Where would we be without UNESCO?
Since 1972, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has identified and helped protect some 890 cultural and natural heritage sites, including architectural wonders like:


Chartres Cathedral
Monticello

Machu Picchu


The Great Wall of China


Petra, Jordan


The Sydney Opera House


The Taj Mahal

To dig deeper, check out the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, compiled by our Travel Guides here at About.com.

Photo Above: Petra, Jordan, a New World Wonder, Press photo © 2000-2006 NewOpenWorld Foundation

Traditional adobe homes in the American Southwest have wooden beams and flat roofs, but students at the Adobe Alliance in Texas are discovering the north African mode of construction, with arches and domes. The result? Beautiful, ultra-strong, and energy-efficient homes, echoing the adobe domes built along the Nile centuries ago.


Natural Building With Earth, in Mother Earth News

Earth Architecture
Pueblo Revival House Style

If you enjoy refined, dignified Adam homes, then you can thank the Scottish-born architect who inspired the style. Born in in 1728, Robert Adam and his brothers built many fine country homes in England. They paid attention to every detail, designing the furniture as well as the houses. Robert Adam traveled to Italy and fell in love with classical, especially Roman, design. Robert Adam revolutionized English domestic architecture when he incorporated Roman refinements into austere Georgian style buildings. Interestingly, the architectural ideas of Robert Adam flourished in New England after America declared its independence from Britain. Federal style buildings like the one shown here imitated the popular English homes Adam designed.
Image © 2000 ArtToday.com

On July 4, folks in the United States celebrate Independence Day with fireworks, picnics, and parades. No matter where you live, the noisy summer holiday is a good time to enjoy the stately (and, yes, imitative) architecture that evolved in the American colonies. Borrowed from Britain, the dignified Georgian Colonial style took America by storm, followed by elegant American Federalist architecture. And then, drive through nearly any suburban neighborhood in the USA, and you are certain to see row after row of Colonial Revival and Neocolonial homes.


Photo: Neocolonial House, Clipart.com

Now that Michael Jackson is gone, questions are swirling around his former home and amusment park at Neverland Ranch. Jackson had shut the place down a few years ago, saying that the police searches violated the beauty and innocence of his sanctuary. But now some say Neverland should become a shrine and tourist destination, like Graceland became for Elvis Presley.
What do you think? Tell us your dream for Neverland >

Photo above: Train station at Neverland Ranch, home of Michael Jackson in the Santa Ynez Valley, California. © Jason Kirk/Getty Images

July 8 is the birthday of Philip Johnson, designer of the legendary Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut. Known for his unconventional approaches to architecture, Johnson also designed the controversial AT&T Headquarters (now the Sony Building) in New York City.

Photo courtesy of the Pritzker Prize Committee

July 9 is the birthday of postmodernist architect and designer Michael Graves. Borrowing heavily from the past, Graves became famous for whimsical buildings that incorporate classical details like columns and pediments. When asked to design the Team Disney Building in Burbank California, he created a classical facade with the Seven Dwarfs supporting the gable. Michael Graves also became popular for designing products from teapots to pavilions for Target stores and various manufacturers. When a sudden illness left Michael Graves paralyzed from the waist down, he was faced with the ultimate challenge. Now confined to a wheelchair, Michael Graves combines his sophisticated and often whimsical approach to design with a deeper understanding of the importance of accessibility and universal design. Graves and the members of his firm are working on a variety of healthcare design projects.

Team Disney Building Photo © Mary Ann Sullivan, Digital Imaging Project

Beechwood Mansion, photo © John W. Corbett

Among the many important architects who celebrate June birthdays is Bruce Goff. Born in Alton, Kansas on June 8, 1904, Bruce Goff designed expressive and original buildings using throw-away materials such as cake pans, steel pipe, rope, cellophane, and ash trays.

Architect and architecture are words that get thrown around a lot. As hard as pros work to pass their licensing exams and build their careers, architects still get mixed in with software programmers, product designers, and a lot of other things. As for architecture, it could be anything from a teaspoon to a spaceship. So, what is architecture? Tell us your definition.