Side note: I'm just doing a series of sketches and models of formal lawns. And I'm looking for modern and contemporary follies for inspiration.

bernard tschumi's parc de la villette - the red constructivist thingys

perhaps look at modern art?

The Hirshhorn had a sculpture exhibit a few years ago:

The Uncertainty of Objects and Ideas: Recent Sculpture It included the work of seven artists; I can only recall one: Franz West.

Try looking at Seatle Olympic Sculpture Park

I originally did think of sculpture but I suppose I wrote it off too quickly because of scale.

I'll try to revisit it. But I'm imagining that follies are a little big bigger in terms of scale. I guess you might consider it landscape art instead of yard art?

Oh, Seattle Sculpture Park has some good things... Schubert Sonata, 1992, Painted and unpainted steel, Mark di Suvero is big enough in terms of scale.

I think the other reason why I'm discounting sculpture is that it is not entirely purposeless and it's typically not a structure in an architectural sense.

But I appreciate it!

Look at cabins, some decent stuff out there at a very small scale.

I always found Coop Himmelblau's rooftop conference room inspiring, even before I knew it had a purpose.

Vitra's campus is another one. Actual buildings, but more or less their purpose was to themselves. When I visited Hadid's fire station, it was more or less completely vacant, as was Ando's building.

Thames & Hudson has a really nice series of books called XS, XS green, XS extreme.

under your definition of 'purposely-built purposeless structures' doesnt that include every single pavilion ever built?

or do pavilions serve the 'purpose' of architectural experimentation and cultural propaganda, and therefore may be ruled out?

which leaves a darth of examples, in my opinion.


i think yre on to something, orochi, when you say that if its purposefully built to be purposeless, then it is really sculpture, no?


in that sense, wouldnt Robert Smithson, Olafur Eliason, Vito Acconci or Richard Serra be fine examples?

Not sure if their work falls into your definition of 'purposeless', but I immediately thought of ezxyt in Paris.

Or what about contemporary architectural installations such as those for PS1, the AA's DRL, or something like LAVA's green void in Sydney?

right, and the Serpentine pavilions, and the current UN Studio & Hadid pavilions in Millennium park...

The quintessential modern folly has to be that little arcuated temple -- a "pavilion," yes -- that Philip Johnson dropped into a pond below his Glass House, in 1962. It was followed in the 'eighties by another purposeless construction, the chain-link Gehry Ghost House, and by a library-study and, finally, a visitor center, both small buildings in the (idealized) landscape.

any project that uses aluminum and paints it silver

Brian MacKay Lyon's Ghost-Lab projects in Nova-Scotia? Again, some are more purposeless than others...

what about the cloud gate by anish kapoor?

Jefferson NAtional Expansion Memorial
aka The Gateway Arch by Eero Saarinen

Penguin Dictionary of Architecture, 1966 (Fleming, Honour, Pevsner):

"Folly -- A costly but useless structure built to satisfy the whim of some eccentric and thought to show his folly; usually a tower or a sham Gothic or classical ruin in a landscape park intended to enhance the view or picturesque effect."

Thank you, SDR.

I'm kind of at a loss for words that such a popular (and weird) architectural trend has just died off.

Those three examples were exactly what I was looking for... particularly the submerged house and the house made of chainlink.

Perhaps the trend died off because of the modern belief that everything must be useful and profitable?

Well, I'm just about finished on with my formal jadrin.

I will post a render when I get around to it.

Charles Moore's fountain square in New Orleans. RIP.

It is my contention that aspiring architects should practice some of their skills and arts on small constructions: Bird houses, tree houses, dog houses, play houses, gazebos, bandstands, doll houses, and garden sheds. Any of these could be called "working follies". . .couldn't they ?

ATT building NYC....Phillip Johnson.....and I forgot his whole compound in New Cannan....oh I should go ahead and say it his whole body of work....he was basicly a Whore......

Man Whore that is....!

Yes. SDR, that is essentially my interest and intention.

Also, the other idea about "purposeless" structures is that most planning and code regulations do not apply to buildings with no occupants. Which means they can go up without worrying about compliance, accessibility, liability or licensing issues.

Pagodas, Tea Houses and Gazebos from my readings are sometimes referred to as follies as are "microchurches." Shrines, chapels and what not designed to house statues, "ideas," or churches that could barebly fit 8 people inside of them.

Some of my ideas are chime towers (carillons and bell towers), giant birdcages, submerged structures, wonky trellises, tree houses, huts, dog houses and orangeries.

Exactly. For non-architects like myself this is the way into building, as I see it.

I suppose the annual Serpentine Pavilions are excellent examples of current follies ?

Below I'm listing "pavilions" (some mentioned above), which seems to be the current nom de plume of the follies of old. As SDR above.

Serpentine Pavilion

Royal Festival Hall Pavilions for London Design Festival (recently including Marc Newson, Shigeru Bann, Amanda Levete, Zaha)

Several at the Louisiana Museum in Humlebaek, Denmark including Aldo Rossi, Dominique Perrault

Some of the work of Ivan and Heather Morrison

There's a couple in Charles Jencks garden at Portrack, Scotland

The late Ian Hamilton Finlay has done some/several, including the recent Hortus Conclusus at Little Sparta, and his Temple of Apollo at Jupiter Art Land

Andy Goldworthy's Stone House at Jupiter Art Land

Possible contender is the James Turrell at Yorkshire Sculpture Park

David Adjaye has done several (including one of the RFH as above, and one that was on display at Albion, London)

There's the Chippefield/Gormley pavilion at Kivik, Sweden

Some of Ai Wei Wei's architectural work

The national pavilions at the Giardini of the Venice Biennale don't really count, but you'll find countless others with less function (including a 2007 Ivan and Heather Morrison for Wales) that have appeared there over the years. The house that sank this year at the Arsenale is worth looking at for sharp comment on the folly of american mcbuilding and climate change.

*Shigeru Ban - typo above

Also see the Shigeru Ban pavilion that was at the Triennale site in Milan for teh 2008 salone del mobile (and has since travelled elsewhere)

*argh, typo two: Chipperfield

Also Shigeru Ban's paper tube pavilions

Jupiter Art Land has some good ones! Thanks!

I'll check it out!

This may be an old thread, but if anyone is still reading, please have alook at the website of The Folly Fellowship and in particular the 'newly built' page:

http://follies.org.uk/newlybuilt.htm

I would nominate the entire Olympic Village at Sochi...

Ooh... and I predict... all the new stadiums being built in Qatar for the world cup... will also be follie.