- Architecture website Dezeen hosts the Dezeen Awards annually to identify the world’s most impressive architecture.
- Dezeen announced the shortlists for the 2019 awards in September, including the 10 architecture categories.
- The architecture nominees range from an underwater restaurant in Norway to a temple built for the Burning Man festival in Nevada.
- These are 53 of the most beautiful buildings in the world.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
An underwater restaurant in Norway, a golf club that looks like a sand dune in Jordan, a tree house in Arkansas: These are just three of the stunning buildings that have made the shortlist for the 2019 Dezeen Awards.
Dezeen, an architecture and design website, works to honor the craft of building through the Dezeen Awards, an annual celebration of architecture.
Dezeen released the shortlist of nominees for the 2019 contest in September, narrowing down the entries to the best of the best with an international panel of experts in architecture and design.
The architecture category contains 10 subcategories, and the shortlist has a grand total of 53 nominees. Dezeen highlights everything from small houses to massive event spaces in the shortlist, demonstrating the various ways people interact with the buildings around them across the globe.
Here are 53 of the most beautiful buildings in the world.
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The Cork House gets its name from the sustainably-sourced cork blocks that make up most of the structure, which is located in Berkshire, England.
Matthew Barnett Howland, Dido Milne, and Oliver Wilton designed every aspect of the Cork House with sustainability in mind. The cork blocks can be reused and recycled with ease, as the team used no glue, cement, or plastic to complete the structure. The home sits on an island off the coast of the River Thames in Berkshire, England.
Shortlisted for rural house
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The Sonoma weeHouse in Sonoma Valley, California, takes a minimalist approach to architecture.
Alchemy Architects creates weeHouses using two open-sided boxes that are then transported to their permanent address, where they’re settled into concrete plinths. The Sonoma weeHouse is based on the original weeHouse, for which Alchemy Architects is famous. There isn’t much to the design aside from the basic structure, allowing the surrounding nature to shine.
Shortlisted for rural house
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With a color scheme inspired by nearby hay sheds, the Springhill House aims to be a place of relaxation for its residents in Melbourne, Australia.
The Springhill House is as influenced by rural hay sheds as it is by more traditional Australian housing. Lovell Burton designed the structure as a veranda shielded by wooden columns. The author who lives in this Australian home requested a quiet space to juxtapose busy city life, leading to its minimalist design.
Shortlisted for rural house
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Located in Valle de Bravo, Mexico, Entre Pinos merges the interior with the exterior through courtyards, terraces, and gardens peppered throughout the structures.
Entre Pinos, designed by Taller Hector Barroso, is a housing development made to give its residents the best of both worlds. Sections of each house are open to the natural surroundings, as you see here. The walls are covered with local soil, allowing the structure to blend into the neighboring forest of tall pine trees.
Shortlisted for housing project
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Curves are built into the LC 710 housing project in Mexico City, Mexico.
Terraces, courtyards, and patios are interspersed throughout LC 710, a four-story apartment complex designed by Taller Hector Barroso. While the complex was built with durable steel and concrete, the materials were painted to resemble pale wood.
Shortlisted for housing project
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Treehouse is made up of “micro-apartments” for working professionals in Seoul, South Korea.
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Variously-sized concrete blocks create Germany’s Casa Morgana.
The team at J Mayer H stripped a German structure to its concrete shell for Casa Morgana. What’s left is a three-story house full of rooms at different heights, linked by a stairway in the center of the home. Think of the rooms as cubes that have been irregularly stacked atop one another. The studio calls Casa Morgana a “residential sculpture.”
Shortlisted for residential rebirth project
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The roof of this 1950s bungalow was extended to make the Exoskeleton House, located in Wollongong, Australia.
The Takt Studio gave a 1950s brick bungalow a modern revamp simply by extending the roof, thus earning it the name Exoskeleton House. The interior still has individual bedrooms, but the renovation created an open space for the kitchen, living room, and dining area. The sloped roof also covers a patio that allows residents to get closer to the surrounding nature.
Shortlisted for residential rebirth project
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This home in Brussels, Belgium, was transformed into the G-Lab for communal living.
Remodeled by TC Plus, the G-Lab is a home with varying levels of privacy. It was opened up throughout the renovation, encouraging neighbors to be part of the home. Curtains help the residents maintain privacy, though their intention was to create a space that welcomed everyone. The front yard, for example, is always accessible as a play space.
Shortlisted for residential rebirth project
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This house, near the Great Wall of China in Beijing, was originally built in the 20th century as underground storage for fruit trees.
MDDM Studio used the existing natural stone as a base for the home. The storage unit’s original walls are intact within the home, while windows provide natural light and views of the hilly landscape. The rest of the House on the Great Wall sits between two concrete slabs.
Shortlisted for residential rebirth project
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The North Melbourne Terrace was created through both restoration and reconstruction, merging the old and the new in Melbourne, Australia.
This Australian Victorian terrace house was built in the 19th century, and Matt Gibson Architecture + Design was tasked with updating it for the modern world. The integrity of the house remains intact through the red brick, while the addition of the extension at the rear brings in modern elements. It spans two floors, creating a giant indoor/outdoor patio that makes the whole house feel bigger.
Shortlisted for residential rebirth project
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The Rassvet Loft Studio in Moscow, Russia, used to be a furniture factory.
DNK Architecture Group used red brick to connect the industrial building to more residential areas, as the material is commonly used to build houses in Moscow’s historic district. The bricks are handmade and have a shiny appearance because they’re made of clay that has been fired at high temperatures. The 10-story building melds traditional living with the industrial world.
Shortlisted for residential rebirth project
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The Alfa Omega School in Tangerang, Indonesia, is raised on stilts to protect it from the swampy environment.
RAW Architecture built the Alfa Omega School in only six months, using bamboo on the upper floor. The Indonesian school features four modular buildings raised on concrete stilts. It stands 6.8-feet above the ground, so students use a ramp to get to their classes. The challenging site was chosen in order to give children a sense of closeness to nature and to encourage outdoor learning.
Shortlisted for civic building
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The massive staircase on the Danish Red Cross headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark, actually serves as an extension of the original structure.
The extension for the Danish Red Cross headquarters, designed by COBE, stems out from the first building and visitors can actually access the roof from the street. It doubles as a massive staircase that leads to the original structure, and there’s also an entrance on the ground level. Both entry points aim to encourage the public to stop by, making it more than a space for Denmark’s 34,000 Red Cross volunteers.
Shortlisted for civic building
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Bright canopies separate the individual sellers at this regional market in Dandaji, Niger.
The brightly colored canopies in this regional market in Dandaji may be pleasing to the eye, but they’re also practical. They help air flow through the market thanks to their varying heights, and provide solar and thermal protection for produce. Designed by Atelier Masomi, the modern canopies are merged with the more traditional structure of the stalls, blending old and new.
Shortlisted for civic building
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The sprawling Cloud Town Convention and Exhibition Centre invites the public to be part of the action in Hangzhou, China.
You’re actually looking at the roof of the Hangzhou Cloud Town Exhibition Centre in this photo, which Approach Design made to invite public use. The center built a running track and sports courts on the top of the building, so they can be used outside of exhibitions.
Shortlisted for civic building
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A sky walk is a highlight of Viettel Academy in Hanoi, Vietnam.
The Viettel Academy has a microclimate, meaning the weather within the school differs from that of the surrounding area. Vo Trong Nghia Architects designed the school with the intention of optimizing both the views of the surrounding nature and the microclimate of the school, giving residents access to the outdoors as often as possible. The skywalk surrounding the buildings gives residents a view as they study, but it also shelters the lower level from rain and excessive sunlight. A pool surrounds the buildings, which also helps regulate the temperature within the campus.
Shortlisted for civic building
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The Helsinki Central Library Oodi takes open concept to a mass scale in Helsinki, Finland.
Circular skylights light up the 185,677-square-foot Helsinki Central Library Oodi . ALA Architects merge the three floors of the building through the external rippled bridge, so even the separate floors feel connected. A massive open-plan reading space takes up much of the building, but you can also find recording studios, private group study areas, editing rooms, and even book-sorting robots in the library.
Shortlisted for cultural building
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The Evans Tree House in Hot Springs, Arkansas, is embedded within an adventure garden for children.
The Evans Tree House sits in the Evans Children’s Adventure Garden in the Ouachita National Forest, adding another dimension to natural education. Modus Studio used steel and heat-treated pine to build the treehouse, allowing it to blend in with the landscape.
Shortlisted for cultural building
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The UCCA Dune Art Museum was carved into a sand dune in Qinhuangdao, China.
The UCCA Dune Art Museum is actually below ground, disappearing into the sand dune of which it is part. Open Architecture wanted the museum’s design to blend architecture with art and landscape, while still protecting the natural surroundings. The building took three years to complete.
Shortlisted for cultural building
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Located in Dundee, Scotland, the V&A Dundee Museum nods to the shape of the country’s cliffs.
The V&A Dundee sits on a former dock, pulling the landscape into modernity through its very existence. Designer Kengo Kuma told Dezeen that the building’s layered appearance was inspired by the cliffs of northeastern Scotland.”It’s as if the earth and water had a long conversation and finally created this stunning shape,” he added.
Shortlisted for cultural building
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The exterior of the Forsyning Helsingør Operations Centre, nicknamed The Cube, blends in with the industrial buildings nearby in Helsingør, Denmark, while the interior takes a modern and sleek approach.
The Cube is home to a sustainable energy supplier, and Christensen & Co designed the building to be as eco-friendly as the company that inhabits it. For instance, a nearby wood-chipping plant offers the building heat, and the roof catches rainwater to be reused in the building. The steel exterior gives no hint of the open atrium inside.
Shortlisted for business building
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Colorful screens and greenery brighten the Star Engineers Factory and Administrative Building in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Business offices and factory space are both in Vietnam’s Star Engineers Factory and Administrative Building, and Studio VDGA aimed to connect them with courtyards full of color and nature. The courtyards are woven between office areas, bringing the outside in and giving the building a spacious feel. The open effect is magnified using transparent glass to separate work spaces.
Shortlisted for business building
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This sales office in Bangkok, Thailand, dubbed the Glass Fortress, is made of 20,000 glass bricks.
The outside of this building looks like an opaque cube, with glass bricks stacked atop one another. The stunning garden nestled into this sales office isn’t visible from the outside of the Glass Fortress. Designed by Archismith, the building benefits from natural light during the day and becomes a giant lantern at night.
Shortlisted for business building
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The Ayla Golf Academy and Clubhouse looks like a natural part of the dune landscape in Aqaba, Jordan.
Oppenheim Architecture created the curved building by using shotcrete, a type of concrete that can be dispersed through a hose. The designers added an orange tint to make the structure blend in with the landscape even more. Ayla Golf Academy and Clubhouse is a massive 40,000-square-foot structure and home to retail, spa, bar, dining facilities, and more.
Shortlisted for hospitality building
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Manhausen 2.0 is an addition to an eco-retreat in Manhausen, Norway.
Stinessen Arkitektur was inspired by Manshausen Island’s Arctic Circle, as the cabins are arranged around water on the property. Manhausen 2.0 adds three new cabins to the resort’s original four, with a minimalist design that doesn’t disrupt the natural surroundings. The designers were careful to take into account variations in wave height and the projected rise in sea level due to climate change.
Shortlisted for hospitality building
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Under, located in Lindesnes, Norway, is Europe’s first underwater restaurant, as well as the world’s largest.
A panoramic window allows diners to look out at the North Sea while they eat in this Norwegian restaurant. Snøhetta designed Under to mimic a sunken periscope, using thick concrete walls to protect the building from water pressure and waves. The interior has a softer look compared to the formidable shell, as it features oak and textiles.
Shortlisted for hospitality building
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Rounded buildings allow the Wild Coast Tented Lodge in Yala, Sri Lanka, to appear as if it’s part of the rocky terrain.
Wild Coast Tented Lodge is a safari camp, complete with a waterfront bar, restaurant, and library. Nomadic Resorts used teak shingles to give the main buildings a natural color.
Shortlisted for hospitality building
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The XY Yunlu Hotel offers views of the natural landscape, as well as the luxuries of a boutique hotel. The hotel sits between Guilin and Yangshuo, China.
Atelier Liu Yuyang and Ares Partners renovated five farm houses to create the XY Yunlu Hotel, which now offers 23 guest rooms and a restaurant. Honoring the nearby villages was a focus of the design. “Taking on a sensitive approach to the local culture, with villagers still living nearby, the overall planning and landscape design blends into the original village structure without creating new boundary conditions,” Helen Wang, of Ares Partners, told Dezeen.
Shortlisted for hospitality building
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This pedestrian and cycle path sits beneath a massive bridge in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, creating a path for those who choose not to travel by car.
CBA Architects created the new path for pedestrians and bikers underneath the 500-foot-long Adolphe Bridge, which is protected by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site. It’s a modern addition to the historic bridge, which was built in 1903, and the design team worked to make sure the path wouldn’t disrupt the look of the bridge. The architect told Dezeen that the finished product is “like a well-controlled spider’s web, barely visible from the outside.”
Shortlisted for rebirth project
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An abandoned house was transformed into the Forest BIG, an educational event space covered by mesh in Taipei City, Taiwan.
Divooe Zein Architects imbues nature into Forest BIG through the transparent mesh and open paneling along the walls. The mesh creates a 984-foot-long corridor around the exterior, which frames a rock installation in the center of the building, bringing even more of the natural world into the landscape.
Shortlisted for rebirth project
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Mil Centro offers dinner with a view of an ancient archaeological site in Maras, Peru.
The Moray archaeological site serves as the background for Mil Centro, which was designed by Estudio Rafael Freyre with inspiration from the area’s traditional materials in mind. The restaurant is now home to experiments in local gastronomy using indigenous Peruvian ingredients and farm-to-table techniques.
Shortlisted for rebirth project
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A temple for the 2018 Burning Man Festival, Galaxia used trusses to create the illusion of petals in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.
Arthur Mamou-Mani of Mamou-Mani Architects designed Galaxia to spiral upward, stacking the tresses atop one another. From the ground it looks like an impressive tower, but from above it resembles an intricate flower. The triangular pieces created individual paths into the central part of the building, where attendees could gather. It took 140 volunteers to build the temple in just 22 days.
Shortlisted for small building
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The Luum Temple is made of sustainably-farmed bamboo in Tulum, Mexico.
Co-Lab Design Office used the project as an opportunity to demonstrate the possibilities of sustainable construction, making curves and intricate patterns critical to the Luum Temple’s design. The building features five supportive arches, topped with a canopy that allows for simultaneous coverage and openness.
Shortlisted for small building
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