Uchronia at Burning Man, Nevada, USA, by Arne Quinze

Every year, during the Burning Man festival, this outstandingly detailed wooden construction is a must-see of the area. This particular installation was built at the 2006 event and it contains over 100 miles of wooden beams. On the last day of the festival, it was set on fire.

Photo: Jason Strauss

Jean-Marie Tjibaou cultural centre, Nouméa, New Caledonia, by Renzo Piano

Located right by the water, these 10 interconnected turrets were inspired by the traditional huts of the indigenous Kanak people. Renzo Piano designed these structures as a measure of protection for locals against the local sun and heat.

Photo: John Gollings/courtesy Renzo Piano and the Jean-Marie Tjibaou cultural centre

Bird observation tower, Heiligenhafen , Germany, by Gerkan, Marg und Partner

Located right by the German northern Baltic coast, this tower reaches 15 meters up in the sky.

Photo: Heiner Leiska

Evolver, Zermatt, Switzerland, by Alice Studio/EPFL

Aside from the original architecture of this creation, another interesting feature is that visitors can enter it in variety of ways: they can sneak or even climb through the apertures of the walls. Of course, the views here are outstanding and, as the architects describe it, this place is ‘both a destination and an activity.’

Photograph: Joel Tettamanti/Alice Studio EPF

Landesgarten exhibition hall, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany, by University of Stuttgart

Believe it or not, this structure was built using super computers. A team of geniuses at the University of Stuttgart’s institute for computational design, structural design and engineering geodesy found their inspiration in peanut shells to design this giant wooden building. The construction is made of 243 digitally cut plywood panels.

Photograph: ICD/ITKE/IIGS at the University of Stuttgart

Fireplace for children, Trondheim, Norway, by Haugen/Zohar

Locals in Trondheim are gathering at this amazing site to tell traditional stories and play around the fire.

Photograph: Jason Havneraas

Three mountain, Green village, Bali, by Jörg Stamm

This giant structure made of bamboo wood is a workspace to 300 locals.

Photo: Mark Magidson

Grotto sauna, Ontario, Canada, by Partisans

Located right by the Lake Huron, this luxurious sauna was built thanks to computer modelling. The result can be described as an outdoor jigsaw puzzle.

Photo: Jonathan Friedman/Partisans

Barn B, Kentucky, USA, by De Leon & Primmer

This simple, yet extremely complex latticed hay shed can be found on Mason Lane Farm in Goshen. The most interesting par is that the entire structure is made of bamboo, which is extremely unusual for the US.

Photo: Roberto de Leon