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World's Most Beautiful Buildings


These are the world’s most beautiful buildings? Are you kidding?
A hundred years ago, naming the world’s most beautiful buildings was easy: the Parthenon. Sure. The Taj Mahal. Absolutely. Hagia Sophia. No argument. But now, in part because the whole notion was chewed up and spit out by those troublemaking Modernists, we’re just learning to think about architecture in terms of beauty again. It’s open season.
We readily admit our choices for the world’s most beautiful buildings are questionable. They include GaudĂ­’s controversial Sagrada FamĂ­lia cathedral (arguably a top sight) in Barcelona—a building that teeters on the boundary between love and hate. We see that edge as the exact place where beauty happens. Beautiful is not the same as pretty; it’s a strong word, suggesting big emotions.

Sagrada FamĂ­lia, Barcelona


Burj Al Arab, Dubai, UAE


Institute for Sound and Vision, Hilversum, The Netherlands


The Golden Temple, Amritsar, India


National Congress Hall, Brasilia, Brazil


The Guggenheim, Bilbao, Spain


The Chrysler Building, New York City


Mont St. Michel, Normandy, France


ICMC at Brandenburg Technical University, Cottbus, Germany


Nelson-Atkins Museum’s Bloch Building, Kansas City, MO


Gresham Palace, Budapest, Hungary


Christian Dior Store, Omotesando, Tokyo


Hearst Tower, New York City


Therme Vals, Vals, Switzerland


Tiger’s Nest Monastery, Bhutan


New Norwegian Opera and Ballet, Oslo, Norway


Great Mosque, Djenne, Mali


Catherine Palace, Outside St. Petersburg, Russia


The Bauhaus, Dessau, Germany


Akron Boys and Girls Club II, Akron, AL


Wat Rong Khun, Chiang Rai, Thailand


Hand-Made School, Rudrapur, Bangladesh