An Architecture Fanatic's Dream Holiday

Around the world are many wonderful and truly unique buildings that can be seen for miles around. Incredible displays of architecture, they dominate the skyline and attract many a tourist with their beauty.

Here are five of the most amazing structures you simply must see in your lifetime.

1. Burj Khalifa, Dubai

Burj Khalifa Image Credit
Designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the Burj Khalifa tower is the tallest building ever built and can be found standing proud in Dubai. A whopping 828 metres high, the structure has broken numerous other records and is currently the tallest free standing structure in the world. With the most amount of stories – 160 to be exact - the highest ever observation deck, the highest occupied floor and the tallest service elevator, it has certainly caused a buzz and really is a sight to behold. The huge skyscraper officially opened in January 2010 and is the centre piece of a large scale development including numerous homes and hotels.

2. The Sydney Opera House

Sydney Opera House Image Credit
The Opera House is an exquisite and highly-modern building designed and largely built by architect Jørn Utzon who won the Pritzker Prize for his work in 2003.  The structure can be found in Sydney Harbour and is a performing arts centres as well as world heritage site. The venue hosts over 1,500 performances and is visited by over 7 million people every year making it an extremely popular tourist attraction. With everything from a swanky Concert Hall to an impressive Opera Theatre, the Sydney Opera House has been created with care and is a visual spectacle.

3. La Sagrada Familia

La Sagrada Familia Image Credit
La Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona is a truly wonderful building designed by Antoni Gaudi. Construction of this sensational structure began in 1882 and still continues today with ongoing donations funding the long-lasting building project. Gaudi longed to represent the Catholic faith in the architecture itself and called for eighteen spires of various heights representing (in ascending order) the Twelve Apostles, the four Evangelists, the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ. With beautiful detail and exquisite sculptures, the church has to date been constructed using twenty-two types of stone.

4. St Basil’s Cathedral

St Basil's Cathedral Image Credit
St Basil’s Cathedral is a wonderfully unique building located in Moscow’s Red Square – right next to the Kremlin. Eight brightly-coloured churches were built around a ninth and a tenth church was later constructed over the grave of a local saint named Vasily (Basil). Surrounded in intrigue, little is known about this fabulous structure except that it was ordered by Ivan the Terrible to mark the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan and was erected from 1555 – 1561. The architects of this creation are unknown, however, rumour has it that the former Tsar had them blinded so they would construct a building that would compare with no other in the county.

5. The Gherkin

The Gherkin Image Credit
The Gherkin, located at the heart of London’s financial district is so called thanks to its unique pickle-like shape. Officially known as 30 St Mary Axe, the skyscraper is 180 metres tall, has 40 floors and is even home to a bar on the top level offering an impressive 360-degree panoramic view of London. When the light shines through at night, the structure looks incredibly impressive and almost resembles a rocket about to take off. If you are interested in architecture, these building really are truly magnificent sights for you to enjoy.

This article was produced for architecture fans on behalf of Hotel Club: where you can find beautifully designed 5 star hotels in Singapore.