Some of the most influential and original innovations in architecture and building.

1. Lateral Thinking in
Architecture
Paul Sloane
@paulsloane
Erwin Wurm Attack House, Vienna - 2001

2. The Great Pyramid at Giza, Egypt – 2600 BC
One of the seven wonders of
the ancient world
Remained the largest and
tallest building in the world for
over 3800 years
Needed around 15000 people
to labour over 10 years and 5.5
million tonnes of limestone

3. The Arch – 2000 BC
First found in
Mesopotamia
First used extensively by
the Romans
Replaces tensile stress
with compressive stress

4. The Flying Buttress, France - 1150
Supports the lateral
load on the walls
Allows bigger buildings
and lighter walls with
windows
Extensively used in
Mediaeval Cathedrals

5. St Basil’s Cathedral,
Moscow - 1561
Commissioned by Ivan the
Terrible
Shaped like the flames of a
bonfire

6. The Home Insurance
Building, Chicago 1885
The world’s first
skyscraper
First building to use a
structural steel frame
Architect: William
Jenney

7. The Eiffel Tower, Paris 1889
Highest wrought iron building
Controversial at the time
Designed by Gustav Eiffel
Most visited paid monument
in the world

8. La Sagrada Familia,
Barcelona - 1883 onwards
Architect: Antoni Gaudi
Combines Gothic and Art Nouveau
styles
Incomplete, under construction

9. Fallingwater, Pennsylvania, 1939
Architect: Frank Lloyd
Wright
Cantilevered structure

10. Sydney Opera House - 1973
Expressionist design by
Jorn Utzon
Precast concrete shells
Icon of Australia

11. Lloyds Building,
London - 1986
Architect: Richard Rogers
All services placed on
the outside

12. Gateway Tower Building, Osaka - 1992
16 story office block
Highway goes
through floors 5 to 7

13. Dancing House, Prague - 1996
Architect: Vlado Milunić
Deconstructivist style
Two buildings – dynamic
and static

14. Guggenheim Museum,
Bilbao - 1997
Architect: Frank Gehry
Icon of contemporary
architecture
Monumental shapes in
titanium and glass

15. Burj al Arab, Dubai - 1999
Architect: Tom Wright
Stands on an artificial
island
High tech design
based on a Sail

16. Bird’s Nest Stadium, Beijing - 2007
Architect: Li Xinggang.
Artistic consultant: Ai
Wei Wei
Based on Chinese
ceramics design

17. Lateral Thinking in
Architecture
Paul Sloane
@paulsloane
Erwin Wurm Attack House, Vienna - 2001