CULTURE MONSTER

Now here’s some real starchitecture to think about: The imaginary worlds of Tatooine, Endor, Cloud City and the Death Star may not exist in our own mundane reality, but like it or not, these instantly recognizable forms and structures are seared on our collective consciousness thanks to the undying ubiquity of George Lucas’ “Star Wars.”

Of course, production design for the movies doesn’t qualify as architecture in the strictest sense -- we’re talking about sets, not true-blue buildings. But from a design perspective, they can be as intricate and awe-inspiring as anything conjured by Frank Gehry.

Lest you think that we at Culture Monster are committing heresy by conflating “Star Wars” and the sacrosanct architectural discipline, allow us to refer to the Architect’s Journal, a British publication that is certainly no frivolous cultural rag. The AJ recently published on its website a top 10 list of the best architecture from the six “Star Wars” movies. It even draws some intriguing real-world parallels.

Notice, for instance, how the saucer-shaped structures from Cloud City (from “The Empire Strikes Back,” and ranked No. 10 on the list) resemble John Lautner’s Chemosphere residence. Or how the Senate Building in Coruscant (“Revenge of the Sith,” No. 9) seems to have inspired Jean Nouvel’s designs for the Louvre Abu Dhabi. And note how the Ewoks’ Endor dwellings (“The Return of the Jedi,” No. 7) are carbon-neutral and make use of locally sourced material.

So what earned the No. 1 spot on the list? The Second Death Star, from “The Return of the Jedi.” The magazine called it “a pleasing return to Classical symmetry. . . . Despite rumours of construction over-runs and structural weakness, this menacing spherical chunk of Brutalist infrastructure has made its impression on architects from Ledoux and Boullee to Heerim Architects’ lunar hotel.”

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david.ng@latimes.com

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latimes.com/culturemonster

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What’s your favorite “Star Wars” architecture? Tell us at the Culture Monster blog, where you’ll find the full Architect’s Journal list and some of our own picks.