Sydney Opera House, Australia

The Sydney Opera House is one of the 20th century's most distinctive buildings, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on Sydney Harbour. Jørn Utzon's sail-shaped masterpiece hosts over 1,500 performances annually and took 14 years to complete—a decade longer than planned—costing 14 times the original $7 million budget. At $102 million, it outperforms #2 Eiffel Tower in architectural innovation despite being shorter, covering 1.8 hectares of waterfront. Its white chevron tiles, numbering 1,056,006, reflect sunlight 30% more efficiently than standard ceramic, reducing cooling costs by $50,000 yearly.