10 architectural wonders of the modern world: Dynamic tower in Dubai, Burj Al Arab In Dubai, Petronas Towers, Sydney Opera House, National Stadium in China, Taipei building, 30 st. Mary Axe, Central Television Building, China, Millennium Dome, CITIC Plaza.

1. By Kenny
Slaught
10 ARCHITECTURAL
WONDERS OF THE
MODERN WORLD

2. 1. Dynamic tower in Dubai
This tower of buildings was built in Dubai
and its main attractive is the fact that it
can physically turn around completely. It
will produce its own energy and each
apartment will be independent to move in
relation to the rest of the building.
2. Burj Al Arab In Dubai
It is the second tallest hotel in the world,
built on top of an artificial island and it is
located about 217 meters away from the
beach. It is connected to a road, and if
we're talking about islands it includes the
renowned artificial islands Palm Island
and The World. It also includes the mega
project of the Burj Tower in Dubai.
Image courtesy of Daniel Mgbor at Flickr.com
10 ARCHITECTURAL WONDERS OF THE
MODERN WORLD

3. 3. Petronas Towers
The Petronas Towers are located in
Kuala Lumpur -the capital of
Malaysia- and they were the tallest
buildings in the world between 1998
and 2003. They were topped in
October 17th 2003 by the Taipei 101
building in Taiwan. It is currently the
fifth tallest building in the world (the
tallest one being the Burj Khalifa)
and they are the world's tallest twin
towers. These towers are 452 meters
tall. The 88-story towers with
concrete floors and a facade of steel
and glass have turned into symbols
of Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia.
Image courtesy of anacrisan at Flickr.com
10 ARCHITECTURAL WONDERS OF THE
MODERN WORLD

4. Even though it was built in 1973, the Sydney Opera House still retains its avant -
garde charm and, without a doubt, it is an emblem of this beautiful Australian
city. In fact, 90% of the tourists that travel to Sydney visit the place, whether
they attend a performance or not. It is known as one of the architectural
wonders of the modern world.
Image courtesy of motiqua at Flickr.com
10 ARCHITECTURAL WONDERS OF THE
MODERN WORLD
4. Sydney Opera House
This, arguably the most flashy
artistic center in the world, was
designed by Danish architect Jorn
Utzon, who had to modify the design
of the roof. The 18.000 square
meter building cost 102 million
dollars and it was built in 14 years.
The first performance there took
place in 1973. The roofs are made
out of 2.194 sections of previously
modeled concrete, each one
weighing 15 tons, bound together
with thousands of cables and
covered with 1.056.000 roof tiles.

5. 5. National Stadium in China
The design of the industrial fabric of the Chinese National
Stadium captivated the whole world during the 2008 Olympics.
Nicknamed “Bird’s Nest”, this great and impressive structure
took five years to be built from the beginning to the grand
opening. The design’s details were inspired in the intricate style
of Chinese ceramics.
6. Taipei building
The Taipei building is located in the city of Taipei, in Taiwan. It
is considered the third largest skyscraper in the world, with 509
meters of altitude. It is 59 Meters taller than the Petronas
Towers in Kuala Lumpur. It’s known as “Taipei 101” because it
has 101 storeys and it can withstand earthquakes of up to 7
degrees on the Richter scale. It weighs 700.000 tons. Its
construction began in 1997 and it was finished in 2004.
10 ARCHITECTURAL WONDERS OF THE
MODERN WORLD

6. 7. 30 st. Mary Axe
30 st. Mary Axe is a building in the main financial district of
London. It is also widely known as “The Gherkin”. It is 180 meters
tall, making it the second tallest building in London City after
Tower 42, and the 6th tallest one in the London Metropolitan Area.
The building was designed by Norman Foster and erected by
Skanska between 2001 and 2004.
8. Central Television Building, China
This is an interesting project because of the composition with
which the building was erected, with two slightly tilted towers of
two different heights (234 and 210 meters) that meet at the top
with two perpendicular cantilevers of 75 and 67 meters
respectively. The exterior texture is also quite peculiar because
part of the perimetral diagonal structure is visible on its facade.
The finished tower is perceived as a modern building in the horizon
of the city, showing itself from some perspectives as an imposing
arch.
10 ARCHITECTURAL WONDERS OF THE
MODERN WORLD

7. 9. Millennium Dome
It is a great building shaped as a dome in the Greenwich Peninsula,
southeast of London. It was built to serve as the home of an important
exposition to celebrate the beginning of the third millennium. This
exposition was open to the public on January 1st 2000 and it was closed
on December 31st the same year. In spite of that, the project and the
exposition itself were subject to considerable political controversy and
didn't attract the amount of visitors that was expected on its budget
planning.
10. CITIC Plaza
The CITIC Plaza is a skyscraper with 80 storeys, built in the district of
Tianhe, Guangzhou, in China. Its structural height is 391 meters including
two tall needles resembling an antenna on the top. When it was
completed in 1997, it was the tallest building in the world -outside New
York and Chicago-, as well as the tallest building in China and Asia. It is
currently the third one in China, after the Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai and
Two International Finance Centre in Hong Kong. Located in this ever -
growing district, it is part of a complex with the same name that also
consists on two residential buildings that are 38 storeys high.
10 ARCHITECTURAL WONDERS OF THE
MODERN WORLD