London Aquatics Centre
Location: London: UK
Architect: Zaha Hadid
Completed: 2011

Photo: Hufton + Crow

This is the second entry on our list for British architect Zaha Hadid, but we make no apologies, after all Hadid is surely one of the modern masters of organic architecture.

Photo: Hufton + Crow

In truth, we could have chosen many of Hadid's buildings, such as the magnificent Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, but in the end the unique relationship between concrete and water in her Aquatics Centre, designed for the London 2012 Olympics, swung it.

Photo: Hufton + Crow

The architect describes the building's design as 'a concept inspired by the fluid geometry of water in motion, creating spaces and a surrounding environment in sympathy with the river landscape of the Olympic Park'.