Stunning Architecture from around the World

Below are a few of our favourite architectural gems from across the globe.

Sao Paulo Museum of Modern Art, Brazil

This is a functionalist building made mainly from concrete and glass with a bold red façade. Two huge concrete beams extend over the length of the site to suspend an enormous box; this is the museum’s main exhibition space, which hovers eight metres above the ground. The design imagines the museum as a simple container for art with open floor plans to bring people together. 

The Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao

When this museum opened in 1997, it was declared as one of the most spectacular buildings of the 20^th century. From ground level, the complex metallic structure resembles a boat, reflecting the emergence of Bilbao as a port city and blending it into the adjacent river. A mixture of titanium, limestone and glass form the majority of the undulating curves and swirling patterns of the design, which catch the light and make the building shine and sparkle in certain weather. 

The Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur

Until 2004, this was the tallest building in the world, but losing the title hasn’t made these structures any less impressive. The towers were designed to reflect the dominant Islamic culture of Malaysia by incorporating traditional motifs and symbols into the design and details of the buildings. The two towers are connected by a bridge, which has been engineered to move independently from the towers in severe weather to make it as safe as possible.

The Shard, London

As the tallest building in Western Europe, the Shard now dominates the London cityscape. The tower is encased by 11,000 glass panels to reflect the sky and give it its ‘shard of glass’ appearance; it contains offices, restaurants and luxury apartments as well as a public viewing area on the 72^nd floor.

Sydney Opera House, Sydney

This undeniably beautiful building is made up of three groups of interlocking shells, which house two performance halls and a restaurant. The opera house is widely regarded as one of the greatest architectural works of the 20^th century, and it has become an iconic symbol of Sydney and of Australia as a whole. 

One World Trade Centre, New York

This building, along with the rest of the World Trade Centre development, serves a dual purpose; marking the site of the old towers and acting as a beacon of hope, standing tall into the future. While the building may not be the world’s tallest, it has been said to be the safest, with a concrete core and very thick concrete walls. It is also one of the world’s greenest skyscraper projects, with most of the construction materials coming from post-industrial recycling and more than 75% of its waste destined to be recycled. The glass walls have been designed to enable maximum daylight to enter the space to reduce the need for artificial lighting in the offices, and public spaces in encloses. 

The EY Centre, 200 George Street, Sydney

Positioned amongst a sea of dull, grey buildings, The EY Centre shines bright gold. This impressive exterior is possible thanks to the layer of over 2,900 Somfy-powered timber venetian blinds which glows in the sun. Using Somfy algorithms, the louvres adjust automatically depending on the sun position and time of day in order to reduce heat and glare. This causes the building to change appearance throughout the day, in addition to assisting to achieve its status as one of Australia’s most environmentally advanced and sustainable buildings.  

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