer
Eiffel Bridge was taken on a Canon EOS 550D in Portugal. "People were waiting for the street festival ‘Senhora da Agonia,’ one of the biggest in Portugal. From the street I saw these beautiful silhouettes, the bridge, the green crosses and the building behind in harmony," says the photographer
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Eiffel Bridge was taken on a Canon EOS 550D in Portugal. "People were waiting for the street festival ‘Senhora da Agonia,’ one of the biggest in Portugal. From the street I saw these beautiful silhouettes, the bridge, the green crosses and the building behind in harmony," says the photographer
Colourful Mixture was taken on a Pentax K1 Mark III in Germany. "This picture shows the peaceful coexistence of old and new architecture," says the photographer. "The buildings don't fit together, but they are not fighting against each other. They show the creative development in the city center"
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Colourful Mixture was taken on a Pentax K1 Mark III in Germany. "This picture shows the peaceful coexistence of old and new architecture," says the photographer. "The buildings don't fit together, but they are not fighting against each other. They show the creative development in the city center"
Muralla Roja was taken on a Canon 5D Mark III in Spain. "When I photographed La Muralla Roja, it felt like being in a De Chirico painting for the dreamlike feel of the place," says the photographer. "This image encapsulates for me the sense of light and colour in photography that I enjoy most, and which are important to my work. The blue frame offers a cinematic view as entering into a new dimension and the soft tones of the early morning light captures the calmness and quietness of the building in its setting"
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Muralla Roja was taken on a Canon 5D Mark III in Spain. "When I photographed La Muralla Roja, it felt like being in a De Chirico painting for the dreamlike feel of the place," says the photographer. "This image encapsulates for me the sense of light and colour in photography that I enjoy most, and which are important to my work. The blue frame offers a cinematic view as entering into a new dimension and the soft tones of the early morning light captures the calmness and quietness of the building in its setting"
Bank was taken on a Fujifilm X-T2 in London. "I use minimalism as a method of enabling clarity," says the photographer. "My process eliminates distraction, keeping the viewer focused on the purest elements of photography; form, light, texture and the way these components amalgamate"
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Bank was taken on a Fujifilm X-T2 in London. "I use minimalism as a method of enabling clarity," says the photographer. "My process eliminates distraction, keeping the viewer focused on the purest elements of photography; form, light, texture and the way these components amalgamate"
Sea and Humans was taken on a Canon 5D Mark II in Peru. "The intervention of man in nature is not always bad," says the photographer. "The photo shows the tranquillity of nature and a balcony from where people can better appreciate it"
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Sea and Humans was taken on a Canon 5D Mark II in Peru. "The intervention of man in nature is not always bad," says the photographer. "The photo shows the tranquillity of nature and a balcony from where people can better appreciate it"
The Public Choice Award went to Russia's Alexandr Bormotin's Metrostation, which was taken on a Canon 6D Mark II
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The Public Choice Award went to Russia's Alexandr Bormotin's Metrostation, which was taken on a Canon 6D Mark II
Axonometry was taken on a Phantom 4 Pro in Poland. "This is an aerial view one of the underground entrance to the National Forum of Music in Wroclaw," says the photographer. "It is an excellent example of axonometry in architecture"
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Axonometry was taken on a Phantom 4 Pro in Poland. "This is an aerial view one of the underground entrance to the National Forum of Music in Wroclaw," says the photographer. "It is an excellent example of axonometry in architecture"
Fish, which was taken by Pedro Luis Ajuriaguerra Saiz on a Sony Alpha 9 in Spain, has been declared the 2020 Art of Building Judges Prize winner
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Fish, which was taken by Pedro Luis Ajuriaguerra Saiz on a Sony Alpha 9 in Spain, has been declared the 2020 Art of Building Judges Prize winner
Skywards was taken on a Nikon D750 in Czech Republic. "The House of the Black Madonna is a cubist building in the 'Old Town' area of Prague, Czech Republic," says the photographer. "The building was designed and built between 1911 and 1912. Josef Gocár built the house as the first example of cubist architecture in Prague, and it remains probably the most celebrated"
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Skywards was taken on a Nikon D750 in Czech Republic. "The House of the Black Madonna is a cubist building in the 'Old Town' area of Prague, Czech Republic," says the photographer. "The building was designed and built between 1911 and 1912. Josef Gocár built the house as the first example of cubist architecture in Prague, and it remains probably the most celebrated"
At work was taken on a Pentax K5 and shot in Abu Dhabi. "The photo is an example of needful interaction between humans and buildings," says the photographer. "Without the busy people cleaning the giant glass frames of the tower the building would look quite ugly"
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At work was taken on a Pentax K5 and shot in Abu Dhabi. "The photo is an example of needful interaction between humans and buildings," says the photographer. "Without the busy people cleaning the giant glass frames of the tower the building would look quite ugly"
Bexhill Promenade Shelter was taken on a Nikon D800e in the UK. "It is an elegant and appealing solution to a mundane problem," says the photographer
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Bexhill Promenade Shelter was taken on a Nikon D800e in the UK. "It is an elegant and appealing solution to a mundane problem," says the photographer
View gallery - 12 images

Each year, the UK's Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) holds a competition named the Art of Building to highlight the best digital photography of the built environment. Photographers from over 100 countries entered this year and these were eventually whittled down to just two winners: one chosen by judges and another by popular vote.

The Art of Building Judges Prize was awarded to Spaniard Pedro Luis Ajuriaguerra Saiz, who captured Santiago Calatrava's Valencia science museum Hemisfèric beautifully with the above shot. The photo, appropriately titled Fish, makes use of the building's reflection to lend it the appearance of some kind of strange fish.

"Due to the reflection of the water at night, the architecture of the buildings shows us the figure of a fish, perhaps prehistoric with its heart still alive," says the photographer.

The Public Choice Award went to Russia's Alexandr Bormotin's Metrostation, which was taken on a Canon 6D Mark II
The Public Choice Award went to Russia's Alexandr Bormotin's Metrostation, which was taken on a Canon 6D Mark II

The Public Choice Award went to Alexandr Bormotin. The Russian's striking image of a new underground train station in Moscow, shown above, won over 30 percent of the public vote share.

"The new Moscow metro station is made in a futuristic style," says the photographer. Both of the winners picked up £1,500 (around US$1,950 ) in prize money.

Skywards was taken on a Nikon D750 in Czech Republic. "The House of the Black Madonna is a cubist building in the 'Old Town' area of Prague, Czech Republic," says the photographer. "The building was designed and built between 1911 and 1912. Josef Gocár built the house as the first example of cubist architecture in Prague, and it remains probably the most celebrated"
Skywards was taken on a Nikon D750 in Czech Republic. "The House of the Black Madonna is a cubist building in the 'Old Town' area of Prague, Czech Republic," says the photographer. "The building was designed and built between 1911 and 1912. Josef Gocár built the house as the first example of cubist architecture in Prague, and it remains probably the most celebrated"

There were also 10 runners-up, including the photo above by India's Debdatta Chakraborty named Skywards.

"So many images managed to create a sense of mood and place, it was a delight to judge the competition," adds Caroline Gumble, Chief Executive at the CIOB. "The winning photographs both show the beauty and harmony in great architecture and is a reminder of the impact on our emotions and well-being that well-designed buildings can achieve."

Be sure to head to the gallery to see the rest of the runners up in the 2020 Art of Building competition.

Source: CIOB

View gallery - 12 images

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Adam Williams
Adam Williams
Adam scours the globe from his home in Spain in order to bring the best of innovative architecture and sustainable design to the pages of New Atlas. Most of his spare time is spent dabbling in music, tinkering with old Macintosh computers and trying to keep his even older VW bus on the road.

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guzmanchinky
That fish is amazing.