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We all know that buildings don't always turn out like the renderings. Last-minute changes and real-life materials can all cause discrepancies between the vision and reality of a project. In our weekly Flash Forward Friday feature, we take a look at how different projects stack up.
Begun in 2007, Baku's iconic Flame Towers were originally conceived as a cluster of four. Their signature design and LED-powered exterior aesthetic were designed to sit upon a slightly larger platform, and the trio that exists today is the result of months of retooling and redesigning. The final product today is by far the most awe-inspiring sight on the Baku skyline.
Viewed above, the original concept art for the Flame Towers by Mixity Design Ltd. featured four, not three, towers. The initial proposal for the complex later adjusted to its current arrangement as the project progressed through its early stages.
Following a series of early designs that featured the original four-tower configuration, the project was handed to HOK, who subsequently reimagined the project in its current three-tower arrangement.
Illuminated by no less than 10,000 high-powered LEDs, the Flame Towers have become the most recognizable feature of the Baku skyline, their collective glow setting the night sky ablaze in a beautiful mix of colours.
Completed in 2013, the Flame Towers have served to place Baku on the map. The Azerbaijan capital city's place in the architectural world has been cemented in large part by its addition to the downtown skyline.
We will return next Friday with another comparison!
