Rather than merely fulfilling an aesthetic purpose, today's new buildings have cultural, political, and social importance, and only those that succeed in reflecting these values, in combination with a novel approach to the practice of architecture, can be considered as spectacular. Challenged by an increasingly complex urban context, the buildings must carefully integrate their designs into the existing urban fabric through a skillful and sensitive interpretation of the buildings' purpose and relationship with the public. Bearing in mind these issues and criteria, this book gathers a selection of contemporary projects completed within the last few years that exemplify the latest trends in the creation of prominent institutional, corporate, retail, cultural and educational facilities around the world.