Story highlights
- The Minimalist Architecture Mission has announced the winners for its 2017 photography competition
- The gallery above showcases the work of 20 finalists, including three winners
This article was originally published by The Spaces, a digital publication exploring new ways to live and work.
(CNN)Clean lines of buildings across the globe have been papped for a photography competition celebrating minimalist architecture.
The Minimalist Architecture Mission, organized by blog We And The Color and photography resource EyeEm, received 45,000 submissions from photographers around the world.
Images range from architectural celebs, such as Zaha Hadid's MAXXI in Rome, to details of more anonymous buildings, often featuring sharp angles, and contrasting patterns and colors.
Photos: Understanding space, scale and light through photography
Finsbury Park Reservoir London, England, by East London Water Works Company. Photograph by Matt Emmett – Winner of the 2016 Arcaid Images Architectural Photography award, this picture of an old reservoir in Finsbury Park, London -- called 'Underground Reservoir' -- was taken by British photographer and urban explorer Matt Emmett. The East London Water Works Company built the reservoir in 1868 and it is the first time a photograph of an historic site has won the photography competition.
Hide Caption
1 of 20
Photos: Understanding space, scale and light through photography
Shanghai Tower, Shanghai, China, by Gensler/Marshall Strabala. Photograph by Nick Almasy – At 632-meters tall, Shanghai Tower, located in the city's Pudong district, is presently China's tallest building and the second tallest in the world. Bangkok-based photographer Nick Almasy took this photo of the skyscraper, which was also the world's tallest twisted tower in 2016, soaring into the mist.
Hide Caption
2 of 20
Photos: Understanding space, scale and light through photography
Pompéia Factory Leisure Centre, Sao Paolo, Brazil, by Lina Bo Bardi. Photograph by Iñigo Bujedo Aguirre – The Pompeia center, designed by Brazilian modernist architect Lina Bo Bardi, was built in 1982 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The concrete structure of this former drum factory was photographed by Spanish photographer Iñigo Bujedo Aguirre.
Hide Caption
3 of 20
Photos: Understanding space, scale and light through photography
Allianz Headquarters, Zurich, Switzerland, by Wiel Arets Architects. Photograph by Adrien Barakat – The facade of the Allianz Headquarters building is made of natural Onyx marble, glass and aluminum. Its abstract form was photographed by Swiss photographer Adrien Barakat.
Hide Caption
4 of 20
Photos: Understanding space, scale and light through photography
Independence Square, Accra, Ghana, by the Public Works Department. Photograph by Julien Lanoo – Independence Square, also known as the Black Star Square, was built in 1961 to honor the visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Ghana and is the second largest square in the world after Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China. This picture was taken by famous Belgian photographer, Julien Lanoo.
Hide Caption
5 of 20
Photos: Understanding space, scale and light through photography
Hygge House Warming Hut, Winnipeg, Canada, by Plain Projects, Pike Projects and Urbanink. Photograph by Paul Turang – Los Angeles-based photographer Paul Turang shot this image of a simple wood framed house, located in Manitoba, Canada. "The award is for photography and not for architecture," says Booth. "We considered factors such as composition, light, scale, atmosphere, sense of place, as well as the narrative."
Hide Caption
6 of 20
Photos: Understanding space, scale and light through photography
Residential Complex Block 23 Novi Beograd, Belgrade, Serbia, by Aleksandar Stjepanovic. Photograph by Iñigo Bujedo-Aguirre – Spanish photographer Iñigo Bujedo-Aguirre took this photograph of a Serbian residential complex that was built between 1968 and 1974. It captures the brutalist architecture that was popular in the country during the 1970s, when it was known as Yugoslavia and under the rule of communist leader, Josip Broz Tito.
Hide Caption
7 of 20
Photos: Understanding space, scale and light through photography
Bruder Klaus Field Chapel, Mechernich-Wachendorf, Germany, by Peter Zumthor. Photograph by Mark Wohlrab – Local farmers built this spectacular chapel, located in the Eifel Natural Park in Germany, in 2007. Sand and gravel covers the initial structure, which is comprised of 112 local pine trees. The building is silent, with no electricity or water, a stillness captured by German photographer Mark Wohlrab.
Hide Caption
8 of 20
Photos: Understanding space, scale and light through photography
Vitra Schaudepot, Weil am Rhein, Germany, by Herzog & de Meuron. Photograph by Julien Lanoo – The second image by Belgian photographer Julien Lanoo to be shortlisted for the 2016 Arcaid Architectural Photography Awards shows a simple silhouette of the Vitra Schaudepot, a factory building built in the 1960s in Germany.
Hide Caption
9 of 20
Photos: Understanding space, scale and light through photography
Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, London, UK, by Selgascano. Photograph by James Newton – This double-layered plastic structure was built for the Serpentine Gallery's annual pavilion program in 2015. British photographer James Newton's image shows the structure's abundance of color, light, and irregular shapes.
Hide Caption
10 of 20
Photos: Understanding space, scale and light through photography
Baku National Stadium, Azerbaijan by ROSSETTI with Heerim Architects. Photograph by Victor Romero – This 68,000-seat stadium in Azerbaijan served as the main venue for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2015 European Games. Spanish photographer Victor Romero captured the illuminated structure at night.
Hide Caption
11 of 20
Photos: Understanding space, scale and light through photography
Haduwa Arts & Culture Institute, Ghana, by (applied) Foreign Affairs. Photograph by Julien Lanoo – This open-air auditorium of the Haduwa Arts and Culture Institute in Apam, Ghana is a large-scale bamboo structure -- its curved roof alone is made from 41 bamboo arches. Belgian photographer Julien Lanoo captured the work in progress.
Hide Caption
12 of 20
Photos: Understanding space, scale and light through photography
Musee de Confluences, Lyon, France, by Coop Himmelb(l)au. Photograph by Fabrice Fouillet – Austrian architecture studio Coop Himmelb(I)au designed this museum of natural history in Lyon, France. This picture, by French photographer Fabrice Fouillet, represents all the essential ingredients that, according to Booth, go into good architectural photography: "curiosity, sensitivity, humanity; an understanding of space, scale and light."
Hide Caption
13 of 20
Photos: Understanding space, scale and light through photography
Forest of Light for COS, Salone del Mobile, Milan, Italy, by Sou Fujimoto Architects. Photograph by Laurian Ghinitoiu – This light installation, designed by Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto, responds to visitors' movements and was photographed by German photographer Laurian Ghinitoiu. A good architectural photo "where possible, shows how people interact with a building and demonstrates the social purpose of architecture," says Arcaid Images award judge, Emily Booth.
Hide Caption
14 of 20
Photos: Understanding space, scale and light through photography
Dharavi, Mumbai, India. Photograph by Torsten Andreas Hoffmann – German photographer Torsten Andreas Hoffmann captured this stunning image while on the streets of the Dharavi slum in India. Founded in 1882 during the British colonial era, it is one of the largest slums in the world.
Hide Caption
15 of 20
Photos: Understanding space, scale and light through photography
Lattice House, Kashmir, India, by sP+A Architects (Sameep Padora). Photograph by Edmund Summer – This picture of the Lattice House, located on the outskirts of Jammu city in India, was taken by British photographer Edmund summer. The facade of the building was designed to endure in the region's extremely hot and dry climate.
Hide Caption
16 of 20
Photos: Understanding space, scale and light through photography
Iglesia de Iesu (Jesus Church) San Sebastian, Spain, by Rafael Moneo. Photograph by Fabrice Fouillet – Architect Rafael Moneo, winner of the RIBA Gold Medal in 2003, designed this modern, minimalist church in San Sebastian, Spain. Multiple openings in the Church's roof shine sunlight onto the walls of the structure, a feature highlighted by French photographer Fabrice Fouillet.
Hide Caption
17 of 20
Photos: Understanding space, scale and light through photography
Helical Staircase in Workshop, Littlehampton, UK, by Finkernagel Ross Architects. Photograph by Will Scott – British photographer WIll Scott captured the making of this steel helical staircase, which now stands as the centerpiece of a 9000 square foot home in London that was designed by Finkernagel Ross Architects.
Hide Caption
18 of 20
Photos: Understanding space, scale and light through photography
Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland, by Yrjö Lindegren and Toivo Jäntti. Photograph by Sebastian Weiss – German photographer Sebastian Weiss took this simple yet captivating photo of the Helsinki Olympic Stadium tower. Standing at 238.5 feet above ground, it is a landmark of the historic structure.
Hide Caption
19 of 20
Photos: Understanding space, scale and light through photography
Interior and Portrait of Derry Road Resident, Bruyn's Court, England, UK, by Bell Phillips Architects. Photograph by Kilian O'Sullivan – British photographer Kilian O'Sullivan captured this candid photo of a resident in Bruyn's Court, in Essex, England, on the Queen's birthday. "We considered factors such as composition, light, scale, atmosphere, sense of place, as well as the narrative -- did the images help us understand the building?" says Booth of the judging process.
Hide Caption
20 of 20
We And The Color selected a shortlist of 20 winners, with German photographer Matthias Heiderich -- who's no stranger to snapping buildings himself -- picking the top three.
Georgij Dorofeev's snap of a grid-patterned façade, set against a bright blue sky, scooped first place.
Trynidada's photograph of the MAXXI, reflecting its neighboring buildings, came second.
Meanwhile Urban Poetry's image of a sinuous steel bridge under a single puff of cloud, took third.
"What I love about this kind of photography is that sometimes it's hard to tell whether I'm looking at a photograph or a computer-generated image," says Heiderich. "But the subtleties make the difference."
