Top 10: Architecture Capitals
No.10 Brasilia, Brazil
In less than four years, this place went from an idea to Brazil’s living and breathing capital city -- and our No. 10 architecture capital. Thought up by urban planner Lucio Costa in 1957, with buildings designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer, the city was laid out as a cross, but better resembles a butterfly or airplane shape when seen from the air. While some have criticized the design, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Some of this architecture capital's more notable buildings include: Palacio da Alvarado (the official residence of the president of Brazil), the Cultural Complex of the Republic, Cathedral Basilica, and Three Powers Square (all government work buildings). For its classic designs inspired by Le Corbusier, a French architect considered a forefather of modern architecture, and because it went from imagination to blueprint to building at warp speed, Brasilia earns a spot on our architecture capitals list.