“Architecture is not based on concrete, steel, and the elements of the soil, it’s based on wonder,” architect Daniel Libeskind once said. And when you see the incredible structures humans have created throughout history, it’s hard to disagree. Some designs are so ambitious that you can’t help but wonder how anyone came up with the idea in the first place, let alone figured out how to build it!
Over on the subreddit r/architecture, people regularly share beautiful buildings they’ve come across. We’ve gathered the most impressive examples, from centuries-old landmarks to unusual modern designs. Take a look below and see which ones are your favorites!
#1 Kopeshwar Temple , Khidrapur, India
Image source: Certain-Bonus-5015
#2 New York Public Library, New York City, 1911
Image source: Cool-Chipmunk-7559
#3 Dali Catholic Church, China
Image source: straightdge
Architecture has been around for thousands of years, and it’s pretty fascinating to see how much it has changed. Every generation of architects has had different materials to work with and new problems to solve.
Some of their ideas have completely changed how we build, while others have been passed down for centuries. And interestingly enough, a few ancient techniques are still giving modern architects plenty to think about.
#4 The Tension Instrument Concert Hall Designed By Lihan Jin.the Design Won The Gold A’ Design Award In 2023 For Architecture
Image source: rHohith
#5 The Palace That Was Built In The Name Of Love, Royal Alcázar Of Seville
Image source: Miss-Kija
#6 Social Housing In French Suburbs
Image source: Ok-Difference1341
Take the Pantheon in Rome, for example. Built nearly 1,900 years ago, it still has the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world. The Romans achieved this without the steel reinforcement commonly used in modern construction.
They also made the concrete progressively lighter toward the top of the dome, helping it support its enormous weight. Pretty impressive for something built so long ago!
#7 Meenakshi Temple, Madurai
Image source: Imaginary-Bat903
#8 Foding Palace, Nanjing. One Of The Most Insane Buddhist Temples
Image source: straightdge
#9 1wtc… Surreal Reflection Of The Blue Sky Behind Me
Image source: Significant_Fee7159
#10 Zig Zag Hotel In Himare, Albania Designed By Ja Joubert Architecture
Image source: Otherwise_Wrangler11
But ancient builders weren’t only concerned with keeping their structures standing. They also had to figure out how to make them comfortable to live in. In the Iranian city of Yazd, for example, traditional buildings feature special towers called windcatchers, which help cool indoor spaces by directing air through them.
According to UNESCO, these towers, along with thick earthen walls and courtyards, helped residents adapt to the harsh desert climate. It’s a clever solution that doesn’t require modern air conditioning.
#11 La Tulipe In Geneva – Blooming Brutalism
Image source: Sure_Distance1
#12 La Porte Bleu, Marseille
Image source: JaoLovesCamels
#13 Ceiling In Hindu Temple
Image source: Dense-Morning-9530
As centuries passed, new materials opened up possibilities that earlier architects could barely have imagined. One particularly impressive example was London’s Crystal Palace, built for the Great Exhibition of 1851.
Designed by Joseph Paxton, the enormous structure was made using almost 300,000 panes of glass supported by an iron framework. Even more remarkably, the whole thing was completed in just seven months. Its prefabricated parts made construction much quicker than traditional methods allowed.
Sadly, the Crystal Palace was destroyed by a fire in 1936, so we can only admire it in old photographs and illustrations today.
#14 The “Cracked Open” Building Orn Denver By Mad Architects Is Based On The Biophlic Design Concept
Image source: _vedantt1_
#15 Some NYC Architecture From My Stroll Yesterday
Image source: plantyoulater
#16 Conversion Of A Ruined Church Into A Cultural Centre In Requena, Spain – Francisco Jurado And Belen Ilarri (2015)
Image source: Kixdapv
It took a long time for women to be officially welcomed into the world of architecture. For centuries, the profession was dominated by men, and women often struggled to get the same education and opportunities. In Britain, for example, women weren’t admitted to the Royal Institute of British Architects until 1898.
That year, Ethel Mary Charles became its first female member, followed by her sister Bessie in 1900. Both sisters had previously been refused entry to the Architectural Association, which didn’t begin admitting women until 1917.
#17 Doolittle House By Kendrick Bangs Kellogg
Image source: n3xus1oN
#18 Chengdu Jiaozi Park, One Of The City’s Most Design-Oriented Landscape Parks
Image source: No-Echidna7296
#19 The 1960s Facade Of A Historic Building In Richmond Indiana Was Recently Removed
Image source: Throwawayboi2005
Despite this achievement, the sisters still struggled to get work on larger projects, which were usually reserved for men. Instead, they focused on designing homes, often for female clients. Ethel, for example, designed workers’ cottages for Letchworth Garden City in 1905.
The sisters also worked together on residential projects in Cornwall. Their careers helped open doors for future generations of female architects, even if they didn’t get the same recognition as many of their male contemporaries.
#20 Elastika By Zaha Hadid Architects
Image source: n3xus1oN
#21 Tao Zhu Yin Yuan By Vincent Callebaut Architects In Taipei,taiwan (2018)
Image source: Appropriate-Eye-1227
#22 The Obama Presidential Center Is More Than Its Granite Tower
Image source: _fastcompany
Across the Atlantic, another woman was making history of her own. Julia Morgan became California’s first licensed female architect in 1904 and went on to design more than 700 buildings throughout her career.
Her most famous project was Hearst Castle, an enormous estate in California that looks like something straight out of a European fairy tale. In 2014, she became the first woman to receive the American Institute of Architects’ Gold Medal, although the honor came more than 50 years after she passed away.
#23 Modernized Hobbit Hole (Ncaved House, Mold Architects, Serifos Island, Greece)
Image source: Sure_Distance1
#24 Contemporary Iranian Brickwork: The Enduring Legacy Of Persian Blue
Image source: Such_Reputation_3325
#25 A Two Storey Multifunctional Building In Kutaisi, Georgia
Image source: WorkingExercise1316
Thankfully, the following generations of female architects have gained much greater recognition. One of the most famous was Zaha Hadid, whose bold, flowing designs challenged traditional ideas about what buildings could look like.
In 2004, she became the first woman to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize, one of the profession’s highest honors. Interestingly, Hadid originally studied mathematics before pursuing architecture, which may help explain her fascination with unusual geometric forms. Her work has since become some of the most recognizable in modern architecture.
#26 The Whale (Bálna) In Budapest, Hungary – A Futuristic Glass Structure Seamlessly Fused With 19th-Century Brick Warehouses. Designed By Onl
Image source: GeorgeRobertVitkos
#27 Concrete Coloums Of Stuttgart 21, The New Main Station Of Stuttgart, Germany
Image source: UOLFirestrider
#28 Barbican Estate, London, UK
Image source: xandeira
Looking at all these different approaches, it’s clear that there’s no single way to create great architecture. Some architects find inspiration in nature, while others experiment with materials or develop entirely new techniques.
And although styles will continue to change, it’s exciting to imagine which of today’s creations people might still be admiring hundreds of years from now. For now, we’re lucky to have so many incredible examples from different periods of history to enjoy.
#29 0914 Flagship Store By Tru Architects, Seoul
Image source: werchoosingusername
#30 Historian Sami Angawi’s House In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Image source: imoverthisapp
#31 Zaha Hadid’s (Zha) 520 West 28th Street Apartments. New York City, USA. Opened 2017
Image source: owensauvageot
#32 First Picture Of A New Metro Stationin Tehran
Image source: Opp-Contr
#33 Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech (2017) By Studio Ko
Image source: n3xus1oN
#34 After 1969, The University Of Washington Turned Its Grass Landscape Into A Giant Brick Floor, Which Do You Prefer?
Image source: Aadidas12
#35 At The Base Of The Original World Trade Center. .
Image source: Ill_Pay7782
#36 I Had Some Day Off: I Visit Paris Region Hoods
Image source: thnblt
#37 The Marina City Towers In Chicago, Illinois Designed By Bertrand Goldberg (1967)
Image source: Realistic-Try5468
#38 University Of Kansas 3rd Year Class Project By Dirt Works
Image source: BlueJeansWhiteDenim
#39 Hochzeitsturm In Darmstadt, Germany
Image source: BrilliantMeal8549
#40 Buildings You Hate? No. 1 Poultry By James Sterling (London, 1997)
Image source: brandongals7
#41 Development In Northern Greece Georges Batzios Architects
Image source: werchoosingusername
#42 Extension To The University Of Graz Library By Thomas Pucher
Image source: werchoosingusername
#43 The Only Le Corbusier House In Latin America: Casa Curutchet (La Plata, Argentina)
Image source: happinessisawarmgun5
#44 N’arrow By Mykonos Architects
Image source: n3xus1oN
#45 La Muralla Roja, 1973 – Any Other Fans Of Spanish Modernism?
Image source: fan_tas_tic
#46 Prince Mohamed Ali Palace Located In Sharia Al-Saray Area In The El-Manial District Of Southern Cairo, Egypt
Image source: ProfessionalTop6327
#47 Visitors Are The Stars In The New Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library
Image source: _fastcompany
#48 My Apartment Building – Chicago IL
Image source: herovals
#49 The Preservation And Integration Of The 1873 John Irwin House Into A 50-Story Skyscraper In Toronto (Before & After)
Image source: GeorgeRobertVitkos
#50 The Contemporary Structures In Tbilisi, Georgia, Are Officially Slated For Demolition
Image source: ExaminationFew6424
#51 Thomas Heatherwick, Little Island. New York City, USA. Opened 2021
Image source: owensauvageot
#52 After Public Outcry, International Jury Changes The Winner For The Architecture Competition Of The New National Museum In Ecuador
Image source: Appropriate-Eye-1227
#53 Salk Institute For Biological Studies
Image source: around_here4980
#54 Catholic Diocese Of Christchurch, Nz, Reveals Design Plans For New Cathedral
Image source: Mission-Guidance4782
#55 India’s Antartica Reaserch Station
Image source: iamop24
#56 Bhogapuram Airport, India
Image source: Srinivas_Hunter
#57 Facades Of Zilart Residential Complex, Moscow, Russia
Image source: archi-mature
#58 Basilica At The Valley Of The Fallen, Spain
Image source: 52CardPUA
#59 Craigdarroch Castle – Victoria, Bc, Canada – 1887-90
Image source: motheatenblanket
#60 When Architect Ian Simpson Designed Beetham Tower In Manchester, He Moved Into The Top Floor Penthouse And Had Roughly 30 Olive Trees Installed On The 47/48th Floors
Image source: exhaggerated_imagine
#61 Biblioteca Vasconcelos By Alberto Kalach, Mexico City
Image source: TheBestHairInTheRoom
#62 The Oculus By Santiago Calatrava, World Trade Center, New York City
Image source: xxxdarkhorsexxx
#63 Tashkent Metro: One Of World’s Most Beautiful Subway System
Image source: Far_University2092
#64 St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church Looks Like A Glowing Marble Jewel Box Nestled Right Into The Heart Of Manhattan
Image source: No_Idea_479
#65 House Of Solid Stone – Designed By Malik Architecture, Rajasthan , India | 2019
Image source: No-Chapter-8374
#66 Ceilings In Uzbekistan
Image source: Miss-Kija
#67 Sainte-Chapelle In Paris
Image source: Trev_Takes_Photos
#68 Antwerpen-Centraal
Image source: Trev_Takes_Photos
#69 Ultradetailed Carved Pillars In Sri Chennakeshava Temple In Belur, Karnataka, India
Image source: FewRide926
#70 Old House In Buenos Aires
Image source: Pampa_of_Argentina
#71 Boston Public Library, Boston, MA
Image source: thePOSrambler
#72 Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum By Studio Zhu Pei In Jingdezhen, China
Image source: LifeNeedsArts
#73 This Japanese House By Suzuko Yamada Is Basically Built Around Scaffolding
Image source: Otherwise_Wrangler11
#74 The Lucas Museum Of Narrative Art, Los Angeles, CA. Mad Architects
Image source: ShiroHachiRoku
#75 Alterlaa, Vien, Austria
Image source: OdbytZniszczenia
#76 Law Library At The University Of Zurich
Image source: PlanetMooola
#77 Cowper St Social Housing, Glebe, Sydney – Completed March 2026
Image source: Rich_Presentation827
#78 Marisfrolg Fashion Campus By Architecture Van Brandenburg
Image source: n3xus1oN
#79 Helsinki Central Railway Station, Finland
Image source: Actual_Tie_2756
#80 I Saw This House In Nuremberg!
Image source: Cemcan20
#81 Average Midwestern County Courthouse In A Town Of 5,000 People
Image source: Log813
#82 New Headquarters Of The Turkish Army
Image source: Battlefleet_Sol
#83 White Brick Minimal House In Northern Iran
Image source: IRhommies
#84 The Yakisugi Cabin By Alki Architecture + Design Studio
Image source: n3xus1oN
#85 Mud Buildings In Tiébéle, Burkina Faso
Image source: chirpchirphoot
#86 Fallingwater (Bear Run, PA, Frank Lloyd Wright, Photos By Me)
Image source: pysl
#87 Vakil Metro Station,shiraz,iran
Image source: IRhommies
#88 Medieval Fortress Golubac In Serbia
Image source: mature_muscleguy
#89 Raaz Apartment In Niavaran Of Tehran,iran
Image source: IRhommies
#90 Farnsworth House In Plano, IL
Image source: Whos_Johnny
#91 Lumen Residential Building In Sa’adatabad Neighborhood Of Tehran
Image source: IRhommies
#92 Glacier Park Lodge, Built 1912–13 By The Great Northern Railway
Image source: Psy1ocke2
#93 Beautifully Crafted Carvings At The Natural History Museum In London
Image source: Panda_Player380
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