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“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 Foding Palace, Nanjing. One Of The Most Insane Buddhist Temples

#2 Dali Catholic Church, China

#3 Zig Zag Hotel In Himare, Albania Designed By Ja Joubert Architecture

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

#5 The Palace That Was Built In The Name Of Love, Royal Alcázar Of Seville

#6 La Tulipe In Geneva – Blooming Brutalism

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 Social Housing In French Suburbs

#8 La Porte Bleu, Marseille

#9 Meenakshi Temple, Madurai

#10 Kopeshwar Temple , Khidrapur, India

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 New York Public Library, New York City, 1911

#12 The “Cracked Open” Building Orn Denver By Mad Architects Is Based On The Biophlic Design Concept

#13 Some NYC Architecture From My Stroll Yesterday

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 Conversion Of A Ruined Church Into A Cultural Centre In Requena, Spain – Francisco Jurado And Belen Ilarri (2015)

#15 1wtc… Surreal Reflection Of The Blue Sky Behind Me

#16 Doolittle House By Kendrick Bangs Kellogg

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 Chengdu Jiaozi Park, One Of The City’s Most Design-Oriented Landscape Parks

#18 The 1960s Facade Of A Historic Building In Richmond Indiana Was Recently Removed

#19 Elastika By Zaha Hadid Architects

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 Modernized Hobbit Hole (Ncaved House, Mold Architects, Serifos Island, Greece)

#21 Contemporary Iranian Brickwork: The Enduring Legacy Of Persian Blue

#22 A Two Storey Multifunctional Building In Kutaisi, Georgia

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 The Whale (Bálna) In Budapest, Hungary – A Futuristic Glass Structure Seamlessly Fused With 19th-Century Brick Warehouses. Designed By Onl

#24 Concrete Coloums Of Stuttgart 21, The New Main Station Of Stuttgart, Germany

#25 Barbican Estate, London, UK

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 0914 Flagship Store By Tru Architects, Seoul

#27 Historian Sami Angawi’s House In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

#28 Zaha Hadid’s (Zha) 520 West 28th Street Apartments. New York City, USA. Opened 2017

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 Ceiling In Hindu Temple

#30 First Picture Of A New Metro Stationin Tehran

#31 Musée Yves Saint Laurent Marrakech (2017) By Studio Ko

#32 After 1969, The University Of Washington Turned Its Grass Landscape Into A Giant Brick Floor, Which Do You Prefer?

#33 At The Base Of The Original World Trade Center. .

#34 I Had Some Day Off: I Visit Paris Region Hoods

#35 Tao Zhu Yin Yuan By Vincent Callebaut Architects In Taipei,taiwan (2018)

#36 The Marina City Towers In Chicago, Illinois Designed By Bertrand Goldberg (1967)

#37 The Obama Presidential Center Is More Than Its Granite Tower

#38 University Of Kansas 3rd Year Class Project By Dirt Works

#39 Hochzeitsturm In Darmstadt, Germany

#40 Buildings You Hate? No. 1 Poultry By James Sterling (London, 1997)

#41 Development In Northern Greece Georges Batzios Architects

#42 Extension To The University Of Graz Library By Thomas Pucher

#43 The Only Le Corbusier House In Latin America: Casa Curutchet (La Plata, Argentina)

#44 N’arrow By Mykonos Architects

#45 La Muralla Roja, 1973 – Any Other Fans Of Spanish Modernism?

#46 Prince Mohamed Ali Palace Located In Sharia Al-Saray Area In The El-Manial District Of Southern Cairo, Egypt

#47 Visitors Are The Stars In The New Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library

#48 My Apartment Building – Chicago IL

#49 The Preservation And Integration Of The 1873 John Irwin House Into A 50-Story Skyscraper In Toronto (Before & After)

#50 The Contemporary Structures In Tbilisi, Georgia, Are Officially Slated For Demolition

#51 Thomas Heatherwick, Little Island. New York City, USA. Opened 2021

#52 After Public Outcry, International Jury Changes The Winner For The Architecture Competition Of The New National Museum In Ecuador

#53 Salk Institute For Biological Studies

#54 Catholic Diocese Of Christchurch, Nz, Reveals Design Plans For New Cathedral

#55 India’s Antartica Reaserch Station

#56 Bhogapuram Airport, India

#57 Facades Of Zilart Residential Complex, Moscow, Russia

#58 Basilica At The Valley Of The Fallen, Spain

#59 Craigdarroch Castle – Victoria, Bc, Canada – 1887-90

#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

#61 Biblioteca Vasconcelos By Alberto Kalach, Mexico City

#62 The Oculus By Santiago Calatrava, World Trade Center, New York City

#63 Tashkent Metro: One Of World’s Most Beautiful Subway System

#64 St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church Looks Like A Glowing Marble Jewel Box Nestled Right Into The Heart Of Manhattan

#65 House Of Solid Stone – Designed By Malik Architecture, Rajasthan , India | 2019

#66 Ceilings In Uzbekistan

#67 Sainte-Chapelle In Paris

#68 Antwerpen-Centraal

#69 Ultradetailed Carved Pillars In Sri Chennakeshava Temple In Belur, Karnataka, India