Buildings
Fortresses, cathedrals, palaces, and civic monuments built at civilization scale.
12 articlesLatest Buildings
Shanghai Tower: China's Tallest Skyscraper and the Megatall Problem
Shanghai Tower solved soft soil, typhoon winds, elevators, and double-skin design at 632 meters. The harder problem was making a megatall icon work.
33 Thomas Street: The Windowless Skyscraper Built to Survive the Apocalypse
A brutalist tower with no windows, enough fuel to last two weeks, and a classified NSA surveillance program monitoring global communications. Manhattan's most secretive building hiding in plain sight.
Ak Saray: Erdogan's Billion-Dollar Palace Built on Protected Land
A 2-million-square-foot complex with 1,000 rooms, $80 million in window glass, and $100 gold-trimmed drinking glasses — constructed on protected Atatürk farmland while Turkey's inflation hit 18 percent.
Istana Nurul Iman: The World's Largest Palace Is Also a Working Government
At 2.2 million square feet, Brunei's royal palace has 1,788 rooms, 257 bathrooms, 564 crystal chandeliers, and a stable of 200 air-conditioned polo horses. It is the official residence and seat of government of the Sultan of Brunei — and it cost roughly half his personal fortune.
The Las Vegas Sphere: A $2.3 Billion Bet on the Future of Live Entertainment
At 366 feet tall and 516 feet wide, the Sphere is the largest spherical structure ever built — wrapped in 580,000 square feet of programmable LED and wired for a sensory experience no conventional venue can replicate.
Merdeka 118: The World's Second-Tallest Tower and the Question Behind It
At 680.5 meters, Merdeka 118 is the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere and the second tallest on Earth. Its name means independence. Its design references a moment of liberation. Its critics ask whether a $1.5 billion skyscraper solves the right problem.
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More in Buildings
Monumento a la Revolución: The Arch That Was Never Supposed to Be an Arch
The world's tallest triumphal arch started life as a dictator's legislature. Abandoned mid-construction during revolution, its steel skeleton sat exposed for two decades before a socialist architect repurposed it into Mexico's most complicated monument.
Palace of Culture and Science: Stalin's Gift That Warsaw Can't Shake
Built in three years on the ruins of the Warsaw Ghetto, this 237-meter Stalinist tower was a Soviet gift Poland never asked for, named after a dictator who died before it was finished, and debated for demolition ever since. It remains the most divisive building in Poland.
The Porcelain Tower of Nanjing: Destroyed Twice, Rebuilt Once
Medieval travelers called it one of the wonders of the world. Lightning took its top in 1801. Rebels demolished the rest in 1856. In 2015, a billionaire spent $156 million to put it back — and opened a debate about whether a replica can carry the weight of an original.
The Kremlin: Inside the World's Largest Fortified Compound
Explore the Moscow Kremlin, one of the world's largest fortified compounds. Discover its staggering scale, ancient history, and role as Russia's seat of power.
The US Capitol: Inside America's Iconic, Imperfect Monument
Explore the US Capitol, an architectural colossus built by ambition and struggle. Discover its monumental scale, complex history, and role as America's enduring symbol of democracy.
Romania's People's Salvation Cathedral: World's Tallest, Costliest?
Unpack Romania's People's Salvation Cathedral, the world's tallest Orthodox church. Explore its massive scale, €230M cost, and the cultural controversy surrounding it.