Test your design IQ

Identify the architect who designed the HSBC Bldg. and international airport in Hong Kong, the Cupola of the Reichstag in Berlin, and the London City Hall.

This British architect was knighted in 1990 and appointed to the Order of Merit in 1997. He is the second British architect to win the Stirling Prize twice: the first for the American Hangar at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford in 1998, and the second for 30 St Mary Axe in 2004. In consideration of his whole portfolio, he was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1999. He is also a Fellow of the Chartered Society of Designers and winner of the Minerva Medal, the Society’s highest award.

His critics dismiss his ideas as a dystopian (rather than utopian) dream. He is known to British tabloids as “Lord Wobbly,” in reference to the structural problems with his Millennium Bridge. However, his designs have become landmarks and tourist attractions in the cities of their locations, such as the Cupola of the Reichstag Bldg. in Berlin, home to the German Bundestag or Parliament and the London City Hall.

His earlier designs reflected a sophisticated, machine-influenced high-tech vision. His style has since evolved into a more sublime, sharp-edged modernity. Hong Kong International Airport or Chek Lap Kok is highly regarded for its clear layout and natural lighting. London City Hall is a distinctive glass globe designed to make it as green as possible — with its shape making it ecologically and environmentally sound. Electrical consumption is reduced by avoiding refrigeration and using cold ground water to air-condition the building. The water is extracted from the water table beneath London and used to cool the building and then used in toilets.

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Last week’s question: Who is the American interior designer associated with the decoration of iconic hotels in the world, such as the Waldorf Towers and The Plaza Hotel in New York?

Answer: Carleton Varney

Winner: Adrian M. Antonio of Balintawak, QC.

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Text your answer to 09263508061 with your name and address. One winner will be chosen through a raffle of texts with the correct answer. The winner will receive P2,000 worth of SM gift certificates for use at Our Home, SM Department Store, or SM Supermarket. They can claim their prize at Our Home in SM Megamall. Call the store manager at 634-1951, 634-1952.Bring photocopies of two valid IDs and a clipping of the Design Quiz issue in which you appear as winner

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