Burj Khalifa (formerly Burj Dubai) is now the world's tallest building. Inaugurated last January 4, the building's architect and engineer is Skidmore, Owings and Merrill of Chicago. The majestic tower measures 2, 717 feet and houses a hotel, residential and office units, an observatory, a mosque and covers 160 floors for a total cost of $1.5 billion. It boasts of the world's fastest elevator. Outside, it has a fountain illuminated by 6,600 lights. This fountain shoots water 490 feet into the air amidst contemporary and Arabian music.The lay-out--as the core of a lower-rise skyline--lets the Burj stand out prominently against the horizon. It is visible across dozens of miles of rolling dunes outside Dubai. From above, the spire appears as an almost solitary, slender needle.
What started out as a dream by Dave Longaberger, founder of The Longaberger Company, has been built Home Office into a giant basket to house the entire corporate offices of the company. Dave believed the idea was one of his best and would draw attention to the company, while simultaneously helping to build his brand. However, when he started spreading the idea of building a Home Office that was really a basket, he found that most people just thought that he was making a joke as Dave was a notorious practical joker. Not only did the bankers, architects and construction companies not take Dave seriously, neither did many of the employees who worked for The Longaberger Company, but Dave persevered. The dream was achieved on December 17, 1997 when the Home Office that is designed to resemble a basket finally opened for business.
The Dancing House is the nickname given to an office building in downtown Prague, Czech Republic. It was designed by Croatian-born Czech architect Vlado Milunic in cooperation with Canadian architect Frank Gehry on a vacant riverfront plot (where the previous building had been destroyed during the Bombing of Prague in 1945). The construction started in 1994 and was finished in 1996.
The very non-traditional design was controversial at the time. Czech president Vaclav Havel, who lived for decades next to the site, had supported it, hoping that the building would become a center of cultural activity. Originally named Fred and Ginger (after Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers - the house vaguely resembles a pair of dancers) the house stands out among the Neo-Baroque, Neo-Gothic and Art Nouveau buildings for which Prague is famous.
This unique piano house was built recently in An Hui Province, China. Inside of the violin is the escalator to the building. The building displays various city plans and development prospects in an effort to draw interest into the recently developed area.
Kansas City Library has one seriously cool façade. Local residents were asked to nominate influential books that represent the city, and humungous versions of the winning nominations were then used as the exterior of the library car-park.
The Robot Building, located in the Sathorn business district of Bangkok, Thailand, houses United Overseas Bank's Bangkok headquarters. It was designed for the Bank of Asia by Sumet Jumsai to reflect the computerization of banking; its architecture is a reaction against neoclassical and high-tech postmodern architecture.
The building's features, such as progressively receding walls, antennae, and eyes, contribute to its robotic appearance and to its practical function. Completed in 1986, the building is one of the last examples of modern architecture in Bangkok and has garnered international critical acclaim.
The borough of Delfshaven, Rotterdam, asked Schildersbedrijf N&F Hijnen to come up with a plan for a block of derelict buildings, which will eventually be demolished. The agreement with the neighborhood is that the block will remain blue as long as there isn't a new plan for the area.
The strange building is actually a brewery in Hamburg, Germany. The floors can move up or down on it's skinny column core. As of now, the unique building has been destroyed. One of it's more famous beer brands was recently bought by a big refreshment corporation. And that beer brand was called Astra.
Polish architect of the Crooked House, Szotynscy Zaleski, was inspired by the fairytale illustrations of Jan Marcin Szancer and the drawings of the Swedish artist and Sopot resident Per Dahlberg. The most photographed building in Poland, the 4,000 square meter house is located in Rezydent shopping center in Sopot, Poland
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