The 25 Coolest Apartment Buildings

Home may be where the heart is, but sometimes it’s also in a cool skyscraper with a rooftop terrace.

Since ancient Rome, people have found shelter in multi-dwelling structures. Things, as you might imagine, have changed over time. Apartment complexes range in style as much as in amenity. Some are tall, others wide. Occasionally, buildings are championed for design innovation, while in other moments the cultural context and the people residing within supply all the cool. Apartment buildings, in short, tell us a lot about how we live.

Chart the course of residential history, and recent architectural development, by checking out The 25 Coolest Apartment Buildings.

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Location: Shenzhen, China

Architect: Steven Holl Architecture, 2009

Cool Fact: The sustainable building hovers over a tropical garden and appears as if it's floating over a high sea.

Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Architect: Gregorio Sanchez, Ernesto Lagos, Luis Maria de la Torre, 1936

Cool Fact: It was once considered to be the apex of early Modernism in Argentina, commissioned entirely by Corina Kavanagh using all of her inheritance.

Location: Cincinnati, Ohio

Architect: Samiel Hannaford, Thomas J. & Joseph T. Emery, 1885

Cool Fact: The building is a historic structure because it was built by Emery during the 1880s and follows the classic Queen Anne style of architecture.

Location: Mississauga, Ontario

Architect: MAD and Burka Architects, 2011

Cool Fact: It's been nicknamed the "Marilyn Monroe building" due to its curvaceous, hourglass-like figure.

Location: Groningen, Netherlands

Architect: UNStudio, 2011

Cool Fact: A key design priority was managing the southwest winds that hit the building, so that they wouldn't affect the soil, trees, or bat habitats of the immediate environment.

Location: New York, New York

Architect: Richard Meier, 2002

Cool Fact: Residents have included Nicole Kidman, Calvin Klein, and Martha Stewart.

Location: Beijing, China

Architect: Steven Holl Architects, 2009

Cool Fact: One of the largest green residential projects in the world, it contains geo-thermal wells to cool in summer and heat in winter.

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Architect: Adrian Smith, Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, 2009

Cool Fact: The building has 3 setback features to reflect the heights of the buildings around it, along with an award-winning 16th floor restaurant named Sixteen.

Location: Singapore

Architect: UNStudio, 2010

Cool Fact: Designed to be a vertical city, each unit is customized by type, scale, and interior layout, according to the resident's lifestyle preferences.

Location: Victoria, Australia

Architect: Fender Katsalidis Architects, 2006

Cool Fact: The 88th floor has a public observation deck called Eureka Skydeck 88, with a glass cube called The Edge that hangs over the tower.

Location: New York, New York

Architect: Frank Gehry, 2011

Cool Fact: It's the tallest residential tower in the Western Hemisphere, with a stainless steel wave design that reflects light to change the appearance of the building throughout the day.

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Architect: Studio Cang Architects and Loewenberg Architects, 2010

Cool Fact: The building gets its sculptural quality from varying balcony lengths up to 12 feet long, which allow for views of nearby landmarks.

Location: Copenhagen, Denmark

Architect: Bjarke Ingels, 2010

Cool Fact: The complex is a localized neighborhood in itself, yet only a 12 minute train ride downtown. It's famous for its green roofing, designed to make optimal use of daylight.

Location: New York, New York

Architect: Jacques Delamarre, 1931

Cool Fact: Marc Jacobs lived here with his grandmother in the 80s, and Conan O'Brien lived here until 2010.

Location: New York, New York

Architect: Hubert, Pirsson & Company, 1883

Cool Fact: Residents have included Bob Dylan, Charles Bukowski, Janis Joplin, Leonard Cohen, Patti Smith, and Iggy Pop.

Location: Beach Road, Singapore

Architect: UNStudio, 2006

Cool Fact: The building was designed using cutting edge sustainable technologies, with 22 levels of residences above a central hotel.

Location: New York, NY

Architect: Ben van Berkel of UNStudio, 2007

Cool Fact: The building is wrapped in black metal bands that act as both balconies and sunshades for tenant privacy.

Location: Central Park West, New York

Architect: Emory Roth, 1929

Cool Fact: Apartment owners have included Alec Baldwin, Moby, Michael J. Fox, and founder of Barneys New York, Barney Pressman.

Location: Hong Kong, China

Architect: Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong Ltd., 2006

Cool Fact: It's the third tallest residential building in Hong Kong and has four towers that join to form "the arch": the Sun Tower, Star Tower, Moon Tower, and Sky Tower.

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Architect: Solomon, Cordwell, Buenz, 2009

Cool Fact: The building's narrow design affords views of Lake Michigan and Millenium Park from each residence.

Location: Hollywood, California

Architect: Cramer & Wise, 1929

Cool Fact: Despite aesthetic differences, the Hollywood Tower is said to have inspired the Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror rides at Disney Parks around the world.

Location: Suwon, Korea

Architect: UNStudio. 2008

Cool Fact: This unique building is divided into 6 distinctive zones, or neighborhoods, that fit into a narrative story of "coming home."

Location: Brooklyn, New York

Architect: Peter Fajak and Roger Duffy, 2009

Cool Fact: Brooklyn's first LEED certified residential tower.

Location: Vejle, Denmark

Architect: Henning Larsen Architects, 2009

Cool Fact: The Wave was awarded the LEAF award for residential building of the year in 2010.

Location: New York City, New York

Architect: Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, 1884

Cool Fact: Residents have included John Lennon, John Madden, Boris Karloff, Roberta Flack, and Lauren Bacall.