by Shane Henson — May 24, 2013—Emporis, an international provider of building data, has pulled together a list of 16 of the World’s Most Spectacular Corporate Buildings, capturing how corporations are expressing their identity through architecture so impressive that it leaves both architects and everyday citizens in awe.
According to Emporis, the list was compiled by a jury of building experts. Innovative design, visual impact and function of significant corporate architecture served as the selection criteria. Structures from all over the world and housing companies from all kinds of industries were considered.
The list includes big companies such as the Malaysian petroleum giant Petronas and the Bank of China, which both use the imposing effect of skyscrapers to represent their economic might. The 452-meter-tall twin Petronas Towers—the tallest buildings in the world up until 2004—and the 367-meter-tall Bank of China Tower count among the world’s tallest corporate palaces.
Other companies create buildings that are outsized versions of their most important products, says Emporis. Thus, the 101-meter-tall tower at BMW’s headquarters in Munich, also on the list, is intended to evoke the pistons of a four-cylinder engine. Adidas commissioned a similarly symbolic building: the footprint and façade of Adidas LACES, completed in 2011, bring to mind a giant sneaker.
It is not unusual for renowned architects to be responsible for designing such buildings, with Foster + Partners, who have already provided several firms with an accomplished architectural presence, leading the way, notes Emporis. Last year saw the completion of their crescent-shaped skyscraper The Bow for the Canadian energy company EnCana. Their next major project, Apple’s new headquarters in Silicon Valley, is already in the starting blocks—a ring-shaped campus 230 meters in diameter reminiscent of a futuristic spaceship.
