Music has inspired many things, and the most inspiring of these for us are architectural wonders in their own right – shaped and built around giant musical instrument designs. We’ve seen music set in some impressive spaces!
Violin and piano building, Huainan city
The Shannan District of Huainan City, China is home to this groundbreaking building, which is not one musical instrument but two.
A perfectly proportioned glass violin is the building’s entrance, elevator and stairs, leaning against a sturdy grand piano that houses a concert hall and practice space.
Dancing Building, Prague
The “City of a Hundred Towers” features a glass tower that curves between a gothic and baroque facade.
The building of financial services Nationale-Nederlanden, located on Rašínovo Nébřeží in Prague, is nicknamed the Dancing House – Tančící dinm in Czech – or Fred and Ginger, in memory of the loving couple Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The building is the ingenious work of Croatian-Czech architect Vlado Milunić, in collaboration with renowned Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry.
Guitar Hotel, Hollywood FL
The gorgeous, gigantic Guitar Hotel in Hollywood, Florida is part of the recently expanded Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino resort complex.
The guitar with glass front features 638 luxurious guest rooms and suites, designed to resemble a guitar. A dazzling light show illuminates the buildingmaking it stand out every evening.
Holiday Inn, New Orleans
The Holiday Inn New Orleans-Downtown Superdome features an enormous and beautifully detailed clarinet decorated wall. We’ve seen a lot of guitars, violins, and pianos all add striking shapes to buildings, but we rarely see the clarinet when it comes to architecture. The hotel is located across the street from the house where famous jazz trumpeter and singer Louis Armstrong grew up, and serves as an art museum dedicated to the rich cultural history of the area.
Lullaby Factory at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London
Patients at the Morgan Stanley Building, part of Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, loved the musical design. Lullaby Factory, created by Studio Weave, has a structure reminiscent of brass instruments and creates its own music, which can be heard through the hospital’s Patient Bedside Entertainment System or listened to live.
