CIOB: …and the Oscar for best building goes to...

Tuesday, 12 July 2011 9:28 AM

…and the Oscar for best building goes to...

From the mundane to the magnificent, the idyllic to the iconic, buildings have played their part since film making began.

Buildings, whatever their shape, size or purpose are the unsung heroes of Hollywood. They are used to evoke feelings of tension and fear in audiences, to drive the plot of a film, or to create a sense of another time or place.

The Chartered Institute of Building and its Construction Manager magazine want to know if you agree with a panel of film buffs on the top 10 movie buildings of all time. Have your say and take part in the live vote here or tweet your views @THECIOB. The poll closes on 27 July.

Production teams often go to extreme lengths to secure the right location, explains Ian Freer, assistant editor at Empire magazine. “It can take several months to cast the right building for a movie; teams are hired specifically to scour the world in search of locations, especially for sci-fi movies where directors want a specific aesthetic. Those decisions are not made lightly and it’s one of the reasons films today can cost up to $100m to make.”

The campaign aims to engage the public with the built environment and get people thinking about buildings and their role in popular culture. The list of movie buildings collated by Construction Manager magazine using film critics include such movies as King Kong, Die Hard, The Shining, Get Carter and Blade Runner.

“It’s difficult to imagine the classic plane-swatting scene in King Kong without the Empire State Building. When the original movie was made in 1933 the Empire State Building had only been completed two years earlier. It was then, and still is now, an icon of human creativity and achievement. Some how Kong on any other building just wouldn’t have worked,” said Michael Brown CIOB deputy chief executive.

He added, “There is a blurring of lines between buildings and the film industry. Creativity doesn’t have boundaries. The imagining of fictional cityscapes and buildings have influenced the built environment, much in the same way as architecture captures the imagination of film makers and movie goers everywhere. You can’t replace the experience of visiting these buildings in real life even with 3D films making a come back, no Imax can recreate that.”

You can read more about Hollywood’s favourite top 10 movie buildings at www.construction-manager.co.uk : To vote for your favourite visit the CIOB website at www.ciob.org

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) represents for the public benefit the most diverse set of professionals in the construction industry.

Our Mission

To contribute to the creation of a modern, progressive, and responsible construction industry; able to meet the economic, environmental and social challenges faced in the 21st century.

Our 7 Guiding Principles

· Creating extraordinary people through professional learning and continuous personal development.

· Promoting the built environment as central to the quality of life for everyone everywhere.

· Achieving a sustainable future, worldwide.

· Advocating exemplary ethical practice and behaviour, integrity and transparency.

· Pursuing excellence in management practice, and technological innovation rooted in evidence based science.

· Being socially responsible and working responsibly.

· Enabling our members to find an emotional resonance with the Institute; their success is our success.

We have over 47,000 members around the world and are considered to be the international voice of the building professional, representing an unequalled body of knowledge concerning the management of the total building process.

Chartered Member status is recognised internationally as the mark of a true, skilled professional in the construction industry and CIOB members have a common commitment to achieving and maintaining the highest possible standards within the built environment.

Further information is available by contacting Saul Townsend CIOB Press and Communications Manager on t: 01344 630 766 or e: stownsend@ciob.org.uk.

*To unsubscribe from the CIOB’s press distribution service please reply to this email with the word ‘REMOVE’ in the subject field. Or contact the press office directly on t: +44 (0) 1344 630 766.

Kind Regards

Saul Townsend MCIPR

Press & Communications Manager

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB)

t: + 44 (0) 1344 630 766 f: + 44 (0) 1344 630 770

e: stownsend@ciob.org.uk Twitter: CIOBsaul

w: www.ciob.org www.artofbuilding.org

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