I love looking at buildings, they are almost a form of sculpture. Some of my favourites are shown below.
The Washington Metro
I've seen a few underground mass transit systems, and to be honest I'm never really that impressed.
The WashingtonDC one did impress me, mostly because it showed a lot of subtlety - not something usually associated with Americans. A great deal of care and attention seems to have been paid to chosing materials that fit together nicely. The use of metal and stone is good, not only from an aesthetic viewpoint, but it seems to be simple to keep clean (cleanest underground I've ever seen).
It's also really nicely lit, usually in underground structures the designers will attempt to throw as much light around as possible. Usually harsh flourescent light directed at the surfaces that they are attempting to illuminate.
Here, all the lighting is indirect and very subdued. Lights shine onto the concrete roof leaving the entire roof to illumiate the station.
Areas that require direct light for safty reasons have their own subtle lighting. For instance, the edges of the platforms have dull circular lights set into the floor.
Porthmerion
One of the great things about Porthmerion is that it is the realisation of one man. One person had the ideas and put them into practice. He wanted to create an overall look - and I think he suceeded really well.One narrow minded individual once said that it wasn't very good, because it was "tatty". Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, however, I tend to disagree. The sweeping grandeur of the whole thing shows such a depth of imagination and commitment that any trivialites are swept aside in the evocative feel. It's a magical place.
Lincoln Cathederal
Caernarvon Castle
Corfe Castle
