This Week's Most Instagram-Worthy Architecture

The world is brimming with jaw-dropping built environments that are begging to be shot, and in this new weekly series, we round up the most photogenic architecture and interiors to surface recently. Whether its for a simple #sneakerhand shot or a full-blown high fashion photoshoot, these publicly-accessible places are guaranteed to help you rack up the Likes for their arresting visual aesthetic. Take a look at our selection below and get ready for your next photography outing.

Simone Veil Group of Schools - Paris, France

Looking down at the urban fabric of the northwestern Parisian suburb of Colombes, you’d be forgiven for doing a double take at the shock of pink and orange that marks the Simone Veil Group of Schools. Located in a newly developed eco-neighborhood, the complex has been described by its architects at Dominique Coulon & associés as a work of “joyful chaos” designed for “educational stimulation” for the young students who inhabit its classrooms. Featuring plenty of bright, geometric shapes that engulf whole corridors and buildings alike, the complex also features a tot-sized basketball court that has been completely blanketed in a single hue of neon orange.

3 Rue Marguerite Yourcenar
92700 Colombes, France

High Trestle Trail Bridge – Des Moines, United States

Spanning the Des Moines River Valley a 40-minute drive from the city of Des Moines, the High Trestle Trail Bridge’s futuristic demeanor lies in stark contrast to the tranquil scenes of nature that surround it. As the fifth longest pedestrian and bicycle bridge in the U.S., the bridge utilizes a series of rusted steel cribs arranged along its entire length that are progressively angled to create the illusion of a tunnel, in a nod to the coal mining history of the local area. Crossing the bridge becomes positively trippy at night, when blue LEDs lining the edges of the cribs are turned on. Since its construction in 2011, the bridge has successfully attracted an extra 15 to 20 thousand visitors each month to the small communities on both sides of the bridge.

Madrid, IA 50156
United States

Louverwall Cafe – Paju, South Korea

The northern South Korean city of Paju is the destination for those wanting to make their way to the Louverwall Cafe, a recently completed project by Seoul-based design firm AND. Built for a married couple, the structure incorporates a cafe on the ground floor, while the clients live on the second and third floors with their five cats. Its most striking feature is a curved west-facing wall that is composed of louvers designed using an algorithm created by researchers at Seoul National University. The algorithm optimizes the amount of natural light so that most of the harsh summer sunlight is deflected while the winter sun can pass through. The result is beautifully dappled light within the airy volume of the cafe throughout the year, creating a dynamism between light and shadow perfect for gripping portrait photography.

Site 18-4, Angaecho-gil, Paju-si
Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

Wild Reindeer Center Pavilion – Hjerkinn, Norway

By far the most remote location in this list, the Wild Reindeer Center Pavilion is also the most surreal. Perched at the top of a hill, the pavilion provides sweeping views of Norway’s mythic Dovrefjell mountain range, which forms the natural habitat for a population of wild reindeer. Designed by Oslo-based Snøhetta, the pavilion itself is a mysterious, glass-and-steel black box on the outside, but its interior houses a sinuous, organic wooden core that evokes natural erosion of the surrounding water- and wind-hewn landscape.

Taichung Metropolitan Opera House – Taichung, Taiwan

Taiwan’s third largest city has its latest landmark in the shape of the Taichung Metropolitan Opera House, designed by famed Japanese architect Toyo Ito. The new cultural monument was designed a decade ago, and has been under construction since 2009. Utilizing structurally complex folding forms, the 58,000-square-meter building’s interior is all sweeping white volumes that evoke a cavernous glacial cave, contrasting with plush red carpet. Comprised of six stories, photographers have plenty of different levels and staircases to play with, allowing for a range of creative compositions.

No. 101, Section 2
Huilai Rd, Xitun District
Taichung City, Taiwan 407