7 of the World's Most Amazing Buildings
A building should be interesting, stand the test of time, be a beacon for its city and become a must-visit attraction for tourists. Here are seven buildings that do exactly that.
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1. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
United StatesArguably the most visually striking project on this list is the extension to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, which will reopen to the public in spring 2016. The work of Scandinavian architects Snøhetta, the 10-story expansion will help the museum better display its growing permanent collection in a structure as challenging and creative as the art it houses.
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2. Stade Des Lumieres, Lyon
FranceOne for sports fans. As of 2016, French football team Olympique Lyonnais will play its home matches at the newly built Stade des Lumieres at Décines-Charpieu, about a 30-minute drive from Lyon. The 59,500 seater will be one of the key grounds in the forthcoming European Championships, with no seats further than 15 meters from the pitch.
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3. Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive, California
United StatesThis forward-thinking creative hub, situated in a repurposed 1930s printing press building, combines Berkeley’s renowned art museum with a state-of-the-art film theatre. The striking design integrates the two buildings under a huge steel roof. It was designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro and nestles confidently into the area’s vibrant art district.
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4. Agora Garden Tower
TaiwanTaipei’s Agora Garden Tower is leading the way in green construction. Once completed, the residential building will represent a perfect symbiosis of man and nature. The plant-covered double helix, a marvel of design, will host fully working farms on its spiraling balconies, with a focus on renewable energies and sustainability — almost making the structure a living organism in itself.
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5. Crescent City, Baku
AzerbaijanOne of the most ambitious projects to take shape in Europe next year will be Azerbaijan’s Crescent Complex, which includes a grand 33-story hotel shaped like a moon as its showpiece. It's far more interesting than the soulless towers springing up at rapid pace around the world. It may not be on your radar yet, but 2016 will be a perfect time to catch Baku at its most optimistic.
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6. World Trade Center Transport Hub, New York
United StatesDesigned to resemble a majestic white bird taking flight, the brand new transit hub at the World Trade Center couldn’t relay its message of peace at a more poignant place. The idea is the brainchild of Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and contains a network of underground tunnels and paths that connect the subway system.
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7. Pentominium, Dubai
United Arab EmiratesThere’s nowhere better than the United Arab Emirates to see where the future of construction is heading. One example is the Pentominium tower in Dubai, which will be the tallest residential building in the world once completed. Construction has been delayed for a number of years, but it’s rumoured the luxury penthouses, each designed by fashion designer Salvatore Ferragamo, will be completed in 2016.