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Coolest New Landmarks Around the World

Coolest New Landmarks Around the World

By Erin Florio

April 02, 2012

Credit: iStock

What do the Grand Canyon Skywalk and Singapore’s Henderson Waves Bridge have in common? Both opened in the last five years and surged to the top of Travel + Leisure’s first landmarks survey, proving that some structures are instant classics.

T+L readers participated by ranking 60 landmarks, among them skyscrapers, bridges, sports venues, museums, and parks. The resulting list of favorites is your cheat sheet to the latest generation of groundbreaking architecture—the kinds of landmarks that inspire you to travel and see them in person.

Case in point: More than 1.2 million visitors from over 120 different countries visited New York’s September 11 Memorial within the first few months after its opening. The two illuminated reflecting pools and 400 white oaks create a calming, respectful space.

Get inspired to plan your own trip to one of the world’s top new landmarks—some like Chicago’s Millennium Park look their finest as summer gets into swing. —Briana Fasone

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Henderson Waves Pedestrian Bridge, Singapore

Credit: ABDUL RAHMAN LATIFF

This undulating walkway of yellow bakau wood soars 118 feet above Singapore’s Henderson Road, connecting Mount Faber to Telok Blangah Hill. —Erin Florio

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National September 11 Memorial, New York City

Credit: Joe Woolhead

Opened in September 2011, the two illuminated reflecting pools—occupying the footprint of the Twin Towers—and 400 white oaks create a calming, respectful space to commemorate 9/11. —Erin Florio

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Grand Canyon Skywalk, AZ

Credit: National Geographic Image Collection / Alamy

Twelve-and-a-half inches of reinforced glass is all that separates the brave souls who walk this four-year-old horseshoe plank from a 4,000-foot plunge into the Colorado River below. —Erin Florio

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Millennium Park, Chicago

Credit: iStock

The standout features of Chicago’s 24.7-acre Millennium Park include Anish Kapoor’s jellybean-like Cloud Gate sculpture, Frank Gehry’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion, and various outdoor art exhibitions. —Erin Florio

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Sands SkyPark at Marina Bay, Singapore

Credit: iStock

This three-acre Moshe Safdie–designed garden “floats” 57 stories off the ground and has a pool, two restaurants, and 360-degree views over the city. —Erin Florio

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Millau Viaduct, Millau, France

Credit: 1Apix / Alamy

Spanning 1.6 miles and reaching a height of 1,132 feet, the viaduct was opened in 2004 along France’s Tarn River Gorge and is the world’s highest bridge—just taller than the Eiffel Tower. —Erin Florio

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The High Line, New York City

Credit: © Ambient Images Inc. / Alamy

Flower beds, day loungers, even a bar occupy this once-abandoned elevated rail bed—reconceived by Diller Scofidio + Renfro—that now threads through buildings from the Meatpacking District to West 30th Street. —Erin Florio

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De Young Museum, San Francisco

Credit: © Art on File/Corbis

Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron sculpted 950,000 pounds of natural copper into a form that complements the landscape of Golden Gate Park. The fine arts museum opened in 2005. —Erin Florio

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Wembley Stadium, London

Credit: Nigel Sawtell / Alamy

After a massive $1.3 billion reconstruction, England’s national arena with its distinctive arch reopened in 2007 as the second largest sports structure in Europe. —Erin Florio

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Ponte della Costituzione, Venice

Credit: © STRINGER/ITALY/Reuters/Corbis

Decidedly modern, Santiago Calatrava’s glass-and-marble footbridge over the Grand Canal ruffled the feathers of Venice’s hard-core traditionalists when it opened in 2008. —Erin Florio

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National Stadium, Beijing

Credit: iStockphoto

The world’s largest steel structure—designed by Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron and known affectionately as the Bird’s Nest—premiered at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. —Erin Florio

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8 Spruce Street, New York City

Credit: iStock

Frank Gehry designed the Western world’s tallest residential tower (it soars 870 feet), and gave it an undulating frame to catch and reflect the sun as it changes throughout the day. —Erin Florio

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Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles

Credit: iStock

Home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic since 2003, Frank Gehry’s impeccably executed performance space is said to have some of the world’s best acoustics. —Erin Florio

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Burj Khalifa, Dubai

Credit: iStock

At 2,717 feet, the world’s tallest building has commanded the Dubai skyline since January 2010. It contains residences, offices, and the Armani Hotel. —Erin Florio

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Turning Torso, Malmö, Sweden

Credit: John Liu

Santiago Calatrava’s 2005 twisting steel structure—consisting of nine cubes that rotate 90 degrees as they rise from bottom to top—is the second highest residential building in Europe. —Erin Florio

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Museo Soumaya, Mexico City

Credit: Benedicte Desrus / Alamy

Fernando Romero’s amorphous, aluminum-clad modern art museum, opened in 2011, rises like a glistening 64,583-square-foot sculpture out of Mexico City’s Polanco district. —Erin Florio

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Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, TX

Credit: David Woo

Tadao Ando’s minimalist structure, opened in 2002, features five pavilions of 40-foot glass walls framed in simple steel and surrounding a 1.5-acre reflective pond. —Erin Florio

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Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston

Credit: Peter Vanderwarker

When it opened in 2006 overlooking Boston Harbor, this 65,000-square-foot gallery of transparent glass, translucent glass, and cool opaque steel by Diller Scofidio + Renfro was the city’s first new museum in 100 years. —Erin Florio

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Modern Wing, Art Institute of Chicago

Credit: iStock

Renzo Piano’s limestone, glass, and steel 2009 addition to Chicago’s Beaux-Arts landmark was built to house the museum’s modern European artworks. —Erin Florio

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National Aquatic Center, Beijing

Credit: iStock

At the 2008 Summer Olympics, 25 world records were broken at this seven-acre, $1.6 billion glowing plastic cube, whose walls and roof contain more than 3,000 oversize air bubbles. —Erin Florio

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By Erin Florio

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Coolest New Landmarks Around the World

1 of 20

Henderson Waves Pedestrian Bridge, Singapore

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National September 11 Memorial, New York City

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Grand Canyon Skywalk, AZ

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Millennium Park, Chicago

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Sands SkyPark at Marina Bay, Singapore

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Millau Viaduct, Millau, France

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The High Line, New York City

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De Young Museum, San Francisco

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Wembley Stadium, London

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Ponte della Costituzione, Venice

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National Stadium, Beijing

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8 Spruce Street, New York City

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Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles

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Burj Khalifa, Dubai

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Turning Torso, Malmö, Sweden

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Museo Soumaya, Mexico City

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Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, TX

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Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston

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Modern Wing, Art Institute of Chicago

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National Aquatic Center, Beijing

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