30 Photos of the World’s Most Uniquely Designed Buildings

Jessica Marati — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 22:26:27 +0000

A sampling of contemporary architectural gems from around the world.

Great buildings have the power to break convention, defy logic, and inspire visions of the future. Here, we celebrate thirty marvels of modern architecture, from the classic Le Corbusier (Frank Lloyd Wright) to mind-boggling inflated plastic biomes. These gems encompass a wide range of structures, from individual homes, to art museums, to skyscrapers that extend high into the sky. One can only wonder what will result from a greater focus on green building practices in the future.

(above) Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles

Stone Container Building and Cloud Gate, Chicago

Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain

Gare do Oriente, Lisbon, Portugal

CCTV Headquarters, Beijing, China

Space Needle, Seattle, Washington

Casa Mila, Barcelona, Spain

Fallingwater House, Mill Run, Pennsylvania

Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE

Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, Qatar

Reichstag, Berlin, Germany

Esplanade, Singapore