Former lifeguard station on the island of Rügen, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany

© DR pics/Shutterstoc

Space-age style. Space-age style by the sea

This pod-like structure near the seaside resort of Binz, on the Pomeranian coast of northeast Germany, provides a snapshot into a different era, delivered by the architect Ulrich Müther. Originally a lifeguard tower, it was constructed in 1968 in a style known as shell architecture using an innovative thin, poured-concrete material. These days, it’s used for weddings and other events. Müther designed and built roughly 70 buildings in this manner, many of them here on Germany’s largest island Rügen, where he lived. His work is regarded as some of the most outstanding examples of architecture in the region.