As a postscript to BD+C’s 2016 Game Changers report, the editors compiled a list of 52 pacesetting projects from the past 170 years.
The timeline below includes an elite collection of architectural treasures (Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Jørn Utzon’s Sydney Opera House), engineering feats (Burj Khalifa, CCTV HQ, Taipei 101), sustainability innovators (Philip Merrill Environmental Center, Lewis Center for Environmental Studies, Packard Foundation HQ), and cultural gems (The High Line, Central Park, Coulée verte René-Dumont). Enjoy!
1849
Jayne Building, Philadelphia: first metal-framed glass curtain wall
1851
Crystal Palace, London: world’s first grand plate-glass structure
1857
E.V. Haughwout Building, New York City: first passenger elevator
1857
Central Park, New York City: nation’s first grand urban park
1881
Savoy Theatre, London: first public building to be lit entirely by electricity
1882
La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain: Gaudí’s masterpiece breaks ground
1885
Home Insurance Building, Chicago: world’s first skyscraper
1889
Eiffel Tower, Paris: world’s tallest structure, until 1930
1890
Rand McNally Building, Chicago: first all-steel-framed building
1891
Wainwright Building, St. Louis, Mo.: Louis Sullivan’s influential office tower
1895
Sea Lion Park, Coney Island, N.Y.: first permanent amusement park to charge admission for rides
1903
Ingalls Building, Cincinnati: world’s first reinforced concrete skyscraper
1903
Sackett-Wilhelms printing plant, Brooklyn, N.Y.: first building with modern AC
1909
Highland Park (Mich.) Ford Plant: first moving assembly line
1918
Hotel La Salle garage, Chicago: first multistory parking garage
1930
Chrysler Building, New York City: world’s tallest, until 1931
1931
Empire State Building, New York City: world’s tallest, until 1974
1943
Pentagon, Arlington, Va.: one of the globe’s largest (and most secure) offices
1955
Disneyland, Anaheim, Calif.: revolutionized amusement parks
1956
Bridgers and Paxton Solar Building, Albuquerque, N.M.: first solar building
1959
Guggenheim Museum, New York City: arguably FLW’s greatest nonres. work
1961
Civic Arena, Pittsburgh: first sports venue with a retractable roof
1965
Astrodome, Houston: world’s first domed sports stadium
1965
Gateway Arch, St. Louis, Mo.: nation’s tallest manmade monument
1967
Montreal Biosphère, Québec: Buckminster Fuller’s most notable dome
1973
1 and 2 World Trade Center, world’s tallest twin towers, until 1998
1973
Sydney (Australia) Opera House: Jørn Utzon and Arup’s masterpiece
1974
Willis (Sears) Tower, Chicago: world’s tallest, until 1998
1976
CN Tower, Toronto: world’s tallest slip-form-erected building
1985
Foothill Communities Law Center, San Bernardino, Calif: first seismic base isolation
1989
Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, North Korea: world’s largest stadium
Dr. Wolfgang Feist, Passivhouse Institute
1991
Kranichstein row houses, Germany: first Passive House-rated building
1992
El Peix, Barcelona, Spain: Frank Gehry’s first CATIA-assisted design
1992
Matitone, Genoa, Italy: first major BIM-designed building (ArchiCAD was used)
1993
Coulée verte René-Dumont, Paris: world’s first elevated, linear park
1997
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao: “The greatest building of our time.” (Philip Johnson)
1998
Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: world’s tallest twin towers
2000
Lewis Center for Environmental Studies, Ohio: first Living Machine system
2001
Philip Merrill Environmental Center, Annapolis, Md.: first LEED Platinum building
2004
Taipei 101, Taiwan: world’s tallest, until 2010
2005
Turning Torso, Malmö, Sweden: world’s first twisting skyscraper
2007
Beijing National Stadium: largest steel building in the world
2008
CCTV, Beijing: “3D cranked loop” form is a structural engineering marvel
2009
The High Line, New York City: sparked the elevated, linear park craze
Washington University in St. Louis
2009
Tyson Living Learning Center, Eureka, Mo.: first Living Building-certified project
2010
Burj Khalifa, Dubai: current world’s tallest
2011
Miami Valley Heart Center, Ohio: large-scale prefab MEP installation
2012
Packard Foundation HQ, Los Altos, Calif.: largest net-zero-certified building
2012
Forté, Melbourne, Australia: world’s tallest all-timber tower
2013
Cayan Tower, Dubai: world’s tallest twisting tower
2013
New Century Global Center, Chengdu, China: world’s largest building
2014
WinSun apartments, Shanghai: first 3D-printed commercial building
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