An exhibition on architecture where the building becomes the art? The front of Bratislava, The Slovak National gallery, has been converted into what looks like a four lane highway, suspended precariously over the footpath. The classic brutalist facade of the gallery used to be concealed behind a big billboard advertising Ford. NL Architects decided if they had to have advertising on the building, they were going to do it in style. This transformation was designed as advertising for Modernice!, an exhibition of work by Dutch firm, NL architects. The exhibition is displayed in a in a fifty-meter long arm of the Bratislava museum and runs until June 21.

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An architecture lover’s paradise, the Jinhua Architecture Park in China is a two kilometer ribbon of land that winds itself along the Yiwu River. It includes seventeen specially designed pavilions by leading Chinese and international architects. The project began in 2002 as a memorial dedication from Chinese architect Ai Weiwei for his father, Chinese poet Ai Qing.

The pavilions have varied functions such as ceramics galleries, restaurants and performance spaces. The designers were given an opportunity to create architecture in which the function follows the form, resulting in a showcase of unique building displaying the diversity of modern architecture. This can be seen with Swiss firm; Herzog and De Muerons design for a reading space.

Normally concerned with facade treatments, they were encouraged to unleash their creativity into a more sculptural form. There creation was an inspirational reading space formed by a maze of twisted red metal honeycomb. Despite the distinctly different building forms the park manages to maintain a homogeneous design by cleverly linking the pavilions with devices such as materiality, vistas and landscaping.

Due for completion this year, the Centre Pompidou-Metz in France is an elegant and audacious structure. The design features a transparent polytetrafluoroethylene roofing membrane, stretched over a hexagonal lattice, thats form is derived from a ‘muak kui’ (traditional Chinese woven hat). The Centre, which is to be used predominantly as a gallery, will have both adaptable spatial and lighting options, which enhances the notion of flexibility both within the aesthetics of the building and within its function.

Designed primarily by Shigeru Ban, one of Japan’s most innovative architects, the gallery’s form is a distinctive progression from his previous architectural projects. Throughout his career, Shigeru Ban has created unique structures with his exploration into alternate sustainable building materials, such as recycled shipping containers. An example of his work was the Japanese Pavilion Building at Expo 2000, which was a 72 meter long grid shell structure made of paper tubes. The entire building was recycled at the end of the expo.

The 35 million Euro Centre Pompidou-Metz gallery will have access to the largest collection of modern and contemporary art in Europe. The progress of the buildings’ construction can be viewed over a live web cam.