30 Of The Most Brightly Coloured Buildings Around The World
Andrew Thornton Quick Links
There are several world famous buildings all over the world. Some of the world’s oldest buildings are an architectural marvel. New buildings take the designs to a whole new level. The tallest building in the world is The Burj Khalifa located in Dubai. The Cairn of Barnenez in France is the oldest building in the world. However, there are a number of incredible buildings that are awe-inspiring regardless of height and history. In some cases, it takes years to build these large structures that stand for decades. Some designs are basic while others are more unique and artistic.
While some buildings can’t be the tallest or oldest, they can be the most colorful. Some of these buildings are basic while others are more complicated. Regardless, they’re full of bright colors that are eye-catching and mesmerizing. A brightly colored building changes the entire landscape around it. They bring a ray of sunshine to cities filled with massive buildings and structures. These brightly colored buildings are some of the most famous in the world. Here is a look at 30 of the Most Brightly Coloured Buildings From Around The World.
Brandhorst Museum
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The stunning Brandhorst Museum has art on the inside and is a work of art on the outside. In fact, if there were a museum for museums this would be the first one in. It’s made up of 23 different bright colors in 36 vertical lines along the building. The aluminum windows highlight the bright building. The museum is located in Munich and opened in 2009. The long rectangular building is two stories high and contains some of the greatest modern art.
Sugamo Shinkin Bank Nakaaoki Branch
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The Sugamo Shinkin Bank in Japan has a mission to create an atmosphere where customers never want to leave. They accomplished that with the stunning and unique Nakaaoki branch. French-born Emmanuelle Moureaux designed the building and is known for his use of bright colors. The building has small cubes of different depths sticking out. Each cube is white and a different color with plants plotted strategically. This is only one of four buildings Moureaux has designed for the bank.
Niños Conarte
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Niños Conarte was once a giant steelworks factory in the 1900’s. Anagrama Architects redesigned the building and preserved the history while finding ways to modernize it. The building is located in Fundidora Park and still has the old warehouse feel to it. Outside the building is mostly grey with bright yellow. Inside, fluorescent colors light up the building and make it brighter from the inside. The structure uses a unique combination of the original grey color with bright new ones.
SAM Monthey Kindergarten
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A kindergarten in Switzerland figured out the perfect way to get the kids excited about school. They first started with the bright, eye-catching building that is a kids dream come true. The landscape around the building is quite plain, which only makes the building shine brighter. The candy colors and organic design highlights the school. The fun and exciting building can hold up to 180 students. Bonnard Woeffray Architects built the rainbow colored structure. The remarkable kindergarten is one of the most impressive schools from around the world.
The Number 6
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The unique building known as The Number 6 is located in Turin, Italy. The 17th-century building is now a combination of the past and present. The Number 6 has gone through many changes but the history is still there. The stunning structure lights up with color3 on both the outside and inside. The building had found many uses throughout the decades. Building Engineering redesigned the building but kept much of it the same. They added bright vibrant colors and lights to the already stunning structure.
Ministry of Communications and Information
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Government buildings are sometimes dull and bland looking. Many appear to be all business and an intimidating sight. However, not every government building is designed in a basic way. Singapore’s Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) building is a brightly colored structure. It doesn’t appear to be a typical government building on the outside. The structure incorporates rainbow-like colors against the classic design of the building. The MCI is in charge of public libraries, the media, design and the Government’s public communication and information policies.
Hesperia Bilbao Hotel
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Everyone hopes to have the perfect vacation. Nobody ever wants it to be a boring and colorless experience. The Hesperia Bilbao Hotel in Spain will get your vacation started off on the right foot. The brightly colored building is a four-star hotel that includes 36 bright colors. The building features blue, yellow, red, orange, green and violet. The bright colors match the country’s vibrant and outgoing lifestyle. It’ll ensure that every guest has the best vacation filled with bright days.
The Nautilus House
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Mexico is filled with iconic structures and architectural marvels. The Nautilus house is a shell-shaped home located near Mexico City. The house was built using organic materials. A majority of the home is a beige color but has one wall that sticks out more than the rest. The unique home features a stunning multicoloured stained glass wall. The glass wall includes bright blue, green, yellow and red. The brightly colored glass stained window is the most prominent feature.
The Museum Of Pop
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The Museum of Pop Culture (MoPop) is an awe-inspiring building on both the inside and the outside. It’s dedicated to popular culture and was originally known as the Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum. Frank Gehry designed the gorgeous structure. It features the Sky Church, which pays tribute to the iconic Jimi Hendrix. The building is often described as looking similar to a smashed electric guitar. It features several colors, including, deep red, blue, silver, gold and a hint of purple haze.
Barbie Shanghai
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Barbie Shanghai was the very first and flagship Mattel store. It was located in China on one of the most expensive shopping streets. It contained the world’s largest collection of Barbie dolls. The exterior of the building matched the iconic Barbie doll. The sleek white building was lit up with a bright pink hue. The gorgeous building was the Barbie doll of buildings. Unfortunately, the Barbie Shanghai store closed down in 2011 and the colorful bright building is gone.
Neal’s Yard
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Neal’s Yard is a bright spot in the gloomy city of London. Neal’s Yard is an alley that opens into a quaint little courtyard. It contains several successful businesses, such as, Neal’s Yard Dairy, Neal’s Yard Bakery, and Neal’s Yard Coffee House. The businesses are all located in bright colorful buildings. Each one is different from the next but all share the similar pattern of unique colors. The bright colors are all against the backdrop of classic London buildings.
The BioMuseo
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The BioMuseo museum building in Panama is devoted to the natural history of the country. The building is inspired by the gorgeous country and is dedicated to the country's biodiversity. The building uses tilted tin roofs of different shapes stacked on each other. Additionally, the stunning building sits on the gorgeous nature reserve near the Panama Canal. Frank Gehry designed the building, which was his first Latin America project. The idea for the gorgeous structure was first thought up of in 1999. The building opened to the public years later in 2014.
Palais des congrès
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The city of Montreal has some of the most historic and breathtaking sites in all of Canada. The Palais des congrès is one of the many bright spots in the city. The multicolored building features glass panels. It first opened in 1983 and has become one of the city’s main attractions. It’s the perfect setting for a big event or conference. In fact, it hosted the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2005. Additionally, the convention center hosts the Montreal International Auto Show each year.
The Carabanchel Building Spain
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For those wondering, no this isn’t a building made out of Legos although it comes pretty close. From afar, the unique building could be mistaken for a toy. The stunning Carabanchel Building is located in Madrid. It features 16 different bright colors that appear in block form. The electric colors help this vibrant building stick out in a city filled with awe-inspiring structures. The breathtaking building has architects all over the world praising the unique structure.
CMY Pavilion
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In the 1990’s, the city of Groningen in the Netherlands commissioned several architects to build various structures around town. One of those building was the CMY Pavilion that was meant for viewing videos. Since then several different artists and designers attempted to add to the structure. The firm Shift Architecture redesigned the building into a work of art. The building is made up of translucent films and bright yellow and magenta colors. Additionally, the unique building sits on a slanted concrete platform.
Nursery school Spain
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Nursery schools are often in small buildings that are rarely ever eye-catching. However, a nursery school in Spain is a work of art that has architects all over the world amazed. Javier Larraz, Iñigo Beguiristain, and Iñaki Bergera designed the breathtaking building. The first floor is lined with several colors that shine brightly. The second floor perfectly compliments the first floor's bright colors. It’s certainly one of the coolest looking nursery schools in the world.
environmental education center
metalocus.es
There are some buildings that are so impressive it leaves architects speechless. The Environmental Education Center “El Capitvador” is certainly a captivating building. The gorgeous structure is located in Spain and was designed by the up and coming firm CrystalZoo. The design has a Mediterranean feel to it and brings a sense of history with it. The bright colors are perfectly balanced with the building's solid color. The innovative building incorporates the county's rich history of architecture.
International Management Institute
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Bright colors are often associated with the Indian culture and its many traditions and celebrations. It’s no surprise that the International Management Institute in India is a brightly colored, eye-catching marvel. That fits in with the many historic and gorgeous sites in India. The bright colors of the building make it hard to miss. The building seems like a gorgeous rainbow in a beautiful blue sky. The vibrant and electric colors were chosen because they speak to nature and youth.
Sugamo Shinkin Bank Shimura Branch
worldarchitecturenews.com
The Sugamo Shinkin Bank in Japan is known for having several unique designs. Each branch has its own design that is different than the rest. The Shimura branch features 12 layers of colors stacked up on each other. The bright lights make the bank shine even brighter. The bright colors are in sharp contrast to the sleek white backdrop. Inside the building is a comforting and welcoming environment. The atmosphere is designed so that clients never want to leave. The ATMs and teller booths are all unique with splashes of bright colors.
The Water Cube and The Bird’s Nest
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The National Aquatics Center (The Water Cube) and the Beijing National Stadium (Bird’s Nest) are two of the most gorgeous structures in the world. They were both used during the 2008 Summer Olympics and will be used again for the 2022 Winter Olympics. The Water Cube lights up with a blue color that turns the sky into an ocean. The red and orange lights of the Bird’s Nest's compliments The Water Cube.
The Kuggen Building
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The Kuggen Building is a unique structure located in Sweden. The building was made for the Chalmers University of Technology. Kuggen is made up of six different shades of red and two shades of green that wrap around the stunning structure. Kuggen has a circular design and incorporated Green technology into the building. The bright colors and original design makes it one of Sweden’s most extraordinary buildings. In 2011, Kuggen was nominated for an award at the World Architecture Festival.
The Crayola Experience
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The Crayola Experience is as colorful as the Crayons that come in the famous box. The brightly colored building is as stunning on the outside as it is the inside. The original structure is located in Pennsylvania. Due to the enormous success, they opened buildings in Florida, Minnesota, and Texas. It includes a visitor center, museum and the Crayola Hall of Fame. The buildings are known for the unique Crayola Experience sign that includes a large yellow and green Crayola Crayons box dumping out a bunch of brightly colored crayons.
Pacific Design Center
creatinghome.net
There are numerous building around the world that incorporate several different bright colors into one structure. However, The Pacific Design Center (PDC) decided to build three large brightly colored buildings. The PDC is a multi-purpose building complex located in the design community of West Hollywood. The complex consists of three large and brightly colored buildings. In 1975, the Center Blue building opened and was quickly dubbed the "Blue Whale" due to its size and blue color. Center Green opened in 1988 and Center Red opened in 2013 completing the final phase.
The Rogier Tower
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The gigantic Rogier Tower is regarded as one of the tallest buildings in Brussels. However, this massive skyscraper is more than just a building. It’s a stunning work of art that also doubles as a weather forecaster. The building comes with 72,000 LED lights that illuminate the 6,000 windows. Each window has a red, green and blue LED light to give it a full range of colors. The building lights up on holidays and special occasions. It also informs the people of Brussels of the next day's weather. It lights up to let them know if it’ll be a rainy or sunny day.
Museu de Arte Contemporaneo de Castilla y Leon
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The Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y León (MUSAC) is a gorgeous work of art that also happens to be an art museum. It’s located in León, Spain and was established in April 2005. The building is known for featuring priceless collections and exhibits. However, it’s also praised for its avant-grand architecture that features multicolored glass panels. It takes inspiration from the Rose Window at the 13th-century Gothic cathedral Santa Maria de León. The awe-inspiring structure has won several awards including the 2007 European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture.
Happy Rizzi House
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When the Happy Rizzi House first appeared in the historic German city some saw it as a wacky and hideous building. Many felt that it didn’t fit in with the pristine art associated with the city. However, the perception of the building has greatly changed over the last 20 years. 3-D pop artist James Rizzi and gallery owner Olaf Jaschke helped design the cartoon-like building. It’s now one of the most admired and popular buildings in the area. There isn’t a person that doesn’t love the series of animated structures.
The Chapel
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The Chapel is a popular community center just outside of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. The Chapel is often used for weddings, exhibitions, and conferences. The gorgeous and simple structure has just a splash of bright colors. However, the colors stick out against the white backdrop of the building. The bright colors and sleek white walls are the perfect combinations. The building is highly praised amongst architects and designers. In 2014, The Chapel won the Building of the Year award at the World Architecture Festival.
Santa Monica Civic Parking Garage
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For the most part parking garages are rarely associated with flash and style. Most parking garages are basic structures that are usually bland colors. It’s rare to see a parking garage that is eye-catching and unique. In Santa Monica, they do everything with style. The Santa Monica Civic Parking Garage is a stylish building that can fit up to 900 cars. Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners designed the remarkable garage that sticks it out in a city filled with impressive buildings.
The Pixel Building
prc-magazine.com
The cool and unique Pixel building is located in Australia. Architects praise the eye-catching structure. The stunning building is made up of several bright colors in a unique pattern. The Pixel Building is built on the former CUB Brewery and is now an office space. In addition to the bright colors and unique design, the building is known for scoring a perfect 105 on Australia’s Green Star rating system. The incredible building is capable of collecting its own water and generating its own energy.
Netherlands Institute For Sound and Vision
architizer.com
The Netherlands Institute For Sound and Vision building is hard to miss. The brightly colored building is one of the Netherlands top tourist attractions. The bright glass panels wrap around the large building with vibrant colors of red, blue and yellow. The TV and Radio museum was built in 2006. In fact, it contains all the audio and video from the early days of Dutch Radio and Television. The colorful glass panels and bright exterior matches the rich history inside the building.
Sources: architecturedigest, brit
