20th and 21st-century architecture has transformed city centers with structures that push engineering boundaries. Observation towers like the Seattle Space Needle and experimental residential complexes like Habitat 67 in Montreal demonstrate the evolution of construction techniques. Architects have explored new forms using materials such as steel, glass, and concrete, creating structures that meet the growing demands of metropolitan areas. This collection includes buildings that marked their time with innovative design. In Barcelona, Antoni Gaudí's Casa Milà features a wavy facade that breaks traditional norms, while in London, 30 St Mary Axe incorporates energy-saving technologies into its 180-meter structure. From Bilbao's Guggenheim Museum clad in titanium to artificial islands shaped in the Persian Gulf in Dubai, these projects illustrate the diversity of architectural approaches worldwide. Each building reflects its urban context while offering solutions to technical and functional challenges of its era.
Barcelona, Spain
Casa Milà is a multi-story residential building with an undulating stone facade and wrought iron balconies. Antoni Gaudí designed this structure, built between 1906 and 1912 in the Modernisme style. The organic forms of the facade completely avoid straight lines and create a sculptural effect.
Los Angeles, USA
The Walt Disney Concert Hall is a concert venue with 2265 seats and a curved stainless steel facade. Frank Gehry designed this deconstructivist building, which opened in 2003 as home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. The curved metal forms give the structure its distinctive appearance in downtown.
Prague, Czech Republic
The Dancing House is an office building consisting of two differently shaped towers made of glass and concrete. Completed in 1996 according to plans by architects Vlado Milunić and Frank Gehry, this construction stands on the Vltava River on a plot that was destroyed by bombing during World War II. The two towers symbolize a dancing couple through their dynamic form.
London, United Kingdom
The 30 St Mary Axe is an office tower with 41 floors that reaches a height of 180 meters. The facade of this building consists of a diagonal steel grid with glass panels and incorporates energy saving technologies that reduce electricity consumption.
London, England
The Shard rises to a height of 310 meters, making it the tallest building in the United Kingdom. The skyscraper features 95 floors that house office spaces, a hotel, several restaurants, and a publicly accessible observation deck.
Montreal, Canada
Habitat 67 is a residential complex composed of 354 prefabricated concrete modules. The stacked units form 146 apartments, each equipped with its own garden terrace.
Seattle, USA
The Space Needle is an observation tower with a height of 184 meters. The top floor rotates on its axis and houses a restaurant that provides views across the city of Seattle.
Bilbao, Spain
The Guggenheim Museum was built in 1997 following Frank Gehry's designs and houses contemporary art across 19 galleries. The curved exterior facade consists of over 33,000 titanium plates that create different reflections depending on light conditions. The museum spans 24,000 square meters of exhibition space along the Nervión River.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The Palm Islands comprise three artificial archipelagos shaped like palm trees, created through land reclamation in the Persian Gulf. The construction of Palm Jumeirah, the first and only completed island, required 94 million cubic meters of sand and 7 million tons of rock. These islands extend Dubai's coastline by several kilometers.
New Delhi, India
The temple was completed in 1986 and accommodates 2500 people in its central white marble prayer hall.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The Petronas Towers consist of two towers each measuring 452 meters in height, connected by a double-deck skybridge at the 41st and 42nd floors. This steel and glass construction was completed in 1998 and served as the tallest building in the world until 2004. The towers house offices, a shopping center and a concert hall.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Harpa Concert Hall was completed in 2011 following designs by Danish architectural firm Henning Larsen. The facade features 714 glazed elements with geometric structures created by Icelandic artist Ólafur Elíasson. These modules reflect daylight and the colors of the Icelandic sky. The building houses several concert halls and serves as home to the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and the Icelandic Opera.
Huainan, China
The Piano House extends over 50 meters in length and takes the form of a glass concert grand piano. An attached steel structure shaped like a violin houses the staircase and connects the different floors of the building.
Rotterdam, Netherlands
The Cubic Houses consist of forty yellow cubes resting on hexagonal concrete pillars and tilted at 45 degrees. Dutch architect Piet Blom designed this residential complex in the 1970s based on the concept of an abstract forest. Each house has three levels and the angled walls create unusual interior spaces. The construction combines experimental design with functional apartments in the centre of Rotterdam.
Mill Run, Pennsylvania, USA
Fallingwater is a residential house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1935 for the Kaufmann family. The construction consists of horizontal concrete slabs cantilevered over a natural waterfall. The terraces extend directly above the stream and follow the organic form of the rock formation. The building integrates the waterfall into its structure and connects interior spaces with the surrounding nature through expansive windows and stone walls made from local materials.
Paris, France
The Louvre Pyramid is a glass structure with a steel frame located in the Napoleon Courtyard of the museum. This entrance hall was completed in 1989 by architect Ieoh Ming Pei and consists of 673 diamond-shaped glass panes. The pyramid measures 21.6 meters in height and its square base spans 35 meters. It serves as the main entrance to the museum and connects the underground visitor areas with the historic palace.
Sydney, Australia
The Sydney Opera House was completed in 1973 following a design by Danish architect Jørn Utzon. The characteristic shell-shaped roofs consist of precast concrete segments covered with over one million Swedish ceramic tiles. The building houses multiple performance venues, including the Concert Hall with 2,679 seats and the Joan Sutherland Theatre for opera and ballet productions. This facility at Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour receives over eight million visitors annually.
Singapore
This hotel complex consists of three towers, each rising 200 meters high. The towers are connected by a shared platform at the upper level. Rooms provide views across Marina Bay and the city center of Singapore.
Brussels, Belgium
The Atomium was built in 1958 for the Brussels World's Fair and stands 102 meters high. This steel structure represents an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. The nine spheres, each measuring 18 meters in diameter, house exhibition spaces dedicated to the history of the World's Fair and 1950s architecture. The top sphere contains a restaurant offering panoramic views over the Belgian capital.
Seville, Spain
The Metropol Parasol was completed in 2011 on Plaza de la Encarnación and houses a traditional market on the ground floor as well as several viewing platforms on the upper levels. This construction designed by Jürgen Mayer consists of laminated timber spanning 150 meters in length and 70 meters in width, forming with its undulating structure one of the largest timber constructions worldwide.
Valencia, Spain
The City of Arts and Sciences extends over 350,000 square meters in the drained bed of the Turia River in Valencia. This complex was built between 1998 and 2009 following designs by architect Santiago Calatrava and brings together several buildings in organic forms of white concrete: the Príncipe Felipe Science Museum, the L'Hemisfèric planetarium, the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía for performing arts, and the L'Oceanogràfic oceanarium.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The Burj Khalifa reaches 828 meters in height and features 163 floors. This building has housed hotels, apartments and commercial spaces since 2010 and forms the center of the Downtown Dubai complex.
Haifa, Israel
The Bahai Terraces comprise nineteen levels arranged symmetrically on the slope of Mount Carmel. The site extends over more than one kilometer and connects manicured gardens with geometric patterns through stone pathways and staircases.
Barcelona, Spain
The Sagrada Familia combines Gothic elements with modern architecture and features eighteen towers dedicated to the twelve apostles, the four evangelists, the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ. Antoni Gaudí began construction of this basilica in 1882, and work continues to this day. The building is characterized by organic forms, colored glass windows and naturalistic decoration inspired by plants and animals.
Suzhou, China
The Suzhou Architecture Museum was designed by Chinese architect I. M. Pei and completed in 2006. The building covers 26,000 square meters and integrates traditional elements of Suzhou gardens into a modern architectural language. The structure organizes itself around several courtyards with water basins, connected through glazed corridors. The facades combine white plastered walls with dark granite roof surfaces, while large glass panels direct natural light into the exhibition spaces.
Beijing, China
The Beijing Olympic Stadium features an outer structure of steel beams that intersect and interweave at various angles. The construction recalls the shape of a bird's nest and was built for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. The structure measures 330 metres in length and 220 metres in width, with a height of 69 metres. The steel framework weighs approximately 42,000 tonnes and encloses a capacity of 91,000 spectators.
Berlin, Germany
The Reichstag Dome is made of glass and features two opposing spiral ramps that lead visitors to the observation platform. A central mirrored cone directs natural light into the plenary hall below and allows visitors to view the parliamentary proceedings from above.
Millau, France
The Millau Viaduct crosses the Tarn Valley with a cable-stayed structure supported by seven concrete pylons. The tallest pylon reaches 336.4 meters, making this motorway bridge the highest in Europe. Inaugurated in 2004, the structure was designed by Norman Foster and connects Paris to the Mediterranean coast via the A75 motorway.
Malmö, Sweden
The Turning Torso rises 190 meters in the Västra Hamnen district and stands as the tallest building in Scandinavia. This residential skyscraper consists of nine segments that rotate 90 degrees from base to top. Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava designed this structure, which was completed in 2005 and contains 54 floors.
New York, USA
The One World Trade Center reaches a height of 541 meters, making it the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. This glass skyscraper houses office spaces and features a public observation deck that provides panoramic views over Manhattan and the surrounding region.
Poitiers, France
Futuroscope is a technology park that presents around forty film screenings and simulators in buildings with metal claddings and glass walls. The architecture of this park combines futuristic forms with transparent materials, creating a modern environment for digital and audiovisual attractions.