Petal power: Tbilisi Public Service Hall, Tbilisi, Georgia by Fukas Studio.

Going by the snappy name of the Tbilisi Public Service Hall, this building, designed by Fukas Studio, is billed as the largest social service centre in the world and is 28,000 square metres in area. It contains the National Bank of Georgia, the Ministry of Energy, and the Civil and National Registry. But what are those petals? Architecturally, the building is made-up of seven boxy volumes each of four floors, and arranged at different heights. These volumes cluster around a central square that forms the heart of the scheme and are connected by bridges crossing the void. Towering over all this are the most extraordinary giant white “petals”. There are eleven in total, each supported on a tree-like steel structure, independent from the main building. Some of the trees reach upto 35m in height. The ensemble is described as a “symbolic bloom” adorning the banks of the Kura River. The function of the petals however remains somewhat mysterious. Gratitude to e-Volo for drawing this building to my attention.