A girl joins other novice nuns for a lunch at the Sathira-Dhammasathan Buddhist meditation centre in Bangkok April 21, 2013. A group of Thai girls are choosing to spend part of their school holidays as Buddhist nuns, down to having their heads shaven at the meditation centre. The centre, founded in 1987, is a learning community for peace and harmony that has programs open to people regardless of age and gender. (Photo by Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

A Galapagos Tortoise shell is used as a foot rest at Heathrow Airport's Animal Reception Centre on January 25, 2011 in London, England. Many animals pass through the centre's doors ranging from exotic animals such as snow leopards and elephants, snakes and crocodiles, to the more common such as cats and dogs. In 2010 alone the centre processed approximately 10,500 cats and dogs, 1,300 birds, 105,000 day old chicks, 246,000 reptiles, 230 horses and 29 million fish. Most animals are part of zoo transfer schemes, the pet trade, or are pets in transit. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Modern architecture is nothing short of a miracle. For example, the mind-boggling skyscrapers of Dubai would dumbfound anyone who is lucky enough to witness them in real life. Nevertheless, there are some modern buildings that are not as grand as the Burj Khalifa or Princess Tower, but are still wondrous to look at. Emporia Shopping Centre, located in Malmo, Sweden, is one of those places. The architect who designed this building is named Gert Wingardh. Emporia Shopping Centre was built to look as if its center was melted through by an inferno, leaving behind a giant molten block of gold.

A guest poses for photographs at the infinity pool of the newly-inaugurated Dolce Hanoi Golden Lake hotel, the world's first gold-plated hotel, in Hanoi on July 2, 2020. It even has a gold-plated infinity pool on the roof. The 400-room, 25-storey property will operate under the American Wyndham Hotels brand. Prices start at $300 a night for rooms, or there are apartments to rent costing from $6400 per square metre. (Photo by Manan Vatsyayana/AFP Photo)

Grand banqueting halls, opulent lobbies and vast ballrooms; you could easily be forgiven for thinking this was a collection of photographs was documenting some of Europe’s grandest hotels. However, a closer look will reveal the majestic rooms to be engulfed in swathes of dust and moss; hotels that once hosted royals and high society abandoned to the elements. This is the latest result of urban exploration photography, going beyond “no entry” signs to capture images of dilapidated buildings across Europe. IT worker Thomas Windisch, from Graz in Austria, indulged his passion for photography by traveling across the continent, visiting over 100 abandoned hotels along the way. Here: inside a hotel in Austria. (Photo by Thomas Windisch/Caters News)

“Business-class” cabins are seen at First Cabin hotel, which was converted from an old office building, in Tokyo, July 3, 2015. Record tourists to Japan are stretching the ability of hotels to accommodate them in a sector constrained by high costs, forcing developers to think out of the box for means to quickly increase lodging options without breaking the bank. (Photo by Toru Hanai/Reuters)