[ By Angie in Art & Design, Geography & Travel, Home & Garden. ]
Easter eggs were reportedly first decorated in the 13th century, while egg shaped architecture “caught on” significantly later than that. From amazing decorated eggs to strange structures, here is a bizarre collection of oval-like designs in architecture and art.
Decorated With A Drill
Franc Grom created hundreds of amazing eggs. He uses his electric boring tool to pierce about 2,500 to 3,500 holes in each fragile eggshell.
Grom was inspired by Slovenian designs. He patiently creates and then sells his masterful eggshell designs. There are times he drills as many as 17,000 holes per breakable egg.
Egg Art
Decorating Easter eggs is not only for children. Some painted eggs are displayed in museums such as in the Eggs Museum located in Moldoviţa, Bucovina. The hand-made designs are passed down from families, differing in colors and patterns depending on which Bucovina village they were made. These Easter ornaments eggs were created by Lucia Condrea.
Egg City
In terms of patience, it would seem to take huge amounts to stack these eggs for a massive sculpture. This “egg city” was built for an avant-garde exhibit in Groninger Museum in Groningen, Netherlands. Avant-garde is experimental or innovative, pushing the boundaries of what one might expect. The Groninger Museum was transformed into a ‘Small Chinese Empire.’
World’s Largest Easter Egg
The world’s largest Easter egg or Ukrainian ‘Pysanka,’ was constructed in 1975 in Vegreville, Canada. The outer aluminum skin weighs 2,000 pounds. The Pysanka is an immense jigsaw puzzle containing 524 star patterns, 2,206 equilateral triangles, 3,512 visible facets, 6,978 nuts and bolts, and 177 internal struts. It measures 25.7 feet long, 18.3 feet wide, and stands 31.6 feet high.
Antoni Gaudí’s Casa Batlló Has Egg-Shaped Windows
Designed by famous architect Antoni Gaudí, Casa Batllo is in Barcelona, Spain. It has egg-shaped windows and Juliet balconies. This curved building is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Gaudí is known for his work as “God’s Architect” and spent ten years working on studies for the design of La Sagrada Família. He died in 1926 after being run over by a tram.
Blob VB3
The mobile living space, blob VB3, has a bathroom, kitchen, storage niches, and even a nook for sleeping. The nose opens and can function as a porch. It took 18 months to build, is made primarily of polyester, and is easily transportable. The Blob can function as a office, garden house, or guest room.
Egg Shaped Structures
Frank Heger addressed the designing challenges of how to keep digesters from falling over. With his help, the Crom Corporation constructed two 3-million gallon egg-shaped sludge digesters for Baltimore’s Wastewater Treatment Plant. The red egg-shaped house by architect Sergey Tkacheneko is located in Moscow. It is one part of a larger residential structure. His egg design was deliberated for years before construction.
More Design Egg Shapes
The Egg-shaped digesters in Bottrop, Germany, are used for sewage treatment processing. Another large egg-shape building is located in Astana, Kazakhstan. The Egg-o house with the garden in the center was designed by architecture company A69 from the Czech Republic.
London City Hall
London City Hall is located on the south bank of the River Thames. Its unusual egg-like shape reduces surface area and improves energy efficiency. Inside the ten-story building, a 1,640 foot spiral staircase goes up to an exhibition and meeting space called “London’s Living Room.”
Gherkin Behind The Tower Of London
The Gherkin skyscraper is also in London. Designed by Norman Foster and constructed by Skanska, Gherkin has 40 floors and stands 591 feet tall. For energy savings, this unusual shaped building incorporates the double glazing effect. It has gaps in each floor to create six shafts, or chimneys, trapping air between two layers of glazing to insulate the office spaces.
City Of Arts And Sciences
The City of the Arts and the Sciences in Valencia, Spain, is an egg-shaped entertainment-complex that is both culturally and architecturally amazing. It has glass windows and floors. The large “eye” is an Imax Cinema. There are three floors and 13,9930 square feet of the building which also houses a Planetarium and a Laserium.
Egg Building in China
The National Centre for the Performing Arts, also known as The Egg, is a 129,000 square foot titanium and glass opera house in Beijing, China. The exterior has over 18,000 titanium plates, more than 1,000 sheets of ultra-white glass, and a low-iron glass with a high rate of light transmission. It cost $468.7 million and seats 5,452 people in three halls, The Opera House, The Hall, and The Theatre. It is said to look like an egg floating on the water; an artificial lake surrounds it. The hallway goes underneath the lake, but with a massive glass ceiling, light shines through the water to give visitors an otherworldly experience. The Egg was designed by French architect Paul Andreu. It held its first concert in 2007.
Cybertecture Egg
The Cybertecture Egg, in Mumbai, India, is scheduled for completion this year. By using this “egg” shape, the building has approximately 10-20% less surface area than conventional buildings. This 13 story “egg” will use solar photovoltaic panels and rooftop wind turbines to generate on-site electricity. In focusing on health and wellness, it will interact with occupant’s vital health statistics such as blood pressure and weight. The 32,000 square meter egg-shaped building will combine “iconic architecture, environmental design, intelligent systems, and new engineering to create an awe-inspiring landmark in the city.”
Glow In The Dark Alien Eggs
Dear children and/or trolls: Happy Easter to you too. Since none of the “eggs” here probably interested you, perhaps you would better like a dozen glow-in-the-dark alien eggs from Area 51?
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