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50 Times Architects Really Outdid Themselves And People Celebrated Their Works Online (New Pics)
More than 4 billion people live in urban areas globally. It’s now projected that by 2050, more than two-thirds of the world population will live in urban areas. So no wonder we pay more importance to the buildings and structures around us.
And among countless poorly executed, dysfunctional, and aesthetically nauseating architecture examples (just take a look at our previous post with architecture so bad it got shamed by people), there are some gems that landed in this list.
From vertical gardens to incredible brickwork, and anything that combines function, creativity, skill and complements the surrounding area in a beautiful way, there’s a real feast for your eyes. Scroll down through the examples of architects outdoing themselves, and upvote your favorite ones! Psst! Part 1 of this post awaits right here.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
This Vertical Garden Located In Madrid, Spain
Davis the Un-Greatest 4 years ago
It looks like when two images are spliced together, where one is a city and one is nature
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#2
Entrance Gate Of The St. Petersburg Mosque, Russia. Designed By Architect Nikolai Vasilyev
#3
Apartment Building In Turin Holds 150 Trees
When you think of architectural wonders, you think of the beautiful Sydney Opera House, the Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris (partially destroyed by a huge fire accident in 2019), The Guggenheim, New York City or La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona. These architectural icons deservedly land on t-shirts and coffee mugs that tourists bring home along with their great memories.
In many cases, however, such iconic examples that shaped modern architecture and gave new meanings to how generations of the past century saw the spaces they live and spend time in are rather rare. In reality, mass urbanization is exploding around the world, meaning that around 50% of the 7 plus billion people on this planet have moved to cities. And this number will almost certainly increase to around 80% by 2050.
#4
Matsumoto Castle, Matsumoto, Japan, Late 16th Century
#5
Eltz Castle Is Located In Wierschem, Germany And Has Been Owned And Occupied By The Same Family For Over 850 Years...
Jyri Hakola 4 years ago
And for some curious reason the head of the same family looks still as young as he looked 850 years ago ? ;)
#6
Mont Saint Michel In France
And there are many threats that come with urbanization, from pollution and uncollected waste to social inequality and greater poverty, with local governments unable to provide services for all people. Since there are so many more people living in urban areas, the housing problem is another key problem in big cities where the prices of real estate are affordable for the very small fraction of society with higher than average income.
No wonder, these days, cities are packed with utilitarian apartment slabs with unrelieved gridded façades, infill condo housing that looks as if it's been trucked in from the suburbs, and a grim precast concrete retirement home that takes up a whole block. You wish nobody had built them. Dystopian architecture has been captivating people’s imagination, making them fear a scenario where modernism went wrong. What if it already has?
#7
The 17th Century Shah Jahan Mosque In Pakistan, Notable For Its Geometric Brick Work
#8
Sumela Monastery, A Greek Orthodox Monastery Originally Established Around Ad 386 Nestled In A Steep Cliff At An Altitude Of 1200 Meters, Trabzon Province, Turkey
#9
Fort Bourtange, Netherlands
Bored Panda spoke with Lisa Yaszek, a Regents Professor of Science Fiction Studies at Georgia Tech, who said that dystopian and brutal architecture we often see in megacities captivates our imagination because it reminds us of the images of dystopian science fiction cities that we’ve seen on the big screen for a century.
“The cities featured in movies such as Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927), George Lucas’s THX-II38 (1971), Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982), and Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One (2018) all have a very distinctive look,” Lisa said.
The professor explained that such architectural dystopias have a very distinctive look. They are vertical dystopias rendered in dull, industrial-colored palettes (the colors of concrete, steel, rust, and smoke, with an occasional shot of neon); they are marked by either the total absence or total contamination of nature; and they are completely out of scale to the humans who live in them.”
#11
This Cafe In Czech Republic
#12
Arnavutköy, A Neighborhood Away From Istanbul’s Touristic Hustle
Moreover, Lisa added that “the scale of science fiction dystopias reminds us of the gap between rich and poor, with the rich literally at the top of skyscrapers while the poor huddle underground or at street level, trying not to be crushed under the weight of the dystopian city and its crumbling infrastructure,” she explained. It makes you wonder whether we already live a science fictional dream?
#13
From The Middle Kingdom
#14
Writer's Museum, Edinburgh, In The Fog
#15
This 325-Year-Old Tree Was Utilized In The Building Design When Authorities In Turkey Would Not Allow For Its Removal
#16
Buildings By Freddy Mamani In El Alto, Bolivia
#17
Spitzhäuschen, A Narrow Half-Timbered House Built In 1416 Located In Bernkastel-Kues, Germany
#18
The Burnt Farm Cottage Built With Red Brick In The 1840s, Borough Of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, Southern England
#19
The Interior Of Barcelona's Sagrada Família, Designed By Antoni Gaudí. Construction Began In 1882- And It's Still Not Finished. It's Expected To Be Completed By 2026, Just In Time For The 100th Anniversary Of Gaudí's Death
#20
Shah-I-Zinda Necropolis In Samarkand, Uzbekistan
#22
Art Nouveau Architecture Of A House Built In The 1880's In Brussels, Belgium
#23
Front Of House, Back Of House. Dubbed "The Mullet House"
#24
19th Century Victorian Gothic Cottage Framed By The Arch Of The Gatehouse At Holly Village, Highgate, North London, UK
#25
The Zip Building, Milan
#26
The Ark Of Bukhara Is A Fortress Located In Uzbekistan
#27
Egypt
#28
Capt James Taylor House, A 1892 Queen Anne Victorian In Marine City, St. Clair County, Michigan
#29
Fisherman's Bastion, Budapest, Hungary
#30
Edinburgh Castle And Its Half Moon Battery Seen From The Vennel Steps In The Old Town, Edinburgh, Scotland
#31
Ribbon Chapel In Onomichi, Japan
#32
Burg Hochosterwitz, A Castle Built On A Limestone Rock Which Was First Mentioned In A Text In 860 And Continuously Fortified Until The 16th Century. Still Owned By The Noble Khevenhüller Family After The Acquisition In 1571. Carinthia, Austria
Don Golosso 4 years ago
The two towers on the bottom left seem really surprised that they have to eat the road.
#33
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Saint Thomas 4 years ago
I was there a few weeks ago ^^ It's stunning. Many beautiful art deco buildings in that city. They were built after a major earthquake destroyed big parts of the city in 1895.
#34
Sun Rays Through The Double Lancet Windows Of Westminster Abbey, City Of Westminster, London, UK
#35
Azadi Tower, Tehran, Iran
#36
Galtaji Hindu Temple Located In Aravalli Hills In Jaipur Of India. Temple Complex Have Many Natural Freshwater Springs
#37
Children Standing In Front Of One Of The Main Doors Of Casablanca Mosque
#38
Venice, Italy
I’m A Black Cat 4 years ago
Bridge of sighs, while beautiful, has a shuddering past. The prisoners were taken over the bridge to their cells and the view from the bridge was often their last sight of daylight.
#39
Oslo Opera House Designed In 1999 By Snøhetta And Finished In 2007
#40
15th Century Castle Of Coca In Central Spain
#41
140 Meters High Ruyi Bridge In China
#42
The Waves, Vejle, Denmark
#43
Mahkama Du Pacha - Casablanca, Morocco
#44
Cubic Windows
#45
Cologne Cathedral. Masterpiece Of Gothic Architecture. Years Build : 1248 - 1880
Peter Thielen 4 years ago
The scope of that thing is unbelievable, the photo doesn't do it just...
#46
Dating Back To The 15th Century, Plaza Mayor Is A Major Public Space In The Heart Of Madrid, The Capital Of Spain
Patrick Smith 4 years ago
They weren't laid out. They are old medieval streets that evolved as the city grew and were often based on old country lanes or village streets that got consumed. Most of Europe is like this. The American grid seems odd to us
#47
The Iwan Ceiling Of Fatima Masumeh Shrine In Iran
#48
Villa Farnese, A 16th Century Pentagonal Renaissance Mansion Built On The Fortress Foundations In The Town Of Caprarola, Viterbo, Northern Lazio, Italy
#49
A Rooftop Restaurant/Cafe In Chongqing, China
Brian Brown 4 years ago
China has some really cool stuff. Such a contradiction to most news on TV...
#50
Habitat 67 In Montreal
#51
Grand Staircase Of The Second Empire Style Palais Garnier Completed In 1875, 9th Arrondissement Of Paris, France
#52
Sainte-Chapelle | Paris
Christina Cairi 4 years ago
This is where I understood what the word "breathtaking" actually meant. Visited on a cloudy day, just as I was going upstairs (the part in the picture), the clouds parted and afternoon sun streamed through those gorgeous windows.
#53
This Cabin In Sussex, England
#54
Imperial Staircase Made Of Oak Wood In Castel Savoia, A 19th Century Eclectic Style Villa Built For The Queen Consort Of The Kingdom Of Italy Margherita Of Savoy As A Holiday Home, Valle D'aosta, Northwestern Italy
#55
A Masterpiece Of Armenian Medieval Architecture, Ani Cathedral, Built 1001
#56
Victorian House In Matawan, New Jersey
#57
Inner Courtyard Surrounded By Walls Of Greenery In Plaza Athénée, A Historic Haussmann-Style Hotel That First Opened In 1913, Avenue Montaigne, 8th Arrondissement Of Paris, France
#58
Abandoned Palace In Strasbourg, France
#59
The Central Interior Of Leadenhall Market, London
#60
The Eclectic Villa Monastero On The Shores Of Lake Como, Varenna, Lombardy, Italy
#62
Schloss Clemenswerth, The 18th Century Baroque Hunting Complex With Its Central Pavilion Surrounded By Eight Smaller Lodges For Guests. Sögel, Emsland, Lower Saxony, Germany
#63
An Architecture Example From 16th Century In France
s. vitkovitsky 4 years ago
This reminds me so much of the live action version of Beauty and the Besdt.
#64
Tropical Treehouse, Bali
#65
Jeroen Van Dam, Noisy Le Grand, Paris, France
#66
Partington Point House By Richard Clements, Renovated By Mickey Muennig (1995)
#68
Tropical Island Near Berlin In Germany Build In An Old Zeppelin Hangar
#69
1920s Tudor Revival Building Housing A Department Store In The West End Of London, UK
#72
The "Winter Garden" Inside The Hôtel De La Païva, A Large 19th Century Townhouse That Has Been Used As A Gentlemen's Club For More Than A Century, Avenue Des Champs-Élysées, Paris, France
#73
Dambulla Cave Temple, Sri Lanka
#74
Entrance Hall Divided With Triple-Arched Columned Screen In Taitlands, A Recently Restored 19th-Century Greek Revival Country House Located In Stainforth, North Yorkshire, England
#75
Roseland Cottage, Built In 1846 In Woodstock, Connecticut
Veronica Connelly 4 years ago
Looks more like a Manor than a cottage...would love to own something like this..
#76
St Vitus Cathedral, Prague Czech Republic
Monique Reed 4 years ago
Absolutely stunning on the inside--every style from neo-Gothic to Art Nouveau. The window by Alphonse Mucha might be the most beautiful window in the world.
#77
Luma Arles (Frank Gehry, France, 2021)
#79
Kasteel De Haar, The Largest Castle In The Netherlands Mostly Rebuilt In The 16th Century And Restored Extensively In The 19th Century. Utrecht, Netherlands
#80
45-Story Buildings In Guiyang, China
Random Person 4 years ago
The thing that most awes/surprises/confuses me is that every level is different
#81
Castello Di Reschio In Lisciano Niccone, Italy
#82
Residence In Napa California
#83
Villa Erba, A 19th Century Villa With A Neoclassical Facade Built On The Shores Of Lake Como, Now Used As A Convention And Exhibition Space, Lombardy, Italy
#84
Hermann Weinhardt House Built In 1888 In Chicago, Il
Edda Kamphues 4 years ago
You take a person out of Germany, but you can never take Germany out of the person.
#86
Built In 1891, The Hunter House, Detroit, Michigan
#87
Xiaoshan Science And Technology City Venture Valley, Hangzhou, China
#88
Clean Line Cabin. The Duel Aspect Glazing Is Very Dialed
#89
Fontana Di Trevi, Roma
#90
Air Force Academy’s Cadet Chapel, Colorado Springs, USA
#92
The Caserta Royal Palace In Italy Is The Largest Royal Residence In The World
#93
The Great Mosque, Mosul, Iraq
#94
Grand Arcade, Leeds, UK
#95
Santuario Madonna Della Corona At Lake Garda In Italy Was Directly Built Into A Steep Rock Face
#96
Talgarth Road, London
#97
Brownstones In Park Slope, Brooklyn
s. vitkovitsky 4 years ago
Beautiful innards. The show 'Elementary' had one as the setting, and This Old House just remodelled one with the most beautiful woodwork (original) and fancy plaster ceilings. Worth watching to admire old and new craftsmanship.
#98
Fontana Pretoria, A 16th Century Monumental Fountain In The Historic Centre Of Palermo Surrounded By A 17th Century Baroque Church And A 16th Century Palace, Sicily, Southern Italy
#99
The Powell House, Built Originally As A Baptist Church Shortly After The Gold Rush And Now Restored And Converted Into Apartments, Nevada City, California
#100
Hermitage Hunting Lodge, A 18th Century Baroque Hunting Lodge Built To Host Royal Banquets During The Royal Hunts In Jægersborg Dyrehave, A Forest Park North Of Copenhagen, Denmark
#101
Marina Bay Sands Hotel - Singapore
#102
Arango Marbrisa House By John Lautner In Mexico (1973)
#103
Axel Towers, Copenhagen, Denmark
#105
Château Du Tilleul - Tilleul, Normandy, France - Constructed 1730 And Re-Styled In Neo-Renaissance By Architect Félix Ezéchiel Vallois 1860
#106
Broadbeach, Gold Coast
#107
A Closest Church In South Korea
#108
Knarvik Community Church - Norway
kybourbonpearls 4 years ago
Does this remind anyone else of the Pyramid Head in Silent Hill? Just me?
#109
One Of The Rare Examples When Soviet Brutalism Looks Good. Cooperative Union Building, Vilnius, 1979
#110
Under, Norway. A Restaurant Five And A Half Meters Below The Sea
Trond Hermansen 4 years ago
You really don't get the full picture here. You can only see the "land" end of this elongated cube that extends at an angle into the water with glass windows all around. Tis means that the diners are seated below the water level.
#112
One Central Park – Sydney, Australia
#113
George F. Winslow House, A Queen Anne Victorian Built In 1894 With An Oversized Corner Brick Chimney That Wraps Around A Window, Eau Claire, Wisconsin
#114
Pigalle Duperré, France
#116
Marienplatz Station, Munich, Germany
royal_antelope 4 years ago
does anyone really good this particularly beautiful? I live in Munich and this station honestly did not strike me as pretty even a single time.
#118
The Interior Of The Hyatt Regency, Atlanta
#119
Bonaventure Hotel (1976) By John Portman
AnnaBanana 4 years ago
Stayed here on my honeymoon, 20+ years ago. Only because Arnie once rode a horse into one of the elevators!
#120
Always Been A Big Fan Of The Late Architect Aldo Rossi. Il Palazzo Hotel In Fukuoka Japan. Completed In 1987
#121
Mcdonalds In The Art Deco Former 'United Kingdom Hotel', Clifton Hill Melbourne Australia
Edda Kamphues 4 years ago
It's actually not THAT impressive when you drive past it every day (and I do).
#122
Nakagin Capsule Tower, Tokyo, Japan By Peter Stewart
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What do you think ?
earringnut 4 years ago
I love the mix of classic and modern buildings. Usually you only get one or the other.
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Gerard Neaux 4 years ago
One of the few articles where it's totally worth clicking to see all the images, not just the top ones.
renee brack 4 years ago
Stunning and inspiring. I love my place in Australia but these castles ... omg - the art, the space - the builders have created heaven on Earth.
earringnut 4 years ago
I love the mix of classic and modern buildings. Usually you only get one or the other.
Load More Replies... Gerard Neaux 4 years ago
One of the few articles where it's totally worth clicking to see all the images, not just the top ones.
renee brack 4 years ago
Stunning and inspiring. I love my place in Australia but these castles ... omg - the art, the space - the builders have created heaven on Earth.
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