AEWORLDMAP.COM (3,300+ posts)

Building: The Royal Library Extension (The Black Diamond)
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Completion Date: 1999
Architect: schmidt hammer lassen K/S
Engineers: Moe & Brødsgaard Rådg. Ingeniører A/S
AE Interests: The building is inclined in both directions, supported by 4 towers, one at each corner, that are stuck 12 meters into the ground.
The black granite exterior looks like it’s floating above the ground because the entire first floor is a giant band of windows held in place with prehensile claws and wires attached to pillars on the floor and the girder at the ceiling. The weight is supported not by the exterior walls, but by interior columns.