30 Examples Of Cool And Unique Architecture, As Shared On This Online Community

The majority of these images are just concepts, created in some software and edited and beautified to look more like a real image and not just a CAD drawing. This isn’t just for the pleasure of our eyes, although we do appreciate it, it’s to help sell the design. While many architects do simply make things for themselves, the ultimate goal is to get a client to buy the design.

This doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy some wonderful interior and room concepts, since a pleasing design is still a pleasing design. Some might decry the use of computer imagery, but architects have been using computers since the 70s, probably saving hundreds of hours in the process. Of course, this also means that from time to time they end up creating something that will give engineers and builders a headache, but that’s just part of the process. 

While these are just static images, the future of viewing designs might even allow us to walk through them and evaluate them. With technology like VR, you could probably “demo” a few designs for a room or business before settling on one. Technology is in the works to integrate a variety of tests, from heating, cooling, and even wind resistance. This is important, as the wrong material in a particularly hot or cold region will create all sorts of problems. 

More contemporary designs, which most of these would fit into, see a building not as a separate entity, but as a part of a larger city ecosystem. This isn't completely new, as many older cities even have ordinances making sure that buildings maintain the style of the area if they are in more historical districts. Modern architects also consider how the building will influence the urban landscape, traffic, and ecology of the area. 

While 20th-century architects focused largely on form, with slogans like “a rationally designed structure may not necessarily be beautiful but no building can be beautiful that does not have a rationally designed structure,” written by American architect Louis Sullivan, it’s clear that many modern people prefer some degree of beauty. "The elimination of ornament" was seen as cutting edge, but now people still obsess over older forms of architecture, from art deco to art nouveau and even classical construction. 

On the one hand, travel has never been more accessible, and internet access more ubiquitous, on the other hand, this has in some circles created a mish-mash of styles that many feel remove the uniqueness of a place's style. Even in this list, readers can find interior designs from different continents with very visible similarities. However, it’s important to not overestimate how common these designs are, as most buildings still tend to incorporate local designs and materials. 

Instead of committing to one specific style, as we see with the internationalists and modernists, many architects experiment, which often leads to them being “placed” in the post-modern school. This is just a fancy way of saying they blend ideas, and styles and are generally less formal than their contemporary counterparts. Famous examples include the Ally Detroit Center in, you guessed it, Detroit and the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.