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From a broad perspective, architecture can be defined as an activity of designing and constructing buildings and other physical structures for the purpose of providing shelter. At the same time, architecture can be classified as a process of documentation, which is based on the original sketches and schematics and has the role of marking out the structure as well as the behavior of a building.

Even though these properties are still valid today, modern architecture allows the introduction of new paradigms in regards to the functionality and structure of buildings as well as a vision of the future. In this light, we can also draw the conclusion that architecture represents a quest (with or without a real purpose) for perfection and that helps form a simple instrumentality. Following are some examples of buildings across the world that fit this description.

1. The Crooked House (Poland)

Located in a residential shopping center in downtown Sopot, the Crooked House is currently considered an architectural marvel. The idea behind the structure comprises of a rich imagination of a children’s book designer (J.M. Szancer) and Swedish painter (Per Dahlberg). A fascinating element about this structure consists of the fact that it includes very few straight lines situated somewhere in the middle of the building. Essentially, the Crooked House gives the impression of a melting building or a structure sagged out of exhaustion.

2. The UFO houses (Taiwan)

The UFO houses also dubbed as the Sanzhi pod houses were built in 1978 and were intended to serve as a vacation resort for US military officers in the Northern Coast of Taiwan. Even though they are currently abandoned and were demolished in 2010, they are still remembered for their unusual flying saucer-like shape. A strange thing regarding these wacky structures is that numerous deaths and car accidents occurred during the construction, a fact that scared tourists away and earned the UFO buildings the title of Ruins of the Future.

3. The Hundertwasser Building (Germany)

Commonly known as the Forest Spiral, this incredible structure is the masterpiece of the famous Austrian architect F. Hundertwasser. The building includes all the elements the Austrian architect is renowned for. To summarize, the Hundertwasser edifice is essentially a vast array of organic forms, shapes and structures all combined to create an extravagantly irregular pattern that leaves the impression it is alive.

4. Mind House (Spain)

The Mind House in Barcelona is perhaps one of the most famous creations of world renowned Catalan architect, Antoni Gaudi. The construction as well as the Park Guell it guards have an interesting story: while they were initially commissioned for the building of a residential area for rich people, it turned out that its location was simply too far away from the center of Barcelona and too close for those who wanted to live outside the city. Therefore, the owner sold the area with all the structures to the Catalan authorities who opened them to the public.

5. Dancing Building (Czech Republic)

The Dancing Building in Prague embodies a daring statement of the Neo Renaissance style, a trend that became very popular at the beginning of the 19th century. There is no denial that the Dancing House itself is quite an attention grabber. However, it is necessary to mention the fact that the contrast to the next door building is what creates a string impact on anyone who sees the structure. While the building next to it looks rather normal and monotonous, the Dancing Building is its vivid, moving counterpart.

People travel the world over to see beautiful places and great monuments. They love watching the wonders of architecture that are scattered all over the world. Be it the Taj Mahal in India, the great Pyramids of Egypt or the Eiffel Tower in Paris; each of these monuments have great architectural stories to tell. But do you think the science of architecture that can create some of the most beautiful monuments in the world, can also create some of the world’s worst architectural disasters? Given below are the top 10 worst architectural disasters of the world.

1. The Lotus Riverside Complex, Shanghai:

This complex is made up of many buildings. In 2009 one of the blocks of this complex was crushed to dust. Poor constructions and no proper planning were considered as some of the factors that led to the fall. The construction of this block had just been rounded up and many of the flats were already sold. Naturally many of the tenants demanded their money back. Many officials were also detained and brought up for questioning regarding the fall of the building.

2. Chelsea Waterside Park, New York City:

This Park was renovated in the year 2000. After renovation the people were astonished to find some crazy or phallic shapes and structures used in creating the water park. This was objected and many people have asked for the park to be remodeled. Although the park might not favor the tastes of parents, children love it.

3. Experience Music Project- Seattle:

This piece of architecture was founded by the co – founder of Microsoft, Paul Allen. The structure was created using pictures of Stratocasters and guitar bodies. It was designed by the famous Frank Gehry who had also designed buildings like the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. But this construction received mixed reviews and was not appreciated much by the Seattle public. Forbes magazine even called it one of the world’s 10 ugliest buildings.

4. The Dubai Aquarium:

This aquarium is located in the Dubai Mall. It is home to almost 33000 fishes that also include sharks and stingrays. It is the largest suspended aquarium in the world. But despite everything in the year 2010, there was a leak found in the aquarium. Shops had to close down and people were evacuated. Six divers worked throughout the day to stop the leak. Although it reopened again after a day, the incident did leave a black spot on the beautiful city of Dubai.

5. The Millenium Dome, London:

This dome is built on the Greenwich Peninsula in South East London. It was built to mark the beginning of the new century. It took 1.25 billion dollars to create this dome. However it was not very successful in attracting the tourists to it, looking at all the hype that had been created. In fact the response was so bad that the dome had to be shut within a span of one year. In the year 2007 it was reopened and now is used for the purpose of hosting entertainment events only.

Now-a-days buildings are not known only for their aesthetics and strength but also the security it provides its inhabitants. When one hears about bombings, hijacks, robberies; it is important that the building offers maximum protection. Here are 10 buildings which will make you feel that the world is a better place to be in!

1. Pentagon, Washington

Headquarters of the US Department of Defense, the ‘Pentagon’ is considered as the one of the highly secured buildings in the world. The security of the 280 acre building is under the Pentagon Force Protection Agency which comprises federal police officers, Untied States Pentagon Police, expert technicians and anti-terrorism investigative and security personnel. The security is very tight with various identification and references required to enter the building. The Defense for Public Affairs department conducts tours giving insight into this industry.

2. Jewel House, Tower of London

The Jewel House in the Tower of London houses priceless treasures of England’s past and present rulers. Its collection includes crowns and scepters of Queen Victoria, Elizabeth etc. A Major General controls the security of the Jewel House. A dedicated control room provides constant monitoring of the Jewel House, while additional £4.5 million has been spent on fire safety and security. The jewels are encased in 2-inch thick shatter-proof glass and there is constant security provided by the Tower Guard and the Yeoman Warders and is regarded as one of the most secure buildings in the world.

3. AT&T Long Lines Building, New York

This 167.95 m building has been built with the sole purpose to protect its sensitive and expensive telephone equipment. It is ‘windowless’ and its exterior walls are constructed of granite-faced precast concrete panels. This brutalist style of architecture was utilized so that it’s self-sufficient and protected from nuclear fallout for up to two weeks after a nuclear blast.

4. Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels, Los Angeles

A literal case in point is the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels, which is constructed using the base isolation tool in earthquake engineering, which is one of the most powerful and cost-effective technologies till date. This Church can house 3,000 worshippers at a time thus protecting them against any earthquake threats.

5. Empire State Building, New York

The Empire State building is an office building which proves to be very safe for its inhabitants. This 102 storied building is the 15^th tallest building in the world is built in a steel frame and is clad in Indiana limestone and granite. It has been constructed to withstand high intensity winds and earthquakes to make it safer for the 21,000 employees that work in the building. Strict security measures are enforced for the safety of all the people in the building. Security checks are a must, while visitors can only enter with a valid ticket, every visitor must pass walk-through scanners.

All 10 of these sky-scrapers are magnificent in terms of design, height and architecture. While some were built over 90 years go, others opened only recently.

1. Burj Kalifa

The Burj Kalifa is the tallest sky scraper in the world and is found in Dubai. The construction started in 2004 and ended in 2009. The building stands at an awe-inspiring height of 2,717 feet.

2. Empire State Building

This building was considered to be the tallest in the world at one point. It was built in 1931 and stands at 1250 feet. Unlike most buildings, this magnificent sky scraper took a little less than 2 years to build. It goes without saying that the Empire State Building is the pride of those who reside in New York City.

3. Petronas Tower

This sky scraper is found in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and stands at 1483 feet. It was built in 1998 and is said to be a symbol of Asia’s power and aspirations. The infrastructure and architecture is breath-taking and can be seen in popular Hollywood films like “Entrapment”.

4. Woolworth Building

The Woolworth Building is found in New York City and was built in 1913. An interesting fact is that Woolworth financed the construction of this sky scraper only with cash. It stands 792 feet tall and will undoubtedly mesmerize you every time you lay your eyes on it.

5. Sears Tower

The Sears Tower stands at 1454 feet in Chicago and was built in 1974. After selling 9 billion dollars worth of merchandise, Sears decided to shift all operations under a single roof in Chicago. The Sears Tower is the tallest of its kind in North America and one can clearly see at least four states if one stands on the terrace of this building.