The Top 50 Architectural Achievements of the Modern World

The tallest this, the longest that, the most steel ever used, the glass house...Check out the sickest stuff humans have built since we stopped eating raw meat for dinner.

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Image via Complex Original
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The "Modern World" has brought us awesome stuff, from hot water to Internet in the air to fake body parts on ladies of the night. It has also enabled architects to build structures that have defined our existence, allowing us to live close to each other, get to places faster, and to look up in awe at impossible-seeming buildings. Today we look at the greatest things human beings have built since we figured out how to put wood, steel, and a bunch of other stuff together and call it a house. Take the time to check this feature out by clicking on the arrows and thumbnails above, there is plenty of cocktail hour fodder for you here.

#50. United States Capitol

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#49. Wainwright Building

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#48. Bergisel Ski Jump

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#47. Monticello

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#46. The Queen's House

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#45. Petronas Towers

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#44. Villa Farnese

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#43. Marshall Fields Warehouse Store

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#42. Symphony Hall

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#41. Burj Khalifa

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#40. Brooklyn Bridge

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#39. Golden Gate Bridge

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#38. Akashi Kaikyô Bridge

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#37. Michigan Stadium

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The big house was big when first completed in 1927, and in 2010, added seats brought capacity up to 113,000...yeah, crazy. The opening game of the season against the University of Connecticut realized an attendance of 113,090, the largest crowd ever assembled at a football game.

#36. Gateway Arch

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#35. The Milwaukee Art Museum

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#34. Tower of Pisa

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#33. Flatiron Building

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#32. Villa Rotunda

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#31. Channel Tunnel

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#30. Olympic Stadium (The Bird's Nest)

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#29. PSFS Building

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#28. Hotel Remota

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#27. AEG Turbine Factory

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#26. Glas Pavilion

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#25. Glass House

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#24. Lake Shore Drive Apts

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#23. Centre Pompidou

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#22. Vanna Venturi House

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#21. Getty Center

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#20. Guggenheim Bilbao

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#19. Cathedral Brasilia

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#18. Takatori Catholic Church

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#17. Sydney Opera House

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#16. Astrodome

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The world's first domed sports stadium, and the location of some of the most amazing jerseys in baseball history. The place the Bad News Bears played an exhibition game. The eighth wonder of the world.

#15. St. Paul's Cathedral

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#14. 30 St Mary Ave

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Foster's "Gherkin" battles St. Paul's for eyes in London's skyline. The complex facade allows for air to enter for passive cooling, the achievement that ranks it so high on the list.

#13. Eiffel Tower

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Originally the entrance to the Paris World's Fair of 1889, the Eiffel Tower has become a global icon and one of the few buildings people associate with romance. Fun fact: the observation deck allows for great views of a nearby football pitch.

#12. Bibliotheque Nationale

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Hidden inside a heavy exterior, the reading room of the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris is a monument to Henri Labrouste's inventive use of cast iron. Using slender columns, Labrouste offered a heaven for library patrons, his modern approach both daring and instantly recongnizable.

#11. The Palm Jumeirah

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Is this architecture? Is it mere fancy? Who in their right mind would build a livable palm-shaped series of islands? There is a good chance you can see it from space. And there is a good chance that is enough for us to pronounce The Palm Jumerirah a totally awesome achievement of the modern world.

#10. Residence Antilla

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#9. Bank of America Tower

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#8. Duomo

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#7. Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban

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#6. Falling Water

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#5. Villa Savoye

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#4. Guthrie Theater

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#3. Pentagon

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#2. Chrysler Building

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#1. Sagrada Família

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