The world's 25 greatest modern buildings

A buildings buff and an architect choose the most exceptional edifices from the past century

By Winnie So 27 September, 2010

Niterói Contemporary Art Museum, Rio de Janiero, Brazil, by Oscar Niemeyer, 1996

Like all of of Niemeyer’s works, this museum is sensuous in form. It is an otherworldly sight from afar, as though a flying saucer has just landed atop a cliff overlooking the ocean. The journey within is simply out of this world.

Crematorium, Berlin Germany, by Axel Schultes, 1999

bare concrete space, resembling a vault, is brought to life by the simple gesture of allowing natural light through the double height column’s capitals, giving the sense of lightness to an otherwise very heavy concrete canopy, creating a sublime space in which mourners gather.

Saint-Pierre Church, Firminy, France, by Le Corbusier, 2006

Begun in the 1960's by Le Corbusier, and suspended for over 30 years after his death, Saint-Pierre was finally completed in 2006 by his apprentice José Oubrerie. Natural light washes in through wall and ceiling cannons, bringing hues of yellow, red and green. Combined with small wall perforations that form a constellation, the lighting injects incredible emotion into the space.

Bruder Klaus Chapel, Wachendorf, Germany, by Peter Zumthor, 2007

Built by local farmers to honor their patron saint, 15th century hermit Bruder Klaus, the outer walls were made by pouring 50cm of concrete every day to create 24 layers varying in texture and color. Inside, the prayer space is formed from tree trunks arranged in a teepee-shaped structure, then slowly burnt away, leaving a concrete space impressed with the charred markings of trees.

Church of Light, Ibaraki, Japan, by Tadao Ando, 1989

A stunning architectural metaphor for a Christian chapel. The space feels Zen, the light of the cross contrasting with the weight of the concrete walls and the “emptiness” of the chapel. The light lifts our souls, turning an otherwise imposing interior into serenity.

Gare do Oriente, Lisbon, Portugal, by Santiago Calatrava, 1998

Travel moves us, and there is no more romantic a means of travel than by train. Calatrava’s Gothic-inspired architecture works its magic for this train station. The structure of this regional hub is light, airy and uplifting, making the journey more enjoyable, considering it sees 75 million passengers each year.

Yokohama International Port Terminal, Japan, by Foreign Office Architects, 2002

Beautiful here is the sense of movement and action -- which makes sense for a port -- that is summoned by the swooping lines in FOA’s design. It is as beautiful when viewed by the human passerby as from a bird’s eye.

TWA Flight Center, New York, USA, by Eero Saarinen, 1962

In this age of cookie-cutter airports, no building conjures the romance of air travel like Saarinen’s terminal. This iconic sculptural structure represents perfectly the beauty of the spirit of the time. Reinforced concrete is made to seem light and sensuous, soaring like a bird in flight.

Library of Alexandria, Egypt, by Snøhetta Architects, 2002

Set along Alexandria’s ancient harbor, this modern archives revives the city’s famed lost library. Today, it contains one of the world’s largest open reading rooms at 20,000 sqm, and is aglow with natural light filtered through north facing skylights. Its bold design, reminiscent of the rising sun, is infused with historical references, connecting past and present.

Brandenburg Technical University, Cottbus, Germany, by Herzog & de Meuron, 2005

From afar, the ICMC beckons the intellectually curious with its unfolding scroll-like form. Inside the alphabet-imprinted glass façade, though, is a high-tech knowledge center. Its vibrant staircase, with varying shades of fuschia and lime, spirals through its seven upper floors and two basement levels. Likewise, the Technicolor scheme runs throughout, bringing sleepy students to life.

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York City, USA, by Frank Lloyd Wright, 1959

As much a sculpture as a building, Wright introduced the first concrete art spiral, pushing the limits of architecture at the time and competing with the art displayed. It still provides a unique experience.

Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Bilbao, Spain, by Frank Gehry, 1977

Another Frank advances the storyline of the Guggenheims by dashing notions of what's considered architecture. Situated in what was the small Spanish town of Bilbao, the curvaceous, titanium-clad Guggenheim by Gehry changed architecture by conjuring what is now known as the “Bilbao Effect” -- when an iconic building invigorates a whole city or region.

New Museum, New York City, by SANNA, 2007

The beauty of this building lies in the strong yet simple abstraction of box structures stacked atop each other, a departure from more showman-like efforts. The façade introduces diffuse natural light into the exhibition spaces providing an elegant ambience.

Holocaust History Museum at Yad Vashem, Jerusalem, Isreal, by Moshe Safdie, 2005

A linear, triangular-shaped corridor traverses a mountaintop. Within, visitors travel through the different exhibition galleries along the path, culminating in a departure from the building's perfect triangular space, opening up to the vast view of the city beyond -- from darkness to light.

Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany, by Hans Scharoun, 1963

This building is most beautiful when heard. This concert hall layout, in which the audience surrounds the stage on all sides, has the best acoustics in the world. In 2008, a fire broke out, but fortunately the concert halls were largely unharmed.

Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Center, Nouméa, New Caledonia, by Renzo Piano, 1998

Set amidst the extraordinary scenery of New Caledonia in the South Pacific, Piano’s design was inspired by the traditional way of life and building methods of the indigenous Kanak tribe.

Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Center, New Caledonia, by Renzo Piano, 1998

National Assembly, Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, Dhaka, Bangladesh, by Louis Kahn, 1982

Planted in the plains of Bangladesh, the Jewish-American Kahn built the capitol building for this Muslim state. In an exquisite radial composition built from traditional materials and methods of the region, this massive building stands, yet also floats (from the angles it is perceived to stand on the water). At once ancient and new, Kahn’s building is timeless.

Hearst Tower, New York City, USA, by Norman Foster, 2006

The tower beautifully preserves the charm and façade of the old six-story stone building, while seamlessly integrating the sleek, new expansive 46-story tower above. The original part of the building was completed in 1928.

Hearst Tower, New York, by Norman Foster, 2006

CCTV Headquarters, Beijing, China, by Office of Metropolitan Architects, 1982

Currently under repair for fire, this ingenious skyscraper loops back onto itself. CCTV breaks free of the traditional, two-dimensional, soaring tower. A statement against the hegemonic office building form, it offers a spatial experience that encourages a collaborative flow of imagination.

CCTV Headquarters, Beijing, China, by Office of Metropolitan Architects, 2008

Villa Savoye, Poissy, France, by Le Corbusier, 1929

This is the quintessential villa of the modern movement by its master, Le Corbusier, himself. It is testament to his five points of architecture. Every piece provides a symbiosis of compositional forms and function. A beautiful machine for living.

Casa Gilardi, Tacubaya, Mexico, Luis Barragán, 1976

Its polychromatic interiors are a nod to Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye. The play of colors, light, and textures (water and concrete) create a beautiful drama that enriches the senses.

Schröder House, Utrecht, The Netherlands, by Gerrit Rietveld, 1924

A constructed, three-dimensional Neo-plastic painting, this house is tiny in scale, but has been published in many architecture books around the world. Gerrit Rietveld pioneered the idea that Neo-Plasticism (coined by Piet Mondrian to describe his paintings of primary-colored grid lines on white canvas) could be extrapolated into architectural plans and built spaces.

Barcelona Pavilion, Barcelona, Spain, by Mies van der Rohe, 1929, rebuilt 1986

Another icon of the modern movement, the Barcelona, with its straight lines, neoplastic planes, structural integrity and rigidity, shows us the amazing qualities of modern architecture with a capital 'M.'

Glass House, New Canaan, USA, by Philip Johnson, 1949

The Glass House takes the idea of open and transparent spaces that dissolve the boundaries between the exterior and interior to its most sublime realization.

Untitled Works in Concrete at Chinati, Marfa, USA, by Donald Judd, 1984

Where does sculpture stop and architecture start? These perfectly abstract and balanced concrete boxes in the middle of the West Texas desert are Donald Judd’s exploration into sculpting space with wood, metal and finally concrete. These studies paved the way for his transition into architecture.

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A compilation of history's greatest construction projects brings with it equal parts enthusiasm and exasperation. When we first began assembling this list, we were overwhelmed by the options before us.

A sumptuous palace such as Versailles is both beautiful and historic, as is the Taj Mahal or Neuschwanstein Castle. We needed to set some limiting criteria.

Arbitrary as they may seem, they allow us to tell a story of Modernism’s influence on the ways in which we experience the space around us.

Time period: Last 100 years. No building completed earlier than 1910.
Style: Modern
Definition of architecture: In its most minimal form, it provides shelter.

Be it in death, worship, travel, as a repository of knowledge, a place of work or a place of rest, these are spaces and structures that leave us nearly speechless. (Except for the words in this article.)

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Co-author: Viviano Villarreal is a 26-year-old architect currently living in Hong Kong and working with Dutch firm OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture) on the design and development of several projects in Asia.

He has collaborated on the design of Gatica House and the Ayen project with Chilean architect Felipe Assadi, the villa at the Museumlaan and Aarhus Docklands with Dutch firm SeARCH, and founded his own architectural studio, MXarchitects in 2008.

Special thanks to Pieter Morlion, Christophe Iaïchouchen, and Marcus Tschaut for allowing use of their photography for this article.

When she’s not working, playing, blogging, tweeting, facebooking or twining (she’s always looking for social enterprises to add to her Goodwill Shopping twine), Winnie works on her book, No Clue Yet, a journey through the realms of philosophy, psychology, cognitive and affective neuroscience, spirituality and whatever inspires her to ponder the question: What does it mean to be human and happy?