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Buildings of the future: 10 architectural marvels now open to the public

From mushroom-shaped museums to net-zero mosques, explore five futuristic buildings redefining architecture, sustainability, and public spaces.

Updated on: Aug 01, 2026 1:57 PM IST

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What will the buildings of the future look like? Well, some are already here. Take a look at dramatic structures now open to the public: a ‘mushroom’ that combines art and agriculture; an opera house that lets people saunter along its stepped facade; a floating ‘oasis’ full of classrooms; a mosque with net-zero goals; a church that mirrors a forest. Tucked into each are tips on new ways forward for us all.

Updated on Aug 01, 2026 1:57 PM

What will the buildings of the future look like? Well, some are already here. Take a look at dramatic structures now open to the public: a ‘mushroom’ that combines art and agriculture; an opera house that lets people saunter along its stepped facade; a floating ‘oasis’ full of classrooms; a mosque with net-zero goals; a church that mirrors a forest. Tucked into each are tips on new ways forward for us all.

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Perhaps the most architecturally dramatic structure opening this year is the Shanghai Grand Opera House in China. Inside the building three auditoriums serve as performing-arts venues.

Updated on Aug 01, 2026 1:57 PM

Perhaps the most architecturally dramatic structure opening this year is the Shanghai Grand Opera House in China. Inside the building three auditoriums serve as performing-arts venues.

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Outside, the façade itself forms a massive stepped space that will serve as a free, 24-hour park and lookout point for the city’s people. The 10-storey helical façade was designed by the Norwegian firm Snohetta.

Updated on Aug 01, 2026 1:57 PM

Outside, the façade itself forms a massive stepped space that will serve as a free, 24-hour park and lookout point for the city’s people. The 10-storey helical façade was designed by the Norwegian firm Snohetta.

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Also opening this year, on Saadiyat Island, is the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. Designed by the late legend Frank Gehry (1929-2025), this hive-like structure made up of 10 sweeping metal cones and sails will hold galleries connected by glass bridges and catwalks.

Updated on Aug 01, 2026 1:57 PM

Also opening this year, on Saadiyat Island, is the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. Designed by the late legend Frank Gehry (1929-2025), this hive-like structure made up of 10 sweeping metal cones and sails will hold galleries connected by glass bridges and catwalks.

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Saadiyat Island already holds a number of architectural marvels, as part of Abu Dhabi’s push to raise its global image as a hub of contemporary art and culture. Above, the Zayed National Museum with its soaring white falcon-like wings, named for the late founder of the country.

Updated on Aug 01, 2026 1:57 PM

Saadiyat Island already holds a number of architectural marvels, as part of Abu Dhabi’s push to raise its global image as a hub of contemporary art and culture. Above, the Zayed National Museum with its soaring white falcon-like wings, named for the late founder of the country.

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Also on Saadiyat Island, the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the first Louvre facility outside France, its turtle-shell-like structure covered in intricate metal work. (Wikimedia)

Updated on Aug 01, 2026 1:57 PM

Also on Saadiyat Island, the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the first Louvre facility outside France, its turtle-shell-like structure covered in intricate metal work. (Wikimedia)

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And, coming up on Saadiyat Island now is Dar al Funoon (House of the Arts), a new performing arts centre that looks like giant sheets of corrugated metal tossed one on the other. Also designed by the late Frank Gehry, it is scheduled to open in 2030.

Updated on Aug 01, 2026 1:57 PM

And, coming up on Saadiyat Island now is Dar al Funoon (House of the Arts), a new performing arts centre that looks like giant sheets of corrugated metal tossed one on the other. Also designed by the late Frank Gehry, it is scheduled to open in 2030.

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In Dhaka, Bangladesh, a former landfill has been converted into a 13-storey “floating oasis”. BRAC University is so green, literally and metaphorically, with its vertical landscaping and bio-retention ponds, that it has won a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) award for excellence. It was designed by the Singapore-based studio WOHA.

Updated on Aug 01, 2026 1:57 PM

In Dhaka, Bangladesh, a former landfill has been converted into a 13-storey “floating oasis”. BRAC University is so green, literally and metaphorically, with its vertical landscaping and bio-retention ponds, that it has won a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) award for excellence. It was designed by the Singapore-based studio WOHA.

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In Tirana, Albania, a terracotta township called The Nest blends into the hillside with curved lines, terraced architecture, and terracotta and red stucco facades. The design by the award-winning UK-based Zaha Hadid Architects embraces the uneven topography, using it to create overhanging balconies and recessed terraces for each home.

Updated on Aug 01, 2026 1:57 PM

In Tirana, Albania, a terracotta township called The Nest blends into the hillside with curved lines, terraced architecture, and terracotta and red stucco facades. The design by the award-winning UK-based Zaha Hadid Architects embraces the uneven topography, using it to create overhanging balconies and recessed terraces for each home.

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The Grand Canal Museum in Hangzhou, China, floats above ground level. The space beneath will serve as a public plaza, while open-access rooftop walkways and a sky garden will offer elevated views of the canal. This canal is what it has been built to celebrate. Called a “manmade river”, it links Beijing and Hangzhou, and parts of it date to 500 BCE. The museum was designed by Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron.

Updated on Aug 01, 2026 1:57 PM

The Grand Canal Museum in Hangzhou, China, floats above ground level. The space beneath will serve as a public plaza, while open-access rooftop walkways and a sky garden will offer elevated views of the canal. This canal is what it has been built to celebrate. Called a “manmade river”, it links Beijing and Hangzhou, and parts of it date to 500 BCE. The museum was designed by Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron.

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The unusual Zebun-Nessa Mosque in Dhaka, crafted in pink concrete, uses light-filtering motifs across double-layered walls to create a “breathing pavilion” that invites sunlight and ventilation in, keeping energy use low. Designed by the Dhaka-based Studio Morphogenesis, it won a RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) award this year.

Updated on Aug 01, 2026 1:57 PM

The unusual Zebun-Nessa Mosque in Dhaka, crafted in pink concrete, uses light-filtering motifs across double-layered walls to create a “breathing pavilion” that invites sunlight and ventilation in, keeping energy use low. Designed by the Dhaka-based Studio Morphogenesis, it won a RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) award this year.

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And finally, opening this year but not new by any means, the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain, brings to life the vision of the late architect Antoni Gaudi. A solemn mass performed by the pope this year officially opened it as a place of worship. It has famously been under construction of nearly 150 years. Click here for more on this and all the other structures on this list. (Shutterstock)

Updated on Aug 01, 2026 1:57 PM

And finally, opening this year but not new by any means, the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain, brings to life the vision of the late architect Antoni Gaudi. A solemn mass performed by the pope this year officially opened it as a place of worship. It has famously been under construction of nearly 150 years. Click here for more on this and all the other structures on this list. (Shutterstock)

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