They don’t build them like they used to! Architecture is fascinating because it’s not just theoretical; it’s all around us and impacts us daily. Depending on whom you ask, you might feel that buildings used to be constructed with much more creativity, flair, and grace in the past.
One subreddit, which unites millions of architecture fans from all corners of the internet, shares photos of the most impressive buildings worldwide. Today, we’re featuring some of their newest finds. Scroll down for a massive dose of artistic inspiration. Don’t blame us if you suddenly want to become an architect or start hating modern designs!
01. Folly Bridge Over A Pond In Duns Borough Park, A Historic Country Estate In The Village Of Ripley, Surrey, England
02. Trinity College Library, Ireland
03. The Art Nouveau Style Liberty Bridge Crossing The Danube In The Morning Sunlight, Budapest, Hungary. Initially Built In The Late 19th Century, It Was Rebuilt After World War II.
It should come as no surprise that our environments shape and affect us—not just physically but mentally and emotionally, too. Overstimulation can be exhausting. Meanwhile, gray, drab, dull, purely functionalist surroundings can be highly demotivating. On the flip side, we can feel inspired by truly aesthetic works of art, nature, user-friendly urban design decisions, and architects who see the need for balance between beauty and function. How you build and design cities matters.
According to the American Psychiatric Association, over half of the world’s population lives in cities, which will only increase. “Living in urban areas has been associated with increased risk for mental disorders, including anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia. Research using functional magnetic resonance imaging has identified changes in the brain indicating that urban upbringing and city living are linked to social stress processing.”
04. Cemetery Next To The Late 12th Century-13th Century Borgund Stave Church, Lærdal, Vestland County, Norway
05. Greenhouse At The Botanical Garden Of Curitiba, Brazil (1991); Designed By Architect Abraão Assad, Who The Crystal Palace inspired In London
06. Ahoopāy Is A Form Of Decorative Honeycomb Vaulting Present In Persian Architecture. The Picture Is From Shah Mosque, Esfahan, Iran
The APA states that city living is linked to worse air pollution, increased noise, crime, social inequality, stress from sensory overload, and a lack of open space. Conversely, cities can provide career opportunities, better education, proper healthcare, and social interaction.
In the meantime, one study noted that urbanization brings social, economic, and psychological changes. Urbanization affects mental health via increased stressors from polluted and overcrowded environments, less social support, and higher levels of violence.
07. Hallway To Mysore Palace, India
08. The Courtyard Of A Traditional Mansion In Shiraz, Iran
09. Old City Hall Station, New York, United States (1904)
The sprawling architecture subreddit—which we can’t directly name here because internet culture has changed a ton since the online community was founded in 2011—currently has a following of 2.1 million members.
This year, the online community celebrated its 13th birthday, and it will likely have more.
10. Tudor Chimneys At Hampton Court Palace
11. Sumeru Mountain Palace – Bangkok, Thailand
12. Mosque In Shiraz, Iran
It’s not hard to see why so many people are such big fans of the online group. For one, it’s not like buildings as a genre are suddenly going to disappear: architecture is a core part of human life, and it’s always going to be necessary, whether we’re building space elevators or designing affordable housing.
13. The Architecture Inside Of The 1100 Years Old Sahastrabahu Temple In Rajasthan, India
14. Leuven Town Hall
15. American Radiator Building
Furthermore—and this is key, we think—the photos are stunning. With so much content and information being produced, posted, shared, and reshared daily online, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle.
However, photos as aesthetic as these are hard to miss. They stand out from the crowd in the best possible way.
16. Mish House, San Francisco
17. Palais Garnier Opera House Paris, France
18. Rocchetta Mattei Castle – Near Bologna, Italy
The subreddit mainly features individual images of buildings, not cities, skylines, or landscapes. If you have a great photo you’d like to share, please include at least a smidgen of context about the place.
For instance, you could mention the building’s location and name. That way, your audience can research the place more efficiently or add it to their bucket lists.
19. Sainte Chapelle
20. Thousand-Year-Old Windmills Of Nashtifan, Iran
21. Korean Architecture
If you’re unsure of the location, research to find it. Google Reverse Image Search is fantastic for this! If you took the photo, tag it as original content (OC).
Meanwhile, if you know the original photographer or source, mention it. Members are also encouraged to post the photo’s resolution.
22. The Shah Mosque Ceiling In Isfahan, Iran
23. “Altes Haus “(Old House) In Bacharach, Germany – Dated 1586
24. Traditional Architecture Of Houses In Yemen Where The First Examples Of Skyscrapers Appeared 600 Years Ago
Even though you can repost photos that have already been shared on the sub, the original photo should be at least three months old and not in the top 100 submissions of all time.
This helps keep the flow of the content fresh for everyone involved. No matter how beautiful a building might be, anyone would tire of looking at it from the same angle hundreds of times in a row.
25. The Pink Lady, One Of The Classic Victorian Homes In Eureka, California
26. 1,800 Hand Painted Tiles From The Incredible Tree Of Life Mural Filled With Flora And Fauna
27. Carturesti Carusel, A Bookstore In Bucharest, Romania
The friendly moderators running the show have created a detailed and extensive FAQ that should help anyone new get to grips with the culture and rules of the community.
There is a lot of technical information about posting, hosting, and linking that should streamline things for everyone.
28. Palmenhaus Schönbrunn (Palm House), Vienna, Austria; Designed By Franz Xaver Segenschmid (Built 1881-82)
29. Day 27 Of Posting A Random Building From Every Unrecognized Country: Painted Mud House In Tiebele, Burkina Faso
30. Recently Reopened 1899 Corner Pub Adorned With Flower Baskets, Marylebone, West End Of London, UK
We’re curious about which buildings you liked best, dear A&D followers. If you have a moment, scroll down to the comments to share your thoughts. Have you visited any of these buildings in person?
What kinds of architectural styles do you like the most? What would it take for modern architects to move past the bland designs they focus on today? Let us know!
31. The Tombs And Shrines Of Uch Sharif, An Ancient City In Pakistan Believed To Have Been Founded By Alexander The Great In 325 BCE. The City Is Full Of Sufi Shrines And Tombs From The 12-15th Centuries.
32. Wrocław Water Tower, Poland
33. The Church Of St. George In Lalibela, Ethiopia
34. Bárcena Mayor, Cantabria
35. Moskovits Miksa Palace, A Secession-Style Building Completed In 1905 By Architect Kálmán Rimanóczy Jr. In The City Of Oradea, Crișana, Romania
36. High Drum Fluted Dome Ofgur E Amir, Samarcanda, Uzbekistan
37. Palau De La Música Catalana, Barcelona
38. Mysore Palace, India!
39. General Electric Building, NYC
40. Gaudi’s Architecture
41. Cord Asendorf House – Savannah, Georgia, USA
42. Medieval-Styled Home – Rue Aristide Briand – Argentan, Normandy, France – Built 1955, Not 1509
43. High School No. 2 In Poznań, Poland Photo By Aleksander Małachowski
44. The Chronicle Of Georgia, Near Tbilisi, Georgia
45. Church Of St. George In Nea Moudania, Greece
46. The National Building Museum In Washington, D.C., Completed In 1887
47. Interior Adorned In Pure Gold Of The Baroque Church Of São Francisco In Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
48. Office Building In Isfahan, Iran
49. Changsha Meixihu Grand Theater
50. Behtash Office Building By Omid Shafieie, Isfahan Iran
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