Buildings that are used to celebrate botanical phenomena seem the most appopriate to become melded into the landscape in more meaningful ways. Aside from abstracted metaphor, there is a direct link between the building and the content and context in which it is meant to reference. A recent competition and subsequent announcement of winners for the UK’s National Wildflower Centre had no shortage of both literal and figurative applications of vegetation from all of the finalists. The project envisioned an “…educational, conference and seed production complex at the National Wildflower Centre in Knowsley, part of the Liverpool City Region.” The winning entry from Ian Simpson Architects, Adams Kara Taylor Engineers and Hoare Lea Engineers has been announced as winners of the competition for their vegetated and nautilus-inspired design.

:: images via Bustler

As mentioned, the remaining finalists showed off a variety of veg.itectural methods, from the green roofed to the visually veg.itecturally referential in my unofficial ranking of the runner’s up. All images via Bustler.

DM3 Architecture

Studio Verna

Urban Salon Architects

Nicolas Tye Architects

Kirkland Fraser Moor

And another runner-up non-shortlisted entry that popped up via World Architecture Community for from Jeeyong Ann – which I liked for the site and building integration (sustainable skin system), some cool graphics, and definitely the name – Ginseng Chicken.

:: images via World Architecture Community