Sunday, October 3, 2021

Inspired by the Ocean

 

The Newport Beach (California) Civic Center was inspired by its proximity to the ocean.  Last week I posted about the sculpture garden located here.  Today I'm going to show you this beautiful building that was completed in 2013.  


Those repeating curves in the roofline seem to mimic the waves of the ocean while they serve to reflect light and provide shade at the same time.

The building to right in the top photo is the City Council Chambers and the property also includes a public library and meeting space along with the sculpture garden and a viewing tower.  The tower forms a bridge that crosses a very busy road as well as providing spectacular views over the ocean.




















The piece of land it was built on was considered an eyesore for along time.  It was hampered by height restrictions to keep ocean views open for residents of the area.  It was also hilly and covered by degraded wetlands.  Since the property wasn't commercially viable, the city decided to use it for a civic space and they commissioned architectural designs.  The architects of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson of San Francisco were chosen for the project.



It is certainly a beautiful addition to this part of Newport Beach.  And, as I said last week, I will return to this area again in the future to once again explore the wonderful sculpture garden.  I can also admire this building while I'm there.


4 comments:

Travel said...

Nice, and a creative use of a complicated space.

William Kendall said...

Lovely architecture.

Catarina said...

I like it.

Catalyst said...

So sad to hear of the oil spill.