Test your knowledge of architectural history with this elegant, 3D-printed puzzle, which seamlessly collages elements from over 30 iconic buildings together to form one rectilinear model. Designed by architect Fumio Matsumoto, “Memories of Architecture” features façades, walls, colonnades, and other structures from significant buildings that date from ancient Egypt to the present day. They are stacked mostly chronologically, from the ground up, to reveal similarities and shifts in styles across time and geographies.
“The piece reproduces the characteristic elements of each building such as the façades, exterior forms, interior spaces, and structures, at 1:300 scale,” Matsumoto writes in a statement. “While it is not a comprehensive overview of architectural history, it does illustrate some significant trends over time, such as the shift from massive to minute forms and from enclosed to open spaces.”
Printed as a single object that itself resembles a funky tower, the model includes architectural feats such as the great hypostyle hall from the Karnak Temple, the nave of Reims Cathedral, and a mini version of Chicago’s Reliance Building — revolutionary in the 1890s for its glass-covered exterior.
If you find yourself in Tokyo, you can take on the challenge in person at the University of Tokyo’s University Museum, where “Memories of Architecture” is on display at the recently opened, permanent exhibition Architectonica. Otherwise, have a go at guessing through the photographs below, and if you find yourself absolutely stumped, you can always view the solutions on this illustrated guide published on the exhibition’s website.