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    There’s a saying in New York that no one ever looks up. That might be true for a lot of places. Architecture is all around us, yet we become jaded, as most of it is utilitarian and boring. Mention architecture and people think of brick buildings with facades made in the 1920s, or skyscrapers like the Empire State Building. Yet, there is a whole world of architecture that continues to evolve and literally reshape buildings. Here are 10 of the most interesting architectural works recently built.

    The Shard (London, England)

    Designed by architect Renzo Piano and opened on July 5, 2012, the Shard is the tallest building in Europe, standing at 1,016 feet high. It contains office spaces, a hotel, luxury residences, restaurants, a shopping center and a viewing gallery.

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    Titanic Belfast (Belfast, Northern Ireland)

    Opened in April 2012, the Titanic Belfast is a tourist attraction built to reflect Belfast’s history in ship making. The building contains 130,000 square feet of floor space, mainly used for galleries, as well as community facilities. It is located on the slipways where the RMS Titanic was built. Inside, visitors can explore the story of the Titanic from birth to death at sea.

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    Beijing National Stadium (Beijing, China)

    Designed by a Swiss architecture firm at a cost of $423 million, it was built for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. It’s also known as the Bird’s Nest Stadium for obvious reasons.

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    The Crooked House (Sopot, Poland)

    Inspired by fairytale drawings, it was built in 2004 as part of a shopping center. It has since become one of the most photographed buildings in Poland.

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    Museum of Contemporary Art (Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

    Designed by Oscar Niemeyer, and likened to a UFO, this museum is set on a cliff and was completed in 1996.

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    Experience Music Project (Seattle, Wash.)

    Founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, this museum opened to the public in 2000. It explores popular music and science fiction, and was designed by Frank Gehry. Gehry also designed the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, among others.

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    Dancing Building (Prague, Czech Republic)

    Also known as the Ginger and Fred building, it was co-designed by Frank Gehry and Vlado Milunic, and opened in 1996. Controversial when it first opened, it is now featured on a gold coin issued by the Czech National Bank.

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    Basket Building (Newark, Ohio)

    This basket-shaped building is the corporate headquarters of the Longaberger Company. It is a giant replica of the company’s "Medium Market Basket," and opened in 1997.

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    Kansas City Public Library (Kansas City, Mo.)

    OK, so it’s really only a facade that hides the parking lot for the library, but it's still neat. The books measure 25 feet by nine feet and are made of signboard Mylar. How cool is that?

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    Next: Amazing Street Art

    Burj Al Arab (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)

    Designed by architect Tom Wright and opened in 1999, it’s the fourth tallest hotel in the world. It rests on an artificial island and is considered one of the world's most luxurious hotels.