From office blocks shaped like elephants to towering double helixes, architects are going to ever more extreme lengths to make their buildings stand out from the crowd.
Drawing on innovative technologies and boundless imagination, some of these buildings defy architectural conventions. And while they may serve a variety of purposes from luxury hotels to out-of-this-world office spaces, all these buildings share one thing in common: they’re liable to leave you speechless with their soaring ingenuity.
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Since its opening in January 2010, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa has – remarkably – retained its crown as the world’s tallest building at 163 floors and a height of 2,717 feet (828m).
An observation deck is situated on the 124th floor but for a true sense of the scale of Dubai's cityscape, you need to take a bird's eye view.
The innovative skyscraper rises from a flat base to a spire and employs a ‘sky-sourced’ ventilation system, drawing cooler air in through the top of the building
It is designed in a three-lobed shape inspired by the local Hymenocallis flower, which minimises wind forces through its Y-shaped plan. A hexagonal central core, supported by wings and surrounded by concrete columns, ascends in a spiral pattern as the tower grows taller.
At the top of the tower, the uppermost spire was assembled inside the building and raised into position by a hydraulic pump. Supported by a robust concrete mat and piles, the tower includes a sizable podium and a huge basement spanning 2 million square feet (186k sqm).
Its mirrored exterior uses aluminium, stainless steel and around 28,000 hand-cut glass panels to stunning effect.
One of the most recognisable buildings in Osaka, the Umeda Sky Building by Japanese architect Hiroshi Hara, who passed away in January 2025 aged 88, is every little kid's building block dream made into reality.
Completed back in 1993, it consists of two towers bridged at the top by a ring-shaped observation deck.
Up in the rooftop observatory, an escalator crosses the wide space between the two towers, offering incredible panoramas of the city below. A popular spot for families, the structure also contains gardens, restaurants and a cinema.
The building was originally conceived as part of the 1988 “City of Air” project and was originally intended to have four interconnected towers until a downturn in the Japanese economy forced a scaled-back design featuring these two towers formed from a reinforced concrete base.
Later, a set of hydraulic elevators was used to raise the sky deck which would house the tower’s most popular attraction, the Floating Garden Observatory.
Maybe the biggest surprise of all? Below the building, there is an underground food hall modelled on early 20th-century Showa-period Japan with cobblestone streets, tiled roofs and traditional latticed doors.
An earlier example of stacked structures, the Norddeutsche Landesbank headquarters in Hanover was designed by the father-son duo behind Behnisch Architekten in 2002.
The 230-foot (70m) structure comprises a series of blocks, arranged at angles to each other to create a staggered silhouette.
The building's projecting parts are covered with a light coat of steel cables and glass, creating a stretched flexible structure capable of resisting tensile stress, a technique commonly used in suspended roofs.
Behnisch's design, often associated with deconstructivism, features angular volumes and discontinuous forms, deviating from traditional geometric structures, resulting in a dynamic and distinct building that breaks away from the city's uniform skyline.
Featuring large swathes of glass, the bank headquarters accommodates 1,500 employees along with an array of shops, galleries and restaurants within the public space on the ground floor.
Perhaps its most impressive features though are the three 'lakes' in the middle of the inner courtyard, which help heat, ventilate and air-condition the building.
Situated in Bangkok’s business district, what became known as the robot building serves as United Overseas Bank's Bangkok headquarters. Completed in 1986, the evocative design by architect Sumet Jumsai was inspired by his son's robot toys.
It came as a strike against neo-classical architecture and bland modern design and explored Jumsai's fascination with the relationship between man and machine.
No doubt due to its cute 'face', it became a beloved landmark and was selected by the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, as one of the 50 seminal buildings of the century.
To the dismay of fans worldwide, the 40-year-old building is undergoing renovations to modernise it for the 21st century. According to UOB, the aim is to reduce energy consumption through the "thoughtful incorporation of an all-glazed exterior".
Reports show it has already been stripped back to its concrete bones despite an outcry from the Thai branch of Docomomo International, a non-profit architectural preservation group with a special interest in saving modern buildings.
In an open letter, the conservation group's president Pongkwan Lassus emphasised the Robot Building's significance as a historical marker and described it as "a very important reference in Thailand and for the world."
While this expansive mansion might not draw too much attention if it were set at ground level, perched as it is on top of a skyscraper a staggering 400 feet (122m) above the ground, this residence has made headlines around the world.
The home, seen here in a video by Bengalureans, was built by architecture firm Prestige Groups for Indian businessman Vijay Mallya, known as the ‘King of Good Times’ because of his lavish lifestyle.
The 40,000 square-foot (3,716 sqm) mansion seems impossibly situated atop the 34-storey Kingfisher Towers with its 360-degree views of UB City below.
Mallya’s mansion is said to have been modelled after the White House in Washington DC, and features an infinity pool, a helipad and lush gardens.
Yet reports suggest the billionaire may never get to live the high life in the mansion after he defaulted on debts of more than $1 billion (£804m) in 2016 and fled to Britain.
Opened to the public back in March of 2020, 30 Hudson Yards is a skyscraper like no other. It dominates the Big Apple skyline with a floating observation deck situated on the 100th floor, which is one of the world's highest outdoor decks.
Known as The Edge, it's the perfect place from which to take in the surrounding neighbourhood of Hell’s Kitchen, and indeed the rest of Manhattan below.
With a glass floor and walls and a free-standing staircase connecting it to the 101st storey, the deck gives visitors the sensation of floating high above the city.
At 1,131 feet (345m) above ground level, the experience is certainly not for the faint of heart, but it gives visitors an unparalleled opportunity to see New York from a bird’s eye view.
This collection of government-owned skyscraper hotels in Mecca, Saudi Arabia consists of seven buildings collectively known as the Towers of the Clock or The Clock Towers.
The central tower, known as the Makkah Clock Royal Tower, measures 1,972 feet (601m) and is the fourth-tallest building and the tallest clock tower in the world. The four gilded clock faces have a diameter of 141 feet (43m) making it five times bigger than London’s Big Ben.
The towers were completed in 2011 as part of the King Abdulaziz Endowment Project, which aims to modernise the city of Mecca, making it more accessible to pilgrims.
The buildings were therefore strategically constructed less than a thousand feet from the Great Mosque of Mecca, the world’s largest Mosque and the most sacred location in the Islamic faith.
It is estimated to have cost nearly $12 billion (£10bn) to build, a massive investment in the city’s future as a place of religious pilgrimage.
Designed by MZ Architects, Arabia’s first circular building is situated on an elevated man-made peninsula in Al Raha Beach, Abu Dhabi and boasts spectacular views of both the surrounding city and sea.
Known as the Coin Building it comprises two circular convex-shaped facades linked by a narrow band of indented glazing, it rises 23 storeys and 362 feet in height, imposing an impressive if unusual profile on the city skyline.
It won Best Futuristic Design at the 2008 Building Exchange Conference.
Any building in the desert needs to have the environment in mind, and AlDar HQ is considered to be one of Abu Dabi’s first environmentally friendly buildings. It incorporates some eco-friendly features, including a district cooling plant, efficient lighting and water systems and plenty of recyclable materials.
The round shape and curved sides also allow it to stand up to high winds and desert storms, and the exterior is covered in LED lights which create mesmerising displays after dark.
Having cost just under $6 billion (neary £5bn) to build, Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands hotel was dubbed the most expensive stand-alone casino in the world when it opened its doors in 2010.
The resort is formed from three towers with a curved top deck spanning the space between, encompassing a 2,561-room hotel, a 1,300,000-square-foot convention-exhibition centre (396,240 sqm), a mall, a museum and a theatre.
The huge entertainment complex also has seven restaurants run by celebrity chefs, two floating crystal pavilions, art-science exhibits, and the world's largest atrium casino with 500 tables and 1,600 slot machines.
The towers are topped by a 1,120-foot (341m) skyway known as Sands Park. As if in an attempt to break as many records as possible, the park includes a 490-foot (149m) swimming pool set on the world’s largest cantilevered platform, which overhangs the rest of the building by a stomach-churning 218 feet (66m), and lets swimmers feel that they’re paddling off into the sky.
The building itself is owned by Las Vegas Sands, the American casino corporation, with permission from Singapore authorities, and is a massive tourist draw.
While it may look like an import from outer space, this unusual building is the Ryugyong Hotel, an unfinished skyscraper in Pyongyang, North Korea.
The project began construction in 1987 but it was halted due to the onset of the country’s economic crisis in 1992 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
At 1,080 feet (329m) tall, the building is the tallest in North Korea, and the most prominent focal point on Pyongyang’s skyline, but while its exterior was completed in 2011, it has never been opened to the public.
One of the tallest unoccupied buildings in the world, the skyscraper is comprised of three wings which convene into a pyramid-like structure. The tower was originally designed for mixed-use development, which would include a luxury hotel, as well as apartments, business offices, and five restaurants.
One of these was to have been housed in the building’s pinnacle, a truncated, eight-storey cone which was designed to rotate, giving diners a 360-degree revolving view of the city below.
The building's facade, fitted with LEDs on one side, has been used to show propaganda signage, but reports suggest dictator Kim Jong Un has bigger plans, and is offering investors the rights to open a Vegas-style casino at the venue in exchange for finishing the abandoned project.
Another whimsical structure from Bangkok’s business district, the Chang Building, or the Elephant Building as it is more affectionately known, is one of the most iconic and celebrated structures in the city.
Comprised of 32 floors and reaching 335 feet (102m) in height, the building is not quite as lofty as some of the other skyscrapers we’ve seen but is no less worthy of its ‘elephantine’ status as a local landmark.
The elephant is a significant and revered animal in Thai culture, symbolising strength, wisdom and good luck.
Completed in 1997, the cubist building design was a collaboration between Dr Arun Chaisaree and influential Thai architect Ong-ard Satrabhandhu.
It is comprised of three separate towers – two of which are office space and the third of which is residential – and is topped off by another level of residential suites.
Other amenities include a post office, garage, shopping plaza, bank, and recreation grounds including a swimming pool and gardens.
Spiralling skywards like a double helix, the F&F Tower in Panama City features one of the highest architectural ‘twists’ in the world, rotating 5.9 degrees and rising 760 feet (231m) above the ground.
Each of the 52 storeys has its own distinctive rotation and boasts four separate balconies, one on each side of the floor.
Originally known as the Revolution Tower, it was originally engineered along the principles of rotating geometry and prisms by Pinzon Lozano & Asociados Arquitectos.
The tower, which serves as office space and is situated in the banking district of Panama’s capital city, was completed in 2011 with a construction budget of just $50 million (nearly £41m).
Sticking out like a bright red sore thumb on the skyline of Barcelona, there’s no missing the 360-foot-high (110m) Porta Fira Hotel, located in a suburb between the airport and the city.
Designed by Japanese architect Toyo Ito and b720 Arquitectos, the hotel is contained in a distorted cylinder, expanding towards the top and clad in red metal panels. Its unique appearance helped put this area on the map when it was completed in 2020.
Standing alongside a rectangular office building with a glass curtain wall and red motif running through its centre, the two buildings are linked by a common atrium, and won the Emporis Skyscraper Award for architectural excellence in 2010.
“It is a joy to do this project in Barcelona, the city of Antonì Gaudì,” Toyo Ito told Design Boom. “I have rediscovered the figure of Gaudì, with its organic forms, because they still reflect a liveliness in architecture.” Prices start at €108 ($110/£90) per night.
The so-called ‘Ring of Life’ near Fushun in China stands 515 feet (157m) tall and cost almost $16 million (£13.3m) to build, according to Atlas Obscura.
Constructed from 3,000 tonnes of steel, the structure is embedded with 12,000 LED lights, which allow the ring to be lit up at night in various colours.
The original design incorporated a bungee jumping platform at the top, but it was deemed too high, but there is an observation deck which is accessible by a series of four elevators.
The building was conceived when local authorities wanted to create a landmark to attract visitors to the new town of Shenfu New Town in the north east of China.
Entertainment designer Gary Goddard, who is famous for designing theme parks in the US and around the world, was brought in to develop a section of the new city, including the lakeside Ring of Life, which dwarfs nearby office blocks, and has been compared to the Gateway Arch in St Louis, Missouri.
Located in the French capital’s La Défense business district, La Grande Arche has been described as a modern take on the iconic Arc de Triomphe on the Champs-Élysées.
Designed by Otto van Spreckelsen and Paul Andreu, the cuboid monument is 360 feet (110m) tall, by 360 feet wide, by 367 feet (112m) deep, and could hold Notre-Dame Cathedral within its void. Its concrete frame was originally covered white Carrara marble from Italy, now replaced with glass and granite.
The brainchild of the newly-elected President Mitterand, who wanted to create a new national monument to mark the bicentenary of the French Revolution in 1989, the building was, like the Eiffel Tower, controversial at the time.
Critics of the French leader suggested it was a vanity project, but in time, along with the Louvre Pyramid and the Bastille Opera House, the Grand Arche has become a much loved landmark on the Parisian landscape.
Sadly, its famous roof with its views and events closed to the public for the final time in 2023 due to its high operational costs, say reports.
Soaring into the clouds like a rocket taking off into the sky, Toronto’s CN Tower dwarfs the city below.
At 1,815 feet (553m) high, the celebrated national monument was the tallest free-standing structure in the world until it was surpassed by the Burj Khalifa in 2007.
It remains the tallest free-standing structure in the western hemisphere however, and even featured on the cover of Drake’s 2016 album Views from the 6, where the singer is seemingly pictured at the top of the tower with his feet dangling over the edge. Photoshop is said to have been involved.
Completed in 1976 to be a telecommunications tower to help with the construction boom of the 1960s, says news site CBC, today it’s also one of the city's major tourist attractions, boasting a gravity-defying glass floor and the famous EdgeWalk, which allows daredevil visitors the chance of walking hands free along the tower’s five-foot-wide ledge.
More unusually, it holds the record for the world’s tallest metal staircase. It takes 2,579 steps to reach the SkyPod level and on average climbers take about half an hour to complete the climb, although it has been done in seven minutes and 52 seconds. Oh, and it also reportedly bears on average 75 strikes of lightning a year!
Although pretty much in keeping with its fellow tall buildings on the Melbourne skyline, it’s the cantilevered golden ‘Starburst’ which stands out on the 100-storey skyscraper Australia 108.
At 1046 feet (319m), it’s the tallest building in Melbourne and second tallest in Australia, yet height clearly isn’t its only distinguishing feature.
Designed by Architecture Studio Fender Katsalidis and completed in 2020, a large gold-coloured star protrudes six metres outwards from the building about two thirds of the way up and is said to pay homage to the Commonwealth Star on the Australian flag.
“The dramatic cantilevered forms of the Starburst allow us to achieve a generosity of communal spaces to these levels, despite being constrained by a relatively small site,” director Craig Baudin, told dezeen Magazine.
The so-called 'Star Club' hosts a range of amenties for residents of the apartment block including two infinity pools, lounges and a vertical garden, says New Atlas.
At first glance a giant perfume bottle hovering above the bustling Napoles neighbourhood in Mexico City, the World Trade Center is not your usual high-rise commercial building.
Originally conceived in 1966 as the Hotel de Mexico, the glossy blue building, which was finally completed in 1972, never really operated as a successful hotel.
By the mid-80s, it was on course to become a business centre before the government stepped in and stomped up the cash to transform it into the World Trade Center in 1992.
Today, the 634-foot (193m) building is primarily a giant conference and convention centre and cultural hotspot, welcoming over 2.5 million people every year.
The complex also includes a three-level shopping complex, movie theatres and several residential towers, while the distinctive cap of the perfume bottle, houses the Mirador 360, also known as Bellini, which is the largest revolving restaurant in the world, according to the official guide to Mexico City. Above this is the transmissions antenna and spiral tower.
While not yet in existence, these renders for the proposed Sarcostyle Tower from Hayri Atak Architectural Design Studio are pretty breathtaking.
The project has been pitched as a new build for New York City, and its rounded, slightly amorphous shape – reportedly inspired by biological concepts such as cell structure – would certainly make a striking change to the NYC skyline.
The sinuous skyscraper appears to twist in on itself creating a uniquely permeable structure and the proposed specs for the project suggest it would offer 269,000 square feet of space, which could be used for either residential or commercial purposes.
However, while the designs for the Sarcostyle Tower were released in 2021, no plans are yet in place for its construction. Watch this space!
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