Built to Thrill

From the Möbius strip-like complexity of Koolhaas and Scheeren’s CCTV building in Beijing to Libeskind’s zigzagging Jewish Museum in Berlin, the past decade has seen a proliferation of innovative architecture around the world. These dramatic additions to the global skyline are due in part to rapidly expanding economies in the far east, as well as to the groundbreaking technological advances that have enabled contemporary architects to push the limits of what is structurally possible. The need for man to make a statement through his dwelling, however, is nothing new—for centuries, we have felt compelled to make our own architectural mark on the immediate environment. In a salute to our desire for progress, we present some fantastical edifices that we think deserve to be noticed.