Architectural wonders of the 21st century

Humans being have always had a big appreciation for art and architecture. Since ancient times great structures, exposing human technology and knowledge, have been built up all around the globe. We got to know this magnificent piece of human progress as the seven wonders of the ancient world. That was how we were permeated by names such us Great Pyramid of Giza, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Temple of Artemis, Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, Colossus of Rhodes, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria. Just the Great Pyramid of Giza still stands resembling its glorious past. Recently, in 2007 seven new wonders of the world were chosen by more than 100 million votes through the Internet or by telephone. Chichen Itza, Christ the Redeemer, Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu, Petra, Taj Mahal, and Coliseum are now established as the most magnificent structures built by human kind. Although all of them are magnificent without doubt, they are still ancient or at least not modern. What can we say about modern pieces of architecture or the greatest building of the 21st century? This article intends to give credit to modern buildings that can launch us toward our future. Below there is a list with the most relevant and futuristic structures.

Burj Khalifa, Dubai

First to say, it is the highest structure ever built at 829.8 meters. It has a magnificent impotent shape with tubular design resembling traditional Islamic architecture, from wherever you look at it seems to be built entirely of improbable statistics. It also hosts the highest nightclub in the world. It was built at the center of Dubai’s cultural and financial scenario; from the top you can see everything. It also has hosted base jumping event for adrenaline seekers. It represents a union of art, engineering and heritage. It’s home to thousands of meters of office space, 900 private residences, the 160-room Armani Hotel and at the top, the outdoor observation deck on the 124th floor. For sure an incredible experience and a must do visit if you manage to be in Dubai.

Image courtesy of Royston Kane at Flickr.com

Absolute World

Toronto is a city with a remarkable skyline, but perhaps the most astonishing structure is the absolute world, this complex structure is formed by two skyscrapers in a five-building residential condominium complex in Mississauga, a suburb of Toronto. They are commonly called the “Marilyn Monroe” towers because they’ve got her sky-high curves and plenty of local and international admirers. It incorporates a 206-degree twist into its 50- and 56-story towers. Its construction presented constant challenges for the project architects because its unusual shape implied a lot of structural unknown scenarios, especially because they had to deal with twists up to eight degrees per floor. Their undulating shape is the design of young Beijing-based architect, Ma Yansong, and his firm, MAD Architects.

Beijing National Stadium

A clear imagine from Beijing Olympic Games of 2008 is the fantastic national stadium called the “Bird’s nest”. Besides hosting the most important sport event in the world, it also gathered the most relevant architects around the globe. Its signature latticed steel constructionWas used to hide its supports remained as the stadium aspect. The building drew an impressive amount of praise during the 2008 Olympics but has since had trouble being integrated into daily use. Regardless of current problems, the Bird’s Nest irreversibly raised the aesthetic standards of sports stadiums to come. This project was born from an international competition to create a landmark that would help China reintroduce itself to the world.

Gardens by the Bay

Located in the most prominent area of Singapore’s Marina Bay. It is definitely one of the largest garden project ever thought. It is very colorful and probably the most futuristic natural park on the planet. It provides a perfect place for tourist and locals with a vast array of flora in a stunning environment. The most relevant architecture features are the two massive cooled conservatories that were built with glass panels in order to create an organic-looking shape. Also important to mention are the 18 super-threes, they are from different heights, but they are able to generate a surreal and fantastical environment all around the park.

Image courtesy of wyliepoon at Flickr.com

The Blue Planet

Denmark’s most important and most visited aquarium accommodate 7 million liters of water. Its design makes a natural extension of the ocean. The Blue Planet’s exterior seamlessly transitions from placid water features to sweeping, sculptural tiled stainless steel, effectively embodying the ocean’s power and beauty. The building itself can adapt to different conditions, especially it can be expanded by 30 percent if needed.

Guangzhou Opera House

Sydney famous and incredible opera house is not in the first place on the list of structures dedicated to opera. Nowadays Guangzhou Opera House has displaced it from its previous position of privilege. Constructed mostly of concrete (a pervasive theme in this list) accented with granite, steel and glass and shaped into two smoothed geometric designs (dubbed the “double pebble”), the opera house has an organic, futuristic design that strikes the balance between distinctly man-made and organic