Inspired by Nature: Minerals: The Building/Geology Connection

Nature has always furnished stimulating ideas for the design of architecture.

Inspired by Nature: Minerals gathers together the work of two dozen architects who have looked for solutions in the world of geology, from the models of organization offered by crystals to the inspiration of the earth’s relief, mineral voids, volcanoes, and monoliths. Among the built examples are a movie complex (Coop Himmelb(l)au), museums (Daniel Libeskind and Tadao Ando), a theater (Antoine Predock), a residence (Will Bruder), a campus (Dominique Perrault), and more, beautifully illustrated in colorful photos supplemented by plans. The visual analogies underline how architects can find elegant solutions and create new, sustainable and efficient architectonic forms by the close and understanding observation of nature. 209 color photographs; 192 line drawings