COSMIC TRIP: THE ROSE CENTER FOR EARTH AND SPACE

On an island crammed with so many buildings that one more isn't likely to make a difference one way or the other, the new Rose Center for Earth and Space has already made its mark. Designed by Polshek Partnership Architects, this latest addition to New York's American Museum of Natural History has created a level of excitement in a city where architectural pundits (who wear their weary cynicism proudly) have anointed it the most significant piece of architecture in, well...a pretty long time.

SAITAMA SUPER ARENA: THREE BUILDINGS IN ONE

Depending on when you go there, the new sports and cultural facility for the Saitama Prefecture, Japan, is a 30,000-seat soccer stadium, a 20,000-seat basketball arena, or a 5,000-seat concert hall. The technology that makes these transformations possible is a unique system for moving a very large block of 9,200 seats, with related walls, floors, and spectator amenities. The block is 135 feet (41.5 meters) high and weighs 15,000 tons. In only 20 minutes it can move the 230 feet (70 meters) between the arena and stadium configurations.