Architectural Wonders Inspired by Nature

Atomium: Brussels

Originally constructed for the 1958 World’s Fair, or Expo 58, this weird (古怪的) building features nine interconnected spheres (球体) measuring 335-feet high. Engineer Andre Waterkeyn and architects Andre and Jean Polak modeled it after an iron crystal enlarged 165 billion times to represent faith in scientific progress. Today the interior is home to a museum and several temporary exhibits.

The Cube Houses: Rotterdam

Despite all the hard angles and straight lines, architect Piet Blom actually took inspiration from a forest of trees when designing these Dutch houses back in 1977. Each bright yellow cube is tilted (倾斜的) on its side by 45 degrees and anchored to a hexagon-shaped pylon (六边形塔架), representing a tree. The entrance to each three-level house lies inside the concrete “trunk” that contains a staircase.

Taipei 101: Taipei

Standing at 1,671 feet tall, this 101-story skyscraper was the tallest building in the world when it opened in Taipei’s modern Xinyi District in 2004. Renowned architect C. Y. Lee modeled it after a bamboo stalk, and its repetitive sections are full of symbolism. There are a total of eight parts comprised of eight floors each -a lucky number in Chinese culture.

Helix Bridge: Singapore

An international team, assembled from Architects 61 in Singapore, designed this footbridge stretching over Marina Bay, linking the famous hotel and shopping center with the ArtScience Museum and Gardens by the Bay. The inspiration comes from the double helix (螺旋的) structure of a DNA molecule. Opened in 2010, the 919-foot long curved structure has five viewing platforms, giving pedestrians spectacular views of the skyline from across the waterfront.

The world is waiting for you to explore. Where will you go next? Our editors pick four exciting destinations for the year ahead. Grab your bags and go!

Maldives

Why go now: Explore islands on the front lines of climate change

What to know: Maldives is the lowest-lying country on the planet and may disappear in decades due to the rising sea level. So forward-thinking green actions are a matter of survival. The Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve helps protect the Maldives’ coral reefs, which support many coral and fish species, as well as sea turtles, whale sharks, and other animals living in the ocean.

Tasmania, Australia

Why go now: Go to an island that’s wild and beautiful

What to know: Once considered a backwater(闭塞的地方),Tasmania is now one of Australia’s fastest-growing tourism destinations. The key to the attraction of Australia’s southernmost state is its natural beauty, which owes largely to the lasting green spirit of about half a million residents there.

Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia

Why go now: Jump through the Ring of Fire

What to know: Extending into the sea between the Japanese and Aleutian archipelagoes (群岛), Kamchatka is part of the Ring of Fire, the chain of volcanoes. And six separate areas of Kamchatka Peninsula are included within the Volcanoes of Kamchatka UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Guizhou Province, China

Why go now: Step into villages almost untouched by time

What to know: The mountainous region’s plentiful water and cool climate are draws for Apple, Huawei, and other tech powerhouses. This has improved access to the entire province. In Guizhou’s villages, days unfold at a slow pace and people continue farming and textile (纺织品) traditions, which have been practiced since the sixth century. And you can experience this kind of life yourself.

The open-air bookstalls (书摊) that line the River Seine are as symbolic of Paris as the Louvre or the Arc de Triomphe. But most of the boxy, dark green stalls must be temporarily removed before the 2024 Summer Olympics for what officials say are security reasons.

Organizers in Paris are aiming to bring back magnificence to the Games, which begin on July 26. The opening ceremony will take place not in a stadium, but along the Seine, with thousands of Olympic athletes riding on a flotilla (船队)of 160 boats before hundreds of thousands of visitors on the river’s banks. The ceremony’s unusual format poses security headaches, for both the International Olympic committee and the Paris police, who said they had concerns that bombs could be hidden in the stalls.

The booksellers, known as “les bouquinistes”, have said they will not compromise, calling the order issued by the Paris police chief last week an affront to the French capital’s history and soul. “Paris without the bouquinistes is like Venice without the boats,” said Jean-Pierre Mathias, 76, who has had a stall along the Seine for about four decades.

Open every day from morning until dusk, the bouquinistes are both a scene along the riverside and a symbol of Paris’s literary culture, attracting curious tourists and locals looking for rare books. The tradition dates back to at least the 17th century and by the 19th century, Napoleon gave approval to the bookstalls, popular with intellectuals and writers, and they became permanent.

The city’s mayor (市长), Anne Hidalgo, initially highlighted the booksellers’ importance to the city and suggested an alternative plan that would keep the stall s in place once the police confirmed they were not a security threat. But that plan was no longer under consideration because the police declared it necessary to remove the stalls for safety, a spokeswoman for Ms. Hidalgo said on Tuesday.