26Angkor Wat
Angkor Wat used far greater amounts of stone than all the Egyptian pyramids combined, and occupied an area greater than Paris. Unlike the Egyptian pyramids, which used stone quarried from only 0.5 km (0.3 miles) away, the entire city of Angkor was built with stone quarried over 35km (22 miles) away.
27. The world's first bio-adaptive building facade in Hamburg uses algae-filled biomass panels to capture heat, reflect light and generate electricity - "it is, in essence, an architectural ecosystem."
28. During the rebuild of the World Trade Centre, a 30-min lunch break actually ran much longer as workers had to wait for elevators to ferry them up and down. To accommodate these workers, Subway created a mobile restaurant that moved up the building as they finished each floor.
29. The Forbidden City, built in 1420, was so well-designed that it withstood over 200 earthquakes and can withstand one with magnitude 10.1 on the Richter scale.
30. In 1950, the interior of the Whitehouse was dismantled, leaving the house as a shell. It was then rebuilt using concrete and steel beams in place of its original wooden joists.
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31Roman Colosseum
The Roman Colosseum had 28 lifts which hoisted animals 24 feet up, then cage lids and trap doors in the arena floor opened simultaneously, unleashing beasts to fight each other or men. Exact replica of the lift was remade in 2015. A wolf was then chosen to be the first animal to successfully make the ascension in the replica, who received a biscuit when released into the Colosseum.
32. The minarets (towers) surrounding the Taj Mahal lean slightly outwards in order to appear straight when viewed from the main gates, and in the event of an earthquake or other disasters will naturally fall away from the Taj itself.
33. The restrooms on the 103rd floor of the Willis (Sears) Tower, at 1,353 feet (412.4 meters) high, are the highest in the Western Hemisphere, relative to street level.
34. The Michigan Theater which was once one of the most beautiful pieces of architecture in the Midwest is now used as a parking garage.
35. There is a temple in India named Lotus Temple where anyone is welcome regardless of religion.
36One World Trade Center
On very windy days the One World Trade Center makes a high pitched sound which is described as “whining”, “howling” or “moaning.”
37. There was a leaning tower (Leaning Tower of Zaragoza) in Spain which was 100 feet taller than the Leaning Tower of Pisa but it was demolished in 1892.
38. Buildings in Amsterdam 'lean' inwards not due to a trick of the eye or bad architecture, but because it makes it easier to hoist furniture up if the buildings are slightly slanted.
39. Boston City Hall has been called "one of the world's ugliest buildings" and that calls for its destructions "have been regular since before construction was finished" in 1968.
40. The architecture of the University of Texas at El Paso is modeled after Bhutanese monasteries, known as Dzong architecture.
41Winchester Mystery House
The Winchester Mystery House is a house with over 160 rooms built to ward off spirits. It contains many unsettling aspects such as stairs and doors leading to nothing, or a seance room with one entrance but four exits.
42. The Temple of All Religions in Russia is an architectural complex representing the religious architecture of 12 major religions of the world.
