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Lighthouse architecture: 10 contemporary projects that never go out
Yeda Lighthouse, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 1990
Although not particularly graceful in form - a cylindrical body onto which is grafted a spherical and somewhat redundant belvedere - the Yeda Lighthouse located at the entrance to the harbour is known to be, at 133m high, the highest lighthouse in the world and its beam has a range of 46 kilometres.
Yeda Lighthouse, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 1990
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Punta del Hidalgo Lighthouse, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain 1992
The lighthouse, located a short distance from the coast of Punta de Hidalgo in the north-west of Tenerife, is an approximately 50-metre high sculpture of dazzling white reinforced concrete, with a vaguely expressionist flavour with its irregular, jagged shapes that develop from a triangular base and taper dramatically towards the sky.
Punta del Hidalgo Lighthouse, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain 1992
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Enoshima Sea Candle, Enoshima, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan 2003
Also known as the Shonan Observatory Lighthouse, the lighthouse stands in the Samuel Cocking Garden on the coast of the small island of Enoshima and is characterised by an inverted truncated cone structure of steel beams and columns arranged around an internal helical staircase leading to the two observation platforms.
Enoshima Sea Candle, Enoshima, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan 2003
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Faro Capo Spartivento, Chia, Sardinia, Italy 2006
Built in 1854 by the Italian Navy, the Capo Spartivento Lighthouse, after years of service and the automation in the 1980s, has been reborn as an exclusive guest house since 2006, thanks to a renovation project that offers lucky visitors an immersive experience in a place that smells of history and nature, overlooking the Sardinian sea.
Faro Capo Spartivento, Chia, Sardinia, Italy 2006
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Aires Mateus e Associados, Santa Marta Lighthouse Museum, Cascais, Portugal 2007
The complex with the 17th-century military fort and the 20-metre-high 19th-century lighthouse clad in alternating bands of white and blue azulejos has been the subject of a reuse project characterised by a conservative approach regarding the existing volumes and a new building with white, minimalist forms. The structure, converted into a thematic museum on the Portuguese lighthouse system, is the only example of a museum with a lighthouse still in operation: two exhibition halls and an auditorium are located in the existing buildings, while the new building houses an office, a cafeteria, toilets and the keeper's room.
Aires Mateus e Associados, Santa Marta Lighthouse Museum, Cascais, Portugal 2007
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Urban Art Projects, Al Fanar, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 2009
The 60 m high building, a contemporary re-interpretation of the lighthouse theme, stands at the entrance to the Safaa harbour serving as an imposing landmark for KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) and the entire city of Jeddah. The complex spire structure is an aggregate of hexagonal shapes of precast concrete blocks forming a perforated envelope, inspired by traditional building elements of Arab architecture. The building works as a natural cooling tower analogous to the minarets of mosques, pushing warm air upwards and channelling the sea breeze down to the lower level to cool the room.
Urban Art Projects, Al Fanar, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 2009
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Silvia Nanni, Restoration of the Capel Rosso Lighthouse, Giglio Island, Grosseto, Italy 2016
Situated in an area of great naturalistic value the building, which was used for over a century as accommodation for farists and their families and then fell into disuse - with the exception of the lighthouse lantern, which is still working - has been the subject of a meticulous conservative restoration and redevelopment of the surrounding vegetation, in the name of respect for the architectural, landscape and historical values of the building and its territory.
Silvia Nanni, Restoration of the Capel Rosso Lighthouse, Giglio Island, Grosseto, Italy 2016
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Bessards' Studio and JAJA Architects, Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse, Hjørring, Denmark 2016
The installation of a sculpture - a gigantic kaleidoscope of facetted metal shapes that moves with the wind, placed at the top of the building - offered the opportunity to reopen the historic lighthouse to the public and provide visitors walking along the perforated metal staircase with a spectacular view of the surrounding landscape.
Bessards' Studio and JAJA Architects, Rubjerg Knude Lighthouse, Hjørring, Denmark 2016
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Studio Marco Ciarlo Associati and Studio Daniele, Recovery of the Bergeggi Lighthouse, Savona, Italy 2019
The restoration of a complex in a state of ruin, composed of a main body and an adjacent secondary volume, proposes a mixed-use building housing a residence and the headquarters of the marine park on the island of Bergeggi. The pure and essential volumes that evoke the outlines of the original building, clad both in the shells and in the roofs by natural stone ashlars of different sizes, give the new architecture the character of a sculptural monolith emerging directly from the sand and rocks.
Studio Marco Ciarlo Associati and Studio Daniele, Recovery of the Bergeggi Lighthouse, Savona, Italy 2019
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Itinera Studio Associato, Recovery of the Brucoli Lighthouse, Brucoli, Syracuse, Italy 2020
The restoration project for the conversion of a 1911 complex into a tourist-receptive facility involved the consolidation and conservation of the original body, freed of incongruous superfetations. The ground floor is dedicated to the living area and the kitchen-dining room, while the first floor houses three bedrooms and a bathroom; an external staircase leads to the panoramic terrace where the lighthouse lantern, which is still working, is located. The use of local materials such as Modica stone for floors and walls creates a deep connection with the local building tradition.
