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Architecture

The Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) owns about half of Switzerland’s 320 huts, including the Almageller Hut on the southern side of Weissmies Mountain above the village of Saas-Almagell.

The Race Is On to Save the Alps’ Famous Huts and Trails as Melting Permafrost Threatens to Destroy Them

Hiking will always be a part of life in the Alps, but climate change has made navigating high-alpine routes more complicated

The mansion is located on the Grand Canal.

Claude Monet Painted This Palace Overlooking Venice’s Grand Canal. Now, the Legendary Mansion Is Officially for Sale

The Palazzo Dario has a rich history dating back to the 15th century—and, as the story goes, a succession of unusually unlucky owners

Barcelona

Coastal Cities of Europe

Coastal Cities of Europe

Explore the history, culture and natural wonders of the continent’s most celebrated ports

The exhibition displays full-size models of Claire Tabouret's stained-glass window designs for Notre-Dame Cathedral.

Notre-Dame Cathedral’s Controversial New Stained-Glass Window Designs Go on Display

The windows, commissioned by the French Ministry of Culture after the devastating 2019 fire, have sparked a debate about historical preservation

This photo by Julius Shulman became a symbol of Los Angeles.

This Historic Mid-Century Modern Home Overlooking Los Angeles Is on the Market for the Very First Time

Buck and Carlotta Stahl built their home in the Hollywood Hills in 1960. Soon after the structure’s completion, it was captured in an era-defining photograph

The day after the wreck, the New York Times devoted much of its front page to coverage of the tragedy and its victims. But grief quickly turned to anger as the public looked for answers.  

New York’s Grand Central Terminal Helped Provide the Blueprint for American Cities. It Happened by Accident

A train wreck that caused the death of more than a dozen commuters near the turn of the 20th century was the impetus behind a monumental project that changed the urban landscape

The Torre dei Conti was built in the early 13th century.

800-Year-Old Tower Partially Collapses Near Rome’s Colosseum, Killing a Worker Trapped Inside

Octav Stroici, a 66-year-old Romanian man, was restoring the Torre dei Conti when the accident occurred on November 3. Several other workers were successfully rescued from the medieval structure

View of construction underway on Barcelona's Sagrada Familia in September 2025

Coastal Cities of Europe

Still Unfinished After 143 Years, Barcelona’s Dazzling Sagrada Familia Is Now the Tallest Church in the World

Last week, a new addition to the basilica—designed by architect Antoni Gaudí—brought its height to 534 feet, breaking a record set by Germany’s 530-foot-tall Ulm Minster

A company called Roofscapes has installed an experimental green roof over a zinc one at the Academy of Climate in Paris. A wooden platform, dotted with planters, runs along the building’s side, creating a terrace.

The Skyline of Paris Is Filled With Zinc Rooftops. But Can They Survive Climate Change?

Innovations are overdue, as the signature blue-gray metal roofs heat up in high temperatures, making living conditions in the apartments beneath them unbearable

The carpa uasi served as the bottom level of this building. It originally ended to the left of the arch.

This Inca Building—the Only Surviving Structure of Its Kind—Might Have Been Designed to Amplify Sound and Music

Researchers will use 3D modeling to assess what the “carpa uasi” in Huaytará, Peru, originally looked like and how sound traveled through it

The People’s Salvation Cathedral stands more than 410 feet tall.

The World’s Largest Christian Orthodox Church Is Now Open in Romania

The People’s Salvation Cathedral in Bucharest is covered in stunning frescoes and mosaics. At 410 feet tall, it cost more than $300 million and took 15 years to build

Hall's Croft, the home of Susanna Shakespeare from 1613 to 1616

Car Backs Up Into Home Where Shakespeare’s Daughter Lived, Causing Serious Damage

Hall’s Croft, once the residence of Susanna Shakespeare, is now in stable condition as experts assess the repairs that will be required

The Kalil House, one of seven Usonian Automatic residences by Frank Lloyd Wright in the country

One of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Rare Usonian Automatic Homes Achieves Landmark Status

The Kalil House, located in Manchester, New Hampshire, is one of only seven Usonian Automatics in the country

Isaque Carvalho Borges won $12,500 in the Central and South American category of the 2025 Earth Prize, the world’s largest environmental sustainability competition for students between 13 and 19 years of age.

This 16-Year-Old Invented an A.I. Tool to Help Cool Down the World’s Hottest Cities

Isaque Carvalho Borges experiences the urban heat island effect in his home of Palmas, Brazil, and he wants to do something about it

The Parthenon, photographed here on October 17, is free from scaffolding for the first time in decades.

You Can See the Parthenon Without Scaffolding for the First Time in Decades

The temporary structures will return next month—but in the meantime, visitors will enjoy rare unobstructed views of the ancient hilltop temple in Athens

The Vaillancourt Fountain at Embarcadero Plaza in San Francisco

Can This Controversial Brutalist Fountain in San Francisco Be Saved From Demolition?

Critics have called the Vaillancourt Fountain an “eyesore,” while supporters say it’s an important chapter in the city’s history

The bridge opened on September 28, 2025.

The Highest Bridge in the World Just Opened in China at More Than 2,000 Feet Above the Ground

The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge in Guizhou broke the record previously held by the nearby Beipanjiang Bridge

David Lynch in his private movie studio at his Los Angeles estate in 2004.

David Lynch’s Sprawling Midcentury Compound in Los Angeles Could Be Yours for $15 Million

The “Twin Peaks” director worked on some of his most famous projects at the seven-building estate—which is also featured in the film “Lost Highway”

Almost like an arrow, the somewhat triangular shape of the architectural framework points this pedestrian in the right direction.

Smithsonian Photo Contest Galleries

Appreciate Awesome Architecture With These 20 Photos

No passport is needed for this virtual tour of beautiful buildings around the world

Fallingwater is located in the Bear Run Nature Reserve in Pennsylvania's Laurel Highlands.

Fallingwater’s Roof Is Leaking. Can This $7 Million Renovation Protect Frank Lloyd Wright’s Masterpiece?

Leaky roofs and windows have long plagued the famous home in Pennsylvania. Experts say the three-year project will address decades of water damage and prevent similar problems from worsening in the future

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