Awesome Buildings

The Sydney Opera House is one of the most recognizable buildings on the planet, but most of us have only ever seen its outside. 3D illustrator Jared Owen shows off a precise digital model of Jørn Utzon’s architectural masterpiece, then takes us underneath its sail-shaped exterior to look at its structural engineering, concert hall, and other performance spaces.

MyronDesign creates concrete decor inspired by architecture. Among their pieces are these desk organizer cubes, which look like tiny houses. Each has cutouts for storing pens, pencils, office supplies, or, as one buyer suggested, Astroturf. Sold in a set of four. Save 5% with the code THEAWESOMER.

With enough time and creativity, you can create incredible structures in Minecraft. German builder Timtenth shows off his largest project to date with time-lapse footage of the process. It took him 1000 hours to assemble this awe-inspiring digital Babylon. Stick around to the end for a fly-through of the finished environment.

Nerdforge previously built a computer that looked like a medieval house. Now they’ve gone in the opposite direction by creating this awesome work of art – a gaming PC that looks like a neon-lit cyberpunk city. After finishing the exterior, they flew from Norway to Canada to let Linus Tech Tips trick out the insides of the rig.

Inspired by a fan submission to LEGO Ideas, this 2,065-piece kit lets you assemble a 19.7″ tall model lighthouse. It has great details like a lighthouse-keeper’s cottage, a rowboat, and a hidden treasure chest. But the literal highlight of the set is the rotating, lighted beacon at its top, complete with a LEGO fresnel lens.

In 1971, the 1,250 foot-tall Empire State Building was the tallest building on Earth. Today, the Burj Khalifa, is more than twice that height, at 2,717 feet. MetaBallStudios offers up a visual comparison of the tallest skyscrapers along with some planned and conceptual future projects which could tower over the Burj.

We’re not brave enough to spend even a minute walking along the beams of an unfinished high-rise building, but there are thousands of construction workers who do it every day. Goatmanthefourth shared this first-person footage of what it’s like for ironworkers during the construction of the Deloitte Tower in Vancouver, BC.

At a height of 2717 feet, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa is the tallest building on Earth, towering over its nearest competition. TED-Ed takes a look at the engineering innovations that made it possible. Though its rapid, 5-year construction didn’t come without a cost for those who toiled to build it for low wages in poor working conditions.

Model builder Crouzier Benjamin is back with another amazing work of wooden architecture. This time, he and two friends painstakingly arranged 22,000 Kapla planks to create a massive coliseum and an accompanying tower. Then in seconds, it all came tumbling down – on purpose.

For hundreds of years, architects and construction teams have tried to one-up each other with the tallest buildings on the planet. FilmCore’s comparison video uses 3D models of famous structures to show just how far we’ve come, from the skinny tower atop Philadelphia’s City Hall to the sky-high Burj Khalifa and beyond.

Model railroad builder Luke Towan shows off one of the coolest miniatures we’ve seen – a 32″ tall HO-scale model of an art deco apartment building. The 450+ piece laser-cut acrylic Majestic Towers kit is made by Custom Model Railroads. Luke’s painting, added 3D-printed details, and interior lighting really bring it to life.

This impressive model of Tony Stark’s office tower from The Avengers series was built by FoBIRD using skinny wooden sticks and glue as its primary building materials. Watch as he painstakingly builds up the facades section-by-section, using architectural elevations he initially drafted onto paper.

A 1/4-mile time of 15.495 seconds isn’t exactly earth-shaking. But this is no ordinary car – it’s a small building. Watch as Kevin Nicks‘ converted 1999 VW Passat with an Audi RS4 drivetrain manages to beat a Vauxhall Astra H in a drag race. Apparently the shed has done the same in as little as 14.6 seconds, and tops out at 112.68 mph.

Brikawood building blocks allow for the construction of wood homes without the use of power tools, screws, or nails. Other than the base structure and roof, the walls of a Brikawood house simply slide together using notched wooden blocks and a mallet.

One of the best kits to surface from the LEGO Ideas site isn’t a branded tie-in like most. Instead, it’s an awesomely detailed little sea shanty filled with nautical items. Designer Robert Bontenbal (aka RobenAnne) knocked it out of the park with this 2049 piece kit.

A wonderful addition to the LEGO Architecture series, this 744-piece kit replicates the cylindrical structures of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, a true icon of New York modernist architecture. The finished model measures 7″(w) x 5″(d) x 4″(h).

Artist Mister Mourao created this series of intricate pen and ink drawings on wood, each of which envisions a circular building that has no beginning or end. Most of the pieces have been sold, but you can still find a couple of the originals in his shop.

Real Engineering explores the architecture and technology which have allowed for the construction of such mega skyscrapers as the 2716 foot-tall Burj Khalifa and the 1761 foot-tall Taipei 101, and how they resist massive forces from wind vortexes.

The final (and highest) piece on the One World Trade Center building was recently installed and recorded in this inspiring, yet vertiginous video shot with a GoPro camera. It’s nine minutes-long, but the views are amazing.

A time-lapse look back at the last 7 years of construction of the new tower at One World Trade Center as it starts from nothing and just this week became the tallest building in New York.

Like the musical ones we enjoy, architect/designer Luis Urculo created his own Covers, a clever short film in which iconic monuments in architecture are reinvented as models with everyday objects.

Patkau Architects created this group of temporary skating shelters huddled together by a skating trail along a frozen river in Winnipeg, which include a timber frame, plywood floor and seating inside.

The Sanctuary of Truth is a huge one of a kind structure that’s a unique monument to Thai craftsmanship, handcarved and constructed entirely from teak wood, to be completed in 2025.