50 Stunning Pictures That Encourage Us All To Admire And Respect Architects

We've all seen enough architecture and design fails to last a lifetime, it's high time we pause to appreciate some of the best examples of exemplary architecture instead.

Elana

• Published in Interesting
• August 28, 2022

As we make our way through life we are bound to see all sorts of things, good and bad. It's a lot easier to focus our energy on the bad things though, the epic failures and colossal mistakes that leave us cackling and shaking our heads.

However, for every blunder and goof that exists, so too does something breathtaking and incredible. This is most certainly a truth when it comes to the wonderful world of architecture.

Becoming an architect these days is no small task. On top of 5-7 years of your undergraduate degree pursuit, you'll be expected to acquire professional experience as an intern and likely work your way up from lower positions to more successful ones (if you're good at what you do!)

One incredible corner of Reddit is dedicated to the most incredible examples of architecture in the world and over 1.6 million Redditors flock to this subreddit to share their photos and gush over the ones other folks have shared... and it's not hard to see why! Everything shared here is worthy of praise.

Still, we've gone ahead and narrowed it down for you by selecting the 50 best and most stunning examples of exemplary architecture worthy of your praise, adoration, and obsession.

1. "Ukraine - Lviv, Staircase In The House Of Scientists"

2. "The Reading Room - Royal Portuguese Cabinet Of Reading - Rio De Janeiro, Brazil"

3. "Persian Mosque"

4. "Spellbinding Bookstore In Chengdu, Sichuan, China"

5. "Nasir-Ol-Molk Mosque, Also Known As Pink Mosque, A Traditional Shiraz Mosque, Iran"

6. "Preserved Edo Period Neighborhood In Japan"

7. "Kylemore Abbey In The Fog, Connemara, Galway, Ireland"

8. "Hans & Gretel Pancake House In Zeewolde, Netherlands"

In an interview with Bored Panda, Regents Professor of Science Fiction Studies at Georgia Tech, Lisa Yaszek explained:

“We’re fascinated by architecturally unique buildings because we live in a world where most goods are standardized and mass-produced—including the structures we inhabit.

Modern buildings depend on modular construction and prefabricated design, Western architectural trends that date back to the 1600s, when Parliament created the first modern building codes after the great fire of London in 1666 and when colonial settlers in America demanded homes built with English construction methods.”

Yaszek, who is both a researcher and a teacher, teaching "science fiction as a global language crossing centuries, continents, and cultures" also added:

“Today, modular construction based on simple geometry and industrially produced components is used to create everything from houses to public buildings for the simple reason that it is extremely cost-effective."

9. "Stained Glass Ceiling Hotel - Gran Hotel Ciudad De México, Mexico City"

10. "Les Espaces D'abraxas, France"

11. "Leuven Town Hall (1448-1469) Belgium, One Of The Best-Known Gothic Town Halls Worldwide & It Took Three Architects And Thirty Years To Build It"

12. "The Inflatable "Gaia" Installation In The 18th Century Baroque Painted Hall Of The Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, London, UK"

13. "Romanian Athenaeum, Bucharest"

14. "Hawa Mahal In Jaipur, India"

"These windows are called Jharokhas. There are 953 of them on this building." - Abinic

15. "A Beautiful House Surrounded By Rock And Trees In Hrensko"

16. "Pietragalla, Italy" Pietragalla is Italian for "The Shire."

17. "Art Nouveau Facade Of A Jewelry Store In Lille, Hauts-De-France, Northern France"

18. "Kailasa Temple In Ellora, India Made From A Single Rock"

19. "Wisteria Covered Terraced House In Argyll Road, Kensington, London, UK"

20. "Château Frontenac, Quebec City, Canada"

21. "Castillo De Colomares In Spain"

22. "Trinity College Library - Dublin, Ireland"

23. "Mvrdv's Brand New Housing Complex In Amsterdam, Netherlands"

24. "This Restaurant In Paris Looking Like A Museum"

25. "Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum - Boston"

26. "Church in the Rock" (Czech Republic)

27. "Chahar Bagh, Esfehan, Iran"

28. "A Traditional Medieval Cave House With A Courtyard Found In The Desert Of Libya"

29. "The 18th Babrican Gate Of Tollymore Forest, Mourne Mountains, Northern Ireland"

30. Lavirotte Building, designed by the French architect Jules Lavirotte and built between 1899 and 1901.

31. "Astronomical Tower In Prague, Czech Republic"

32. "Baps Akshardham Temple, Delhi, India"

33. "The Iconic San Francisco Cliff House Before It Was Destroyed In A 1907 Fire"

34. "Castillo De Colomares, Spain"

35. "Drachenburg Castle In Germany, Built In 1884"

36. "Niagara Mohawk Building Built In Art Deco Style, Syracuse, New York"

37. "Durbar Hall Of Mysore Palace, India"

Here is another, less edited photo of Mysore Palace

38. "The Fox Theater's Stage From The Main Floor"

39. "Hammam Essalihine Is A Roman Bathhouse Still In Use After 2,000 Years In Khenchela, Algeria"

40. "Opera Garnier In Paris"

"Commissioned by Napoleon III, construction took 14 years (from 1861 to 1875), representative of the Napoleon III / Neo-Baroque style, classified as Monument Historique since 1923. A competition for the best design of the Opera house was conducted in 1860. 171 architects submitted their designs.

Almost 2000 seats, making it one of the largest theatres in the world it was also the first opera house worldwide to be fully electrified. 30 different kinds of marble, from 8 different countries / 14 painters, 73 sculptors worked on its decor. It was the most expensive building of its time.

Fun facts : There is a lake under the Opera ! / On the vestibule’s ceiling, you can see Charles Garnier’s signature, and this is the first time in history that an architect puts his signature on a building. / The Palais Garnier’s stage (the largest in Europe) is vast enough to fit the Arc de Triomphe"

- Abhinic

41. "Four Seasons Resort in Bali"

42. "Spectacular Adalaj Stepwell In Ahmedabad, India"

43. "30th Street Station In Philly Is Like An Art Deco Cathedral"

44. "Brownstones In Park Slope, Brooklyn, NYC"

45. "Goethe's Lookout In The Czech Republic"

46. "Grundtvig’s Church Interior"

47. "Brownstones In Park Slope, Brooklyn, NYC"

48. "Hotel Belvédère, Switzerland"

49. Bucqshan Hotel in Khalia, Yemen

50. "Federal-Style House In The Snow, Washington, D. C"

It's impossible not to be astonished by the incredible architecture of the world, especially when we know just how bad things can be on the other hand. One social media user put it best, though:

"Looking at these I am stunned at beauty, creativity, and work that went into building them. It would be nice if we humans, as a species, would, instead of weapons, would use things like "who has the most creative buildings, whose population has their needs met, or whose country produced the most creative art" as our measuring stick for determining who is best."

- Jerry Mathers

Elana