10 Unique Buildings Around the World You Need to See Before You Die

When we think of art, we often think of the end products such as music and paintings. However, art is not something special. We refer to all results related to creation as works of art, which include the ‘buildings’ we live in. Buildings can be said to be the works of art most closely related to our lives. There are a variety of architectural achievements around the world. From now on, we want to look at artistic buildings with impressive structures that can be enjoyed.

New Zealand’s Cardboard Cathedral

There is a place in New Zealand called the Cardboard Cathedral. It is a reconstruction of the New Zealand Christchurch Cathedral, damaged by an earthquake. Japanese architect Van Shigeru built it to support the hearts of the affected residents, using materials that can be easily procured locally and structurally stable so that it can be easily dismantled when the cathedral is restored. As the name suggests, it is a building made of paper, completed using cardboard tubes.

United Arab Emirates Aldar Headquarters

The headquarters of ALDAR, a real estate investment company in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, has a unique shape. The Aldar headquarters, completed in just seven months, has a giant circular shape. Its unique spherical silhouette is unparalleled in the Al Raha Beach development, where the unique building is located. The exterior is made of glass, reflecting the scenery of the Persian Gulf all year round. This 394-foot-tall office building is a significant landmark in Abu Dhabi.

Bank of America Tower in the United States

The Bank of America Tower, a skyscraper in Manhattan, New York, USA, cannot be overlooked as a unique building. This building is 1,180ft tall. The main thing kept in mind during the building design was sustainability. They maximized the efficiency of natural light by trapping heat with windows that extend from the floor to the ceiling. There is also a facility to collect rainwater for reuse throughout the structure. Thanks to this, the Bank of America Tower has been recorded as the first skyscraper to receive a Platinum energy and environmental design rating.

Netherlands Deloitte Headquarters

The headquarters of Deloitte in the Netherlands is considered a building where the country’s technology is concentrated. The Edge, the European headquarters building of the global accounting firm Deloitte, is a smart building that aims to improve the working environment and save energy. Inside the company, all desks can be shared, allowing employees to work anywhere they want. Inside the building, 28,000 sensors can track movement, light, temperature, and humidity, and they are also linked with smartphone apps, allowing users to set the lighting and temperature as they want.

Forest Green Rovers Stadium in the UK

The Forest Green Rovers of the UK is the world’s first football team to advocate vegetarianism. Zaha Hadid designed their stadium. She created a stadium that produces electricity from solar panels and collects rainwater for recycling. The field is covered with eco-friendly grass that uses no pesticides or herbicides, and most building materials are wood. She aimed to create a safe, beautiful, and recyclable stadium, a completed building.

Kansas City Public Library in the United States

In the heart of Kansas City, Missouri, USA, there is the Kansas City Public Library, which has a unique design. The Kansas City Public Library redesigned the south wall exterior of the parking lot in 2004 and created the “world’s largest books” to make it a symbol of the street. The Kansas City Hall surveyed residents to select the books to be installed on the wall, and various works were selected, from Romeo and Juliet to The Black Elk Speaks, which records the last resistance of the Indians, and the fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings.

Guangzhou Circle Building in China

There is a disc-shaped building in Guangzhou, China. It is a huge building consisting of 33 floors with a height of 452ft. It is the headquarters of the energy and chemical company Hongda Xingye Group, symbolizing the Chinese dynasty’s royal symbol. The hole in the interior has a diameter of almost 164ft. The interior space supported by two facades is stacked along the circular surface with a square volume. It was initially built to construct a landmark in Guangzhou and is being called a landmark in Guangzhou.

Museum of Contemporary Art in Brazil

Oscar Niemeyer, a representative architect of Brazil and a world-renowned architect, designed a museum in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, that resembles a UFO. This place is the Museum of Contemporary Art, a building that is considered a landmark in Niteroi. It was established to house the João Sattamini Collection, a representative collection of Brazilian contemporary art. It has since gained fame as a place where South American art can be seen at a glance.

Stone House in Portugal

On a mountain 2,625ft high in the north of Portugal, there is a house made of rock. Known as ‘Casa do Penedo,’ the man who made this place is known to be an engineer from Portugal named Rodrigues. Inspired by the rock houses famous in the animation The Flintstones at the time of the design, he built a weekend villa using rocks. Construction began in 1972 and was completed in 1974, with four large round stones serving as pillars and the house being constructed by connecting between the rocks.

Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Russia

Russia’s Saint Basil’s Cathedral, well known as the background of the game Tetris, is a beautiful building that makes you admire it just by looking at it. Initially, it was built with eight churches surrounding one central church building, and the tenth cathedral was completed on the tomb of Saint Basil, a saint revered in Russia, completing its current form. It takes the form of a flame rising upwards, a construction method that is hard to find in any country’s buildings.

By. Deok Soo Choi