Fifteen stunning images from top photographers around the world have been selected as finalists of Chartered Institute of Building’s (CIOB) 2016 Art of Building Photographer of the Year competition.
With subjects ranging from the windswept wonderland of an empty New York City to a rapidly changing Tibetan hillside village to a dreamy shot of Foster + Partners’ Swiss Re Headquarters ( a.k.a. “The Gherkin”) this year’s entries constitute a “cornucopia of styles and stories,” says CIOB spokesman Saul Townsend.
Selected by a panel of judges that included professional photographers, editors and communicators, the fifteen finalists will now compete for the grand prize, which will be selected by reader vote on CIOB's Art of Building website. Check out the photographs below and remember to vote before January 23, 2017. The winner will be announced on February 7.
Photograph title: Overlook
Photographer: Jonathan Walland
Photo was taken: London, UK
Camera used: Nikon D7100
Photographer’s description: This is part of a series of photographs demonstrating how the absence of light can be used to divert the attention of the observer towards what the photographer intended to highlight.
Photograph title: Coast minimalism
Photographer: Senad Tahmaz
Photo was taken: Supetar, Croatia
Camera used: Nikon D90
Photographer’s description: Unusual, minimalistic view of the architecture detail.
Photograph title: Control
Photographer: Roman Robroek
Photo was taken: Hungary
Camera used: Canon EOS650D
Description: This beautiful control room is one of a kind and built in a beautiful art-deco style.
Photograph title: Flatiron building in a snowstorm
Photographer: Michelle Palazzo
Photo was taken: New York, USA
Camera used: Ricoh GR
Description: New York City’s iconic Flatiron building emerges from the blizzard like the bow of a giant ship plowing through the wind and the snow. Taken during the historic coastal storm “Jonas” on January 23rd, 2016 the photograph went viral during the aftermath of the storm.
Photograph title: The Turbo Dandelion Wind Farm
Photographer: Derek Snee
Photo was taken: Northumberland, UK
Camera used: Fuji X-T1
Description: Imagine if we could use plants to harvest wind! Well now we can. Ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys, I give you ‘The Turbo Dandelion Wind Farm’!
Photograph title: People’s Friendship Arch
Photographer: Oleksandr Nesterovskyi
Photo was taken: Kiev, Ukraine
Camera used: Canon 450D
Description: The photo shows the combination of nature and architecture, the harmony in combination of titanium arch height of 30 meters and a tree.
Photograph title: He and the bridge
Photographer: Oleg Dashkov
Photo was taken: Riga, Latvia
Camera used: Canon EOS 60D
Description: ‘Riga’s Tower Counter’ keeps his records during any season rain or shine, wet or fine. Is he distracted by the beauty of the cable bridge I wonder?
Photograph title: Changing Landscape 1
Photographer: Barbara Rossi
Photo was taken: Sokhna, Egypt
Camera used: Nikon D810
Description: I took this photo in deconstruction, it shows transformation, action and beauty.
Photograph title: Sancaklar Mosque 2
Photographer: Bulent Suberk
Photo was taken: Istanbul, Turkey
Camera used: Nikon D700
Description: Modern architecture as a non-traditional mosque.
Photograph title: Purelife
Photographer: Shibasish Saha
Photo was taken: West Bengal, India
Camera used: Nikon D3300
Description: In this frame men as well as women are working very hard to feed their individual families. Women forget their pain and work alongside the men in a brick field.
Photograph title: The Hive
Photographer: Marco Grassi
Photo was taken: Larung Gar, Tibet
Camera used: Canon 5D Mark III
Description: Since June 2016, everything has changed in Larung Gar, but almost nobody knows about that. What before was the largest Buddhist settlement in the world and a remote place out of the modern society where nuns and monks led a passive life, is now being demolished by Chinese authorities.
Photograph title: The Gherkin
Photographer: James Tarry
Photo was taken: London, UK
Camera used: Sinar 4X5
Description: This series is about looking past imperfections and ‘incorrect’ architectural photography techniques. They are created using a 4x5 technical film camera by forcing the perspective and focus. The expired Kodak Ektachrome is then developed in the ‘wrong' chemicals to produce these big slabs of often other worldly colour. These are flawed and hopefully challenging, just like some of the buildings themselves.
Photograph title: Peacock
Photographer: Gina Soden
Photo was taken: Italy
Camera used: Nikon D800
Description: A fine example of Moorish architecture - but in a castle in Italy. These rooms were all hand designed and painted by one man who had a vision to build this beautiful castle and open it as a hotel.
Photograph title: Elevation
Photographer: Naf Selmani
Photo was taken: London, UK
Camera used: Fujifilm X-T10
Description: The Hive - Kew Gardens' spectacular new bee-inspired sculpture seen from below as one of the visitor lays on the top glass floor to pose for pictures. This multi-sensory experience integrates art, science and landscape architecture.
Photograph title: Jeporeka
Photographer: Enrique Gimenez-Velilla
Photo was taken: Asunción, Paraguay
Camera used: Nikon D5100
Description: This photo seeks to pay homage to all the clever unknown workers that still build and maintain built infrastructure in the developing world. "Jeporeka" is a Paraguayan Guarani word that roughly translates into "make do".
For more details on the competition and to vote, visit www.artofbuilding.org.
