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.

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Museo Internacional del Barroco – Puebla, Mexico

Last month saw the opening of renowned Japanese architect Toyo Ito’s Taichung Metropolitan Opera House in Taiwan, and now we take a look at another of his designs in Mexico. This new art museum is dedicated to the 17th-century Baroque art movement, which broke away from the rigid rules of the Renaissance period. Ito drew from the defining techniques of Baroque for his novel and fluid use of concrete slabs for the exterior, while circular skylights cast sharp sunlight within the interior, evoking the shadowy characteristics of Baroque painting.

IBS Institute of Science and Innovation for Bio-Sustainability – Braga, Portugal

Part of Minho University, the IBS Institute immediately differentiates itself from its grey surroundings with a whimsical, mint-green facade rooted in science. Inspired by the building’s purpose for the study of science and technology, the distinctive exterior mimics a microscopic image of titanium nanotubes. The Clàudio Vilarinho-designed building also uses some innovative construction techniques, such as the pre-fabricated concrete panels reinforced with micro-fibers.

Taubman Complex – Southfield, Michigan

Nestled within the middle of the quad at Lawrence Technological University is a forbidding, elongated egg resembling an alien landing craft. In reality, it contains the main staircase for the newly-constructed Taubman Complex, whose strict, linear aesthetic creates visual tension with the smooth, curvaceous structure of the egg. The scene becomes even more surreal within, where a single skylight illuminates the otherworldly interior of this spacecraft-like structure.

Lucky Knot Bridge – Changsha, China

The knot has a long and auspicious history in China where impossibly intricate versions in red rope are hung in households as a bringer of good luck. In the city of Changsha, that folk custom has been immortalized by NEXT architects in their design for a bridge. Spanning 185 meters long over the Longwanggang River in the city’s New Lake District, the steel pedestrian bridge is composed of two intersecting ribbons — a central ribbon that gently meanders along that is criss-crossed by two side ribbons that provide more extreme highs and lows for those who like to work out their quads. Fusing together history with technology, the Lucky Knot is arguably one of the most distinctive bridges in the world, becoming even more so at night when illuminated by LED lights.

Dachang Muslim Cultural Center – Dachang County, China

Upon first glance, you might assume that this 35,000-square-meter Muslim cultural center belonged in the hotter climes of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, but in fact it lies to the east of Beijing in a predominantly Muslim community in Hebei Province. Designed by architect He Jingtang, the building sports a colonnade of sweeping arches that wraps around its perimeter and is inspired by the mathematical geometry of traditional Islamic architecture. Meanwhile, a central dome contains an auditorium, while the surrounding courtyard is encased under a glass roof, blurring the distinction between the interior and exterior. With ample room for symmetry, patterns and interplay between light and shadow, this building is worth making the trip out from Beijing for a one-of-a-kind photoshoot.