The buildings are considered to be some of the most impressive works of art. After spending untold sums on construction, you can walk through the completed projects and even live inside. Insider has collected 30 buildings that will blow your mind.
The oldest surviving building on Earth is Göbekli Tepe in Turkey. Its age is estimated at at least the ninth millennium BC. Archaeologists are unsure of the purpose of Göbekli Tepe. Most likely, the building had religious significance.
Since then, humanity has managed to build many cool structures. For example, just last year the futuristic Fulton Center opened in New York...
...and Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School in Melbourne, Australia.
The amazing Golden Temple in Amritsar, India appears to have risen straight from the waters of the Amritsar River.
At night, the Sikh religious center looks absolutely stunning.
The Las Lajas Church in Nariño, Colombia is puzzling at first because the structure seems to defy gravity.
Modernist architect Antonio Gaudi did not live to see the completion of the Sagrada Familia - in fact, its construction continues to this day. From the outside, the temple resembles houses from The Chronicles of Narnia...
...and its interior decoration is even more surreal.
The Flatiron Building was one of New York's first skyscrapers...
...like the Woolworth Building, the tallest building in the world from 1913 to 1930.
In Onomichi, Japan, young couples often have their wedding ceremonies at the Ribbon Chapel.
In Seoul, surrounded by greenery, stands the Light of Life Church.
It looks completely different inside.
The design of the Marina City skyscrapers in Chicago is unique, to say the least. Built in 1964, they were one of the first mixed-use buildings. For the first time in the USA, a high-rise crane was used in construction.
But not all buildings aim for the sky. Temppeliaukio Church, Helsinki, Finland, is carved into the rock underground and receives plenty of sunlight.
The Church of St. George in Lalibela, Ethiopia, was carved from a single boulder in the 12th century.
Some of the most beautiful buildings are part of the landscape. Turninn in Reykjavik reflects the wild beauty of Iceland.
Modernist Ludwig Mies van der Rohe used edges and open space to create masterpieces that appear to float in the air - like the New National Gallery in Berlin, built in the 1960s.
Berlin is also home to the mecca of electronic music, the brutal nightclub Berghain.
Unity with the environment is one of the oldest concepts in architecture. The ancient Japanese capital of Kyoto is home to the spectacular Golden Pavilion (Kinkakuji)...
...and no less stunning Silver.
The Great Mosque of Djenné in Mali is the largest mud structure in the world. It can accommodate 3 thousand believers.
The whimsical Pompidou Center in Paris is a masterpiece of postmodernism.
Built around 1200, Chartres Cathedral in northern France is an excellent example of Gothic architecture. Pay attention to the richly decorated “portals” leading into the building...
...and an amazing organ inside.
Perhaps the only religious building that can compare with it in grandeur is the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. Its construction was completed at the beginning of the 17th century and coincided with the heyday of the Ottoman Empire.
More than 20 thousand handmade tiles are used in interior decoration.
Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria is believed to have inspired Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Trinity College is the crown jewel of the University of Dublin.
It is famous for its library, the most stunning room of which has the characteristic name “The Long Room”.
The Imperial Palace - also known as the Forbidden City - is the highest form of Chinese architecture.
Between 1420 and 1912 the palace served as the seat of government.
Its interior is truly impressive...
...as well as attention to detail.
Today, the most exotic examples of modern architecture can be seen in Beijing. For example, the CCTV Tower, also known as "Pants".
With the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the late Zaha Hadid did what only she could do - she turned the hard, clean lines of modernism into something organic.
High in the Peruvian Andes, Machu Picchu is the finest example of Inca architecture.
Archaeologists believe that the city was built around 1450.
A more detailed photograph of the residential area.
In 2007, Parque Biblioteca España opened in Medellin, Colombia. Its design was designed by Colombian architect Giancarlo Mazzanti. The three buildings should look like stones.
The library, located in Santo Domingo's Savio district, overlooks Medellin itself, lying in a valley surrounded by the Andes.
The Sydney Opera House is rightfully considered an iconic representative of Australian architecture.
Designed by Danish architect Jorn Utzon and opened in 1973, the theater became a literal canvas of public expression.
Its interior is also amazing.
This publication will be of interest to those who love to travel around the world and discover amazing places. Unusual buildings and structures of the world, we decided to talk about this in this article! Amazing buildings, which defy the laws of physics, which evoke positive emotions, buildings that are created to surprise. The best architects designed these structures, but what was going on in their heads? What kind of boundless imagination do you need to have to place residential buildings, museums, hotels, libraries, offices within such building boundaries? The goal of these creators was one, to make millions of people look at their creation with their mouths open! and a description of these buildings.
The most unusual buildings from around the world!
This building was built in 2010. A highly intelligent business center located in Mumbai. This egg-shaped building surprises not only with its appearance, but also with its internal solutions. The project is cyber architecture; it is truly a “smart home”, which is literally crammed with a variety of devices and sensors. For example, any visitor to the building can measure their body temperature and blood pressure at any time.
The house was built as a landmark to attract tourists to the city. The structure is made of black and transparent glass. The entrance to the building passes through the violin, after which you can go up the escalator to the piano room. This “musical house” is informational in nature. In it you can learn about local attractions of the city and see a map of the streets of the area.
The wickerwork and basketry company Longaberger once decided to create an unusual-looking administrative building for itself. Their own basket came to their aid, based on the layout of which the architects created the company’s office. Thanks to this decision, the company became famous throughout the world!
How to attract readers to your library? Very simple! It is necessary to build a library in the form of books lying on a shelf, as the authorities of Kansas did.
This “dancing house” houses a shopping center, which is located in the city of Sopot on Monte Cassino Street. It was built in 2004, the architect was inspired by fairy tales.
This wonderful building is located in the very center of Prague. Before this “drunk house”, there was an ordinary house in this place, but in 1945 it was destroyed by American aircraft. After which they decided to build a structure in honor of the dance duet “Ginger and Fred”.
This lotus-shaped temple is a Baha'i House of Worship where anyone can come, regardless of religion. Guests of the temple are greeted only by white walls and the inscription on the ceiling - “God is above all.” The creators wanted to emphasize that a person with any faith can visit the temple and pray to his god.
Read also: Fantastic street art from around the planet
A person sometimes creates beautiful and unusual things, the sight of which can be enjoyed by grateful descendants, marveling at the skill and imagination of outstanding masters. Architects, in this context, give us fewer masterpieces than painters, sculptors or musicians, but this is understandable, because an architect needs not only to come up with something out of the ordinary, but also to realize his plan, which is many times more difficult than for the same artist . And yet, there are truly incredible buildings in the world, which will be discussed in this article.
There are dozens of amazing buildings scattered around the world, and today we will look at only a part of them.
Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai
The real name of this hotel, which means “Arab Tower” in translation, is known to few people, but the Parus Hotel is familiar to almost every travel lover. The architect is Tom Wright from Atkins Middle East. The height of the hotel is 320 meters, and its appearance resembles a huge white sail, which is where the building’s nickname came from. The hotel positions itself as a seven-star hotel, although it is internationally classified as a five-star deluxe hotel. Room rates range from $1,000 to $28,000 per night. All rooms in the hotel are two-story, and the smallest room has an area of 168 square meters. m.
Crooked house in Sopot
The small seaside resort of Sopot, located in the Gdansk Voivodeship (Poland), has one attraction that has already become famous throughout the world, attracting crowds of tourists to the town. We are talking about the so-called Crooked House, built according to the design of architects Shotinsky and Zalevsky. Despite its original appearance, Crooked House is part of a shopping center, which, however, does not detract from its unusualness.
dancing House
Another building with irregular geometric shapes is the Dancing House, located in the capital of the Czech Republic. Deconstructivism is the style in which this unusual building, which is actually an office center, is made. The two towers of this house are an architectural metaphor for a dancing couple, with one tower being normal and the other being destructive. Two architects worked on the project: Croatian Vlado Milunic and Canadian Frank Gehry.
Cube houses
Cube houses
Apparently inspired by what was allowed in Holland, the architect Piet Blom built Cube Houses or Cube Houses in Rotterdam and Helmond in 1984. The houses are residential and very comfortable.
House Mila
One of the main attractions of Barcelona is Casa Mila, designed and built by the outstanding Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi in 1910, commissioned by the Mila family. This house was the last private commission of Gaudi, who devoted the rest of his life to the Sagrada Familia Cathedral. Elevators, an underground garage, an innovative ventilation system, an open plan - this house is a unique manifestation of architectural genius, decorating the capital of Catalonia with its appearance to this day.
Temple of Truth
Wooden Buddhist Temple of Truth, located in Pattaya (Thailand). Construction of the temple began back in 1981, initiated by Thai businessman Leka Viriyapana, and is planned to be completed by 2025. The construction uses ancient Thai construction and wood carving technologies, and every square centimeter of the temple is carved sculptures and wood ornaments depicting a mix of religious and mythological scenes from Southeast Asia and China.
Great Mosque in Djenne
Great Mosque in Djenne
This mosque is the largest clay building in the world. It is located in the city of Djenne (Mali), in the floodplain of the Bani River. Despite its appearance, the building is a little over a hundred years old, its construction was completed in 1907. This is the greatest achievement of the Sudanese-Sahelian architectural style.
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
The Museum of Modern Art, a branch of the Solomon Guggenheim Museum of Modern Art, opened in 1997. This building was designed by architect Frank Gehry. It is located on the banks of the Nervion River in Bilbao (Spain). The museum is built in the style of deconstructivism.
Museum of Contemporary Art in Nitroya
The museum in Nitroya is the famous architectural creation of Oscar Niemeyer in the modernist style. The museum building is a sixteen-meter-tall concrete smooth cylindrical structure on a thin leg with a glass belt, reminiscent of a UFO.
These are not all the buildings that I would like to show you, especially considering that each of them deserves a separate article. But everything has its time, dear friends.
1. The Hashtag Tower (Seoul, Korea)
Architects from a Danish company have designed an apartment complex in the form of a tower, reminiscent of the “#” sign (hashtag).
Intersecting towers are a three-dimensional design of interconnected horizontal and vertical towers. Three bridges connect two thin towers at different levels - one underground, and two bridges above the surface. To meet the needs and desires of different categories of residents, age groups and cultures, landscape bridges are designed to host various events that are limited to prying eyes. The resulting forms form a new silhouette in the appearance of Seoul. The "#" Tower opens the way to the new business district of Yongsan, symbolizing the departure from the old gray skyscrapers, and refers to the concept of a new urban generation that fills cities in three-dimensional space.
2. Elephant Building, Bangkok
Introducing the Elephant Building in Bangkok, Thailand. The building was designed by Sumet Jumsai and completed in 1997.
3. Hieroglyph Building (Shanghai)
The hieroglyph building is an interesting project from the company PLOT, which later split into two companies BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) and JDS (Julien De Smedt). The project proposed a building for hotels, sports and conference centers as part of the World Expo 2010 held in Shanghai. The project included two buildings merging together. The first building rises out of the water and includes sports, aquatic and cultural centers. The second building, rising from the ground, serves enlightenment. There are conference rooms here. The two buildings, after merging, smoothly transform into a hotel with 1,000 rooms. The building is shaped like the Chinese character for "People". The building became a symbol of the World Exhibition in China.
4. Swastika Building (California, USA)
This building is owned by the US Navy and is located in Coronado, California. Initially, the building was not planned in the shape of a swastika. However, after public outcry over the unacceptable shape of the building, the US Navy will spend $600,000 to rebuild the building.
5. Zayed National Museum building in the shape of wings (UAE)
The wing-shaped Zayed National Museum building was designed by Foster + Partners. It is located on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and is the first museum on the island. The theme of the museum is history, culture and socio-economic transformation in the Emirates.
The museum includes five wing-shaped towers rising above the man-made landscape on which the galleries are located. The towers act like heat pipes and serve to cool air flow throughout the museum without consuming electricity. Fresh air passes through underground cooling pipes and then enters the museum. The towers are heated from above, the air is drawn vertically through the galleries and out through the ventilation holes.
6. Dancing House (Czech Republic)
The Dancing House is an architectural masterpiece in the center of Prague. It got its name because of its shape. The house was originally named Fred and Ginger (after Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers) because it resembles a dancing couple. It was designed in 1992 by Croatian-Czech architect Vlado Milunic and completed in 1996.
7. COR Building (Miami, Florida)
A new high-rise building is coming soon to Miami's design district, and the building ticks all the green boxes. The collaboration between Chad Oppenheim of Happold (energy conservation consultant) - Architecture + Design and civil engineer Ysreal Seinuk will cost $40 million to bring the 25-story COR skyscraper to life.
To attract a diverse mix of residents, the building's interior features both commercial and comfortable residential spaces ranging from $400,000 to $2 million per apartment or office. Each housing unit will include Energy Star appliances, recycled tiles, glass and bamboo in hallways. In total, the building will have up to 113 residential apartments, 20,100 square meters of office space, and 5,400 square meters of retail space (which already includes a cafe and a furniture store).
8. Wooden Skyscraper (Vancouver)
The seemingly radical idea of building a skyscraper out of wood is not so strange after architect Michael Green pointed out the two main advantages of wood over concrete and steel - it is environmentally friendly and cost-effective.
"Tallwood" will be built from large "laminated lumber panels" - composite panels made from glued strips of wood. Trees are regenerable and help reduce air pollution. Sourcing wood from managed forests can be considered more environmentally friendly, CNN reports.
Unlike concrete, which produces about 6 - 9 kg of carbon dioxide per 10 kg of its own weight, wood absorbs carbon from the atmosphere. And contrary to popular belief, wood is actually quite fire resistant.
9. Building-Coin (UAE)
This building is the headquarters of Aldar in Abu Dhabi. The design of architects from the MZ company was brought to life in 2010. This is the first coin-shaped skyscraper in the world.
10. Egg Building (China)
This beautiful structure, known as the Egg Building, is the National Fine Arts Center of China. This domed building is submerged in water. The building houses an opera house, a concert hall and a theater. It is noteworthy that this building, reflected in the water, becomes even more huge and beautiful. The "egg" also includes a vault of underwater corridors, an underwater garage, and even an artificial lake. It took more than five years to construct the building.
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