Buildings from the future

30 St Mary Axe: Better known as the Gherkin to locals, this Norman Foster design has quickly become part of the London skyline. Its energy-saving techniques - including natural ventilation and insulation created by huge shafts that run up and down the 41 floors - make it highly efficient, using around half the energy a typical tower would consume. Photograph: Frank Baron/Guardian
(picture in the right)


Stata Center: Iconic architect Frank Gehry was employed to build this, a modern centrepiece to the campus of the Massachussets Institute of Technology. Full of angles and empty spaces, the building appears to be collapsing into itself before reaching up into two independent towers. And if the building itself isn't advanced enough for you, then look inside: it is home to the university's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab. Photograph: Stan Honda/AFP (picture in the left)

Bank of China: This 1,034 foot tall tower is instantly recognisable in Hong Kong for its sloping roof. At the lower levels the building is rectangular, before switching to a triangular shape as it stretches upwards. Designed by IM Pei, the structure boasts an award-winning sustainability programme and environmentally-friendly operation.

Photograph: Michael Setbourn/Getty (picture in the right)

InterActive Corp: Frank Gehry is best known for swooping metallic structures such as the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao - but his latest creation is one of his most technically advanced. Housing the offices of IAC, a large web conglomerate, the outside is made entirely of glass - a decision which required "cold bending" of huge panes, sometimes up to a 150 degree angle. Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty (picture in the left)

Taipei 101: The 101-storey green giant in Taiwan is decked out with hi-tech baubles: fibre-optic and satellite net connections and the world's fastest lifts (they shoot up at 37 miles per hour). But perhaps most impressive is the 660 tonne ball of steel that hangs down inside the building from the 92nd floor. The mass damper, which hangs on a pendulum, is built to steady the building in extreme winds.

Photograph: AP (picture in the right)

from guardian.co.uk